Mr. Walker's Valentine.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4466, 28 April 1883, Page 1

Mr. Walker's Valentine.

:-^_— + Mr Samuel Walker and the Eev. Sep« timus Weeks had been fellowvlodgers for so many years, that a certain degree of intimacy had sprung up between them. Their friendship was rather due to circumstances 'than to mutual regard, for their respective characters and dispositions were widelji dissimilar. Mr Walker was a dashing youog City clerk, with a taste for the Turf, who prided, himself upon leading rather a fast life. The Eev. Mr Weeks, on the other hand, was a simple minded curate of the mildest description, whoso only worldly ambition appeared to be to learn to play 'upon the flute. But he wbs a gentleman by birth and education, which is more than can perhaps be honestly said of Mr Walker, and his ideas of morality were as strict ai his mode of life was exemplary and edifying. One creniig the Eev. Septimus descended to Mr Walker's sitting room, and, with considerable trepidation, said he wished to ask. his advice on a very delicate matter. He explained that he had conceived what he feared was a hopeless attachment for a young widow—a certain Mrs Eylands—and he wished to take Mr Walker's opinion as to whether, having but £100 a year and no prospects, lie was morally justified in avowing his passion. The lady, he added, had apparently been left well provided for by her late husband, which made him all the more diffident about declaring himself. ... • Mr Walker moved in" his chair at this recital, to which he listened with attention. His natural impulse was to give the curate a friendly slap on the back, and advise him to go in. and win, having no delicate scruples himself on any subject whatever. But, on second thoughts, it occurred to him that if. this Mrs Eylands was a young widow with a handsome jointure, he might just as well go in and win her himself. He therefore looked ominously grave at poor Mr Weeks's question, and said, with apparent reluctance, that he considered' his hesitation well-founded. But, he added, he would think the matter over, and impart his deliberate opinion on the morrow; by which he meant that he would ascertain in the meantime .whether the lady had money or not* as in the latter case he would be prepared to encourage the curate in his suit. Unfortunately for the Eev. Septimus, it turned out that Mrs Eylands was very comfortably off indeed. For the modest outlay of one shilling at the Probate Office, Mr Walker was able to make himself acquainted with the contents of the late Mr inlands' will, arid from that moment poor Mr Weeks's matrimonial aspirations were fated to wither and die. But Mr Walker did not immediately act the part of a stern mentor; on the contrary he seemed inclined to modify hip original opinion, remarking that, though be could not upon principle advise the Curate to declare his love, still, if the lady evinced a decided predilection for, him, that circumstance might alter the case. The Key. Septimus's modesty did not permit him to lay claim to anyunv usual share of the widow's esteem, but he eagerly and hopefully agreed to intro* duce Mr Walker to her, in order that hig experienced friend mipht form a reliable judgment as to the state of the lady's mind towards him. Mrs Eylands was one of the Curate's parishioners, and if not fair, was certainly entitled to be called co«oly. Upon being presented to her, Mr VValker at once imagined that he saw his fate, and was quite content with the prospect. The lady received him in the- plcasant^st manner, and was evidently favourably impressed by him. But though he had nothing to complain on this score, he remarked with uneasiness the flattering regard which the widow manifested towards the Curate, and at once realised thatunless he got the EeT Septimus out of the way, his own chance would be extremely slender. He therefore lost; no time in impressing upon his friend, in the strongest terms, that he had nothing to hope for so far as the lady

- was concerned, and easily prevailed upon him to discontinue his visits. On the other hand, his own attentions to the widow increased in the same.ratio as' the Curate's grew remiss, until the lady, i . partly; from pique at the desertion ot her old admirer, and partly, no doubt, because she was flattered by Mr Walker's devotion, evinced a willingness to listen to him seriously. One evening when Mr, Walker was engagedjin the—for him—unusual occupatioh ' of literary pursuits, there came a knock at the door, and the Curate entered the room looking Visibly embarrassed. It should be mentioned that the Rev. Septimus was entirely unsuspicious of his; friend's designs, and innocently attributed his frequent visits to the widow's house to the most disinterested motives. His belief was that Mr Walker went there in order to bring him news of the lady for whom he continued to pine; and he felt honestly grateful to him for humouring his love- ; sick whim. ' j " Walker, I. looked in to mention that to-morrow is Valentine's Day," said the , - ,Bey. Septimus, evading his friend's gaze. , " What of, that ?" inquired Mr Walker, with rather a guilty start, as he hid the letter he was writing beneath his blot* ting-pado -. . ; ; : : "Well, the fact is I was thinking—it is very absurd of me, of course—but I was wondering whether there would be any harm, in my sending a valentine to Mrs Rylands," said the Curate, blushing. " A valentine! What an idea!" scoffed Mr Walker. '• Only a small one. Nothing compromising, of course. I think it would relieve my mind," pleaded the unhappy divine. •■•..■ " My dear fellow, what nonsense I" exclaimed Mr Walker, angrily. " A man of your age! Besides, valentines are vulgar; and considering your position " "Yeß, Walker, you are quite right," interrupted the Rev. Septimus, with a burst of penitence. " I oughtn't to have thought of it. lam sorry I interrupted you., Would it disturb you if I played a German air upon the flute in my room ?" he inquired, mildly. "27 q, certainly not," said Mr Walker, with greas magnanimity ; whereupon poor Mr Week's glided away, looking subdued and miserable. When .the Curate had ascended the stairs, Mr Walker took the precaution to lock the door, and then returned to bis desk. He had some cause to feel confused,, for the truth was that he was actually engaged in the despatch one of those tender missives which he bad just de» nounced to the Curate. Having resolved to propose tb the widow wi hout delay, it had occurred to him to feel his way by sending her, in the form of an innocent valentine, a few stanzas which might be taken to he an offer of marriage, and if he found bis lucubrations were favorably received, he would at ODce speak the inevitable words. To this end he had concocted, with the aid of odd lines cribbed from "Byron and other poets, what he considered a very neat set of verses, and when the Curate interrupted him, he was laboriously inscribing this effusion on delicately scented laced-edged paper. He completed his task, affixed his initials to the end of the sheet, and having carefully addressed an envelope, he stole forth to the nearest post office, He made as little noiso as possible in leaving the house,, from a guilty feeling that if the Curate heard him, he might suspect his unworthy "errandv-.:--. . t To his surprise and consternation, however, ho found himself face to face with the Rev. Septimus just as .he was posting the precious missive. The Curate looked , scarcely less startled than himself when they recognised one another. "Dear me! Is that you, Walker?" | ejaculated . the Sev. Septimus. "I \ thought jou were in bed." i :,7" No. ' The fact is—l had an important' business '.letter to post," he explained ! hurriedly! " What are you doing, , here?" „," Oh!, nothing, nothing," replied the Curate, evasively; " merely taking the ain'-.-.i. > v>. •>-. > -. ' . Mr Walker asked .no further questions, but as they walked back side by side he wondered uneasily whether the Rev. Septimus suspected his treachery. It crossed bis mind that the Curate might have been on the watch, but a glance* at his friend's innocent expression restored his equanimity, and enabled him to rest free from apprehension. Mr Walker went to his place of business the, next day as usual, but returned home early for the purpose of calling upon the, widow to ascertain the effect of his valentine, and, if the Fates were propitious, to strike while the; iron was hot. While he was in the midst of an unusually elaborate toilet, the Rev. Septimus burst unceremoniously into the room, and began to!shake him violently by the band. -■ "What the dickens is the matter?" inquired Mr Walker, staring openmouthed at the Curate, whoße expressive countenance was illuminated with rapture." >•■■*'*■ -*> "■ ! - " Congratulate me, my dear Walker !" returned the Rev. Septimus, speaking in eager gasps/ "I am the happiest man alive. I don't deserve it, and I can't realise, it. It's so startlingly sudden!" "What is? Have you been made a . Bishop by mistake ?" demanded Mr Walker unsuspiciously. „' ■ <• 11 No; but—but Mrs Eylands has consented to be mine," said the Rev. Septimus. "In. spite of my poverty and wretched prospects, she has nobly volun* j teefed to be M rs Weeks. '"Volunteered!" echoed Mr Walker, in a tone the reverse of friendly.; j " It was the valentine that did it," said | the Rev. Septimus, sitting down on the | bed, somewhat sobered by bis friend's | manner, s V Immediately after receiving it'she sent for me, and asked;me point- ; blank if I really loved her but was too '] modest to say so. That was the real j truth, as you know, Walker; and so—so. I explained my circumstances fully, and Bhe consented to be mine." "So you sent her a valentine!" said Mr Walker,' sternly, with a variety of .emotions surging in his bosom. . . - "Yes, Walker; I am afraid it was deceitful of me," replied the Rev. Septimus, dropping hip eyea. '• To tell you the truth, I was very unhappy about it all last night. When you met me at the post-office, I ought to have confessed, but I Wai ashamed. It only cost eightpence," he added, deprecatingly. "It seems to have done the trick, anyway," said Mr Walker, seizing his hairbrushes and using them savagely, by way. of giving vent to his feelings. "Yes; Mrs Bylands said the verses . were so beautiful. To tell yon the truth, I, hardly read them," said the Curate ib'aiididlyv:*' :'.: :''•'■'. ; H Well, I luppose I must congratulate

yon," remarked Mr Walker, after ratber an awkward pause. , " Thank you, Walker. lam going up I there this evening to drink tea. I don't know whether you would care to come," said the Curate, in a tone of faint en« couragement. "No, I'll be hanged if I do!" cried Mr Walker, with a shrewd foreboding that he would meet with a cool reception from the widow for having persistently misrepresented the cause of his friend's reticence. " That is, I have another engagement." ; The Bey. Septimus seemed relieved at this, and took his departure, leaving Mr Walker to his own reflections, which, naturally, were not of the most agreeable nature. His disappointment was keen enough, but what vexed him still more was the consciousness of his own meanness. Now that his perfidious scheme had miscarried, he felt honesty ashamed of himself, and winced at the idea of the Curate learning from the widow—as he must do sooner or later—how he had been deceived, The remorseless sentiment took such complete possession of him, that he rushed off incontinently to his wildest haunts of revelry, and sought to sooth his troubled spirit by an evening of reckless i dissipation. ' ■ \ „,■';.' '-■: '■'" ■■■-■ \ ';:". "- .' The consequence was that the next i morning he woke with a severe headache and a very vague idea of how he had got home! His condition naturally intensified the remorseful feeling which still occupied his mind, and when he reflected that in all probability the widow had opened the Curate's eyes ihe preceding evening to his perfidy, he shrank from the idea of meeting him. He had almost made up bis mind to move into other lodgings that very day in order to avoid him, when, as he sat trifling with a cup of tea, and a piece of dry toast, the Rev. Septimus suddenly appeared before him.' "My dear and noble friend, how can I thank you!.". exclaimed he, beaming bis spectacles and eagerly advancing with outstretched hand. "What do you mean?" said Mr Walker, uneasily. . "I made a mistake about the valentine," explained the Curate breathlessly, "my own humble offering was immediately thrown behind the fire. It was the beautiful set of verses which you sent in my name which secured my happiness." "In your name!" repeated Mr Walker, blankly, while turning red. / ? " Well, you signed them with my initials. Of course, I explained the mistake," proceeded the Curate, volubly; " and Mrs Rylands says, the verses not being mine makes no difference to Her sentiments. But she thought they came from me, and that is what made her write." . :. - : -.. -:•■"■ '„-./.Vj..; ■ "I—l certainly sent a few verses," beMr Walker, overwhelmed with embarrassment and shame. " My dear Walker, don't say another word ■!" interrupted the Curate, seizing his hand again. " I was puzzled at first, and Mrs Rylands was inclined, to entertain a false impression. about you, because your initials happened to be the same as mine. But 1 pointed out to her the in justice of such a suspicious. It was like you, Walker; and 1 do hot know how to | thank you, seeing that you have acted as I my friend in the most effectual and deli' cate manner. 1' ; ' " 'Pon my.wqrd, Weeks, you're a good chap !"> exclaimed Mr Walker, hanging ing his head, and speaking in rather a husky tone, as he returned the other's grasp, "and—l am devillish glad I was able to doyou a service,":—Truth.