THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
2i3 
•“ Well, I confess,” said Lydia, “ that I never regarded 
myself as an object of commiseration when I had a 
father’s house to go to, and you will bear me witness 
that I was in no haste to leave it to become the mistress 
of yours. And a woman can never be considered alone 
in the world so long as she has a mother.” 
Really, when viewed in the light of Lydia’s common 
sense, Miss Theo’s condition did not seem to present 
very strong claims to sympathy and compassion. 
“ Has she no brother to consult about her business 
affairs ? ” asked Mrs. Hemenway, when her better-half 
alluded to the subject. 
“ She has never mentioned any to me,” he replied; 
“ but, now I think of it, I have heard that she has several, 
and one is a lawyer, too,” and he began to wonder why 
Miss Theo didn’t consult her brother, instead of making 
such demands on his time. 
“ How very interesting ! ” exclaimed Mrs. Greyson to 
her husband. “ So you are to be her conscience, it 
seems ; most people prefer one of their own. It must be 
quite a hardship to have to depend on a new acquaint¬ 
ance for that useful organ. You had better take up your 
abode at the school-house, for one is liable to need one’s 
conscience at all hours, and, if you were not at hand, Miss 
Theo might get into trouble.” 
John flushed angrily, for he was painfully susceptible 
to ridicule, and for a moment fairly hated Miss Theo. 
But although the weight of these practical women oc¬ 
casionally compelled the board to rest a little on the firm 
ground of common sense, it was sure to seesaw back to 
the slippery sands of sentimentality as soon as Miss 
Theo appeared at that end. 
Miss Theo had been in L-about a year when she 
confided to Deacon Elderkin that she had received an 
offer of marriage, and begged him to advise her, as a 
father, what to do about it. 
The worthy deacon was thrown into a state of un¬ 
speakableness at the thought of losing Miss Theo, and 
earnestly begged her to give the matter the most careful 
consideration before deciding; he would not for worlds 
stand in the way of her happiness, but he felt that her 
loss from the school would be irreparable; he did not see 
how they could do without her. 
Miss Theo also confided to George Barlow the fact of 
the offer and begged his brotherly counsel, by which she 
should be guided more than by any other earthly con¬ 
sideration. Mr. Barlow was deeply touched by this 
proof of Miss Theo’s trustful reliance on him, and pro¬ 
tested that in a question involving, as this did, the very 
vitality of the school and the happiness of herself and of 
her friends on the school board, she must be influenced 
only by one consideration, namely, did she love the 
suitor ? If so, it was plainly her duty to accept him; if 
not, it was as plainly her duty to refuse him. 
Miss Theo blushed and hesitated, and with becoming 
modesty owned that she did not love the individual as 
she had once, loved, or as she felt herself capable of lov¬ 
ing again. Mr. Hemenway, on being consulted, ear¬ 
nestly desired her to consider whether the proposed suitor 
was in a position to give her the kind of home and the 
place in society to which her accomplishments and su¬ 
perior attractions entitled her. He must protest against 
the possibility of her throwing herself away, to say noth¬ 
ing of the terrible blow which her marriage would inflict 
on the school and on her friends. Miss Theo meekly 
asserted that she had the greatest respect for her suitor, 
and that he would give her a better home than she de¬ 
served (he lived in two small rooms), but that it might 
$C>tseem to her friends to be a rise in life, and, of course, 
she should be guided by their advice in the matter. 
As for John Greyson, he anathematized the presuming 
individual, whoever he might be, who desired to take 
Miss Theo from her school and friends, and assured her 
that it would be actually sinful for her to reward such 
unparalleled covetousness by the bestowal of her hand; 
and as Miss Theo had appointed Mr. Greyson to be her 
conscience, what could she do except abide by his de¬ 
cision. 
The board consulted, and considered and confounded 
the subject, and appealed to Miss Theo not to desert 
them, and she soon made known her decision to remain 
single; to look upon the subject of matrimony as set¬ 
tled once and forever so far as she was concerned, and 
give herself and all her energies to the work of teaching. 
And the waves of excitement subsided and again the 
board floated on smooth waters. 
Meanwhile the wives of the board, like the sensible and 
judicious women they were, had called on Miss Theo, in¬ 
vited her to high teas and dinner parties, and made so 
much of her as to sustain that august body in their ad¬ 
miration and allegiance to her. 
As we have already said, Miss Theo was fond of chil¬ 
dren, and at the house where she boarded there was a 
promising boy of some ten years, with whom she became 
close friends. Indeed, so strong was the affection on his 
side that on one occasion his youthful ardor carried him 
to such an extent that he begged her to wait for him un¬ 
til he should be grown up, and then they might marry and 
“ live happily ever after.” Miss Theo laughingly parried 
this proposal, and directed his mind to topics better suited 
to his tender years. 
But soon after this little episode Miss Theo submitted 
to the board another matrimonial offer. In response to 
Deacon Elderkin’s questions on this occasion, she admitted 
that the suitor was considerably younger than herself, and 
perhaps such a union might be unwise. And to Lawyer 
Hemenway’s urgent entreaties that she would not con-* 
sent, at least without ample time for meditation, she 
owned that there was no haste in the matter, as the gen¬ 
tleman was not just at present in a condition to assume 
the support of a wife ! And she assured George Barlow 
that whatever decision she might come to, nothing should 
affect the friendship existing between them ; and she 
begged John Greyson to tell her if it would be actually 
wrong for her to marry a man a few years her junior. 
Again the storm passed over, and Miss Theo retained her 
“ single blessedness ” and her position in the school; but 
as the years went by her popularity began to wane. The 
fact was that the wives of the board had a good deal of 
fun out of Miss Theo's love affairs, and. indeed, lost no 
opportunity of inquiring into them and holding them up to 
ridicule. This behavior on their part knew no bounds 
