Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-10-30

the mixture Of pity, contempt, and
something that was almost like envy,
as she said under her breath -"She
thinks it will last poor little fool!'
Involuntarily quotation from the
volume we had been reading together
came to my lips: 81 too, have been in
Arcadia" I should hardly have
known that I had spoken aloud, but
for the way in which she turned on
me.
'"What suggested that to you?"
she said, imperiously. "Tell me, in
sist !"
"The expression of your face just
now" | answered, smiling. "There
was whole romance in it,"
'Indeed!" she rejoided, with a delib-
crate emphasis contrasting with her
former abruptness, ''that must be an
agreeable pastime, trying to surprise
faces off their guard! Perhaps you
are going to favor me with other rev
elations gained in the same way?'.
Aside from the sudden, most un.
welcome conviction that [ had indeed
CHANGED on some !arring chord in the
past, / was so taken aback by her
cold and cutting manner of speaking
as to be literally without words to
reply, | could only look at her. but
she understood my look, | suppose,
for the next moment she said, in Il
vely different tone: II beg your par
don, sincerely, Mr.. Denvers, you have
a right to your thoughts, and it was |
who forced you to explain them. Only
and she gave forced smile, stake
my advice don't waste yonr time in
studying my face; the romance you
might read there would not be good
for much in any sense. And now,
forgive mel" And she reached out
her hand to me- took it and held
it Il moment while our eyes met.
What she read in mine | don't know,
but whatever it was, it did not appear
to please her, for she drew her hand
away quickly with slight frown.
Still, as | said, after this, though she
did not admit me to any more real in
timacy, her manner was less formal
and more friendly.
Meantime, while was, as l hoped,
making progress in her good graces,
events were working to bring to the
surface the latent feud between her
and Mr. Webster. That amiable gen
tleman had taken to devoting himself
somewhat demonstratively to Miss
Rosa Morrell, to the manifest discom-
future of M. Eugene Debley, but not
of Miss Rosa herself, who, like most
schoolgirls, was an arrant little flirt,
and had not the slightest objection to
any number of strings to her bow.
So she did not check Webster's rather
pronounced fluctuations on the occas-
ion of her sixteenth birthday, but re-
piled with a look at once shy and
saucy, and quite enough to turn any
head not turned already, as she went
off laughing to school. Miss Knowles
looked after her with kind of wistful
tenderness.
"Sixteen to-day" !" said she. "What
must it seem like to be sixteen, l
wonder!"
"One would think, to hear you,
there were hundred years between
you" said !, laughing.
81 am Twenty-Five" she said, grave
ly.
"Only six wears, then!"
"Only six years.!" she echoed
"only six ages! That child is just
beginning life, and L."
"And you-?" repeated, as she
paused, lost in thought, apparently.
"1-must be going to my scholars"
she rejoined, with a quick look, half
suspicious, half -mischieyous, at me, as
she started up.
"Tiresome little animals, as Mr..
Thorne rightly called them," said l.,
rising too. As we entered the hall,
the street door was just closing on
Webster.
evil that be a match, do you
think q asked, the sight of him re-
minding me of the subject.
"Good heavens exclaimed Miss
Knowles, stopping short and gazing
anxiously in my face-"Rosa-NIiss
Morrell and Mr.. Webster do you
mean? Do you see any real reason
for asking such question ?"
"Only human nature in general, and
if you will excuse my saying so of
your little friend-Miss Morrell's ma
| t,,o -, ,>o,,,o,,1,, Jo,,, +b,,l. ,f 7