Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-11-06

asked in the playful manner which she
knew he would take in good part.
Well: I don't quite know that .
person can. am going to see man
upon business, and, if I began to tell
you part of it, / must tell it all-which
would not be convenient"
May not ask how long you will be
away? There can't be any dreadful
secret in that. And I shall want to
know what to get for your dinner
when you come back" She was stand
ing now at his elbow, and he was hold
ing her by the arm. 1t was to him al
most as though she were already his
wife, and the feeling to him was very
pleasant. Only if she were his wife,
or if il were positively decided among
them that she wound become so. he
would certainly tell her the reason for
which he might undertake any jour
ney. Indeed, there was no reason con-
nected with any business of his which
might not be told, other than that
special reason which was about to take
him to London. He only answered her
now by pressing her hand and smiling
into her face. ''Will it be for a
month";
~"Oh dear. no! what should I do
away from home for a month?'
"How can / tell? The mysterious
business may require you to be absent
for whole year. Fancy my being left
at home all that time. You don't think
of it; but you have never left me for q
single night since you first brought me
to live here"
"And you have never been away"
"On no! why should l 60 away?
What business can woman have to
move from home, especially such "a
woman as l am"
"You are just like Mrs. Baggett.
She always talks of women with SUI
preme contempt. And yet she is just
as proud of herself as the Queen when
you come to contradict her."
"You never contradict me-"
" Perhaps the day may come when l
SHALL Then he recoliected himself.
and added: "Or perhaps the day may
never come. Never mind Put up my
things for one week. At any rate
shall not be above a week gone" Then
she left him, and went away to his room
to do what was necessary.
She knew the business on which he
was about to travel to London as well
as though he had discussed with her
the whole affair. In the course of the
last two or three days there had been
moments in which she had declared to
herself that he was cruel. There had
been moments in which she had tainted
almost with sorrow when she thought
of the life which fate had in store for
her. There must be endless misery,
while there might have been Joy, so
ecstatic in its nature as to make it seem
to her to be perennial. Then she had
almost fallen, and declared him to oe
preternaturally cruel. But these mo-
ments had been short, and had endured
only while she had allowed herself to
| dream of the ecstatic JOY, which she
| confessed to herself to be an unfit con-
dition of lite for her. And then she
| had told herself that Mr.. Whittlestaff
was not cruel, and that she herself was
no better than weak, poor, Eighty
creature, unable to look in it's face lite
and all its realities. And then she
would be lost in amaZement as she
thought of herself and all her vacjlla-
tons.
She now was resolved to take his
part, and to fight his battle to the end.
When he had told her that he was go
ing up to London. and going up on
business as to which ne could tell her
nothing, she knew that it behooved her
to prevent him from taking the journey.
John Gordon should be allowed to 60
in quest of his diamonds, and Mr..
Whittlestaff should be persuaded not to
interfere with him. 1t was for her
sake, and not for John Gordon's, that
he was about to make the journey. He
had asked her whether she were willing
to marry him, and she had told him
that he was pressing her too hard. She
would tell him now-now, before it was
too late-that this was not so. His
journey to London must at any rate be
prevented.