Courtship -- Fiction; England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Mate selection -- Fiction
Captain Kenealy reappeared in the middle of dinner. Lucy scanned his
face, but it was like the outside of a copy-book, and she was on
thorns. Being too late, he lost his place near her at dinner, and she
could not whisper to him. However, when the ladies retired he opened
the door, and Lucy let fall a word at his feet: “Come up before the
rest.”
Acting on this order, Kenealy came up, and found Lucy playing sad
tunes softly on the piano and Mrs. Bazalgette absent. She was trying
something on upstairs. He gave Lucy a note from Mrs. Wilson. She
opened it, and the joyful color suffused her cheek, and she held out
her hand to him; but, as she turned her head away mighty prettily at
the same time, she did not see the captain was proffering a second
document, and she was a little surprised when, instead of a warm
grasp, all friendship and no love, a piece of paper was shoved into
her delicate palm. She took it; looked first at Kenealy, then at it,
and was sore puzzled.
The document was in Kenealy's handwriting, and at first Lucy thought
it must be intended as a mere specimen of caligraphy; for not only was
it beautifully written, but in letters of various sizes. There were
three gigantic vowels, I. O. U. There were little wee notifications of
time and place, and other particulars of medium size. The general
result was that Henry Kenealy O'd Lucy Fountain ninety pound for value
received per loan. Lucy caught at the meaning. “But, my dear friend,”
said she, innocently, “you mistake. I did not lend it you; I meant to
give it you. Will you not accept it? Are we not friends?”
“Much oblaiged. Couldn't do it. Dishonable.”
“Oh, pray do not let me wound your pride. I know what it is to have
one's pride wounded; call it a loan if you wish. But, dear friend,
what am I to do with this?”
“When you want the money, order your man of business to present it to
me, and, if I don't pay, lock me up, for I shall deserve it.”
“I think I understand. This is a memorandum--a sort of reminder.”
“Yaas.”
“Then clearly I am not the person to whom it should be given. No; if
you want to be reminded of this mighty matter, put this in your desk;
if it gets into mine, you will never see it again; I will give you
fair warning. There--hide it--quick--here they come.”
They did come, all but Mr. Bazalgette, who was at work in his study.
Mr. Talboys came up to the piano and said gravely, “Miss Fountain, are
you aware of the fate of the lugger--of the boat we went out in?”
Indeed I am. I have sent the poor widow some clothes and a little
money.”
“I have only just been informed of it,” said Mr. Talboys, “and I feel
under considerable obligations to Mr. Dodd.”
“The feeling does you credit.”
“Should you meet him, will you do me the honor to express my gratitude
to him?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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