ENGAGED.

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1436, 15 September 1881, Page 4

ENGAGED.

The conduct of enguged-oonplp* t!op* noi*" differ as widely an we might expci,t, j,o many aie the'coriventional iulos appointed to bo obhcived on these occasion*. Now and then w>- n.eet with a proud girl who' refuses " to, \>3 congratulated in the ordmaiy foim, and who turns the eubject or leaver the room when her appioachiug marriago is mentioned. , Foi < the 'inop-t p.ut such pills are really in love, and cannot bear to have what they look upon , as sacied touched by rude finder*, It is torture to be made the subject i f quizzing and feeble jokes. A senwe ot 'delicacy levclts from .routing by the oppoitunities made for tho lovers' meeting, and prying eyes rendeied her position embauassing and intolerable Sometimes, too, a gii I piofcpscs complete indift'oi ence to her intended husband. She will not be seen spoakmg to him. Sho openly laughs at sentiment, and denies tile existence 1 of true love. Shesneeis at moonlight walks, and keeps her engaged ring loose in hei work-basket. Yet her feelings, such as they are, may be well oalouhttel to stand the test of time and matrimony. It i-, perhapa, more pleading to watch the behavior of the young g.rl who is delighted "with her lover <iucl her piospects. You aie expected to congratulate her, not as it were spontaneously. You may see no great reason for congratulation. If a brilliant prospe t is before her, you may think a different prospect might have been yet more brilliant. Her charms, you think, are ouch that she is almost thrown away upon the commonplace object ol her choice. You cannot see his perlections from her point of view, ana would look forward to spending a lifetime in his 'ompany with auytlnnsr bin pleiumie. But you cannot reveal such feelings to her, let your knowledge of hei be ever -o intimate. She would think you ciuel, haid-hearied, nay, woise than all, mattci-of-faot. The meie suspicion of common sense would debtioy all the chaiiu of the romance in her mind. She r<.oi'ives your congratulations with undis-gui-id pkasuro, ml evidently believes all you can pos-ibly uivtnt or bay ab to hei good lu«k, her future luppinew, bei ccitninty ot rin exemphny husband. She ■would take i'< almost <unn>B :f you hinted that thy luck vva- all Lho othei way, and that jou look upon her lover as more foituuate than herself. She expects jou to slo through hei e\es or not at .ill, smd ] a.s blio takes oft her ghve you know that she wishes you to adimio a diamond ring on her thud finget, and to c-k hei foi thu photo^i.ipli of hei twain to pi-ice opposite to heis' in your book. The -o little traits aio bhown only at (he fiist. As time goes on bhe t-ettlea down to a inoiu piobiio view of things. If you aic in hei confidence she expects you to bit beside her and ask foi biographical paitioul.us concerning hoi intended, and to give her aduco as to the management of her futuie household. After a lougei inteival even these topics cease to be touched, and sho giadually becomes nioie like other people, always I'jtainmg a ceitam sense of her iinpoitance, and taking pieccdeuce in the family ciirle even ot her eldcsi bisteis. But it is to mernbeis it her own hex that she is nioio especially int> Jesting, \ourp.utnoi at ,i ball oi a dinnei table, if you icin,iik on anntlui lady of the p.uty, veiy oitcn adds to lici .u count the almost whispoed lemavk th.it she is engaged. Thi- is alwiys .said with u cett.iin emphasis, as if it must be a point ot the hist linpoitance Though you bhould admne her jouihelt, the chancehaipthat }ou do not feel paiticulaily linpie^ cd by the mfoimation Engaged, you irilect, does, not mean m.niicd. J3ur iippaiently, ni.d to jurtsre fiorn the w<ij the engagement is spoken, oi it means even moie : and if you veuhue to talk flippantly about love and maniage, you will piobably be veiy thoitly and beveiely jepiovrd. 'Vhe beh,i\ioi of t)ie engaired couple affords the idle spectator much iood foi amusing k flection ; and not their behiuioi only, but that of the family towaids them If they enter a loom togetlici, eveiy one flies fiom the loom as it they had the smallpox. If you come upon them in the libiaij' alone, you may not «.o much as pause to find your book, but must pi ecipitately ictreat, taking eaio to shut the door. The gentleman does not, always teem to enjoy these conditions. He may not find conversation veiy loady to hand, and may even like the society of otheib of his own sex. [Ie ma) look bick legietfully to the time when lie could talk to her si-tcis, or rathei when they weie still willing to talk to him. He may be so cold-blooded as to anticipate a time when he and hi-, -\ufp will see almost too much of each othei. When they go out to walk oi lide ho may piefoi the company of the eldi r tistei, who is a hoibe-wom.tn ; or of the younger, who sketches. He in.ij' like the tinging of one, the wit of another, or possibly even the looks of a thiid. JBut he is not allowed to enjoy any of these things Sisf< is who aie loyal to each othu would consider it shocking. lie is bound to the one and the one only, and it is sad to .«eo him sometimes when a .stampede takes place at his coming, as he hopeleb4y looks after the letieatiug figuies, and heats himst'lf with an ill-supprcb-ed yawn by the side of the engaged one. 'iaidly less tiyiug is the fate of the lover who finds himself taken as a biothei by the whole family at once, who has to kiss all his new Mstei*, and f-übmit to the Mime familiarity, and even the same lectuies, which their leal biolheis bear .so badly. He cannot call ihem "gills" •wich a contemptuous accent on the word, oior can ho shako himself iiom their embraces with "lubbisli" oi a strorijjer expression. They give him commissions to execute in town which theii hi otherhave Jong since icfiwd to undpilake, and expect him to pay out of his own pocket ioi eveiy thing ho »ets thfin. In fact, he find- his position vcj v unen\iable ; and, it he f.tils to divcit their attention by bunding a futnd upon the scene a-, a second vitiim io the family ch.ums, he piobttily offoeds his l dy love l»y confiding to her that he is not en<r.ig< d to all hei sibteri- as well as to h?r, and and only iutonds to many o'ic of the tamily. In some house. 1 -, to a different tual awaits the happy pair. They aio never left alone together. Some rnotheis keep up the chaperon system in all its Dgoi till the knot is indissolubly tied. Peihaps, much as they may dislike it, the mothei is « ise in this. Tho-e* stolen kis-pb are veiy sweet, tho.se squee/es of the hand at p.uting, those buef glances, those cha*ire meetings whi(h liavc about them so much of a. di liirhrful nauirhty flavour. In one respect, however, not e\cn patents of this kind ate hard-hearted. The young people can coi respond, and on the lady's side at leabt, thih is no small pi iviJege. Edwin dops not find it e.i'-y pmhaps to wnte lcittis which do not wear any an of business about them, and wastes much paper and ink m notes which re tears np uns'nt. But Angelina f dibbles away. "While sho is thus engiged an awp-strnek fear peivadcs (lie moinmg-ioom She must not be intemiptcd on any account. The "ii-ter^ talk in a whisper, and if they ■wonder what on earth she can have to wiite in such quantities, they keep the wonders to themselves, only wishing their own turn may comef-oon. She coveisfcide after side without a pause, and it is well j if she does not cros*. — Saturday Jit view.

Mrs Fennel says her minister's sermons are " a little obscure, but," she says, " I do love to sit and watch the expression of his mouth."