Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-07-22
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comfortable beneath the frank stare
of her young friend.
You remember a month ago, when
you said you went to Brighton?"
Georgy continued relentlessly.
when l said I went to Brighton?
When l went to Brighton" Miss Will
loughby corrected her coIdly.
But the chill of her remark was lost
upon her patient cross-examiner.
Georgy was too intent upon uncover
ing the romance that she thought she
had stumbled upon to be 50 easily
discouraged.
"Well, today at lunch Hugh Middle
ton said you couldn't have been in
Brighton that week" She paused
TO watch the effect Of her bomhshel.
"Did he? Really?' Miss Willough-
by replied with well-feigned indiffer-
ence. But beneath her cold calm her
heart was beating furiously. She felt
for all the world like some wild thing,
trapped, at bay And she turned away
to hide the alarm that she feared must
reveal itself in her face.
Yes! He was in Paris, and
Paris" Ethel echoed with a faint
start.
Youth is ever cruel; and Georgy
had no thought of sparing her compan-
ion. Her sole idea was that if Ethel
were hiding some secret haison she
wanted to share the romance with her.
"Yesw she went on relentIessly.
"And he saw you there twice that
week, and both times with Henry
Streetman."
"But that's impossiblev Ethel pro-
tested
But Mr.. Middleton seemed very
positive" the younger girl said some
what doubtfully.
IT'S too absurdw Ethel cried, fore
ing laugh. II was at Brighton, as l
can very easily prove"
"Well-that's settled" Georgy ex-
claimed. with an air of relief in spite
Of her hopes. Her feelings had, as a
matter of fact, been somewhat COM
pick. "Of course I'd only admire you
for being brave enough to defy the
conventions. But father wouldn't"
But 1 haven't detied conventions"
Ethel insisted, placing both her hands
over GeOrgy's as if to emphasize the
truth of her statement.
"Oh, don't care If you have" Sir
Georges daughter told her callously.
But you ought to care" Ethel pro-
tested. And as your governess l can
not condone such an attitude on your
part. Really, GeOrgy, stupid as con-
yentions may appear sometimes, new
ertheless there is a bitter penalty ex-
acted from people who break them"
Miss Wagstaf rose abruptly, as If
impatient with the views of her COVER
ness; and. crossing the room, she seat
ed herself nonchalantly upon the arm
Of a chair that was drawn up at one
side of the tea table.
oh POOH she exclaimed. "All
that narrow-mindednes is old-fash-
ioned."
The older girl regarded her reprov-
ingly.
What silly book have you been
reading?" she inquired. After her ad-
vent into the Wagstaff home it had not
taken her long to discover that
Georgy's literary tastes had developed
along lines that would scarcely have
met with Sir Georges approval.
Miss Georgy did not even deign
to reply to EthePs question. They had
had numerous discussions-more or
less heated-upon the subject Of her
reading, which Georgy regarded as
both footless and absurd. She had
openly rebelled at reading the books
that Ethel recommended to her. Jane
Austen and Mrs. Gaskell were, in her
opinion, hOpelessly behind the times.
I'm glad you haven't had an affair
with Henry Streetman," the younger
girl remarked. ST don't like him"
Don't your" said Ether, relieved
that Georgy was at last convinced that
her suspicious were groundless.
mo! Every time he comes into the
room my back sort of goes up, just
like Rowdy when he sees a cat" Row
dy was Georges Scotch terrier, whose
antipathy to cats was proverbial.
"Mr. Streetman has been very kind
to me-" her governess observed.
"Oh, don't defend him. Georgy
cried impatiently, Il know inside that
you agree with me-"
Miss WillougnDy did not care to
continue the discussion. And with an
air of dismissing both Mr.. Streetman
and her relations with him from her
own mind as well as Georgy's, she
rose from the wide seat, and as she
glanced at her watch exclaimed with
surprise:
Heavens! It's after five. I must
fuss up bit for the party"
But Georgy would not be put of
so easily.
swell, forewarned is forearmed,"
she said sententously. II was clear
that she did not intend to be sduelched
like child. If Henry Streetman
were still in her mind, she saw no
reason why she should dissemble in
order TO please Ethel or anybody else.
There's nothing to be forewarned
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