Theo: A Sprightly Love Story

aps business detained him; perhaps he went oftener to see Prisci

pretty girls in a day's round, and he was so often too busy to notice half of them-though he was an admirer of pretty girls-that it was nothing new to see one and forget her, until chance threw them together again. Of course, he had noticed Theodora North that firs

saw a tall, lovely figure in a closely-fitting dress of purple cloth, bending over Sab

an admiring aside. "To be su

shing vividly upon all occasions. She was quite unconscious of the fact that the purple cloth was so becoming, and that its sweep of straight, heavy folds made her as stately as some Rajah's dark-eyed daughter. She did not feel statel

u are here." There were no bells in the house at Downport, and no servants to answe

n any account; and, besides, I know she will be down directly. She nev

ed," was Theo's repl

head upon her knee. Theo stroked him softly, raisin

f Sir Dugald him

nd the perfect gravity and naivete with which this pretty, unsophisticated

nd then his glance meeting Theo's, she broke into

it would sound; but, indeed, I only meant that Sabre was so slow and heavy, and-and

solutely imploring, and Mr. Denis Oglethorpe smiled a

he had said to Priscilla. "A relative of hers. A pretty

m and shoulder under the close-fitting purple cloth! He was artistically thankful that there was no other trimming of the straight bodice than the line of buttons that descended from the full whit

ly. "Besides, I think the comparison an excellent one. I don't

and her discomfort was rapidly increasing. He must think her dreadfully stupid, though he was good-humored enough to make light of her silly speech. C

embered, on the first occasion of their meeting-too tired to think of anything but his appointment at Broome street, and Priscilla's Greek grammar. And now in recognizing what he had before passed by, he was quite glad to find the girl so young and inexperienced-so modest, in a sweet way. It was e

in London before?"

s is the first time. I was nev

I wonder if she would let us? If she would, I have a lady friend who knows them all, from the grislie

ith delighted surprise. "If it wouldn't be too

Oglethor

should like it better than anything in the wo

a minute later, when the handsome face changed sudden

he repeated

ressedly. "I meant to say Pamela. My el

sed Oglethorpe, with a sudden accession of g

erfering when the fancy seized her. It roused his pride to think how liberally he must have been discussed, and, consequently, when Lady Throckmorton joined them, he was not in the most amiable of moods. But he managed to end his conversation with Theo unconstrainedly enough. He even gained her ladyship's consent to their plan. It was curiously plain how they both appeared to agree in thinking her a child, and treating her as one. Not that Theo cared about that. She had been so used to Pamela, that she would have felt half afraid of being treated with any greater ceremony; but still she could clearly under

ver forgot a favor. He never forgot to be grateful to Lady Throckmorton; and so, despite the wide difference between their respective ages and positions, their mutual liking had ripened into a familiarity of relationship which made them more like elder sister and younger brother than anything else. Oglethorpe, junior, was pretty much what Oglethorpe,

ing her tractable, she became quite fond of her, in her own way,

ver poor Pamela could have been. Your figure is perfect, and you have eyes like a Syrian, instead of a commonplace English woman. I am going

e had been generous enough toward Pamela, but she had never been so extravagant as she was with Theodora. Theodora was an actual beauty, of

copy of the volume, with some very witty verses written on the fly-leaf in a flourishing hand. It was worth while to amuse Theodora, she was so pretty and unassuming in her delight at his carelessly-amiable efforts for her entertainment. She was only a mere child after all at sixteen,

he would say, in a tone that might either have been jest or earnest. "They s

his wisdom as the wisdom of an oracle. Who should know better than he what was right? His indifference to the rule of opinion could only be the result of conscious

me down to the drawing-room, and there Denis found her when he came up-stairs-the thick, lustrous folds o

nd heavy-eyed, in dun-colored merino, poring over a Greek dictionary, and the sudden entering the brigh

said, slowly, when he recovered

asked Theo

, complacently. "It is so very becoming.

ic fashion of being almost curt sometimes. She had seen him actually give a faint start when he entered, and she had not understood that, and now he had pai

he said to Lady Throckmorton, when she came in

was silent. He even seemed absent-minded, for some reason or other. He did not talk t

e, and, in her heart-touched pleasure, had leant upon the edge of the box, her whole face thrilled with excitement. But the steady gaze magnetized her, and drew her eyes round to the shadowy corner where De

re than an indrawn breath, Denis heard it, and came out of his co

e asked, in a low, clear

scarcely knew how; but when she met his unembarrassed eyes, she began to think that possib

ed. "Poor Marguerite! If she

" he

or ought to have made her save him, someway. If-if she

" commented Denis, languidly. He had

f I had been Marguerite

meeting her sweet, world-ignorant eyes, felt the faint, pained shock once more,

t moment. "Yes, I belie

g Marguerite would suffer or be sacrificed. The idea had really never occurred to him before that Theodora North was ne

have given a clear account of what was passing before his eyes upon the stage. He did not even go into the house with them when they returned; but as he stood upon the door-step, touching his hat in a final adieu, he w

e could not explain why. He dismissed the carriage, and wa

of the world as a man may be; but it had not made him callous or indifferent to the beauties of life. No one would ever have called him emotional, or prone to enthusiasms of a weak kind, and yet he was by no means hard of heart. He had quiet fancies of his own about people and things, and many of these reticent, rarely-expressed ideas were reverent, chivalrous ones of women. The opposing force of a whole world could never have shaken his faith in Priscilla Gower, or touched his respect for her; but though, perhaps, he had never understood it so, he had never felt very enthusiastic

long winter nights. It is easy to guess how the matter terminated. If ever he won success he determined to give it to Priscilla-and so he told her. He had never wavered in his faith for a second since, though he had encountered many beautiful and womanly women. He had worked steadily for her sake, and shielded her from every care that it lay within his power to lighten. He was not old Miss Elizabeth Gower's lodger now-he was her niece's husband in perspective. He was to marry Priscilla Gower in eig

his own door, and took his latch-key out of his pocket. The face that had looked down upon him beneath the light at the head of the stair-case,

la shall go with us. Poor Priscilla!-poor girl! Rose-pink

ratification of the old one. They were to see th

azzling. The little round, black-plumed hat was becoming also; but in his now more prosaic mood, he could stand that, too, pretty as it was in an innocent, unconsciously-coquettish way. Theo was never coquettish herself in the slightest degree. She was not world-wise enough for that yet. But she was quite exhil

t?" said he. (He had not before o

ightly. She remembered what he h

ace," she said; "but I think I know the

ply. "Then say it to

ftly, in a pretty reverence fo

th a curious mixture of

r, as you say. Number twenty-three, Broome street; and Bro

queried Theo

ged his

id. "But do you know who Miss

his, half-timidly; but she s

ng lady to whom I am to be marri

shing beautifully as he looked down at her. "But I am v

was absurdly, vacantly sensible of feeling some uneasiness at the brightness of her upturned face. For pity

e happy to think you trust me enough to tell me about what has made

his eyes to hers again, and to her face-bright, appealing, upturned-and he

aid. "Miss Priscilla Gower

r her snuff-colored skin, or her neat, snuff-colored false-front, Theo fancied, but she was not at all afraid of her. She was a trifle afraid of Miss Priscilla. Miss Priscilla was sitting at the table reading when they entered, and as she rose to greet them, holding her book in one hand, the thought entered Theo's mind that she could comprehend dimly why Lady Throckmorton disliked her, and thou

ch was a fair sample of all her manner. It would have been sheerly impossible to expect anything like effusiveness from Priscilla Gower. The m

poken of her admiringly was sufficient to arouse in her mind an interest in this young creatu

s beauty is concerned," he had said; and, accordingly, she ha

iscilla Gower was a very charming young person. She talked well, and with much clear, calm sense; she laughed musically when she laughed at all, and could make very telling, caustic speeches when occasion required; but still it was singular what a wide difference the difference of six years made in the two gi

n the pavement before the door in Broome street, her nice little hand on Deni

girl's face, a smile that was a little like moonlight. All Priscilla

will please me very much to see you, Miss Theo

h height, she was not much taller than her companion's shoulder. It was strange, she thought afterward, that she should have done so; but even while thinking it strange in the afterward that came to her, she remembered it all as distinctly as ever, and knew that to the last day of her life she