The Delaware ledger., 1883-09-29

his feet.
My excitement in representing all !
this, and seeing the seal set upon my
misery, brought its own punishment. !
For week my life was again despaired !
of.
Then, because did not wish the boon,
strength came slowly back. Every day
he came ; every day he sent me flowers,
or fruit, or some sweet message hut it
was all an added torture.
AT last, when l grew better, the
physicians said l must have change,
and 50 they sent me TO the seaside, to
visit an aunt who had house at Worth
ing.
was glad to go. Had | stayed at
home should have gone mad. Alice
and Mr.. Branscombe went with me to
the train. l bade her good-by, and the
train was Just about to start, when he
put his head in through the window.
"You will let me come and see you,"
he said, and had only time to answer
''No, no, you must not come r'
Only time for this, and to note the
swift look so like pain, which swept
over his face ere he moved away, and
my last glimpse was of them both
standing side by side, as they should
henceforth stand through life.
Notwithstanding my injunction to
the contrary, he came. l had been in
my new home fortnight, and some of
the color was stealing back into my
cheeks, when one afternoon, as l sat
alone, dreaming, as l dreamed all my
idle hours away, saw the face which
moment before had fioated in my
| fancy.
For m Jment was happy, supreme
ly, ecstatically happy, and springing up
1 held out both hands with rapturous
cry of welcome, then l sank back cold
and stern again.
But that cry had brought him close
beside me, and my hands were so tightly
held in his strong clasp, while his great
brown eyes looked into the very depths
of mine, that I trembled and was still.
Merciful heaven what was it that l
read thereP Could it be that he loved
me, and that he had wooed and won
Alice for her gold
should have said before that my
sister was an heiress. had no dover
not even that of beauty; but Geoffry
Branscombe, would have sworn was
not man to be bought and sold, to buy
and sell and yet, if not, his eyes had
lied, for they had told me that it was
me he loved.
l don't know Just what came to me
in that hour, that moment, but though
l realized or thought l realized, his
baseness, yet could not snatch from
my lips the cup whose sweetness slaked
their thirst. held it there and
drank.
We spoke no word of love, but every
day found him by my side. l was no long
er listless was brilliant even merry.
laughed and sang, as one might laugh
and sing at the feast of death.
, And so a fortnight passed, and still
he fingered but his return was ixeC
, for the morrow. On that last evening
. we wandered down upon the beach
:, silvered by the moonlight. Standing il
it's rays, he turned and faced me clasp
4 ing his hand over mine as it lay uponhi
h arm.
A "Mabel, " he said, II love you, child
r You are but a child, and am man VIII
has outstripped you in the race of lif
by twenty years. But will you Civ
y yourself to me, dear ? Has it been m
= = own blind fancy which has given Dirt
to the sweet hope that l alone Nigh
y make your happiness ?"
He paused then, waiting for m
" answer. Only minute passed, but
es had awakened from my dream. ha
III not thought his baseness ever coul
al find words had not thought my sist'
Oo would know his perjury.
Only minute, but 1 had torn OF
~ my heart and trampled it beneath n
Nv feet. turned upon the man with ho
fierce passion; forgot that l had Ii
." him 1 forgot my own baseness, my ov
~ love. What burning, scathing wor
used, know not, but when had fl
- ished he offered me again his arm, fro
which had withdrawn my clasp, al
ny we walked back in silence to the hous
~ Yet, as he left me, still witho
word, l felt strange to say, OF
'0' my own guilt. He had not Dor
-, himself like one convicted of a wror
70 The next week l went home. All
,p- was the first to meet me, and that mig
n,t she crept into my room, and KIN
down beside me as she had done OIL
a before.
ca "Darling ~ she whispered, ''n'
month l am to be married, q
- you are to be my only brid
ak maid"
,rst 81 cannot ~ answered. ''Do
ask me, Alice 1t would kill me p
ln "Do you really love me so well, de
owe But you will not refuse me this ?
ne would mar all my happiness, Ma
ear. and am so happy. When you h
seen Harry-when you learn to kr
ont and love him for himself-you will
srly, derstand."
"Harry ~ gasped. "Who is he
lone ''Harry-Harry Stretton the ma
}. l am to marry. Why, Mabel, you
ived me you knew it all. Is it possible