, 1884-01-20

oAiy came 20 women altr marfiaBcr bnAt
he was zsither Jealous nor sentimental;
and oh, Allan, what do you think he or led
within
"Heeven knowsi"
''Why, he said 1 might be quite easy, for
that, though he wished to marry me, he
wasn't dramatically in love himself
''The mans a brute, - burst forth the young
Scotchman. sit is because You have a heart,
and have given it forever to me, hat 1 would
move heaven and earth to save your happi-
ness, and my own, too, for they are one. oh,
I repeat, II you had changed, if you cared fer
this rich lord, my pride would bid me depart
In silence. 1 would trouble you no more.
But, now hearing from your own sweet lips
that you are true--and, oh, whatever befalls,
L bless you for those words again and again
knowing, l say, that you are true, let me be-
seech, implore, nay, have | not q right to
order you, to pause at the brink of the prec-
ipice and draw back while there is yet time"
But, Allan, my parents have arranged
settled everything. am powerless in their
hands. They leave me no choice; they prove
to me that 1t must be. Do not urge me to
sinful rebellion
"And Is it no sin, pray, to love one man
and wed anotherl To perjure yourself at
the altar of Godf'
That's just what I said to papa, and he
told me that all these things are conventional;
buob ofciJ Oht huOWh lue ulhTTlhRt btTVlce II
put into our mouths, and that we nave no
choice as to the exact expressions. He said
IL the contracting parties mean to be faithful
and kind to each other, nothing more is re-
quired of them either spiritually or socially.
oh, we had quite a long talk about it, Iassure
you"
During this speech Cameron had gradually
drawn quite close to her, and was now look
ing hard into her eyes to see if she was deal
I Inc NTH. liz. .-lI
Yes, there could be no doubt: the girl. IL
blinded by sophistries, was yet without guile.
During all this colloquy he had never called
her by name, though she addressed him as
Allan as simply as il their relations had never
changed.
Perhaps he waited to see il she deserved it;
or did he keep the power that is inherent In
such terms to try a last appeal
He made it now. Taking her unresistlng
hand in both his own ne said:
Did ! not know you so well l should think
you were acting a part. Milly-my own
Millyi it were ~better-better far in the sight
OF heaven, believe me-that you should fly
with me this night than fulfill this cursed en-
gagement. do not say / shall urge that. 1
will think, deliberate, pray. Only tell me,
Milly, that you will never wed Lord Bangs
"Oh, l cannot You should not urge me,
indeed you should not Ihave promised papa
uAi
And she began to cry and twist her hand
away from him, and her whole aspect became
one of perplexity and alarm.
For a moment the young man thought he
would lose his senses.
What was to be done with such a girll She
owned she had for him what she called love
yet was that love which would not submit to
either guidance or coercioni
The solution lay in a word, but it was quite
beyond Allan Cameron.
She was a Fulford!
How long the painful conference might have
lasted L am unable TO say, but at this point
steps and voices were heard approaching, and
in another moment Mr.. Fulford and Lady
Wall entered the room
"Ah, Cameron, how are youi Won't you
stay and lunchl This is queer news OF the
house OF lords.n
Such was the perfectly easy greeting of
Milly's father to the man whose wreck he had
succeeded in accomplishing.
Lady Walls was very different.
Kissing Millicent with effusion, she be-
slowed an inclination OF the head upon her
lover much ruder than any cut direct.
The fact is, her ladyship had made war for
30 many years of her life upon ''detriment-
ais, that she continued after all her daugh-
tiers had married TO hate them from habit.
Poor Allan had but one distinct feeling at
the moment-a longing to escape from them
all and to he alone. MutterinR a few words
of excuse and farewell, he rushed into the
street, strobe Off for his solitary lodging. and.
locking himself in, he flung himself upon his
bed and sobbed aloud.
He felt that his happiness in this world was
over.
And Millicent married Lord Bangs, and
the twins came out with no obstruction in the
shape of an attractive elder sister.
All the Fulfords rejoiced and cackled over
their handiwork like so many geese. Just at
rst-for a week or two-his lordship was
rather happy. 1t was a change, you know.
Even Millicent nearly enjoyed her honey
moon.
After that the marriage turned out like two
out of every three which are botched up on
the above fashionable plan-shockingly in.
Lord Bangs thought himself far too charm
ing a fellow for any one woman to monopoz
lie, and the scandals OF his life were one
Of the favorite themes of society," Only
society, which was always looking
forward to the further little excitement of
her ladyship Serving him out" by boiling
with one of her husbands friends. was
doomed, in this particular, to disappoint-
ment.
The Fulfords don't bolt. AT least the fe
male Fulfords.
1t is from the mcrest chance. 1 admit, and
l don't think they themselves can tell YOU
why, but it is the fact. She hates her hus-
band, and owns she has quite lost any high
principles she may once have possessed; but
everything now is said to be hereditary, and
she doesn't inherit the boiling weakness; that,
no doubt, must be it.
OF her old lover she has only heard
vaguely and at long intervals. He had
abandoned the desk when his Milly aban-
doned him and contracted thenceforth a
way of turning up in remote quarters OF the
globe, and always as performing deeds de-
cidedly qutxotic: At one moment fighting
desperately in Mexico. at another performing
prodigies as a volunteer against the pirates OF
the China seas, he seemed to be ever c~ourtin1
death in the glamour OF excitement and SO
five years rolled away.
Lady Bangs was sitting with her three chill
dren one m~orning-herself Swimming The
Morning Post, an easy task, for the whole
group were as melancholy as a Young duch-
ess. Not that anything had happened, but
simply because they were so nice and grand.
suddenly Milicent utters a faint cry and
presses her hand to her heart.
The little honorables betray a very faint,
well-hred surprise.
Her eye has just lit upon a paragraph
beaded "A Hero and relating how Allan
Cameron, in an attempt to save a sailor boy,
swept overheard in a gale, by jumping after
him, had at last met that deathin the Indian
ocean which he had apparently long sought
in vain.
The eldest child, a lovely boy and Mlly's
favorite, tries upon her the remedy OF a
cares.
See, she repels himl
Well, just now, no offspring OF her lords ID
likely to give her comfort.
For a few seconds-white as marble-sh.
gazes into space, then murmuring:
MY God, my Godr falls back in a
paroxysm of tears.
How is thisl Has she-can It be possible
4 Tint che haa lnyaI hK,- A N 49,. .--