The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1882-07-20

Seton's face had grown white to the
very lips, and quivered perceptibly as,
extending his hand, he said:
This is g very unexpected meeting"
q Yery unexpected, echoed the lady,
removing her wet mantle and sitting
down on the leather sofa. The recogni.
ton had been mutual, but women, as a
general thing, have more than the ster-
ner sex. /.
rs Let me recommend this chair" said
Seton, laying his hand u pom the one
from which be had just risen.
No, thank you; prefer sitting away
from the fire. 4.
81 am sorry the room should smell SO
pause, but, you see, i did not expect
the pleasure az q visitor" sss I.
She smiled rather forced smile BY
way Of an answer, and Seton folded
deliberately and put into an envelope a
blank sheet Of paper.
I" The country IS very beautiful around
here" he observed, writing his own
name with great care upon the envelope.
!" 8 We have only been back from the
Continent six weeks" she observed. .
after a pause Mamma has taken
house near Chiselhurst. was driving
over to seYenoaks this morning, and was
caught in the rain, and induced to ask
for shelter here" Il, aIl Ellis
..And how is Mrs. Clarefie ld?D
mamma is quite well, thank you.",
Then, after a pause, fare you stopping
here?' q
g Hardly" said Seton, with an assump-
you you ali about it. Nv friends Iindly took 5e
it into their heads that was sticking too
closely to work that I wanted fresh air
and exercise; SO they bound me over on
my word Of honor to walk from London
to Hastings In a week. acpuiesce in
everything now; 50, ofcourse, acquiesced
n this, and this is my first day of hard
labor and Imprisonment.
But you used" began the lady: then
she colOkad little and seemed unwilling
to finish her sentence; tsyou used to be
SO fond of walking.'
But man changes a good deal in
three years." he replied, YEARLY. =
b 1t would weary you, reader, to set
down here the dreary commonplace
with which these two tried to bepuile
the time for over an hour. At last they
took refuge in silence, while the wind
roared and the rain lashed the windo ".
Dusk came on prematurely, and Seton,
looking out on the cherries prospect,
shiyered as with cold. Then the lady
rose very. quietly, stirred the fire into q
blaze axe and resumed her seat on the sofa.
E 'sNo,y you shouldn't really" said Set
on, not turning around, however, and
with q look Of pain on his face. It is
wonderful what suffering some small,
comnlenp plate word or action may cause
s.us- saass 'fistas of possible joys may
they not open up to us! - suppose the
carriage will soon be back, said Alice,
presently, and speaking with effort:
our coachman drives very fast"
Yes; your term Of imprisonment will
soon be up" rejoined Seton, resting his.
arms upon the mantelpiece, and ex-
aiming with critical interest photo
graph before him.
How the time passes!' said Alice, in
q low voice, as if speaking to herself
Then, with sudden energy, I cannot
tell when we shall meet again. Before
we part answer me one question. You
are looking worn and WeaIy-are you
happy" -.8. &. ...'.#.. &
Now he stood before her, and through
the freight his eyes flashed on her, as
he said in a low, harsh voice:
From your lips that Questionis an in
suit"
"Of which you need not fear the repeti-
tion,' she rejoined, with cutting formal
No, itcan't end like this, ''hewent on.
do you know, ever since YOU have
been here, / have bitten my lips through
to keep them from speaking Of the past?
This meeting was not of your seeking,
and it seems to me unmanly to take ad-
vantage of this opportunity"
We are sometimes SO much mistaL-
en-, she said hurriedly, but her words
were hardly audible, and he continued:
Alice, you have treated me badly.
On that day; now three years ago, when
/ gave you my love, and believed in
yours, was frank with you. told you
howwild and irregular my life had been
and how full Of faults I was. You re-
claimed me-you transformed my
days-you made a life pure and fair, and
then, because some thorn in my love
me to perish niserably." She would
have interrupted. him, but he silenced
her with gesture, and went on: 'sAnd
now when we meet, after three years,
you ask me If am happy?"
think there were faults on both
sides, Z she said, quietly.
Yes, there were,a he replied; "but +
was reading your last letter only to-day.
o, how terribly bitter it Was!"
And have you forgotten your answer
to that letter." she said passionately,
her voice quivering and her breast heav-
3 II don't remember it word for word 2
he returned, quickly; 81 know it was
written on the impulse Of the moment"
But I have it by heart" Then, very
slowly: 9 You said if your love, in its
heart and strength, was a little exacting,
mine was cold and tideless; in fact, no
love, only cold, sluggish, affection You
almost thought was right, and that we
could not be happy am naturally
proud, she went on; butts woman with
less pride than could not have acted
differently Only one course was left
me-to be silent
well, it is. all over now; we shall
probably never meet again"
You won't take my friendship,
them
{ No, thank you; you are very gener-
Gus, but donot want that gift gift
He threw himself YEARLY into a chair.
and for time there was silence. Hope
is SO subtle, so intangible that we are
only aware Of its existence when it has
ceased to be. Arthur Seton looked upon
himself as man without hope. It
seemed to him that his life could not be
2 4 - 80 -.