, 1884-07-09

was In reality on bis second ws.ding journey.
having lost his first wife within six months
after their marriage. This must be the sup
planted wife. Having CONT to this conclu
sion, stating with The hypothesis that ghosts
exist, | was ready to understand when she
said:
ale is very handsome, do you not thin:
soF"
1 glanced at the picture on the wall. toward
the original Of which l began to have a dis
tinct sentiment Of dislike, and 1 said, very
handsome" to satisfy her.
"He had dark gray eyes," she went on, of
all eyes in the world, the dark gray can say
the most. -He was very lonely when I died;
he travelel everywhere, 1 was lonely, too
1 wanted TO see him, and l used to come back
sometimes. He never saw me but when 1 was
near him he could not belp thinking OF me.
One day | found him in his room in a little
hunting hotel in Switzerland When / went
into the room hs was reading, but soon he
began to feel my nearness- He threw down
his book crying Shall | never be able to for
getf and left the room. He wished, then, to
forget me. Ihad never thought of that. l
had been happy, before, in a quiet way at
the times when 1 was allowed I , go to him,
but that was all over. l never followed him
again. After that it seemed as IL should die
Of my loneliness and my longing to see him. "
l lookei up quickly as she spoke this last
sentence, u strange one for a persoi. already
dead to utter, but she bad not noticed and
went on.
@Siuce / could not be where he was, l came
to the house where we had been SO happy to-
gether. l wandered through the rooms at
night and looked out OF the Window where
we had stood so often and watched the sea;
but l never disturbed anything. l did not
want the servants to know that / came.
/ thought / had suffered all there was to
suffer. When we think that, there is always
some new trouble on ths way to us. One
night l found an open letter on the table. 1t
was in his hand, and l kissed 1t. Then-I
read it. 1t was to the h~ousekeeper. directing
her to rent the house. He was to be married
and to travel again"
There was u long silence. Ny heart rose
in pity for the poor young thing who be-
lieved in VOWS OF eternal love and remem-
braEce, and It grew harder toward the origi-
nal of the portrait. l could say nothing of
my own, but the words of scripture fell in
voluntarily from my liIs: SLike the remem-
brance Of n guest that tarrieth but n day"
She paid no heed to this Jobs comforting, but
rested her chin upon her hani and, with her
eyes still fixed upon she fire which was now
indeed nothing but embers, went on:
~ cannot blame him-he was lonely and
bhhS ""S buo ohig way " htip H. oub bueJ
will come back and l caunot bear it, and so
| shall b, d iven from here. l wonder IL she
looks as l used to. II she did, ever so little,
and I could know that that was what draw
him, how it would comfort mel
81 have met many wives since l died,
wives that lived with their husbands nearly
a lifetime, and yet within a year tiei- places
were filled. They tell me that it is to be eI.
p4cted and that l shall grow used to 1t.
ait cannot asst forever, 1 know; but oh, l
want to SEQ him sol"
1 bent my head to hide the tears that
gathered as the m~snotonous voice ende | in
this pIaindve cry. When l raised my eyes, l
sat alone; tho armchair was empty and
there was nothing to remind me OF my guest
except a CHILL in tue air as 4 the wind had
swept through the room. Isat still, think
ing, thinking, until fell asleep. In the gray
of the morning l awoke.
Was it a dreami l asked myself, but the
two chairs stood the:e together to convince
me that it was not.