Two Strangers

f the entertainers who have been so nobly doing their best to amuse their friends. Besides the grateful sense o

completely in his estimation of the old young ladies, was not exhilarated by it as she might have been. The master of the house did not indeed betray fatigue or ill-humor, he was too well bred for that. But he was a little cross to the butler, and dissatisfied with the dinner, which was an unusual thing; he even said something to his mother about "your cook," as if he thought the sins of that important person resulted from the fact that she was Mrs. Wradisley's cook, and had received bad advice from her mistre

elf very particularly to Mr. Bertram's solace and entertainment, partly because she was romantically interested and very sorry for him, and partly to show her mother, who had told her wi

slave of you, Mr. Bertram, and got you to do everything she

ght change of color. "Yes-I had not

her name{132} too-an old-fashion

ht-heartedness, doesn't it?-joy. And a very nice meaning, too. It would just suit Tiny. They can call her Letty when she gets a

cried, Lucy thought, which, however, must have been absurd, for what he did do was

, though so very good a girl, very rapid in her perceptions, and besides, it would have been entirely idiotic to imagine

d, quite inappropriately,

s that Mr. Bertram had been a friend of Tiny's father, and it was this that made him so grave. She added, "I am sure I am very sorry for poor Mr. Nugent; but then I never knew him, or kne

said very gravely,

elt, seeing Nelly quite out of mourning, and looking on the whole so bright, that his friend had been forgotten. But no! Lucy was ready to go to

quite possible he might have to go to town in a few days. "Perhaps to-morrow," he said. The dealer in antiquities, thro

I thought, Reginald, you were to be at home with us

mind me,"

that I mind him very much. Still there are opportunities that occur but on

ere about to say something concerning to-morrow; but then changed his mind and did not speak. This was Lucy's obse

tained in her own hands, to Lucy's indignation). While she did this she glanced at the outside of the letters which lay by the side of her plate; for they retained the bad habit in Wradisbury of giving you your letters at breakfast, instead of sending them up to your room as soon as they arrived; so that you received

s for the garden, mother," said

he little pile. "I prefer to open my letters

ea either, moth

her head; and then, having finished that piece of business like one who felt her very life attacked by any who should q

Bertram{137} was, cutting his roll into small pieces on his plate. Then Mrs. Wradisley gave a little scream, and gave the

Nugent has gone away! I was so startled I could not help it. She's gone away! This

d a very good thing too, I should say, mother.

e capable of general observation, or she would have seen that both her brother

king herself, and of course I asked what was the matter. But I had forgotten all about it, and I never thought it was serious. 'And now I find that I must go. You have all been so kind to me, and I

ill be time to run and say good-by by the ten

n. I have not quite settled what my movements will be afterwards; but you shall hear when I know myself.' That's all," said the mother, "and very unsatisfac

that is something at least-if she will real

your pretty widow again. She's seen somebody that is up t

mother and s

a little white and drawn, with his eyebrows lowering. "I am sorry, indeed," he said, "to hear a man

ed now in chorus, with ton

d as if he did not quite realize where he was going. The ladies afterwards, when they discussed this incident, and had got over their terror lest hot words should ensue between the brothers, as for the moment seemed likely-g

en air, and pulled himself together. There had been such a strong impulse upon him to go after her last night and seize hold upon her, to tell her all this was folly and nonsense, and couldn't be. Why had he not done it? He couldn't tell. To think that was his own child that he had carried about, and that after all she had been called Laetitia, after his mother, though her mother had cut him off and banished him for no immediate fault of his. It was his fault, but it was the fault of ignorance, not of intention. He had believed what he had so intently wished to be true, but he had no more meant to harm Nelly or her child than to sully the sunshine or the skies. And now, when chance or providence, or whatever you chose to call it, had brought them within sight of each other{142} again, that he should not have had the heart to follow that meet

his foolish rubbish about the pretty widow, confound him! And some one had asked him if perhaps he knew the Nugents, and he had said, Yes; but they were old people. Yes, he knew some Nugents, he had said. They had only been her grandparents, that was all. It was her mother's name she had taken, but he never guessed it, never divined it, th

ding her not trouble herself, and then was permitted to wander through the house at his will. There was nothing to be seen anywhere which had any association either to soothe or hurt his excited mind-a broken doll, an old yellow novel, a chair turned over in one room, the white coverlet in another twisted as if packing of some sort had been performed upon it-nothing but the merest vulgar{145} traces of a sudden going away. In the little drawing-room there were some violets in water in a china cup-he remembered that she had worn them yesterday-and by their side and on the carpet beneath two or three of the forget-me-nots he had gathered for Tiny. He had almost thought of taking some of the violets (which was folly) away with him. But when he saw the forget-me-nots he changed his mind, and left them a

or twice, and then he went in softly by the open window. In another moment he reappeared. He was carefully straightening out in his hands the limp forget-me-nots which had fallen from the table to the carpet out (no doubt) of Tiny's little hot hands. Mr. Wradisley took out a delicate pocket-book bound in morocco, and edged with silver, and with the greatest{147} care, as if they had been the most rare specimens, arranged in it the very limp and faded flowers. Then he placed the book in his breast-pocket, and turned away. Bertram, in the l

radisley's mistake gave him again and again{148} a spasm of inaudible laughter as he went along the winding ways after him. After all, was it not a willful mistake, a piece of false sentiment altogether? for the man might have remembered, he said to himself, that Nelly wore violets, autumn viol

affair," said Mrs. Wradisley. "You must come a

beastly luck,

er brother's had been; but grew hot all over with shame, looking again at her innocent, intent face though what was in it, it was not given to him to read. What Lucy would have said had she dared would have been, "Oh, Mr. Bertram, go home to your wife and live happy ever after!" but

Bertram and make it up, if I were you. Things

what you say, Wradis

nd