Year: 1866

CHAP. II,


What are you going to wear this even
ing, Emma r.


Florence Hunt asked the question with
( a little thread of exultation woven In her
voice, she felt 50 perfectly certain that her
own queenly robes would extinguish with
their magnifcence her cousins simple toilet,
4 and she was illnatured enough, even In
I that consciousness, to hope that Emma
would feel the contrast and mourn over it


My white null


Emma spoke readily and cheerfully
/ Florence threw up her hands IN affected
horror.


Gracious alive You certainly are not
in earnest, Emma Why, that old null has
! been made over twice to my own knowledge
and certainly can't be fit to wear even at
home by this time. 1 should think you
would feel mortified to appear IN such a
/ dress, particularly in such ariStOcratic society
as we shall mingle Ia tonight l wish
! had known it sooner, and [ would have
given you one Of my old silks to do over.
| You are such an expert hand with the
/ needle, you could have made it quite pre-
/ sentable"


q Thank you but should have declined
| your very generous offer, even if it had been
made in season, Emma said coldly, feeling
keenly the Insult offered and the selfshn ess
/ prompting it. Florence, who never seemed
so happy as when wOunding the feelings of
others, muttered half audibly


! !" Pride and poverty then continued in
louder tone, perhaps you prefer to doing
the white muslin and eurls style, so popular
now in novels. How many hearts do you
| expect to captivate with your sweet sim
plieity and rustic beauty The young
coloners, in whose honor the party IS
given p


F Perhaps should, ifI had made it a
source of such intense study as has my
cousin Florence. The colonel may be a
man of sound sense, whose affections can
not be won by satin robes and flashing jew
els, unless kind heart throbs beneath
them" Emma was stung into displaying a
little resentment, though she curbed as
much as possible the anger she felt taking
possession of her.


. And.what would be still more deplora-
bic, he may fail to surrender to the charms
of an old null, which does not cover a form
of ethereal lovliness, Florence said. bitter
~


"We may as we'll stop this i'll natured
pickering, cousin, for as you know l have
no designs upon the affections of this hand
some cOloneI-do not even aspire to an
! acquaintance with him. AS to my old null
which offends you so much, l assure you it
looks quite neat in spite Of being twice
made over; and viii be no disgrace to you
and as l do not depend upon my clothes
for happiness, l shall no doubt pass delight
ful evening. / am we'll aware that no
amount of fnery could make me as lovely
| as yourself, and am well content to let you
wear the hOnors of the family" Emma
spoke pleasantly, and Florence became
placid under the influence of the compli-
ment conferred.


That evening when the two girls met in
the parlor dressed for the party, Florence
gave g start of surprise, not unmingled with
admiration, as she caught sight of Emma
Why how pretty your dress Is | had
no idea you could make it look SO we'll


And indeed it did look so well, that even
homely Emma looked pretty IN it It fitted
perfectly the 1.-the, graceful form, display
ing the sloping, snowy shoulders, and taper
ing, dimpled arms, Emma only claims to
beauty. The skirt was wreathed with ivy
and geranium leaves, whilst ever and anon
delicate halfOpened rosebud peeped from
the pretty bordering. Sprays of the ivy
dropped from her hair and bIushing buds
twined themselves amongst it.


Emma smiled, pleased, grateful smile
it was so sweet and strange to hear words of
commendation from Florence, and had IN
turn drops of admiration to mingle In the
river of her cousins selfcomplacency.


An hour later they were in the dazzling
throng. Florence conscious of her spark
ling beauty, demanding and receiving
admiration from all shooting forth every
now and then polite little shaft of satire
into the feelings of some less favored rival,
or darting out small daggers Of wit that
flashed and glowed and never failed to leave
their poisonous stings ranking in some
tender heart Emma almost unknown, con
sciOus Of her want of personal attractions, !
shrauk back timidly, grateful for the little
attentions bestowed upon her, winning
friends among the more Sensible people by
her very want of ostentation cheerful,
truthful kind as strong a contrast to her
cousin in disposition as in person.


After awhile her heart throbbed, OIL how
wildly, as she caught sight of Q face that
seemed so familiar and yet so strange to
her-a face that had haunted her dreams
and lived in her heart for a long year. She
locked again-it must be Mr.. Stevens and
yet it was unlike him. When she had seen
him last his face was thin and pale, and his
hair cut so close that it had been Florence's
especial delight to call it bristles Now, !
heavy whiskers partly concealed his face,
and his hair was much longer and very
beautiful The same noble form, the same
soulful eyes were there, though Emma
caught her breath and felt her heart give a
quick, jerking throb, and hated hers-,If very
much for these symptoms Of jo- for since
that evening when he left ner in her village
home, Nc word or sign had she had from
hiEEI nothing to tell her that she was not
forgotten. And Emma had very naturally
concluded that he had cast of all thoughts
of her with his illness, and like sensible
little girl'a she was, had done her best to
strangle and choke down all the little silyery-
voiced birds of love that had been singing
in her heart She had even prided herself
upon having accomplished her murderous
designs and now, just at one sight Of him,
every golden winged warbler, had come to
life, and they were making enchanting
melody as they swung on the tendriIs of her
affection. Emma set herself to work vigOr-
ously, trying to keep down all outward signs
Of the coInmotion within, and succeeded as
well, perhaps better, than young ladies gen
orally do under such circumstances-made
the gentleman who was talking to her, and
who had been charmed with the gentle
dignity and sweetness of her manners and
Observation-Disclosures his mind and think