"She just gave one squall,

When the cheese she let fall,

And the fox ran away with his prize."

JANE TAYLOR.

"My dear," said Mrs. Curtis, one Monday morning, "I offered Colonel

Keith a seat in the carriage to go to the annual book-club meeting with

us. Mr. Spicer is going to propose him as a member of the club, you

know, and I thought the close carriage would be better for him. I

suppose you will be ready by eleven; we ought to set out by that time,

not to hurry the horses."

"I am not going," returned Rachel, an announcement that electrified her

auditors, for the family quota of books being quite insufficient for

her insatiable appetite, she was a subscriber on her own account, and

besides, this was the grand annual gathering for disposing of old books,

when she was relied on for purchasing all the nuts that nobody else

would crack. The whole affair was one of the few social gatherings

that she really tolerated and enjoyed, and her mother gazed at her in

amazement.

"I wrote to Mrs. Spicer a month ago to take my name off. I have no

superfluous money to spend on my selfish amusement."

"But Rachel," said Grace, "did you not particularly want--oh! that fat

red book which came to us uncut?"

"I did, but I must do without it."

"Poor Mr. Spicer, he reckoned on you to take it; indeed, he thought you

had promised him."

"If there is anything like a promise, I suppose it must be done, but I

do not believe there is. I trust to you, Grace, you know I have nothing

to waste."

"You had better go yourself, my dear, and then you would be able to

judge. It would be more civil by the society, too."

"No matter, indeed I cannot; in fact, Mr. Mauleverer is coming this

morning to give his report and arrange our building plans. I want to

introduce him to Mr. Mitchell, and fix a day for going over."

Mrs. Curtis gave up in despair, and consulted her eldest daughter in

private whether there could have been any misunderstanding with Colonel

Keith to lead Rachel to avoid him in a manner that was becoming pointed.

Grace deemed it nothing but absorption into the F. U. E. E., and poor

Mrs. Curtis sighed over this fleeting away of her sole chance of seeing

Rachel like other people. Of Mr. Mauleverer personally she had no

fears, he was in her eyes like a drawing or music-master, and had never

pretended to be on equal terms in society with her daughters, and she

had no doubts or scruples in leaving Rachel to her business interview

with him, though she much regretted this further lapse from the ordinary

paths of sociability.




readonlinefreebook.com Copyright 2016 - 2024