The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1881-06-03

had concealed his profession from us
can't help distrusting man who doe
T, that" ..7
He lsughed-not very kindly. "Yo,
might as well say you distrust maj
3 who conceals that he is an author, b,
: writing an anonymous book. Wha
! Penrose did, he did under orders from
his superior-and, moreover, he frankly
J owned to me that he was priest. If yor
blame anybody, you had better blame
me for respecting his confidence"
She drew back from him hurt by the
tone in which he spoke to her. "1
remember the time, Lewis" she said,
when you would have been more in.
dulgent toward my errors, even If am
wrong" IL -.
That simple appeal touched his better
nature. "Idon't to be hard on you,
Stella" he answered. "It's O little
irritating to hear you say that you dis
trust the most devoted and most
affectionate friend that man ever had.
Why can't love my wife and love my
friend too You don't know, when I am
trying to get on with my book, how l
miss the help and sympathy Of Penrose.
The very sound of his voice used to
encourage me. Come, Stella, give me
a hss--and let us, as the children say,
make It upp i'i'iA ~
He rose from his writing-table. She
met him more than halfway, and pressed
all her love-and perhaps little of her
fear too-on his lips. He returned the
kiss as warmly as it was given, and then,
unhappily for both Of them, he returned
to the subject. M
"My own love-" he said, "try to like
my friend, for my sake; and be tolerant
Of other forms of Christianity besides
the form which happens to be yours"
Her smiling lips closed; she turned
from him. With the sensitive selfish.
ness OF woman's love she looked on
Penrose as q robber who had stolen the
sympathies which should have been
wholly hers. As she moved away her
quick observation noticed the open
book on the desk, with notes and lines
in pencil on the margin Of the page.
What had Romayne been reading which
had interested him in that wayp If he
had remained silent she would have
addressed tho inquiry to him openly.
But he was hurt, on his side, by the
sudden manner Of her withdrawal from
him. Hespoke, and his tone was colder
than ever. tfaHa
II won't attempt to combat your pre-
judices," he said. But one thing !
must seriously ask Of You. When my
friend Penrose comes here tomorrow
don't treat him as you treated Mr.. Win
terfieId."
There was momentary paleness in
her face which looked like fear, but it
passed away again. She confronted him
firmly, with bright, steady eyes.
"why do you refer again to thatY
she asked. els" (she hesitated and re-
covered herselD-"is Mr.. Winterfield
another devoted friend of yours 7"
He walked to the door, as il he could
scarcely trust his temper if he answered
her, stopped, and thinking better of it,
turned toward her again.
"We won't quarrel, Stella" he re-
joined; II will only say am sorry you
don't appreciate my forbearsnee. Your
reception Of Mr.. WinterAeld has lost me
the friendship Of man whom I sincerel,
fixed, and who might have assisted my
literary labors. You were i'll at the time,
and anxious about Mrs. Eyrecourt. l
respected your devotion to your mother.
l remembered you telling me when you
first went away to nurse her, that your
conscience accused you OF having some
times thoughtlessly neglected your
mother in her days Of health and good
spirits, and I admired the motive Of
atonement which took you to her bed
side. For those reasons I shrank from
saying word that might wound you.
But, because was silent, it is not the
less true that you surprised and disap-
pointed me. Don't do it againl"
He left the room.
She stood, looking after him as he
closed the door, like a woman thunder
struck. Never yet had he looked at her
as he looked when he spoke his last
warming words. With heavy sigh she
reused herself. The vague dread with
which his tone rather than his words
had inspired her, strangely associated
itself with the momentary curiosity
which she had felt on noticing the
annotated book that lay ON his desk.
She snatched up the volume and
looked at the open page. With trem
bling hands she turned back to the
title-page. 1t presented this written
inscription: "To Lewis Romayne from
his attached friend and servant. Arthur
Penrose."
"God help mel" she said TO herself.
"the priest has got between US al.
readyl" .tr
| CHATTER u-PKsRosB AND RoMAYsE.
On the next day Penrose arrived on
his visit to Romayne. The affectionate
meeting between the two men tested
Stella's self-control as il had never been
tried yet. She submitted to the ordeal
with the courage Of woman whose
happiness depended on her outward
graciousness OF manner toward her
husbands friend. Her reception oi
Penrose, viewed as an act Of refined
courtesy, was beyond reproach. When
.ha fonud har onnortunity of leaving