Her own Way by Eglanton Thorne

"WHAT shall we do this afternoon, uncle?"

"Whatever you please, my dear. I am at your service entirely."

Juliet's eyes brightened. She leaned nearer to her uncle as he sat in his easy-chair, and laid her hand with a pretty caressing movement on his shoulder. Such spontaneous expressions of affection, which she gave with the grace and freedom of a child, were delightful to him. His niece was spending the day with him at the comfortable chambers in Bloomsbury in which he had established himself when he returned to town in the autumn. He lived there very quietly, spending much of his time amongst the books in the British Museum; but it was an understood thing between them that when Juliet came to see him he must devote himself to her entertainment, and he thoroughly enjoyed the hours he spent with her in sight-seeing and other forms of diversion.

"Oh, uncle, there is such a lovely concert at the Crystal Palace this afternoon. Adelina Patti is to sing. Oh, I should so like to hear her!"

"Have you never heard her sing?"

"Never. I have never heard anyone. I never go anywhere," said Juliet plaintively. "Hannah and Salome always think it wrong to take any pleasure and I cannot go to places by myself."

"Poor child! You are hardly used," said her uncle, with a merry twinkle in his eyes; "but now let me hear more about this concert. How would it do if I were to take you?"

"Oh, uncle! Will you really? How lovely! There is nothing I should like so much. Oh, it is good of you. And afterwards the fountains will be illuminated, and there will be splendid fireworks. Oh, I shall enjoy it!"

"But, my dear, if we stayed to see the fireworks, you would not get home till very late, and your mother would be alarmed," said her uncle.

"Oh, of course, I must send her a telegram," was Juliet's prompt reply. "And there is a little room, half-way up the stairs, which Mrs. Carroll lets sometimes. She showed it to me the last time I was here. The best plan would be for me to sleep there to-night. You would not care to take me home so late."

Assuredly he would not. But was there ever such a little puss for getting her own way? How quick she was to foresee and provide against every objection that might be made to that which she proposed!

So to the Crystal Palace they went that afternoon. The popular resort of Londoners was a novel place to Juliet, and it was many years since Mr. Tracy had visited it. They were able to see a good deal of its beauties ere it was time to take their places for the concert. Mr. Tracy did not mind paying a handsome price for the tickets, and they could not have had a better position than they secured.

It was an excellent concert. The prima donna sang beautifully, and, to Mr. Tracy's delight, she sang simple old English ditties, which he had known and loved from his boyhood. He listened entranced to her exquisite rendering of these, and was scarcely less rapturously delighted than was Juliet.

But the instrumental music which followed had much less attraction for him, and whilst it proceeded his eyes wandered over the audience or marked such details of the finely proportioned building as came within their range. As he gazed about thus, he suddenly became aware that a young man, who with a couple of companions occupied comfortable seats to the right above their heads, was leaning forward with his opera-glass levelled at Juliet, and regarding her with a persistency which quickly excited her uncle's ire. Juliet soon became aware of the gaze fixed on her. She looked up, and her face flushed as she recognised Algernon Chalcombe. When he was aware that she saw him, he dropped his opera-glasses and looked at her, awaiting her recognition. She smiled and bowed; he bowed in return, with such a look of pleasure that Juliet's heart beat high with elation. But her uncle had observed these salutations with little pleasure.

"Do you know that gentleman, Juliet? " he asked.

"Yes," Juliet replied, with lowered eyelids; "I went to school with his sister."

Her uncle made no further inquiry, but he continued to regard the young man with disfavour. It struck him that the handsome dark face had a dissipated appearance, and that he looked too much of a fine gentleman to be the genuine article. Mr. Tracy wondered if it were indeed a diamond which flashed conspicuously on the young man's hand.

Juliet did not again turn her pretty head towards the seat where young Chalcombe sat, but she was aware, without seeming to be so, that his opera-glasses were often directed to the spot where she sat. Her uncle observed it also, and felt enraged with the fellow for his impudence.

When the concert was over, Juliet and her uncle took a walk in the grounds. Juliet spoke with rapture of the concert, and the delight with which she had listened to Adelina Patti.

"Oh, uncle, I would give anything to be a public singer! " she exclaimed.