There was an American Protestant clergyman resident in Cairo, with whom,
among other persons, Miss Dawkins had become acquainted. Upon this
gentleman or upon his wife Miss Dawkins called a few days after the
journey to the Pyramid, and finding him in his study, thus performed her
duty to her neighbour,--
“You know your countryman Mr. Ingram, I think?” said she.
“Oh, yes; very intimately.”
“If you have any regard for him, Mr. Burton,” such was the gentleman’s
name, “I think you should put him on his guard.”
“On his guard against what?” said Mr. Burton with a serious air, for
there was something serious in the threat of impending misfortune as
conveyed by Miss Dawkins.
“Why,” said she, “those Damers, I fear, are dangerous people.”
“Do you mean that they will borrow money of him?”
“Oh, no; not that, exactly; but they are clearly setting their cap at
him.”
“Setting their cap at him?”
“Yes; there is a daughter, you know; a little chit of a thing; and I
fear Mr. Ingram may be caught before he knows where he is. It would be
such a pity, you know. He is going up the river with them, I hear. That,
in his place, is very foolish. They asked me, but I positively refused.”
Mr. Burton remarked that “In such a matter as that Mr. Ingram would be
perfectly able to take care of himself.”
“Well, perhaps so; but seeing what was going on, I thought it my duty to
tell you.” And so Miss Dawkins took her leave.
Mr. Ingram did go up the Nile with the Damers, as did an old friend of
the Damers who arrived from England. And a very pleasant trip they had
of it. And, as far as the present historian knows, the two lovers were
shortly afterwards married in England.
Poor Miss Dawkins was left in Cairo for some time on her beam ends. But
she was one of those who are not easily vanquished. After an interval of
ten days she made acquaintance with an Irish family--having utterly
failed in moving the hard heart of M. Delabordeau--and with these she
proceeded to Constantinople. They consisted of two brothers and a
sister, and were, therefore, very convenient for matrimonial purposes.
But nevertheless, when I last heard of Miss Dawkins, she was still an
unprotected female.
THE CHATEAU OF PRINCE POLIGNAC.
Few Englishmen or Englishwomen are intimately acquainted with the little
town of Le Puy. It is the capital of the old province of Le Velay, which
also is now but little known, even to French ears, for it is in these
days called by the imperial name of the Department of the Haute Loire.
It is to the south-east of Auvergne, and is nearly in the centre of the
southern half of France.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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