The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
p III.

Inc uOuSS WAS lOuuu dlISI d SlSdI
many not un~pleasurable researches
little expeditions, now and then,
which Lady Caroline and her husband
took together, with "reminiscences of
their first honeymoon travels, which
had been so sweet.
The house was near n of the
charming little towns of Surrey. 1t
was on the slope of a hill, a house
partly antique for beauty, and with a
new part built on behind, happily out
the delight of a bride in furnishing
her house-nay, of a bridegroom, too,
for n of her chief cares was to fit
up "a study for Beaufort, in which
every taste should be satisfied.
Though she was by nature so gentle
and yielding a woman, she it was who
was the purveyor of everything. who
had the purse in her hands. The only
thing upon which Beaufort had maze
a stand at the time of his marriage
was this-that~the money which was
hers should remain with her; that he
should have nothing to do with its
expenditure. He had his own little
income, which was very small, yet
sufficed for his personal wants. Her
drawing room Vas fitted up accord
ing to all the new lights. But even
the anxiety to secure everything right
in the drawing was secondary
to her anxiety about the library,
which was to be Beaufort's room, the
future centre of all his occupations.
1t did please him, or, at least, he
graciously declared it did, with an.
enthusiasm perhaps a little strained,
but Garry, who was half crying with
JOY and pleasure, never found this
out, if, indeed, there was anything to
find out. She ran about the room,
pointing out cverything-alI the de-
tails of the arrangements, the drawers
for papers, the portfolios for prints,
the shelves that could be filled at
pleasure, the space that still was va
cant to be filled up. Everything that
heart could desire was in this dilet-
tante shrine. There was a little pic
ture on the mantelpiece, al original,
a lovely little Fra Angelica, in the
daintiest of carved shrines, which
good luck had thrown in their way IN
Italy-a gem for an Emperor's chest.
He gave a little. cry when he saw this.
Garry, your own picture - the one
you love best!"
Il shall love it better here than
anywhere else," said Carry, falling a.
weeping and %a-laughing with a JOY
that was not hysterical, but only
driven to the bound of all things to
find expression. She was SO happy!
She had neTar in all her life been
SO happy before.
After a great deal Of travelling in
the most beautiful scenery in the
world, and after the excitement of
settling down. of furnishing, Of ar
ranging, of putting all your future
life in order, there is apt to follow a
certain blank, a somewhat d~isconcert-
ing consciousness that all expectation
is now over, when you are left alone
with everything completed to live
that life to which you have been for
so long looking forward. Lady Car
was very conscious Of this in her
sensitive and delicate soul, although
there was for a long time a sustain
ing force of expectation Of another
kind in her that kept her up. All the
people in the neighborhood, it is need
less to say, made haste to call upon
Lady Caroline Beaufort, and she
found them a little fiat, as country So
ciety is apt to be. She went out with
her husband a number Of times to
dinner parties, especially convened in
her honor, and did not find them en-
livening. She was one Of those wom-
en- who never get rid Of the ideal, and
ALWAYS retain a vague hone in COM !