The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-04-16
Hates Husband

"The gentleman on tho loft, Kate
do you know him? lie has looked fire..
quently toward you"
"Has hep"
"Who is it?"
81 can't tell. have not seen him."
Suppose you look"
81 prefer not. I came to see tho play.
Ii not Helen Faucet superb?"
80, 30. wish you would tell mo
who that gentleman on the left is. Tam
sure he knows you, and he is strikingly
handsome"
"At present the stage interests me.
Besides, il 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 timo
ago."
Her ladyship was not telling the
truth; she was intensely curious, but it
pleased her at tho time to pique
tho honorable Selma Dorset. The
strange sympathy that makes us in
tensely conscious Of familiar glance,
even in crowded builc,,ug, had 30.
licited her regard just Ms Selma had nd.
vised her of it. II she had not been
nsked to look toward her left she would
probably have done 30; as it was she
resolutely avoided any movement in
that direction.
The play finished in tumult Of mp
plauso. Lady Kate Talbot forgot every
thing in her excitement, and Ms she
stood up flushed and trembling, she in
advcrtently turned toward the left. In
stantly she recognized presence with
which she ought to have been familiar
enough.
The gentleman bowed with mn extreme
respect. Lady Kate acknowledged the
courtesy in manner too full OF aston
ishment TO DO altogether gracious, and
the elaborate politeness of the recogni.
ton was not softened by any glance i'm
plying more tender intimacy than that
Of n mere acquaintance.
My lady WAS silent all the way homo,
and for some reason Selma was not dis
posed to interrupt her reverie IL did
not seem mn unpleasant one. Katy's face
had bright flush on 1t, and her eyes
held in them lght-a light that resem-
bled what Selma would have called hope
and love, il my lady had not been al
ready married, and her destiny appa.
rently settled.
"Selina, when You have got rid of all
that lace and satin, come to my room; l
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 or heart Mt present, and being
neither literary nor charitable, her time
went heavily onward. A little bit of ro-
mance-nothing wrong, of course, but
Just little bit OF romance, especially If
connected with the cold and proper lady
Talbot-would BIO Of all things the most
interesting.
She was speedily unrobed, and with
her long black hair hanging loosely
over her pretty dressing-gown. she
sought my lady's room. Lady Talbot
sat in n dream.like stiffness, looking into
the bright blaze on the hearth. She
scarcely stirred as Selma took largo
chair beside her, and scarcely smiled
when she lifted one OF her loosened curls
md said:
"what exquisite hair You have, Kate !
Truly golden"
"Yes, it is beautiful. I know that, Of
COURSE"
"Of what are you thinking so in
tently2'
"0i the gentleman on our left to
night"
"He ought to know me much bette
than he does. He is my husband, Lor'
Richard Talbot"
'"Kate I"
at is true"
81 thought he was in Africa, or IL
Asia. or Europe, or somewhere Mt the
end of the world"
"He is now in England, it seems !
suppose he has just arrived. l have not
seen him before"
"Where is he staying, them"
II presume in the left wing OF this
mansion. notice there are more lights
than usual in it tonight. His apart
monts are there"
snow, Kate, do tell me all, dear. You
know love q romantic love affair, and
am sure this ia one. if
40 be sure, dear. suppose Lord
Richard and You have had q little dis
% agreement. Now, il / could only do
anything toward reconciliation. l
should be so happy, you know"
mo. Selma, there has been no quar-.
rel, and You can do nothing at oil be.
tween us. don't want you to try. JUS,
be kind enough to ignore the whole cir
cnnlstance. Lord Richard and under
stood each other nearly four years ago.
''But it is not four years since yor
married?" ...i
"Just four years yesterday"
"And my lord las been away
"Three years, eight months anG
eighteen days, 80 far as l know"
"Well, this is most extraordinary
Thing, and very, very sad, I must say"
at might easily have been much
sadder i am going to tell you the
exact truth, and l rely upon your honor
and discretion to keep tho secret invio-
LIABLE"