Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1884-05-22
THE GIPSY'S CURSE.

good grace TO release her.
al won't promise to be very grave over
it," she said, as her cousin drew up the
chess-table. 81 am sure that you will beat
me-"
"Not he," remarked jamie frankly ;
"Roland is very bad player"
Chow do you know that lima is bet.
teri" asked Roland, beginning to set the
men.
"You might have made a pretty speech
then. Remember, lima is city-bred and
used to all that sort OF thing"
And she moved away, while Roland bit
his lip, wishing he had Sir Philip Darrelps
golden tongue. lie used to call il soon
founded foreign palayerng" at one time,
but Cupid alters some mems estimate of
the graces of life.
Roland and lima were left pretty we'll
alone, for Sir Philip and the rest were at
the other end of the room, and there SEEM
ed to be good deal OF fun going forward.
lima longed TO Join the group, but she did
not like to play recklessly, and Roland
was long over his moves.
"Oh, Roland" she said at las. "don't
take month over move, there's good
boyw
Roland looked up. lima leaned back,
clasping her hands behind her head, and
met his eager look with one OF indifier-
ence.
"You see," he said, 81 am not thinking
Of the game"
"Then wish YOU would, or shall read
book while you are meditating."
s.Ilma, why are you so cruel!"
His tone and look startled, even fright
ened her; but she was too young to know
how to meet such an advance. She turned
pale, but her eyes flashed angrily.
0Don't be foolish, Roland, Or"
al am not foolish, lima" he interrupt
ed. 81 mean what say-I do indeed"
"Well, then, l am foolish, and don't
know what 1t is that you mean, and 1
don't want to know. l will sweep up the
men if you will not finish tile game prop
erly."
selma, will you let me explain another
timer"
"Yes-no-how can ! stop your DO
move your queen, or | shall take her."
Roland turned very red and obeyed in
silence, though he bit his lip till the blood
almost came. In three more moves he
was eheckmated; and lima declared he de.
served JAMES, condemnation.
"Play Il game Of draughts, lima; that
won't take long, and It's quite early IN the
evening"
"Not now, Rol-presently."
"They don't want you over there. They
are playing ut something"
But, even AS he spoke, Darrell crossed
the room; and the next moment he was
bending down TO lima.
cam l too impatient! May not beg
now for u little music"
How different this man from blunt cOun-
trytied Roland-the soft sweetly -modulat.
ed voice, the crisp refined accent, the tone
halEpleading, wholly deterential, the man.
ner that forbade denial becalise 10 made
q favor OF acquioscence. Was Roland so
blind that lac could mol see how the young
face lighted up H. it was turned to OAR
rell! Was his ear too duh Ia catch a ring
in the girl's voice thai WAS not in it when
she spoke TO her Cumberland cousinf
"What shall play" she asked, rising
ct once.
"Play some of the pieces you played
from memory at the Court the other
day."
''some" said lima, laughing. "You
mean one"
"Do you offer wineglass of water to .
thirsty man, lima? You know you would
never tire me with music. You might be-
come weary oil playing, out should never
be tired Of listening"
lima went to the piano and played, aud
Roland came near--not that he cared for
classical music or understood it, but lie
could not bear TO leave lima alone with
Sir Philip Darrell.
Suddenly Roland noticed that the dam
ask rose was gone.
Hlma," he said, as the girl struck the
1aa OH rA In nj a.
"where's your rose"
lima started and looked down at her
dress.
81 don't know" she answered; al did
not take It out. l must have dropped it."
"Perhaps while you were playing chess"
suggested Sir Philip.
"No; saw IL when you left the table,"
said Roland.
cit must be somewhere about the floor"
and lima looked around her. "Never
mind, Roland; you'll have to give me an.
other.'
Just then Rose drew near.
"Roland, we want You for whist; aunt
Rachel has no partner. Come'along."
Roland could not well refuse; he could
not make n pretence of wanting to hear
classical music; so lie was fain TO be q vic
finland never was there more unwill-
ing one.
"Will you play that last piece again"
asked Darrell as soon as he was gone.
lima complied, and while she played,
Sir Philip, who was looking down, caught
sight of something lying near his foot. 1t
was Roland's little-cared-for rose. He did
not pick il up at once; but when lima had
finished playing, he raised il and placed it
on the piano before her.
HXnnr rosa - ha said cal yy0nder that
did not see it earlier; it fell close to
me-"
"Thanks." There was no pleasure in
her face. She took up the rose as IL she
hardly knew what to do with IL. "The
stalk Is broken off," she said with per-
picked look. al can't put IL back in my
dress; it's not much good now" and she
let It drop on the piano again.
Sir Philip Darrell bent forward with
quickly-drawn breath, and his deep gray
eyes flashed.
"You have not always so treated the gift
of fower," he said.
Crimson as the rose itself were Ilma's
cheeks and brow; her eyes, half turned to
him, had seen the look in his, her ear had
caught-nay, to her very heart had rung
the tone in his voice. Yet she knew
nothing and felt nothing clearly. She had
n sense OF losing some safeguard, Of hav-
ing some veil or mask torn from her. She
saw how Darrell read her conduct about
the flowers he had given her; but she
could not, in that bewildering moment,
tell whether he was right or wrong. She
could not think at all.
Darrell. n man of the world with wo-
mans subtlety OF perception, saw that this
child who turned from him and knew not