Theo: A Sprightly Love Story

l practical style. She trimmed, and fitted, and cut, until the always-roughened surface of her thin forefinger was rougher than ever. She kept Theo at work at

ndeed, sometimes Theo found herself glancing up furtively from her tasks, to look at the thin, sharp face, and wondering if

glass, and the mistiness in her eyes; saw her shabby dress, and faded face, and half-longed to go back; remembered sadly how many years had passed since she had left the dingy sea-port town to go to London, and meet her fate, and lose it, and grow old before her time in mourning it; saw her, last of all, and so was whirled up the street

he receive her? How would she be dressed? A hundred such simple, girlish wonders crowded into her mind. She would almost have been glad to go back-not quite, but almost. She had a lingering, inconsistent recollection of the contents of her trunks, and the sapphires, which was, nevertheless,

a glare of gaslight around the iron grating, and a glare of gaslight from the opening door, and then, after a little confusion of entrance, she

ing been a beauty in her long past day, even at sixty-five Lady Throckmorton was quite an imposing old person. Even in her momentary embarrassment, Theo could not hel

. "I am glad to see you, Theodora. I was afraid you would be too late for Sir Du

t all tired, which seemed to satisfy her ladyship,

end to you. Of course, you will want to change your dress for dinner, and you have not much time

d up another broad stair-case, into an apartment as spacious and luxurious as the one below. There her toilet wa

g. Its elaborate richness and length of train changed the undeveloped girl, to whom she had given a farewell glance in the small mirror at Downport, to the stateliest of tall young creatures. Her bare arms and neck

he was by the rushing of a huge Spanish mastiff, which bounded down the steps behind her, and bounding upon her dress, nearly knocked her down. The animal came like a rush of win

deuce!" he said, in an odd, low mutter, which sounded as though he was speaking half to her, half to hi

d of her under the circumstances. She did not know very much about etiquette, but she had an idea that

he said, unceremoniously.

blushed more b

rlor door at the foot of the stairs, and finding that the mastiff was stretched upon the mat, he favored him with an unce

morton, who awaited them. "Of course, there is no need of introducing y

nderous stare. He might have been admiring it, or he might not;

mself to me," said Theo, in some confusion.

if she had scarcely expected anything else, "I se

slightly, and, after giving her another stare, turned to his mastiff, and laid a large muscu

ly oblivious of her husband's presence

authoritative old lady motioned Theo to a se

e," she said. "I want t

olored old brown eyes were so keen as they ran over

girl, Theodora," she

een," answ

a was twenty when she came to London, and I remember-Well, never mind. Suppose you tell

with the housework and the clothes-mending. We did not keep a

nce at the girl's slight, dusky hands. "How di

of her discomfort under the catechism; "but sometimes, on idle days, I

ed the august catechist. She

oetry, and sometimes history; but not often

vel sort of interest. Upon the whole, my lady

, you have never had a lover. Pamela n

ra started and blus

in a perfect wonder of confusion,

dy was coming in, and it was evidently somebody who felt himself at home, and at liberty

gazing at him wonderingly as he came forward, bu

e said. "Good-evening! Here is Theodor

he youngest and most innocent-looking of sultanas, in unimperial gray satin. The gentle

of indolence in its very ceremony, and then having done th

e street," he said. "I am obliged to go to M

echoed he

h cool negligence. "Obliged in one sens

ongly-marked old

ir owner, quite sharply. "

leased before her, as if she was a child. Their first words had sufficed to show her that "Miss Gower's"-wherever

n. "It is rather a long

w quite a number of literary people, and said a great many sharp things about them, as if he was used to them, and stood in no awe whatever of them and their leonine greatness. But he did not talk to her, though he looked at her now and then; and whenever he looked at her, his glance was a half-admiring one, even while it was evident that he was not thinking much

e hall-door close upon him, the stillne

Theodora. "What is your opin

slight embarrassment. "And I think I lik

omething amusing by Lady Thr

aid. "It sounds very like Pamela-what Pamel

fluttered the poor litt

out Priscilla in a dozen words. Priscilla is a modern Sappho. Priscilla is an elder

said T

her away from the heat of the fire, and frowned slightly; b

uld agree with me in saying poor Denis

?" asked The

lderly, as I said just now-and she never was anything else

get married five years ag

"because Denis was only a poor young journalist, scribbling

now?" ventur

g happens to prevent it, he will marry Priscilla before the year is out. Not that it is any business of mi

been anything like that gentleman himself, what a delightful affair Lady Throckmorton's love-story must have been! The comfortable figure in the arm-chair at her side caught a glow of the faint h

y she wrote

a. I think I shall wear the purple cloth to-night, as Lady Throckmorton said that perhaps he might drop in again, and he knows so many grand people, that I should like to look nice. There seems to be a queer sort of friendship between aunt and himself, though somehow I fancied he did not care much about what she said to him. He is engaged to be married to a very accomplished young lady, and has been for several years; but they were both too poor to be married until now. The young lady's name is Priscilla Gower; and Lady Throckmorton does not like her, which seems very strange to me. She is as poor as we are, I should imagine, for she gives French and Latin lessons, and lives in a shabby house. But I don't th

he