Litchfield enquirer., 1879-10-02
IF. Eta7 .-- ooCeciI's' Trial.

It was thankless task Garner had taken
 upon himself to do, but he was one of those
 men who never shirk their duty because it
 is disagreeabls..9 ioDiy, in this especial in-
 stance, the knowledge of the woe he would have to infict hurt him more than he had
 dreaded it would hurt him. !,iHr-[ 's He was standing at the foot of the grand
 staircase, and could see Cecil holding her
 customary court of devoted admirers with
 her radiant face and starry eyes resplendent
 from an inner happiness he knew would
 never beautify her light, glad, young life
 after he had said his say. .. ...-.....,.s
 He stood @ little apart from the gay
 crowd, with pitying dismay gathering dark
 CT and closer into his heart as he watched
 the girls sweet face all a-fush, all a-light,
 and he knew that the radiance and the joy
 was because her life was glorifed by Robert
 Campbelps love; and he was to tell her
 what the coward himself had refused to
 tell her, that he had very suddenly changed
 his mind. E '@ -" ...f .f Directly the little circle near Cecil dis
 solved, so that Garner had his opportunity
 to give her his arm, and direct their way
 into the deserted conservatory and then,
 thinking the swifter the blow, the keener
 the cut, the sooner the acute pain would be oyer, he plunged into the worst of it. sal
 wanted you alone, away from prying
 eyes and curious ears, just minute Cecil.
 have a message from Robert-I could
 curse him for the necessity of the message. nearly related to me though he is--for he told me to tell you as best I could, that at
 eleven this morning he and Virginie Vanlisle were marriedg' < %l. F. {Ui E ,. Es At his opening words, Cecil had been
 smiling; then, with the gravity of Gamers
 manner, sense of vague trouble had ban
 ished the happy light from her eyes, and
 the rich, delicate tnting in her cheeks
 slowly faded. Then little, astonished,
 mortified cry came rom her blanched lips,
 and faint and shiv"ring she hung heavily
 on Garners arm, looking so prostrated so, agonized, so despairing, that his great, stro',g heart melted into almost womanly
 sympathy. .........,1. ''''' ''.~' ':,.- h" My poor little girl! I would have given year of my life rather than to have had to
 tell you thi.! Cuu't you look at it as see it, and as May sees 1t, ashamed, and out
 ragged, and indignant though she is thather brother can be such rascally coward?
 Try to believe that you are better of thus
 than the wife of such a man, my wife's brother though he be. Cecil, Cecil dear! it hurts you so?" ..........,.,
 For her face had blanched until it was
 more deathly than it ever would be in her
 coffin-for then the agonized haunting eyes would be closed-and her lips were
 blue and quivering, and her hands like twin models in marble. '-.. t.. l. She had not said one word; gasping pitiful, worthless little vail had huttered
 to her lips in @ sort of dumb protest against this sharp blast of pain-in a sort of appeal for mercy against the sudden verdict that had so ruined her life-but, b'yond that,
 she had made no moan, until her silent suf-
 ferpg startled Garner. '' You must let me take yop to May-youe frighten me, Cecil. She can appreciate and
 comfort you as would like te dc, but, don't
 know how. Lean on me, child, and let's
 go by the side corridor. Curses on the vil-
 lain that causes you" -s-... .c ...
 Then she feebly raised her hand, entreat- ingly. .....
 No, Mir. Garner-please, no! If he loves Miss Vanlsle more than me, ought he
 not toto marry herr? You are so sorry for me, but you mustn't blame Robert J Brave, noble, loyal heart! Though he had slain her, she could not allow another to reproach him. Her words came in little spasms of effort, as though it were such a piteous task to talk up the thread of life again, and Garner looked most reverently in her sweet, stricken face, and realized that, although the devotion of this girls
 life, the passion of her young love, had been so pitifully wasted on the idol he had
 shattered at her feet--the idol go utterly une worthy, whose head might be golden, but whose feet were coarsest clay-he realized that, with woman's true, strong instinct,
 she would seek to cover the clay with the
 very fragments of her abused trust, her
 scorned love, her insuited womanhood. 'o
 ''Shal we go to May ?"afr ,..s ta ..s s... 8 l He said it to break the silence that had
 fallen upon them. Cecil answered. prompt ly: -ae E2 : -s---- tr IT you will please tell Robert Hope
 he will be as happy as he vishes.g Iwill try to endure thisu that has come toms but cannot even pretend it is not terrible to me. Of course, shall have to bear it, but here will come an end some time"
 An excited glow Helped into her eyes that
 startled, him. ..st ,..... .. t...,..,s.... .... ''I am afraid that May will wonder where I am. Come, Cecil" ~'' f.sah. s,t3 sa a
 She obeyed obediently enough and the subject was avoided after that, even when Robert Campbell's detection to her and mar, rage with Miss fanlisle was the topic of Interest in their social world ,,.., t'- Then Cecil vent away ,te, some suiet little village; and when Mrs. tsarlser saw her again, two years after, she was sastonished to find the girl merged into the res,ful. placid woman, with q classic beauty and arepose of manner that never, seemed pos sible to the vivacious; mercurial-tein pered girl ". ssa n< .s.ae
 "I am so thankful, Cecil! I was afraid
 you were pining, and here you are"
 Cecil smiled almost brightly : w .L "Quite content And so glad to see you
 before go abroad MT. Hutchinnsoonn on and I
 are to be married in just fortnight"
 And despite the serenes pleasant gravity of her words, May Garner went away, won-
 dering whether or no the handsome, stern-
 faced banker she knew to be John Hutehin-
 son had really won Cecirs love, or whether
 1t would be the old, old story over again
 the purchase of an empty heart with we'll