Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1880-10-28

but an infatuated man could ever have been
deceived by such bold scheming. Take care
| that his love is not as quickly lost as won.
But enough-your past is nothing to me, ab-
solutely nothing, except in so far as it affects
| my future. And tell You plainly that will
| not-do not forgive anything. You canIdo
me no harm; for if you care to know it, lam
marrying him solely becauseI do not choose
that you shall come between me and anything
or any one that is mine. +, Do you understand
| But If you value your own peace of mind, you
| will do well not to interfere between US
| again" II 'E5d fa.. 80 rs FsG.J5g"< ri
"Ah, poor Robert I" II was almost more
| sigh than an articulate sentence, but Flor
| ence heard it. ''' '
| cit is too late to pity him now," she said,
sneeringly; "You should have thought of all
| that before. ss..,..~ ..,..., ..-....r.
Her words, the tone of her voice. awoke
Lois from the apathy that had stolen over her,
as she had stood there listening, though only
half consciously, to. 1Florence's words. ''Oh,
| Sgd, Sgd !" she cried, clasping her hands to-
| gether; why do you ever leave me alone 2''
81 will tell him my story, If you prefer it,
Florence said, coldly 81 think his opinion
of you would not be quite the same if he
knew as much as do" ...
"Ah, spare hna!" Lois cried, wringing her
hands; lido not strive to poison his mind
| against me-" ~ az 5vs' / L.,
HE is spared-as you choose to call it-so
long as you do not attempt to come between
me and my husband. If you do, trust ne,
| my vengeance is in my own hands, and l will
| be both swift and sure" ,..-.,. ..... aa
| She turned and walked slowly away, witha
| stately movement which it was impossible to
| initiate, without one word from Lois, who
seemed as one struck suddenly dumb
Miss Gainsford played her part we'll during
| the evening-did and said all that was requir-
| ed of her, even to murmuringa few words of
| love to Robert Moreton, as he stood by her
side in the conservatory. tcq,, 4, ara. i, .a-
She was troubled with no uncomfortable
sensations at the remembrance of those words
| spoken to Loiss She did not think she had
been untruthful or even unkind. Bsu" ~
From her own point of view she had inter-
preted Lois's conduct. and it was, as she her
self said, from that point of view, only too
| easy to be seen through but then it is always
difficult often impossible, for a lower nature
to judge higher, from the mere fact that
many deeds can be interpreted SO easily we'll
| or ill, according to the power of vision grant
ed to the interpreter. So Florence Gainsford
| went on her way rejoicing, feeling that she
held in her hand dagger, which might be
called upon to do its fatal work at any mo.
ment that might be required. =.
II have given her fair warning" she said,
in hard voice, as she stood alone in her room
that night. "Next time shall not warm
shall strike" And so fell asleep, to wake and
find that it was her wedding day. # y
But while she walked slowly away with
out backward glance, Lois remained, sitting
quite still for a whole hour, with beating pull
SEES and wide-open eyes that stared into the
dying embers of the fire, going over and over
again in her mind the details of that terrible
interview. "Did I do wrong? Perhaps
should have told him everything before mar
| ried; but it would be too cruel now, what
ever it might have been then. No; at any
cost, it must be borne alone noao. Why, /
would put up with anything to save him an
hours pain ?" And then covering her face
| with her hands: she might not believe me
he might believe her-and think, as she says,
that it was the money that tempted me. Oh.
could never bear it !" And with quick
movement she rose to her feet, and quitting
the now dark room, walked to the door of her
husbands study.
"Syd," entering and speaking quickly with
| painting BREATH and the marks of tears still
about her eyes -''Syd, may sit here with
your" He stretched out his hand and drew
her down beside him.
'Do ever say 'No'F'' he asked, gently;
but he added nothing more-made no allusion
tothe tear drops on the eyeashes, or the
trembling voice-only smoothed the hair back
from her aching forehead in silence.
''That feels safe, she said, half under her
breath once; and he replies gently, 81 like to
know that you feel safe with me-"
After long -"Sydney," Lots asked,
"where are they going for their honeymoon?
1t lie very odd,"' nervously, "but it never
struck me to ask before"
ITO America. You know Florence's rel
atves are American, so it seems good OPP
,.,:t
with them. They will be away six months"
six months" repeated Lois looking up
into her husbands face with little sigh that
sounded like relief. "Then when they re-
turn home we shall have been married eight
whole months !" ..s.+,- -.-, FL
Perhaps Loiss train of thought was not
easy to follow out by Lois's husband perhaps
the sigh of relief, and the words by which it
was followed, were an enigma to him he
either could not or did net care to guess ...,
At any rate he said nothing and Lois re-
turned to the watching of the fire and on her
side also the silence after that remained I'M
broken.
72s CHAPTER III.
"Passavant lie meillor r'-OM French War-cry-
January has given place to June: instead
of frost and snow, and bare branches over
head, midsummer sun is shining strong and
bright, and the trees that grow around Kelver
are green with the greenness of early sum-
mer. There is summer everywhere; Id the
joyous song of birds, in the many colors of
gay roses that enrich the garden; and within
the dark eyes and on the soft cheeks of Lois
Dering, it seems to have also found an abiding
place.
She is standing by the open window of her
husbands stndy, looking over the rich lawn
to where the roses show beyond; and as she,
stands there IN her clinging white dress, that
is unrelieved by any color, her lips curved
into happy smile, which is reflected in her
sweet eyes, it is hard TO recognize the girl
with great tragic eyes who said 'fgood-bye7 to
Robert Moreton some eight months ago. q.
''Lois." ,-s a".t tfu Est' .t- x az, -
At the sound of her husbands voice she
turned her head. so
''That," he said, holding out an envelope
''means, suppose, that they have come
home" 'T8 ~ sts-.r .Gel IT, -.--
The smile faded slowly, entirely away, as
she took it; but her husbands eyes were bent
upon his letters, which had Just arrived, so
perhaps he did not observe it. Did not OBJ
serve how the color also faded away. and the
shadow crept stealthily back into the sweet
eyes, u
But she said nothing, only opened the en-
velope and drew forth from it a card gaily
monogrammed, which requested the presence
of Mr.. and Mrs. Dering at a ball to be held
fortnight hence at Siston Manor. ~
She looked at it moment, as if she could
not comprehend its Specification, and then in
silence crossing to Sydney's side, laid it down
on the table. : ...4... "a
He took it up, and while reading it held the
hand that had placed it there imprisoned in