Page:The Rejuvenation Of Miss Semaphore.pdf/53

 chance that her acquaintances might see this veracious history, we should hesitate to set her fancies down, and this for two reasons. First, because Miss Semaphore herself would be confused and confounded to a painful degree, and this, as she is an excellent if somewhat hard woman, we have no wish to bring about. Second, because her sister and friends would write lengthy and indignant letters denying our statements, and citing her reputation for propriety, not to say rigidity, of conduct, and her severely religious tone, her want of sympathy with flightiness of any kind, as proof positive that she never could, would, or should have thought what we assert was in her mind.

Fortunately we need not fear either danger, and so in all truthfulness may state exactly what Miss Semaphore hoped to do with her renewed youth.

In her secret soul she had come to think that it was rather a pity she had not had a past to reflect upon. She had gathered no roses while she might. She had been only too well brought up, and she was determined, en tout bien et en tout honneur be it understood, to change all that. Someone has said, il n'y a aucune austerité supérieure qui ne