Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-11-24
Europe )" read it aloud, with some care

gone for years, rs likely ms not! On,
what had his carelessness done?
81 suppose he went because he thought
she would have nothing to say to him,
he said to himself, miserably.
The sound of the dinner bell interrupt
Q LIS unpleasant meditations, and he
went down, feeling as If he ought to be
hanged.
R0samond was in her usual place, neat
graceful smiling even but, studying /
her face with awakened attention, Ashley |
thought he detected effort i'll the smiles
and the cheerfulness. The sweet face
was little thinner the wild-rosc bloom,
which was its characteristic had paled to
fainter pink, and Ashley heard his moth,
err ask, "Headache again, my child
and caught the patient answer, just
little"
With increased remorsc he exccrated
his carelessness. What ought he to do
What could he do?
Long and deeply did he study over the
question. At last he took half manly,
hall. cowardly resolution. Confess his
delinquency TO his sister, he absolutely
dared not, but that night he wrote to
Dwight Edgar, made full exposition OF
his fault. and enclosed the family plotted
scrap, which said so little and meant so
much.
This done, he set himself to wait for
the moment when he could produce evil
dcnce that, so far as in him lay, he had
made amends for his misdoing, and till
then he resolved to be silent
Ashley was right i'll his guess. Dwight
Edgar had gone to Europe a deeply dis
appointed man. In the letter, to which
Rosamoud's was answer, he had written
Don't say no. l could not bear that,
nor could give your gentlene IS the pam
of uttoring the word Will walt Two
weeks, and if at their end you have said
nothing, l shall go abroad, and travel till
can bear to come home again..
| Not n wise arrangement this, consider
ing what chances and changes, including
postofice laxities, are involved i'll this
mortal life but lovers are not always
| wise.
The two weeks passed without word
or token, each slow day deepening his
| hopelessness, and at their end he sailed.
His final arrangements were made IN n
hurry, and he had been glad to accept a
friends benevolent offer of half a state
room on the over-crowded steamer. 1t
was benevolence very poorly rewarded,
for John Blagdtn found him very dull
company.
For the first few hours he made some
little effort at conversation, then he drop
ped all pretences and sat i'll moody ST.
lence, staring at the dim backward horl-
ION from which each stroke of the pad
dies carried them farther and farther.
1t was no better after they reached
London. The two men took set OF
| - I hut a..
ali plans for pleasuring Dwight turned
deaf ear.
$50 by yourself, that's a good fellow,
he said. Il wont bore You with my dull
ness. I'll Just sit here till post-time and
read the American newspapers.
"And that is what | left him at, ex'
planned John Blagden to a mutual ac-
quaintance encountered i'll the coffee
room "Poring over an old UeroId'
twelve days out-what an occupation fol
man to take up i'll London
Poor Dwight, | never saw n fellow sc
changed in my life. He's all cut up about
something, and l wish knew what for
really, have no notion what | ought tc
do about him. Nothing 1 can say makes
any difference.
And nothing did make any difference
|
Blagden returned from an excursion tt
Hampton Court, to find his friend busily
engaged i'll examining his belongings into
a portmanteau, with light III his eyes
and color in his cheeks, which made
him seem different man.
Halo I'm glad you've come, oil,
fellow I'm off at once"
"Oh! Where to"
"Home. Liverpool train at nine o'clock
and catch the Bohemia"
"Homc. The states? Why, wha
does it mean? You were going to Pari
!, with me ON Tuesday, You said"
} "Well, so l did intend but I've ha,
letters, and must get back as soon as pos
sible"
Nothing wrong, l hope
"Not at all quite the contrary. Every
thing is right"
Marvelling greatly, John Blagden turn
: and torn wrappers, and other debris of
justarrived mail, lay sheet of closel,
written paper. with little heap on it o
something odd and blotted. "What'
that 2" he asked, with natural curiosity
stopping to examine it.
| Dwight Edgar suatchcd it up. cts
|
ter I've had" Then, breaking into
laugh at his friends discounted coun
| tenance-the first real laugh which JOIN
r had heard him give since they left Ameri
l ca-he added
Never mind, old boy I'll explain
: some day. It's all right-at least, | hop
it is-and know I've been dull, unso
cial dog all this time. You've been aw
MI mood 10
Try to make amends the next time W
| meet"
: Meanwhile the days were passing heay
/ lily enough in a PARKWAY America, wher
z Rosamond bore her secret pain. She ha
&, kept the knowledge of her piighted fait
t as IL choice secret, not to be revealed til
Dwight should come. When ne failed t
1 come, pride kept her silent still.
j The news of his departure struck in he
S heart like blow. What did it mean? 6
t will not be base, or little, or suspicious,
II she told herself "there is some blundel
+ He will come back, he will explain.
g But weeks of suspense and uncertaint
+ passed She could school her words an
v her manner, but not her face, and tbs
# fair face began to look piteous and wan.
: Ashley, watching her with compunt
tious anxiety, felt an ever-deepenin
d heartache. Three weeks had passed sine
his letter Of explanation was posted. An
4 hour might bring response, and h
h haunted the postoilice with pertinacit
" ipexplicable to his father.
l. 81 can't stand it much longer" he tol
himself. 'If that fellow isn't heard frol
by tomorrow night, / shall make clea
breast of it to Rosy and confess the whol
thing
: And the next evening, "that fellow
still not being heard from, he did i
!. Rosamond, spirit-fair and fragile in hi
o in the moonlight, and, sitting at her fee
| ba NJ IA, n