A Novel Sensation
Her letter-endings take their colour from her character, real or assumed. “In haste” is much in favour with her, and I have letters from her ending “Bye, bye!” and “Ta, ta! Yours affec.”
I will close this paper with a true story. In it will be shown how a lady, late an athletic girl, was wooed and—not won.
Her admirer was a widower, with one child. His home overlooked the school of which this lady, young as she was—for she was only six-and-twenty—was head-mistress. The widower, on re-marrying bent, sent in his card on what was called “office day.”
The name on the card was Colonel Hewson. The young head-mistress, whose name was Alice Joyce, read it, and gave the conventional order, “Show him in.”
Alice Joyce had some slight acquaintance with Colonel Hewson, and had also some slight inkling that he admired her. She did not admire him, and would have liked to deny herself to him, but she was not authorised to do this on “office day.” Perhaps he had come to place a pupil. His only child was a boy, but, perhaps, he had girl-relations. “Show him in,” said conscientious Alice Joyce, and Colonel Hewson was shown in.
“I thought you’d be surprised to see me,” he said crisply, on entering.
Alice smiled, and requested him to be seated. Then she left it to him to open the talk, occupying herself with a revolving bookcase, which she gently agitated.
Colonel Hewson was a bronzed man of travel, who, according to rumour, had penetrated into Asiatic jungles, and seen tigers and other undomestic animals eye to eye without blenching. He had, however, never before entered a lady’s school, and a terror the like unto which he had never experienced now held him tongue-tied.