Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-11-19
CHAPTER l.

enough of the sea by that time, and l
shall want to see you all settled to
work again steadily before we 60 north,
Good morning! / hope you will have
pleasant holiday"
Exit Lady Chilcote, bland and self
satisfied, as beftted the mother of
large family-the head of an artistocratic
household.
Little Anne Oliver, small, young and
shabby, the underpaid, overworked daily
governess to the establishment, dropped
the FIVE hardly earned gold sovereigns
into her frayed leather purse, hurried
lesson book copies, states, and ink bot
ties gleefully into the schoolroom cup
board, kissed the nose of the tabby cat
curled up in a fat pincushion on the
window sill, and ran off downstairs, pin
ming on her sunburnt sailor hat as she
went
Outside the big house in upper Brook
street the July sun scorched down upon
the broad pavement with fierce, uncom-
promising glare.
Little Anne, holding her head well
down to let her shallow hat brim shade
her short sighted eyes, ran laundering
against the first person she met, and
found herself with her nose in sudden
contact with the button of a buff linen
waistcoat, from which she retreated in
prompt alarm, as a voice greeted her
gaily-
"Oh, say, now, Miss Oliver, that's a
bit shabby, isn't it3 To run a chap
down, and then stare at him as though
you had never seen him in your life be-
fore!'
Sir Roger Gresham, light hearted and
gay, a typical well grown, well-dressed
representative of the aristocratic class
from which he sprang, looked down smil-
ing kindly at the little governess, while
she, crimsoning at the encounter, began
lame apology.
II am very sorry; 1 wasn't looking;
the sun was in my eyes, and-and I've
only met you once before, sir"
ooh, but we're old friends all the
same! Do you know that the waltz you
played for us last week at Lady Chill
cote's runs in my head still. Something
about mice, wasn't it called, French
inject l never could remember a name"
IL suppose you mean 'Sourires d'AvriPH
Sourires means smiles, not MICE" re-
piled Miss Oliver in her best goyerness
style, but with peal of girlish laughter
Her companion was, however, not a wit
abashed by his mistake.
"Oh well, Smiling Mice then What
does it matter? One words as good as
another in French. I expect you have
no end of work drumming such gibberish
into the small Chilcotes ears all day
long, haven't your I'm on my way
there now to leave a note and these
he fiourished an immense bunch of pink
rosebuds under little Anne's insignificant
nose "Don't they smell jolly, and make
you think of the country and all sorts of
green things, eh2 They came up fresh
from my place in Sussex this morning,
and when / saw them l felt what a fool
was to have wasted half the summer
in grimy old London"
Miss Oliver stopped over the fragrant
handful until the pinSy glow of the bios.
SONS seemed to lend transient color to
her pale cheeks.
"Oh, | wish / had not just left the
house, or that you had called few min
utes earlier, then l should have had the
pleasure of putting them out always
do the flowers for Lady Chilcote! Miss
Chilcote never has time, and hates the
trouble, but l love them, and these are
such beauties!"
There was such ring of honest disap-
pointment in the girls plaintive voice
that Sir Roger felt quite pitiful.
well, turn back with me now and
take charge of them" he said hastily,
examining the nosegay into her unwilling
hand. There's loads of time before
lunch. / must call at the house myself,
because they've asked me to dine and
can't, because I'm going down to Cowes
for the week. rather wish could have
accepted, I might have heard you play
again if I had; but anyhow I will walk
with you, and you can put the flowers
in water"
He placed himself at Anne's side per
iectiy Indifferent to the contrast between
himself, faultlessly well addressed, and the
homely sbabbiness of his companion.
In his honest friendliness and absence
OF all vulgar pride of birth or station,
Roger Gresham would have stroIled leis-
urely through the park with Lady Chill
cote's daily governess as readily as with
the smartest girl of his very smart ac-
qualntances. She was a nice little thing
ne would have said if questioned on the
subject. She interested him. he wanted
70 talk to her and walk with her, so why
should he be prevented
fortunately, perhaps, little Anne, al
though by no means worldly wise, had
learnt enough during the eighteen
months she had spent a. a subordinate
IN Lady Chilcote's household to know
mat walking along Brook street at the
busiest time of the. day with Sir Roger
gresham as an escort would be a most
dangerous proceeding as far as she was
concerned, and that the meager pittance
OF i've gold sovereigns snugly hidden in
the worn little purse she clutched so
lightly was much too precious a posses
SION to be risked for the sake of ten
minutes chatter with an idle man
ohe shook her head emphatically at his
proposal, and shyly held out the flowers
as she spoke.
I can't come back, really-I should
love toll" She couldn't resist this small
concession because her companions fair,