A Girl of the Commune

h Street. On either side was a high wall facing the street, and from this a garden, enclosing the house, stretched away to a little stream some two hundred yards in

ree younger men who divided between them the minor legal business of the place. He in no way regarded them as rivals, and always spoke of them benevolently as worthy men to whom all such business as the collection of debts, criminal prosecutions, and such matters as the

ester County and City Bank, legal adviser of the Cathedral Authorities, deacon of the principal Church, City Alderman, president of the Musical Societ

ed to the legal profession. His talk as a rule was genial and almost cheery, but his manner varied according to the circumstances. In his capacity as treasurer he was concise and business-l

umerous offices he filled he gave unbounded satisfaction, and the only regret among his fellow-townsmen was that he had on three occasions refused to accept the honor of the Mayoralty, alleging, and with a fair show

lling one on the lady's part. However that might be, no whisper had ever been heard that the marriage was an unhappy one. It was regarded as rather a come-down for her, but if so she never showed that she felt it as a fall. The marriage had certain

led to obtain the post of House Surgeon at the Hospital, owing to the support the President had given to another competitor for the post, had alluded to him bitterly as a blatant ass; and

for nothing in the general consensus of admiration for one who was generally

his wife said to him one morning after their

aid, looking up from his newspaper;

that you would give up all this miserable business and settle down in the county. The

giving way to her and letting her go to that place; she has got her head full of all sorts of absurd ideas about woman's mission and woman's duties, and nonsense of that sort, an

s no answer to my question. I have been content to live all these years in this miserable dull place, because I was

s not a week that we don't drive half-a-dozen miles,

ut we simply go to these dinners because yo

when that confounded mine that I had invested in went wrong, and fifteen tho

repeated,

, and at the rate I bought in would have paid twenty per cent on the investment. I told you that there was

hat coal mines were

as anxious as you are, Eliza, to have done with all this, and I hope by the time Clara and Julia are ready to come out, I may be able to carry out the plans we have always had-I as much as you. Tancred takes a great deal of the work off my hands now, and I can see that he has the confidence of most o

her's time a portion of the ground floor of the house was devoted to business purposes, but aft

rew up at the door; a moment

ishes to speak to

w hi

though we meet often enough elsewhere. Come you to buy or to sell, or do you want

o him. "No, I have come to tell you something you will be very sorry to hear. I have just come in fr

ces, doctor; he is sixty, I suppose, but he could tire out most o

I should have said as you do yesterday if anyone had asked me. I have come to tell y

an exclamation of s

it. He says he was insensible for about half an hour; the first thing he was conscious of was the servant knocking at the door, to say that dinner was ready; he told the man that he did not feel well and should not go down; he got off his things and lay down for an hour and th

something must be wrong. Well, say nothing about it, doctor; when it comes it must come, but I don't want my affairs to

should be twenty years on. I have been rather a lonely man since I lost my wife. Cuthbert's ways are not my ways, for he likes life in London, cares nothing for field sports. But we can't all be cast in one groove, you know, and I have never tried to persuade

he Squire, you know, though there are men with broader acres than his in the neighborhood-will be te

it may be some little time before he has another. I should give him perhaps

eep it entirely to himself. I should say there is nothing that would upset him more than the thought of bei

ask for instructions about a deed that he was drawing up, but he waved him away impatiently. "Put it aside,"

ent through his payments for a long while back and then went through some bundles of old checks. On

y into," then from a strongbox with the name "J. W. Hartington," he took out a bundle of documents, many of which were

t the signature," he said; "none w

omewhat crabbed handwriting so accurately that even an expert would have had some difficulty in detecting the difference

the property ought to be worth seventy thousand, but at a forced sale it might go for fifty-five or sixty. I reckoned last week that I could sell out my stocks for twenty-six thousand, which, with the fifteen thousand, would bring it over

advancement of women, told the other girls that he intended that they should take lessons in riding, gave them an amusing account of the meeting of the Musical Society he had attended

o better advertisement for a man than his children's talk. They are unconsciously his best trumpeters, and when Mr. Brander's name was mentioned and his many services to his townsmen talked over, the fact

the bank and had a private

short talk, "I have a client

glanced sh

at the same time, for various reasons, I did not care to endeavor to dissuade him; it would scarcely do for it to be reported that I had said anything to the disadvantage of this insti

could part with fif

hen was the last

ay fort

, "and my client thinks the matter is already concluded, so perhaps it would be as well to

," the manager said, "shall I

out a check for three hundred and twenty-five pounds. That will be rig

put in as the purch

lliam Har

or a moment, but then, without a remark, fil

e clerks to witness m

wyer n

were fetched up

Mr. Karford; now Mr. Levison, you sign underneath." He held his finger to the spot where they were to sign

hese things are done, and in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the directors don't even glance at the names on the transfers. Of course they are nothing to them, they have other things to think about, but there might possibly be some remark at your transferring some of your shares just at the present momen

hat paler, but said, tho

safe, Mr. Brander,

know all banks are not perfectly safe. Wel

twelve other transfers, and there will doubtless be some more before nex

mming sat for some time passing

transaction altogether, and I cannot make head nor tail of it. However, that is no business of mine. I will cash the check at once and send the money to town with the rest; if Mildrake can hold o

s gig waiting at the door, and at once drov

ds brought me this morning," he said, as he e

a little later does not make much difference after all. Edw

t is

f the season, and there will be but two or three more meets. I shall drive to them and have a chat with my friends and see the hounds throw off. I

u might want to ad

three small legacies I have tho

ed but a few minutes. The housekeeper and one of the men were called up to witness the signature, and when they had retired Mr. Brander sat chatting for half an

t dress yourself a little more brightly when we are going to such a house as we are to-night. I don't say that that black silk with

ing these expensive flowers. I do think women lower themselves by dressing themselves as butterfl

ng to my experience men don't trouble themselves much about the mind, and a butterfly after al

taken for one, but I must say I think it is degrading that men should look upon it

, they would not have had the love of decorating themselves implanted almost universally among them. You are on the wrong track, child, on the wrong track altogether, and if you and those who think like you

r, that because woman have for ages been treat

ing it out at last for yourself, but that does not alter my opinion that on an occasion of a set dinner-party in the county where everybody

ly feminine in most respects, she and the set to which she had belonged at Girton, had established it as a principle to their own satisfaction, that feminine weaknesses were to be sternly discouraged as the main cause of the position held relatively

an undue concession to the vanities of society in the matter of her laces and flowers. She had, however, soothed her conscience by the consideration that she was at home but for a short time, and while there she might well fall in with her

culturists adopting scientific farming if they were to hold their own against foreign producers, and she surprised him by the interest sh

n, and showed a keen interest in all matters connected with the land. No one would that evening