Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-12
THE MAN ON THE LEFT.

you"
elias hep
"Who is it?"
81 cannot tell. have not seen him"
Suppose you look:"
'T prefer not. came to see the play. Is
| not Helen Fanchet superbg
| $50, so. [ wish you would tell me who
| that gentleman Oh the left is. l am sure he
knows you, and he is strikingly handsome"
Eat present the stage interests ME. Besides,
! if men are rude enough to stare at strangers,
there is no occasion for us to initiate them"
''Your ladyship has no curiosity?'
''Not any; l exhausted it some time ago."
s'Her ladyship was not telling the truth;
she was intensely curious, but it pleased her at
| the time to pique the honorable Selma
| Dorset. That strange sympathy that makes
US instantly conscious of a familiar glance,
even in crowded building, had solicited her
! regard just as Selma had advised her of it,
| If she had not been asked to look toward her
| left, she would probably have done so; as it
was, she resolutely avoided any movement in
that direction.
| The play finished in a tumult of applause
Lady Kate Talbot forgot everything in her
excitement, and as she stood up flushed and
| trembling, she inadvertently turned toward
| the left. Instantly she recognized a pres
ence with which she ought to have been
familiar enough.
The gentleman bowed with an extreme re-
spect Lady Kate acknowledged the cour-
| tesy in a manner too full of astonishment to
| be altogether gracious, and the elaborate po-
| likeness of the recognition was not softened
| by any glance implying more tender init
| macy than that Of mere acquaintance.
My lady was silent all the way home, and
! for some reason Selma was not disposed to
| interrupt her reverie. It did not seem to be
an unpleasant one. Kate's face had bright
flush on it, and her eyes held in them light
"a light that resenbled what Selma would
| have called hope and love, if my lady had
not been already married, and her destiny
apparently settled.
''Selina, when you have got rid Of all that
lace and satin, come to my room; have
| something to say to you"
Selma nodded pleasantly. She was sure
it concerned the gentleman On the left. She
had no love affairs of her own on hand OF
heart at present, and being neither literary
| nor charitable, her time went heavily on
ward. A little bit of romance, especially if
connected with the cold or proper Lady Tai
bot-would be of all things the most interest
ing.
She was speedily unrobed, and with her
long blonde hair hanging loosely over her
| pretty dressing gown, She sought my lady's
room. Lady Talbot sat in a dream-lilze still
ness, looking into the bright blaze on the
hearth. She scarcely stirred as Selma took a
| large chair beside her, and scarcely smiled
when she lifted one of her loosened curls,
and said, ''What exquisite hair you have,
Kate! True golden
E.Yac II iS8baautifnl I-rorr- +bo+ re-
course
''Of what are you thinking so intentlys'
''Of the gentleman on or left tonight"
'Ah, who is he? He seemed TO know you. =
'He ought to know me much better than
he does. He is my husband, Lord Richard
Talbot
''Kate!"
"It is true"
Il thought he was in Africa, OF Asia, OF
Europe, or somewhere at the end of the
world"
He is now in England, it seems. sup
pose lie just arrived. [ have not seen him
before"
"Where is he staying, them"
Il presume in the left wing of this mansion.
l notice there are more lights than usual in
| it tonight. His apartments are theren
snow, Kate, do tell me all, dear. You
know love romantic love affair, and am
sure this is one."
"You were never more mistaken, Selma.
There is no love at all in the affair." That is
the secret of the whole position. 1 thought
that as you were staying here this week, and
might probably see or meet my lord, it was
better to make all clear to you People are
apt to associate wrong with things they do
not understand"
ITO be sure, dear. I suppose Lord Richard
and you have had a little disagreement.
Now, if 1 could only do anything toward a
reconciliation, 1 should be SO happy, YOU
know"
"No, Selma, there has been no quarrel, and
you can do nothing at all between U.s. don't
want you to try. Just be kind enough to ig-
more the whole circumstance Lord Richard
and | understood each other nearly four wears
ago.
''But it is not four years since you mar
riedg'
"Just four years-yesterday."
"And my lord has been away
''Three years, eight months and eighteen
days, so far as I know
''Wel, this is a most extraordinary thing,
and very, very bad, must say
sit might easily have been much sadder. 1
am going to tell you the exact truth, and [
rely upon your honor and discretion to keep
the secret inviolable."
''My dear Kate, would not name it for the
world"
Listen, then. One night, when 1 was
scarcely II years old, my father sent for me
to his study. had known for months that
he was dying. He was the only creature
that had to love, and I loved him very ten-
derby. 1 must mention this also, for it
partly explains my conduct that the idea of
disobeying him in anything had never pre-
sented itself to me as a possibility. This
night I found with him his life long friend.
the late Lord Talbot, and the present lord,
my husband. 1 was a shy, shrinking girl,
without any knowledge of dress or society,
and very tinid and embarrassed in my man.
hers. Then my father told me that it was
necessary for the good of both houses that
Richard and 1 should marry, that Richard
had consented, and that must meet few
friends in our private chapel at o'clock in
the morning week later. OF course these
things were told me in a very gentle manner,
and my dear father, with many loving kisses,
begged me as last favor to him to make no
objection"
"And what did Lord Richard sayp'
81 glanced up at him. He stood near a
window looking out over our fine old park,