Our Gentleman Boarder 



Fred was in school or there had of a 

 certainty been a fourth pair of dry eyes. 

 When last of all he came to Mary and 

 took her hand, and strove to say I know 

 not what, she smiled up at him bravely, 

 and then they kissed one another very 

 earnestly and frankly before us all, the 

 which, with a girl as good and as proud as 

 our Mary, was a pledge and acceptance 

 of life-long faith. Then he turned and 

 went out quickly, and a minute later he 

 was waving his hat to us as the coach 

 rattled away through the mist, leaving us 

 behind in an empty unkind day. 



Whether that last bottle of wine was 

 ever opened I do not know; but it certainly 

 was not brought out on the occasion for 

 which my Father so long reserved it, for 

 Mr. Trevanion never returned. Mary 

 wrote two several times to him, and 

 although we heard of his safety and well- 

 doing, she received no reply, so she wrote 

 no more and spoke of him no more. Nor 

 did we ever hear any explanation of this 

 conduct, extraordinary in one, who, though 

 perhaps a little weak and easily led, was 

 undeniably a gentleman, and a tender- 

 hearted one too. I can only think he was 

 worked upon or bound to a vow under 

 threat of some heartrending alternative, 



1.34 



