That Love Letter.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 9, Issue 642, 11 February 1887, Page 2

That Love Letter.

A wealthy gentleman named Nathalie, living in Ballarat, well preserved, intelligent, and agreeable, made up his mind to get married. It waa somewhat laU; in the day, for he had resolved never to get married until he was able to retire from business. However, he altered his mind, and now he is the husband of a pretty, lively, though somewhat fast young woman, to whom he is devotedly attached. The young wife of course did not lack for admirers, but she only amused herself inno- | cently with the sighs and despairing glauces daily levelled at her. Amongst her admirers was a young man, Edward Steel, a handsome young follow, whose principal fault", was that ho over- eat' mattd his own good looks and fascinations. Otherwise he waa : the best-natured man in the world. He of- ! ten spent his evenings in Madame Nathalie's drawing-room, chatting with her over the events and goasip of the day, while the master sat quietly reading a newspaper in a corner. A few days ago Mr. Nathalie went to his wife's room to ask her a question. The maid told him her mistress was out, but would soon return. The good man threw himself into a chair to await her arrival, and took up a book lying near to while away the time. It was a new and very popular novel. Mr. Nathalie was turning over the leaves mechanically, when his attention was suddenly arrested as he noticed that, here and there, a word was lightly underlined with a pencil. They were only ordinary words, and required no emphasizing. lit turned another page, and another ;it was the same. All at once a thought struck him; he turned back to the first page, and began to write down the underlined woids in rotation. From them he read as follows : " Dear — Ada — will — you — be — angry — if — I — tell — you — l — love — you." In short, a complete love-letter of the warmest description, winding up with, " Reply — in — the — next — chapter." Mr. Nathalie sprang up, and paced up and down the room in the greatest excitement, while he tried to think who eonld have had the insolence thus to address his wife. Suddenly he uttered a triumphant ejaculation, as he perceived on ihe title-page the initials, "E.S," An hour later the irresistible Steel was , comfortably smoking a cigar in his chambers and rubbing his hands at the thought of his ingenious method of correspondence, of the j invenrion of which he was not a little proud. He was dreamiDg of the agreeable, perhaps j even enrapmring, reply he might find in the ' following chapter when his servant entered with a book that had just been left with j Mrs. Nathalie's complimenfs. It was the novel in question. Steel waa at first surprised at receiving such an unexpectedly prompt reply. He had imagined the lady would hesitate somewhat longer before answering, but, with unbroken self-confidence, he never once doubled the answer would be anything but favorable. Only, had she properly understood the design ? He opened the book and turned at once to the second chapter. Wtiafc bli.'-H ! — she had understood ; there stood the reply. With breathles-i haste he wiote down the words in order ; but, alas ! what were they ? " If — you — ever— set — your— foot — again — in — my — house — l — shall — kick — you — out. — The — husband. ' '