Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-11

smiling. George, as you call him, is Ill, is he
Lott"
knocked himself TO bits last winter, out
hunting. Ribs, leg, head, all went to smash
and even now he is only slowly recovering. No
doubt he will pluck up In hurry, now this
TESS thought he was done for. That poor
child, Clarssa, was quite Ill, between grief and
"Ah! That is what makes her look so sad,
su Ip!%sei MT .,tocetnsr rvs+s-,ou.,v
"AnythiDg more?" turning sharply: mot
disappointment in love. surely! 1t Is an i'm
pertiIence even to imagine it,
4" may IS well tell you about it," says old
Hyde, who adores the sound Of his own voice,
and Is beginning to enjoy himself intensely.
"All the world here knows the story, so as you
are sure to hear IL from some quarter, sooner or
later, shan't be breaking confidence by telling
you. And you may as well hear a true version
OF 1t. You made good guess: 1t an IN
Tie had bad taste, whoever he was" says
Dugdale. with family unpleasant ring in his
tone. He has already begun to feel an interest
In his lovely tenant, and when man feels an
interest In woman, however slight, he takes
II badly when he is told she In her turn, ha )
felt an interest In some foreign quarter
"YCu know Sir Wilfred HaughIon? Well, he
was the man. They were engaged to be mar
r1ed about three years ago; everything was ar
ranged; never was there fellow so much in
love. as IRE thought when suddenly cousin of
Clarissa came on the scene. pretty girl, l
am bound to say, but bad, Sir. bad to the hearts
core. There was something fetching about her,
Isuprose because every man in the neighbor-
hood except myself, Dugdile, l am proud to
say made an ass OF himself about her. But
she laid her plans cieyerly, and never ceased
Ill she had wied IIaughton from his alegi ance,
and, verify believe broke Clartssas heart.
She has never held her Lead since Fairly
crushed she was, and all for most unworthy
object, as cannot help thinking him"
You put it mildly. man VINO could be
guilty OF such an act must be termed an I'M
mitigated blackguard," says DugdaIe, calmly
knocking the ash off his cigar.
- SO think But the cream OF the joke is to
follow Madame Violet having made her little
game, and cajoled Haughton to the top OF her
bent, cody threw him over at the last moment,
and married a city man with no birth to men
ton. but unlimited COIN"
"Serve him right" vicioasIy 81 knew him
slightly, but can't say fancied him; weak, it
seemed to me, and self opinionated. He has
been abroad for some time
Fit Of the SpeenS. They say he Is coming
home at the END OF the month, SO dare say he
has got over It,"
slew will Miss CareW like his being In the
netghbOrhood again?'
She is very game" says the Major ssproud.
you know, and that-She won't show what
she really feels. Perhaps his coming will cure
her enectually and settle matters forever"
You mean she Will probably accept him
second time?"
"Accpt him! Nonsense, sir, she will reject
him, AID that with scOrn-with scorn.' says the
Major, flushing with Indignation.
month renders the Carews very Intimate
with their landold-whichi is hardly TO be Won
coming to Weston, avoWedly to sit with George,
bur in reality to see Ciarissa.
Now, he does not even care to conceal from
himself the fact that his early admiration for
her has deepened into love- Yet his attachment
causes him only unhapplnesS, having in IL all
tie elements of disappointment TO come Cla-
Iissa, apparently, being utterly indifferent to
II. Sic is very sweet, very gentle, and treats
him with all the Kind familiarity of sister,
but even he cannot deceive himself into the be-
lief that there Is anything sentimental In her
regard.
one evening towards the close of this month,
Dugdale happens to be dining at the lodge. He
has dined there often of late, young Carew
having taken an enormous fancy to him, being,
indeed, almost low-sprited when he Is out Of
his sight. All through dinner Clarssa has been
singularly distrafte and meditative: there Is a
quick to mark. Strolling in the garden with
her, later on, through the warm, sweet, wooing
July air, he suddenly breaks the long silence by
saying,
How quiet you are this evening. Has any
thing yeXed you-disturbed your"
Have betrayed myself even to you?" she
says with smile, and rare faint blush "No
-yes-I confess it; should not be disturbed,
but amin that lies my self contempt II
makes me angry with myself to know that
am annoyed, but cannot help it. heard TO-
day Sir Wilfred Haughton is coming home TO-
morrow Her voice has fallen slightly
"Ies. know" He has turned his face
away from hers.
"Of course you have heard all that old story.n
she says, quite calmly, but with another blush
so vivid as to bring tears to her eyes, sit seems
very old now. Every one knows IT; that thought
was very bitter to me just at first, but nov
scarcely seem to mind 1t, and you are so good a
friend can speak to you about it. 1t is so very
disheartening, is it not, with little constrain-
ed laugh that after all ones inward lectures,
one should find ones self as far from tndifer-
ence as ever"
Mistaking her meaning altogether, he winces
pefceptibly.
docs his coming distress you?r
"1es," slowly, sit distresseS me; and yet
cannot say whether it makes me glad or sorry.
After all, he was an Old friend, before-berore
anything foolish occurred between US. d. not
''No doubt he has, long ere this, repented his
have got down to the Wicket-gate by this time
that leads into the haggard, and he, leaning his
arms ufon it, continues, always with his eyes
turned from hers, ''What If he is coming home
because the first and best love is still strong
within him? 1t may be that he is coming to
gain forgiveness"
effort, SIT is impossible
81 think it so utterly possible that am al
most sure of it," says Dugdale, who takes
NO man, under the circumstances, would elect
to come to the place again unless with such an
object"
.You frighten me-" says she: and then She
signs, and brushes back her soft hair fmpa-
tiently from her temples. "Would you act so
In such case?" she asks, presently, In slow,
Then he turns to look at her, and their eyes
meet. The tender silence of coming night is
all around. The faint, melodious lowing of
the oxen In the far-on meadows alone breaks
the stiffness OF the evening, that Is dying with
such lingering sweetness.
81 cannot answer the question" returns he,
a'little unsteadily; 81 could not picture myself
in such case. Had dared to love you 1t would
have been with such love as would have lasted
to my dying day."
Silence again. She has grown very pale. and
the hand that tritieS with the huge bunch of
crimson roses so lately plucked, Is trembling
slightly. The cows are coming slowly toward
them through the cool deep grass; the birds,
high over their heads, are twttering drowsily
last goodnight; Georges voice from the We
randa calls to them to return.
GU are thinking OF the paste" says Dugdale
hurr1edly, taking one OF the roses from her
"ieS-and or the future" she replies, In a
troubled tone.
"Clarissa you still love him? ?"
"HoW shall tell," returns she with touch
OF passion. ~ have SO long brooded over my
unhappy story-so often told myself l shall
never again" She pauses abruptly 81 want
to see him. she says, after slight hesitation.
Naturally" with some bitterness.
No, you mistake. want TO see him, !" slowly
"because, when l doom the irlstant-I shall
know"
"Know what?" eagerly.
"My own heart" replies she, somewhat sadly
Three days later, walking along the quiet
road that leads to Weston, Give Dugdale comes