The village of Bleighton contained as many affectionate young people as
any other place of its size, and was not without young ladies, for the
possession of whose hearts two or more young men strove against each
other. When, however, allusion was ever made to "the rivals" no one
doubted to whom the reference applied: it was always understood that the
young men mentioned were those two of Miss Florence Elserly's admirers
for whom Miss Elserly herself seemed to have more regard than she
manifested toward any one else.

There has always been some disagreement among the young ladies of
Bleighton as to Miss Elserly's exact rank among beauties, but there was
no possibility of doubt that Miss Elserly attracted more attention than
any other lady in the town, and that among her admirers had been every
young man among whom other Bleighton ladies of taste would have chosen
their life-partners had the power of choosing pertained to their own
sex.

The good young men of the village, the successful business men who were
bachelors, and the stylish young fellows who came from the neighboring
city in the Summer, bowed before Miss Elserly as naturally as if fate,
embodied in the person of the lady herself, commanded them.

How many proposals Miss Elserly had received no one knew; for two or
three years no one was able to substantiate an opinion, from the young
lady's walk and conversation, that she specially preferred any one of
her personal acquaintances; but at length it became evident that she
evinced more than the interest of mere acquaintanceship in Hubert Brown,
the best of the native-born young men of the village.

Mr. Brown was a theological student, but the march of civilization had
been such at Bleighton that a prospective shepherd of souls might listen
to one of Beethoven's symphonies in a city opera-house without having
any sin imputed unto him! Such music-loving inhabitants of Bleighton as
listened to one of these symphonies, which was also heard by Mr. Brown
and Miss Elserly, noticed that when the young couple exchanged words and
glances, Miss Elserly's well-trained features were not so carefully
guarded as they usually were in society. Such ladies as had nothing to
do, and even a few who were not without pressing demands upon their
time, canvassed the probabilities of the match quite exhaustively, and
made some prophecies, but were soon confused by the undoubted fact that
Miss Elserly drove out a great deal with Major