The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-04-14
CHAPTER VIII.
The County Condescends.

The County Condescends. 'HThe picture of aristocracy in the popular sentimental novelette, seems 60 me very satisfactory as a permanent political and philosophical guide. =. |. "A third-class carriage is a conn munity. A first-class carriage is a place of wild hermits."
 Gilbert K. Chesterton. There came a time when Vernon began to feel at home at Carronlea. When her aunt and she returned, after their fortnight in town, she felt conscious of a feeling of familiarity of having reached home-which was greater than the facts seemed to war
 rant. And in week or two she had driven all round the neighborhood. dined at Ponthewel with the Umfra- villes, at Swan Weir with old Mrs. Baldwin, and at Mardrum with the Lesters. Moreover she had had tea
 at the Vicarage-China tea, poured off the leaves. saccharine being sup piled instead of sugar, dried cream in powder in a tin, and Plasmon bis cults. Mrs. Turpin assured her that the benefit she herself had derived from a hygienic diet was extreme: but her whole appearance was that
 of such invalidism and premature de-
 cay as to present no encouraging ad- vertisement of the system she follow ed.
 Miss Tarlton had given a tea-party in her thimbIe-sized parlor in Ver-
 nons honor, and to this tea-party Lady Bunbury herself had deigned to give the sanction of her presence.
 Lady Bunbury was dowager, who continued to live on the Yeoshire family seat of the Bunburys because her son, the present Baron, disliked | the place, and lived mostly upon his Scotch estate, at Dunglen.
 Not only did her ladyship attend | the tea-party, she also invited Mrs. Bardsley and her niece to lunch the following week.
 This gratifying invitation caused
 Miss Tarlton to feel that Vernon was indeed socially launched.
 ] "Her ladyship does not entertain"
 she explained to Vernon, when the 1 old-fashioned chariot had borne away | the great one-"never, except when
 Lord and Lady Bunbury come down. l Then there are two or three county dinner-parties, and they do say that | there will be ball this winter, as
 the eldest Miss Noble-Noble is the 1 family name-is to be presented at 1 the next Court"
 Vernon was amused. She imbibed l these morsels of local gossip with a curious appetite. It was all so un-
 like. and yet so like what she had been accustomed to. Social customs | were different, but human nature ap- peared to be much the same in Van
 couver or the English provinces l Miss Noble is g. sweet girl" said
 Miss Tarlton. Do let me show you
 her photograph" She produced a ! pOE OA a. A01Is W0cQy-1OOklnS S1Tl,
 with beaky nose. receding chin, and prominent eyes Her collar-bones
 rendered the evening gowns in which
 she had been photographed highly
 unbecoming.
 Such an air of distinction" mur-
 mured Miss Tarlton, to whom any
 member of a titled family was sim l cerely and frankly beautiful. "It is
 much to be hoped that Sir Miles Um- | fraville will form an alliance which
 would be of so appropriate a, kind I know that his lordship was pleased
 with Miles when he came down last
 year, and they do say that he will ! pay longer visit this time, to give the young people a chance to know 1 each other.''
 l Vernon thought that Lord Bunbury would be lucky if he succeeded in getting so plain a daughter married | we'll. unless he had a large portion