Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-11-20
CHAPTER Xxx.
MIR. wH1TrLEsTFF TAKES HIS JOURNEY.

MIR. wHITTLESTFF TAKES HIS JOURNEY.
Mr.. Whittlestaff did at last get into
the train and have himself carried up
to London. And he ate his sandwiches
and drank his sherry with an air of
supreme satisfaction--as though he had
carried his point. And so he had. He
had made up his mind on a certain
matter; and, with the object of doing a
certain. piece of work, he had escaped
from tie two dominant women of his
household. who had done their best to
intercept him. So far his triumph was
complete. But, as he sat silent in the
corner of the carriage, his mind revert
ed to the purpose OF his journey, and
he can not be said to have been tri-
umphant. All Ariesford would know
it, and would sympathize with John
Gordon. And as it came to be known
that he himself had given up the girl
whom he loved, he could read the ridi-
cule which would be conveyed by the
smiles of his neighbors.
To tell the truth OF Mr.. Whittlestaff.
he was man very open to such shafts
of ridcule. The ''rObur ct gs triple1"
which fortified his heart went only to
the doing of good and unselfish action.
and did not extend to providing him
with that adamantine shield which vir-
tue should of itself supply. He was as
pervious to these Stings as man might
be who had not the strength to act in
opposition to them. He could screw
himself up to the doing of a great deed for
the benefit of another. and could. as he
was doing SO, deplore with inward tears
the punishment which the world would
accord to him for the deed. AS he sat
there in the corner of his carriage, he
was thinking of the punishment rather
than of the glory. And the punishment
must certainly come now. Itwould be
punishment lasting for the remainder
of his life, and so bitter in its kind as to
make any further living almost impos-
sible to him. 1t was not that he would
kill himself He did not mediate any
such step as that. He was man who
considered that by doing an outrage to
Gods work, an offense would be COM
mitted against God which admitted of
no repentance. He must live through
it to the last But he must live as a
man who was degraded. He had made
his effort, but his effort would be known
to all Alresford. Mr.. Montagu Blake
would take care of that.
The evil done to him would be one
which would admit of no complaint
from his own mouth. He would be left
alone, living with Mrs. Baggett-who
of course, knew all the facts. The idea
of Mrs. Baggett going away with her
husband was, of course, not to be
thought of. That was another nui-
sauce; small evil in comparison with
the great misfortune of his life.
He had brought this girl home to his
house to be the companion of his DAYS,
and she had come to have in his mouth
a flavor. as it were, and sweetness be-
yond all other sweetness. She had lent
q grace to his days OF which for many
years he had not believed them to be ca
pable. He was n man who had thought
much of love. reading about it in all the
poets with whose lines he was CONVEX
SAINT He was one who, in all that ne
read, would take the gist of it home
20 himself, and ask himself how it was
with him in that matter. His favorite
Horace had had q fresh love for every
day; but he had told himself that Hor-
ace knew nothing of love. Of Petrarch
and Laura he had thought; but even to
Petrarch Laura had been subject for
expression rather than for passion.
Prince Arthur, in his love for Guinever.
went nearer to the mark which he had
fancied for himself. Imogen, in her
love for Posthumus, gave to him pict-
ure of all that love should be. 1t was
thus that he had thought of himself in
all his readings; and as years had gone
by he had told himself that for him
there was to be nothing better than
reading. But vet his mind had been
full. and he had still thought to himself
that, in spite of his m stake in reference
to Catherine Bailey, there was still room
for n strong passion.
Then Marie Lawrie had come upon
him, and the sun seemed to shine no.
where but in her eyes and in the ex-
preston of her face. He had told him.
self distinctly that he was in love, and
that his life had not gone SO far for
ward as to leave him stranded on the
dry sand-hills. She was there living
in his house. subject to his orders, af-
feetiona.e and docile; but, as far as he
could judge. perfect woman. And.
as far as he could judge, there was no
OTHER man whom she loved. Then,
with many doubtings, he asked her the
question, and he soon learned the truth
but not the whole truth.
There had been man, but he was
one who seemed to have passed by and
left his mark, and then to have gone
on alfouethcr out of sight. She had