The Worthington advance., 1876-06-01

WOkIHlNGTON, MOB!
said Seton, laying his hand upon the
one from which he had just risen:
No, thank you, I prefer sitting
away from the fire."
II am sorry the room should smell
so of tobacco" observed Seton after a
pause, but you see I didn't expect the
pleasure Of visitor.''
She smiled rather forced smile by
way of answer, and Seton folded elab-
orately and put into an envelope a
sheet of blank paper.
| ''The' country is very beautiful
around here" he observed writing his
own name, with great care upon the
envelope.
"We have only been back from the
Continent about six weeks" she Oh.
served, after q pause. assMamma has
taken a house near Chiselhurst.
was driving over to Sevenoaks this
morning and 1 was caught in the
rain, and induced to ask for shelter
here.'
"And how is Mrs. Clarefeld p
''Mamma is quite we'll, thank YOU -
Then, after a pause, in a full, sweet,
low contralto voice, which had ring
OF infinite pathos, care you stopping
here?''
"Hardly," said Seton, with an as.
sumption of gayety in his tone; ssbut
III tell you all about it. My friends
kindly took it into their heads that
was sticking too closely to w0rk-that
wanted fresh air and exercise-so
they bound me over, on my word of
honor, to walk from London to Hast
Iings in week. acquiesce in every
thing now, 50, of course, acquiesced
in this, and this is my first day of hard
labor and imprisonment
"But you used began the lady,
then she colored little, and seemed
unwilling to finish her sentence; s'you
used to be so fond of walking.'
''But man changes good deal in
three years, he replied wearily.
Then came long silence, broken at
last by the pop of an ale cork, at whicl,
they started as if an explosion had
taken place.
sob? you grow used to it in time, -
observed Seton.
It seemed impossible to imagine
these two persons, more formal to
each other in manner, than the most
distant acquaintances, could ever have
been passionate and devoted lovers.
What thoughts had. they, wonder, as
they sat together, and yet so far apart,
of the old days wherein love led them,
land all was we'll 1t would weary you,
dear reader, and to no purpose, were l
to set down here the dreary common.
|places with which these two tried to
beguile the time for over an hour.
At length, worn out by the arduous
effort of trying to entertain each other
while their thoughts were so far away,
they took refuge in silence, and the
wind reared, and the rain lashed the
window, and the dusk came on prem
maturely, and Seton, looking out on the
cheerless prospect shivered as with tho
cold. Then the other person in the
room rose very quietly and stirred the
fire into blaze, and resumed her seat
on the sofa.
'sNo, you shouldn't really" sale
|Set0n, not turning round, however
though with look of great pain upo1
his face. 1t is wonderful what suffer
ing some small, commonplace word OF
action may cause us. What vistas o1
impossible joys, again, may they not
|open up to us.
II suppose the carriage will soon bt
back,'' said Alice presently, and speak
ing with effort, '|and our new coach
man drives so fast, too.''
"Yes, and your term of imprison
ment will soon be up," rejoined Seton
resting his arm upon the mantelpiece
and examining with critical Interest
the photograph of Mr.. Hunters de
funct mare.
+'How the time passes,' said Alice
in low voice, as if speaking to her
self Then, with sudden energy, T,
cannot tell when we shall meet again
Before we part, answer me one ques
tion. You are looking worn an
weary-are yon happy!'
Now he stood before her, ant
through the dusk and the freight hi
eyes flashed on her, and he said, in
l low, harsh voice -'sFrom your lip
this question is an insult.''
III "utCu you uteu uOt 1tsIf I'LL
repetition,'' she rejoined promptly
with cutting formality.
''No, it can't end like this, he wen
3 on, ''Do you know, ever since you hav
; , been here, I have bitten my lip
through and through to keep then
T. from speaking of the past. This meetin
was not of your seeking, and it seem
to me unmanly and dastardly to tax
advantage of this opportunity.
: 'We are sometime so mistaken" sh
said hurriedly, but her words wer
! hardly audible, and he continued
, "Alice you have treated me very i'll
, On that day, now three years age
= when I gave yon my love, and I be
4 lieved in yours, l was frank with you
I told you how wild and irregula
Il my life had been, and how full q
faults I was. You reclaimed me-yo
: transformed my days-you made IN
), life all at once, pure and fair; an
:, then, because some thorn in my Low
Il hurt you, you threw it all away, an
9 left me to perish miserable Sh
would have interrupted him, but h