HOW I PROPOSED.

Otago Witness, Issue 3714, 19 May 1925, Page 73

HOW I PROPOSED.

(By

Leaver Lake.

(Copyright.—For tiie Witness.) ‘You may be awfully daring, Jewel, but there is just one thing you daren’t do!” Esme looked up from a prolonged study of an almanac to make this bold assertion to my very face. She knew perfectly well what would be the result. I had always been renowned for my audacity, and here she was actually calling that admirable quality into question. "What is it?” I asked eagerly. "Well, brave as vou are, you simply daren’t take advantage of the fact that’s it’s Leap Year, my dear Jewel 1” "Leap Year?” I echoed. "When the ladies propose, do you mean?” "That’s just what I do mean,” michief sparkling in her blue eyes. I laughed recklessly. "Why, it’s quite an easy thing to do! And, what’s more, I’ll prove it to you by doing it!” Esme gasped. “No, really, Jewel!” “I will,” more confirmed than ever by her mannner to win my laurels dearly. "Just you mark my words, Esme. I’m ready for any new experience. We expect some more visitors to-morrow in honour of Haviland’s birthday.” Haviland is my eldest brother, and our family had been going in for unwonted festivities, all centring round pome anniversary or other; I suppose the excitment had entered into my Dlood. One of our family had been knighted, another had returned from his

travels in Central Africa; my cousin Diana had become engaged t 6 a celebrity. In fact, all sorts of delightful things had happened, or were just about to happen, when Esme suddenly inspired me to further distinguish the family. "It’s an understood thing,” I concluded, after listening to Esme’s comments for some few minutes. "To-morrow evening I try my fate. ’ No particular plan had entered my mind. Generally my exploits were of an impromptu nature, which added to thencharm. For two and twentv years—ever since I was born—l had been favoured by fortune even when I least deserved it, and surely the good lady was not going to fail me now! Let me see, who were expected? Mrs Brayne, her daughter Ida, Sir John Stoke, Mr lan Macintosh, General Trevor, and two or three more names I couldn’t remember. My eldest sister Agatha being the practical head of the house, by whom the guests wer® formally bidden to our feasts. Agatha, Haviland, Oliver, Jack, Lewis, and myself composed our household, by which you will see that I had four brothers, but only one sister. I spent the greater part of next day playing all sorts of games with Jack and Lewis, who were the youngest of our family. It was not until it began to grow late in the afternoon that I found time to think of guests, proprieties and my meditated impropriety ! Coming in by a side-door and escaping up to the old-fashioned gallery that overlooked the hall, I could see a party of merry people to whom Agatha was dispensing tea. It was high time I remedied certain defects in my appearance, induced by a ramble through the wood. Now, as to my plan of attack. I had seen General Trevor in the group downstairs. He was a friend of father’s, gallant, benevolent, and most encouragingly bald. There was no sort of sentiment about him, as poor, dear father used to say. The General himself treated me as a child. I had been "Dick’s little girl” to him from time immemorial. But Esme and other folk of my acquaintance were afraid of him. He was quite unapproachable enough to set a feather in my cap for daring to ask him an unusual question. "He ought to give me a present,” I said to myself, "just as'the forfeit, of course, and a memento of the event.” I finished dressing without assistance, my white frock looked very fresh and nice, and I wore white flowers and pearls. Just outside my room door I met little Millicent Brown. "Am I early?” I said. "Has anyone gone into the drawing room yet?” "Only the General. He’s always punctual. Everyone else is disgracefully late.” I let her go, and rushed downstairs, thinking what a happy chance was mine! The drawing room was not yet lighted, but a glow from one of the fires revealed a manly figure in a deep armchair on the hearth. "Good evening,” I said, gaily, waltzing up to the deep chair. “I’ve come to ask you if you’ll marry me, for ’tis Leap Year, dear, and ” The words froze on my lips. Horror of horrors! It was not the General. Millicent had made some terrific mistake. There was only one thing that would serve, and that was instant flight. I must trust to the uncertain light, my debutante frock, and tile stranger’s bewilderment. Before he could move or speak. I darted away, and locked myself in my own room. I tore off the white dress in feverish liaste. Fortunately, I had a. costunje that was simplicity itself, a kind of glorified djibbah of deep blue silk, trimmed with silver, and clasped with a handsome old belt. No one would ever dream that I was one and the same person. Millicent stared at my dress when we met; "Why, I thought you were wearing I took her arm affectionately, and gave her a warning pinch. I changed my mind. This takes so much less putting on and off.” So far, so good. How fortunate that she was the only one who had clearly seen me onlv ten minutes before! With a fairly easy conscience I could survey all the "strangers within my ken, secure in the total change of my colour scheme. Yes, there was one man sitting opposite me at dinner. By the usual turn of irony, he ought to have taken me in, but my actual partner was Teddy Bearmaiv commonly eallled the Teddy Bear, an old friend. This left me more at liberty to see and observe. Teddy must have marvelled at my unusual sedateness. I dared not raise my voice for fear it should be recognised. Thankful for a feathery mist of green, and stars of white flowers on the table, I scannned the stranger’s brown face, with its straight-forward dark eyes and hair of a curious bronze tint. Who was he? "That’s Maurice Dalton—just returned from India,” said Teddy, at my side. "Is he one of Haviland’s friends, Jewel?” “He must be,” I replied, "though I don’t remember hearing of him at all.” "Awfully clever,” murmured Teddy, "writes books of travel and all sorts.” The inevitable introduction came next day. I had carefully avoided it all the evening before, but en famillo next morning there was no escaping it. Haviland intercepted me as I was pur suing Agatha, from a laudable desire to help in matters domestic, "Jewel, I’d like you to know my friend Dalton.” I had to pause to be gracious; so as to cover op my guilt. No man could have been more courteous. Haviland beamed on us both, and left us to our own devices with sublime innocence. “What are you going to do this morning, Miss Morton!”

“Nothing in particular, though I had promised Jack—but that not possible,” I broke off witlr a sigh, "if I’m to look after you ’ He tried his hardest not to smile, being, as I said before, most courteous. "Tell me what you were going to do.” "Well, if you must know—only don’t tell my sister Agatha—l was going to help my brother Jaek make—a rabbit hutch.” "Why not let me assist him also?” "Oh, but you—you don't know or care anything about—rabbit hutches/ Don’t 1? Only try me.” "Someone will he wanting you,” I warned him. ‘There’s Ida Brayne, now, who is very artistic and will love to go round tho picture gallery with you, and Myra Fane is musical, and "I don’t know one note from another. As for pictures—l prefer those I see for myself—-living pictures.” He said this rather significantly, but I would not give myself away. So I simply said: “Well, then, I’ll take you to our workshop, and you shall do the sandpapering. Jack likes his wood very smooth/* We got on beautifully together, we three. Jack vowed that Haviland’s taste in friends was quite unexceptionable. Even Agatha didn't reprove me. She liked Maurice—Mr Dalton—so much that she quite forgot he wasn’t by any means old. A week later he sought me out. "Do you know, Miss Jewel, that I—l bring my visit to an end to-morrow ?” "Oil, surely not,” I said, just as frankly as I would to General Trevor. "Yes, that is my limit. But before I go, 1 want to tell you something. I couldn’t mention it before, dear, for fear of startling you. Perhaps you would not have been so sweet and kind to me if you’d suspected that I guessed who it was that came to me on the very first night ” I put up my hands to hide my blushes. "How did you know?” I cried. "Surely "My Jewel, could I fail to know that voice? Is there another pair of blue eyes so ” I must really leave these sentences unfinished. It was far more than I merited after such a madcap prank. And no one has ever known. When Esme ventured to ask about my Leap Year test, some weeks later, I held out my left hand with its shining stones on one finger, and told her demurely that I had done with such wild ideas for ever. They were not becoming for engaged girls.