Litchfield enquirer., 1871-11-09
equally impressive voice.

II l saw the shadow sweep over his face' l pass away, and leave it bland as summer. Standing there with one finger In hls fob, he reached the other hand f0r; her boquet; turning the pretty mosaic about lelsurely and taking it's fraorance. he, with his oth- CT hand, arranged a buried blossom, pull ed away leaf, trifed with it Q moment, and returned it. aff ssCome, Senorita," said the Cuban. s'There are the notes we await There IS the very strain that swings us ct it's will. Aria stood with the boquet uncon- sciously near her lips, as he spoke, and looking away abstracted or bewildered. A faint smell of almonds began to be diff fused in our neighborhood and it seemed I to me that the room darkened and all the l faces took purple tone It was only an l instant, for had recourse to my vinai- grette; but when looked up again the boquet was scattered on the floor, and l Arria had fanen, stiff and palid as an ivory carving, fainting into the arms of Mau- rice. AsAF
 .sDo not follow said Maurice, as he bore her out. But I choose" whispered Trefethe- ness. Before we gained the door the car riage was gone, another was placed di- rectly at our disposal and we rolled home 1 in it together.
 sMa1rice made her fainti'' I said. "Yes; he knows thousand subtle arts of fthe kind Hehas probably some antidote | in the same pocket which he will admin ister, and she be no atom tbe worse" ''Trefetheness" cried ssWhy don't you speak to Maurice? Or, why don't you make Arria love you?" ssfi s1 could not make Arria love me; and owe so much to Maurice that my duty is l difficult. Besides, he is as dear to me with his warm, generous heart, his sweet, | cordial manner, as she to you. Moreover" he continued, dreamily, s'to thwart him would be cast his determination inde- structibly The work to be done is delicate. It makes me feel amost despicable traitorI I, who am so largely his debtorl What, are you crying, dear? My hand is wet ''Tfefetheness, it is dreadful. It is a crime, is it not?"
 'aThey think, and we think, that it is."
 '"They can never marry?" I said, half l questioningly. .s. 1.,a sa rnssg 'They have only to go into the next State to marry legally and honorabiy."
 ''No, mo-" fl 7 f a4lh4osIS ni
 ''They question, perhaps, if all their | happiness does not depend on such pos sibility. But they know truly that life apart will, after time, be more endufable than life together. There could be no progress in such a union, the race would travel in circle whose center was insan- ity." A 4 siA "But it is so hard. Oh, Trefstheness, why could not our happy, innocent life continue?" But here the coach stopped at the gate
 Aria met us, smiling and we'll; there seemed to have been flask of ottar of roses spilled in the hall. Maurice has gone back for you" she said. "Why did you coneP Only think how unfortunate, with all our conquests half begun and all l our schemes unfinished. I suppose the Sen0r is spinning round alone now. This leyity seemed to me for the instant like consummate acting; but after she ceased there was Q light in her eye, and smile of insuferable happiness about her mouth. 3 tIipTs r4 3a1
 Trefetheness waited till my uncle's re- turn. 'T should think you had turned on the pipes from reservoir of rose-water to in Maraschino," said he, as Maurice en- tered, blithe and easy. t
 "By-the-way," replied Maurice, 'slet us drink to her health in that golden liquid." When the fragrant draught was poured out, the other lifted his delicately engrav- en glass and said: 'Arria's health is we'll enough" and here he gazed steadfastly into his eye. '1 drink to you, dear Man rice." EeI
 'Thank you, Trefetheness," {" said Mau- rice; '1 hope you will not drink in vain And now of all good Christian souls I pray God-be-wiyoul' And clinking glass es he set it down reversed. <yet a a
 "You are pale, poor childl'' said Arria to me as I sat while they all stood; and bending, she meant to kiss me.
 'Who kissed you last, Arria?" whis- pered.
 ''Yon, think" she replied. And as she spoke it was impossible not to note. the change in her. she was so still, where once she would have been gay and radiant. l She seemed, too, to be my elder, irias- much as suffering had given her seniority. But just now she was calmly happy. forgetting right and wrong, past and fii- | ture, in the certainty of Matrices afEec- tion-for the arm with which held her i'm her semi-swoon, which had pillowed her. she must have recognized as that of such tender care as only one in the world can give.
 Early the next morning we started on our journey, and reached it's destination by nightfan Trefetheness did not ac-
 
 recOncible with his duty to other patients and for me,I grew feebIer and weaker be. heath the burden that oppressed me. Our life, there, was the same as at home l never left Arria for moment; we both were much with Maurice. Although. it was late in the season, and the place was l not crowded, still we found o sufficient number of companions for distraction and amusement. Arria's instinctive bent for irritation | had counted upon as great assistance, but it had totally deserted her. l myself made few acquaintancss. and re- fused nearly all offers of friendship or at tention was looking on one evening at the stream of promenaders over the great piazza, with Mauricee and Aria not far away. Some one was just about to, offer me an arm. and to decline it, when Maurice stopped and said, in his kindest. most touching tone: 'Tittle woman. I viii watch myself while you go.'
 'tOh Mauricel'' I exclaimed: but teara choked me, and hastily dipped away with my chevalier. I resolved then to stand guard over them no longer. con- demned myself for the mean part I had assumed, and dared to hope that I c0uId trust him with himself. When I returned he was standing where had left him. and now he placed my hand in his own arm. and we walked together down the long vista before us. saw Arria's mournfui glance follow us wistfully. At last we turned the angle of the wall, and stood behind an abutment, screened from all. Below us stretched the wide land, league after league, in the shadow; ebove us arched windy sky, whose flying clouds obscured the sinking moon; all around us was the cool and searching air with it's chill homelessness. Now and then laugh, ahrlu strain, Q noisy murmur, startled the place and sealed its shelterless sol itude. Here we paused, and Maurice placed his other hand upon mine aC it lay within his arm. -. Dear child r said he;. then, after .