The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1882-04-08
And they were somingo to. Were
going to pay other visits in the neigh
borhood, and should be SO delighted"
LADY Constantine nOta bod cold

going to pay other visits in the neigh
borhood, and should be so delighted
Lady Constantia's note had said.
Lady Constantia was BRIDES step
mother, and the girl was dependent
on her for food, shelter, and clothing
utterly dependent; and her fathers
ehattering, good-natured, shallow
pated widow was calculating, though
kindly, and had, moreover, but
limited income.
To marry Lucius, Birdie knew was
utterly impossible-knew it from the
moment the first love- fiutter agitated
her heart; so she resigned him-gave
him with her own free will to Amelia.
She had morbid longing to witness
the success of her work, and had ae-
companied her mother to Abbots-
craithie, deluding herself into the idea
that she would henceforth endure the
void in her life with less bitter pangs
if she were but allowed to see Lucius
rich, happy and contented.
So when Lady Constantia told her
that she had received an invitation
from Mrs. Fitzgerald, and in her
blindness and love of living at other
peoples expense suggested that they
should accept it, Birdie had offered no
opposition.
When woman allows herself to
love married man, she may tell her
conscience that every fault from the
wife palliates ner guilt; but she must
be morally blind indeed if she mag
ines that all the qualities of all the
angels centered in the wrong one
would ever have weighed with her in
the indulgence of her unlawful pas
sion.
There was something artless-an
evident desire to like and be liked
about the woman in possession Which
went straight to Brides heart and
disarmed her of any i'll feeling against
Lucius's wife-that is to say-no more
"This is the first time I have ever
met any really great friends of my
husband" said Amelia, pouring out
the tea, "and you don't know how I
have been looking forward to your
coming"
Lady Constantia declared herself
delighted to be there.
She was something of rattle, was
her lady ship, and not over-particular
about being listened to. This Birdie
had long since ascertained. At that
moment she was dreamily contempla-
ting Amelia.
"How man might love that sweet
little woman if she had only got the
first chance of him i" was the mental
ejaculation.
A week passed, and Birdie sug-
gested to Lady Constantia that it was
time they took their leave and went to
the house of some other friends +; but
Lady Constantia was comfortable and
contented in luxurious Abbotscraithie,
and she would not be hustled. Birdie
must endure her torture little longer
She had gone out alone one lovely
eptember afternoon, taking a vol
me of Shelley to dream over, not to
read. In Brides frame of mind all
the lines were one blurred mass, all
the words were indistinct. She sat
down in little arbor that had been
built at the edge of wood. A quarter
of an hour had scarcely passed away
when she heard mans footstep ap-
preaching the arbor, and she almost
sprang up with light frightened cry.
Not Lucius; no, not Lucius; there
alone; she could not bear it.
1t was Percy, and she sank back
into her seat as though relieved from
great fear. Not that she wanted
Percy's companionship-far from
it; and had he been a man of the
world and gentleman her monosyl.
Liable replies would speedily have
induced him to pursue his way to the
house, and he actually had the auda-
city, though he had never received at
any time the most remote encourage
ment, to make Miss Verulam formal
tender of his hand and possessions,
looking quite surprised, too, when she
got up and told him that she regretted
he had made so great mistake, such
an alliance being impossible.
"Impossiblen' he repeated; ''im-
possible that you can ever care for
me?"
And Percy, whose belief in himself
was immense, looked at her in abso-
lutte establishment.
Under happier auspices Birdie
would have laughed; as it was, she
turned from him with a sort of dis.
gust, merely saying very quietly:
"Please leave me; would rather be
alone"
A hot flush rose into Percy's face as
she spoke. This son of the people