Stella Rosevelt — page 352: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

346 THE MOCK MARRIAGE. But they were so profuse in their praises of you that I supposed of course that you reciprocated their friendliness. ” ‘‘Never mind,” he said, lightly; ‘‘a week will not be very long. No doubt Miss Richards—who, I admit, is a very bril- liant girl—will be a great addition to your party, and I would not have any little whim of mine mar it for the world.” ‘‘ Archie, did you ever—” began his mother, with a startled, rueful glance at him, as it suddenly came to her that there might be a more serious reason for this than she had dreamed. But he interrupted her, with a laugh. ‘“No, mother; I never did,” he said, with an amused gleam in his eyes. ‘‘And now ask me nothing more at present, please; but when your guests are all gone, I have a little story for your ear, and shall want a share of sympathy and counsel from your wise head and great heart.” Cheshire House, situated about a dozen miles out from Lon- don, and so called because it overlooked a little village which, at that time, bore that name, was filled to overflowing during the following week, and everybody appeared to anticipate a season of intense enjoyment. We cannot follow the gay company in all their enjoyments, but it was an eventful time, during which the hospitable hostess and her lovely daughter, assisted by Lord Carrol, spared no effort to make it a memorable one; and when, right in the midst of it ail, Ralph Meredith came by special invitation, one, at least, of that merry number felt that everything was com- plete, and nothing more to be wished for. The last night of their stay there had been set apart fora great time. Invitations had been sent in every direction through the county, bidding all the young people to gather there and make merry in their own way. The evening was to be spent in games, private theatricals, ‘ Eomicbooks (E(@)