Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-13
TO-DAY'S INSTALLMENT.

lO-Dh . linz AlLhMuIN J..
Twenty sixth chapter-continued
The lady was his maiden aunt,
Lady Margaret Anslem, a fair wom-
an of about forty, fashionably
dressed, redolent OF perfume, and lex
cept to me, to whom she talked quite
amicably) rather reserved and
naughty. as If the marriage of her
nephew into our family were bitter
pill which she had compelled herself
to swallow.
The gentleman was a tall young
man wearing a very high collar and
cravat and using a handkerchief
with embroidered initials in the cor
ner of it. He turned out to be the
Hon. Edward Eastcliff the great
friend who, being rich enough to
please himself was about to marry
the professional beauty.
! noticed that Aunt Bridget, with
something Of the instinct of the fly
about the flame, Immediately fixed
herself upon the one, and that Betsy
Beauty attached herself to the other.
Lord Raa himself looked as tired
as before, and for the first half hour
he behaved as if he did not quite
know what to do with himself for
wrechedness and ennui.
Then the deeds were opened and
spread out on table, and though the
gentlemen seemed to be trying not 70
discuss the contents aloud, could not
help hearing some of the arrange
ments that had been made for the
payment of my intended husbands
debts. and certain details of his an.
nual allowance,
Looking back upon that ugly hour,
] wonder why, under the circum-
stances, l should have been 80 wound
ed, but | remember that a sense Of
discomfort amounting to shame came
upon me at sight of the sorry bar
gaining 1t seemed to have so little
to do with the spiritual union of sous,
which l had been taught to think
marriage should be. But I had not
time TO think more about that before
my father, who had signed the docu-
ments himself in his large, heavy
hand, was saying:
Now, gel, come along, we're wait
ing for your signature"
"A Lucky Girl"
can not remember that read any
thing. l can not remember that any
hing was read to me. | was told
Where to sign, and / signed, thinking
what must be must be, and that was
all / had to do with the matter.
[ was feeling little sick, neverthe-
less, and standing by the fire with one
foot on the fender, when Lord Raa
came up to me at the end, and SAID
in his drawing voice:
so it's done"
Yes, it's DONE" I answered
After a moment he talked Of where
We were to live, saying we must, Of
course, pass most of our time in Lon
don.
But have you any choice about the
honeymoon" he said where we
should spend it, 1 mean?"
I answered that he would know
best, bit when he insisted on my
choosing, saying II was my right to
do so, / remembered that during my
time in the convent the one country
in the world l had most desired to
see was the Holy Land.
Never as long as l live shall
forget the look In his lordship's gray
eyes when 1 gave this as my selec-
ton
You mean Observation-Disclosures
the Dead Sea and all that?" he asked.
I felt my face growing red as at
2 frightful faux pas, but his lordship
only laughed, called me his little
num- and said that since l had been
willing to leave the choice to him he
would suggest Egypt and Italy, and
Berlin and Paris on the way back,
with the condition that we left ELAN
for London on the day of our mar
Rage
After the par from Castle Raa
had gone, leaving some Of their fam
nv lace and pearls behind for the
bride to wear at her wedding, and
after Aunt Bridget had hoped that
that woman" (meaL.ng Lady Mar
garrett didn't intend to live at the cas-
tie after my marriage, because such
thing would not At in with her plans
at all, at ALL" l mentioned the ar
Engagements for the honeymoon,
whereupon Betsy Beauty, to whom
Italy was paradise, and London glim-
mered in an atmosphere Of vermillion
and gold, cried out as usual:
What a lucky, lucky girl you are!"