The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-07-23


"It was this morning." she said.
''This very morning?"
cit was on this morning that Egave
my word to Mr.. Whittlestaif, and prom
Used to become his wife"
'And had l been here yesterday
should not have been too lateP"
She looked up imploringly into his
face. She could not answer that ques-.
ton, nor ought he to press for an an
swer. And the words were no sooner
out of his mouth than he felt that ii
was SO. 1t was not to her that he must
address any such remonstrance as
that. ''This morningr' he repeated,
"only this morning!"
But he did not know, nor could she
tell him, that she had pleaded her love
for him when Mr. Whittlestaff had
asked her. She could not tell him of
that second meeting, at which she had
asked Mr.. Whittlestaff that even yet he
should let her go. 1t seemed to her, as
she had Thought of it, that Mr..
Whittlestaf had behaved well, had in
tended to do a good thing to her, and
had ignored the other man, who had
vanished from the scene of their joint
lives, because he had become one who
ought not to be allowed to interest her
any further. She had endeavored to
to think of it with stern Justice, ac-
cusing herself of absurd romance, and
giving Mr.. Whittlestaff credit for all
goodness. This had been before John
Gordon had appeared; and now she
struggled not to be less just to Mr..
.IWhittlestaff then before. She knew
him we'll enough to be aware that he
could not easily be brought to abandon
the thing on which he had set his mind.
1T all passed through her mind as
she prepared her answer for John Cor
don. "It can make no difference"
she said. ga promise is o promise,
though it be but an hour old"
"That is to be my answerP"
eyes, that is to be your answer. Ask
yourself, and you will know that there
is no other answer that can honestly
make you"
"How is your own heart in the af-
fairp"
There she was weak, and knew that
she was weak. "It matters not at all, :"
she said.
"It matters not at alp" he repeated
after her. ri can understand that my
happiness should be nothing If you
and he were satisfied, of course it would
be nothing. If you were satisfied, there
would be an end to it; because, if your
pleasure and his work together, [ must
necessarily be left out in the cold. But
it is not so. I take upon myself to say
that you are not satisfied"
'You will not allow me to answer
for myself ?"
"No, not in this matter Will you
dare to tell me that you do not love
me?" She remained silent, and then
he went on to reason with her. "You
do not deny it. Ihear it in your voice
and see it inyour face. When we part
ed in Norwich, did you not love me
athenP" s,....
81 shall answer no such question. A
young woman has often to change her
mind as to whom she loves, before she
can settle down as one mans wife or
another's."
''You do not dare to be true. If l am
rough with you, it is for your sake as
well as my own. We are young, and,
as was natural, we learned to love each
other. Then you came here and were
alone in the world, and l was gone.
Though there had been no word of
marriage between us, had hoped that
/ might be remembered in my absence.
Perhaps you did remember me. 1 can
not think that / was ever absent from
your heart; but l was away, and you
could not know how loyal was to my
thoughts of you. L am not blaming
you, Mary. | can well understand that
you were eating his bread and drinking
his cup, and chat it appeared to you
that everything was due to him. You
could not have gone on eating his bread
unless you had surrendered yourself to
his wishes. You must have gone, and
have had no home to which to 90. II
is all true. But the pity of it, Mary;
the pity of it!''
"He has done the best he could by
me-"
Perhaps so; but if done from that
reason, the surrender will be the
easier"
"No, no, no; 1 know more of hin
than you do. No such surrender viii
come easy to him. He has set hi'
heart upon this thing, and SO far as
am concerned he shall have it,
"You will so to him with o lie in
your mouthp"
81 do not know. / can not say wha
the words may be. If there be lie,
will tell it.
"Then you do love me stillP"
"You may cheat me out of m,
thoughts, but it will do no good
Whether lie or tell the truth, will d.
MY duty by him. There will be no ly
ing. To the best of nay ability vii
love him, and him only. All my car
shall be for him. Ihave resolved, anC
I will force myself to love him. All hi
qualities are good. There is not
thought in his mind of which he nee
be ashamed"
mot when he will use his power +
take you out of my arms"
"No, sir; for am not your property
You speak of dealing with me, a
though | must belong to you if di
not belong to him. It is not so.''
"Oh, Mary!''
''It is not so. What might be 1 wi
not say-or what might have been.
xyoc ,yootardou froo xu0pna,1 and M,