750 
effect by constructing the plaits alternately of 
the dark and light colors and by the artistic dls- 
position of a wide scarf composed of the dark 
goods. The front of the scarf la cut In deep, cas¬ 
tellated scallops at the lower edge, and piped 
with the light goods, while the sash-llkc end at 
the back Is decorated with a line knire-plaltlng 
of the same color. Any of tho dross goods in 
vogue will be found available for Its formation, 
and any pleasing method of trimming it may be 
adopted. Trice of pattern, sec. 
68*70 
Patterns sent from this office on receipt of 
prices named. All patterns are accompanied by 
full directions, as to how they are to be put to¬ 
gether, amount of material required, and all 
needful information. I have a number of other 
fashion cuts to publish, and as there Is no room 
for them In this Issue, 1 have decided to give 
them in the Rural of December 14. 
I have omitted all mention of circulars, and for 
the reason that they are so extremely common 
that It hardly pays to roak e new material up In 
that shape. Manufacturers made up great quan¬ 
tities of them in the early fall, and they retail as 
low ft8 five dollars ; and the result Is that every 
chambermaid In town owns her lODg circular 
fastened with an elaborate oxydlzed clasp. 
fitaarir Utisollanir, 
WEAKER THAN A WOMAN. 
CHAPTER X. 
Under one of the spreading elms on the vicar¬ 
age lawn, stood Violet Haye, talking to her lover. 
They were watching the contest for a silver 
arrow, enjoying the failures and mistakes which 
were out of all proportion to the success. The 
Bunllght fell on her, tinging the golden hair with 
deeper gold, making the fair flower-llke face still 
more fair, brightening the white dress with gold¬ 
en gleams. As alio stood there her crimson lips 
parted, Burning at the bright scone before her, 
she looked like a picture of something almost too 
fair and ethereal for earth. Her lover was near 
her. For him th Gfeie held naught but Violet. He 
was supposed to be watching the archers—he was 
looking at Violet. The sunlight was not sojfalr 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
to him as the light In her eyes. The harmony 
that came from the whispering wind, the silvery 
murmur of laughter, the notes of tho air that the 
band was playing held not such music as her 
voice. Many eyes lingered on the handsome 
couple under the groat elm. Men looked with 
envy. Many a man there would hove given half 
he had in the world to stand by violet’s side as an 
accepted suitor. Women looked with jealous ad¬ 
miration; they could Bay Just what they liked 
about her. they could criticise her dress and her 
manner, but each one know showas simply the 
most beautiful woman present. 
The fete was at Its bight. Prom the meadow 
came the hearty shouts of the children at play. 
Suddenly there seemed to he a slight commotion 
amongst the guests, and Felix saw the Vicar 
standing with a gentleman who was certainly 
not remarkable for the handsomeness of bis per¬ 
sonal appearance, but the vicar seemed to be Im¬ 
pressed by bis presence. Theu Captain Hill 
joined them, and the vicar went away, leaving 
the two men together. 
The new-comer, Sir Owen Chevenlx, turned to 
his friend with a smile. 
“ It Is not bad,” he said; “ but I see nothing 
that repays me for the trouble of coming.' 1 
Captain Hill turned slowly, and motioned to 
the great elm-tree. 
“ That Is the prettiest eight In the grounds,” he 
remarked; and a curious light came over the 
heavy face of Sir Owen Chevenlx as he gazed. At 
the same time a keen, subtle instinct which he 
could not understand told Captain Hill that he 
had acted cruelly, 
‘‘You are. right,” agreed Sir Owen Chevenlx, 
looking Intently at violet—" that Is by far the 
prettiest sight In the grounds. Who Is that 
young lady ?” 
“ Miss violet Haye,” replied the Captain. An 
honest impulse prompted him to add, “She Is 
engaged to Felix Lonsdale,” hut a subtle sense 
that such a statement would be dlspleaalBg to 
Sir Owen restrained him. 
6385 
“ Will you Introduce me to Miss Haye ?” asked 
the Baronet. The light In his eyes had grown 
lurid; the Captain did not like It. 
“It would be better for Mrs. Hunter to do 
that,” he replied. “ I am not one of Miss Haye’s 
friends.” 
6 lr Owen walked quickly away. There was a 
look on Ills face as of earnest purpose when he 
saw Mrs. Hunter. She listened to his request, 
and she wondered at the strange light on his 
face. 
“ Introduce you to Miss Haye ?” she said. “ Of 
course I will, with the greatest pleasure.” Then, 
oddly, some subtle doubt crossed her mind; but 
she would not think or It for one moment. Sir 
Owen Chevenlx was the great personage of tUe 
entertainment, the great attraction of the fete. 
She must certainly do as lie requested. Why not? 
Violet was a beautiful girl, and It was only rea¬ 
sonable that every one should admire her. So 
she walked across the lawn with sir Owen, who 
was the observed of all observers. 
The sun shone Just as brightly, there was no 
cloud In the blue sky, no wall In tho sweet west¬ 
ern wind; the flowers did not droop or tremble, 
the leaves did not quiver, as they might have 
done could they have known what was drawing 
near. 
Neither Violet nor her lover saw the two until 
Mrs. Hunter spoke. 
“Miss Haye,” she said, “Sir Owen Chevenlx 
has asked mo to Introduce him to you.” 
violet’s face flushed hotly—It was so sudden, It 
was such a surprise. This was the rich Baronet 
of whom bo short a time before she had been 
speaking with such awe and woDder. She bowed, 
and murmured a few words—she never remem¬ 
bered what they were; then, as a matter of course. 
flowers and happy faces—yet it was the prelude 
to a terrible tragedy. 
“A beautiful day,” said Sir Owen to Violet—*' a 
charming scene too, quite rural, quite pastoral— 
the kind of thing I like.” 
But violet had not recovered her composure. 
She was quite unused to society; and the con¬ 
sciousness that she was talking to a rich young 
Baronet, the great man of the neighborhood, was 
for the moment too much for her. He liked her 
shy, pretty embarrassment* He had been accus¬ 
tomed to women whose eyes met his boldly, who 
gave him word for word, repartee for repartee; 
he liked the drooping eyes that showed the long 
fringed lashes, the downcast face, so attractive 
In its sweet confusion. Felix made some remark, 
and again the Baronet answered him with a care¬ 
less word or two. 
“ I hear that wo are to have quadrilles,” said 
Sir Owen to Violet. “ Will you favor me with the 
first, Miss Haye?” 
She answerd “Yes," because she did not know 
how to refuse him. 
11 1 had no idea that this kind of thlDg could be 
so well managed in a place like LUford," said Sir 
Owen. “It inspires me with an Idea—I must 
really give a fete at Garswood.” 
“ That would be very pleasant,” returned violet 
shyly. 
“It would If you were there,” thought Sir 
Owen; “and there you shall be queen of the fete 
if I can manage it." Aloud he said—“ Have you 
seen Garewood, Mias Haye ?” 
«• I have been in the park.” replied Violet, “ but 
I have not seen tho house.” 
“ There la plenty of room for a fete there. I am 
quite in love with the place myself—It has such 
floe old trees, such grand oaks and elms, such 
ferns, and all that kind of thing.” 
violet wondered for ouo moment whether It 
was fashionable to be always speaking of “ that 
kind of thing," and why it was that the Baronet 
had such a dearth of ideas. She looked up at 
him so Inquiringly that Sir Owen almost Involun¬ 
tarily Bald— 
“ Were you going to aBk me anything?” 
Her face flushed again, remembering what she 
had thought. He thought her rich, lovely color 
going and coming the most attractive thing he 
had ever seen In his life. To give her time to re¬ 
cover herself he addressed some indifferent re¬ 
mark to Felix. 
He was not gifted with any remarkable comeli¬ 
ness, this young Baronet to whom fortune had 
been so kind. He was tall and thin, without any 
dignity or ease of manner; hia gatt was awk¬ 
ward, his hands and urrna always gave one tho 
Impression that that they were moro than he 
could manage, ills hair waR black, his eyes were 
dark with a furtlvo expression ; ho had a dark 
heavy moustache, which drooped overcruel lips; 
his face was a strange mixture of moral weak¬ 
ness and brute force. His voice was unpleasant; 
thore was no mellow ring In It., no music ; It was 
high, clear, and shrill; but then he wore Buperb 
diamond rings, hla drees was a marvel of the 
tailor’s art, and he had au looome of forty thou¬ 
sand a year. What was the grand beauty of An- 
tlnous, the grace of Apollo, compared with that ? 
“You will remember you have promised me 
the first quadrille, Mias Haye. I see Lady Rolfe. 
I must pay rny devoirs to her; and with a low 
bow Sir Owen turned away. 
“ What splendid diamonds P cried violet. 
“ What a horrible mau!” thought Felix. 
Violet had been struck with the gems, Felix 
had been chiefly Impressed by tho awkward gait 
and ungainly carriage. lie turned to violet. 
“ My darling,” he said, “ why have you prom¬ 
ised to dance with that horrible man?” 
“ Horrible 1” cried Violet. “ Do you know how 
rich and how great he Is, Felix ?” 
Mrs. Hunter was compelled to Introduce Felix. 
Sir Owen acknowledged the Introduction by a 
few careless words. The whole scene occurred 
In the radiant sunlight, In the mld3t of blooming 
NOV. 23 
“ That makes him even more horrible—It Is so 
many magnificent gifts wasted. You must not 
dance with him, Violet, but with me. You are 
mine—you belong to me. I cannot let you go 
even for one dance—even for five minutes.” 
Vlolot laughed. 
“ I must, dance with him now that I have 
promised, Felix.” 
“ I do not think that I shall be able to endure 
It, Violet. I am afraid, It I see his hand touching 
you, I shall strike it aside.” 
Bhe laughed again as a child laughs who points 
a loaded gun for mischief, never dreaming that 
It may cause sudden death. 
“ I feel that I ought to have danced that qua¬ 
drille with you, Felix," she said, “ but really, I 
did not know how to refuse. I was quite embar¬ 
rassed—you must have seen it. How Jealous all 
the other girls will bo 1 How Lady Rolfe will 
watch me! She said the other day that her 
daughter, that lnslpld-looklng girl, was far more 
beautiful than I. Shots not, Is she, Felix ?” 
The lips that asked the question wore of the 
loveliest crimson, tho eyes that looked into his 
were like violets steeped In dew, tho face amUlng 
before him was like a blush-rose; that tho words 
wore foollBh never occurred, to lflm. 
“ My darling, you are more beautiful than any 
one else,” he said. “ Violet, you must dance this 
quadrille with Sir Owen, I suppose ?’’ 
“ Yes, I must Indeed," she replied. 
6365 
“ It drives me half mad to think of .It. violet, 
do not look at him as you look at me—do not, do 
not let him know how sweet your smile Is. Oh, 
violet, I shall go mad If you do 1” 
Again she laughed. “ You will have to go mad 
then, Foltx, ror I cannot dance with him like a 
Stole, can 1 ?” 
“ You are mine, Violet. If I had a lovely, rare, 
and precious Illy, should I like every one to touch 
It and Inhale Its sweetness ? You are my own— 
you belong to mo.” 
“Uere cornea Sir Owen,” said violet, cutttng 
short the passionate words. “ I shall not be long 
away from you, Felix;” and, laying her white 
hand on sir Owen'B arm, they went away to¬ 
gether. 
CHAPTER XI. 
As Violet had foreseen, glances of wonder fol¬ 
lowed her and her companion. Lady Rolfe was 
bitterly annoyed; here wa3 this girl chosen by 
Sir Owen, wtallo her own daughters sat unno¬ 
ticed. Mtr. Hunter did not kuow whether to be 
glad or aorry; of course It was a great thing 
to have Sir Owen there, and to see him enjoy 
hlmsolf and ev ldently feel so perfectly at home, 
but Sir Owen should have danced with Miss 
Rolfe, certainly not with violet Haye. 
Sir Owen however was grandly indifferent; a 
man possessed of forty thousand per annum la 
maBter of almost every situation, and he cer¬ 
tainly was master of this. He enjoyed the qua¬ 
drille very much. 
“I had no Idea al fresco dancing was so 
pleasant,” he said; “ but dancing anywhere with 
6365 
you, Miss Haye, would bo the same, I should im¬ 
agine. Who was that gentleman talking to you 
under the tree?” 
“That Is Mr. Foltx Lonsdale,” she replied 
