The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-06-29

him that if she ever cared for him she
would forgive him, even though it were
greater yet. He will not hear me, and
declares that the very sight of him
must be an Offense to her. | wish you
would let me tell you the story. A
woman's opinion is sometimes worth
having on these matters, and | should
like to hear yours" And then l told
it to her, without any CLOSING over or
extenuating; she standing before me
with the white anemones waving in the
breeze about her feet, and the morning
sunshine on her fair head, and the
changing color in her face. 1t was
very changing color during my
tale, shifting from hot crimson to pale
more than once; but before the crimson
had faded into settled pallor, and
when | was silent, she lifted two very
bright, proud eyes to mine and said,
quite calmly and coldly:
81 think your friend is right, Mr..
Quincy. He has insulted the lady
grossly, and his presence must be an
offense to her. AS to his love- and
there was a small hard culver of
smile about her mouth, emo man who
loved a woman would be coward
enough to desert her on so unworthy a
suspicion. She is better without such
love as his; and you may be sure she
has long ago put away any she might
ever have had for him"
"You really think sop" asked, look
ing at her.
81 am sure of it," she said, firmly.
and there was so little of weakness In
het face that | saw further words were
useless, and went back to Mallam with
a heavy heart. Poor fellow; he never
asked me question, but the look with
which he met me, and the beaten-down
expression which came over his face
when l told him the result of my visit,
told me there had been more hope in
his heart than he had owned. He left
Oxford half an hour later, and his last
words to me were:
"God bless you, dear old fellow. Try
and be of any service to her that you
can, and-let me know if she marries.
l hope she will, and better man than
u
1t was nine months before / heard
from him again. All that time he had
not written to me, and now his letter
was to say that he had accepted an APP
pointment in India. He was weary with
this country and-and, in fact, he could
not live down the memory of his folly
while he remained in it. Would come
up to London to bid him good-by, or
should he run down to mep
l couldn't go up to London. Though
it was the long vacation again, was
detained in Oxford by business which
required my constant presence; so l
asked him to come down to me for
couple of days, adding that he need not
be afraid of meeting Cecil, as she was
away. To tell the truth, l was not
sorry that she was, for [ was a little
veXed with her. She had looked very
pale and i'll for few days after NAL
lam's departure last autumn, but after
that she frightened up, got quite rosy,
and went about with a younger and
happier air than | had ever noticed in
her. | thought her rather hard-hearted
and unfeeling, but l couldn't help liking
her all the same. 1t is not easy to dis
like beautiful woman who is persist
emily kind and gracious to you, and
meets even your surliness-and | was
rather surly to her for little while
with extra sweetness and gentleness.
One would almost have thought that
she liked me the better for being angry
with her.
1t was very pleasant seeing Mallam
again, though l thought him looking
i'll and aged, and did not like the idea
of his going off to India. You see
loved the fellow, and it seemed like los
ing him for good. Besides, though he
talked enough of it himself, it was with
the ightness of man who, having
lost everything, has nothing more to
risk.
We were out walking on the follow
ing day, strolling about arm-in-arm for
last look, as Hugh said, at the dear
old place, when we met Prior. He and
his wife were just going off for little
tour on the Continent, and nothing
would satisfy him but that we should
walk round to Worcester with him and
see her. Indeed, he was so cordial and
pleasant to Mallam-having heard of
his approaching exile-that it would
have been churlish to refuse; and Hugh
himself made no difficulty. had told
him Cecil was away, and perhaps he
thought he would like to look again at
his own college and the room where he
had seen her. 1t was too late to draw
back when, just as we were going up
to the house, Prior said:
"Ah, there's Cecil at the window. l
forgot to tell you, Quincy; she came
back this morning. She's looking very
seedy, too, poor girl-very; but she'll
be glad to see you. Quincy is prime
favorite with my womankind, you must
know, Mr.. Mallam."
Hugh made no answer, did not even
seem to hear, and we went in. Mrs.
Prior was on the sofa, but there was no
sign of Cecil at the window or elsewhere.
If she had been there, she must have
seen us and made good her escape.
Tom began to ask for her, of course,
with masculine stupidity; but his wife
snubbed him at once, with decision
which even he could not fail to under
stand. Mallam did, too. l could see
it by the extra shadow on his handsome
face; and WASN'T surprised when, after
few minutes, he got up and said
Good-by," adding that he wouldn't
take me away, for he had a call to
make on another old friend. | saw
that he would rather be alone, and so