The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-07-27

between ''poor Charley" and his BROTH
er. AS 10 Leah herself she
can hardly form calm, rational
opinion, so different is this Leah from
the girl with the wild eyes, whose poor,
uncertain fingers she had helped to find
their old familiar places on the piano at
| HOrewood five years ago. She feels
rather than knows that the past is not
all blank in Miss Fourier's brain, but
no word OF recognition has passed be-
tween the girls, ana 1T is plain at any
rate that nothing of that dreadful epi-
! sOde in Leah'S life is suspected by the
| Ashtons. To Margaret herself, as she
| looks on the others proud, imperiOus
| beauty, it seems as il her remembranee
could be nothing but a dream; ana yet1t
! is almost pain 10 her to think that SO
much of her pity in those bygone days
was wasted.
Ten minuteS-a quarter OF an hour,
goes slowly by, ana Leah saunters back
| into the draWing-room, with spray OF
maidenhair in her hands, and the pas
sion of her song still half-slumbering in
| those deep, mysterious eyes. "MT. A sh-
ton is going to be kind enough 60 see me
home," she remarks generally for every
body's information, and Margaret feels
| the same sudden chill that had come to
| her the nigut before for the first time,
when her lover had undertaken The same
surely Unnecessary duty. 1t is almost
| relief to her to remember that this is
her last evening with the Ashtons, and
that next day Arthur is to take her back
to the city. Leah Fourier may take ali
the iooLmen in the country into the
conservatory with her then, il she
chooses.
Nevertheless the chill comes to her
heart more unmis takabIy than ever next
night, for Leah Fourier, and the con-
servatOry, and Arthur Ashton are all
| left behiud. He found that he could
take another weeks holiday, he lold her,
| aud she could not be selfish enough to
propose that he should spent two days
IN travelling, merely tor the sake OF tax
ing her home. 50 their good-Dy was
SAID at the little railWay-Station, but
some thing fell out OF his pocket as lie
was taking her ticket, and she could not
help seeing that IL Was bit OF maiden
hair lern. 1t was PITY that il should
| be crushed under strangers foot be-
| lore he could recover it-Dut then unere
| was more III the conservatory.
Four, five days without Il letter, dur
| ing which time tue Child never leaves
| her heart, and then there comes what
she has been looking for. He asks her
IA ouO 10 SoSA ChNu6H3 CnuuBu,
| to forgive him; ana adds, vi course, tnat
he can never lorg,y himself. Margaret
knows now what answer he made to
| Leans song, and Woujers if there is
| any thing lett TOR Aer in the world, or il
| II is all made up of such questions and
| such replies. linen she remembers that
! ner father had SAID that Lnere We're one
| hundred and fifty thousand reasons why
no one should envy Lean Fourier.
Wen, Lean Is mis-, body ana soul, rea-
sous ami all, ii lie chooses to take her,
and Margaret wonders whether the first
Will make up to nm tor all the others
Would he chOuSe, ii he knew VI the cor
ridOr at HOreWood, and had seen the
lips he loved ClOylng themselves with
sWeetmeats that soft Compass iona o
nands thrust b. stealth Within thol
reach? Sac puts away the thousnJ
from ner syltn a sAudder, calling upon
God not to tempt her TO come between
ann and mis- happiness. Ii ~ can all be
hluuen frOm nun, 1t would be Sin IN
ner, OF all women III the World, to say a
word which niIguL dash Lhe cap from his
lips. She would drink her owu cap in.
sLead, and Try to sweeton 1t by this
thought that the man sue loved was hap
by with the girl for NhUm she had ouCe
felt 50 divine ply.
The months 50 quickly enough by, now
that Margaret no longer counts how
mduy there are between the seed and
The blossom of her happiness, and she
knows that Arthur Ashton must baye
brought his bride back with him by this
time 10 Ills clty nome. Does she slug
"lf Thou kneWesp to hltn now, Mar
garel WolueTs, Oh does each know tne
uepJh and intensity Of the others love
by heart and ind il sufficient! 1lar-
garet Snuuders as she Remembers thai
there is slll Ii secret hidden from Ar
thur Ashton in L6ah's my sLerIous eyes
a secret which she alone can read, and
would give half her lie TO be able IL
forget. Would 1t ever happen tuaU he
could come to her aud curse ner for hay
ing hidden 1t from him W revenge her
selli
Plat she is revenged, God knows how
unwillingly, Margaret sees the first time
she holds Arthur AshtOn'S hand in hers
again, He has written TO ask her if he
may come to her and satisfy himself of
her forgiveness, and her love is dead
enough in her heart for her to be able
TO tell him eyes" She has even ceased
to wonder at the dreariness Of her Cwn
life, and is vaguely conscious, as he
takes her hand, OF the same great pity
LlanLed her, that flied her heaft as she
went down the staircase at E0re God,
leaving the cold corridor and the locked
door behind hsr.
"You have found out how little 1 was
worth your regret?' he says, forcing AN
uneasy laugh, as he sees that the old
culver he remembers III her lips is there
40 longer.
"No, not that" answers Margaret,
simply, tbut it is quite true tnat l re-
greL nothing; nothing at least that"
She stops, knowing that it Ia too late TO
IeiI him now what she does regret, and
what she tries to persuade horself she is
mistaken IN regretting. "YON must be
very happy-you are happy, are you
uoLW she asks, anXiously>
Glow long do you expect BRIDE
groom's happiness to lasl? he asks in
reply, with an affectati0n Of levity that
| tells Margaret she has been sacrificed in
vain. "Leah has been talking of coming
to see you lor the last mouth, d. YOU
knoWw
"She isvery beautiful" said Margaret,
irrelevantly. is she quite "ell?"
"W ell? of course she ls," he answers
in not quite so even voice. "Wny
snould sue not be WellY'
Margareps heart turns sick with the
horrible apprehension that he has al