Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-09-19
CHAPTER X.
THE EXPECTED BLOW.

xv~rA
'f,tssas y a. ~ captain sitting In the
E-->.----7nS. sr :! summer house alone
k--cp--a-& without the usual SOL
ace of his tobacco and his October.
Jack" he said. with a gloomy sigh.
81 am now the happiest of men be-
cause my Molly is the most fortunate
OF women. | have attained the utmost
! could hope or ask. The most virtuous
of men--l should say noblcmen-has
asked the hand of our girl. Molly will
be countess! Rejoice With me-"
stood outside on the grass, having
no words to say.
"She viii marry him Immediately.
Nothing could be more happy or more
fortunate. Snch rank, such a position
as places her on a level with the high
est ladies of the land, though the
daughter of plain folk. with a ship
owner for a father and sailors
daughter fer mother-there is pro-
motion for you, Jackr
''Sbe will go away, then, and leave
us?'
AYE. she will leave US, Jack. She
will leave us. HIS lordship--you do not
ask who II is"
'Who can It be. captain, but Lord
FylingdaeT'
THE best Of men. He will carry her
of to his country house. where they
will live retired for awhile. yet IN such
state as belongs to her rank. We Shall
lose her, Of course. That, however, we
always expected. The country house
is in Gloucester, on the other side Of
England, Perhaps she may get to see
us, but l am Is or perhaps more, and
Jennifer, her mother, is not far from
80. | cannot look TO set eyes on her
again. What matter" he hemmed
bravely and sat upright-"what mat
Ter, l say, so that the girl is happy7
Her mother may perhaps set eyes on
her once more, but she will be changed,
because, you see, our Molly must now
become a fine lady"
Yes" groaned; "she must become
& fine lady"
Jack, sometimes I am sorry that
she has so much money. Yet what
was l to do? Could l waste and dissi-
pate her money? Could l give away
her ships? Could give her, with the
fortune Of n princess, TO q plain and
simple skipper? No. Providence, Prov
idence, Jack, hath so ordered things.
] could not help myself"
mo, captain, you could not help
things. Yet l broke off.
WELL Jack. why don't you rejoice
with me? Why the devil don't you
laugh and sing? All you want is to
see her happy. Yet there you stand
as glum and dumb as a mute at a fu.
neral
Il wish her happiness, sir. with all
my heart"
Sam Semple came here this after
noon by order of my lord. Sam gives
himself airs now that he is n secretary
and companion. He came and demand
ed conversation with me. 1t was quite
private, he said, and of the utmost i'm
portance SO we sat in the parlor, and
with a bottle of wine between MS we
talked over the business. First he told
me that his patron, as he calls him,
meaning his master. had been greatly
taken with the innocence and the
beauty of Molly. | replied that unless
he was a stock or stone or an Ice.
berg expected nothing less. He went
on TO say that, although a noble earl
with long pedigree and a great es-
tnte, his patron was willing TO contract
marriage with a girl who was not even
Of gentle birth and had nothing but
her beauty and her innocence. / told
him that she lSld, In addition, a very
large fortune. He said that his pa
tron scorned the thought Of money,
being already as rich as most noble
men of his exalted rank; that he was
willing also 10 pass over any defects
In manners, conversation and carriage,
which would be remeded by little
acquaintance with the polite world.
In word his lordshlp offered his
hand, his name, his title, his rank and
himself TO my ward"
His Condcsconslon," I said ais be.
yond all praise"
Il think 50, too; beyond all praise.
/ ask his advice touching a husband
for my girl, lie promises his assist
ance in the NATTER and lie then offers
himself. Jack, could anything be more
lOI lLlIdlfs
81 hope it may turn out so. What
does Molly say
You may go in and ask her yourself.
She viii tell YOU more than she will tell
anybody else. Tho matter is TO be kept
for the present a profound secret be-
tween his lordship and ourselves. But
since sam S"mple knows it, and Jen-
infer knows It, and you are one Of our
selves, therefore you may as well know
1t too. But don't talk about it,"
"Why should II be kept a secret?
Why should 1t not be proclaimed every
where"
"My lord says that the place is a hot
bed Of scandal; that he would not have
Molly's name passed about In the pump.
room, TO be the object Of common Cos
sip and inventions made up OF envy
and malice. lie would spare Molly
this When CHE is once married and
taken away from the place, they may
say what they please Whatever they
say, they cannot do her any harm.
Why, some Of them even declared that
she was one Of the company of stroll
ing actresses. There is nothing that
they will not say"
| made mn rpulV bapouSn Il cnrtoinlv