The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-04-27

est passion she would have. been ready
to forget everything in the joy thai
knowledge would have brought her
Now it only brought new pain and bitter
regret that would never leave her
Would she have changed so quickly in
that time of madness? Perhaps not
perhaps he saw that she would not, and
so remained silent, thinking it useles:
to speak.
She would tell him at once and he
could speak now if he chose to do so.
But he would not do so; he was too in.
different; he had shown that in his let.
ter-written alter he had had time
for reflection; and he had shown it in
his conduct during that brief inter
view. She would write. and her letter
should be like his own-cold and de-
cisive.-
MY visit to you to-day may be misunder
stood; therefore wish to say that, when tax
ing Mrs. 0Bryau 10 your place. l bad no in.
tention of intrudiny upon you But while
waiting it occurred to me. a. I told you, that
by going upstairs might satisfy my imp +
about her son. and perhaps. at tha same time.
md an opportunity of telling you that regret
having been the cause of any pain TO you
did not ind that oppnrtnnity. and sm Obliged
sh to say that / did not know until two
n ghts ago that you had written a letter 20
Lucy Smith after you left Camberwell. That
letter vas destroyed unopened. and nothing
was said to he about it until the time men.
toned. "MABEL CUrHBERr"
There; that would do 1t was cold
enough, at any rate. 1: showed him
that she was aware OF her mistake, and
was sorry for it; but there was no
weakness about it-no begging for pity.
He would see that she. too. was
resolute, and that sin she knew him
to be indifferent, she was satisfied.
There was the end of it all; and it was
not so difficult to write to him as she
had feared it would be. But it would
have been murh better if she had not
seen him-mu b better if Teddy had
kept the secret of his treachery since
his confession had only reopened the
wounds which now could never be
healed. And yet she was glad to be
assured that Maurice had been true;
glad of it even when she felt most keen
" that he did not care for her.
Did she really believe that he did not
care for her? If so, there was no need
to be anxious to inform him of her dis
covery, for it was of no consequence
whether he knew it or not
Let him think what he 'liked-com-
fort himself if he couli. by thinking
that she was heartless as she had
thought him. She had found no conf
fort in that way, but then she loved
him. Let this letter, like
his to Lucy. disappear also. its contents
unknown to any one save the writer
Cold as it was, perhaps his own had
been still colder-pro5ab'y it had con-
tanned only conventional intimation
that the room above the tailor's shop
need no longer be reserved for him; and
not, as she wished to believe, the glad
tidings of his speedy return.
She lit taper. and holding ove.the
fame the note she had written, smiled
sadly as she watched it change into
black films.
She would not allow herself to worry;
she would fill up every moment of her
waking time with some occupation of
amusement or duty. Should her father
continue to wish to see her settled in
life, rs he called it, she supposed that
Sir Frederick Powell would make her
as happy as she could hope to be. 1t
was possible that there might be very
pleasant times at Woodstow, and may
be her loss would make her the more
staid and useful housewife.