Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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looked at th' jeweler's box, uncertain what might cont'.m. Opening the box, and discovc ing tho studiously pimple torm under WUK Vendale'e little keepsake ottered itself to her, si p?n?tr?t,-d his motive on the spot. Herfa turned . n him brightly, with a look which sai< ..I ow j you nave pleased and flattered me Never had 6he been so cbarmmg, in Vendale eyes, as she was at that moment. Her wxnti dress-a petticoat of dark silk, with a bodice i black velvet rising te her neck, and inclosii it softly in a little circle of swan's down hightened, by all the force of contrast, the da sling fairness of her hair and her complexion, was only when she turned aside from him to tl glass, and, taking out the brooch that she wor Sut his New Year's gift in its place, that Ye: ale's attention wandered far enough away froi her to discover the presence of other persons i the room. He now became conscious that tl bands of Obenreizer were affectionately in po: session of his elbows. He now heard the von of Obenreizer thanking bim for his attention 1 Marguerite, with the faintest possible ring c mockery m its tone. (" Such a simple presen dear sir 1 and showing eucn nico tack I") He no discovered, for the first time, that there wt one other guest, and but one, besides himsel whom Obenreizer presented as a compatriot an friend. The friend's face was mouldy, and tl friend's figure was fat. His age was suggestiv of the autumnal period of human lifo. In th course of the evening he developed two extrae: dinary capacities. One was a opacity for s lenje ; the other was a capacity for empty boi Ilea. Madame Dor was not in the room. Neitbc was there any visible place reserved for he when they sat down to table. Obenreizer ei ?lamed that it was ''the good Dor's simpl abit to dine always in the middle of the daj She would make uer excuses later in the ovoi lng." Vendale wondered whether the good Do had, on this occasion, varied her domestic em pl own en t from clean ing Obenreizer's gloves t cooking Obenreizer's dinner. This at least wa certain-the dishes served were, one and ail, a achievements in cookery, high above the read of the rude elementary art of ling land? Tue din ner was unobtrusively perfect. As for the wine the eyes of the speechless friend roiled over it as in solemn ecstasy. Sometimes be sail " Good r when a bottle came In full ; and some times he said " Ah 1" wbon a bottle went on empty-and there his contributions to the gayet; of the evening ended. Silence ls occasionally infectious. Oppress?e by private anxieties of their own, Mar gu?rite and Vendale appeared to feel thi influence of the speechless friend. Tin whole responsibility of keeping the tall going rested on Obenreizer's shoulders, ant manfully did Obenreizer sustain it. He openec his heart in the character of an enlightened for eigner, and sang the praises of England. Whet other topics ran dry. he returned to this inex baustible source, and always set the stream run lung again as copiously as ever. Obenreizei would have given an arm, an eye, or a leg tc barre been born an English man. Out of Engiam. there was no snch institution as a borne, nc auch thing as a fireside, no such object ss t beautiful woman. His dear Miss Marguerite would excuse him, if he accounted for her at? tractions on tue theory that English blood must have mixed at some former time with thou obscure and unknown ancestry. Survey this English nation, and behold a tall, clean, plump, and solid people 1 Look at their cities 1 What magnificence m their public buildings I What admirable order and propriety ia then* streets 1 Admire their laws, combining the eternal princi? ple of justice with the other eternal principle pounds, shillings, and pence ; and apply? ing the product to all civ? injuries, from an in? jury to a man's honor, to an injury to a man's nose 1 You have ruined my daughter-pounds, shillings, and pence I You have knocked me down with a blow in my face - pounds, ahilttngs, and pence. Where was the material prosperity of auch a country as that to stop ? Obenreizer, projecting himself into the future, failed to see toe end of it. Obenreizer's en? thusiasm 'entreated permission to exhale itself, English fashion, in a toas,t. Here is our modeet little dinner over, here is our frugal dessert on the table, and here is the admirer of England conforming to national customs, snd making a speech i A toast to your white cliffs of Albion, Mr. Vendale 1 to your national virtues, your charming ohm ate, and your fascinating women 1 to your hearths, to your homes, to your habeas corpus, and to aili your other institutions 1 In ene word-to England I Heep-heep 2-heep hooray 1 Obenreizer's voice bad barely chanted the last note of the English cheer, tbe speechless friend bad barely drained the last drop out of his glass, when the festive proceedings were interrupted by a modest tap at the door. A woman servant ca'ne in, and approached her master with a little note in her band. Obenreizer opened the note v ith a frown ; and, after reading it with an ex? pression of genuine annoyance, passed it on te his compatriot and friend. Von dal o's spirits rose as he watched these proceedings. Had be found an ally in the annoying little note? Was the long-looked-for chance actually coming at last? "I am afraid there is no help for it?" said Obenreizer, addressing his fellow-countryman. "I am afraid we must go." The speechless friend banded back the letter, shrugged his heavy shoulders, and poured him? self out a last glass of wine. His fat fingers lin? gered fondly round the neck of the bottle. They pressed it with a little amatory squeeze st part? ing. His globular eyes looked dimly, BB through an intervening haze, at Vendale and Marguerite. Hui heavy articulation labored, and brought forth a whole sentence ata birth. "Ithink," he said, "I should have liked a little more wine." His breath failed him after that effort ; he gasped, and walked to the door. Obenreizer addressed himself to Vendale with an appearance of the deepest distress. "lam so shocked, so confused, so distress? ed," he began. "A misfortune has happened to one of my compatriots. He is alone, he is igno? rant of your language-I and my good friend, here, have no chenco but to go and help him. What can I say in my excuse ? Hew can I de? scribe my affliction at depriving myself in this way of the boner of your company ?" He paused, evidently expecting to see Vendale take up his hat and retire. Discerning his op perjtmty at last, Vendale determined to do nothing of the kind. He met Obenreizer dex? terously with Obenreizer's own weapons. "Pray don't distress yourself," he said. "Til wait here with the greatest pleasure till you come bank." Marguerite blushed deeply, and turned away to ber embroidery-frame tn a corner by the win? dow. Tbe film showed itself m Obenreizer's eyes, and the smile came something sourly to Obenreizer's hps. To have told V?ndalo that there was no reasonable prospect of his coming back in good time would have been to risk of? fending a man whose favorable opinion was of solid commercial importance to him. Accepting his defeat with tbe best possible grace, he de? clared himself to be equally honored ard de? lighted by Vendale's proposal. *' So frank, so friendlv, so English 1" He bustled about, ap? parently looking for something be wanted, dis? appeared for a moment through the folding doors communicating with the next room, came back with his hat and coat, and protesting that he would re.urn at the earliest possible moment, embraced Vendale's elbows, and vanished from the scene in company with the speechless friend. Vendale turned to the corner by the window in which Marguerite had placed herself with ber work. There, as if she had dropped from the ceding, or come up through the floor-there, in the old attitude, with her face to the stove-sat ?a obstacle that had not haas foresta, ja tb? ?ieraon of Madame Dor I She bab* got up, bal coked over ber broad shoulder at Vendale, an plumped down again. Was she at work ? Yee Cleaning Obenreizer's gloves, as before ? No darning Obenreizer's stockings. Tbo case was now desperate. Two seriou considerations presented themselves to Vendale Who it possible to put Madame Dor into tb stove ? Tho stove wouldn't hold ber. Was i possible to treat Madame Dor, not as a livinj woman, but as an article of furniture? Coull tbe mind be brought to contemplate this re epectable woman purely in the hp ht of a chest o drawers, with a black gauze head-dress acci dentally left on top of it? Yes, the mind coull be brought to do that. With a comparative! trifling effort, Vendale's mind did it. As he tool his place on the old-fashioned window-seat, cloe by Marguerite and her embroidery, a Bligh movement appeared in the chest of drawers, bu no remark issued from it. Let it be rememberei that solid furniture is not easy to move, am that it has this advantage m consequence-then is no fear of upsetting it. Unusually silent and unusually constrained with the bright color fast fading from her face with a feverish energy possessing her flngers the pretty Marguerite bent over her embroid ery, and worked as if her life depended on it Hardly lesa agitated himself, Vendale felt th importance of leading her very gently to thi avowal whioh he was eager to make-to thi other sweeter avowal still, which he was longing to hear. A woman's love is never to be takei by Btorm ; it yields insensibly to a system o gradual approach. It ventures by the round aoout way, and listens to the low voice. Ven dale led her memory back to then* past meet inge, when they were traveling together ii Switzerland. They revived the impressions, they recalled th< events, of the happy by-gone time. Little bj little, Marguerite's constraint vanished. Sh? smiled, ehe was interested, she looked at Ven dale, she grew idle with her needle, ehe mad< false stitches hi her work. Their voices saul lower and lower; their faces bent nearer anc nearer to each other as they spoke. Anc Madame Dor? Madame Dor behaved like ai angel. She never looked round ; she never saie a word: she went on with Obenreizer's stock? ings. Pulling each stocking np tight over hei lett arm, and holding that arm aloft, from time to time, to catch the light on her work, there were moments, delicate and indescribable mo? ments, when Madame Dor appeared to be sitting upside down, and contemplating one of her own respectable legs elevated in the air. As the minutes wore on, these elevations followed each other at longer and longer intervals. Now and again, the black gauze head-dress nodded, drop? ped forward, recovered itself. A little heap ol stockings . olid softly from Madame Dor's lap, and remained unnoticed on the floor. A prodi? gious ball of wonted followed the stockings, and rolled lazily under the table. The black gauze head-dress nodded, dropped forward, recovered itself, nodded again, dropped forward again, and recovered itself no more. A composite so und, partly as of the purring of an immense cat, partly as of the planing of a soft board, rose over the heeded voices of the lovers, and hum? med at regular Intervals through the room. Nature and Madame Dor had combined together in Vendale's interests. The best of women waa asleep. Marguerite rose to stop-not the snoring-let us say, the audible repose of Madame Dor. Ven? dale laid his band on her arm, and pressed her back gently into her chair. " Don't disturb her," he whispered. " I have been waiting to tell yon a secret. Let me tell it now." Marguerite resumed her seat. She tried to resume her needle. It was useless; her eyes foiled her; her hand failed her; she could find nothing. "We have been talking.i' said Vendale, "of the happy time when we first met, and first trav? eled together. I have a confession to make. I have been concealing something. When we spoke of my first visit to Switzerland, I told you of all the impressions I had brought back with me to England-except ono. Can you guess what that one is ?" Her oyes looked steadfastly at the embroidery, and her face turned a little away from him. Signs of disturbance began to appear in ber neat velvet bc dd ice, round the region of the brooch. She znado no reply. Vendale pressed the ques? tion without mercy. " Can you guess what the one Swiss impres? sion is which I have not told you yet?" Her face turned back toward hun, and a faint smile trembled on her bps. "An impression of the mountains, perhaps 1" ehe said, slyly. "No; a much more precious impression than that." "Of the lakes?" " No. The lakes have not grown dearer and dearer in remembrance to me every day. The lakes are not associated with my happiness in the present, and my hopes in the future. Mar? guerite 1 all that makes life worth having hangs, for me, on a word from your hps. Marguerite I I love you I" Her bead drooped, as he took her hand. He drew ber to him, and looked at her. The tears escaped from her downcast eyes, and fell slowly over her cheeks. " 0, Mr. Vendale," she said sadly, "it would have been kinder to have kept your secret Have you forgotten the distance between ns ? It can never, never be 1 "There can be but one distance between us Marguerite.-a distance of your making. My love, my darling, thero is no higher rank in goodness, there is no higher rank in beauty, than yours 1 Come 1 whisper the one little word which tells me you will be my wile 1" Sbo sighed bitterly. " Think of your family," the murmured ; " and think of mine !" Vendale drew her a little nearer to him. If you dwell on such an obstacle as that," he said, "I shall think but one thought-I shall think I have offended you." She started, and looked up. " O no I" she ex? claimed, innocently. The instant the words passed ber lips, she saw the construction that might be placed on them. Her confession had escaped her in spite of herself. A lovely flush of color overspread her faoe. She made a momen? tary effort to disengage herself from her lover's embrace. She looked up at him entreatingly. 8bo tried to speak. The words died on her lips in the kiss that Vendale pressed on them. " Let me go. Mr. Vendale I" she said, faintly. "Call me George." She laid her head on his bosom. All her heart went out to him at last. "Ueorgel" she whis? pered. "Say you love mel" Her arms twined themselves gentlv round his neck. Her lips timidly touching hie cheek, mur? mured the delicious words-" i love you 1" In the moment of silence that followed, the sound of the opening and closing of the house door came clear to them through the wintry etill nota of the street. Marguerite started to her feet. "Let me gol" she said. "He has comeback !" She hurried from the room, and touched Madame Dor's shoulder in passing. Madame Dor woke up with a loud snort, looked first over one shoulder and then over the other, peered down into her lap and discovered neither stock? ing*, worsted, nor darning needle in it. At tho eame moment, footsteps became audible ascend? ing the st mrs. "Mon Dieu!" said Madame Dor, audre-sing herself to the stove, and trembling violentlv. Vendale picked up the stockings ami the ball, and huddled them all back in a heap over ber shoulder. "Mon Dieu 1" said Madame Dor, for the second time, aa the avalanche of worsted poured into her capacious lap. The door opened, and Obenreizer came in. His first glance round, the roana showed him that : Marguerite was absent. " vVhat I" he exclaimed, " my niece is awi My niece is n H here to entertain yon in my i sen ce V This is unpardonable. I shall bring 1 back instantly." Vendale stopped him.. " I beg yon will not disturb Miss Obenreize he said. " You have returned, I see, wit bi your friend ?" "My friend remains, and consoles our afflict compatriot. ? heart-rending scene, Mr. Venda The household gods it the pawnbroker's-t family immersed in tenn. We all embraced silence. My admirable friend alone possess his com po euro. He seat out, on the spot, foi bottle of wine." " Can I say a word to you in private, a Obenreizer ?" "Assuredly." He turned to Madame Dc " My good creature you are sinking for want renoso. Mr. Vendale will excuse you." Madame Dor rose, and set forth sideways i her journey from the stove to bed. She aro ped a stocking. Vendale picked it up for he and opened one of the folding doors. She a y an oed a step, and dropped three more stoc inge. Vendale, stooping to recover them as t fore, Obenreizer interfered with profuse apo; Kies, and with a warning look at Madame Dc Madame Dor acknowledged the look bydroppu the whole of the stockings in a heap, and thc shuffling away panic-stricken from the scene disaster. Obenreizer swept up the comple collection fiercely in both hands. "Gol" 1 cried, giving his prodigious handful a prepar tory swing in the air. Madame Dor said " Mi Dieu," and vanished into the next room, po sued by a shower of stockings. " What must you think, Mr. Vendale" sa Obenreizer, closing the door, " of this d?plorai intrusion of domestic details ? For myself, blush at it. We are beginning the New Year badly as possible ; everything has gone wroi to-nighr. lie seated, pray,-and say, what mi I oiler yon ? Shall we pay our best respects another of your noble English institutions ? is my study to be, what you cali, jolly. I pr pose a grog." Vendale deolined the grog with all needful r apect for that noble institution. "I wish to speak to you on a subject in whic I am deeplv interested," he said. " You mu have observed, Mr. Obenreizer, that I hav from the first, felt no ordinary admiration fi your charming niece?" "You are very good. In my niece's name, thank you." " Perhaps you may have noticed latterly, th my admiration for Miss Obenreizer has grov into a tenderer and deeper feeling-?" "Shall we Bay friendship, Mr. Vendale?" "Say love-and we shall be nearer to tl truth."" Obenreizer started ont of his chair. The faint discernible beat, which was his nearest apprcac to a change of color, showed itself suddenly i his cheeks. "You are Miss Obenreizer's guardian," pu sued Vendale. "I ask you to confer upon n the greatest of all farors-I ask you to give n her hand in marriage." Obenreizer dropped back in bis chair. " M Vendale," he said, " yon petrify me." "I will wait," rejoined Vendale, "until yo have recovered yourself." " One word before I recover myself. Yon hav aaid nothing about this to my mece ?" "I have opened my whole heart to your nieci And 1 have reason to hope-" " What I" interposed Obenreizer. " You hai made proposals to my niece, without first aekin for my authority to pay your addresses to her 1 He struck his hand on the table, and lost his hoi over himself for the first time in Yen dale's exper ence of him. " Sir 1" he exclaimed, indignantly "what sort of conduct 1B this ? As a man of hot or, speaking to a man of honor, how can yo justify it ?" "I can only justify it as one of our English institutions," said Vendale, quietly. " You ad mire our English institutions. I can't honest] tell yon, Mr. Obenreizer, that I regret what have done. I can only assure yon that I hav not acted io the matter with any intentional dis respect toward yourself. This said, may I asl you to tell me plainly what objection yon see t favoring my suit ?" "I see this immense objection," answeree Obenreizer, "that my niece and you are not ot a social equality together. My niece is thi daughter of a poor peasant; and you are the soi of a gentleman. You do us au honor," he added lowering himself again gradually to his custom ary polite level, "which deserves, and has, otu most grateful acknowledgments. Bat the in equality is too glaring: the sacrifice is too great You English, are a proud people. Mr. Vendale I have observed enongh of thia country to see that suoh a marriage as you propose would be a scandal here. Not a hand would be held oat to your peasant-wife; end all your best friends would desert you." " One moment," said Vendale, interposing or Lis side. " I may claim, without any great ar? rogance, to know more of my country-people io general, and of my own friends in particular, than you do. Ia the estimation of everybody whose opinion is worth having, my wife henel! would be the one sufficient justification of my marriage. Ii I did not feel certain-observe, I say certain-that I am offering ber a position which she can accept without so much as the shadow of a humiliation-I would never (cost me what it might) have asked her to b* my wife. Is there any other obstacle that you see ? Have you any persoi al objection to me ?" Obenreizer Bpread out both his hands in courteous protest. "Personal objection I" he exclaimed. "Dear sir, the bare question is painful to me." " We are both men of basinets," panaed V?n? dalo, " and you naturally expect me to satiarV ?ou that I have the mean? of supporting a wife, can explain my peciiniary position in two words. I inherit from my parents a fortune of twenty thousand pounds, in half of that sum I have only a life interest, to which, if I die, leaving a widow, my widow suoceeds. If I die. leaving children, the money itself is divided among them, as they come of age. The other half of my fortune is at my own disposal, and is invested in the wino business. I nee my way to great] v im? proving that business. As it stands at present, I cannot state my return from my capital embarked at mon than t"volvo hundred a year. Add the yearly value of my lire interest, and the total reaches a present annual income of fifteen hand red pounds. I havei the fairest prospect of soon making it more. In the meantime, do you ob? ject to me on pecuniary grounds ?" Driven back to bis last intrenchment, Oben? reizer rose, and took a turn backward and for? ward in the room. For the moment, ho was plainly at a IOBB what to say or do next. "Before I answer that last question," he said, af? ter a little close consideration with himself, "I beg leave to revert for a moment to Miss Marguerite, you said something just now which seemed to imply that she returns tbo sentiment with which you are pleased to regard her ?" " I have the inestimable happineso," said Ven? dale, " of knowing that she loves me." Obenreizer stood silent for a moment, with the film over his eyes, and the faintly perceptible beat becoming visible again in his cheeks. " If you will excuse me for a few minutes," he said, with ceremonious politeness, " I should like to have tho oppartunit) of speaking to my niece." With thoso words, he bowed, aud quitted tho room. Left by himself, Vendale's thoughts (as a ne? cessary result of the interview, thus far) turned instinctively to the consideration of Obenrei? zer's motives. He bad put obstacles in the way of the courtship; be was now putting obstacles in the way of the marriage.-a marriage- offering advantages which evea his ureauitT could not dispute. On the face of it, hie con duct was ii comprehensible. What did it mean ? Seoldng, under the surface, for the answer t tbat question,-and remembering that Obenre zer was a man of about bis own age; also, tbi Marguerite was, strictly speaking, his bal niecei only, Vendale asked himself, with a lover' ready *eeJofisy, wueher he had a rival to fear,a well aa a guardian to conciliate. The tbongh just crossed his mind, and no more. The sens of Marguerite's kiss still lingering on his ohee reminded him gently that even the jealousy of moment was now a treason to her. Or. reflection, it seemed most likely that a pei sonal motive of another kind might suggest th true explanation of Obenreizer's conduct.. Mat gucnte's grace and beauty were precious orna men ls in that little household. They gave i a speicial social attraction sud a special socia importance. They armed Obenreizer with a oei tain influence m reserve, which he eouli always depend upon to make bis house attrac tive. and which he might always bring mor or lass to bear on the forwarding of his owi p ri vue ends. Was he the sort of a man to re sign such advantages as were here implied without-obtaining the fullest possible compon saturn for the loss ? A connection by marnagi with Vendale offered him solid advantages, be youd all doubt. But there were hundreds o men in London with far greater power'and fa wid'ir influence than Vendale possessed. Wai it Bossible that this man's ambition secrete looked higher than the highest prospects that could be offered to him by the alliance now pro posed for bis niece? As the question passet throngh Vendale'smind, the mm himself reap peaied-to answer it, or not to answer it, as tin event might prove. A marked change was visible in Obenreizei when be resumed his place. His manner wai less assured, and there were plain traces abuul bia mouth of recent agitation which bad not been successfully composed. Had he said some thir g, referring either to Vendale or to himself whish had roused Marguerite's spirit, and whicl had placed him, for the first time, face to face with a resolute assertion of his niece's will ? Ii mis ht or might not be. This was only certain no looked like a man whohad met, with a repulse " I have spoken to my niece," he began. " J fiad, Mr. Vendale, that even your influence nae not entirely bunded her to the social objection) to your proposai." " May I ask," returned Vendale, " if that ii the only result of your interview with Miss Oben reiiorr A momentary flash leaped np through the Obonreizor film. " Ton are master of the situation," he answer? ed, in a tone of sardonic submission. " If yew do insist on my admitting it, I do admit it ii those words. My niece's will and mine used to-be one, Mr. Vendale. foo bare come between us, and her will ii now yours. In my country, we know when we are beaten, and submit with our best grace 1 submit with my best gram, on certain oondi tiona. Let us revert to the statement of you pecuniary position. I have an objection to you my dear sir-a most amazing, a most audaciom objection, from a man in my position to a mai in vours." "What is it ?" "You have honored me by making a proposa for my niece's hand. For the present (with bea thanks and respects), I beg to decline it."; "Why?" '?' Because you are not rich enough." The objection, as the speaker had foreseen, took Vendale completely by surprise. For th? moment he waa speechless. ' ' i Y our m come is fit tee t. hundred a year," pur sn pd Obeinreizer. ' ' In m v miserable conn {ry ] should fall on my knees before your income, and say, ' What a princely fortune !' In wealth] Ec gland, I sit as 1 am, and say, ' A modest in? dependence, dear sir; nothing more. Enough, perhaps, for a wife in your own rank of Ufe, whc has nc social prejudices to conquer. Not mon thin half enough for a wife who is a meanly born foreigner, and who bas ali your sexual pre j nd ices against ner. Bir I if my mece ie ever tc murry you, she wiU have what yon call mphil wc rk of it in taking ber place at starting. Yes, yei; this bi not your view, bat it remains, im? movably remains, my view for all that. For m j niece's sake, I c?aim that this uphill work shall be made as smooth as possible. Whatever I material advantages she cati have to help her, ought, in common justice, to be hers. Now, te .1 me, air. Vendale, on your fifteen hund? red a year can your wife have a house in a fashionable quarter, a footman tc open her door, a butler to wait at her table, and a carriage and horses to drive aboutit? I see the answer in your face-your face says no. V< ry good. TeU me one more thing, and I have dene. Take the mass of your educated, accom pl shed and lovely countrywomen; is it, or is not, the fact that a lady who has a honse in a fash io ?able quarter, a footman to open her door, a hitler to wait at her table, and a carriage and heurses to drive about in, is a lady who has guned four steps in female estimation, at start in;: ? Yes orno?" " Come to the point," said Vendale. " Ton vi 3w this question as a question of terms. What aie your terms ?" " The lowest terms, dear sir, on which yon can provide your wife with those four steps at siiriiug. Double your present income-the most rigid economy cannot do it in England on less. You said just new that you expected gr eatly to increase the value of your business. To work-and increase it 1 I am a good devil alter all 1 On the day wnen you satisfy me, by plain proof, that your* income has risen to throe tl .ousand a year, ask me for my niece's hand and it is yours." "May I inquire if you have mentioned this arrangement to Miss Obenreizer ?" " Certainly. She has a last little morsel of re? gard still left for me, Mr. Vendale, which is not yours yet; and she accepts my terms. In other words, she submits to be guided by her guar? dan a regard for her welfare, and by her guar? dian's superior knowledge of the world. He threw himself back in his chair, in firm reliance 0.2 his position, and m foll possession of his ex ? coUent temper. Au open assertion of his own interests, in the situation in which Vendale was now placed, seemed to be (for the present at least) hope? less. He fonnd himself literally left with no {>round to stand on. Whether Obenreizer's ob cotions were the genuine product of Oben razer's own view of the case, or whether he was simply delaying the marriage in the hope of ultimately breaking it off altogether-in either of these events, any present resistance on Ven dale's part would be equally useless. There vas no help for it but to yield, making the beet tarros on his own Bide. "I protest against the conditions you impose cn me," he began. " Naturally, said Obenreizer; " I dare say I ehould protest myself, in your place." "Say, however, 'pursued Vendale, "that I t.ccept your terms. In that case I must be per? mitted to make two stipulations on my part. In tue brat place, I shall expect to be allowed to see your niece." "Abai to Bee my niece ? and to make her In 1.8 great a hurry to* be married as you are yonr nelf ? Suppose" I say no ? you would seo uer perhaps without my permission ?" " Decidedly 1" " How delightfully frank I How exquisitely English I You shall seo her, Mr. V?ndalo, on certain davs, which we will appoint together. What next?" "Your objection to my income," proceeded Vendale, " has taken me completely by surprise. 3 wish to be assured against any repetition of tmat surprise. Your present views of my quail ilcation fer marriage require me to hare an in ijome of three tht-osaiid a year. Can I be oar* tain, in the future, as your experience of En gland enlarges, that yu ur estimate will nee nc higher ?" "In plain English," said Obenreize/, "yo* doubt my word ?" ** Do you purpose to t?.ke my word for it, wheo I inform you that I have doubled my income V* asked Vendale. " If my memory does not de? ceive me, yon stipulate d, a minute since, for plain proof's ?" " well played, Hr. Vendale 1 Ton combino the foreign quickness with the English solidity. Accept my beat congratulations. Accept, also, my written guaranty." Be rose; seated himself at a writing desk at a side-table, wrote a few lines, and presented them, to V?ndale, with a low bow. The engage? ment waa perfectly explicit, and Waa signed and dated with scrupulous c. .re. " Are yon satisfied wi.h your guaranty !" " I am satisfied." . " Charmed to bear it. I ara sure. We have had our little skirmish-we have really boen wonderfully clever on both sides. For the pres? cent our affairs are settled. I bear no malice. Yon bear no malice. Come, Mr. Vendale, a good English shake banda." Vendale gave bis hand, a little bewildered by Obenroizera sudden transitions from one humor to another. '* When may I expect to see Hiss Obenreizer again ??'* he asked, as he rose to go. " Honor me witn a visit to-morrow," said Obenreizer, " and we will settle it then. Do have a grog before yon gol Mo? Wolli weill wo will reserve the gros till yon have your three thousand a year, and are ready to be married. Aha I when will that be ?" " I made an estimate, some months since, of the capacities of my business," said Vendale. " If that estimate is correct, I shall double my present income-" " And be roamed" added ObenreiE^r. " And be married," repeated Vendale, "within a year from this time. Good night." VEND ALS MAKES KLSCHUF. When Vendale entered bis office the next morning, the dull oom mendal routine at Cripple Corner met him witta a new face. Marguerite bad an interest in it now 1 The whole machinery which Wilding's death bad set in motion, to rea? lize tba value of the business-the balancing ot ledgers, the estimating of debts, the taking ot stock, and the rest of It-waa now transformed into machinery "which indicated the chances foe and against a speedy marriage. After looking over resulta, as preset ted by tais accountant, and checking additions and subtractions, sa rendered by the clercs, Vendale turned his atp tention to the stock-taking department next, and sent a message to the ceuare, desiring to see the report. The cellarman's appearance, the moment hs put his head io at tbs door of his master's pri? vate room, suggested that something very ex- | traordinary must have happened that morning. There waa an approach to alacrity in Joey Ladle's movements 1 Theresas something which actually aimulated cheerfulness in Joey Ladle's face 1 " What's the matter ?" asked Vendale. " Any. thing wrong ?" " I should wish to mention one thing," an' swered Joey. "Young Mr. Veudilo, 1 ha va never set myself up for a prophet." " Who ever said you dui ? ' " No prophet, as faa aa I've beard tell of that profession," proceeded Joey, " ever lived pria? cipally underground. No prophet, whatever else he might take in at the pores, ever took in wine from morning to night, for a number ot ?ears together. When I said to young Msater iliding, -respecting h:.s changing the name of tue firm, that one of these daye ne might find he'd changed the luck of the firm-did I put my? self forward as a prophet? No, I did ut. Has what I said to him come true ? Yes, it has. In the time of Febbleson Nephew, young Mr. Ven? dale, no such thing was ever known as a mistaiNe made in a consignment delivered at theso door?. There's a mistase bf en made now. Please to remark that it happened before Miss Mergai et came here, l or winch reason it don't go against what I've said respecting Miss Margaret singing round the luck. Bead that, sir." continued Joey, pointing attention to. a special passage in the report, with a forefinger which appeared to be in process of taking m through the pores noth? ing more remarkable (han dirt. "It's foieigo to my nature to crow over the house I a..ne. but I feel it a kind of a eolomn duty to ask ycu to read that." Vendale read as fellows: "Note, respecting the Swiss champagne. An irregularity ha- bteu discovered in the last consignment received from', the firm of Defresnier & Co," Vendale stopped, and referred to a memorandum book by his side. "That was in Mr. Wilding's tim?-," he said. "The vintage was a particularly good one, and he took the whole of it. Tho ' swiss ohatnpagne has done very well, hasn't it?" " I don't say it's done badly," answered the. Cellarman. "It might have got sick in our cue? tomers' bins, or it may have bust ia our cus? tomers' hands. But I don't say it's done badly trith us." Vendale resumed the reading of the note ; " We find the number of tho cases to be quice) correct by the books. But six of them, which ?resent a slight difference from the rest in the rand, have been opened and found to contain % red wine instead of champagne. The him.lian*. in the briuds, wo suppose, caused a mistake ta be made m sending the consignment from Noa chateL The error has not been lound to extend beyond six cases." " Is that ail 1" exclaimed Vendale, toesing the note away from him. Joey Ladle's eye followed the flying morsel el paper drearily. " I'm glad to see you take it easy, sir," bc said. "Whatever happens, lt will be alwavs a comfort to you to remember that you took it easy at first. Sometimes one rmsUke leads u another. A man drops a bit of orange peel os the pavement by mistake, and auuther maa. treada'on it by mistake, and there'd a job at th? hospital, and a party crippled for life. I'm glai you tako it ea?y, sir. In Pebbleson Nephew'? time we shouldn't have taken it essy tdl we hud seen the end of it. Without doniring to crow over the house, young Mr. Vendale, I wish joe well through it. No offense, sir," said the ?eb larman. opening the door to go out, and looking in again ominously before he shut it. "lu muddied and molloncoUy, I grant yon. But Pa an old servant of Pebbleson Nephew, and i uist you well through them six cases of red wu.e." Left by himself, Vondale laughed, and took u) hispen. "I may as well send a line to De fresnier and Company," ho thought, " before J forget it." He wrote at once in tbt-do terms : "LEAH SXRS: We are .'.axing stock, and a trifling mis taXe has beea discovered in tho last consign me u: ut champagne tent by your house to ours. Six oi tin. cases contain red winu-which we hereby return U you. The matu . can easily be set right, situer bj ymir sealing na aix cases of the champagne, if tile; can be produced, or, if not, by your crediting us witt the-value of six cases oa the amount lost (?aid inv. hundred poonda) by ourflrm to youra. Vourtaithiu servants, WILOLSQ ft Cu " This letter dispatched to the post, tho subject dropped at once out of Vendale a mind. He . ac\ other and far moro utercuting matters to think of.. Later in tho day he paid the visit to Oin*, reizer which had leen agreed upon be:tv sr them. Certain evenings in the week were rei apart which he wa? privileged to spend 7i.lt l'arguonte-always, however, in the p:e*<. ace 'A a third Derson. On this stipulation CV c-? \ , politely but positively insisted. The i cession be made wan "to give Vendale hi< .? "f.? ;,,? of who the third person should be. Co jj ^ in paet experience, lus choice fell unhe&i*-*< ? n p. : upon the excellent woman who me^o?d Qb.? reizer's stockings. On hearing oi'tb* respoi y> bility intrusted to lier. Madang POP'S, ir r? tul nature bunt .addeoiy<^ioaa?^ifcaSi>^ / .1