Full Download PDF of (Ebook PDF) Invitation To Public Speaking Handbook by Cindy L. Griffin All Chapter

You might also like

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 43

(eBook PDF) Invitation to Public

Speaking Handbook by Cindy L. Griffin


Go to download the full and correct content document:
https://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-invitation-to-public-speaking-handbook-b
y-cindy-l-griffin/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

(eBook PDF) Concise Public Speaking Handbook, A 5th


Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-concise-public-speaking-
handbook-a-5th-edition/

(eBook PDF) DK Guide to Public Speaking 3rd Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-dk-guide-to-public-
speaking-3rd-edition/

(eBook PDF) A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking 6th


Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-a-pocket-guide-to-
public-speaking-6th-edition/

(eBook PDF) Speak Up!: An Illustrated Guide to Public


Speaking 4th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-speak-up-an-illustrated-
guide-to-public-speaking-4th-edition/
(eBook PDF) Principles of Public Speaking 19th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-principles-of-public-
speaking-19th-edition/

(eBook PDF) The Public Speaking Playbook 2nd Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-the-public-speaking-
playbook-2nd-edition/

The Public Speaking Playbook Second Edition by Teri


Kwal Gamble (eBook PDF)

http://ebooksecure.com/product/the-public-speaking-playbook-
second-edition-by-teri-kwal-gamble-ebook-pdf/

(eBook PDF) The Art of Public Speaking 12th Edition by


Stephen Lucas

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-the-art-of-public-
speaking-12th-edition-by-stephen-lucas/

(eBook PDF) The Art of Public Speaking 13th Edition by


Stephen Lucas

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-the-art-of-public-
speaking-13th-edition-by-stephen-lucas/
vi CONTENTS

Speaker Interference Caused by Language 48


Speaker Interference Caused by Differences 55
How to Listen Carefully 56
Listen for the Speaker’s Purpose 57
Listen for the Main Ideas 57
Listen for Supporting Evidence and Sources 57
Listen for Consistency of Delivery and Content 57
Write Down New Words, Ideas, and Questions 57
Offer Nonverbal Feedback 57
Listen for the Conclusion 58
How to Listen Critically 59
How to Listen Ethically 59
Suspend Judgment 59
Assess Information and Respond to the
Speaker’s Ideas 61

APPENDIX A: BUILDING SKILLS


AND CONFIDENCE A-1
PART 2 TOPIC AND AUDIENCE 65
5 Your Speech Topic and Purpose 66
Goals for Different Speaking Contexts 67
Deciding to Speak 67
Being Asked to Speak 68
Being Required to Speak 70
Choosing Your Speech Topic 71
The Classroom Setting 71
Choosing a Topic When You Are Required to Speak 72
Brainstorming 75
Narrowing Your Topic When You Are Asked to or Decide
to Speak 79
Articulating Your Speech Purpose 80
General Purpose 80
Specific Purposes 81
Stating Your Thesis 84
Commemorative Speech with Commentary:
This Is Dedicated. . .: A Tribute to the Women
of History by Ogenna Agbim 88

6 Your Audience and Speaking Environment 91


What Is an Audience? 92
Considering an Audience as a Group
of Diverse People 93
Master Statuses 94
Standpoints, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Values 96
Demographic Audience Analysis 97
Considering an Audience as a Community 99
Voluntary Audiences 99
Involuntary Audiences 100
Considering Your Speaking Environment 101

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
CONTENTS vii

Audience Size and Physical Arrangement 101


Technology 103
Time Factors 105
Adapting to Audience Expectations 108
Expectations About the Speaker 108
Expectations About the Form of a Speech 110

PART 3 RESEARCH 113


7 Gathering Supporting Materials 115
Determine What Types of Information You Need 116
Start with Your Personal Knowledge and Experience 118
Techniques for Organizing Your Research 119
Begin by Filling Out Your Research Inventory 119
Set Up a Filing System 119
Take Notes and Make Copies 120
Begin Your Bibliography with Your First Source 121
Gather More Material Than You Think You’ll Need 122

8 Research Online and at the Library 123


Search for Materials on the Internet 124
The Ethics of Internet Research 124
Evaluating Internet Information 125
Research Materials at the Library 127
Library Orientations and Librarians 127
Library Catalogs 128
Databases and Indexes 129
Government Documents 132
Reference Works 132
Evaluate Library Resources 134
Avoid Plagiarism 134
Citing Sources in Your Speech 135
Citing Sources Is Ethical 135
Citing Sources Adds Credibility 135
Guidelines for Citing Sources 136

9 Conducting Research Interviews 138


Determine Who to Interview 139
Schedule the Interview 139
Prepare for the Interview 140
Designing Interview Questions 140
Recording the Interview 141
Conduct the Interview 142
Follow Up the Interview 142
Ethical Interviewing 143

PART 4 ORGANIZATION 145


10 Organizing Your Speech 148
Organize for Clarity 149
Main Points 150

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
viii CONTENTS

Identify Your Main Points 150


Use an Appropriate Number of Main Points 151
Order Your Main Points 153
Guidelines for Preparing Main Points 159
Connectives 161
Transitions 162
Internal Previews 162
Internal Summaries 163
Signposts 163

11 Outlining Your Speech 166


The Preparation Outline 166
Title, Specific Purpose, and Thesis Statement 167
Introduction 167
Main Points, Subpoints, and Sub-Subpoints 168
Conclusion 169
Connectives 170
Works Cited 170
Guidelines for the Preparation Outline 171
Preparation Outline with Commentary: Why Pi?
by Katy Mazz 177
The Speaking Outline 182
Guidelines for the Speaking Outline 182
Note Cards 184
Speaking Outline with Commentary: Why Pi?
by Katy Mazz 186

12 Introductions and Conclusions 190


The Introduction 191
Catch the Audience’s Attention 191
Reveal the Topic of Your Speech 191
Establish Your Credibility 191
Preview Your Speech 192
Preparing a Compelling Introduction 192
Ask a Question 192
Tell a Story 193
Recite a Quotation or a Poem 194
Give a Demonstration 195
Make an Intriguing or Startling Statement 196
State the Importance of the Topic 198
Share Your Expertise 199
State What’s to Come 200
Guidelines for Your Introduction 200
The Conclusion 202
End Your Speech 202
Reinforce Your Thesis Statement 203
Preparing a Compelling Conclusion 203
Summarize Your Main Points 204
Answer Your Introductory Question 204
Refer Back to the Introduction 205

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
CONTENTS ix

Recite a Quotation 205


Guidelines for Your Conclusion 206
Introduction and Conclusion with Commentary:
Foothills Gateway: Vote YES on Referendum
1A by Mike Piel 208

PART 5 DEVELOPMENT 211


13 Developing and Supporting Your Ideas 214
Examples 215
Examples to Clarify Concepts 216
Use Examples to Reinforce Points 217
Use Examples to Bring Concepts to Life or to Elicit
Emotions 217
Use Examples to Build Your Case or Make Credible
Generalizations 217
Guidelines for Using Examples Ethically
and Effectively 218
Narratives 219
Use Narratives to Personalize a Point 220
Use Narratives to Challenge an Audience to Think
in New Ways 220
Use Narratives to Draw an Audience in Emotionally 221
Use Narratives to Unite with Your Audience 222
Guidelines for Using Narratives Ethically
and Effectively 222
Statistics 224
Types of Statistics 225
Use Statistics to Synthesize Large Amounts
of Information 228
Use Statistics When the Numbers Tell a Powerful Story 229
Use Statistics When Numerical Evidence
Strengthens a Claim 229
Guidelines for Using Statistics Ethically
and Effectively 229
Testimony 233
Use Testimony When You Need the Voice of an Expert 234
Use Testimony to Illustrate Differences or Agreements 234
Use Your Own Testimony When Your Experience
Says It Best 235
Paraphrase Testimony to Improve Listenability 235
Guidelines for Using Testimony Ethically
and Effectively 236
Definitions 238
Use Definitions to Clarify and Create Understanding 239
Use Definitions to Clarify an Emotionally
or Politically Charged Word 240
Use Definitions to Illustrate What Something Is Not 240
Use Definitions to Trace the History of a Word 240
Guidelines for Using Definitions Ethically
and Effectively 241

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
x CONTENTS

14 Introduction to Reasoning 243


Patterns of Reasoning 244
Induction, or Reasoning from Specific Instances 244
Deduction, or Reasoning from a General Principle 248
Causal Reasoning 250
Analogical Reasoning 253
Reasoning by Sign 254
A Map of Reasoning 257
Guidelines for Reasoning Ethically 260
Build Your Credibility 260
Use Accurate Evidence 260
Verify the Structure of Your Reasoning 261
15 Audience-Centered Language 262
Language Is Ambiguous 263
Language and Culture 265
Language and Gender 266
Language and Accuracy 269
Language and Public Speaking 270
Spoken Language Is More Interactive 271
Spoken Language Is More Casual 271
Spoken Language Is More Repetitive 272
16 Language and Style 273
Language That Creates Memorable Imagery 274
Simile 274
Metaphor 274
Personification 276
Language That Creates a Pleasing Rhythm 276
Parallelism 276
Repetition 277
Alliteration 278
Antithesis 278

PART 6 DELIVERY AND VISUAL AIDS 281


17 Methods of Delivery 284
Methods of Delivery 285
Extemporaneous Delivery 285
Impromptu Delivery 287
Manuscript Delivery 288
Memorized Delivery 290
Speakers as Listeners: Adapting to Your Audience 292
Audiences Who Are Uninterested 293
Audiences Who Are Distracted or Disruptive 293
Audiences Who Are Distracted by the Speaker 294
Audiences Who Are Confused 294
Audiences Who Plan Their Responses Rather
Than Listen 294
18 Verbal and Nonverbal Components of Delivery 296
Verbal Components of Delivery 296

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
CONTENTS xi

Volume 297
Rate 297
Pitch and Inflection 298
Pauses 299
Articulation 300
Pronunciation 301
Dialect 301
Nonverbal Components of Delivery 303
Personal Appearance 303
Eye Contact 304
Facial Expressions 305
Posture 306
Gestures 307
Proxemics 308
Rehearsing Your Speech 309
19 Visual Aids: Purposes and Contents 311
Why Visual Aids Are Important 312
Visual Aids Help Gain and Maintain
Audience Attention 312
Visual Aids Help Audiences Recall Information 312
Visual Aids Help Explain and Clarify Information 313
Visual Aids May Increase Persuasiveness
and Enhance Credibility 313
Visual Aids May Reduce Nervousness 313
What to Show on a Visual Aid 314
Lists 314
Charts 315
Graphs 316
Drawings 320
Photographs 321
Maps 322
Guidelines for Effective and Ethical Use of Visual Aids 324
Preparation Outline with Commentary: The Dun
Dun Drum by Joshua Valentine 326
20 Visual Aids: Types and Formats 331
Types of Visual Aids 332
Objects, Models, and Demonstrations 332
Handouts 334
Chalkboards and White Boards 336
Poster Boards and Flip Charts 337
Overhead Projectors 339
Photographic Slides 340
Videotapes and Audiotapes 341
PowerPoint and Other Computer-Projected
Presentations 342
Formats for Visual Aids 344
Font Style and Size 344
Color 346
Balance 348

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
xii CONTENTS

PART 7 TYPES OF SPEAKING 351


21 Informative Speaking 355
Types of Informative Speeches 356
Speeches About Processes 357
Speeches About Events 358
Speeches About Places and People 360
Speeches About Objects 361
Speeches About Concepts 362
Organizational Patterns for Informative Speeches 364
Chronological Pattern 364
Spatial Pattern 366
Causal Pattern 367
Topical Pattern 368
Guidelines for Giving Effective Informative Speeches 369
Bring Your Topic to Life 369
Tailor Your Information to Your Audience 370
Use Language That Is Clear and Unbiased 371
Ethical Informative Speaking 372
Preparation Outline with Commentary:
Tap by Rachel Rota 375

22 Invitational Speaking 380


The Invitational Speaking Environment 382
The Condition of Equality 384
The Condition of Value 385
The Condition of Self-Determination 385
Types of Invitational Speeches 386
Speeches to Articulate a Position 386
Speeches to Explore an Issue 389
Organizational Patterns for Invitational Speeches 392
Chronological Pattern 392
Spatial Pattern 394
Topical Pattern 395
Multiple Perspectives Pattern 396
Guidelines for Giving Effective Invitational Speeches 400
Know Your Position 400
Use Invitational Language 400
Allow Time for Discussion 401
Ethical Invitational Speaking 402
Student Speech with Commentary: Funding
for HIV/AIDS in Africa and the United States
by Amanda Bucknam 404

23 Persuasive Speaking 409


Types of Persuasive Speeches 410
Questions of Fact 411
Questions of Value 411
Questions of Policy 412
Organization of Speeches on Questions of Fact 412

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
CONTENTS xiii

Organization of Speeches on Questions of Value 414


Organization of Speeches on Questions of Policy 416
Problem-Solution Organization 417
Problem-Cause-Solution Organization 419
Comparative Advantages Organization 421
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence 423
Guidelines for Giving Effective Persuasive Speeches 424
Be Realistic About Changing Your Audience’s Views 424
Use Evidence Fairly and Strategically 425
Use Language That Encourages an Audience
to Change 428
Ethical Persuasive Speaking 429
Preparation Outline with Commentary: No Child
Left Behind: Addressing the School Dropout
Rate Among Latinos by Dana Barker 432

24 Persuasion and Reasoning 438


Evidence and Persuasion 440
Use Specific Evidence 440
Present Novel Information 440
Use Credible Sources 441
Credibility and Persuasion 442
Types of Credibility 443
Enhancing Your Credibility 444
Emotion and Persuasion 447
Stay Audience Centered 448
Use Vivid Language 450
Balance Emotion and Reason 451
Mythos and Persuasion 452
A Part of the Story Can Tell the Whole Story 453
Mythos Has a Logic 453
Different Cultures Have Different Myths 455
Fallacies 456
Ad Hominem: Against the Person 456
Bandwagon: Everyone Else Agrees 457
Either-Or: A False Dilemma 457
Red Herring: Raising an Irrelevant Issue 458
Slippery Slope: The Second Step Is Inevitable 459
Preparation Outline with Commentary: You
Have My Deepest Sympathy: You Just Won
the Lottery by Maria DiMaggio 461

PART 8 SPEAKING IN SPECIFIC CONTEXTS 467


25 Speaking on Special Occasions 470
Speeches of Introduction 471
Be Brief 472
Be Accurate 473
Be Appropriate 473
Speeches of Commemoration 474

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
xiv CONTENTS

Share What Is Unique and Special 477


Express Sincere Appreciation 477
Tell the Truth 478
Speeches of Acceptance 478
Understand the Purpose of the Award 479
Recognize Others 479
Respect the Time Limitations 480
Speeches to Entertain 480
Use Humor Carefully 483
Speak About Meaningful Issues 483
Pay Careful Attention to Your Delivery 484
Preparation Outline with Commentary: My
Grandfather, John Flanagan Sr. by
Tara Flanagan 485

26 Speaking in Small Groups 488


What Are Small Groups? 489
Why Do People Speak in Small Groups? 490
Deciding to Speak in Groups 490
Being Asked to Speak in Groups 490
Being Required to Speak in Groups 491
Formats for Small Group Speaking 491
Oral Reports 491
Panel Discussions 492
Symposiums 493
Team Presentations 493
Problem-Solving Sessions 494
Meetings 496
Question-and-Answer Sessions in Small Group Formats 498
Expectations About Speaker-Audience Discussions 499
Preparing for Questions 501
Managing the Question-and-Answer Session 502
Guidelines for Speaking Effectively and Ethically
in Small Groups 505
Consider the Group’s Purpose and Audience When
Selecting a Presentation Format 505
Use Appropriate Delivery Style and Skills 505
Organize Your Presentation 505
Use Effective Visual Aids as Needed 506

Appendix B: Recording Your Research Sources B-1

Glossary G-1

Notes N-1

Index I-1

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
PREFACE

Our best public speaking courses focus their efforts and energies on
teaching students the skills needed to speak effectively in public settings.
To accomplish this goal, public speaking texts follow a familiar and
practical framework that teaches students to give informative, persuasive,
and special occasion speeches. Public speaking texts are designed to expose
students to the wide array of steps and components involved in public
speaking and to allow students to practice these various elements in the
classroom.
Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook not only grounds itself in
this successful approach but expands it to focus on public speaking as
public dialogue, encouraging students to see themselves as significant
contributors to their larger communities. In this expanded context, public
speaking reflects the many changes that have been taking place in our
communities and our larger society; changes that call for public dialogue
and an exploration of the many perspectives offered on a number of
important topics (Ellinor & Gerard, 1998). When framed as a public
dialogue, public speaking emphasizes the right to be heard and the
responsibility to listen to others (Public Dialogue Consortium, 1998).
Thus, Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook explores public speaking in
relation to a modern definition of eloquence, in which differences, civility,
narratives, visual aids, and even self-disclosure play a larger role than they
tend to in traditional rhetoric.
Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook encourages students to see
public speaking as a meaningful and useful skill beyond the classroom
setting by expanding the range of venues for public speaking. The text
prompts students to speak not only in required classroom speaking
situations, but also when they are asked to do so (for example, in the
workplace) and when they decide to do so (perhaps as voices of their
communities). Thus, the text exposes them to the wide range of situations
that cause us to assume the public platform and contribute to the public
dialogue. It also allows instructors, if they desire, to incorporate a service
learning component into their course without preventing them from
teaching public speaking using the familiar required speech format.
Additionally, the text’s pragmatic approach—in combination with
numerous dynamic, real-life examples—allows working students to design
speeches with their employment settings in mind.
Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook also frames the act of speaking
in public to emphasize the ethical and audience-centered nature of

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
xvi PREFACE

public speaking. Throughout the text, students are reminded that they
speak to and for an audience, and they are encouraged to consider this
audience at every step of the speechmaking process. This audience-
centered approach reminds students of the responsibilities associated
with speaking publicly and the importance of advance planning and
preparation. It also eases some of the familiar speech anxiety students
have, because it turns their attention toward speech preparation and
effective communication with others and away from the performance
aspect of public speaking.
Most existing texts focus primarily on informational and persuasive
speaking, often also preparing students to give speeches that entertain or
celebrate others. Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook includes this focus
but also introduces students to invitational speaking, a type of speaking
that is becoming increasingly common. In invitational speaking, speakers
enter into a dialogue with an audience in order to clarify positions, explore
issues and ideas, or share beliefs and values. When we speak to invite,
we want to set the stage for open dialogue and exploration of ideas and
issues—we want to come to a fuller understanding of an issue, regardless
of our different positions. This speech type is introduced early in the text,
when other speech types are defined and discussed, and is included in
discussions of the speechmaking process throughout the text.
Finally, Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook emphasizes
interconnections not only among each of the components of the
speechmaking process but also between the speaker and the audience.
In this way, the text helps students view public speaking as a layering of
skills and issues rather than as a series of actions existing in isolation.
Although the speaking process is presented systematically and in
discrete steps, the end result is a smooth integration of material and
speaking techniques. Additionally, the text’s audience-centered approach,
focus on ethics, and thorough integration of diversity help students
better understand their audiences so they can establish credibility and
communicate effectively.

Features of This Handbook


Easy-to-Use Handbook Format
Adapted from the third edition of the Invitation to Public Speaking
textbook, this handbook offers a handy alternative for public speaking
classes and a reference for speakers outside the classroom. Several features
specific to the Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook make it an easy-to-
use tool: The handbook is divided into color-coded sections that allow

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
PREFACE xvii

readers to easily find the information they’re looking for. Each chapter
stands on its own and so, if desired, can be referenced only when needed.
Checklists, tips, and highlighted content throughout the book provide
quick, accessible advice. And the titles of the key speeches and feature
boxes in the handbook are listed on the inside back cover so readers can
find and use them quickly and easily.

Extensive Coverage of Civility and Civic Engagement


By emphasizing the “how” and the “why” of public speaking, Invitation to
Public Speaking Handbook demonstrates the impact that participating in
the public dialogue can have on students’ lives and on the communities
in which they live. Civility and the importance of civic engagement are
emphasized throughout the handbook. For example, Civic Engagement
in Action boxes, featured at the beginning of each part, highlight the ways
in which students, average citizens, and celebrities have used their public
speaking skills to affect the public dialogue in meaningful and satisfying
ways. Students can look to these vignettes as examples of how to apply
public speaking and civic engagement to their own lives as they become
more active members of their communities. The text’s thoughtful attention
to these issues continually reminds students of the important role that
public speaking plays in our diverse society.

Focus on Skills and Confidence-Building


Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook prepares students to give speeches
and enter the public dialogue confidently via a solid, pragmatic, skills-
based foundation in public speaking. Skills and confidence-building are
emphasized right from the beginning, with an overview of the public
speaking process (Chapter 2, “Entering the Public Dialogue: Your
First Speech”) and a discussion of practical strategies for dealing with
public speaking anxiety (Chapter 3, “Coping with Speech Anxiety”).
Continuing through Chapter 20, “Visual Aids: Types and Formats,”
each chapter guides students through specific speech construction,
delivery, or strategy steps. The text provides straightforward instruction
in speechmaking that is based on the author’s classroom experience
and knowledge of students’ expectations for skill training. Speech
models included throughout the text are consistent with the principles
presented.
Speech Checklist boxes in each chapter highlight key skills that
students can apply directly to their own speeches, such as how to evaluate
Internet sources. And Speech Tip boxes throughout the text highlight
useful suggestions, such as tips for brainstorming speech topics.

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
xviii PREFACE

In addition, Appendix A, “Building Skills and Confidence,” appearing


near the beginning of the handbook as a homework resource, offers
chapter-by-chapter opportunities to build skills via key concepts review,
Practicing the Public Dialogue activities, interactive video activities, and
Web Connect resources. Designed specifically for skill-building, the
Practicing the Public Dialogue activities frame and highlight critical
instructions, exposing students to each component of the speechmaking
process and giving them strategies for tackling the informative,
invitational, persuasive, special occasion, and group speeches found in
Chapters 21 through 26. Homework icons throughout the text let students
know which of these resources in Appendix A apply to the concepts they’re
learning.

Speaking Venues and Service Learning


Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook covers a variety of speaking
venues and provides ample opportunity to incorporate a service learning
component into the course. The text’s flexible organization allows
instructors who do not want to include service learning to easily maintain
the traditional classroom-based speaking situation throughout the term.
Chapter 1, “Why Speak in Public?” offers students a comprehensive
view of public speaking as public dialogue and discusses speaking when
someone is asked to speak, decides to speak, or is required to speak. This
allows students and instructors to step outside the speech classroom
if they desire and take the public speaking skills taught and learned in
the classroom into their communities. If they choose to stay with the
traditional classroom speech format, the service learning information can
be used to prompt students to select and deliver speeches that address
larger social issues and dilemmas.
Public Speaking and Service Learning: Engaging Community boxes
appear in the online resources for the handbook. Based on actual projects,
these narratives reinforce for students the role and power of public
speaking outside the classroom and in the public dialogue. The Instructor’s
Manual for Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook provides a definition of
service learning and instruction for how to use service learning projects as
a source for speech topics, speech research, and possibly an environment
for delivery.
Additionally, Speaking at Work boxes throughout the handbook
highlight concepts students can apply to a very specific speaking venue,
the workplace. Topics featured in these boxes include the importance
of listening in the workplace, the necessity of adapting speeches to
involuntary workplace audiences, and the variety of informative speeches
that speakers typically give at work.

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
PREFACE xix

Expansive Coverage of Speech Types


Some courses emphasize particular speech types, but Invitation to
Public Speaking Handbook was specifically developed to cover and
support the entire array of public speaking types. The text’s coverage
of multiple speaking forms invites students to discuss audience
centeredness and difference, as well as the ways in which speakers can
acknowledge, incorporate, and respond to difference with respect and
integrity.
Beginning in Chapter 2, “Entering the Public Dialogue: Your First
Speech,” the text presents a synopsis of five types of speaking: informative,
invitational, persuasive, speaking on special occasions, and speaking in
small groups. Each type of speech previewed in Chapter 2 is covered in
depth in Chapters 21 through 26 and is given equal attention with regard
to examples and tips in Chapters 3 through 20, furthering the text’s goal
of preparing readers for public speaking in a range of venues beyond the
classroom.
The text features several full-length student speeches, presented
as either a transcript, a preparation outline, or a speaking outline
so that students can read the speeches in a variety of formats.
These and several additional speeches are included in the Invitation
to Public Speaking Handbook interactive video activities. All the full-
length interactive video activities are accompanied by a transcript, a
preparation outline, a speaking outline, sample note cards, and critical
thinking questions. In addition, the interactive video activities feature
dozens of clips of specific speech elements that students can read,
watch, and critique.

Coverage of Social Diversity


Through reviewer-praised examples and discussion of key concepts, the
text makes a comprehensive yet subtle integration of diversity. Invitation
to Public Speaking Handbook offers meaningful coverage of diversity by
exploring culture and speaking styles, culture and listening styles, speaking
to diverse audiences, and language and culture.
Rather than isolate issues of diversity into separate chapters, Invitation
to Public Speaking Handbook presents ideas and issues of diversity in
examples, discussions, Speaking Across Differences boxes, activities, and
exercises throughout the text. In the process, the text provides sufficient
information so that instructors do not need to do additional research in
order to have meaningful conversations with their students. This “learn-
as-you-go” approach benefits students and instructors as they add to their
layers of knowledge about diversity.

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
xx PREFACE

Coverage of Ethics
Ethical issues are discussed throughout the text to help students
understand how ethical considerations affect every aspect of the
speechmaking process. For example, the importance of practicing ethics
in regard to listening, Internet research, interviewing, reasoning, citing
sources, and in informative, invitational, and persuasive speaking are
covered thoroughly. In addition, select chapters of this edition feature
Ethical Moment boxes, which highlight well-known ethical dilemmas
related to the public dialogue.

Coverage of Reasoning
The text emphasizes the important skill of reasoning in informative,
invitational, and persuasive speaking situations. Chapter 14, “Introduction
to Reasoning,” encourages students to recognize the validity of sound
reasoning and evidence in any speaking context, while Chapter 24,
“Persuasion and Reasoning,” provides superior coverage of the critical
importance of sound reasoning in persuasion.

Resources for Students


Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook features an outstanding array of
supplements to assist in making this course as meaningful and effective as
possible.
• The Premium Website for Invitation to Public Speaking
Handbook provides students with one-stop access to all the
integrated technology resources that accompany the handbook.
These resources include an enhanced eBook, Audio Study Tools
chapter downloads, Speech Builder Express™ 3.0, InfoTrac College
Edition, Public Speaking and Service Learning: Engaging Community
vignettes, interactive versions of the Practicing the Public Dialogue
activities, interactive video activities, Web Connect links, and self-
assessments. All resources are mapped to show both key discipline
learning concepts as well as specific chapter learn lists.
Note to faculty: If you want your students to have access to the
online resources for this handbook, please be sure to order them for
your course. The content in these resources can be bundled with every
new copy of the text or ordered separately. If you do not order them,
your students will not have access to the online resources. Contact your
local Wadsworth Cengage Learning sales representative for more details.
• Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook interactive video
activities feature 75 video examples of student and professional

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
PREFACE xxi

speeches, in full-length and clip form. This multimedia tool helps


students prepare for their own speech performances and provide
effective feedback to their peers by evaluating and critiquing
introductory, informative, invitational, persuasive, and special occasion
speeches. Students can compare their evaluation with the author’s and,
if requested, submit their response electronically to their instructor.
• Many of the Practicing the Public Dialogue activities can be completed
with Speech Builder Express 3.0 organization and outlining
program. This interactive Web-based tool coaches students through the
speech organization and outlining process. By completing interactive
sessions, students can prepare and save their outlines—including a
plan for visual aids and a works cited section—formatted according
to the principles presented in the text. Text models reinforce students’
interactive practice.
• InfoTrac College Edition with InfoMarks. This virtual library
features more than 18 million reliable, full-length articles from
5,000 academic and popular periodicals that can be retrieved almost
instantly. They also have access to InfoMarks—stable URLs that can
be linked to articles, journals, and searches to save valuable time when
doing research—and to the InfoWrite online resource center, where
students can access grammar help, critical thinking guidelines, guides
to writing research papers, and much more.
• Audio Study Tools for Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook.
This text’s mobile content provides a fun and easy way for students
to review chapter content whenever and wherever. For each chapter
of the text, students will have access to a brief speech example and
a five- to seven-minute review consisting of a brief summary of the
main points in the text and five to seven review questions. Students
can purchase the Audio Study Tools for Invitation to Public Speaking
Handbook through iChapters (see below) and download files to their
computers, iPods, or other MP3 players.
• Cengage Learning Enhanced eBook. This version of the handbook
is a Web-based, multimedia text that offers ease of use and maximum
flexibility for students who want to create their own learning
experience. The enhanced eBook includes advanced book tools such
as a hypertext index, bookmarking, easy highlighting, and faster
searching, easy navigation, and a vibrant Web-based format. Students
get access to the enhanced eBook with the printed text, or they can
just purchase access to the stand-alone enhanced eBook.
• Speech Studio Online Video Upload and Grading Program.
Speech Studio improves the learning comprehension of your public

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
xxii PREFACE

speaking students. This unique resource empowers instructors with a


new assessment capability that is applicable for traditional, online, and
hybrid courses. With Speech Studio, students can upload video files
of practice speeches or final performances, comment on their peers’
speeches, and review their grades and instructor feedback. Instructors
create courses and assignments, comment on and grade student
speeches with a library of comments and grading rubrics, and allow
peer review. Grades flow into a gradebook that allows instructors to
easily manage their course from within Speech Studio.
• iChapters.com. This online store provides students with exactly
what they’ve been asking for: choice, convenience, and savings. A 2005
research study by the National Association of College Stores indicates
that as many as 60 percent of students do not purchase all required
course material; however, those who do are more likely to succeed.
This research also tells us that students want the ability to purchase
“à la carte” course material in the format that suits them best.
Accordingly, iChapters.com is the only online store that offers eBooks
at up to 50 percent off, eChapters for as low as $1.99 each, and new
textbooks at up to 25 percent off, plus up to 25 percent off print and
digital supplements that can help improve student performance.
• ABC News DVD: Speeches by Barack Obama. This DVD includes
nine famous speeches by President Barack Obama, from 2004 to the
present day, including his speech at the 2004 Democratic National
Convention; his 2008 speech on race, “A More Perfect Union”; and
his 2009 inaugural address. Speeches are divided into short video
segments for easy, time-efficient viewing. This instructor supplement
also features critical thinking questions and answers for each speech,
designed to spark class discussion.
• ABC News DVDs: Public Speaking. With a combination of ABC
News clips, famous speeches from the last 35 years, and presidential
campaign footage, these DVDs provide instructors with informative
and historic footage to use within the classroom. The DVDs feature
news video, including a Ted Koppel interview with a panel of White
House speechwriters talking about how Presidents Bill Clinton and
George W. Bush prepared for their speeches; speeches such as Al Gore’s
address to NYU about global climate change, Margaret Thatcher’s
eulogy at Ronald Reagan’s funeral, and Lee Bollinger’s introduction
for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Columbia University;
and presidential campaign footage such as Barack Obama’s and Mitt
Romney’s presidential announcements, John McCain’s address to the
Values Voter Summit, and the 2008 Republican and Democratic debates.

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
PREFACE xxiii

• BBC News and CBS News DVD: Speech Communication.


This DVD provides footage of famous historical and contemporary
public speeches, as well as clips that relate to current topics in speech
communication. Available Spring 2010.
• Special-Topic Instructor’s Manuals. Written by Deanna Sellnow,
University of Kentucky, these three brief manuals provide instructor
resources for teaching public speaking online, with a service-learning
approach, and with a problem-based learning approach that focuses
on critical thinking and teamwork skills. Each manual includes
course syllabi; icebreakers; information about learning cycles and
learning styles; and public speaking basics such as coping with anxiety,
outlining, and speaking ethically.
• A Guide to the Basic Course for ESL Students. This item can be
bundled and is designed to assist the nonnative speaker. The Guide
features FAQs, helpful URLs, and strategies for accent management
and speech apprehension.
• Service Learning in Communication Studies: A Handbook. An
invaluable resource for students in the basic course that integrates,
or will soon integrate, a service learning component. This handbook
provides guidelines for connecting service learning work with
classroom concepts and advice for working effectively with agencies
and organizations. It also provides model forms and reports and a
directory of online resources.

Resources for Instructors


Invitation to Public Speaking Handbook also features a full suite of resources
for instructors. To evaluate any of these instructor or student resources,
please contact your local Wadsworth Cengage Learning representative for
an examination copy, contact our Academic Resource Center at 800-423-
0563, or visit us at http://www.cengage.com.
• Instructor’s Resource Manual, by Cindy L. Griffin, Linda
Scholz, and Jennifer Emerling Bone, all of Colorado State University.
The Instructor’s Resource Manual provides a comprehensive teaching
system. Included in the manual are suggested public speaking
assignments and criteria for evaluation, chapter outlines, and in-class
activities. The manual also includes Public Speaking and Service
Learning: Engaging Community vignettes. Based on actual projects,
these narratives reinforce for students the role and power of public
speaking outside the classroom and in the public dialogue. In addition,

Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Louie's
married life
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Louie's married life

Author: Sarah Doudney

Illustrator: W. Rainey

Release date: April 26, 2024 [eBook #73473]

Language: English

Original publication: London: S. W. Partridge & Co, 1894

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOUIE'S


MARRIED LIFE ***
Transcriber's note: Unusual and inconsistent spelling is
as printed.

THERE WAS SOMETHING IMPOSING


AND SUMPTUOUS ABOUT HER BEAUTY.
LOUIE'S MARRIED LIFE

BY

SARAH DOUDNEY

AUTHOR OF "WHEN WE TWO PARTED," "WHERE THE DEW FALLS IN


LONDON,"
"A ROMANCE OF LINCOLN'S INN," ETC.

ILLUSTRATED BY W. RAINEY, R. I.

LONDON

S. W. PARTRIDGE & CO.

8 & 9 PATERNOSTER ROW.


CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

I. BEGINNING

II. LOOKING BACK

III. INEZ

IV. RONALD

V. RECOVERY

VI. THE GUITAR

VII. JARS

VIII. MARIAN

IX. GOING OUT

X. SHADOWS DEEPEN
XI. POISONED WORDS

XII. JEALOUSY

XIII. ANGUISH

XIV. STRICKEN

XV. FLIGHT

XVI. A FEVERISH DREAM

XVII. AWAKING

XVIII. HEART TO HEART

XIX. THE OLD ALBUM

XX. THE JEWELS

XXI. CLOSING WORDS


LOUIE'S MARRIED LIFE

CHAPTER I.
BEGINNING.

"Sweetheart, sweetheart," I hear the two clear


notes,
And see the sunlight shining through the shower;
"Sweetheart," how faintly from the meadow floats
The early fragrance of the cuckoo-flower!
The wind is keen, and April skies are grey;
But love can wait till rain-clouds break apart;
And still the bird sings through the longest day;
"Sweetheart,
sweetheart."

When lives are true, the springtide never dies,


When souls are one, the love-notes never cease;
Our bird sings on beneath the cloudy skies,
Our little world is full of light and peace;
Fresh as the breath of violets new-born
Comes the sweet thought to hearts that cannot part,
"After the night of weeping breaks the morn,
"Sweetheart,
sweetheart."

SURELY no one would ever believe that this song was


written by a Londoner, and yet I, who wrote it, am a
Londoner in heart and soul. But I was born far away in the
country, and all the familiar sights and sounds of old days
lend themselves to my rhymes, so that I oftener sing of
fields, and birds, and flowers, than of those things which
are always before my eyes. Moreover, as all authors know,
it is sometimes easier to write of the unseen than of the
seen, and these home fields of mine have borrowed much
of their beauty from the glamour of distance.

It is because this tale is called "Louie's Married Life,"


that I shall give you my songs. They were all written for
Ronald to sing to the accompaniment of his guitar; and if it
had not been for Ronald, I hardly think that they would ever
have been written at all. For if I had married somebody else
(as I nearly did, once upon a time), this little flame of song
which is in me would have been extinguished altogether,
and I should have become the dullest woman in the world.
These songs are a part of my life as a wife.

I daresay, however, that many people have wasted a


great deal of pity on the wife of Ronald Hepburne; and if
they do not openly point at the lines on my forehead and
the crow's feet at the corners of my eyes, they convey by
looks and tones their deep distress on seeing my altered
appearance. I admit that they have every possible right to
indulge in polite lamentations. Never having been a buxom
woman, I had not much flesh to lose; and nursing through
long days, and watching through longer nights, have left
upon me certain traces which are not likely to be effaced,
even in this present time of peace.

When I wrote the foregoing little song, it was early in an


April morning; the only sunbeams that I could see were
shining on brick walls, blackened with smoke; and the only
sky that I could see was a patch of pale blue above the
chimney-tops. But, as I lifted my head from my pillow, a
feeling of unutterable gratitude thrilled me through and
through: it was the last night that we should ever spend in
that dreary London room, and Ronald had been sleeping
soundly and long. Weeping may endure for a night (and
with me it had endured for many nights), but joy cometh in
the morning.

I thought of all the other watchers in the crowded


houses around me, of mothers counting the hours by the
beds of sick children, of wives who had agonised as I had
done and prayed as I had prayed; and then, as I looked at
Ronald's face, in the dim dawn, I began to recall the note of
an early bird in my old country home—and so the song was
made.

We had only been married six months when Ronald was


stricken with fever. First a slight cold, a few days of languor
and depression, and then, before I had had time to realise
the danger, he was face to face with death. So the battle for
life was fought and won in the dark chamber of a London
lodging, and on that April morning I was tasting the first
sweets of the great deliverance.

But when with a great effort he rose from the bed


whereon he had lain for weeks, I almost feared that the
conflict was about to begin again. He had never answered
to the popular notion of a fine, handsome man (and I must
needs say here that I have no fancy for burly men), yet I
had not thought it possible that he could become so fragile,
so spectre-like, as he now appeared. Mine is, I suppose, a
transparent character, for Ronald always reads my thoughts
at a glance; and as his eyes met mine, he gave me a
reassuring smile.

"Never fear, Louie," he said, cheerfully. "I shall grow


more substantial by-and-by." And then, touching my thin
arm, he added, with a sadder look, "I am afraid, poor child,
that you have thrown your own strength away in trying to
save mine."

"I'm very strong," I answered, buttoning his great-coat


with vigorous fingers. "The cab will be here in a minute, and
we have no time to spend in bemoaning our leanness. Are
you not very glad, Ronald, to leave this dismal old sick room
fer ever and ever?"

But, even while I spoke, there flitted across my brain a


faint foreshadowing of a time when the memory of that dim
little room would become painfully dear. The feeling passed
as quickly as it came, and I drew the folds of Ronald's
wrapper over his mouth to guard him from the chilly wind of
spring. Then the cab came up to the door, and we stood at
the window to watch the disposal of our luggage on the
roof.

"The guitar will go inside," said I to the servant.

So the guitar was carried out in its case and deposited


on the front seat, and Ronald followed, so slowly and feebly
that my heart ached to see him. I was the last to get in;
and so we turned our backs upon that dreary house where
we had suffered the sharpest sorrow that we had ever yet
known.

The drive to our new abode was not a long one; and as
it was fated that we were to meet with a disaster, it was
well that it did not come upon us until we were very near
our home. As we turned sharply out of Welbeck Street
another cab came smashing into ours, and we were
overturned in a moment. Assistance was soon forthcoming;
the two drivers exchanged compliments after the manner of
their kind; ready helpers collected our boxes, and placed
us, quite unharmed, in another vehicle; in short, it was one
of those "marvellous escapes" of which one hears so much,
and there was only one thing belonging to us which was
much the worse for the accident.

And that one thing was Ronald's guitar.

Until I was fairly inside our new rooms, I did not realise
that the poor guitar was completely done for, and then I
confess I shed some very bitter tears. Our new landlady
(who had been a dear old nurse of mine) was much amazed
and scandalised by my excessive grief, and instantly fell to
reproving me as she had done in the days of my childhood.

"I'm astonished at you, Miss Louie," said she, forgetting


my matronly dignity. "If your husband's bones had been
smashed, you couldn't have made a greater fuss, and all
about a musical instrument of no account whatever! A
pianner, now, would be worth crying over, but there never
was much noise to be got out of that poor silly stringed
thing."

I am quick of temper, and I felt very much inclined to


slap nurse at that moment.
"Go away," I said, crying anew. "You never can
understand how dear that guitar is to me. I first f-f-fell in
love with Ronald when he was playing upon it."

"What a fool I be!" soliloquised nurse, smiling. "I might


have known as much. Why, I remember that I took a fancy
to my old man when he was blowing his flute; and yet most
folks say that a flute's dreadfully disfiguring to the
countenance."

After that I kissed nurse, and she went off cheerfully to


prepare our seven o'clock dinner, while I took my way to
our little sitting-room. Finding Ronald lying tranquilly on an
old-fashioned sofa, and looking a trifle more like his old self,
my spirits rose again, and I began to feel myself a happy
woman.

Most Londoners are well enough acquainted with Chapel


Place—that convenient little alley which runs from Oxford
Street into Henrietta Street, Cavendish Square—and it was
in Chapel Place that we, a lonely pair of lovebirds, had now
found a settled nest. Our rooms were on the ground-floor,
and we looked out upon the grey stone wall of the great
post-office, and were thankful for any "small mercies"
vouchsafed us by stray sunbeams.

And yet, from that very first afternoon in nurse's house,


I felt that here was to be the truest and happiest home that
I had ever known. I watched the pigeons fluttering softly
about the east gable of St. Peter's Church, and saw the faint
crescent of the new moon rise above the house-roofs, and
show its pale golden outline against a background of misty
lilac sky. And Ronald, languid but content, studied my
brightened face, and lazily whispered that I was once more
like the girl he had wooed two years ago.
When I read a novel, I always make a point of skipping
the explanations, and now that I am writing a story I shall
endeavour to explain as little as I can, and to leave as much
as possible to the instincts of my intelligent readers. It is
necessary, however, that I should briefly state how I came
to know Ronald Hepburn, and who and what my husband
was.

First of all, let me say that he was a soldier, sprung


from a long line of soldiers who had fought and served in
India. In India he was born, and when I met him, he had
just been invalided home and had left the service. You have
only to stroll into the neighbourhood of the best clubs and
you will see dozens of men exactly like him any day. He was
not in any way remarkable, and he had never been
handsome, but he possessed a certain indolent grace of
manner and bearing—a certain air of high breeding and
perfect repose, which are attractions in the eyes of some
women. After saying all this, I have merely to add that I like
high breeding and repose, and it was therefore not
surprising, perhaps, if Ronald Hepburne succeeded, pretty
easily, in fascinating me.
CHAPTER II.
LOOKING BACK.

I HAD grown-up, a penniless little orphan, in my uncle's


quiet country cottage, and when he died, I knew not where
to look for another home. He had commended me to the
care of his oldest friend, the rector of the parish, and had
left me all that he had to leave—a thousand pounds and his
blessing. The rector was a good man and a wise; he
invested my small fortune to the best advantage, and sent
me up to town to be the protégée and companion of his
widowed sister, Lady Waterville.

It had seemed to me a hard thing that nurse, who had


been my loving tyrant from baby-hood, should have left me
just twelve months before my uncle's death. After years of
comfortable widowhood, she had yielded to the prayers of
an old admirer, whose liking for her comely, rustic face had
survived through many chances and changes. And so, with
tears, she had taken leave of my uncle and me, and had
gone off with her husband to his London home, little
thinking how soon I was destined to follow her.
Lady Waterville was very stout, very amiable, and
indescribably lazy. I have said "indescribably," because no
word in any language would ever completely express that
wonderful indolence of hers. Many people are sufficiently
ashamed of their idleness to veil it under pretty shams of
work; but Lady Waterville never was ashamed in the least.
She was uncompromisingly honest, and would plainly admit
that anything in the shape of an occupation was hateful to
her. The world was far too busy, she declared; as for
herself, it had not pleased a kind Providence to give her a
vocation, and she did not mean to thwart its designs by
trying to find employment.

"Here I sit," she would say, "with my idle hands before


me, and even Satan himself has never found any mischief
for them to do. So Dr. Watts is not infallible, my dear."

In one of his stories, Mr. Wilkie Collins has introduced us


to a lady who sat through life, and she must certainly have
borne a strong resemblance to Lady Waterville. Strange as
it may seem, this sitting existence appeared to agree with
her extremely well; and, despite her obesity, she was a
pretty old woman, with an open, good-tempered face, and
soft hair which was a mixture of silver and gold. I have
heard Ronald say that she always reminded him of an
immense doll, smiling fatuously upon you through its glass
window, untouched by any human ills, unaltered by the
lapse of time. But although she was not blessed (or cursed)
with any deep feelings, she was very comfortable to live
with, and unvarying in her kindness to me.

Her husband, Sir Clement Waterville, had been knighted


for his services in India; and, having done with the army, he
had settled himself in an old house in George Street,
Hanover Square. There his widow was still living when I
came up to town to be her companion, and there she
continued to live to the end of her days.

The house was let on a long lease at two hundred and


sixty pounds a year, and was the property of Ronald
Hepburne. It was the only property that he possessed, and
it had been left to him by his aunt, Inez Greystock, who had
perished in the Indian Mutiny.

Sir Clement Waterville and Colonel Greystock (the


husband of Inez) had been intimate friends in India; and so
it came to pass that Ronald became acquainted with the
Watervilles, and continued to visit the widow after Sir
Clement's death.

Lady Waterville did not receive many visitors, as she


hated the trouble of entertaining; but any one who had
been liked by her husband was welcomed to her house; and
there were two young men in whom Sir Clement had taken
an especial interest. These two were William Greystock and
Ronald Hepburne.

Colonel Greystock had survived his wife many years; he


had never had any children, and William, his nephew, had
taken the place of a son. Through his influence, William had
obtained a Government appointment in India, and had
inherited all that his uncle had to leave. When I came to live
with Lady Waterville, the colonel had been dead some time;
and William, a single man, was living comfortably on his
means.

"William Greystock would be a good match for you,


Louie," said Lady Waterville one day.

How well I remember that day! It was May time; the


drawing-room was sweet with flowers, and through the
open windows came the first warm breath of summer. We
sat with a little tea-table between us; the clocks were just
striking four, and the sunshine lay brightly on the old street
and square. I had been in town three months, and my ears
had grown accustomed to the ceaseless roll of wheels; the
noises that had seemed deafening at first were pleasant
now, and I had already begun to love that loud hum of
unresting life which is still dear to me.

Not being in the least in awe of Lady Waterville, I never


hesitated to speak my mind.

"I don't like Mr. Greystock much," I said, frankly.

"You might like him better, if he were to pay you


particular attentions, my dear."

"I don't think I should. I liked our curate very much


indeed until he became particularly attentive, and then I
turned against him in the most extraordinary way. If I could
have married him I would, just to please my uncle and the
rector."

"So you are not quite such 'an unlesson'd girl' as I


supposed," said Lady Waterville, surveying me with a
benign smile. "You have had a lover; but as he didn't
succeed, I think he must have played his cards very badly."

"He played them well enough, I believe," I replied,


smiling at the remembrance of sundry proofs of devotion.

"I don't mean that he was not in earnest." The widow


was still smiling at me across her teacup. "But he must
have been terribly deficient in tact. You were in the dullest
of country places; you saw nobody, and went nowhere.
Under such circumstances, I don't see how any decent man
could have failed to win you. My brother used to be rather
fastidious about curates, so I suppose your admirer was
presentable."

"Decidedly presentable and good-looking; but I got tired


of him and his face."

"What was the matter with his face?"

"Nothing; but it was a face that had no story in it."

Lady Waterville held out her cup for more cream, and
then looked at me with a slight shake of the head.

"I know you now," she said. "Louie, you are just the
kind of girl who will marry badly or not marry at all."

I laughed gaily.

"What an awful prophecy, Lady Waterville!" I cried.

"Do you know what it is that writes the story on a man's


face?" she went on. "I will tell you—folly, extravagance, sin,
and bitter repentance."

I grew graver as I listened. Was she thinking of the very


face that I was silently picturing at that moment? Despite
her laziness, Lady Waterville possessed the faculty of
observation; perhaps she saw all the more of life because
she was wholly unoccupied. Her eyes were always at
liberty; never being bent on crewelwork or patchwork, they
studied human countenances in a leisurely fashion, and it is
possible that they discovered a good many little secrets. I
felt my cheeks beginning to burn.

"Give me another cup of tea, my dear," she said,


speaking in quite a different tone. "The last was not sweet
enough. How well those buttercups suit you!"

You might also like