Juliet's Guardian; A Novel (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER VI. A WEDDING IN MAY. Theke was one person to whom the news of Cecil Travcrs' engagement came as a great shock, and that was Gretchen Euden- bach. It was in a letter from Wattie that Gretchen first heard of it, for Cecil himself was too full of Us new happiness to give a thought to the poor little music-teacher in Pimlico. When Gretchen had finished reading Wattie Ellison's letter, she laid her head down upon the table-cloth all among her poor little breakfast array, her cup of weaktea, and her untempting-looking bread and butter, and cried bitterly. In the middle of these tears, in came Miss Pinkin. Miss Pinkin wore a black front and a tulle cap, decorated with small lilac bows and tied under her chin with white gauze ribbons, and she was enveloped in a silk shawl of an old-fashioned pattern and colour, very tightly drawn around her spare figure. She had a thin, angular face, and was altogether an austere-looking woman. ' Mercy me !' exclaimed this ancient virgin,, lifting up both hands in .amazement at the discovery of Gretchen in her woe; 'what on earth are you crying your eyes out for ?' Gretchen wiped her eyes, but made no answer. ' I know very well what you ara cryingfor,' continued Miss Pinkin, glancing severely at the open letter on the table, 1 you are crying about a piece of news that ought to give you a great deal of pleasure if you had a well-regulated mind. I, too, have had a letter from Miss Augusta Ellison, my old pupil, and she tells me that Mr. Cecil Travers is engaged to be married to Miss Blair, of Sotherne. You ought to be very much pleased, you foolish girl, instead of crying like a water-spout, and laying your head down in your bread and butter plate, which isn't cleanly.' Gretchen, at this well-merited reproach, lifted u...