Litchfield enquirer., 1880-10-28

5 least in Lois's eyes ); but then, perhaps she
was hardly fair judge of Robert Moreton's
wife - lft .fA7ft-' ~
The day was got through somehow, Mrs.
Moreton showing most clearly that her visit
was paid to Mr.. Behring'S mother, not to his
wife. tE-F ~ F
But Lois bore with everything SIT will
not last long," she thought. ''Four more
days and he will come home-two more days
and she will 60 )" for this was Tuesday, and
on the following Thursday Mrs. Moreton had
Announced. that twas her intention to de-
part.
"Where is Mr. Dering staying in town 2"
she asked at dinner on Wednesday night and
his mother replied, eat No. Gresham place.
II shall 90 and pay him visit while / am in
London" she went on II daresay I shall
, find himIin, and particularly want to SEE
him before goto Scotland"
As she spoke she looked full into Loiss
eyes with calm, slnsolent triumph.
HE will be glad to see you, Florence, said
old Mrs. Derlng. 'He is very fond of you, y
with little smile at the unsmiling beauty al
her side. ST0HWL X .>cEI
"Other people," she said, with little stress
on the words, shave rather put me out of his
good graces, / fear" 1853 = .@"hs
Impossible"
$50 / should have thought, she replied
shortly and there the conversation ended
ell conversation as far as Lois was concerned.
Her thoughts came faster and FASTER If she
could onlyget moment alone TO collect them
In -
At length the dinner was over and she was
at liberty to retire, to her own room, and think
over what was coming.
"Oh, what is she going to do ?" she cried,
pressing her hands together And after a mo-
ment :."If she, tells him what she told me,
what will he think? All, he will believe her
Il know he will He isso unobservant-
90 little of what is going on about him, that
the doubt will find place In his heart And, !"
with sudden passion, he will remember
how said Good bye to him-hew would
not say loved him when he asked me-and
he will never know that. All" breaking off
suddenly, II could not bear it / 1t would kill
me-" 81!
But rising to her feet, and with an effort
calming herself, II must see her. She shall
be forced to say what she is going to do"
With hasty steps she traversed the passages
that lay betwixt her room and Mrs. Moreton's,
and knocking at the door, was hidden to en-
ter. yn.r,. ..+:f
Florence looked surprised though, when she
saw who obeyed her voice, but she said moth
ing, leaving it for her visitor to state the
cause of her appearance. There was some
tuluk III LHo way Sue IuIHcu ucf hcdu, Sudu-
ing her eyes with feather fan all the while
from the glow of the lamp-something so
calm, so relentless-that it made Lois feel
herself small and pitiable, and in the wrong,
as she stood before her. But any certainty
was better than this doubt. "What are you
going to see my husband for 2" she asked, in
tones that she could not prevent from tremb-
ling. try as she might. 80
liam going to see him." replied Florence,
crossing her small feet on the stool before her,
and turning her head back to the contempla-
ton Of the empty re-place, "to tell him what
his wife forgot to tell him when she married
him-that she was in love with Robert More:
ton all the time that she was trif1ing with him,
merely for the pleasure of preventing him
from marrying me-the girl whom it was al
ways intended he should marry-but that at
last prudence triumphed over love- as in such
q case Ii is very likely it would do-so she
married him for what he could give her
leaving Robert Moreton to console himself
with me. shall also tell him how / warned
his wife, with little scornful emphasis on
the word, 'sthat if she would conflne her f1irt-
ing TO the past, / would say nothing about my
discoveries"
MRS. Moretou," interrupted Lois syou are
hard woman-an ill-tempered woman-and
you hate me STILL you are truthful, I think
and" clasping her hands, ''even if you do be-
lieve some of the terrible things you say of
me, you would not stoop, surely, to tell q lie,
to see how much you can make my husband
believe, just for the sake of being revenged on
me-"
II shall tell him." went on Florence, in
that same cold, hard voice, utterly needless of
Loiss passionate interruption, show you came
to our ball, talked to my husband, and how,
the next morning, he told me-his wife-that
oy,A l. L.. l.
should 60 back to America. ! may be very
blind, but not quite so blind as not to be able
p, to see the cause and effect there"
] mo, as Lois would have interrupted. rails
Ing her feather fan slowly, Il do not care to
hear your excuses-you can keep them for
your husband 1t remains of course to be
proved yet, whether he will take your word OF
mine" 80
Twas going to make no ercuses, " said Lois
! quietly, proudly In the pause that followed.
Il should think that bad descended to your
level if banded words with you Ne And
without another syllable she left the room.
But alone in her own apartment her courage
gave way. The enemy had not altogether had
the worst Of it, and Loiss aching heart echoed
many of her bitter words. 81 -~
p Was doing wrong all the time, "she cried,
as she paced up and down, ''when I was try.
ing so hard to DO right? All why did mol
tell him all2 How wish now Lad wish
had had any one to warn me-and am all
alone, quite alone now !! Ii she makes him
believe her now, when he is everything to me
-ah, it will kill mel Oh, sgd, Sgd, dear
Sgd my husband, my emily friend why did
you leave me?" - - -
- She was crying now, bitter, salt tears, tina,
flowed almost unconsciously, as she paced the
room, or paused to look forth at the deepen
ing gloom of night 49,.
''She will 60 to him tomorrow, the first
thing-this may be my last night of peace
She shall have II all her swn way-she has
conquered me! Besides, could not go up
with her. And fancy poor, quiet Sydney in
his study, with tive angry women scoldinQ
and upbraiding each other in his presence =
And she smiled little dreary smile at the
very idea.
But at, that moment, sudden thought
struck her: she ceased speaking, and quick
faint CLEAN frightened the eyes which had
been gazing abroad 80 forlornly. She took
out her watch-only half-past nine.
.'Plenty Of time," she murmured. In an
instant she had rung the bell
Owens" as her maid entered. speaking
hurridly, with burning cheeks, and eyes full OF
tears, something has occurred which makes
: 1t absolutely necessary I should see your mas.
ter tonight, so | am going by the 1850 tram
to town, and want you to come with me to the
station. Can you be ready in five minutes p
Certainly, ma'am; but will YOU na
drive 2"
'.No no." with nervous impotence; 81
want TO go quietly, d red streak dyeing' her
cheeks, $50 you must not let any one know
have gone -you understand" ssamss
Certainly. ma'am," Owens said again; an6
she, being old and discreet, and having beer
Lsis Grey's maid in the old days before she
came to Kelver, Lois Dering felt she, nigh,
trust her and turning to her with sudden i'm.
petuosity, $50 much depends ON it, Owens. "
she said-''all my happiness, her eyes grow.
ing misty again. "Don't let Mrs Moreton
know have gone" a..
ut is all right, Miss, though should say
'Ma'am,' but having known you before, il
sometimes slips out-but they all think you
have gone to bed; and how should they ever
know different ?"