How the Marriage was Broken off

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 239, 29 August 1872, Page 7

How the Marriage was Broken off

::z .- c , A^ I( O^IGINAL SJTOIiy. ,

"I wish r lpi ! rry,-y'o < ttiwere not goinjg with us.to this party of the Luptons." • , "<I wijl^eH ysst myrdeaF boj.. < ;Julia Burgess will be there, and I would much rather that you did not meet her." " And pray, why not ? " " Because she is engaged to be married [;' and although you maylhave forgotten, or ceased to care for the flirta-

tion';'that went on a year ago, she 1 may not j rate I do hope, Harry, that you will not revive any nonsenseof'that 'sort. She is to be married in aboiit.a month ; amost.desu?abl&- matck. Mr. TJnwin is a stockbroker, .reported to be rich, and, as you know, the Burgess girh have nothing but their beauty and accomplishments. To be sure Mr. TJnwin is fifteen years older than. Julia, but then the- settlements are very liberal." : •. . . ' " So, then, the fair Julia is sold to a stockbroker. What's his figure?" "Whyi physically, 1 not handsome; but in money 1 they say about £3000 a year." " Happy stockbroker, if I ,had as many hundreds I'd stop the sale, but as I've only a hundred and fifty in the blessed French house, I'll let it go on; so don't be afraid Carry. Julia with me is a thing of^ the past, and my creditors occupy my whole attention." " I am much obliged to them. I say .Harry dear,, would you mind, now I don't want you to say yes in a moment, but would you mind cutting off that moustache." "What? Wot to save the whole Stock Exchange from insolvency ! say no more — I'm off," and off he went. This conversation took place one fine summer's morning after breakfast, between my sister Caroline and my brother Harry, in my sister'B own room. Harry had just returned from Paris to spend a few weeks with us in London. He was scarcely one and twenty, the pet of the family, and the monopoliser of all the good looks of our race. On the male side, he was the only one of several boys not. afraid of Carry who was years older than any of us and ruled supreme. He had been sent to a French house of business in Paris' in which my father had an interest, partly to wean him from the pretty Julia Burgess, and partly with a view to his rising to a partnership in the house, if he behaved nimself (which he was sure not to do). He was most decidedly a handsome fellow, but awfully extravagant, and he had one weakness — "his moustache. He had tried every thing that had ever been heard of to make it sprout before its time, but all in' vain. Struggle as he would, nothing but a fluffy down made its appearance on his upper lip, and you had to get into ' a particular shade of light to see that. He had even tried to find Miss Moucher as a last resource, so determined^ was he to accomplish his desire. But now he was happy. After eighteen months in Paris, he had returned with a real moustache, with a little curl at each end. Now, connected with this moustache was a secret that only I, my sister Carry, and my sister Tetay, a girl of sixteen, knew. It was not' so dark as his hair ; and in order to make it so, he used cosmetique, bandoline, ,and the white of egg to make the curl stick. I've seen him do it. -He shared my room and had pledged me to secrecy. I was seventeen, and sweet on Tetsy, and of course told her. Carry found it out herself through the peculiar flavor left on her lips after kissing him. The party at the Luptons alluded to, was an evening party, and was to be a grand affair. I was going, so was Tetsy and several other young people that we know. The eventful evening at length arrived, and we four, Carry, Harry, Tetsy and I started for Stamford Hill, in my mother's modest clarence (we were not great people), for the festive scene. Harry's moustache was something wonderful ; although I had seen him doctor it up" not half an hour before, I still had faith , in, it, so had Tetsy— Carry had not — she looked' askance at it ; and muttered, 'M wibh it was off!" "Very stupid" and bo on. You must remember that five and twenty yearsfcgo, m6ustaches were only worn in England by officers in the army; at least they were neverworn by persons engaged in commerce. •Carry dressed her age in a pearl colored silk, black bertha and plain pearls in her dark auburn hair. Tetsy r looked wicked and vicious. She- wore a rose colored silk with black laceflounces, .and had on a wreath of diamonds, formed of a rose in the centre, with, leaves on either side, growing smaller by degrees, and beautifully less until they 1 disappeared behind the ears. Shewas^da^rk, and was certainly the handsomest girl I ever saw in all my life,, or ever shall- seßii ■ She had money .and great expectations , and had begged' >thi& wreath from her 'grandmamma, in order to dazzle, ' astonish, overpower, .annihilate, and utterly, smash a certain Miss Eleanor,, whom. I was supposed to. have a sneaking weakness for. I, was perfectly comme ilfaut, except my feet— patent leather boots were worn in those days, and r had, on a pair I whjch, caused me unspeakable agony. They must -have been i made, by ithe same- stony-hearted villain who made that pair for David Copperfield to go to thb' pic;nic in. Tetsy knew how I suffered, and encouraged, me, by such observations as " serve you right, y6u wUI have'thenr too small for you' ? - " Heat ! bf the leather !", '.nonsense ;' its the'size of l y r 6ur|e^;;" j'/lj^weve^ it don't matter,, jou can't/ ; ..dahce, ..so yoju will ha\re to hobble, about, and lgtbk at me." *,6n our arrival. >we , were . shov^n into, the drawing room, and Harr/s moustache, immediately, fil!ed_the heads of ajl the fellows under, fiyeand twenty, with envy,, hatred, malice* and aU;uncharitjableness. One young gentleman with nearly auburn hair and pink buttons on his waistcoat, 'looked a whole clievaux defrise of bayonets, and Tetsy whiskered : " Ah ! Fred they little

know.'' Julia 'Burgesß was" there, and looked charming. She was talking to the stockbroker ; but the moment bhe caught sight of Harry, she started /and colored with pleasure. , He, to my sister's horror, louuged over to her aide, eaicl " How de do, Julia," andcoolly drew her arm in his, and walked her off in the direction of the stairs. " Some trouble will come of .this," said Tetsy; "I wish we had not come." " Nonsense," I replied ; " look how cool Harry seems ; he'll keep his word all right." Mrs. Lupton now came to us and said: "come dears, g^> down stairs; we have moved the piano to the conservatory, and are going to dance on the lawn. I do not think you are looking so well as' usual, Miss Lynford." Mrs. Lupton did not like Tetsy, for some unexplained reason ; so she had a habit of treating me as if I were about seven years of age, to annoy her. Tetsy merely flashed her diamonds at her, and said she was very well. We went down stairs with several others to the conservatory, and Tetsy exclaimed, "Look, Fred! how very pretty." , : It was a pretty scene. The garden was illuminated with colored lamps, — au la Vauxhall — they were hung in festoons all round the lawn. Eight at the end the colors were so arranged as to represent a peacock with its tail spread. The standard rose trees were lighted up, and altogether the effect was dazzling. There were some thirty couples ' waiting for the music — amongst them the obnoxious Eleanor, who looked charming. Tetsy honestly said she was the best dressed girl there, but ordered me not to ask her to danee — that was quite unnecessary, as I had a very patent reason for not venturing on anything so desperate. • As Tetsy did not care to dance, sheoffered to play, and I remained with . her, in spite of Mrs. Lupton's saying (with a most amiable smile), " OOrh r 7 Freddy ' dear, it's a shame for MissLynford to keep you here. I'm sureRosa will be glad to dance with you." Rosa waa a pert fat little imp, about ten years old. Putting my boots on one side, I would as soon have danced with a young elephant. So I sat down injthe bower of oleanders and camellias. The piano was hidden in, and I listened to my cousin's playing, for she could play — not in the usual style of English girls who rush at the •• Carnival of Venice," before they can play the "Blue Bells of Scotland" decently," but like one who loved music for its own sake, , and understood it. She could play Beethoven, Mozart, and Handel, in a way that thrilled every nerve in your body. The evening passed on as such evenings do — alternate dancing on the lawn, and singing in the conservatory; and I, may remark that a. conservatory is not at all a good place io. sing in, the voice gets lost amongst the flowers and shrubs. Mr. Mainwaring (the hero of the pink buttons), sang a comic srrag. He looked most wretched, and between, him and my boots, I was almost moved to tears. About twelve o'clock supper was announced, and we adjourned to a large marquee at the end of the' lawn, where it was laid. Tetsy ordered me take her in, as she was awfully hungry,.and trusted to my ingenuity to procure food, and transfer it' from my plate to hers. . As. we were passing up a dark walk, we heard vojcesybehind a bush, and my brother Harry's name was men>tioned. . The voices .belonged, to pink buttons and young Charley Burgess (Julia's brother)., . « r say Tet," said I, " let's listen.V "It's., rather mean," she replied, '.'.but never mind." , \'Lopk her,e( ,Charley," said Mainwaring, "What does he mean by coming here and crowing over all us fellows. I suppose he thinks that be1 cause he's been to France and got a 'pair of moustaches, he can give him- : 'self wHat airs he pleases. I'm dashed if I stand it much longer ! " 1 " Why, what has he done to you Jimmy ? He grew the haira in France, and. has a right to them," said Charley. " I don't cafe about that. See how he's going on' with yourc sister, danciyg. with her half the night, . and now he's taken her into supper." ' "'Well',' that's no business of youta Speaking' ;of supper, ; tet's go and gjet some; the Lupton's do that sort ;of thing first-rate." ''■'■'■ ' /■ » j , They w r ent in first,, and w,e followed, and soon found a place at one end of the long table. Tetey. looked up and down the table and said, " It's capital Fred — plenty to eat and hot too.many flowers ; I'll have -some fowl first, then some lobster salad, and you can get blahc-rhange' for botjh, and I'll eat it all ; after that I'll take anything ybu' can "get me. Boots any easier dear,?" . "No; awful.",,, . „ ; "Look at Jimmy Mainy^arings scarlpt; head,!'xs6ntiiiued r T§tsyi; " what does it, in connection with the simple face, put in.mind,oft"..r, „ '];,'.. i ' tf Taken with the waistcoat/ a jackass dpwkey; is it not clear ?, JJe puts, me in mind of nature inyerte^-^HtJie green within and the carrots without" : . j very good,' Tet ; but? awfully

slangy:" • . • • • ' : '"Xsay Fred," whispered she, between her eating, " I don't half like the look of Mr. Unwin ; and I never thought Julia half so pretty as she looks now." "Oh ! don't bother. Harry will go

back to France soon, and there will be an end to it. " Now then, have you had enough ? . We cant sit here by ourselves, and they are all going to dance -Again." - There was more dancing and singing, and about two o'clock the company began to leave. The stockbroker went off by himself in his carriage, and in a towering rage, as could easily be seen by his face. . As it was a glorious moonlight night, the Burgesses, some others, and ourselves agreed to walk home together ; and while the girls went to put on their things, Charley, Burgess, and I tossed, best two out of_ three, for shillings under some of the lamps in the garden. Presently we heard my sister cabling "Julia," and observed said Julia run from the conservatory in one direction, while a dark coat disappeared behind some myrtles in another. Char}ey,and I looked at each other. Charley's face was flushed, and he muttered •' Hang the stockbroker." We heard Carry say " Come, Julia, what a tiresome girl you are ; you are koeping us all waiting. " We went into the house, and had just reached the middle of the hall when we heard a scream from up stairs — then yells of girlish laugher — the same voice in a beseeching tone saying "Don't, pray don't," then all was still. Mrs. Lupton was just kindly remarking to a young gentleman in high boots that it was some trick of Miss Lynford's, when the girls came down stairs in borrowed shawls and hats ; their faces were very graye — my sisters looked like smothered thunder. Tetsy caught me close by the arm and whispered "Oh Fred, such fun; so awful ; keep by me; say good night. Goodnight, dear Mrs. Lupton ; . pray don't stay out in^the hall. At Freddy's age draughts don't matter, but- you must not risk catching cold." This was Tetsy's vparting shot ; and when we got through the front garden and out on the pathway, I said "Now Tet out with it." And out it came with a vengeance. It appears that as soon as Carry had got Julia into the full lighted bedroom, she looked at for one moment, then grasped her by the-ahouldet's and turned her suddenly opposite a full length mirror: " There, you wretched girl ! look at yourself. She did ; and there, on her upper lip, was the prettiest little mus ache in the world. Then such a scene ; my sister mad — the younger girl convulsed. Tetsy said it was splendid. Carry raved. "You have not only disgraced yourself, but you have advertised to everyone that that fatal moustache is dyed." " Oh! Carry, have mercy," said Julia, on her knees. " I didn't know ; but I thought it had a fun — (sob)— fun — funny taste. I, I don't like Mr. Unwin, and Ido like Harry ; and oh ! oh ! pray don't tell the girls. I never wanted to marry Mr. Unwin ; it was all his mother's and Carry Lynford's doing, and I'll tell him so." " And this," Tetsy (with the air of a woman of fifty) " comes of a manage de canvenance ;" but here we are at the Burgess's. Harry little knows the storm that will burst upon him when Carry gets him alone. We bade good night to Julia, who looked more as if she had come from a funeral than from a pleasure party; and went on with the others whom we soon dropped at their re- ■ spective homes. Carry was silent until we turned the corner at the top of the hill by Craven's Pond, when she suddenly faced about and burst upon Harry. As a rule she had a great objection to btrong. language, but no mild terms would do now. " You miserable humbug," she said, " is this the way you keep your word." " What on earth have I done ? " cried the astonished Harry. " Done ! you idiot. Ruined Julia's prospects, ruined Charley's prospects ! The conservatory — wjbat did you do m the conservatory ? " " Why, there's no harm in a kiss. Who saw us ? " "It was not necessary for -any one to see you. Julia came up stairs with the facsimile of your abominable moustache on her upper lip." "Curls and all," said Tetsy, sotto vgce. J"'lf,"J "'lf," continued Carry, "you will wear a moustache, and if you must dye it, why, don't you use fast colors booby? It's as false as the last print drea&l bought, for our Susan. You will be laughed at by every one, for it cannot be kept"*a — secret, even if I -wanted it- to be ; there were half a dozen girls in the room at the time." Poor fiarry let out such an awful groan that Te tsy interfered and said, "Well, it's no use standing here; let's go home and see what's to be done in the morning. Fred, what do you think the stockbroker will say when he hears about it?" " Sell out all his shares in Julia at par, in spite of his ma and Carry." But it did not turn out so bad after all. Tetsy managed it very cleverly. She bad an explanation with Mr > Unwin who turned out-to be a very good sort of fellow, and backed out of his r engagement very gracefully. :i fiariy returned to Paris, and did not show in England again till the Exhibition of 1851, when he "came over with Mrs. Harry, their infant and nurse. "Julia," said Tetsy, one morning shortly after their arrival, "Is Harry as fond of kissing as he used to bel" ; "Why, not quite," replied Ju^ia " though he slobbers baby a good deal." "And does he still — eh, Julia?"

with a motion of her hand to her lips. " Oh no dear, never since that dreadful night, but as they cost me three thousand a year, I insist on his wearing tkem. However, oxl9 good thing came of it, Tetsy, Carry has never tried her hand at a manage de convenance since.