Aunt Janes Nieces in Society | Page 7

was a pity, for Louise Merrick possessed a nature
sweet and lovable, as well as instinctively refined--a nature derived
from her dead father and with little true sympathy with Mrs. Merrick's
unscrupulous schemes. But at that age a girl is easily influenced, so it is
little wonder that under such tuition Louise became calculating, sly and
deceitful, to a most deplorable degree.
Such acquired traits bade fair in the end to defeat Mrs. Merrick's
carefully planned coup, for the daughter had a premature love affair
with a youth outside the pale of eligibility. Louise ignored the fact that
he had been disinherited by his father, and in her reckless infatuation
would have sacrificed her mother without thought or remorse. The
dreadful finale had only been averted by the advent of Uncle John
Merrick, who had changed the life plans of the widow and her heedless
daughter and promptly saved the situation.
John Merrick did not like his sister-in-law, but he was charmed by his
lovely niece and took her at once to his affectionate old heart. He saw
the faults of Louise clearly, but also appreciated her sweeter qualities.
Under his skillful guidance she soon redeemed herself and regained
control of her better nature. The girl was not yet perfect, by any means;
she was to an extent artificial and secretive, and her thoughtless
flirtations were far from wise; but her two cousins and her uncle had
come to know and understand her good points. They not only bore

patiently with her volatile nature but strove to influence her to
demonstrate her inherent good qualities.
In one way her mother's calculating training had been most effective.
Louise was not only a dainty, lovely maid to the eye, but her manners
were gracious and winning and she had that admirable self-possession
which quickly endears one even to casual acquaintances. She did not
impress more intimate friends as being wholly sincere, yet there was
nothing in her acts, since that one escapade referred to, that merited
severe disapproval.
Of course the brilliant idea of foisting her precious daughter upon the
"select" society of the metropolis was original with Mrs. Merrick.
Louise was well content with things as they were; but not so the mother.
The rise from poverty to affluence, the removal of all cares and burdens
from her mind, had merely fostered still greater ambitions. Uncle John's
generosity had endowed each of his three nieces with an ample fortune.
"I want 'em to enjoy the good things of life while they're at an age to
enjoy 'em," he said; "for the older one gets the fewer things are found to
be enjoyable. That's my experience, anyhow." He also told the girls
frankly that they were to inherit jointly--although not equally--his
entire fortune. Yet even this glowing prospect did not satisfy Mrs.
Merrick. Since all her plans for Louise, from the very beginning, had
been founded on personal selfishness, she now proposed to have her
daughter gain admission to recognized fashionable society in order that
she might herself bask in the reflection of the glory so obtained and
take her place with the proud matrons who formed the keystone of such
society. After carefully considering ways and means to gain her object
she had finally conceived the idea of utilizing Mr. Merrick. She well
knew Uncle John would not consider one niece to the exclusion of the
others, and had therefore used his influence to get all three girls
properly "introduced." Therefore her delight and excitement were
intense when the butler brought up Diana's card and she realized that
"the perfectly swell Miss Von Taer" was seated in her reception room.
She rushed to Louise, who, wholly innocent of any knowledge of the
intrigue which had led to this climax, opened her blue eyes in
astonishment and said with a gasp:

"Oh, mother! what shall I do?"
"Do? Why, go down and make yourself agreeable, of course. It's your
chance, my dear, your great chance in life! Go--go! Don't, for heaven's
sake, keep her waiting."
Louise went down. In her most affable and gracious way she
approached the visitor and said:
"It is very nice of you to call upon me. I am so glad to meet Miss Von
Taer." Diana, passing conversational nothings with the young girl, was
pleased by her appearance and self-possession. This aspirant for social
honors was fresh, fair and attractive, with a flow of small talk at her
tongue's end.
"Really," thought the fastidious visitor, "this one, at least, will do me no
discredit. If she is a fair sample of the others we shall get along very
nicely In this enterprise."
To Louise she said, before going:
"I'm to have an evening, the nineteenth. Will you assist me to receive?
Now that we are acquainted I wish to