The Portland daily press., 1879-11-07
THE PRESS.
london Society,"
A Romance of the Prince of
Wales's Garden-Party.
lCNNCLTDED.


greatest debater the world ever saw" the
most Demosthenan speaker since Demosthe
nes," breathed his last; seen the great null
berry tree; carefully inspected Scheemaker's
lions; the gateway which, through the me-
dunn Of Pope, said,
"Inigo Jones put me ether;
Sir Hans rloane
Let me alone;
So Burlington brought me hither
the antique statues from Adrian's gardens;
the most remarkable palm tree on which the
eve of man ever rested: and the hundreds of
other objects of no great value in themselves,
perhaps. but interesting because of their
historical and literary associa!ions-was be
ginning to remark what n pity il seemed
Lady Yarrell had not been well enough to
accompany them.
''She will never behold such sight
again. he finished; and then Mrs, Dallwood
laughed and said,
s"Already, you see, it is fading into the
past, and so becoming clear to your vision.
Let us go down to the riverside and watch
the shadows and the sun playing at hide
and-seek"
1T is pity the stream is not purer, OBJ
served lady who was wall'ing with them,
and who seemed to know every square inch
of the place. every tree and shrub and blade
of grass within the walls. $40 my thought
the water is the lovliest object in the land
scape, and flowing through such classic
ground, it ought to be bright and clear and
undefiled. There is something very sad
about the banks-sad, pensive and dreamy.
wonder often when am here quite quiet
" by myself, what thoughts came into the
minds of the great statesmen, and poets and
wits as they wandered by this still and tran
quill river. 1t always seems TO me to be
whispering about the nothingness of life
ut seems to me we are getting very mel
ancholy," interposed Mrs. Dallwood, seeing
that Sir Hubert was about to follow the
lady's lead. "Let us go through the tenn
pie; there is pretty view of the bridge to be
had at the foot of the steps on the other
side"
They passed through. If aught in this
world be an accident. it was only by the
merest chance they entered the place at that
moment.
1t was empty, except for an individual,
who rose from bench when he saw them,
and bowling to the lady, hurriedly left the
building, keeping his face bent down.
She turned and looked after him thought
tnllv. with wistful pity shining tenderly i'll
her sweet face.
..iuaO poor Captain Arkley,'' she said,
''how sadly sensitive he ise'
In a moment Miss Yarrells hand was on
her arm.
''What name did you say?'' asked the girl
breathlessly.
''Arkley; he that was so terribly wounded
in the"
She was out of the place in q moment.
Before her father could speak or Mrs. Dali
wood interpose, she had hurried down the
steps and sped after the man, who walked
drcarily alone through the beauty and the
peace of that lovely place, as he fancied he
was doomed to walk drearily alone through
life
Her training had not been that of the great
world. In this supreme moment she thought
of nothing, remembered nothing, save the
sweet love-story of old, and the cruel fate
which had so distorted the handsome kind
" face that even she utterly failed to recog-
nize it.
Without word of explanation she under
stood. She forgot the years that had passed,
the friends she had left, the goodly company
on the lawn above.
''Tom," she cried, ''Tom!' and as he
turned she stretched out her hands to him,
and sobbed aloud.
Mr.. Forrest had followed her, but he now
retraced his steps.
'eLet us leave them together" he said to
Mrs. Dallwood; and then he walked away
silent and alone
He too understood that the man did not
live who could come between Susan and her
lover now.
They stood together on the bridge SPAN
ming the Bollar; but neither saw the green
sward sioping down to the waters edge, the
wild cherry trees, the expanse of broad park
across which the westeiing sun was stream
ing.
With one hand he shaded his eyes, with
the other he clasped hers, which lay on the
parapet of the bridge. There was not a
creature near them; they were as much
alone as they might have been in some
''vast Wilderness
She was not looking at him; down into
the depths of the water she seemed to be
gazing: but she did not see the sun shim-
mering on the river. Slowly, and as if
wrung from her, the big tears fell one by
one into the stream, while he gazed wistfully
mournfully, at the loneliness he had volun-
tarly relinquished, which he meant to go
away and behold no more.
81 ought not to have come back" he said
at last; but the longing to look upon your
face again grew into fever which over
mastered my strongest resolutions. / am
happy now, Susan, and can leave you after
this meeting with content"
''You will never leave me again." she
said brokenly.
The birds sang their loudest-there was
the pash of waterfowl in the stream-in
the distance there was the sound of music
a CAV strain came floating through the sum-
mer air.
would give yourself to me. know of your
goodness and your faithfulness, but 1 could
not accept such sacrifice When the very
childreu-you remember how fond all chill
dren were of me once-cried if | came near
them, l felt it was time to relinquish my
hopes of a wife,"
''But / am not child,' she exclaimed,
"and you shall,not relinquish me. What!
had my poor face been marred, would you
bax, oIyap Joo Won mi
it was your good looks cared for? Do you
imagine all the beauty in the world could
seem as precious to me as your SCARED fea-
lures are in my sight? Love is not love
which alters when it alteration finds. Moth
ing can part my heart from yours"
''Ah, SUSAN" he answered sadly, "you
do not know what you are talking about
you do not understand the full weight OF the
burden you offer to carry with me. Even
yet" he added, ''you have never dared to
look me full in the face. You have not
seen the extent of the Disagreement long
to hide from the sight of my fellows"
She lifted her head and wiped away her
tears.
''Let me look at you, them" she said
and he removed his sheltering hand anu
stood upright with the evening sunshine
streaming full upon him.
II think it is Sir Archibald Allison," she
began slowly, the lovelest light shining in
her eyes, "who tells this story young
lady was engaged to a gentleman, just as
you and / were engaged. She loved him
with all her heart, just as" she paused
and smiled. ''He went away, and while on
foreign service he met with cruel accident.
He was maimed--crippled. So they told
the girl about it. They explained that he
was a mere wreck of the active handsome
fellow she remembered; and they waited
expecting she would break off the engage
ment, from which he released her. Do you
remember her answer"
81 never heard the story" he replied.
''She said, if he has body enough left tc
hold his soul will marry him. and that is
my answer to you"
He had faced the enemy, but he turned
aside from her.
at cannot be, my brave love- he said
at cannot, cannot be-"
But it was She had her own will at last
and as the years pass by she fancies that thu
beloved face grows more like what it was IL
the old house at Bersey. She trusts tina
the quiet life, the satisfied hear, will il
time counterfeit portion of the distortion
and that some day he may cease to shrinl