The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1916-09-22

y
.'You remember month ago, when
you said you went to Brighton?"
Georgy continued relentlessly,
"When 1 said 1 went to Brighton?
When went to Brighton" Miss VIII
loughby corrected her coldly.
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 SO easily
discouraged.
"Well, today at lunch Hugh Aliddle-
ton said you couldn't have been in
| Brighton that week" She paused
to watch the effect of her bombshelI
"Did he? Really?" Miss WiIlough-
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.
Eyes! He was in Paris, and"
"Parisr' 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 II Ethel
were hiding some secret liaison she
wanted to share the romance with her.
eYes!" she went on relentlessly.
"And he saw you there twice that
week, and both times with Henry
Streetman."
"But that's impossibleg' Ethel pro-
tested.
| "But Mr.. Middleton seemed very
positive the younger girl said some
what doubtfully.
ITS too absurd!' Ethel cried, fore
| ing laugh. 81 was at Brighton, as I
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 I haven't defied conventions. :"
Ethel insisted, placing both her hands
over. Georgy's as If to emphasize the
truth OF her statement.
''Oh, don't care il you have" Sir
Georges daughter told her callously.
.But you ought to care" Ethel pro-
tested. "And as your governess cam
not condone such an attitude on your
part. Really. Georgy, stupid as con-
/ ventions may appear sometimes, new
ertheless there is bitter penalty ex-
acted from people who break then"
Miss Wagstaff 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
4 that Observation-Disclosures is old-fasli-
ioned"
The older girl regarded her rcprov-
ingly.
what silly book have you been
reading?" she inquired. After her adj
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 Ethel's 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.
! "pm glad you haven't had an affair
with Henry Streetman," theEyounger
/ girl remarked. II don't like him.
Don't you?" said Ether, relieved
that Gforgy was at last convinced that
her suspicious were groundless.
"No! Every time he comes into the
room my back sort OF goes up, just
like Rowdy when he sees cat" Row
dy was Georges Scotch terrier, whose
antipathy to cats was proverbial
"Mr. Streetman has been very kind
to me-" her goyerness observed.
ooh, don't defend him. Georgy
cried impatiently. 81 know inside that
you agree with me-"
Miss Willougnby 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. must
fuss up a bit for the party"
But Georgy would not be put Off
so essily.
"Well, forewarned is forearmed,"
she said sententiously. 1t was clear
that she did not intend to be squelched
like child. If Henry Streetman
were still in her mind, she saw no
reason why she should dissemhle in
order to please Ethel or anybody else.
| There's nothing to be forewarned