Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-08-19
slowly upon me; and, when she was
silent
"Filled with light
Tho intpryal nf aoupd

SluNly upou ulc anu Wnon buo WAS
silent,
"Filled with light
Tho interval OF sound"
/ was in Elysium, and lost the count of
time. A step, soft and cat-like, that
neither of us heard, came down the walk.
A dry branch cracked under the cautious
tread, and then we both looked up. A
man passed us. l knew him instinctively.
The fierce black eyes, contracted in their
wrath, which met mine in one brief, vim
dictive glare, could only belong to one
man.
That 1.-THE, dark parsonage with the fe-
line tread, and the ugly, yellow physiog-
nomy, must needs be the hero of Charles
Twistlcton's story, the man who had
bought up the arbitrament of Helen Wy
browe's fate-AlvGrezS Smith,
He never looked at her this time, only
at me. / wonder whether the mans in.
stinct told him, even then, that loved
her?
Mrs, Wybrowe rose, little pale; the
dark circle under her eyes more plainly
visible a sort of haunted look upon her
face that made my pulse throb angrily. y.
Amy seems to have forgotten me-"
she said let us go and look for her."
We walked across the croquet lawn for
while silently.
Then she said, "You know that man
who passed just noWT
"Iknow him now," / answered; 81
never saw him before, and only heard of
his existence two hours ago."
Her pale cheeks flushed painfully.
"Then you have heard"
Everything" answered, stopping
her. "There is Lady Oswestry yonder."
Mrs. WybTowe quickensd her pace, and
said nothing more till she was safe under
Amy Oswestry's wing again.
The season was over London empty
ing fast; duns pressing; the heat intoler-
able. Howbeit l abode still in the Sahara
of Bruton street. Aunt Medusa had gone
down into Kent with the Boobies, having
extracted from me promise to come
down for the September shooting-a
promise only intended to keep il
The eff" was in Park lane. Lady Os-
westry had not yet made her move, hesi-
tating between Buxton and Linderbsd ;
and was watching the turn of the scale.
For with Lady Oswestry would go Helen
Wybrowe. And where Helen WybroWe
went meant tofollow. Ihad not spoken
yet, though nearly month had passed
since that day at Fulham l had marked
with white rose. She had hardly given
me chance. And yet she knew, who
knew me as was, that l loved her-had
'loved her from the very moment our eyes
met for the first time. And l knew my
strange, willful, passionate darling-my
Helen, who was Ike no -other-I knew
she loved me with the one love of her
life. Only bet1een her loving me and me
. l,o
less, the mask we both wore, before each
other ss before others, was getting to
sitting to be worn much longer. 1t fell
from both of US at last.
had been sitting with her in Lady Os-
westry's morning room, under the shelter
of the sunshades, among the flowers, one
day for nearly an hour. My lady was,
heaven knows where; and we had been
languished and died. There had been q
silence, which those heavy violet eyes fill.
ed diVinely enough, but which both of us
knew must be broken; and only in one
way.
looked up into her face in its passion
ate pallor; in the trembling lids l read
what made me take her swiftly in my
arms; and then the silence was broken by
the sweet sound of her own name
"HelenI"
She sh ivered, as she had shivered in
that valse, only, this time, not with fear
And her head, with its diadem of amber
hair, sank down upon my breast; and ]
bent mine till my lips touched hers, anC
clung to them. / had won her Not yet
The next nome mt she had freed herself
"Oh, why have you done this?" shC
sobbed-wailed almost.
"Why? Because l love you, Helen
Because you love me. And because you
and know this is So"
"Yes," she murmured "yes; you love
me. l know that. / knew it that day al
Fulham AS no one ever has loved
ever will love me. 1 know that"
"And you love me, Helen. You know
that, too"
Yes, 1 love you" she cried, passion
ately. II know that, too"
And yet you ask me - began, SC
far off my head as to be going to argue
with her.
"Becsuse this should never have been
All between us must end here and now.
In heavens name, whyT broke in
rather mad with this piece of feminine
cruelty. "Why must it?"
Frank" she said, cOolly now, Frank
this is folly. You know my story. Yol
cannot marry beggar as 1 shall be-"
Nor you &c Qu'iI pdTdtt"
Selfish and cruelp
Even at that moment couldn't bu
admire that truly feminine retort.
She went on.
"IP Am thinking Of myselfP Ant
yet this is my fault l knew what hal
happened must happen. Yes lit is VIII
have been selfish. 1 knew it; and
ought. But-oh, Frank, l knew yor
loved me and my loveless life seemed 81
bitter-so bitterl And"-
And here she broke down sobbing.
My Willful, passionate darling. Sht
was trying to persuade herself that sht
was acting nobly and dislnterestedly anC
being noWays fitted for such self.martyr
dom, was failing signally. She ought Il
have nipped this love of mine sharply IL
the bud, but lacked the will. And nov
she was trying to sacrifice it and her owi
love on the shrine of duty-now whel
she was my own, when she had reste(
her head upon my breast when she hR(
given her lips to mine. ..
didn't repeat my folly of attemptin,
to argue with her. Her hand was stroni
enough against me as it was without sucl
strengthening. didn't take her in N,
arms again and stifie her feeble specia
pleading with kisses. let her say he
say. And then, when she had sunk bacl
into the low, deep fauteuil, weak ant
trembling and defenceless again, knel
bejde her; and, holding fast in mine tn
little soft white hand never meant to le
so, told how it must needs fare with M
If she had her way. And was conquer
ing what l knew all along was my own O
right; and the violet eyes were full Q
happy tears the words looked to hes
already trembling on the fall lips tina
had grown meek again, when there was
rustic of woman's oraperles; and, througl
the chialoscuro of the room, Lady 0sWea
try bore down upon us.
And Helen rose, and before l could sta
her, had fed away swiftly upon her fee
leaving me to face my lady alone.
The which did as best l might.