THE MAYOR’S DAUGHTER.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4996, 2 May 1889, Page 4

THE MAYOR’S DAUGHTER.

UTHRATURE

The London season oi: 1856, a little later than usual, owing to a general tarrying to witness the entry of the victorious Guards into London, was at its height, and amongst other important particulars connected with it Lady Cecilia Warriner, widow of the late Colonel Warriner of the Grenadier Guards, sat on a certain evening at her toilet-table undergoing the beautifying manipulation of her tire-woman. On the toilet-table, lay a letter yet unopened, it having come to hand at a critical stage ol the maid s operations, to wit, the concealment of a few ‘ silver threads amongst the gold.’ The telltales, being at last arranged out of sight, were sufficiently out of mind to allow a, cursory consideration of comparative trifles. ‘ A letter Irom Algernon,’ murmured her ladyship, as she glanced at the post-mark. ‘ Poor dear boy, what a dreadful place to be quartered m. Puddletou ! The very name makes one shudder. lam dreadfully anxious to know how he is getting on amongst the barbarians.’ Notwithstanding this ‘ dreadhfi anxiety,’ however, the ‘poor dear boy’s ’ letter lay intact until the finish’ng touch had been given to Lady Cecilia s toilette, and then, as her ian and gloves were laid before her,she felt sufficiently at liberty to open the letter. Now all this does not mean that Lady Cecilia Warriner cared little for her son- It only means that she cared less for him tharf for the pomps and vanities of this world, and she might easily have done that and cared a great deal which in truth she did. Furthermore, it must be added, in justice to her, that she bad seen him ' since his return from the Crimea, he having proceeded to town on three day’s leave tor the express purpose of seeing his mother very soon after the triumphal entry of his regiment into Fuddle ton. Moreover, if ever vanity was excusable in a woman—and what «woman has ever lived free from it ? Lady Cecilia had ample excuse of being vain. Now in the forty third year of her. age, and twenty-fifth, of her reign, she was still a reigning beauty. A few grey hairs, now mingled with the auburn, but was not Froisette, the Freicb maid, equal to that emergency ? Having ' said this much of Lady Cecilia Warriner the reader will readily understand that she still commanded a host of admirers at her feet, xhe senior on the list was old Sir Tripton Madingley, who had worshipped at her shrine lor rather more than a quarter of a century. To be sure, be had paid court to lesser goddesses and married one; but Lady Cecilia had always occupied the Lightest niche in his temple of beauty. Having perused her son’s letter, gathered up her fan and gloves, and gave one last approving glance at her mirror, this favoured daughter of Eve departed on her evening round of gaiety, and finally put in an appearance at &“ball in Belgrave Square, where she encountered her old friend and admirer Sir Tripton Madingly. The old beau had been a lady’s maid, a trifler, all his days. Had he been antedated to the Middle Ages, his equipment for life’s campaign would have mainly cornraised in a pouncet-box, a guitar, and a ladder of ropes. The number of , women to whom he had individually addressed the assurance, ‘ Tou are the only one I ever truly loved which would have defied Ids memory. There was, however, one to whom this remark had beeu uttered with truth ; and that waa Lady Cecilia. And when she had refused him for the sake of Charlie Warriner, then the reputed handsomest man in the Household Brigade, the discarded lover—as discarded lovers often do—bad gone straightway and madly married someone else. Within a few years of the marriage—not as particularly happy one for the lady—the wealthy heiress died, leaving her husband, as the expression goes, a pledge of their mutual affection. The blow, as may be imagined, was not a particularly heavy one, and Sir Tripton bad kissed the rod with almost a

light a heart as he would have kissed a

girl. The pledge was now a young '*• lady just introduced, and one of the largest prizes in the lemale matrimonial market. In her case there would he no tedious waiting for dead men’s shoes. Her maternal and mercantile relatives had, in a very businesslike manner, protected the bulk ol her mother’s fortune from Sir Tripton’s somewhat squandering hands ; and. at twenty-one years of age, Agatha Mad* ingley—such was her name—would become sole mistress of a vast accumulation.

Lady Cecilia had not long graced the ball with her dignified appearance when she was joined by Sir Tripton as she sat apart from the throng of dancers.

• How well Agatha is looking toight,’ she remarkedefter a while, and a tall graceful girl passed a little distance on the arm oi her late partner in the dance.

‘Yes, she is improving, decidedly improving/ said Sir Tripton.

‘Algernon is coming up to-morrow for a few days/ continued Lady Cecilia with a certain significance. ‘Ah indeed/ was the response, in tones which betokened that this was by no means the first time the speakers had conversationally coupled the two young people together. ‘ Yes, I heard from him this evening just before 1 left home/ ‘ Comes up to morrow, eh/ repeated Sir Tripton, meditatively. ‘ Then our little plot thickens with the appearance of the hero on the scene.’

‘Yes ; at all events it must be thick enough for the first two principal actors not to see through it at first. For if there is a circumsttance cal culafed to breed mutual detestation in the minds of two young people, it is the knowledge, that their respective parents have: destined them for each other.’

‘ Undoubtedly ?o/ acquiesced Sir Trinton. * Now I mean to kindle the first spark of love for Algy in Agatha’s bosom directly we get home. ‘ I shall lead her by the hand into the library, and in a voice of suppressed emotion, 1 shall ask her if she is particularly anxious to bring her father’s grey hairs in sorrow to the grave—not that I have got any,’ hurriedly interpolated the old beau, as he gracefully ran his fingers through his dyed locks. * Mere fignre of speech. Now I think I may safely predict that Agatha’s reply will be in the negative. < Then beware of Algernon Warriner,” 1 shall say. u Fall in love with any male of the human species but that particular young man, and receive a father’s blessing. But fell in love with that young man, and know §the bitterness of a father’s curse.’

* But is not that carrying the doctrine of contrariety a little too far/ said Lady Cecilia with a languid smile. 1 Not in the least. Was it not the forbidden fruit that was most longed for ? She’ll go to bed, dream ol him all night, and wake up desperately in love with him in Jrhe morning. And il you, ray dear Lady Cecilia, will only pursue a similar course with Algy regarding Agatha, the two will be ready to rush into each other’s arms, at the first opportunity, with mutual protestations of undying love on their lips.’ ‘ But are you quite sore Agatha may not be secretly contemplating matrimony on her own account ?’ said Lady Cecilia. ‘ Girls, you;know, especially those without mothers, sometimes arrive at such conclusious independently of paternal assistance.’

(To be Continued, j