Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-06-06


him.
There lived in those days--she is dead
nova certain old Lady D., who
owned very pretty villa in the neighbor-
hood, and was fond of giving balls, and to
one of them both myself and S were
invited. Lady D.. had the character of
being most selfish individual, but whether
that was the case or not, she had the hap
Ply knack of making her parties go off
most pleasantly. On that night There were
several pretty women in her rooms !; new
ertheless Adele, in spite of an anxious
look, distanced them all far and away.
$ danced with and spoke to her but
little, for he knew well that their names
had been coupled together, and, being a
gentleman, was above that vulgar, selfish
vanity that leads man to faunt his success
before the world, regardless of the cost
the woman incurs. And, after all, there
is more in one glance than in long string
of words.
1t was lovely night, and not being
what is termed dancing man, though l
can go through valse oreditably enough,
particularly if my partner does not want
to 90 too fast, | strolled out into the gar
dens, and, gaining the sea wall, sat myself
down to gaze at the long silvery beam a
summer moon so often lays across the
ocean. There was not breath Of wind,
as | watched, to move the fishing boat that
lay in this ray of light so stationary as to
attract my attention.
l was leaning against the trunk of a tree,
so that any one walking along the path
from behind could not possibly detect my
presence, and the two people | had heard
approaching stopped close to where | was
sitting. There are occasions when events
happen so suddenly, that unless endued
with great presence of mind, one does not
know how to act for the best; and thus it
| Jared with me, for | was unable to decide
whether to cough or to keep quiet.
evil you or will you not fly with me3"
I heard s. say.
sob donot ask me to do that, pleaded
Adele, in tremulous tones.
GAS you like, )" he replied angrily; but
| will not be made fool of any longer"
She clung to his arm, and murmured,
"Ohl I cannot part with you"
"Then when will you come r" asked
S..
81 cannot think now, but will write to-
morrow" she sobbed.
As an excuse--a feeble one, / fear, for
my subsequent conduct must relate,
before proceeding with my story, that l
had received much hospitality from Adele's
husband during my stay at Ryde. | was,
therefore, heartily sorry for him, and my
pity was enhanced by having remarked
how utterly unconscious he was Of the ca.
lamity so near his threshold.
The next morning | was awakened by
s. entering my room at an early hour,
and informing me that he was going over
to Portsmouth to arrange about getting a
months leave.
"This is a sudden resolution of yours"
| said, keeping my face half hid by the
bedclothes.
eyes, it is" he replied as he left the
room, and added, shutting the door, u" don't
forget to forward my letters"
Later in the day was sitting staring
out of the window Of my sitting-room
when the waiter brought a letter in and
laid it on the table | took it up and read
SIS name on the envelope, penned by
Adele's hand. With q heavy heart | re-
directed it, for could not help feeling for
the man she was so cruelty taking in. l
rose to place the note on the mantelpiece,
when, all of a sudden, in an ungovernable
impulse, tore it into little bits.
In less than twenty-five seconds would
have given all my worldly goods and chat
tells to have been able to recall that action.
From that hour began to imagine that
every one met guessed that had been
up to some very blackguardly act. To
make matters worse, heard from S,
inquiring il any letter had arrived for him.
answered in the negative, and my hand
trembled when did so.
was on the point of leaving Ryde, for
it was quite ont of the question my meet
ing my friend again, when the thrice well
come news arrived that his ship had been
ordered to sail at once. No reprieve to
an inmate of a condemned cell could be
more grateful than the sight of that frig-
ate vanishing in the distance was to me.
Many months elapsed before we met
again, and when We did the place of
meeting was many weary mile from dear
Old England. We shook hands, standing
up to our ankles in mud in that long track
which led from Balaklava to the front. "
"Nce, this, amt it?" he remarked,
laughing at my dsconsolate appearance.
"But you must rough it here"
replied that had spent week in a
tent on slope Of hill overlooking Bal
aklava harbor; and that as regarding
''roughing" it, considered | was on the
high road to it, for the bell tent, which
let in the rain in dozen places, held my
self, two ensigns, and pen of fowls which
had accompanied us from on board ship,
Poor things, remember well how ema-
ciated they were, and how few the feath-
ers were that covered them.
On hearing that we were to join the
Third Division, he told me we should be
able to see a great deal of each other, as
the Naval Brigade, with which he was
doing duty, was quartered in the same
camp. s. appeared in such good spir-
its that | congratulated myself on his hav-
ing quite forgotten Door Adele and her
blue eyes; but | soon discovered that |
had reckoned without my host, for be-
meath the wild, rollicking spirits that made
HIM so agreeable companion during
those long winter evenings, | could discern
some thought, some memory ever at work,
ever restless. I was never on duty with
him, being employed on another "attack, .
but his brother officers assured me that
there was no one in the brigade so reckless
of his life as he was. Again, from being
abstemious, s. had become hard and
habitual drinker, and that pernlcious habit
had begun to tell upon his health.
One evening-lt was the 10th of March,
7 -,