Year: 1873

rived, ana as SOOn as IQey ndu crossed
the hall could have sworn L heard a
and said that I had particular engage
ment a few miles away, which would de-
tain me two days. After that, hoped
to be permitted to call on her and her
charming daughters again. With this
lame excuse, 1 left for two days. Is it
necessary to tell you how 1 employed
them? I was wild, excited, mad, be-
cause in youth one feels these little
crosses somewhat more keenly than we
do in later life, when we know that man
is not perfect, nor woman neither I
had determined, then, to write to Jack,
my good friend, and tell him of the
extraordinary conduct I thought
of his modest and retiring maiden,
and request any explanation it might be
in his power to afford. caught that
nights post, and throughout the next
day remained indoors, fearing, if l
made my friends, and so give the lie to
my assertion that I had gone away for
two days. These two days shall ever
forget them, tile fever of excitement I
was in, and the monotony of the self
constituted imprisonment. The post
on the second morning brought me a
latter from Jack. I tore it open, and
dashed at once into the pith of his
epistle. How I cursed his circumlocu-
tion Instead of at once replying to
the question had put to him, he COM
menced with a roundabout story of his
acquaintanceship with the ladies of the
Lodge I skipped the pages one, two,
and three, and, determined to know the
worst, went at once to the last break of
his letter. This was it:


"' After all, you see, I had a jolly
time of it, and, between the two, won
der that I came away faithful to the lit
tie woman soon to be my wife. If did
them, set it down to the dangerous fas-
cination they exercised over me. 1t is
Elsie who is fair and retiring; Dell who
is dark and dGshiag; that's the word.
He would have written before, he said,
had he thought it of any consequence,
but he apologized for what he considered
after all all only little mistake


"Need I tell you how, when called
at the Lodge again, was met with
the reply to my inquiry, not at home,
though I thought the servant was a
long time gone to give my name, and I
felt almost certain, as I left the house,
that I saw a dark-haired, girlish, laugh
ing face peeping from behind the drawn
curtains ? Need I tell you how, in
envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharita-
bleness of spirit, I rushed up to town
only to find the story known to all my
set, and going the round of the social
and literary club I had joined shortly
before? Unnecessary, too, to tell you
how I experienced to the full extent the
capacity of the club for sociability,' in
an immense amount of schafF upon the
matter from the members and how
thenceforward, till I left the place,
I was known as the 'bashful man.
Suffice it that had at first decided in
clination to sacrifice my dear friend
Jack upon the altar of my wounded
pride, by horsewhipping him for put
ting the story about. But at length
rushed away from London (our host did
not say how long after, and he skipped
the story of little Rose, which was the
real cause of his leaving, with some
thing like break in his voice, and
joined the Governor-poor old man
down here, and went in for life as q
country squire with an interest in
turnip-crops, pigs, and sheep, and the
education of the crow-boy. So you see
why I didn't marry at the usual
time for such chances-some 1 know
would call them the mischances-ot
life and I'm not likely to play the fool
now.


"And now,'' he concluded, rising,
I" there's the billiard-room open fol
those who like to knock the balls about
there are candles for those who like
their bed-I'In one of them. Six in the
morning early tub-and I'll promise
you a good find and couple of fox-tail
before dinner, my boys. "-Ne,0sboys
MAGAZINE,