News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-09-28

4
coldly and babe her good evening with
out even a pressure of the hand.
"You are coming in, Arthur ?" she
said, softly.
"No," he answered.
care you ?"
At that he turned sharply upon her,
and said, aloud No, I am not ill. I
am not blind, that is all. Nor deaf.
either. I have watched and listened to-
day to my cost. Good evening
"What did he mean, aunt ?" cried
Sybella, when the door had closed.
"What has been done? I saw moth
ing"
"He is pretending to be jealous OF
young Mordaunt," said Aunt Margaret.
quietly, Sybella, have courage. He
means to quarrel and break it off with
you, now that he thinks you penniless.
Tell him the truth, and he will soon re-
cover from his jealousy. Keep it to
yourself. and you will never be able to
mollify him."
And this time Sybella only sighed.
But she went to her room and wrote a
pretty letter to her lover, begging him
to come to her, and when he came she
met him with an offer of her lips, which
he shocked her by rejecting.
"You know how have been offended,
Sybella," he said. "You know you
airted with that boy Mordaunt all
day I"
81 did nothing of the kind. never
fiirted in my life; why should I begin
to do so now? No woman was ever
truer than have been to you ?"
81 doubt it p said he. ST have
seen much and suspect more and since
your conduct has alienated my heart
from you, we had better part
There is only one way of managing
these things"
Sybella looked earnestly at him.
She saw no jealous madness there; only
cool determination to set aside his en-
gagement with woman whom he had
never loved, and whose fortune had
been his only object from the first.
And she knew that Aunt Margaret
had been right; but she loved him so
well, and trusted him SO entirely, that
it seemed to her as if the knowledge
would rend soul from body: She tried
to hide her tears, bat in vain.
Slowly she drew her engagement ring
from her finger and put it into his hand
and turned away. At the door a
stronger hand grasped hers. 1t was
Aunt Margaret's. She led her niece to
her room, and returned to the parlor
before Arthur Austin had left it.
Standing before him, looking straight
at him, she said: $50, sir, you have
been tried in the furnace and found
wantingl You know that my niece's
loss of fortune is at the bottom of this
Don't prevaricate; you know it is true.
1 have seen through you from the first"
SIT is not Your affair, 1 believe"
Arthur answered, sulkily. ''Of course,
when man expecrs to marry money, he
isn't pleased to find himself saddled
with poor wife and her beggarly rela-
tions. But of course I YVES jealous.
I've broken it all off with Sybella on
that account, and it is her own fault"
"She has had lucky escape, Mr..
Austin, said Aunt Margaret; '.but be-
fore you go, let me tell you a little
secret. Sybella has not lost her money.
The bank that failed had not penny of
hers in it. And as for the beggarly re-
lation-you mean me, You know-poor
Aunt Margaret is worth her $50, 900.
and every shilling of it is to be left to
her dear niece, Sybella Ruthven. 1
warned her that you did not love her. 1
forced her against her will to put you to
the test. And now I see that 1 was
right, and you may go, MIR. Arthur
Mr.. Austin departed. a month after
ward he wrote a penitent letter to
Sybella telling her that he believed him
self to have been causelessly jealous,
and quoting good deal from Byron and
Shakespeare on the subject.
But the woman who is fooled twice
by the same individual must be hope
less idiot, and Mrs. Ruthven will re-
main Mrs. Ruthven until some better
man asks her to change her name.