Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-02-23

the Rashleigh in the hope of effecting a
reconciliation between him and her father,
who had not met him since her mothers
death. Well, Hugh, you've certainly
made blunder of it; and it isn't your
fault if you haven't broken outright as
true heart as ever beat. What are you
going to do at present2"
100 away" he said hoarsely; "that I
maynt insult her by second sight of
me. No wonder she looked at me with
such aversion to-day. And to think that
she might once have cared for nae! Well,
we'll, am punished enough"
And upon my word, when saw him
sitting with his head bowed upon his
hands, and his face as drawn and bag
gard as it years of pain had swept over it
since the morning, I almost felt the
same, and began to soften in the anger
l had felt at his first condemnation of
Cecil. He, however, wonld listen to no
excuse for his conduct, and laughed to
scorn my suggestion that she might yet
forgive him.
"Would you have me insult her worse2"
he asked me bitterly. mo, no; tell her
some day, if you like, that I left her be-
cause I was utterly unworthy of her, but
that loved her with my whole heart,
and was never faithless to her even for
day. Tell her that if you will, and then
never mention me again. She will not
care that you should.' And it was alto
gether against his will that insisted on
giving his message in my own way and
before he left Oxford. In my heart I
believed that Cecil still cared for him,
and would never suffer him to go; but he
checked me sternlY when even tried to
hint at such an idea, and left him pack
ing his portmanteau when I started.
Mrs. Prior, Cecil's cousin, received me
less cordially than usual when I
visited her. She looked worried
and fretful, and told me she
could not have seen any stranger
had brought one with me.
$50 I am glad you did not bring your
friend with you," she said. ''1s he a
great friend? for, to tell the truth, did
not take fancy to him. He has the
same name as a person who-whom I
would not receive on any account; and
and did not care for his manner. Is he
going to stay long with you!"
Cecil got up and laid her hand on her
cousins shoulder. Her beautiful face
was looking very white this morning, but
calm as wax.
"Cousin Emily is not WE'LL" she said
gently. "You are not to mind her, Mr..
Quincy. It is way Of hers to take I'M
reasonable likes ana disl1kes, and we
have not been seeing many strangers of
late. She would like your friend very
well on one of her good days. Come
out into the garden and look at my JAP
anese anemonies." And I rose and went
out with her gladly; but when we got to
the flowers turned my back on them
| and said:
"Thank you for taking Mal!am's part,
Miss Langton. He is man love dear.
~, and all the more that he has had a
great trouble in his life-perhaps the
greatest any man can have. It is very
heavy on him now" Her face turned
paler yet, her hands clasped each other
in a tight hold, but she did not speak. I
Went on quietly. "He was unfortunate
enough to love woman dearly, and
wrong her cruelty. It's quite proper
story, so you needn't mind my mention
ing it: Lately, only last ight, he found
out his error. He saw the lady again
and-:'
Thought her rather pretty, perhaps"
Cecil interrupted scornfully, and even
that he might have done worse than have
been faithful to her. Is that your friends
trouble, Mr.. Gurneyg I compassionate
him; though I don't see remedy for it.
'No," said, coolly, "for, as it hap
pens, he never was faithless to her; oniy
to his belief in her. And great as that
fault was, Miss Lengton, have told him
that if she had 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 ofense to her. I wish you would
let me tell you the story. A woman's
opinion is sometimes worth having on
these matters, and I should like to hear
yours" And then I told it to her, with
out any CLOSING over or extenuating; she
standing before me with the white
anemontes waving IN the breeze above her
feet, and the morning sunshine on her
fair head, and the changing color in her
face. 1t was very changing color dur.
g my tale, shifting from hot crimson to
pale more than once; but before the Grim
son had faded into settled pallor, and
when l was silent, she lifted two very
bright, proud eyes to mine and said, quite
calmly and coldly:
II think your friend is right, Mr.. Cur
ney. 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 quivera of smile about her
mouth, "no man who loved woman
would be coward enough to desert her on
so unworthy suspicion. She is better
without such love as mis-; and you NAV
be sure she has long ago put away any
she might ever have had for him."
''You really think 500" I asked. look
ing at her.
81 am sure of it,' she said, firmly, and
there was so little of weakness in her
face hat l saw further words were use
less, and went back to Mallam with a
heavy heart. Poor fellow; he never ask
ed me question, but the look with
which he met me, and the beaten down
expression which came over his face
when I told him the reault of my visit,
he 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,