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-THE GENTLEMAN .-.SLAVEY.i…

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THE GENTLEMAN SLAVEY. By T. MULLETT ELLIS. I (COPYRIGHT.) It Is very sad," said the lady slavey, neatly banging up the dustpan in the proper place and tidily arranging her white wristbands, for she had early finished her morning's work, as her custom was, she being an early riser. It is more than sad, it is really pitiful. My sister Ida, who was left penniless when father died. writes me that ahe is literally starving, and Gwendoline, now that the season for painting Christmas cards is over.ican get no work to do. Poor girl! She is not clever enough to earn her living by art. It is a pity they do not come to my way of thinking and go in honestly for domestic service. Ida writes that she has walked all over Lon- don till she is footsore trying to get a situation as a music governess. A music governess. Ida, who was three months trying to master the scales. Ah, well, poverty is a cruel tyrant, so if they can get a little comfort out of their pride, poor girls, let them, say 1. Only I think it's a pity they don't become lady slaveys, for really it is not such a bad life after all—at least that is my experi- ence. "So yon may say, Mabel," answered the honse- parloox-maid. Sybil Railton, the daugther of a broken-down lieutenant-colonel, whose retired pay was unequal to meet the necessities of a thirsty appetite, but I think this life has-well, has drawbacks." What 1 Has the master been swearing at you again, Sybil 1 Or has— No. Mab I don't mind that. I am used to WWearing. Father brought us up to it." What—L.ave the children been rough to you again then, or has No," interrupted the lady parlour-maid, trying on a clean apron and endeavouring with a, glance of femjnine vanity to catch a glimpse of ber tall, graceful figure in a very small mirror that hung near the kitchen dreseer. No, Mabel dear, it isn't that it's worse oh, it's dreadfnl." What on earth is it. Sybil ?" inquired the lady cook anxiously, troubled by the ominous tones of her companion. Come, confide in me, dear. What has happened ?" Oh. to think of it," cried Sybil, striding up and down the red-tiled floor of the kitchen and wringing her hands desperately. To go down and down to that." To what ?" Yon like this life, Mab. I know what you gay—we have abundance to eat, every comfort at the table, and in the house a nietl bedroom, and far your fellow-servant, myself, a lady anyway, aad certainly a friend—but, my dear Mabel, do you never, never think of the dangers ?" Sybil, what do you mean ? The dangers ? Explain yourself." The low alliances," said the parlourmaid in a hushed tone. That is what I mean. The low alliances. Mabel's face, always a study in pink and gold suddenly flushed red like a sunset sky. Yes, you're pretty!" continued Sybil, shaking her head sadly. There is confirmation enough in those blushes if I wanted proof. Come, confess. Yon are in love. Sybil," gasped the other, flinging herself down on a chair, and hiding her head in her bands. What, a man-of-all-work." continued the par- lourmaid. contemptuously. You. Mabel Eliza- beth Dundas Howe, whose great-grandfather commanded Nelson—do you hear, Mabel ? com- manded Nelson—to descend to this. For shame. For shame, I say. You, a descendant of Dundas Howe." Have I not heard my father say it a thousand times ?" Mabel cried, passionately. And now you lOb, I wish I had common plebian blood I wish my grandfather had been a tradesman, that he had sold hair oil or manufactured pills, or better still, that he had been a common sailor before the mast. Anyway, it's a hundred years ago now. Mabel Howe, yon may tuck np your sleeves and cook. you may make pastry—quite too delicious crust it is too, Mabel—so light and crisp—you may even wait at table aa I do myself, so long as you confine yourself to waiting on gentlefolk—you may do even menial work and be paid a menial's wages, but you may never forget who you are. 4 Noblesse oblige,' Mabel. Our lot is hard, but we must patiently endure. Through all our lives, auiet, long-suffering patience. That is our lot. Patience and work till our race dies out, and we die too—die. Work we may, but not —love." I know, I know, Sybil; you are quite right," exclaimed the other, as she put her arms round her friend's neck. and gently leaning her head burst into a flood of tears. I know," she con- tinued in gasps through her sobs. It is hard, but it is true. I have said it often to myself. We may work—but not love." What's this, eh ? Tears exclaimed a man In shirt sleeves, who was hurrying into the kit- chen with a tray of knives and forks. You're erying, Mabel." He gently put the tray down as he spoke and approached his fellow-servants apprehensively, but it was Mabel only who concerned him. The lady-parlourmaid, drawing up her head proudly, pointed with superabundant majesty to the door. Very well," answered the man-of-all-work, quietly. Only tell me first-is anything wrong IJ ith Mabel ?" Yes," replied Sybil; then is a great deal wrong with Mabel—and with you as well. Keep your place, sir, and remember He always does," interrupted Mabel, looking np pleadingly. Now do not, I beg, say what you were going to. Sybil." I was going to say, and say it I shall," con- tinued the lady parloui-maid, flicking a speck of dast from her well-fitting black dress, that this lady is a well-born gentlewoman. Her great- grandfather, Admiral Dundas Howe, com- manded Oh, don't, Sybil," interrupted the other timidly. Don't." Yes, do," said the maid-of-all-work. Dundas Howe why he was Rear Admiral in the Baltic when Lord Nelson was a boy." He was and he commanded Nelson," said Sybil Railton. Do you hear ? he commanded Nelson. "Oh," replied the maid-of-alt-work, calmly. "Then I guess he had to masthead him sometimes because Lord Nelson was a better hand a.t order- ing about than obeying." Can you not understand, man, that I say this to you simply to let you knew the gulf that there is between you and Miss Howe, not to make you uncomfortable, Jack ? You are always a very re- spectful and really admirably behaved young maa. but yonr attentions are not welcome to Miss Howe—are they, Mabel ? And I wish you to understand either that you must treat her with a, becoming distance, or you will drive her to leave. WOt):t. he, Mabel ?" For answer two great tears mounted into her large blue eyes, filled them slowly fuller and fuller, until the surcharged eyelids could hold no more and then overjjthey flowed like two liquefied gems and coursed down her cheeks. This was too much for Jack. Darling." he exclaimed with infinite tenderness, as he put hi3 hand gently upon her shoulder. Darling," echoed Sybil Railton, scornfully. Man—keep your hand3 off that lady. Mabel, get up, you silly girl. How dare you sit there and let that man paw you about in that famil>ar way. If you can't control yourself explain thtl position frankly to Mrs Orde, and leave at once." Yes, let her leave," said Jack, and I shall leave, too—in fact, I shall take her with me. Of course, we must show every consideration for Mr and Mrs Orde, that's the proper thirg to do, I suppose. but I've bad a bit of luck to-day, and by Jove, if I don't run off with Mabel, I'm no Briton." The audacity." cried Sybil. Listen. Mabel come, dry those pretty blue eyes, l'v good news. Backed a treble event. Have. 'pon my soul. Had a hundred to one chance, and it came off," Now. whatever is he talking of ?" said Mabel, staring.. He means that like poor old Dad, he's been backing horses and netted 3omething. He probably thinks the paltry sum he has won is a fortunfe" Not so paltry." said Jack, fingering a cigarette stealthily, perhaps through force of babit, for he soon slipped it back again into its case. I only put a tenner on, but the odds were a hundred to one." And you spotted the first, second, aud third, eh said Sybil, whose experience enabled bar to understand betting terms. Well, you were very lucky." And a good judge too—I flatter myself, only It has come off too late. After all the thousands I've lost, only to be able to flutter a tenner. Well. anyhow, it's a cool thousand pounds. So Mabel, at your very earliest convenience if yon please. we will give up being maid and man of all work and we'll try our iuck in the Colonies. VVbat do you say ?" Mabel looked at Sybil. Ob, I have to ask you, have I, Miss Syhil Railton ? Dees the thousand pounds bridge the gulf for a time at luast it means the end of serrUude, and so long aa these hands of mine can wolk, Mabel shall never do another stroke except such as a wife may fairly do. We mayn't be able to run to a. lady slavey,' bat weU keep perhaps what they call a general,' and—" Don't talk 80 fast," said Sybil Railton, leftily. Neither a thousand petfnds nor ten times a thousand pounds will buy Mabel Howe. Although she is a lady slavey she is not for sale. Lady slaveys only let themselves out on hire." Ah. I understand you," said Jack, with his most courteous bow and with the same pleasing smile that had originally captivated Mabel Howe, 11 I thank Colonel Railton's daughter for championing you, Mabel, bnt as I do really mean to have you. I think I had better get you henceforth to answer for yourself." Jack," aid the girl, openirg her great bltxe eyes honestly upon him, I fear I do love TOO and that's the truth, but as for marriage, Sybil is right, I cannot. It is out of the question. .1 You mean that the difference in our birth—" She means," said Sybil, interrupting, as her custom was, that the great-grand-daughter of Admiral Dundas Howe must not marry a man- of-all-work, even if he has spotted three winnera and pocketed a thou.' a?l Jack, she doesn't mean to be cutting" said Mabel softly, Oh, Jack, but what a horrid nuisaoca it is to be well born." Mabel," murmured the man, with a recur- rence of the drawl that was familiar to his speech in days bygone. whilst a curious light gleamed over his face. Ur-don't call me Jack unless you -ar-nnlesg you prefer it. Because, I mean, it's not my name, doncherknow f No, I like the name of Jack, because it's a short one—only it doesn't properly belong to me. My real name is —ur—Horatio." You'll say it's Nelson next," said Sybil. Well—ur—it is, as a matter of fact, and that's the reason Horatio is tacked on to the front of it. Y'know my great-grandfather waa Lord Nelson's brother. Yes, Miss Railton—the same chap that Mabel's great-grandfather commanded when he was a boy. Afterwards Lord Nelson commanded Lord Howe, and I'm soiry to say court-martialled him too, but that, as we used to say at Eton, is a detail. And so my dad, who waa proud that we are the same family as the great Lord Nelson, wasn't satisfied with the surname only, but he must tack Hoiation on to me at my baptism as well. Now that's something for a poor chap to have to labour along under, isn't it 1" Then your name is-" Horatio Nelson, Miss Railton if it please you. Oh, Jack—Horatio, I mean," cried Mabel, claoping her hands, but this makes all the difference. Does it, dear ? Then it's all settled, eh ? Your lips upon it." Why, then you're—why—well. Then on Ire a gentleman—quite a gentleman," faltered Sybil Railton, with a puzzled expression. But how came you to be here—a -an-of.%Il.work." eai, ? Well, after Eton and Oxford, you know, Miss Railton, a man with a taste for horses and only a fixed income must eventually become in some shape or form a gentleman-slavey. He may clerk it in the city or be steward to a noble- man-all sorts of things, but he's bound to come down. For myself, after running through everything I had, and more than I could borrow, I took first to one thing and then another. I made a book and broke, I drove a cab and killed the horse, and eventually after came to rags. I' Well, here I am now but I mean to give up being a gentleman-slavey, except to Mabel; I'll bo her gentleman and her slave, too, But I'll never back another nag. They've cost me more than I've won to-day by long chalks. I mean the Colonies now. Some day I shall inherit a snug little sum from my aunt Adelaide. But before that I should like to win a fortune by fair labour. Will you help me, Mabel ?" I will, Jack—I mean, Horatio. I will, Horatio, my own darling. Oh, that I will truly. And Sybil, you come with us, too." Aa lady slavey ? No. thank you. You had better engage a general.' No, dear, I am engaged, and to a connection of an admiral," answered the pnss saucily, with a look of admiration at her hero. A distant connection that is," said her lover modestly, as he put his arm round her waist. But ours is a warm engagement," laughed Mabel." Yes," replied he, smiling at her gaiety. So the sooner you become Mrs Nelson the better— then we shall be close relations. It is the cus- tom of the Nalsons to bring their warm engage- ments to a speedy conclusion."

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