ed by the appearance of the
chariot and the property wagon at the front door, ready for the
journey. The rumbling of the vehicles, the resounding hoofs and the
resonant voice of the stable boy awakened the young lord of the manor
in his chamber above. He stretched himself sleepily, swore and again
composed himself for slumber, when the noise of a property trunk,
thumping its way down the front stairs a step at a time, galvanized
him into life and consciousness.

"Has the world come to an end?" he muttered. "No; I remember; it's
only the players taking their departure!"

But, although he spoke carelessly, the bumping of boxes and slamming
and banging of portable goods annoyed him more than he would confess.
With the "crazy-quilt"--a patch-work of heptagons of different hues
and patterns--around his shoulders, clothing him with all the colors
of the rainbow, he sat up in bed, wincing at each concussion.

"I might as well get up!" he exclaimed. "I'll see her once more--the
perverse beauty!" And tossing the kaleidoscopic covering viciously
from him, he began to dress.

Meanwhile, as the time for their going drew near, mine host
down-stairs sped the parting guest with good cheer, having fared
profitably by the patronage the players had brought to the inn; but
his daughter, Arabella, looked sad and pensive. How weary, flat and
stale appeared her existence now! With a lump in her throat and a pang
in her heart, she recklessly wiped her eyes upon the best parlor
curtains, when Barnes mounted to the box, as robust a stage-driver as
ever extricated a coach from a quagmire. The team, playful through
long confinement, tugged at the reins, and Sandy, who was at the bits,
occasionally shot through space like an erratic meteor.

The manager was flourishing his whip impatiently when Constance and
Susan appeared, the former in a traveling costume of blue silk; a
paletot of dark cloth, and, after the fashion of the day, a bonnet of
satin and velvet. Susan was attired in a jupe sweeping and immensely
full--to be in style!--and jacquette with sleeves of the pagoda form.
The party seemed in high spirits, as from his dormer window Mauville,
adjusting his attire, peered through the lattice over the edge of the
moss-grown roof and leaf-clogged gutters and surveyed their
preparations for departure. How well the rich color of her gown
became the young girl! He had told himself white was her best
adornment, but his opinion veered on the mom