The Red Cloud chief., 1884-09-19
.;r think - opld M diamond, best, -

said Mar1 Whereupon EveIina .ng-
gested tAa her younger sister vas \
grsedyh g cresiure.
"AsSc N as you've got your eli of
diamn : which won't take more than
six DC ltbs lonzer. suggested Mr. Hall.
'.y0u Il come back again
,oe exactly. have an idea Of go
~ up the country Gro the /anbesi.
j - B notion that 1 should Ike To make
~ way oct somewhere in the Medi-
terrsnean-Egypt, for instance. or Al
Ter"
''What.-across the equator, You'd
never do that alive"
Things of that kind have been done:
Stanley crossed the continent"
But not from South 10 North. /
don't believe in that. You had better
remain at Kimberley and get more dia-
monds."
He'd be with diamond. like the boy
with the bacon said the clergyman:
when prepared for another wish, he'd
have more than he could eat"
TO tell the truth" said John Cor
don, II don't quite know what l should
do. II would depend. perhaps, on VIVA,
somebody else would DIN me in doing.
My life was very lonely at Kimberley.
and ] do not love being alone"
"Ihen why don't you take n wife,"
said Montagu Blake, very loudly, as
though he had hit the target right in
the bull's-eye. He so spoke asto bring
the conversation to an abrupt end Sir.
Whittles,afr Immediately cooked con
scious. He was q mar who, on such
an occasion. could not look otherwise
than conscious And the five girls. with
all Of whom the question of the loves
Of John Gordon and Mary Lawrie had
been fully discussed. looked conscious.
Mary Lawrie was painfully conscious !:
but endeavored to hide it. not unsuc-
cessfully. But in her endeaypr she had
To loox unnaturally stern-and was con
sciOus, too, that she did that. Mr..
Hall, whose feelings of were
not. perhaps, of the highest order.
looked round on Mr.. Whittlcstaff and
Mary Lawrie. Montagu Blake felt that
he had achieved n triumph. Yes
said he, IF those are your feelings, why
don't you take a wife,"
..Onc man may not be so happy As
another" said Gordon, laughing. 'iOu
have suited yourself admirably, and
seem to think it quite easy for "A man to
make a selection
Not quite such a selection rs mine,
perhaps said Blake.
Then think of the difficulty. Do
| YOU suppose that any second Miss For.
rester would dream of gong to the dia-
mond-i;elds with me
Perhaps not" said Blake. Not a
second Miss forrcSter-but somebody
else"
Something Inferior"
.'Weil-yeS; inferior TO my Miss For,
roster, certainly
.'Ycu are the most conceited young
man that | ever came across said the
| young lady herself.
And | am not inclined to put up
with anything that is very Inferior
said John Gordon. He could not help
his eye from CHANGING for a moment
round upon Mary l.awr.e. She was
aware of it, though no n else noticed
it i'm the room. She was aware OF il,
though any one watching her would
have said that she had never looked al
him
"a man may always lind a woman tC
suit, if he looks we'll about him." SAID
Mr.. Hall. sententiously. "Don't YOU
think so. Whittlestaff?"
II dare say he may" said Mr. Whit
t~lestatf. very fatty. And as he said Sc
he made up his mind that he would, fol
that day, postpone the task of telling
MIR. Hall of his intended marriage.
The evening passed by. and the tins
came for Mr.. Whittlestaf to drive Mis-.
Lawrie back to Cookers Hall. She hat
certainly spent a most ~uneTentfu
period. as far As action or even word:
of her own was concerned. But TN,
afternoon was n which she won't,
never forget. She had been quite, quite
sure. when she came into the house
but she was more than sure now. A
every word that had been spoken sh,
had thought of herself and OF him
Would he not have known how to have
chosen a fit companion, only for thi:
great misfortune2 And would she hav,
been so much inferior to Miss Forester
Would he have thought her inferior t.
any one? Would ne not have preferred
her to any other female whom the worlC
had at the present moment produced
Oh. the pity of it; the pity of il!
Then came the bidding of adieuX
Gordon was to sleep at Little Arlesforo
that night, and to take his departure
by early train on the next morning. o.
the adieuX spoken the next morning
We need take no notice. but only of tn,
,,.,t a- tn.N ,,s.rn1 fhat n.nhf .a,nrl
bye, Mr.. Gordon" said Mr.. Whittle
staff, having taken courage for the DC
c%asion. and having thought ever of The
necessary syllables to be spoken
..Good-bve, Mr.. Whittlestaff." ard h,
gave his rival his hand in apparently
friendly grasp. To those burning queS
tons he had asked he had received NJ
word of reply; but they were Question.
which he would not repeat again.
Goodbye. Mr.. Gordon" said Mary
She had thought of the moment much
would trust herself TO nothing further.
He took her hand. but did not say 6
word. He took it and pressed it for s
moment, and then turned his face
away. and went in from the hall bach
to the door leading to the drawing
room. Mr.. Whittlestaff was at the mo-
ment putting on his great-coat, AND
i Mary stood with her bonnet and CLOAK
on at the open front-dcor. listening e
a word or two from Katie ForreStel
and Evelina Hall. .'Oh. l wish. l wist
it might have BEEN" said Katie For
roster.
..And so do l." said Evelina. Can,
it he?:"
"Good-night." said Mary. boldly
stepping out rapidly into the moon
light, and mounting without assistanc,
to her place in the open carriage.
II beg your pardon" said Mr.. Hall
following her; but there came not :
word from her.