United States or Uganda ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
The next evening Thurston repaired to the mossy dell in the expectation of seeing Marian, who, of course, did not make her appearance. The morning after, filled with disappointment and mortifying conjecture as to the cause of her non-appearance, Thurston presented himself before Jacquelina at Luckenough. He happened to find her alone.
"A what?" exclaimed all, in a breath, "An assignation," repeated Jacko, with owl-like calmness and solemnity. "What in the name of common sense do you mean, my dear?" inquired Mrs. Waugh, while the commodore and Mary L'Oiseau looked the astonishment they did not speak. "Pray explain yourself, my love." "He says I swallowed an assignation whole!" repeated Jacquelina, with distinct emphasis.
"What do you propose to do with her?" "I shall leave her to Aunt Henrietta she will never let the child want." "But Mrs. Waugh is quite an old lady now. Jacquelina is insane, the commodore and Mrs. L'Oiseau scarcely competent to take care of themselves and Luckenough a sad, unpromising home for a little girl." "I know it oh! I know it; why do you speak of it, since I can do no otherwise?"
Flocks of saucy little snow-birds alighted fearlessly in their path; but the cunning little gray rabbits just peeped with their round, bright eyes, and then quickly hopped away. I need not describe their merry journey at length. My readers will readily imagine how delightful was the trip to at least two of the party. And those two were not Dr. Grimshaw and Jacquelina.
And the little invalid was consulted as to her wishes upon the subject. "Yes," Jacquelina said she would go anywhere, if only her aunty and Marian would go with her she wanted Marian. Mrs. Waugh readily consented to accompany her favorite, and also to try to induce "Hebe," as she called blooming Marian, to make one of their party.
Poor Jacquelina! for, of course, you can have no doubt that it is of her we are speaking she perpetrated her last lugubrious joke on the day that she was to have made her vows, for when asked what patron saint she would select by taking that saint's name in religion, she answered St. Theresa, because St.
Jacquelina rewarded his serious efforts with laughter, and flattered him with the pet names of Hobgoblin, Ghoul, Gnome, Ogre, etc. Yet she did not dislike her solemn suitor she never had taken the matter so seriously as that!
Without heeding the contradiction, except by a sly smile, Jacquelina went calmly on: "And I know that you wish to make me a stalking-horse, to convey the estate to Grimshaw, only because you cannot give it to him in any other way but through his wife." "What do you mean, you little diabolical ! It is my own why can I not give it to whom I please, I should like to know?"
L'Oiseau remained, to superintend the clearing away of the supper-table; and Jacquelina danced on to the front parlor, where she found no one but the maid, who was mending the fire. "Say! did you see anything of the professor while I was gone?" she inquired. "Lors, honey, I wish I hadn't! I knows how de thought of it will give me 'liriums nex' time I has a fever." "Why? What did he do?
Oh, you're a honey-cooler. What have you been doing now, Imp?" cried the old man, turning fiercely to Jacquelina. "Answer me, you little vixen! what does all this mean?" "Better ask 'the gentlemanly professor' why he seized and nearly shook the head off my shoulders and the breath out of my bosom!" said Jacquelina, half-crying, half-laughing. The commodore turned furiously toward Grim.
Word Of The Day