HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1889-6-7, Page 6Y7iimis nneeenne Ulan'..,'G'„1,wrire{riegrats- ',•u+w irss reete;.�ar 1 :.5".eisee . ' n..
lll.11: .Ili. t(.�11.`1 DAT Ta H 1 "n,• turnlrn, nna snots ta,.t ,a
notirutj; 1ntL lite fact that he lad perhaps
e tt. ani lr matin• hoard the carolers, indolent voice, and aeon
the •earele•e fees wits anew h to atilt her
BY 11•-1,11 +'a /1.0/WSON I P \1't
• 3 t. +• teem; east e ra !d eeses
•..'.1 Jhi r a t , r1,, "Theo' e,r L. r.v,
nL.nrr. r. g, : + „ r.h
from heed to fact,
2, She waited so eagerly, and with Bo ntutlt
of vague anticipation, that when at lost the
door opened, and her father entered, the
face she turned to him woe ahunat feverish
in its expectant anxiety.
" I thought you were never cunt]ug," site
1 said, with a little -flutter in her voice, " Tea
has been waiting for an hour, papa."
She was at his ride in it moment, ready
with the slippers and dressing•govn, with
which she never failed. She helped !tint to
u
put them a as usual, told draw his Busy
elude to the tire; but ]ler hand trembled a
little to sho assisted hint to remove hie cont,
Lund there uses n, hot spot of color on her
cheek, asehe took her place behind the tow
service.
Thera was never any alteration in her
affectionate manner toward hint, and the
never forgot one tiling which might add to
his comfort; it would not have been like
her to let her trouble reveal itself ; bot still
in these days, there was It faint, sad feeling
of restraint between them. Perhaps it tied
arisen from their mutual desire to ignore
the Let11 nt In
a v
from tu'
mutualt
at
pain ; bat it was there nevertheless, and in
spite of their endeavors to conceal it, ruled
then{. The innocent childhood was a thing
of the past, at least, and each felt it to be so.
The deep lines on the rector's fate were
deeper this et•oniug that they had ever been,
and his grave, resolute mouth ltd a sadder
gravity, Lady Strathspey wits n thorough
diplomatist, wotnalt ab ,he wee, and had
known very well what she was saying, when
she trade her visitor partly her confidant on
the subject which was neul'est to her heart,
" Coombe -Ashley will scarcely be neg-
lected again, I fancy, she had carelessly
said, "If Angus is married, as soon as I
]lope be will be, I have no doubt he will
make it his home, and then of course he will
feel his responsibilities."
He confidence had merely appeared ao-
oldental ; but it had been sufficiently well
arranged, and had at least convoyed the in-
formation she intended it should, namely,
that her desires wore likely to be consum-
mated.
The rector thought over ib, as he drank
his tea, and glanced at the slight figure before
him. Ile )anew enough of the world to un-
derstand what her ladyship's speech had
meant, and he was thinking of what it might
mean to his daughter.
Prue sat at the load of the table, with the
spot of color burning on either cheek, and
an eager shadow in hot eyes. She could not
ask hint anything. What could she ask ?
So she waited, with a feverish pain, to hear
if he would speak of what he had seen, But
when the Heal hail ended, and he lad said
nothing, Iter restlessness grew too much for
her.
the went out to Marjory to the kitchen,
raid gave her orders for the night, and then
lingered for a foe minutes, half fearing to
return to the coon;. She cid not know,
poor child, that he feared to see her conte.
She went hack to the parlor at last, and
loud her father sitting there it silence, and
ahuost darkness. Ile had taken kis summer
seat in the deep old mullioned window, and
was wiet,tlting in the shadowy darkness for
the rising of the ei mn. She went and stood
near him lookingmit fur a famoments in
silence, him, but oafew
at lust she spoke to him,
"Didyou see 3lias pramley, papa?" she
asked. Sino did not look at hint es she spoke,
cud the little tluttcr in her vofee =dolt
sound ,strangely low and unste. cly ; that it
gave her hearer a dull pang.
"Yes," he answered, "and Strathspey,
too, Prate."
Her heart beat heavily. Jt always did
boat at the sound of that name ; but now its
echo forced it to a stronger throb.
In rho pause that followed the rector pon-
dered gravely. If she eves clinging to any
hope, she roust he undeceived, and who but •
himself could undeceive her. Site was too
young to feel the paint long, after the first
wrench was over ; but it had been her fi sb
i oung dream, and the pang must be a strong '
one which tore it from lien Ho did not '
understand that, young as sho was, this I
gmet girlish romance of hers might be as
hard to kill as the romance of a woman. He
pitied her ; but he pitied her ;et the innocent
child he hall loved, whose childhood was now
lo t to leer. IIo had nut ttakutrud to the full
truth yet. " Poor little bairn, " he said to
himself, 'mrd tlton glanced upward at the
slight figure in the shadow, with its foe to
the t tndow,
" Sine is a very beautiful girl, tide Miss
Frimley, Prue," he said, at last.
" Yes, papa," sho answered, without mov-
in"Lady Strathspey was telling me to.
night," he went on steadily, "that she had ,
hopes that she would hold his lordship at
Coamhe•Asbley, I leave no doubt she will,
n ,, ,way aro marcs,,, aa.1. snort tney went •
he.
f :e: slender figure stirred faintly, but very
f., , t;v, tied then Prue made her reply-
'ri wilt he Letter fur Coombe -Ashley,"
00 •a:d, , •.u•ly,
I ,1 - anticipated that she would
' I wy great emotion, but he had ex.
p, tee ,., ,-ee :Imre than this, It almost re.
• \ I t 'u, sal lits fancy that her youth
woe ,1 ewe. her pato lighter for her, return-
ed to him with more el reassurance than it
/eel 'arced before, aid made hint speak
mere ebee' heir.
` la said, "It will be better for
Ceet ui \ ':toy, and better for all of us,
2,1 ! uttduy is a very fitting Lady Strath-
spey."
,e made no reply. She tithed silently 1
e leeiiie the clouds brighten above the hill-
,,,. , . the moon rose, She was thinking
bb•a i{ly of the one thing.
'i h t ,,'P •tar rose front hie scat at last. It
wou:d be hoot to loave her alone, he
th, ugh 1.
I hart, sono worlt to do," he said to hey 1
{ must go to my room, Cdood-night,
§u j
(cotl-Itl%,,ht, nape," elle answered stead.
titer he left her,
She did not' .th• after ho was gone, and s
Le found herself alone. The moon was 1
t ,l,,, t•ctramtrees with its stin-
t, light, and elle wsutehed it movelessly,
NI in silence. o
:von hadauutsed tlernselv,s with women t
of a befrre, tis women had amused them•
s:u\ es with then ; other women ]tail au•akon• I
e,' tram foolish, tender, deitciotts dreams of s
h. pitmen; but few women had over await.
with "inch a ehoalt, loaving behind in
,•. past so much of innocent faith and
e: ,':wr,t trust es titin poor Iittle deo.
•e Prne, Hall the tnornin�,rr she had a
rot (!wendnhins I!'randcy in church, aha
he had never dreamed that the wide differ• s
ui n be9weeu herself 101!1 her ]owe • comld. ba
n obstt'ele ; sho hod thought of nothing but 1
or love, and this lova had- been so girlish,
Dr t tyttn st ti
arra.
1 stir' '.L 11 nen
i- r 1
h, 1111(11;0011 led on Wholly to this end,
vh110 1,, aha stopped here, remembering p
to ism 1" -dui, i „ -s Iter., slid the oyes
til !r lied milled 1; 'down, Her heart n
mean to beat wildly ; '(: WAS only n flirt's
delete" anal sunt with her meson's, Indio!
sett-possesten ; and whets such a tutus is so
ruled, by .such a woman, his fate is sealed
fur lilt,,. There wee no fear of the worlds
opinion in this ease. 1 hveudoline Framley
held her place fro. het childhood among the
very people whew lie feared.. She had been
the most popular belle of her season, and the
men wile would have snarled at tiro romance
of a marriage with hie rector's tbntghter,
would envy hint, almost savagely, if he won
her for his wife, He w•os lose a hero than
anything else, I believe 1 have said already;
and so, letting alt them things drift, before
biro idly, he forgot his uncoutf'rtahle sense
abating done a wrong, and remained at the
Coombe, playing the pleasant tole of cavalier
to hie mother's guest, while Prue waited
pati.ntly for his semina, and her patient
waiting wile Ill V11111.
til
Lad heard t1 the arrival of the ex-
pected
x-
pe t l guest, and ,rade it itis excuse. Lady
Strutttsp,y would wish hint to remain with
tinnt, she told hersolt, amt it was but right
that he should remain; but still she could
not r,'eir tiro a sett little alglt, at the remem-
brance, of the quietly happy days, When there
had been no one to come between tltent.
She was half afraid, when Sunday morning
arrived, at the prospect of meeting this beau-
tiful new comer, and she dressed herself
with no email amount of trepidation, The
Strathspey pew was not filled when she en-
tered the church ; but it was not long before
the party from the Coombe made their ap-
peas:t wee, and the quiet little figure in the
square pew near the pulpit was the first ob.
ject which prat tewendoline Framley's
glance. Prue looked up, and saw her as
she followed Lady Strathspey up the aisle,
and her Scat glance at the fair, reposeful
face, and translucent eyes, struck her with
a sudden, strange pang, so unlike her usual
quit, that she was almost frightened at
ib.
The sweet voice was not so clearly ready
with tic responses this morning, and the
sweet face was not so bright, A faint, pre-
sageful shadow had fallen upon it. She
looked across the church at tate beautiful
figure, in its rich, elaborate dross, and her
heart fell—the gulf which lay between their
two girliat loves was so wide a one,
She passed out of the little stone porch,
just as Strathspey handed his mother's guest
into their carriage, and perhspe ler first
doubt curie upon her at that moment. There
was something of scarcely to be defined ad-
miration in his eyes, as the girl smiled her
grateful thanks—a something {'rue had never
seen before, and the faint pre a;;efu] shadow
grew de<'p=•r, end fell upem 17,,' :.pully us site
turned away.
elt.trTr; tu.
The quiet young figure of the rector's
dangly., stood at the rectory parlor -window,
with folded hands, the quiet, young free
looking ;cult t at the hulls, fust growing
yet plt i!t the deepening tw thght.
It tt,e, t„, the face Ulla' lord smiled ttjt at
Lord Ste, t!,pt'. en the Brae, 70W motttlts
before. 'i 1.. r.• was a slight pallor upuu it,
the swag :•r t yore 1
ut t had 11 -ties: droop,
tate {sown v.t a were ebuuned and sad, the
fresh tint/Sat leek was gone.
It was only two menthe since Str•ttltspey
had left her standing in the moonlight, with
hta hisers nu Iter lips, and yet, in Lbws awn
abort months the curtain had swung slowly
upward, and the old helpless, we'u•out tra•
gedy whirls lute ham lit
t3 i.tnt and so
play,:
uruully, was }rctiumug ro set Itself out ante
snore,
There 04e novel or drautud.; in her dawn.
ing sorrow. It was only a helpless, vague
one—oily the skeleton "1aplol, without any
stage tweomptutinteuts to stake' it startling. •
It hail trade no change in her life as yet ;
there were the saute things to be done, and
she did tient as conscientiously as ever ; the
Sane,; uieL, acnlestic dotter tube performed,
and 11,7 cmc ,f them wereneap;ted t but het
contentment in their management was gone.
Site t et n h at the neitee with the same gen.
tie at , 1. tl:.. ,.vetyd ty welds, but
oftouio, , i.ujoy looked tap to see het
stand- t oW. and dreamy, faint little lines
Ali, wing themselves on her white foreher,
and her brown eyes Axed far away,
"I don't think I am very well, ,Marjory,"
site had said ono or twice ; but she had
never acknowledged, even to herself, that
there was any cause for the change which
had come over her.
She heel waited, with trustful patience, at
first, net understanding its being possible,
that what had seemed the realizatj of her
happiness could be a mockery. She could
not believe it it her ignorance, and no
shadow of the truth crossed her mind. She
had seen Strathspey once or twice since
Gwendoiinel'ramleyhadcometo titeCoombe:
but their short meetings had only left her
bewildered, stricken, and wondering. He
had galled at the rectory, if the truth must
be told, in the hopes of stifling an occasion -
at twinge of conscience ; but, not finding the
visits satisfactory, they became fewer and
farther between, and in the end, drop-
ped almost entirely. " It must come
to an and sometime," he told himself, with a
slight recurrence of the sense of discomfort,
"and why not now, when there was a not too
palpable apology." Every day, with the
helpof '
his new enchantment, led hint farth-
er away from the memory of the kisses he
]tad stolen from the pure girlish lips, in t
the moonlight; and with; such a ratan,
the farting of the strongest impression life
can leave, is only a question of time.
Perhaps she had thought as lightly of !
them' as :he had, ho tried to persuade him
self, and with constant" repetition, the atgguu•
ment became officio* plausible to be. j
almost believed. "Almost," I say, not
quite. So weeks passed, and Pato saw
nothing of hien, unions with his mother and
Gwendolino Frawley at ehurelt, or driv
ing through the village, rind day by day ,
found her awakening to a new dread, She I
had never dreamed until now that ib was
very possible that the kisses and tender
words bad held no meaning, but that the
time had passed slowly with him, mrd that
Iter ignorance and trust had helped it on.
weed. She had made every excuse for his
absence which faith could sugggeat ; she had t,
even triad to believe in the olrl peilitttfon, t
that it was righb that Ida mothers guest i
should ecce ty ]tis time and attention t but, 1
now a new feeling was dawning upon herr, 1 t
which as yet she wee unable to grasp in all
fps magnitude.
She was pondering over it, as site waited
for hot father, this evening. Ile had franc
to the Combo, a few hours before, at Lady
Sttaths c 's request, en a ,natter of buss.
pY q.
n7
n°011, tilt,{ tttt' 11171 " 'It, moo 1001 1•tamn
t , ,t won it from n the firet. She ue:l
ut!1tluili ;tileyet a\,t,anmight het eden
e 1 t. . 1,, ;demo . thunk tied ,fit its
bah n eible to blot out all sho r'etei'tt;
hruurt, n ith 1111 sty present atulf uture p•tin
1'11, ,
h \\ 1l i \ tars
l l ti tl , t u ,, m memory
u t a t ire th anon t
rather theft stand where she lord stoat
;welt,' unnnths before, losing. Ow rt•eulleetiu
of bite blonde, eavalicr face, and the grea
thrills et realiet bliss it had brought her
'{'here tiers se teatty memories. There, opo
the hearth, he had hissed her hand the midi
elle trete the white fuchsias its her hair
here, itt title evindoty, she had waited a hen
dretl times, only to see him Mass by with hi
gun over his shoulder t the box of ruieao
;tette still bloomed upon the sill ; the fudod,
lhtll,, brown Sprig lay between the loaves of
Iter ltiblo up stairs, tutu this moment site
felt the teuelt of the great golden mustache
upon her lips, and heart{ Ills footfall ring,
upon the walla as he piteeerl out m the moon.
litltt. Would he never come back again,
t'et'hers net. She finned herself imagining
blindly hour the old life would warn when
site returned to it, and leaking forward, with
a great ,shuddering pang, to the time when
31 is, ',motley would cone to the Coombe as
L'uty Strathspey, and sit in the vulvet•Inas-
socked pew, weep after week, Hee could
g�o Ie fat dirt' than that, without the wild
]teart'hp it iw,, mud she slipped uponher
knees before the ertulit.y ba.ket.uhair, flinging
up her turns—she was s" crnslu, 1, 50 striok-
en.
`fun, shattew• of the trouble had been upon
hal' so long. with it,, r,nl'tartt torture of
changing hopes and fears, that she was too
weak to 6r:u• ft, ow it waN beano;
wase'ner•tattot•tettt••,ttonor, tutu
nutt-:r
' wholly idle in the dual turn of the game, nil
n the knowledge did not detract from Iter no
ttn'al{y nneetpleinialrtg manner, She lou
watched every new shade of pallor of th
in'etty, quiet face she had hold against he
faitlifitl bosom in its babyhood ; sho lttul un
1 det'stoolt the dreamy liutlosencss which ha
n nettled n putt it, and sho had nnderstuod shat
b what its beginning halt been, end where it
• eud world drift to, Su alta did not prow
n very spa•iug, as alto thought ever the mat
t tor, and replied to her visitor's well -bre
sympathetict t e
'loos lou .
" I wtta sorry to see that your young rola
a
trey 1 n
a did not bolt very well yesterday, Mar
t o
Y Y,
jury," ler ladyship still, at length,
" She was na wee), my teddy," answers,
Marjory, unbendingly. "I eanne say she
often is w•eel now, pow young thing I"
"I hope it is nothing serious," said Ludy
Strathspey, "I should bo sorry to believe
that Muss Renfrew is a dear little thing
and eve cannot afford to lose her."
"Iles father ctttmn afford to hose her, my
{eddy," Marjory replied, with an nncompro-
mieing face ; but if she dinna mead, I'm o'on
Of the mind he will, Her either lies in the
kirk•yar i. Site was na much iuhIer than
Prue, an she was };appy w•i' the man she
laved, There's a taint 0' consumption in
the Renfrew bluid, your Ieddyship, and sor-
row aye helps it to its work,"
Tito imnutculately-gloved hand wile drawn
from tate table with a alight start,
" You surely do not mean it is so bad as
that !" her ladyship exclaimed,
"I mean naethmg else," returned Mar-
jory, sternly, "Prue Rettfrmv'i heart is
broken, your leddysllip, and Angus, Laird
Strathspey, has broken it. I'm but a pair
body, but I speak my 'pint in that."
There was no use iu diplomacy now. This
straight -forward strong Sootchwomon, a
hireling as she was, had gond to the point
at once, and her ladyship was fait to follow.
Site had not intended doing so, it is true,
but she was a sensible woman, her pride to
the contrary, and since her difficulty had
faced her, she met it in a matter•of-fact
way.
She waved her gloved hand to Marjory
with quint decision.
"Sit down," sho said, practically. "I
am anxious to talk to you about that. I
have feared this bolero."
"I can eban' as wool, my leddy," was the
gpod woman's dry reply ; so her visitor was
Obliged to pursue her oonversatiot, looking
up at the square figure and square face as
her listener stood before her.
"I have feared this," sho said again. "I
have feared it from the first, and 1 triad to
prevent it. How long has it been going
on ?"
"From the first week that Lord Strath-
spey came to Coombe-Ashley,"grimly. "Ha
wasted no time."
"And you think that this is the cause of
your young lily's illness?"
"I did tis say I thought it was."
"lou are sore, then," said Lt,ly Strath.
Spey, n trifle impatiently, " I regret to ltettr
it—extremely ; but I hope you aro mistaken
in supposing tlto consequences to be so seri.
,'us. It is very natural you should ho an-
xious, 1 nue anxious myself, lely sun has
acted imprudently, of a,ur•no ; bot men are
not apt to be cautions. I only see one way
out a the difficulty. lie has thought of re.
turning to London with hiss Frawley—and
I dare say that it is best that he should do
so. 1 shall certainly mu outage the idea,
and atter that We Ca/10111y hu
e,e for best.
the
Miss Renfrew is very young, and I have no
doubt site will got over it." (Observe, my
readers, that hot• ladyship was not exempt
from the popular belief tatgriof may be got
over,)
Still, in spite of this belief, her free was
not quite ,fear when her call had ended, aid
the footman
f n n closed {tot• carriage-door
open
n
1
Ler, The sgnara, nncmupremlaiug form and
dry volute had slake;; her self-possession
somewhat, though elle did not deign to
acknowledge it.
She scut for her son shortly after retching
the Coombe, amnia came to her morning -
room to find her standing by rho low marble
mantel -piece, resting a full, shapely arta
upon it, and looking both disturbed and an-
noy od,
To tell the truth, her ladyship had had a
love anair herself a score of years ago 01'110—
a
r at—
a very romantic love,itlithr, with a hand.
some, otnptypoekot•d, titlete?s '',let'rituen-
i.al," who, but for discreet maternal interpo-
sition, tnighb have carried tae day; and
though this love affair ended as utast of such
romances do, she had still a recollection of
its ephemeral sadness, which softened her
hoot toward this girl, who was undergoing
a like experience,
She ;orae.; Lor head slightly. as Strath.
spay caste in, std motioned hien to is chair.
' I want to tail to you, Angus," she said,
"sit down, if you please."
:NNE 7, 1t'8U.
, -.-,a,,iYRF.a"Gx-ruaraulet e33tfiJGi:.'Ytn 7 1ra4
at t woman esu oemmtstom nares!; to ane
d matinee you have done, the whole world
\varnish have been alp in 111'11]9 at her nekton
l folly, 1 don't want. any Fonda! to oris=11
▪ and 1 ;);hilt; It urottld b0 better for all parties
t, concerned, if you returned to London with
(twendol n l
l te, Mai outlive thaw sort Of
d tlt{ugs; and I ]rave no tloubt this 0110 will
overcome herself in time."
e It eves an easy way out of a dtllieu)ty ser•
a tafrtly, and not an unpleasant one, Vireo
(loonies/lshleyy had beau rendered bearable
• with 1;11.010,4410 10 1''runticy'e assistance, !old
surely London would be worth the trying at
her :die. Bitched overruled his fickle foray
• for the rector's daughter ; she lied, now and
then, ahead oe•ruled his remembrance of
j ler, eu he found it nut so difficult it matter
to persuade himself that hie smother was
tight in saying that ;'rue would live her gir-
lish trouble down, ileiiidea, ha was in ear•
nest new, and was desirous of having his
fate decided.
" I am ready to go as seen as (ltvendoline
is," life said. 'If I have been a fool, I ant
sorry fox• it,"
";So am I," returned Lady Strathspey,
concisely. "Uwondotb,r returns mixt week,
and though teeemey will compel yeti to pay
n farewell
tisi66
o the Jlec. �u •
tl 1t's n
trust
Il
>, Y
will not be guilty of any greeter indiscre-
tion. I w-isit to heaven, Angus," with a Bud.
den touch of woman's passion in her video
which startled hint, " 1 with to heaven your
foolishness had ham more honorable and Iees
cruel,"
Ire utile no reply—Ile had nothing to
Pity et/ iso only ]nt,rrctt for a few minutes,
mrd then vaunted to the dining•room, and
there, for the time tlm ":atter costed. But,
wisely as for ladysLip had disposed of it,
it tit quite likely that she had not overrated
its seriousness, on the contrary, she had
somewhat noderrated it,
From the night when Prue had fainted at
tate kitchen•door a elmtlge had Itoon slowly
creepingover her. She thought at first that
it would not be easy to go bank to the quiet
she had left in the past ; but in the coarse of
time, experience taught her that it was inn.
hpossible. The simple contentment which
ad made her happiness was lost forever.
The freshness was gone, the untried peace
was gone. The days which hal hen scarce-
ly long enough to contain liar tender dreams,
now the dreams hail fallen into ashes, grew
weary and intolerable, If she had known
more of tie world, if she had been lees
Ignorant of sorrow, rho blow she find re-
ceived would not have been such a heavy
one ; but waking soddenly to the reality, sho
was strangely helpless, and a blight fell on
her which she could nob overcome, There
was not an atom of weak sentiment about it,
and her hidden trouble only showed itself
in the new, soft palter, and at added quiet-
ists int herlife ; but in spite of herself its
shadow grew upon her every day.
Her poor pensioners upon the hillsides
and in tum village began to wonder in
the suumblting they had lost to tho fresh
voice and sweet malt , ; curd ,,unto of t1:o
more observing began to whs:=pca' among
themselves their kindly sorrow for ler.
The little basket was nut 50 easy to carry,
she found at last t and the ron,b, sturdy,
bare -legged "bairns' tell into the habit of
carrying it for her, 1'ottiw; along at /tor
side silently, aul yet in all the intensity of
their wild ittynese, coding wistful glances
at her quiet, white. yeueg face.
But no Ono Icncc; the, teeth so well as
Marjory. In her lir: t r:u,lden Weal:mesa Prue
had rw'etc l i the , , t
, n t t ! - m•ms and let her
faithful old friend go,- at her story with.
out any effort at adv•• ,dor il.
"1 knew' so ail,. Ltd faltered oat in the
end; "and I thought hived oto, I sone.
ly know why --he maw said so; but once
he—ho kissed mv, It wasn't Itis fault,
Marjory," with w'::aty quietness, "lloev
'meld l,0 levo 1
v
ll C. l -\wt i 1,100,1180
1 I a It lilt,
I
W11,1 Weal: and funiblt, turd knew so Milo."
It Rimmed to be lies ;creates; fear that her
fatter' would learn hero, {cavy ler trouble
really w'a5, and site ,i ore ugniutet it qtly
after day, in ler effort, to conceal it from
him. She tried to hide the Iistleesness
which had sono upon her; and she tried to
counterfeit her former cheerful git•liahxtoss
and content; but ev011 io wnitid waken
from his reveries now and thou, ur mole up
from his work to see what Marjory stet' so
often, the faint lines on the white sorehead,
and the tired brown eyes fixed far away.
He tried to eonvitee h.urtelf et first that it
would wear aorto in t' we, and held his feats
with tt his emu I n, forbearing to speak
of thea, t but et last ttir, change in her was
su ;,rest that it forced itself upon trim with a
fe•eb,rhng its new es terrible.
{tut geed, stern old Marjory had not been
deceived from rho beginning. Slewatchedl
the girl from morning until night. She
sow as no one else did, the slender little
figure growing more slender, and the slight
young hands slighter, even thcngh the
charge was nu almost imperceptible one.
Tho tragedy, quiet as it was, had boon a
tragedy to ler honest heart from its first
scone, and the dread which had fallen upon
her master had grow upon hourly, with o
sorrowful fresh recollection of how site had
watched her nurseling's fair young mother
fade away from titan like a broken Sower.
And hi the meantime, at the Coombe, as
far as mere plane may lie regaled, Lgdy
Strathspey's plan prospered, Certainly her
eon threw no obstacles in their way, bbe
Was getting tired of Coombe -Ashley, and
besides, was not au oontfortabto there as he
had been, for now and then o. Whisppor of the
wrong he had None ht came to hien, Of
e.oursu, outsiders dirt not understand that
he led been to blame, bet a In they t is
d
Y ,ussod
the matter, notwithstandin It was `the
taint o' consumption in the h!onfrow Weld,"
Prue's friends said, sadly ; and in their
mooning over it in their jta„r homes, it
became t110 00111111071 talk that "the pair,
bonny young thing wee following her mith-
e"i rise nob easy to realize, and Srathspey.
did not realize it, but, it troubled him vague.
1y, nevertheless, He had never missed
seeing the slight ftgtuo in the rectory -pow,
OW though the change whish had come ever
the face beneath the plain little straw hat
tad startled hint once or twice, he had still
tt boner in his mother's doctr{no that site
would "get over it." ,Stitt ho Wag not sorry
Shen the time drew, neer for his departure;
t would be bettor, of °Mersa, and more
agreeable.
He rather dreaded the farewell null, hot'•
von, Ile was lilto many other imet, 1n itis
fear of awkward situations—Dad decidedly
his wire a somewhat awkward ono, If it
lad boon avoidatble, it certainly world Lava
peen avoided ; bat since it was not, it was
memory to face it with es good a goo as
pastable.
Ile was not sorry to find the rector absent
rubor ho made Itis visit--ppossibly tboi ab•
ansa wao somewhat of a ;relief to him,
1'hct'o were marry num with whom he
multi ttob have bon reluctant to ltavo ex•
him ed places as he waited in the old -rash.
onecl, many.ourncred parlor for Prue's
,meting, ,fie thoroughly iulpreealble was hc,
and eo utterly controlled by eirrntmatantes,
)ink I think, if it, had not been for (levee.
dglite b innley, lam might hate been tivor•
('tn el: coi'rtxpt:r,,)
,nor,; than a shadow, rind shpt felt her
strength drifting ;,troy from her, 50 5110
ktlrit, 'I'hc helpless, hopeless w'eariug had
been too anal; for hoe.
She rose at last. It world not do to re-
main there any longer, she told herself, and
site must go to her room. She heard Mar-
jory moving about in the kitchen for alt
(hour, nuttcing preparations for retiring, and
she went out to her, ns elm Always did, to
bid her good -night.
But at the kitchen door she paused,
strangely dazzled by the light, and Marjory
looked up itt her to sec her wavering, with
white lips.
"Don't call papa, 'Marjory," she said,
helplessly. "Please dent call papa i" and
the next instant Marjory had caught her as
sho fell.
CiiAt'Trnt vtit,
Lady Strathspey sat in one of the pavlova
of the Coombe with a faint shadow of anxiety
on her handsome, well preserved features.
She had just returned from church with her
son and their visitor, and she sins p1onder-
ing, one might have fancied from hier ex-
pression, upon n subject which caused her
some misgivings. Slee w•ilN a worldly
man, this Lady Strathspey, but at her cold.
est and worldliest, she wits never !t hard-
hearted one ; and for the last few vveks
something of distrust had 1)0011 crptctas ', t'
her before perfect conte,,ttut:nt. ft was a
simile deeper thee n=na1 this nusnit:g, and
IL showed itself in her I:msdsnute .eyes, and
in her he.n,isente Strathspey ftr.r•, w:tir its
patrician Saxe, feature:, and lint it roach.
ed the surface,
•' 111,1 you !toll., !It, le hiss ifet.fer this
utrruiu- uwendeiine:d' she asked.
t w'cudelint we,; tntore,ted at uuce. tiho.
alu+tye did m,tie,r little '.1 r, Renfrew, anti
Itvd tiw;tya noticed her freta; the first ; the
fees of the r: '!ur's d.,,l,,htet• had
tette:led {tor heart the teething she had
taught sight of it under' the plain little
stt'tiw' hat ill the agttare pew•, ;mid sho had s
git•ti:h ,sympathy for P.
'• 1•es " ;,h.: autswet'ed, " Ilow pelt, site
Lady Strathspey'. S}to looked positive.
ly {d, f thou ht poor little creature."
h, looked t .i... 1 s .l
4 , i at her lr.Qy;hip,
decidedly, the shadow deepening upon her
cut ,.t .•rc. `•1 , t, toad
10.cn watttaus 1110r :ml ad:utgh.
ter ,,.scaly during the 1,,•:;t mouth or so, and
et., i••:et1. of her sent tiny was not eery saris.
f.ie' o' . Naturally, she had told he' -
self, toe girlish fare would lose something of
its brightness under tate ,lispehling cif this
firs. romance, She had /Well giri5 grow '{title
beim, n,om, when au ttnpractieatl fancy had
been t •rr.t',n1 by ,t'i.e; ;.ud 111,111, matronly
heads; Lal. in her,. {-relusn•ethpr"o,cyhad
taw:."•d l it t i t t time.
tut 1 ut ta, t t 1 It:,,u•,: •, t i d d it e ho re-
bst 1 l as ,, n.tt.,t: 1 and fortutc ,( result.
,u: our, was , 10,tii1g new• mtthitg
tea• , twtril tr• tr,eI,,,' her. The. sit ad,nvy
rho girl'., I': tea; ;deeper than .0111
..,•,i .o sen t and roarer was nothing of tin
atl,.n,pitere nF grhisrt sentiment about it
in Most ease:. w'i tb its all"+tit 1,Itlge
O: lovelorn Iuclierua..nt:ys, eeu1lvdw count
erects the , tits:Ars', sympathy, Iu then
,iriv,'s they oft et too her en.t'rytugtie little
basket and the well. warn Bible which he
pensioners known at, well ; and elm Always
returned their greoaing with the Moot
gravity which 'gas 'laterally her own ; but
the fart pallor was a faint ono no longer,
and the slender itnguro looked a thought
more. "dotter ;-and as the au in ,ler advanced,
1'. uty eltraelim ey found herself feeling
strtungely anxious.
;She was not a hard-hearted woman, es 1
have said, in spina of her very natural weak-
nesses, and Prue had always possessed a
great attraction for her. She had liked her
sample, innooenb ways, and had warmly ad.
mired the unfailing sweetness width oxide
the girl such a favorite with the poorer
class. Her childlike faithfulness to her
duty had touched her ladyship's heart, and her
constanb care and affection for her father
tad often drawn a sigh form her 10 ire con-
trast with her own idol's amiable indilfer.
once. In fact, sho had come as ;tear cher-
ishing a Bort of well-trained affeotiotl for
I was in accordance with ler nature.
'l1his morning she had been almost strut,
led, the fano under the little straw hat had
oohed so worn, and, contrasted with the
great Clark eyes, so strange in its pure pal -
of. Was it possible that the consequenoos
of her tliseroot diplomacy were to be more
serious than she had imagained 1 0f course,
be could not have acted otherwise than she
tad done under the oiruumsbances, but she
clid not like to encounter such a probability, I
Accordingly, the next clay found her full
f her reeolution of paying a visit to the Rec.
ory. t
If there is voalliy as mach harm clone as a
can't help fearing," she said to herself as d
Iso metered tiro oarriago, " I may possibly
'Opole it somewhat by Bonding Angus away. , o
t ,o y.70 t y ferptt fn time, mid au'senoe will
work wonders,"
the did not find either lite or the rector t
t hone, babas there was some probability
that their absence would net be a long one, tl
he eieotdecl to wait a short time. Marjory
;vas there at least, and might possibly servo
for purpose oven better than any one, else,
and in some sort she slid.
tut Mar'
,luny was not fond of Lady Strnth-
pey at the beat of tines, end she wits lees
artlal to her than mice in theeo days. Sha
vas quick enuugh, le ler Scotch shrewd. a
ess, to uncleretand that the delicate its• o
nacnlatelystlneecl hand. which touted ern the a
0HAPTntt ix.
Ho throw himself in ti elude, carelessly, in
his usual, indolent, yet graceful fashion.
!t was oharaoterietio of tate man that he
could not look ungraceful.
"Clwendoline is alone," he said, half omit: ;
{ng You will exouso mo for mentioning
lt. f
Bather ladyship did not smile.
"I want to speak seriously to you, she he.
gan. "I =rather noxious this morning—
I have been 'to the Rectory."
Iso looked tip, coloring tt little.
"I—clout understand your," he said, a
Hilo confusedly'
W_ t ash parson t01' contraa'tctmg you, An.
u
gas, said tier ladyship, drily, "but T think
you do. Tien is no need for attempting to
ignore this matter noir•. It lino onegtoo
far. You have done ay absurd thing, and
its consequences are more serious than you
anticipated."
His color deepened almost to scarlet,
"Is that what your visit to the Rectory
has taught you 7" he asked,
"Yes," she answered. "I have been
watching the affair fit• weeks, and this morn- a
ing I went to the Iieelory to inquire into ft,
as well as I could. Ho ono tuns at home bub : 1
the old servant,—rather a presuming old
creature, by the way, faitlifel as sho fee—and !
discovered that my foes were not ground. !
ess. Th, girl's health is suffering. Of i i
amuse, it The,
out of the question to suppose
hat you could have married her, Augus—
ed you woo fully eogtieatt of it, \Vhy o
id you not taste my advice? Nita was a
good little tiling, and contented and happy ' t
hough before,"
Hie thoughts womb busk to the ienoconb 1
rown eyes, which had boon upraised to his 1
hat first mornhng'on rho hill-sicla, and he
eo flung himself from tris seat, and canto to
he mantel with e. gloomy es�tronsion.
"If it wore not ler flwendoline, I would
marry her now," ho said, half savagely.
" I have made a rascal of myself, 2 ;rein;;, t
!Se Zw1tebtrmcl into it. Confound Combe. it
e„
I it a
E tease not, for (h s
C w UI1dUlitlm you would
do Do shell thing," said his mother, with at
Isar decisiveness, "There is oto thing you t
an doe however. Yon can go away. I ant
trrry fr the girl. awl I blatme you;strorsnly.
h
ar
HOBS, and now Pruo was waiting for his re. t
turn, with en expoeteti"n that WAS atlntrnt tl
ala. ,She scarcely knew achy she expected et
Imine uo onelcrly, Ile knew 'melting of her l
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