Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1882-08-16

him In leaving q clear course for him,
THE man ls quixoilc ass, lle said
TO himself, u believe she likes him,
aud he l. throwing away his chances /
but the sooner got him cut Of the
way, the better
At the end Of tho week Gerald came
into tho smoking-room Of tle hotel late
one evening, Gossett was alone there.
For time they chatted on indifferent
matters, and then Gossett said
u Am sorry ! don't sec more Of you,
but you seem always out, and well,
! hardly look upon myself rs free
man.
May ASK Gerald said, ahor u
moments pause, 'if you are engaged
to Miss lleneagcY
'Wcll, after what ! owe YOU, Cos
scit said, ! do not like there to be any
conccalment between US. There Is,
and has been for some time u sort Of
engagement between us. II Is not ac'
tually IN engagement, because her
mother objects to long engagements,
aud is anxious that her daughter should
not marry until she is thrcc-and-twcn.
ty. So you understand, there is no
avowcd engagement. although in point
of fact it comes to the same thing, IL
is secret between us two now aud !
should not tell Wv, but know that
can rely upon your not mentioning It
or noticing it in any way. In few
weeks she will be within six months Of
thrcc-and-twcnty, and then it will be
publicly announced
Gerald was silent for n short time,
and then said quietly;
You arc fortunate man. ] sus-
pected that it was so from the first time
| saw you address her. And now
will say goodnight and good-by. !
am going up to town Tomorrow
Will you say good-by for me to Mrs.
Heneage apd her dau9 Der
"A very good stroke Paul Gossett
said to himself as he went out. 'Now
something of the same sort the other
side, and l think the games mine.-
He's hard hit and won't care about
seeing us after marriage; and If he
does, and it happens to come out it
wont matter then
The next morning, ut breakfast, he
said carelcssly to Maud Heneagc:'
'rhat queer fellow, Mayfeld, went
up to town this morning. lie asked
me to say good-by to you and Mrs.
Heneage.'
Has he gone for good? Maud
asked, after short silence, and Paul
Gossett could see that she had grown
suddenly pale.
20, yes from what he said, / fancy
his wife had come back from some
visit or other, and wanted him home.
His wife = Maud Heneagc said.
Yes; did he never speak to you
about her?'
Maud did not answer, nor did she
90 out for her usual walk that morning.
'Married!' she thought to herself,
as she sat alone in her room looking
out on the sea; married! = Then she
had been utterly mistaken in her judg-
ment of faces and yet, as she sat
there, she was unconsciously making
excuses for him. He had, she felt
sure, loved her; hut he might not
have known it himself, and when he
realized it he had altogether with
drawn from her. He ought to have
told her. 1t was wrong, very wrong;
but yet he may have meant no de-
liberate harm. He might be unhappy
with his wife, and so avoided the sub
ject, thinking that, SO long as she was
but chance acquaintance, it was no
affair of hers. So, with an aching
heart, she made excuses for him, and
blushed TO find herself doing so.
Il have no right to think of him.
she cried he is married man, and
to me. Thank heaven, never
gave him cause to think | cared for
him; thank heaven, if we meet to-mor-
row, at least need not feel ashamed. I
1t is all over now,' she said wearily, ;
after pause. They say every wo-
man meets her ideal once in her life ] ,
have met mine, but he was already an ,
others. Well, it does not matter who
I marry now.'
Six months later the papers had the {
of the marriage of Paul {
Gossett and Maud Heneage; and upon s
the day that the notice made its APP {
Gerald Mayiield said to his
partner;
Il have been thinking for some time,
Harper. that it would be well if we