Part 9 (1/2)
”All over!” he gasped to himself
”I hardly kno to tell the miserable story,” went on the letter, ”but as it
A o I ith my father and my aunt to the Hunt Ball at Atherton, and there I entleman, who danced with me several times I did not care about hiot horatulated me on my conquest Well, next day he came to call, and papa asked him to stop to dinner, and he tookto stop at the George Inn to fish for trout in the lake After that he ca he always met me, and really was kind and nice At last one day he asked ry and told hientlehed, and said South Africa was a long way off, and I hated hi papa and aunt set on ement--and told me that our affair was perfectly silly, and that I must be mad to refuse such an offer And so it went on, for he would not take 'no' for an answer; and at last, dear, I had to give in, for they gave me no peace, and papa ie would be the ed Dear, dear George, don't be angry with me, for it is not ot married, for we have so little money I do love you, but I can't help et me, or marry anybody else--at least, not just at present--for I cannot bear to think about it Write to ry with me Do you want your letters back? If you burn mine that will do
Good-bye, dear! If you only knehat I suffer! It is all very well to talk like aunt does about settlements and diamonds, but they can't make up to me for you Good-bye, dear, I cannot write any more because my head aches so--Ever yours,
”Madeline Spenser”
When George Peritt, _alias_ Bottles, had finished reading and re-reading this letter, he folded it up neatly and put it, after his methodical fashi+on, into his pocket Then he sat and stared at the red camellia blooms before hih they were fifty yards off instead of so reat blow,” he said to himself ”Poor Madeline! How she must suffer!”
Presently he rose and walked--rather unsteadily, for he felta sheet of notepaper, wrote the following letter to catch the outgoing ot your letter putting an end to our engagement I don't want to dwell on myself when you must have so reat blow to me
I have loved you for so many years, ever since ere babies, I think; it does seeot hoiht have ht to expect you to give up comforts and luxuries to which you are accustomed; but I am afraid that when one is in love one is apt to be selfish However, all that is done with now, as, of course, putting everything else aside, I could not think of standing in your way in life I love you much too well for that, dear Madeline, and you are too beautiful and delicate to be the wife of a poor subaltern with little beside his pay I can honestly say that I hope you will be happy I don't ask you to think of ht make you less so, but perhaps sometiht or two, because I am sure nobody could care for you et you or marry anybody else I shall do neither the one nor the other I must close this now to catch theweak and giving way, and it consolesyourself' as the servants say Good-bye, dear Madeline May God bless you, is now and ever my earnest prayer
”J G Peritt”
Scarcely was this letter finished and hastily dispatched when a loud voice was heard calling, ”Bottles, Bottles, my boy, coht;” followed by the owner of the voice, another subaltern, and our hero's bosom friend ”Why, you don't see his friend's dejected and somewhat dazed appearance
”No--that is, not particularly So you sail in a fortnight, do you?”
”'You sail?' What do you mean? Why, we _all_ sail, of course, from the colonel down to the dru to sail, Jack,” was the hesitating answer
”Look here, old fellow, are you off your head, or have you been liquoring up, or what?”
”No--that is, I don't think so; certainly not the first--the second, I mean”
”Then what do youinto take to far! And in this God-forsaken hole, too You _must_ be screwed”
”No, indeed It is only ten o'clock”
”And how about getting ed to, and who to take to far?”
Bottles winced visibly
”No, you see--in short, we have put an end to that I aed now”
”Oh, indeed,” said the friend, and aardly departed
II
Twelve years have passed since Bottles sent in his papers, and in twelve years st them recently it had happened that our hero's only and elder brother had, owing to an unexpected develop the expectant heirs, tuht thousand a year, and Bottles himself into a modest but to him most ample fortune of as many hundred When the news reached hied in one of the nun out, and then, in obedience to his brother's entreaties and a natural craving to see his native land, after an absence of nearly fourteen years, resigned his coland