A Nest of Linnets

aculties of subtle discrimination and of still more subtle deduction of at least one of the ladies of the fascinating group to be aw

l men-some sanctuary on an island where he might eat his heart out, far from the

, and it had come upon him with the force of a great blow-a blow from which no recovery was possible for him. That was why he had accepted the invitation of one of his friends to supper, with cards to follow. For several months he had resisted steadily the allurements of such forms of entertainment, for then the reward which he held before himself for his abstinence was

of quoting Horace and Juvenal on the subject of the lightness of woman's love, and being scarcely able to conceal his gratification at the distinction conferred upon him on being made the subject of the banter of his friends in general and of young Sheridan in particular. Before midnight had come and the first dozen of claret had gone, he was really not quite sure w

ight, he found that the bracing effects of the plunge are temporary. He found that though the plunge

ght path which he had laid out for himself since he became conscious of his love for B

announcement of Betsy's engagement to marry Mr. Long-he would not even let the girl herself suspect it. He would smile and shrug when people referred to the matter in his presen

to convince even Garrick himself that he regarded the engagement of Miss Linley with complete indifference. The moment, however, that the girl appeared with Mr. Long at the entrance, he felt unable to sustain the r?le any longer: he felt that he must run away and hide himself in some secret corner where he could see no one a

t this appalling impulse until he reached his home. He entered the house whistling, and shouted out a line or two o

ace of his struggles to make a name for himself had turned to despair. She was not to be his. She was to go to another. She had elected to go to a man

world in which it was possible for so monstrous a thing to occur. It was no world for worthy lovers to live in-so much was perfectly clear to him.

other instalment, as it were, toward acquiring Betsy Linley. He had worked for her as Jacob had worked for Rachel, but Fate had turned out to him as

of a world so ill-governed as to allow

ick felt most bitterly of all was his inability to sustain the dignified r?le of a cynical man of the world with which he had started the day. The reflection that he had completely broken down the moment that the girl appeared even in the distance, and th

eavens! A girl!-she is nothing but a girl; and where's the girl who is worth such self-abasement?

-sitting up all the night for the purpose-was able to give to a phrase, he believed that he could still say enough to let Betsy Linley learn what sort of a man he was. He would let her see that he was a man of the world looking on with a tolerant, half-amused smile and quite a disinterested manner at such incidents of life as marrying and giving in marriage. Oh, t

e? Was it not the last refuge of the unimaginative? Or should he s

t when he came to think of all that might be said on the subject of a young woman's agreeing to marry an old man, he

ad forgotten that singular lapse of his from the course which he had marked out for himself in the morning-that la

ining the family circle: he knew that his sisters would delight

e to meet them at once. He now believed himself to be quite equal to sustaining the r?le of the indifferent man of fashion in t

surprised to find how easily the marks were obliterated. He was comforted by the reflection that his tears had been very superficial; they were not even skin deep,-

it for him for the two minutes he had taken to complete his toilet. They were deep in their leg of mutton, and the younger Miss Sheridan was

notion that I was late. Upon my life, I meant only to have a

re a mirror for a few moments,

lder sister, cutting another wedge from the alre

my home. Prithee, sister, is't outside the bounds of possibility for you to provide us with a change of fare now and again? Mutt

arry old Mr. Long?" cried the girl with t

tion of the advisability of substituting veal for mutton now and again, but he was clever enough to perceive that his attitude wo

ay? Betsy Linley and

how easily he was able to laugh heartily-nay, how greatly he was eased by his outburst o

me in doing so, and Betsy will sing it at all the concerts. I foresee another triumph for her. He is sixty-five if he is a day-I'll swear it. But are you sure that there is truth i

r. "I wonder that you did not hear all about the matte

of this disastrous news upon the beaux! 'Twill be a blow to some of our friends-to some; but we need not travel beyond the limits of the Sheridan family to become acquainted with the effects of that blow." He pointed a finger toward his

wasting wi

use a wom

not our way, in these d

be not f

I how fa

y, nonny,

Dick," said Alici

range notion of what constitutes sympathy, my dear, if you fancy that our brother's wound is softened by

no message,"

whom she has discarded is as cruel as the Red Indian would be were he to scalp his victim and then offer him as a

d the impression that 'twas you yourself, and no

rother, who knows this world and its weaknesses, and when it comes to your turn to choose husbands, marry nice elderly gentlemen with large fortunes, as your friend Miss Linley is doing. Marriage should be regarded simply as an unavo