Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-12-03

! to fit across his brain by night and day
| After all, he had suffered marvelously
| little for the lack of Miss Nernlam's
society since his marriage. Indeed,
this had often been subject of wonder
to him. He was really comfortable
enough with Amelia, and as to romance,
passion, ecstacy-was the whole thing
worth while? Was he not getting just
shade too old, or, to put it plainly, TOO
fat and lazy, for these fatiguing toys?
All this time Amelia was perfectly
happy and serene; for whenLuclu was
with her he was more than ever dHr
peiiis SONS; and then had she not gain
cd her own way in the matter OF invit-
ing these Verulams?
And they were coming, too. we're
going to pay other visits in the neigh
bOrhOOd, and should be so delighted,
Lady ConStantia's note had said.
For some days before they arrived
Mr.. Fitzgerald had good deal of spare
time on his hands, with which his wlIe
did notinterfere. She was so engrossedln
her first hospital the preparations, and IN
adding touches Of beauty to the some
what hastily furnished rooms, that she
had little leisure to bestow upon her
husband. The quittance would have
been, perhaps, something of a mercy at
an other time; but as hour after hour
passed on, and the time approached
nearer for the arrival of the Nerulams,
Mr.. Fitzgerald grew more and more de-
iected, till at last even Amelia was COM
PEELED to notice it, and she inquired with
some solicitude what allied him. OF
course, he brisked up suddenly and
said: Nothing" How could he own
that he either longed for or feared the
arrival Of these people? 1npoint OF fact
he was absolutely beginning to dread it.
"You will 90 and meet them at the
station, Lucius? 1t would be so I'M
civil to let them come up here alone.
But think / had better stay and re-
ceive them in the hall; that is the way,
is it not, in your wOrld""
Eyes, yes. You always hit the right
mark, love-" which was more than he
did, for he bObbed down and kissed her
plump on the nose, and barely smiled at
his mistake.
With this he dashed out Of the room,
leaving Amelia a little bit Disconnected
ut his ill-cOncealed excitement. A mo-
ment later she heard the sound ofwheelS,
and looked out of the window. Mr.
Fitzgerald, in whitechapel, was going
down the drive.
"GOne to meet the Verulams in that
thingI Impossiblew cried his wife. IL
ordered the carriage"
But Lucius Fitzgerald had gone to
meet the Verulams, and so had the
barOuche. He would just drive himself
to the station and see them into 1t, ne
thought; after all, it would only be
courteous.
Half past 3, and the little station at
AbbOtsraithie is in a state of tlutter, for
the train from the South is due; visitors,
too, are expected up at "the house, and
pOrters are running hither and thlther,
each more anxious than the other to
show assiduity and attention. And
natural enough, too. Other people may
be looking out for friends who may be
false, for relations whom they may not
love; but these honest fellows are well
coming silver charms most unlike to
prove false, and of whose claims upon
the heart not even skeptics are skeptical.
No one, however, emprcSSe they all
seem, is in so great state of real fiuSter
as the master of "the house" himself,
impassive as he looks, standing there on
| the platform, his usually long, pale face
lust a little longer and paler than ever,
! his large, dark eyes burning just little
more brightly in their deep setting OF
heavy lash.
| At last the bell has rung, and the
| train pants with slow dignity into the
station. Still Lucius Fitzgerald does
not move, but leans on, as though
watching to be recognized, against the
| office door. A second more and the
| bright color mounts to his brow, then
suddenly fades away into a sort of blue
palor. He walks forward to carriage,
| but with no haste; yet, from that car
rage window is gazing on him fair
Young girlish face, face such as even
| an indifferent passer-by i'll n crowded
thOrOughfare would turn to look at;
| such face as u painter might have
| chosen for a C::lvpsO when looking sea-
ward from the shores ~ Ithaca. 1t had
the stamp of a blighted love upon 1t;
\ busy porter opened the carriage door,
| and Lady Constantia, fat, rublcund, and
fifty, came stumbling out. "How dc
YOU dO?" addressing Lucius with easy
familiarity. He gave his hand to the
girl. She did not attempt to speak as
she stepped down on the platform
though her hand seemed to linger i'll his
lust moment longer than was neceS,
| sarv. Perhaps it was the whispered
"My darlingw which he uttered, i'll 4
very low tone as she stood beside him
which so surprised her that she forgot tC
be conventional.
What right had he to call her "dar'
ling" with Amelia sittingat home wait
ing for them, and in spite of the far-Of
pained look in the sweet Brides
ewes which should have thrust
the word back unspoken int
his heart? 1t did not bring glaC
look into her face, as darling" uttered
by Lucius Fitzgerald six months age
would have done. All the sunshine anC
iov had died out of Birdie Nerulam!
life since then. She turned away from
him and spoke to her maid about TIT
luggage, as though seeking refuge in
triyiality. Why had she come to Alb
bottscraithie? Even Amelia, had sh'
been at the station that day, could no
have failed to notice that Birdie Neru
lam had been to Lucius in the past wha
every law of honor forbade that sh'
could ever be still in the FIXTURE. Lik
Lucius, Birdie was accomplishing he
destiny; like Lucius, she had firm be
lief in her own strength. How utterl.
weak they both were, perhaps they dis
covered with startling reality as the,
stood side by side on the Abbottscraithi
platform.
Lady COnstantia was Brides step
mother, and the girl was dependent o.
her for food, shelter, and clothing-ut
terly dependent; and her fathers chat
tering, good-natured, shallow-pate
; widow was calculating, though kindly
and had, moreover, a limited income.
To marry Lucius, Birdie knew wa
utterly impossible-knew it from tn
moment the first love-futter agitate
her heart, so she resigned him-gav
him with her own free will to Amelii
She had morbid longing TO witness tn
success of her work, and had accom-
panied her mother to Abbotscraithl'
deluding herself into the idea that sh
would henceforth endure tie VOID IN t ne
Il