Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-05-31

will try that"
His face and voice were both so earnest
that they startled her, till she remembered
what an actor he was.
well, l hardly know, she replied, delib-
erately. "If you were once so thoroughly in
earnest rs to forget yourself it would be
something. If | knew of some generous,
self-sacriicing thing you had done, without
other peoples knowledge, | suppose should
be more ready to trust you And il / could
see you in some thoroughly ridiculous posi-
tion, disconnected and helpless like common
people, with all your defences down, might
be still more ready to trust you"
Not very easy conditions to comply with"
Il never expected you to comply with
them"
So the subject dropped. The doctor still
came and went, but seemed to have abandon
cd his fruitless project. There were no more
word traps set to catch her Then. as was
natural, she began to feel little more conf
dence in him. The mere fact that he remain
ed their friend after finding that he could not
have his own way had considerable weight.
About this time there was a change in their
servants, one of them leaving to be married,
and new girl coming in her place. This
girl, whose name was Molly, had not been in
the house three days before some one CHANGED
to mention DIR. Ritchie's name before her. It
dropped the duster, and almost dropped her
self in her astonishment Did they know the
good doctor, then, who had been her benefac-
tor when she hadn't friend in the world p
who had found her when her mother was al
most dead of fever, and the children were
starving, and her father could get no work
Did they know how he had cured her mother
and fed the children how he had got her
place where she could learn house-work and
...aN.a F. L. r Al 4
never forgotten them, till even the baby,
which was so starved and thin, was now as
plump and pretty a baby as could be seen in
the whole city?
And so on, an hour or more ; indeed, Molly
would never have stopped as long as she could
get any body to listen to her. There was no
doubling her sincerity. She was a pretty
faced, shy little Irish girl, who was speaking
out of her very heart.
Margaret thought with Il curious thrill that
here was the first Of the conditions she had
named fulfilled. Would the other one be, too
Yes, and with marvellous rapidty.
Happening to look out of the window one
aborers holiday, confused, angry sound
rose from the upper end of the street. It
grew louder, grew nearer, resolved itself into
a semi-mOb Uf excited mal-contents rushing
through the streets vociferating curses against
their employers. And there, in the very heart
of this rabble his lat missing, his immacu-
late collar rumpled his face all red with ex-
ertion-there Of all men in the world was
Dr. Richie. He certainly looked dsconcert-
ed and embarrassed enough to satisfy any
body.
Margaret almost jumped in her astonish-
ment Here was condition number two met
She was very uneasy at frst for his person.
al safety. He seemed to be trying to restrain
the mob from further mischief, and in conse-
quence was receiving some rather rough usage
at their hands. But II messenger dispatched
later in the day reported that the doctor had
reached his own home without serious injury
though much bruised and tattered.
He did not come to see them that night
nor the next. When at last he was well
enough TO make his appearance, there were a
few hours in which Margaret's thankfulness
for his safety lulled to rest the old uneasy sus-
picion.
Before those hours had passed he asked her
to he his wife, and she consented. Three
months aftcrward they were married in 4
very quiet way and, dispensing with any
wedding tour, began housekeeping in the
same cosy establishment where the doctor had
so long presided alone.
Margaret never asked herself now if she be-
heved IN her husband. She knew that she
loved him. and kept the other question out of
sight. But very often he would ask her of
his own accord, Margaret, you trust me
now = Aud then, though she always answer
ed Yes dutifully, her lips trombled and a
troubled light came into her eyes Had he
succeeded in making the child believe that the
moon was made of green cheese II so, he
80 nF eu b" a. ue",iS "s ever year oi mar
h ,i'u ~ n'nue no ulIerehce' let sometimes
~ 'no ou Iu,Ion?' hahIioeAihg Slnlle would
IGi"u ij, 1"eA 10 MS ups 'he old unreal ring to
LIS, ,l,n 'o''e' was III theSe IhoOds 'hat ne al.
SS"!I naAsu h'r II hhe trusted nm, never II
Ane ioatd MN Ihsre was no need OF that
"iAh YOU "ouiu NOT ask me the same
Iues''on ,l'', 80 many ulneh, sue SAID once al,
' PetuG'huy' oho,ilu nave married
i.''",.. io" II n''G not pehe'eu you AS lar as
Aro"' !ou nave never ueceiNeu me nave
'' naAeu !oul p"ruou h''ii uo|eh times Tor nav
Sou & VI w. are you such an ihEet
er.te ',, indian that you can't forgive and for
s't 80,
90 you nave, ne said laughing: NO, l
Ia,,e i,ane Hener ueeelYeu' but supp1sing l mad
1'' uoii1 JuS' Nnat you once 'oiu me l uid-uSed
one ', i4'n an" iel' nhUther tru'h IN the back.
eiouhu ho' harihIully or ihanclously, but
shnPly because II was not suited to my Pur-
PoSIe SI
r,S one was ioohing al nm very earnestly
iio" eulIes'iy' ne uiu not perceive MS heed
'''a piloou ""N upon MN
iou reneihoer lhe TWO conditlons you
once t., iii'tue
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Isl 70 ro"t.,;,, 1Iio" .tot yJu iT'iy 'IieI ny
coses nnrnosai, i,r 80 vor oui U,o1sii' oo'ii
Rl;,id d',a ~ 1,g ui ra. .io's u,
NOT see he cbaNaa i, 10 b;s 'ii"' ii' uiu
,.I, ~ tn iS'.IH iii i's "i'e i"oe'
wont NJ" Ill, sSn, ~ 49, 1a onei "9
soid ,yoIiJ tiIi''' : 1' lu' uone Mhat \
,'at 49,, 80. .'''u NY o"ii ""y anu
onca bat I, I'LL ~, I' ,v1' 'oiu ine
me- alsni,t;o', I;t,i WI, WI Sou gitS ,,,
H. ',I;l'ht .lH1 IL -; "Hy, Ni"t Baret'
,yhito ar1 o. &c. Honi,i .ot n'i iaoe :s "iS
a. ,ro'IJ III 80 90 iooAsu ~ nm as III an
.aol os hi,,nt ''''r''''i' 'e'e was nohe so "li
WI '''ii NTaroo.. ,h.., 49,, -. :; :.
po,I ~ N, 'iieIe ""s no s'ii III It,
L. t',tU"i ;, S'"'''''nH "eie sen"'hci9' hones'-