The National tribune., 1882-06-10

/ ySh tVhl II 'tc plIHdttc tAIS.
But in the meantime they were well on
the way.
Ethel's favorite seat under q clump of
trees lay in comparatively deserted part
Of the gardens
The grass was green with all the fresh
ness of spring-time, while an agreeable
warmth in the air suggested the coming
summer.
Il am glad I thought Of coming out"
said Ethel, apropos Of nothing, while ad-
miring the faint blue Of the sky"
"Ah," exclaimed Lovett, giving the re-
mark a satisfactory turn, "do you remember
that morning when I discovered you here,
one day last summer?"
Yes, / hurt my foot do you remember?
[ thought was going to faint, or do some
thing silly" she said.
Il wish you had mean something silly,
not fainting." Then ruefully: "You didn't
seem to mind me then?"
g don't mind you now," answered Ethel,
with attempted Indifference, turning away.
You never speak to me now-you were
you have a-what shall call it Pa serenity
in yourself that asks so little of others"
at is the profession of maidens to be dis
Greet" said the girl, looking down.
"a man must be wretched to himself
suppose, and pass his life in discussing the
weather. groaned her exquisitely attired
companion.
"Are you wretched?"
"When you make me So"
"How do / make you SOP"
"By tone-a turn of the head"
"Ah! but they are involuntary, I suppose"
said Ethel, "and that cannot be altered"
at might, if you were to try" he returned.
"Will you tell me something 1 want to
know?"
She nodded.
"You told me once that men-society men
were superficial do you fancy that none
of them think or feel?"
~ may have said that men were super
fetal, but that, perhaps, was not what l
meant altogether to say. l think that the
meaning, the responsibility of life is some
how lost to them. We say we have learned
the nothingness of all things, and we must
grasp what is within reach before it passes
by; but, you see, happiness is the one thing
that will not come for the asking, and we
sacrifice our happiness to grasp at a moment
ary pleasure"
pleasure, after all, is only given for a
moment, and moments are given for pleas
ure," said Lovett, with touch of sensuous
sadness ado you think we were put into
the world to be miserable?" he went on
more argumentatively. "a man in bilious
attack must have invented the idea. We
are always being told to be contented, and
then the next minute we are eDioined to
look and strive only after another world
What do the best of them know? We do
not know what tomorrow will do for us;
how can we be sure of eternity? What we
do know is that the sun sets in gold, and the
moon rises, and that there is light in q
beautiful woman's eyes. This the ages have
unfolded to us; but eternity may never give
it US again." p
He had risen to his feet, and was standing
in front Of her.
A light shiver passed over the girl. A.
d" must not-dare not think so of life"
ave are a little vain dust, your prophets
say; let us lie still, then; the sun will shine
on us assuredly, and the summer will come
to us with roses and sweet scents. Life is
ours whether we will or no, and this is life.
Time may have nothing more to give us;
are we to sacrifice ourselves for time?"
He saw that she trembled, that the color
had gone from her lips.
"To live" he murmured sinking to her
side, "is to drOop at anothers feet-tO note
ones passion on another's lips, to read ones
heart throbs in another's eyes. Here we
know ourselves at last-doubt is ended
peace is ours on into the everlasting night"
Mr. Lovctt's ideas, it Will be observed,
were what people call advanced"
Ethel was very much perplexed; but
young women like to be mystified.
1t may be said with good deal of truth
that the genuineness Of our feelings are in
no way dependent on the gcnuineness of the
object on which we lavish them.
Ethel Surtees had carried away the pre-
vious year, and secretly nursed for ten
months, the idea that Mr.. Lovett was re-
markable young man. She was loyal and
simple e-hearted girl, with none of the airy
coquetres or shrewd suspicious that hem
round and guard the affections Of more wary
town misses
We judge people, after all, by ourselves,
and to Ethel burning words meant burning
feeling. She had been highly educated, and
had perhaps imbibed touch of German
mysticism, SO that in the more than ordin-
ary dull routine of the country vicarage it
was no wonder that she recalled Mr.. Lovetts
passionate utterances Ethel found in this
man an escape from the humdrum which
seemed to encompass her and the ordinary
aspects of existence. He had more than
once begged permission to visit her in the
country, but it is to be feared that after the
lapse Of month or two he no longer felt the
necessary ardour for its accomplishment.
Mr. LOvett was the selfcOnscious kind of man
who is shy and fearful of comment from
strangers, although he had notably succeed
ed in overcoming any such defect in the So
e L. r.