New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-18

He had attained salf-compreheusion. Like one
who DRIFTS unheedng down drowsy summer
stream. secure in his sense Of remoteness from
the sea he had moved through these careless DAYS,
until suddenly his craft had shivcrcd INTO the
breaker, and erected itself the crest of an ocean
wave. lie understood at length whittier these
weeks had tended he could map his course now
that he had traversed il.
He walked 10 the doorway. The jusi risen moon
made mystic shadows among the trees on the half
defined leaves the'rain drops gstened in the rich
Light The storm had ceased, and nature was mostly
dad In the always new marvel of freshness and
purity that follows such an outpOuIlng OF the skies
The air was grateful 70 him; II seemed laden with
calm and he moved forth from the hotel IN which
the lirhts were rapidly disappearing and ont upon
the terrace Perhaps a lover is never quitc happy
in the discovery of his love- Doubt chastens his de-
light. But there was much more sadness mingled
with Fletoher's joy As he paced the platform than
eboud be inspired by the lovers hopeful question Of
his MISTRESS esteem. Even in the first torrent of
his passion. his memory had dashed his bliss, but
then be- could drive from him disagreeabie thoughts
Now be was forced to confront the prOsalc, rcent-
less. miserable fact The truth was not to be
There are doubtless minds to which there would
have seemed little OlmcUlt IN the position that
baras~ad Fletcher: they would have SPAWNED 10
Tuirllv i'm coarse fashion. To him it was charged
with a. gravity and hateiulne,s the sense Of which
entered deeper and deeper into ms UNDERSTANDING
love was great and passionate but now that he
could think calmly he was reasonable enough 10 per-
ccivc thing. that made u rather torture than
a pleasure Making the concession thai sic cared
~ AN for him If he could find happiness with this
orl of proved lllthcgsue~s 10 gain u he must blot
ont his moral sense. Il was not mere feeling that
h.. sI,,uiI surrender: it would bee himself: he
should commit moral suicide II there hsl been no
other usiderat0u. despite the yearulug love that
possessed him more and more as he saw that IL must
be given mp be would NOT, or rather constituted rs
ne was he could not. nave made the sacrifice, An
other feeling was potent with him H. would have
felt thus toward her ii he who lad been M.uitd hdd
NOT been bus friend. Her offence would have been
the same her pcrdy great. hut n wEs his friend
who had sutered-cruelly -ufered-at her hands,
and as he remembered this through al his passion,
there returned upon him for m instant the feeling
which be had at first regarded her. II her flslty
had been suddenly revealed ID him now, he told
himself, as fresh Tact he might have been able 10
do otherwise than he had resolved TO do; but lac
had learned 10 ~ .th bitter shock ar their nrst
meeting. he had painfully impressed 10 upon himself
and Icllouelv cherished the sentiment toward her
which knowledge OF II prompted during the days
fht followed The very breaches of this feeling
into which the love then unknown % him impelled
h.u, had wrought their result. and now he could
make but one thing seem right 90 Inn. lie must
manned after his was traught with q sin 20 himself
and to Wentworth. Il WIS hard. peculiarly hard 10
Fletcher whose hoard Of love had not been fri'c
tered away and was avished in the FIRST force OF
mis- nature uurn Nirgua and notwithstanding his
stern feeling from the first that whatever the result
% him Doe mus, give Aer up his struggle against tic
decision at length positively reached, was fierce.
&" 1 cannot" ~ must the Sentences rang M prti-
less Attenuation 90 hIs ears. he wc,rily re-
trayer,td the matter. cndlessy 10 seemed 10 him.
while he walked % and fro with nery ons iteration
before The now darkeucd hotel The inevitable
questions REQUIRED, and be could give them but one
answer.
How he loved this girl. Ia lbs lovers madness
b. t.s.iou did not seem utterablr aud yet be- must
leave hcr-must depart from h- usttas'cd bliss
often MS be sadly reflected, something all bur lr-
,esistible pleadod with him O. east away caution
and sentiment aud remember only his love. surely
tlat had It's own first. vital claim Even loyalty
| might be exaggerated; II might dtHt lntG moo a.
4 LcToIsn lie remembered how stupid lac had
tbourht the act Of the heroine Of narrative poem
that be had once read IN saIrenderlng her lover 10