Litchfield enquirer., 1871-11-16

day slnce,i and rode, or tomorrow sat qnlet7 Ut home with her needle, never glaachg towari Maurice; yet intensely avars IS 1t were. through every pore of her thsly and every perception of her soul, of lli$ slightest motion, of his presence, his atsvnce. of his very thought. Once, I renRmbsr. as she sat in tie drawing. room she heard his step without on the waik. aud in order to disguise her melan choly began to sing in her low, childish, brokBn voice, Desiemona's Willow Song: ''Thspoor soul sat signing by sycamore tree,
 Sing all green willow;
 Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee.
 Sing willow, willow, willow. She appeared to be all alone; for Trefethe- ness. who had been much with us of late, and ], were within in the music room. He camein. passed her quickly. but not too quickly to stoop and snatch her hand to his lips. and went on. She suffered the hand to fall like that of one dead, and as heSptN 5e wandered from his it lay for a 0s maNfen the picture of Agnes Trefethe- Ainght tden saw that shadow of her fate poh her countenance. that, however ma1y times 1t had crept there, was now for the first time known and recognized and understood by her. She stared with terrified eyes at the portrait, unable to remove her fascinated gaze or to dispel the horror that encircled her. Trefethenss rose, striding about the room. "He is a rascal!' he muttered in wrath. "A sub tie, worthless rascal He has entrapped and siienced you, see, with the spacious about her. Oh, Maurice! To think that T c1, kr hoE kl.s, oe
 ''To believe what of mea" asked Mau- rice, at the dooF.
 "'rhat one may smile and smile. and be viliain.'"
 "'Do me no islander. Douglass" said Maurice, sadly, without further shadow of reproof than his very gentIeness.
 Trefstheness continued to pace the room ; Maurice rang for servant to wait on the organ, in the adjoining closet. and open. ing the doors sat down and began to ex- cite storms of labored sound. At last Trefetheness paused behind him, and bent back Matrices head between his hands till their eyea met. Dear old boy, '' said he, somebody or other is always asking forgiveness in this house." s
 .Establish new precedent, then." re. piled the other. II do not even ask God s forgiveness, now"
 "Maurice. said, as if ws intrenched, "when you open those little carved doors don' you feel like the priest gQing into the Holy of Holiesa"
 .For Gods sake, child! are you possess ed?'' he cried. ''to bring up such images before me. Is there auy heavenly sign Tn these grooming discords? It is rather the very murmur of the great pit"
 They are groaning into concord. They bend more arrtl 4aore toward harmony"
 .And will our lives eeep therefsro ha har. monious? No, child, not till death shnts up the steps and blows out the last breath of the once rich involved sound"
 As he spoke he commenced playing a thing from some of the operas uf disble rie. Der Freyschutz or Don Giovanni. a de- moniac fragment. like chorus of fiends, full of terrible echoes and fall of thun- der-bolts. Arria dropped her work and glided into the music room. When at last Maurice paused and turned in his seat she sat with both elbows on the table. SUD- porting her head in her hands, land with her hair fallen beside her face. Her eyes we're fixed on some point just beyond Maurice. though sue addressed him.
 '.Does the proposal of Signor Guadaia- jara to marry me yet continue ?" she asked. .-...--
 Maurice started, then resumed his seat; but now with an air of despairing. silent pain, as if he felt his powerlessnes ess before the wheel of an inevitable destiny. No one spoke. -
 s'Speak, some one!' she said "Can it cost you more to reply than me to ask?"
 s'Yes, it still holds" said Trefetheness. ''But Aria, you must not. you shall not
 II shall!" she exclaimed II wish you to signify to him that, if he will renew his offer, I will accept it. The condition that he take me away"
 "Arria," said Maurice, in his hollow, suppressed tone, '.you can go away, go any where, without that. You never need return; I will take means that you see me no more." - .aa
 II should see her, /" she replied, indica. ting me. II should remember. I wish to lead new life, to be bound; I prefer to marry Guadalajara!''
 We We're all silent At length Maurice said. hoarsely, ....t -..-.....'
 'Mauricer' she cried. ''Mauricel I | worst is the pain you bear. Oh, if you were dead, Mausice, or were madr' Maurice sitting stony-sinewed, with his hands upon his knees, only groaned aloud. She started from her seat and commenced walking wildly through the room; sudden ly her eye darted upon me l felt wither- ingly the fiery glance as thing of evil should have been, and shrunk away; but she came and fell on her knees, hiding her face in my lap, wreathing her arms about me, and shaking me with her sobs; yet they were dry sobs-she did not shed tear
 sI shalt go mad P she muttered. "Oh, if could cryl There is no shelter for me in the world. need love. and it is de- nied me; there is no breast for me to lean upon, no arms to fold me; and Heaven casts me out, because I sin, and because I cannot help shining"
 Just then there was 8 tap upon the doorS. Arria darted out through another way. .'and I admitted Mrs. Quincerl. She heldin one haud the great gold cup, and in tha other an atom of purple glass.
 s.Mr. Trefetheness. Sir.'' said she to Mauice. catching her breath between the words, Eve were a securing the plate, aud took that to clean myself. and this came right off. this precious stone! ]" And she placed the bit of glass in her master's hand "I'm sure. Sir" she continued, syoucan't regret it more'n I do: an l shall be glad to let nay wages go toward making up for it, s fur s they can. dear knows."
 ..Taat is of no consequence, said Mau- rice with his now always melancholy smile s.Preeious stone. indeed! I wonder, if the whole vase is made up of such shams. '' l And Ae turned it about in his hand ro find the lately y-made cavity. As he did SD there fared up in his eye tie glitter of large diamond now there had never before been seen diamonds but the tiny sparks on this brilliant drinking-cup.
 s.That will do. Mrs. Qaincerl, ? said he. and we were alone again. sst s5st ag si He took up some delicate instrument. and began to loosen the setting of the other apparent amethysts. Bit after bit fell of, and scatterd themselves, purple and shining, through the golden after