Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-05-08
CHAPTER XVI.


did not appear IS if he had only beer
there few brief moments, and HAT
then disappeared again, but rather a:
II he had been there very long time
and now that he had departedshe eoule
not get accustomed to his absence
| While she bent over the unconsciou:
Mabelle, and tended her, and sum
moned her landlady to help her, and
listened to the loud and forcible excla
nations of the latter, Grace's thoughts
We're wholly occupied with Philip. How
happy! how handsome and eager he
had looked as he came in. SO full Of
health and prosperity, of hope and Joy
What white dismal change had settled
over his face as he read Aagela's letter
and in those words of his, as he burnt
that letter, what a curse there lay
What trenchant, bitter, uncompromis
ing contempt! Grace took comfort in
the membrance; for his looks, word:
and gestures had not been those of 8
man who would succumb under the
most treacherous blow.
No wonder this poor little girl had
lost consciousness altogether, thought
Grace-she, the unhappy little partici.
pator in the secret, worn and unstrune
by weeks of foreboding and anxiety.
Had not Grace herself, innocent and
clear of conscience, felt her cheeks burn
and her heart beat with terror as she
heard him speak, and trembled more at
what he implied than at what he actur
ally said?
By slow degrees Mabelle regained
| consciousness, and when she was fully
restored to her senses it filled Grace S
| heart with cQmpunction to see the
! change which had taken place. Now
| that the terror was over, that the storm
had broken, all her Fictitious strength
gave way; the enforced energy which
| had sustained her collapsed. and the
languor which oppressed her limbs were
overpowering. - SEsa
..Has he gone? Has Philip gone. Or
| is he here yet?" she asked, with a re-
turn of her terrified, hunted look.
."He has gone, child. He viii, not
return till evening. Lie still and drink
this wine"
Mabelle shook her head, passed her
hand across her forehead, and said,
pressing her head YEARLY upon the
hard. little sofa pillow:
mo, thank you. My head aches
oh, dreadfully! And l am so tired. L
don t feel very well, and I don't think
1 can go to school this afternoon.
''Go to SCHOOL,! / should think not!
You will lie still here, and shall sit be-
side you, and no one will interrupt us.
Yes. Mrs. Livsey, you may bring in din
ner, and set place for Miss Fairfax,
because she win stay with me-"
But she could not prevail upon Ma
belle to touch food; only to lie still upon
the sofa until Grace had made some
pretense of a meal, and then neither
threats nor persuasions would induce
the young girl to stay a moment longer.
She would go into their own lodgings
''and rest she said.
Grace said firmly that she did not
think her fit to be left alone, and would
go with her, but this MabelIe also de-
clined: and all Grace could extraet
from her was promise that she would
send for her if she should not feel better
in the evening. She watched her out of
the house-a slight, dropping, broken
looking young fgure-and she suddenly
remembered how she had drawn Philip
to the window that Monday morning
after her arrival, and had asked him
who that bright, pretty young girl was
who walked so uprightly. The remem-
brance of that happy morning, and of
all that had passed since, overpowered
Grace. Flinging herself upon the
couch on which Mabelle had been
lying, she covered her face with her
hands, and wept sore. 4
Toward six o'clock came note from
Philip, dated from the Office ~
DEAREST GRACE--I find shall not be able
to come up to Lawrence street this evening.
They are so excited at having got me back
down here tnat can't get away, and Grey in
my uni q
him, and being introduced to Lady Elizabeth.
Do you rememb r all about Lady Elizabeth.
and the time of Grey's wedding? WIN you
send down by the messenger the smallest of
my portmanteaus? will write you tomorrow
or the next DAY DO not fbi memt1on anytnng OF
letters home. l shall be there soon, and will
tell my mother myself. 1t is due to her that i
should.
Goodbye for the present, dear child:
"P. Spy the bye, will you for my sake,
looked to me very i'll, and whatever the rest
fof the world may be. she is gIliltless."
Scarcely had Grace dispatched the
required luggage, than the landlady
from the next house came in, request
ing to see her, and told her that Miss
Fairfax appeared to be very i'll, and, as
her sister was away, would Miss Mas
sey come in, and say what she thought
ought to be done?
Grace complied, and found Mabelle
restless, flushed. feverish, and, as it
seemed to her. very i'll, indeed. She
made her go to bed, sent for a doctor,
took her place beside Mabelle's bed,
anti as it eventually proved, did not
leave her for a fortnight. Mabelle was
sick almost ''unto DEATH, and to desert
Der .Grace's heart must have been
harder than it was She nursed the
girl tenderly, making light of the ILL
ness in the accounts which she was
compelled to. send to. Angela-sorely
against her will ps
During the first days of GONZALES
cence she heard from Mabelle's lips the
whole story of her struggles and trials,
and before her task was over she had
grown to love her patient as dearly as
a sister.
Whatever the rest of the world
may be, she is guiltless."
She echoed Philips words from the
bottom of her heart
CHAPTER XVII / n
- = - +" AT Mr.. GREY's. ID 1 Al
Philip left the house, toward the mo-
ment of entering which he had yearned
SO eagerly. and for such long and weary
weeks, and passed out into the street
again. During the ten minutes or
quarter of an hour VIII CHI had elapsed
since he had driven up TO the door, no
great CONFUSION of nature had taken
place. it likely that anything of
the kind should have occurred2 And
yet it seemed to Philip, and no doubt
would have so seemed to nine men out
in