The Lady of the Ice | Page 8

fellow, an engagement's nothing at all
compared with this. This is something infinitely worse than the affair
with Louie, or Miss Phillips, or even the widow. It's a bad case--yes--
an infernally bad case--and I don't see but that I'll have to throw up the
widow after all."
"It must be a bad case, if it's infinitely worse than an engagement, as
you say it is. Why, man, it must be nothing less than actual marriage. Is
that what you're driving at? It must be. So you're a married man, are
you?"
"No, not just that, not quite--as yet--but the very next thing to it?"
"Well, Jack, I'm sorry for you, and all that I can say is, that it is a pity
that this isn't Utah. Being Canada, however, and a civilized country, I
can't see for the life of me how you'll ever manage to pull through."
Jack sighed dolefully.
"To tell the truth," said he, "it's this last one that gives me my only
trouble. I'd marry the widow, settle up some way with Miss Phillips,
smother my shame, and pass the remainder of my life in peaceful
obscurity, if it were not for her."
"You mean by her, the lady whose name you don't mention."
"Whose name I don't mention, nor intend to," said Jack, gravely. "Her
case is so peculiar that it cannot be classed with the others. I never
breathed a word about it to anybody, though it's been going on for six
or eight months."
Jack spoke with such earnestness, that I perceived the subject to be too

grave a one in his estimation to be trifled with. A frown came over his
face, and he once more eased his mind by sending forth heavy clouds
of smoke, as though he would thus throw off the clouds of melancholy
that had gathered deep and dark over his soul.
"I'll make a clean breast of it, old chap," said he, at length, with a very
heavy sigh. "It's a bad business from beginning to end."
"You see," said he, after a long pause, in which he seemed to be
collecting his thoughts--"it began last year--the time I went to New
York, you know. She went on at the same time. She had nobody with
her but a deaf old party, and got into some row at the station about her
luggage. I helped her out of it, and sat by her side all the way. At New
York I kept up the acquaintance. I came back with them, that is to say,
with her, and the deaf old party, you know, and by the time we reached
Quebec again we understood one another.
"I couldn't help it--I'll be hanged if I could! You see, Macrorie, it wasn't
an ordinary case. She was the loveliest little girl I ever saw, and I found
myself awfully fond of her in no time. I soon saw that she was fond of
me too. All my other affairs were a joke to this. I wanted to marry her
in New York, but the thought of my debts frightened me out of that,
and so I put it off. I half wish now I hadn't been so confoundedly
prudent. Perhaps it is best, though. Still I don't know. Better be the wife
of a poor devil, than have one's heart broken by a mean devil. Heigho!"
H E I G H O are the letters which are usually employed to represent a
sigh. I use them in accordance with the customs of the literary world.
"Well," resumed Jack, "after my return I called on her, and repeated my
call several times. She was all that could be desired, but her father was
different. I found him rather chilly, and not at all inclined to receive me
with that joyous hospitality which my various merits deserved. The
young lady herself seemed sad. I found out, at last, that the old
gentleman amused himself with badgering her about me; and finally
she told me, with tears, that her father requested me to visit that house
no more. Well, at that I was somewhat taken aback; but, nevertheless, I
determined to wait till the old gentleman himself should speak. You

know my peculiar coolness, old chap, that which you and the rest call
my happy audacity; and you may believe that it was all needed under
such circumstances as these. I went to the house twice after that. Each
time my little girl was half laughing with joy, half crying with fear at
seeing me; and each time she urged me to keep away. She said we
could write to one another. But letter-writing wasn't in my line. So after
trying in vain to obey her, I went once more in desperation to explain