The Portland daily press., 1874-10-24

like parting here. You know your uncle
does not object"
'sHe doesn't object because he knows
nothing to object to-" she whispered. And
they both then contemplated the fine, stall
wart figure of the said uncle, who could be
seen moving about inside the mill, illumina-
ted by the candle, and circumscribed by
faint halo of flour, and hindered by the whirr
of the mill from hearing anything so gentle
as lovers talk,
Oswald had not relinquished her hand, and,
submitting herself to bondage the appeared
to love better than freedom, Agatha followed
him across the bridge, and they went down
the lane engaged in the low, sad talk common
to all such cases, interspersed with remarks
peculiar to their own.
SIT is nothing so fearful to contemplate"
he said. MANY live there for years in a
state of rude health, and return home in the
same happy condition. So shall l."
81 hope you will"
''But aren't you glad I am going? 1t is
better to do well in India than badly here.
Say you are glad, dearest; it will fortify me
when am gone"
81 am glad," she murmured family. 81
mean am glad in my mind. don't think
that in my heart I am glad"
"Thanks to Macaulay, of honored memo
ry, have as good a chance as the best of
them p he said, with ardor. "What great
thing competitive examination is; it will put
good men in good places. and make inferior
men move lower down; all bureaucratic
jobbery will be swept away"
'Whats bureaucratic, Oswald""
ooh! that's what they call it, you know.
1t is-well, don't exactly know what it is.
I know this, that it Is the name OF what l
hate, and that it isn't competitive examina-
ton"
sat any rate it is a very bad thing" she
said conclusively
every bad, indeed: you may take my word
for that
Then the parting scene began, in the dark.
under the heavy-headed trees which shut out
sky and stars. "And since shall be in Lon
don till the spring." he remarked, "the part
ing doesn't seem so bad-so all at once. Per-
haps you may come to London before the
Spring, Agatha"
81 may; but don't think I shal.''
"We must hope on all the same. Then
there will be the examination, and then I
shall know my fate."
81 hope you'll fail!-there, I've said it.;
couldn't help it, Oswaldp' she exclaimed,
bursting out crying; "You would come home
again thenp'
Chow can you be so disheartening and
wicked, Agathap' IL didn't expect
''No, no; don't wish il; wish you to
be best, top, very very best!' she said. II
didn't mean the other; indeed, dear Oswald,
1 didn't. And will you be sure to come to
me when you are rich? Sure to come ?"F
eff Pm on this earth I'll come home and
marry you." ss, g -a
And then followed the good-by.
In the spring came the examination. One
morning newspaper directed by Oswald was
placed in her hands, and she opened it to find
it was copy of the Times. In the middle
of the sheet, in the excellent neighborhood
of the leading articles, was a list of names,
and the first on the list was Oswald Winwood.
Attached to his name, as showing where he
was educated, was the simple title of some
obscure little academy, while underneath
came public school and college men in shoals.
Such case occurs sometimes, and it occur
ed then. -.rs..s..-s-gg fo,urll -essc9
How Agatha clapped her hands for her
selfish wish to have him in England at any
price, even that of failure, had been but q
paroxyism of the wretched parting, and was
now quite extinct. Circumstances combined
to hinder another meeting between them be-
fore his departure, and, accordingly, making
up her mind to the inevitable in way which
would have done honor to an older head, she
fixed her mental vision on that sunlit future,
far away, yet always nearing, and contem-
templated its probabilities with firm hope.
At length he had arrived in India, and now
Agatha had only to work and wait; and the
| former made the latter more easy. In hel
| spare hours she would wander about the riv
er Drinks and into the coppices, and there
weave thoughts Of him by processes thai
| young women love so well. She kept diary
and in this, since there were few events tt
chronicle in her daily life, she sketched the
changes of the landscape, noted the arriva
and departure of birds of passage, the times
of storms and foul weather-all which in
formation, being mixed up with her life and
| taking color from it, she sent as scraps in hel
letters to him, deriving most of her enjoy
ment in contemplating his.
Oswald, on his part, corresponded very
regularly. Knowing the days Of the Indian
mail, she would 60 at such times to meet the
post-man in early morning, and to her unva
rying inquiry, ga letter for me?" it was sci
| dom, indeed, that there came a disappoint
| ing answer. Thus the season passed, an(
| Oswald told her he should be a judge some
| day, with many other details, which, in hel
mind, were viewed chiefly in their bearing
| on the grand consummation-that he was u
| come home and marry her. Ola k
| Meanwhile as the girl grew older and mor'
| womanly, the woman whose name she hai
once stolen for day grew more of an OLE
maid, and showed symptoms of fading. On.
day Agatha's uncle, who, though still hand
some man in the prime of life, was widow.
| er with four children, ito whom she acted tn,
| part Of eldest sister, told Agatha that Frances
| Lovill was about to become his second wife.
| "Wellp said Agatha, and thought, "Wha
an end for beautyp' ,,a -es,7s'F
| And yet it was all reasonable enough, not
| withstanding that Miss Lovill might looked 9