MISS JACOBSEN’S CHANGE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 6754, 8 February 1892, Page 4

MISS JACOBSEN’S CHANGE.

LITERATURE

I CONTINUED. Sara congratulated herself on having got through her dinner without any serious blunder. In truth, she had been fo taken out of herself, that she bad forgotten her perplexities in the matter of knives and forks, and wine-glasses and entrees. She had forgotten also to put on her glove, and saw with sudden shyness that all other ladies were wearing theirs, and that Mrs Blane’s skinny hands and arms were cased to the elbow. She was rather afraid of Mrs Blane, who was so elaborately ceremonious, and had waved her forward when she held modestly back at the drawing-room door. Per shyness propitiated Mrs Blane. She, too, inwardly determined to swallow Mr Jacobean’s objectionable peculiarities for the sake of giving his daughter a chance. Truly the Bates were smiling on Sara. ‘ Tour dress is very pretty, my dear,’ said the old lady, in a patronizing tone, ‘ and in very good taste ; but I hope you mean to wear white »t the Mayor’s' ball. There is nothing so suitable and so becoming for a young girl as a simple while dress.' She gave Sira’s arm a coin!- sending pat and moved on to Lady Strover, who, being the lady of highest rank, hal the first claim upon her. Mrs Blane, as Actmg Governor's wife, was more punctilious than any real Grovernor’s wife could possibly be. She took a very serious view of the position. The one great regret of her life was that President Blane had been obliged to give place to a new Governor, just a fortnight before the visit of the Duke of H dinburgh to Leichardt’s Land. She bad therefore missed, by a fortnight, the glory of entertaining royalty, the glory also of being Lady Blane—knighthood must have followed such entertainment —and the more sub stantial glory of receiving a diamond bracelet from the exalted guestLady Strover wanted to know all about the Honourable Hebert Templeton. Mrs Blane shook her head, and delivered a lecture on the decadence of the aristocracy. To be sure, she was only able to judge by cbe specimens which found their way to Australia, and by what she read in the Radical English journals. Mrs Blane called herself an Agnostic, and profess d philosophical English Radicalism. She was very careful to explain that she did not mean by that Australian Radicalism ; but it was an opportunity lor showing her superiority. Sara sat and listened. She, too, had reflections to make —ou other! subjects besides her first con'act with the British aristocracy. Everything seemed to her a little unreal—mixed. It was all like a dream. She bad a vague dread of some rude awakening. She fancied it might be coming when the gentlemen’s voices—her lather’s loudest —sounded in the hall. Had he been drinking P Would he disgrace her upon his first evening which was so full of promise P In the fierceness of her anxiety, Sara almost hated her lather. It was a relief to her to see that he did not enter with the others. She saw through the open door that he 'was talking to Sir James Strover in the ball, and that Mr Templeton had joined them, and was executing some curious capers that seemed to delight the two Ministers, for they were laughing immoderately. * Do you think we shall be going away soon?’ she whispered to Lady Strover.

‘You stop till I make a move,’replied that good-natured lady ; ‘ and it will not be long before I do. I’m just as well pleased that Sir James and Mr Jacobs n are having their yarn in the hall. It rubs up Sir James when be has to put starch and blue in his manners—and all for the President of the Council, who is no better than himself. He likes his glass of grog, and a pipe with bis chums in the verandah at home I dare say Mr Jacobsen is the same.’ Lady S trover politely ignored all other cause for uneasiness ; but she gave Sara an encouraging nod. ‘ You’ve made a conquest,’ she went on. ‘Mr Dalyell did nothing but look at you all through dinner. Lally can’t abide the man. She says he gives himself airs. But it is just as well, I tell her, to Jbe m his good graces, for he gets up the cotillon at the balls, and be is always ready to lend his horse to a pretty girl ; that is the stipulation be makes—she must be pretty. How he manages to keep a horse on bis salary, I don’t know,’ added Lady Strover. * It’s my belief that, tor all his airs, he isn’t above getting up early in the morning and grooming it himself.’ The Acting Governor came up presently, an.i talked principally to Lady S'rover, though be looked mostly at Sara. Dr Fraill also cast glances at Sara, but Mrs Blane held him so closely in conversation that be could not come near her. When Lady Strover said good-bye, he took advantage of the move to exchange a word or two with Sara. ‘ i’m to meet you to-morrow afternoon, , Miss Jacobsen, at Lady S trover’s.’ Sara remembered that it was Lally’s weekly tennis-parry. The Strovers entertained a good deal in a rough, and-ready fashion, and were always getting np impromptu dances, picnics, and boating excumins. Distance, as well as a sense of her social disabilities, bad hitherto rather barred Sara from participation in these festivities; but now that she was located in Janton’s Avenue, there was no reason why she should not go every Wednesday, or as often as Lally chose to ask her. ‘Oh yes, I hope so,, she answered. Good-night,’ she added, for Lady B trover had gone on.

They were standing in the hall. Mr Jacobsen was bidding Mrs Blane an effusive farewell, which, reaching Sara’s ears, made her nervously uncomfortable. She held out her hand to Dr Fraill,’hnd as she did so, dropped her fan again. He picked it up and gave it to her, without the etepLauotis, which this time had come off bodily. Sara was quite pink with confusion at her awkwardness. * That’s the second time I’ve rescued it,’ said Dr Praill with a laugh, and stooped for the cluster of white flowers that had adorned the fan. ‘ I think I ought to keep these for mj •rouble.’ he added, fingering the blossoms, and smelling them. 1 never saw such beautiful stephanolis.’ * Ob, there’s plenty of it,’ said Sara hurriedly. ‘ It’s all out in bloom now. It grows on the trellis of our veranda.’ ‘ Well, then, since you have lots more, I may take this in remembrance of a pleasant evening,’ he said. ‘Goodnight. Good-night, Mr Jacobsen.’ Mr Jacobsen, whose faculties eeemed in a sligbly muddled condition, did not .accept the proffered band. ‘ Where’s my stick ?’ he asked m a loud, thick voice. ‘Can’t you make yo’shelf useful, and find a gen’leman’s stick P’ ‘ One of the servants will find it for you, sip, in the outer ball,’ replied Fraill. I think I ought to go back and pay my parting respects to Mrs Blane.’ He made a low bow, and Mr Jacobsen became aware of his mistake. ‘ Confounded imprudence I’ he grumbled. ‘ G was the grocer, G was the guesbt. Couldn’t tell t'other from which. How’sh a man (o know, when they’re a l in swallow-tails ? Here, you go on with the Strovers,’ he added to his daughter. ‘They’ll give you a lift over to the Point. I’m going to the Ciub. I’ve got a down on that doctor fellow,’ he growled again a f r w minutes later, as they were standing m the portico, waiting while Sir James’s carriage, a sort of double buggy with a hood, was having its , back-seat readjusted, ‘A loose fish, I say— a man of prinshple. I’m a man of prinshple ; ought to know another. Don’t you have anything t’sbay to that fellow, Strover. Stick to prinshple ’