A Plucky Girl

s I grew up people used to comment on it. Mother loved it very much, and always pronounced it slowly. She was devoted to father, and never spoke of him as most people do of their dead, but

le to their fellows, for surely it was no light cause which made my mother's beautiful brown eyes sparkle as they did

and had fought many battles for his country, and led his men through untold dangers, and performed himself more gallant feats than I could count. He received h

when I was eighteen I was presented to Her Gracious Majesty by mother's special friend, and my godmother, the Duchess of Wilmot, and afterwards I went a great deal into society, and enjoyed myself as much as most girls who are spirited and

e to do, Westen

e nothing?"

e of age, and I believe, for so our lawyers tell me, that there is about fifty pounds besid

answered

sed backwards and forwards in their luxurious carriages in the street below were many of them our friends, and all more or less moved in what was called nice society.

are you thinking of?" sa

We can't live on the sum you mention. Why, a

h, just flowers round me and the country air, and your company, darling, and-and-oh, very small rooms would do, an

wered. "Listen, mother, I

? Don't stand so far aw

stood before mother with my hands tightly locked together,

the furniture is

urse i

oking round and appraising it quickly in my

our capital? W

oomsbury, put the furniture

Wickham, the widow of-or no, I never will allow th

h to you, but in a week's time you will grow accustomed to it, you will take an interest in it, you will even like it. I, bury myself in the country and starve!-no, no, no, I coul

n both her hands in mine, and I spoke

the same eyes, and that straight sort of forehead, and the same expression

ork-a-day strata of society, but the next instant the horrid fact was brought back to her, for Paul, our pret

th the other

oor behind him. "There will be just enough money for that purpose, so we n

epping down from the position in which you were b

tand in these days is genteel poverty-its semi-starvation, its poor mean little contrivances; but they respect a hand-to-hand fight with circumstances, and when they see that we are determined to overcome in the battle, then those who are worth keeping will c

stic and-and igno

t as to my ignorance, well, time will prove. I should like, however, to ask you a straight question, mother. Would father h

l and yet glorious occasion. She rose now, weak and trembling, and said

at those "At Homes" where you met the most fastidious and the smartest folks, gave me no joy whatsoever. It is true I was very fond of my godmother, the Duchess of Wilmot, and of another dear little American friend, who had married a member of the Cabinet, Sir Henry Thesiger. But beyond these two I was singularly free from any special attachments. The fact is, I was in love with mother. Mother herself seemed to fill all my life. I felt somehow as if father had put some of his spirit into me, and had bound me over by a solemn vow to look after her, to comfort her, to guard her, until he himself came to fetch her, and now my thought of thoug