The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-02-14
CHAPTER XVI.
Continued

"It was her way Of looking at Gif
ford, and speaking so low" she ex
planned when, long afterward, she
found a confidant respecting the trials
of that first evening-"'speaking so 10"
and tremulous, whep,. not a minute
before, she had given loud orders tc
my %Seryents about her boxes. Ant
then her hat-a modest woman, seek
ing a situation among young children
with a hat like that upon Her head
and her mantle trimmed actually will
velvet. and a dress that might have
stood alone, when she said herself tina
her mamma had scarce the common
necessaries of life! These were the
things that set me right as to her 'rea.
nature from the first moment l saw
her"
And as Jane never mentioned any
thing about Miss Fergusson's youth
and beauty, and Gifford's evident anc
warm appreciation Of the same, it is
to be held that these petty considera'
lions did not really influence her il
the opinion to which she referred.
Miss Ferguson was very lively and
pleasant at tea; and indeed during all
the rest Of the evening. Quite early
in the entertainment she asked Miss
Grand, as a girl may ask a middle
aged woman, to call her at once by
her Christian name-Matty.
ct is really Matilda, you know, but
-. always calls me Matty, and l
should be very glad if you would do
so too"
Thereby making Jane feel herself to
be old enough to be Matty's mother,
and Clifford to think what a natural
unaffected creature this poor neglected
child managed, after all, to grow up.
Glow many years is it exactly since
you and Mr.. Mohun metz" said Jane
in tie course of Miss Matty's little con-
tinental "reminiscences. -Four? five:
you could not have been such a very
young child then, after all. Four years
ago you WERE
Nearly fifteen" said Matty, com
posedly. ~ didn't look my age, did !,
Mr.. Mohun? I was very short indeed
for 4 year after that, and poor dear
m always would dress us to look
like children of eleven. What a life it
was!"-eyes of perfect candor as she
said this-"oscillating between Ems
and Spa and Wiesbaden and Baden in
summer, and Hamburg and Frankfort
in WATERPROOF papa always playing,
playing at that horrible tapls vert,
whether We had money for dinner OF
not; and dear mamma still dressing
and going to all the concerts and balls,
when Pm sure there was enough at
home TO break her heart if she had
felt things even as much as we chill
dren. Do you know, Miss Grand, my
sister and I have often gone round to
the hotels at dinner time and begged
bits of broken meats. as the dishes
came out from The table :ahote-and
this, perhaps, at the very time when
Door mamma would be dressing her
self elegantly for the Redoute in the
evening. Such things must have
seemed almost incredible to you, l
am sure"
Mohun glanced at Jane, as much as
to say, You see what l have told you
about their bringing up was true" Dut
he also looked ~favorably upon Miss
Matty's flushed, candid face. Jane felt
that the girl was saying precisely what
put herself in the best position-alloW-
ing facts that Chords memory must
make it impossible for her to ignore,
and improving them to the utmost!
Mohun had forgotten every syllable
of her letter within half an hour OF
reading it; but Jane te%naciously re-
membered those words: Our happy
circle" "our dearest father and moth
err" and opposed them to the picture
Of starved innocence begging broken
meats, while unworthy parents wast-d
their substance OF their own friVo!lty
and miserable pleasures!
That morning-nay, not an hour ago
Clifford, with the vision before hin
Of Mrs. Ferguson and the freckied
children, ha2 been cynical, suspicious,
and very zeal the truth in his remarks
upon. what Miss Matty must have
grown UP; Jane, all charity, forbear-
ance, generous sentiment toward the
friendless girl she was going to be-
friend. They had seen the poor friend
less girl. and 10! she was fair to look
upon, plausible Of speech and attrac-
tive in manner. And. now Mr.. Mohun
was disposed to like her, and to stare,
we'll content, i'll Ter handsome lace
and listen, well diverted, to her lively
foreign talk; and Jane-the mild; the
charitable, the kindly-had already
gone 4 long way on the road toward
hating her, and suspected a hidden
motive or detected a palpabIe DECEIT
under every one Of the pretty little
romanccs her childish tongue babbled
forth.
Was she commonly. meanly jealous
then?-she, who had always held her
self above the mere suspicion OF such
4 feeling.
When that long evening had worn TO
a close, all Miss Matty's amusing stor-
les over, and Mohun was lighting his
cigar previous to departure, Jane stole
ont after him to the little hall, and
with 4 quiet conscious feeling of her
own despicable weakness attempted
to sound him on the subject 50 ter,
ribly near her heart.
You judged her too hardly. Clifford
She is a very nice gisl, after all, and
and unusually handsome, Clifford, Is
che DofSc