The Magnolia gazette., 1884-10-16


/ his reach than she had been. .The
week has passed by, Mary, and / sup
/ pose that now you can give me an an
swcr" Then she found that she was
\ in his power. She had told him her
story, as though with the understand
I ing that if he would take her with her
''fancyn she was ready to surrender
herself. ''Am not to have an answer
nowpn
II suppose So"
''What is it to be2''
III you wish for me, l will be yours
"And you will cease TO think of Mr..
/ GordonP''
81 shall think Of him, but not in
/ way that You would begrudge me.
.'Ihat win suffice. know that YOU
are honest, and 1 will not ask you
70 forget him altogether. But there
had better bc no speaking of him. Ii
is well that he should be banished from
your mind. And now, dearest, dearest
love. give me your hand She put her
hand at once into his. .'And a kiss
She just turned herself little round
with her eyes bent upon the ground
NAY, there must be 4 kiss Then he
bent over her, and Just touched her
AiN1R' %'ARA ~ 9ph sNiR AON tLlA III
own. Yes; she was all his own. and
she would do for him the best in her
power. He had not asked for her love.
and she certainly had not given it. She
knew well how impossible il would he
that she should give him her love. Il
know you are disturbed, he said ~
also wish for a few moments to think OF
it all. 4" Then he turned away and went
-, ~ rrot-,l %, tpn b,sb bf-,,gaIf
She went into the house alone, and
seated herself BY the open window in
her bcd-chamber. As She sat there she
could see him up the long walk, going
and returning. As he went his hands
were folded behind his back, and She
thought that he appeared oder than
. she had ever remarked him to be before.
J What did it signify? She was sure that
/ she would be true TO him, as far as
truth to his material interests was CON
: cerned. His comforts in life should be
her first care. Ii he trusted her at all,
: he should not become poorer by reason
, OF his confidence And she would be rs
+ tender TO him rs the circumstances
would admit She would not begrudge
1 him kisses if he cared for them They
| were his by all the rights OF contract.
, gain, but he should never know how
$ much the best of it he had. He had
| told her that there had better De no
: speaking Of John Gordon. There cer-
( tainly should be none on her part. She
t had told him that She must continue to
Q think of him. There, ut any rate, she
D had been honest. But he should not
see that she thought Of him.
g Then she endeayored 10 assure her
Z self that this thinking would die out.
. How many women there We're who had
i not married the men they had loved
= first. How few, perhaps, had done so!
y Life was not good-natured enough for
g smoothness such as that. And vet did
9 not they rs rule, live well with their
II husbands? What right had she TO ex-
2 peet anything better than their fate9
Then her thoughts could not be kept
from turning to John Gordon. He had
+. been TO her the personication OF man
y lincss. That which he resolved to do
i he did with an iron will But his man
ners to all women were soft, and to her
seemed to have been suilEsed with
" special tenderness. But he was chary
Of his words-as he had ever been To
: her. He had been the son OF banker
. at Norwich; but, Just as size had be-
II come acquainted with him, the bank
had broke, and he had left Oxford to
Y come home and find himself a ruined
:, man. But he had never said word "a
her OF the family misfortune. lie had
y been six feet high, with dark hair cut
" very short, somewhat full of sport OF
= the toughest Kind which, however, lie
u abandoned instantly. "Things have
so turned out, he once said TO Mary,
THAT | must earn something to eat IN
/ stead of riding after foxes" She
III could not boast that he was hand
some. "What does it signify?"
:, she had once said to her step
:, mother who had declared him to be
stiff, upsetting and ugly "a man is not
0 like poor girl who has nothing but
the softness of her skin to dcpcnt
= upon" Then Mrs. Lawrie had de.
. clared to him that che did no gooC
:, coming about the house and he wen
% away.
7 Why had he not spoken to herp HI
had said that one word, promising thai
, if he returned he would come to Nor
K wich. She had lived three years since
Il that and he had not come back AnC
her house had been broken up and she
though she would have been prepared
+ TO wait for another three years though
J, She would have waited till she hac
y grown gray with waitng-she had now
y fallen into the hands OF one who had /
&c right to demand from her that she
should obey him. "And it is not that
q hate him, :" she said, to herself. II dc
love him. He is all good But / an
y glad that he has not bade me not K
think of John Gordon"
Q CHAPTER V.
o Nt sIrppOsn IN wAs A nRrANn