Year: 1865

it was


"Oh, very well of course I'll 60" cried
Miss Rose with Just the shadow of a blush
on her face, but you know, Fred, though |
don't care about such things myself, it is
terribly like being trotted out for show"


"Oh nonsense, Rose" drawled Fred.
Harvy's far too good fellow to have any
such disagreeable ideas" And they went
into the drawing-room together


Certainly Rose Brackett was very pret-
ty girl. Tall, graceful, and yet with GER
tain look of personal power about her, which
some men like in women, though others re-
pudiate; with large dark eyesof uncertain
shade and thick, rich glossy hair of the
brown that sits next door to black small
hands, now thrust into dog-skin gauntlet
gloves small feet and dainty ankles, which
the looped-up purple dress and curt red pet
ticoat showed-to full advantage dangling
her hat with its sweeping feather in one
hand, while sticking the other into the
pocket of her short jacket with the big
metal buttons, half blushing and half de-
fant, she was altogether girl of the pc
riod," after the best models of her kind !;
just a little too ,jaunty, perhaps, and shade
too Indifferent, but evidently fine-natured,
pure-minded, high-hearted creature, as yet
in the block, and unawakened. At a glance
Harry read it all.


She does not love him." he said to him
self I" and has never loved"


The two young men stayed to dinner on
Mrs. Backett's invitation and, at first
amused, then surprised, Harry ended by
being indignant at the cavalier Indifference
with which Fred treated his betrothed.
Indeed the whole thing was really painful
to him; it seemed to be so little earnest,
and so devoid of the poetry and passion of
love. And he, who thought Of marriage as
Of an earthly heaven, and who would have
given all he had in the world to be loved
by such girl as Rose!


How often it is that people have what
they don't prize, and that others would give
their lives for - he said to Fred as they
drove home


Yes" sad Fred, wearily. Some men
like love-making and all that bother l con-
fess don't"


You do not give yourself too much
trouble about it," said Harry, secretly net
tied, but attempting to laugh "Of all the
Indifferent lovers that ever lived | should
say you were the most Indifferent"
|
sure do the best | can under the circum-
stances. 1t is such stupid position for a
fellow to be in, altogether ; and even Rose,
though not silly, and not a bit sentimental,
dislikes it as much as | do. Did you see
how she blushed when she came into the
room to see you?'


Il saw she looked very beautiful and
rosy" replied Harry but did not notice
that she was particularly embarrassed or
blushing."


"No, not embarrassed she is not the
kind of girl for that; but she colored up"
| Which seemed to have impressed the young
man as something wonderful for he spoke
Of it again before they got home.
| When they reached home they found that
| Mrs Whitfield had gone to bed, suffering
from a slight attack of fever; by the next
morning she was decidedly i'll and in a
short time dangerously So 1t was an at
tack of nervous fever and for a time her
| life was despaired of OF course the mar
riage was put off indefinitely now, until
she recovered and, as Harry Wynn was
| free, not having yet made a practice any
where, he agreed to remain in the house in
close attendance, until she had passed the
crisis, either for life or death.


And this was how it came about that he
| took up his quarters at the Hawse, and, by
consequence, became well acquainted with
! Rose


Rose was not merely the jolly girl with
out any nonsense about her" that Fred pro-
| claimed her. and that she ostentatiously
| proclaimed herself to be, in deed, at least
| if not in word. Harry, who had no love
for fast girls, and who had the power of
truth to elicit truth, soon found her out, and
! told her plainly that she was acting part
| which neither became her nor belonged to
| her. 1t was all very well, he said, that she
| should like riding and be fond of dogs and
horses, and even enjoy firing at a mark
though he hoped she might never develope
| into a sportswoman, clever at killing pleas
ants, or hares either; but it was nothing
but affectation her trying to make herself
into the bad imitation of a man, and pre-
tending to be ashamed of herself as true
woman. Women were women, he said
and not all the big-buttons or easy-going
slang in the world could make them any
thing else and, whatever the fast school
might say, there was grace in softness,
and power in love, and an ennobling in
fuence in enthusiasm, not to be had it sta
bles and hunting-felds land womanly
work is womanly glory, Miss Blackett. y
continued the young doctor, warmly "and
home is not merely place to sleep and
feed in as you say, but the emblem and
enclosure of woman's truest life And all
this you ought to feel strongly and enact
steadily, because you are strong and stead
| fast"


This he said earnestly, for he was too
thoroughly manly himself to uphold as
truly womanly" incapable of imperfect wo,
men and the thing he liked the best in
Rose was her power and the dash of man
Illness IN her, which might be turned to such
noble account if she would


" And when you have made me all these
fine things" she said, her eyes kindlng as
she spoke, but not with enthusiasm, what
will be the good of it? Much Fred will
value me Much the world will understand
me One gets no good by such subtleties,
Mr.. Wynn ; people do not care for them, so
what is the good of them?'


81 am sorry you think So" Harry ans
wered 81 should have expected from one
so entire as yourself the recognition of a
good for its own sake, quite Independent of
the sympathy or understanding of the
world"


~ 4