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Then she looked at him with her clear, golden eyes, and inquired how it was with himself. Was he in love? "No!" answered Guest, but, even as he spoke, he knew in his heart that he lied. In the guise of a Yankee stranger, who embodied in herself all the traits which he most condemned, the one woman of his life had appeared. He loved and the woman whom he loved was Cornelia Briskett!
To have someone of her own would be a new and delightful experience. She felt glad, actually glad that Cornelia was coming! Seven o'clock! At any moment now a cab might appear bearing the expected guest from the station. Miss Briskett crossed the room to alter the arrangement of a vase of flowers, and as she did so, the door opened, and Mason entered carrying a telegram upon a silver salver.
"I must request Cornelia not to play the piano in the morning!" said Miss Briskett to herself. From the store-room upstairs a sound of talking and laughing was heard from within the visitor's bedroom, where sat that young lady in state, issuing orders to Mary, who was blissfully employed in unpacking the contents of one of the big dress boxes, and hanging up skirts in the mahogany wardrobe.
"I feel kinder left!" was the expressive mental comment as the maid swept away the crumbs, placed the two fruit dishes and the decanter of port before her mistress, and noiselessly retired from the room. Miss Briskett had been clearing her throat in ominous fashion for the last ten minutes, and now that Mary's restraining presence was removed, she wasted no further time in preliminaries.
Elma recalled her mother's afternoon costume of black cashmere, with prickly jet edging on the cuffs, and felt several degrees more faint and weary from pure nervous collapse. Cornelia beamed in artistic satisfaction. "Mother, you know Mrs Ramsden! This is her daughter, and her friend, Miss er Briskett. I happened to be behind a hedge just as their cart overturned.
There's that soldier nephew of Mrs Mott's, who is constantly running down on short visits. I object intensely to that dashing style! He is just the type of man to run after a girl for her money. I shall take special care that they do not meet. One thing I am determined upon," said Miss Briskett, sternly, "and that is that there shall be no love-making, nor philandering of any kind under my roof.
On yet another occasion she had carried on a clandestine correspondence with the brother of a friend, and had awakened to tardy pangs of conscience only when a more attractive suitor came upon the scene! Mrs Ramsden blushed at the remembrance, and felt a kindly softening of the heart towards the absent Cornelia but Miss Briskett remained coldly unmoved.
"My dear, the hotel is crammed full of Americans, and any one of them would say it was poor business to refuse the daughter of Edward B Briskett. The connection might be worth a heap, if you went home and allowed you were satisfied. Silas don't count for anything he's no push! We might have waited for ever if it had been left to him!"
Cornelia bore it meekly for a week on end, and then she struck. Two notes were discovered lying upon the breakfast-table containing invitations to two more tea-parties. "So kind of them! You will like to go, won't you, my dear?" said Miss Briskett, pouring out coffee. "No, I shan't, then!" answered Cornelia, ladling out bacon.
We will say no more about it "`Repentance is to leave The sins we loved before; And show that we in earnest grieve By doing so no more! "Another time you will be guided by wiser counsels!" "...Have you missed me, Aunt Soph, while I've been away?" "Er the house has seemed very quiet," replied Miss Briskett, truthfully.
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