The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-04-24

Lady Raven thought the conversation
was ycrging on the dangerous.
"Certainly Mrs. Gilbert fulfilled her
promise TO you, Florence. | have never
seen anything so splendid as your dress.
Look at all that delicate embroidery on the
pink satin, and the effect il has, falling
over the pale blue; nothing could be more
exquisite. You will do well to employ
her when you are Lady Ilarcourt"
But for once Florence was dreaming
Of hearts and possibly wasted future,
while her aunt was talking Of millinery
eyes, it Is all well enough she said,
"and added to, not little, by all this bor-
rowcd spendor. At least, as Lady llar-
court, may have my own jewels, | sup
pose; there will be something pleasant in
that--or rather thousand times will 20
without them at ALL" Florence said sud
denly, as if the sight of all her iinery dis
pleased her
"You are overtircd, my dear, and will
do well to take some rest; shall be thank
full for some myself"
"Onc word, aunt Margaret before we
part. Tell me something Of papa. He looks
fearfully i'll and worried; are his affairs 81
very bad!" Florence asked earnestly.
"You have done the best possible thing,
my dear, to aid him and tighten his worries;
but must say his affairs are as bad as pos
sible. His dearest hope is to be able to
ward off his difficulties till after your mar
riage; and then, he says, come what may,
he cares not"
'Poor papa"
"He told me Yesterday that Captain
Richards is pressing for a thousand pounds
on the bills that are overdue, and that he
does not know where to turn for a spare
sovereign. His private debts too seem over
wheming; cannot imagine how they have
so accumulated To-day he was ycXrd
with me because ! would not ask YOUR
cousin Raven to advance him two thousand
more on Craig Towers; but | know il is
usclcss-Ravcn is not clear himself" La
dy Raven said, with sigh, Dwell, Flor
encc, it is no good thinking too much, and
worrying away your good looks; we must
hope for the hest, and that things win ar
range thcmSclvcS--to a certain extent they
always do-and at least you have done
all you can"
''What is papa returning to Lincolnshire
for to-day, aunt MargarctW Florence
asked, bctraying the fear she felt.
"lIc says my dear, to try toarrangc with
Captain Richards; | fear it is to try to re-
tricyc his losses in a way which will proba-
bly, increase them instead. But 90 to bed,
my dear; we are talking foolshly now, and
too much"
Miss WorthingtOn swept YEARLY up the
splendid staircase to her luxurious room;
and when there, something prompted her
TO dismiss her maid Marie, who had been
alternately fcasting, laughing, and sleeping
since she had attircd her young mistress at
nine o'clock for the ball. Sleep now pre-
vailed, and her eyes were so heavy that
they gave her mistress the excuse to dis
miss her. With little demur she went,
and Florence was alone.
Florence Worthington, seated before her
luxurious toiet-table, gave little indication
OF ccstacy at the thought of her brilliant
future. She pressed her hand tightly over
her eyes as If trying to shut out its bright
ness rather than to picture it in imagine
ton. She was striving hard to crush out
all the sweetest attributes Of girhOOd, to
thrust all hope, love, tenderness, from her
heart, and force herself 10 believe that the
world could hold nothing better than a life
stated with luXurcs, with splendid houses,
gorgeous raimcnt, many carriages, and
coronet for her sometimes aching brow
She knew fatally well that she loathcd her
future lord, and also that in her own nature
she ycaned for sympathy and love it could
never be in his TO yield her. But at least
she was hcart-wholc, if she was hcart-sorc.
That must make her lot more endurable.-
All, the life she had chosen would be u
thousand times preferable, she knew, and
she would force herself to see the wisdom
of her decision
But in the few moments, Of Scli-COmmun-
ing the s0itneSS Of girlhood in her face fast
melted away With restless eager fingers
she unlastcncd the many strings Of pearls
from her neck and arms, and fingered low
ingly over the bright emerald, diamond,
and ruby stars and clasps as She unlastencd
them one by one from her costume. TO
her they were Sorely tempting; and as yet
she had tasted no purCr happiness.
CHATTER ~,
All Unexpectedly had the Angel of
Death entered Florence WorthugloWS
luxurious home, The splendid mansion in
Portman square was closed and suffered
from basement to attic, Onlya week since
the fairy scene of flowers, music, aud en-
chantmcnt, and now all was changed TO
the cold bitter hopcleSsnesS OF death, and,
worse still, some thought, to utter ruin!
But creditors high and low might do their
worst. their power TO harm or crush their
victim or tyrant was over; and they colld
only wreak their vengeance in impotenJ
words upon the clay-cold figure lying so
calmly in its splendid coffin.
Sir Arthur Worthington was dead. lie
had INDUCED in sleeping-potlons lately to
calm his agitatcd nerves and to procure
the rest which his overwhelming anXietics
made otherwise impossible. Complctcrlin,
with utter shame TO his name, and the
probable SCATTERING Of all the brilliant fu-
ture he was so carefully building up for his
had suddenly threatened him;
a ruin that he had really believed to be
warded of for months at least, though he
had known IL must come eventually. But
II had come too suddenly; and his strength
courage and resources were spent TO the
last In calculating still on the possibility
OF ayertingit.
lie knew he must have sleep to give him
lrcsh strength for the struggle, and sleep
WOMB nov comes SO he doubled, perhaps
tfeDicu his nightly dose of choral and IL
gave MN fes,--the rest from which there
Is no earthly awakening. So Sir Arthur
Wortbington's troubles in this world voro
over; he had been found RESTING nh too
peacefully beside his bed, fallen ipto nj.
last sleep.