Puck — December 18, 1878 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

PUCK, yu see in young Dudley to induce you to over- took so much.” “ My dear papa,” said Miss Lovel, ‘I was interested in him when I first met him, because | I thought there was something in .him—some- thing good in his nature—and I devised a little” scheme by which I hope to do him a genuine service that will be of use throughout life. You have allowed me to do what I like—have you not?—and now I am going to surprise you.” Mr. Lovel shrugged his shoulders and shook his head and smiled indulgently at his daughter. She was an odd person, he was in the habit of saying, and had many whims and fancies. Presently the moment came when Mr. Lovel and his daughter had finished their dinner. “‘Now, my dear, what do you propose to do?” said Mr. Lovel. “Are you going to leave young Dudley here?” “Why, yes, papa,” said Beatrice. ‘You wouldn't have me go and fetch him. We must leave directly, and we can drive back to town before dark.” : As she spoke she rose, and the party oppo- site had a full view of her tall slight figure and handsome head. Dudley’s heart sank as he heard the comments of his temporary friends, For a moment or two he saw the waiters bow- ing and making way, he heard the rustle of silk, the indescribable frou-frou of a woman's skirts, and in desperation he looked up and met the dark eyes of his betrothed, fixed upon him with something of the expression that had paz- zled him during his interview with her in Mrs. Pomeroy’s conservatory. She smiled and bowed again, and passed out of the room, followed by her father, Men are more friendly to each other than are women, and Glyde, by this time: guessing the pysition of affairs, came to Dudley's rescue, exclaiming: “say, Dudley, are you not going to say a few words to your friends? You can catch them up at the door, and tell them the neces- sary conventional untruths, I am sure these ladies will excuse you for a moment rather than that you should appear rude.” Mademoiselle Tata having declared that it was useless trying to save appearances in that direction, and Mademoiselle ‘Toto having signi- fied her willingness to dispense with his com- pany ## fofo, Dudley muttered a few apologetic words and made his escape. He felt exceed- ingly foolish when he reached the broad door- way. Miss Lovel and her father were standing there, waiting for the carriage to draw up, and he was conscious that his face was flushed and that he was not so clear-headed as he might have been, As Miss Lovel turned to greet him, he heartily wished himself back beside Made- moiselle Tata in the dining-room, “Tam glad you contrived to come and say a few words,” she ‘said, smiling brightly, and noting at the same time the young man's dis- _ turbed appearance, “You are a gay party, are you not ?”” “Very gay indeed, I should say,” muttered Mr. Lovel, who thought it was his duty to be somewhat severe. ‘‘ Here is the carriage, Bea- trice.” “T am ready, papa,”’she replied. “It’s a pity we can’t drive you back with us, Mr. Dud- ley. I hope you will get home safely,” she added, with an expressive glance. He muttered a few uninteiligible words as he handed her into the carriage, and he heartily wished he could go back with her as she sug- gested. Then when she leant out of the car- riage to give him her hand and to murmur ina low voice, “ You will come tosce me to-morrow, will you not, Edmund?” some strange feeling stirred within him and found expression on his face, and Miss Lovel saw she had produced the effect she desired, When, the next afternoon, Glyde returned, after his drive, to his rooms in Bond Street, in order to dress for dinner, he found Dudley sit ting by the open window. “Well, Dudley, what's the matter now?” he exclaimed. ‘ Have you had too fierce a fire about your head respecting yesterday's joke? When a friend displays such assiduity in his visiting one always knows there is something wrong. What has happened? You can tell me while I dress; but you must not be too dif- fuse, for I must be in Cleveland Square by eight o’clock. Now, then, have some brandy- and-soda, man—you look quite disturbed— and tell me your troubles, while I paint the lily; and don't say I am not a good friend.” “Oh, you're a good friend enough,” mut- tered Dudley, leaning his head on his hand; “but I wish Thad not been induced to join you and your friends in your expedition to Greenwich yesterday; that little party has cost me all the prosperity that had come upon me,” “What, even the prosperity that dawned upon you in the conservatory the other even- ing?” laughed Glyde. “Tr’s no laughing matter, I can assure you,” said Dudley. ‘I feel like a tur that has been whipped.” “Have you .been hounded down by your creditors, then?” suggested Glyde, with an- other laugh, “If you laugh in that absurd manner every moment,” said Dudley impatiently, “I shall throw something at you head.” “Keep cool, Dudley,” said Glyde. “Iam getting to the serious part of my toilette; tell me the climax of your dismal story while I am tying my white cravat. Seriously though, my dear fellow, what's wrong ?” “ This is what has happened,” said Dudley. “ When I saw Miss Lovel into her carriage last night she asked me to call upon her to-day, and of course I went to the house after lunch to- day. She received me with the utmost kind- ness; she asked me several questions about my affairs, and at last she said that she knew quite well how I was situated; that I wanted a cer- tain sum of money to pay my creditors, rather than a wife; that yesterday's incident showed her that I could not love her, which was not surprising, since I knew her so little; that she had accepted me the other night asa slight punishment for my recklessness; that she had never intended to marry me, but that she wished to keep me for her friend; and, finally, that she had put twenty thousand pounds in my bank to my credit, which she hoped I should devote to the paying of my debts, i stead of taking refuge in such a spirit in matri- mony, and which I might return when I liked and as I liked.” “By Jove!” exclaimed Glyde, “that’s a wo- man worth cultivating!” “But what am I todo?” said Dudley des- pairingly, “What are you to do, man?” said Glyde. “ Why, you ought to be delighted now, since you have got the money, and it’s not saddled with the wife. Twenty thousand is not of course so desirable as sixty thousand; still, if you had had to take the girl with the larger sum you would have had many extra expenses, and there would have been settlements; as it is, you have the twenty thousand clear; and I daresay she would lend you more if you really wanted it. Ishould not waste too many regrets over the forty thousand difference. Twenty thousand will help you along a little. For my part, I think you are very lucky to get out of it all so well.”” “But, Glyde, you don’t understand me,” cried Dudley; “ycu don’t understand that J fecl humiliated to the lowest degree by this girl’s generosity. She has put her money in my bank; how am I to restore it? She says 1 can pay it back to her when I like; but when shall.I ever be able ?”” “My dear fellow, I shouldn’t quarrel with Fate, if I were you,” said Glyde; “ I should let the money remain at your bankers’, to be used. at your discretion, I should think of it and talk of it asa loan, and should think of, and talk of and to, the lady as if she were a friend, like a man. I don't see that the position is very trying, I must own,” “ But, Glyde,” cried Dudley again, with sin- gular energy, “ I should like to marry herwith- out the money!” Glyde turned to look at his friend gravely, and then said, shaking his head as he spoke: “If you have fallen in love, as the common saying runs, Dudley, why I can’t have you here any more, My chums may come and tell me what they like about their pecuniary difficul- ties, and I am always ready to sympathize with them, but I cannot put up with the ravings of lovers, their entire absorption and selfishness; so pray keep away, my dear fellow, until the attack is over. Are you severely hit, or do you think it is likely to be lingering?” “You may laugh as much as you like,” said Dudley; “but I tell you what it is—I have made up my mind to do all I can to win her.” “And get the remaining forty thousand?” said Glyde. “And get Miss Lovel herself,” said Dudley decisively—a brave and generous woman—” “And what is more to the purpose—a rich one,” put in Glyde. ““Who deserves to be appreciated by the man who wins her; and by Heaven I wi// win her!" “Now, Dudley, my dear fellow, you must go,” said Glyde quietly. “I recognize the first stage of your disease, and shall send you away before it develops itself, and threatens to endanger the peace and prosperity of all your friends. I shall be very glad to see you when you are convalescent. Good-bye, dear boy; think of your future and keep cool.” And, with a laugh, Glyde went off into his bedroom; while Dudley went out of the house, half vexed and half amused. “T qwill win her!” he muttered to himself, as he walked along, a new feeling in his heart, a new ambition in his brain. And eventually he did win her; and they dined at Greenwich on each anniversary of their wedding. Tue South is continually scolding the North for waving the bloody shirt, and yet it per- sistently waives the subject itself, How incon- sistent!—Paila, Bulletin, Ir the chief of the Washington Weather Bureau, otherwise known as “Old Probs,” don't furnish more reliable ‘ indications,” some fellow with a better developed bunion will have to be hired, Why, there are as many , as fifty old women in this town with nothing but ordinary corns who can stick their feet out of a window and tell what the weather will be for the next forty-eight hours.— Wheel. Leader. Gov. Hartran‘t, after he retires from office, will be one of the busiest men in the State--if the newspapers don’t lie. According to our exchanges, he will engage in the insurance bus- iness, become Collector of the Port of Phila- delphia, embark in the mercantile business in the same city, go to stock raising, and enter President Hayes’s Cabinet. (P. Si—The pa- pers do lie. We saw the Governdr a few days ago, and while contradicting the various re- ports concerning his future intentions, he con- fided to us that upon leaving the Governor's chair, he either intended to become a book- agent or write a comic almanac. This is re- liable.) —Norr. Herald, a comicbooks.com