Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-06

Il have been silent for a. long time al
your command, but l feel must speak to.
night" he whispers, hurriedly. "Am t
take my final No now!"
He has turned very pale.
NO" said the girl, quickly. Then. the
absurdity of her answer striking her. 4
faint smile creeps into her eyes. THAT
IS, she stdmmers, lit is no mo- NEAR
only"
mo no? why that is yes in any decent
English" he Xclaims, eagerly.
We'll take it," she says, in low tone
and with glance that is half shy, hal
tender. But" with nervous haste
There is first something l must tell YOU
Tomorrow if you will come to me at I
O'Clock L"
At this moment a tall man, dark anC
handsome, pushing his way, somewhat
cavalierly, through the groups, makes
for where she is standing. His face is
agitated, his eyes are alight. He holds
out TO her hand that positively trem.
bles, and, after hesitation, so faint as to
be almost impercepuble, Vera lays hers
with in.''
Yet the hesitation to a lovers ewes has
been visible; to Digby it is now quite clear
what it is she has got to tell him ON the
morrow.
'Come, Vera" says Lady vynor, rust
ling up to her.
Vera makes movement as if TO go to
her, but Stainer holds her hand fast.
II must see you; l must explain" he
says, with white lips. Give me time;
place"
Tomorrow" says Very, very gently.
She is almost tender with him. So soft
ly her glance rests upon him that
Digby's faithful heart loses courage, and
he fOrbids himself to dwell upon the
hope that a few minutes since had made
his pulses throb with only half-conceaIed
delight.
"Park-lane," Vera is murmuring in a
low voice. She is still somewhat lost in
wonder at this change that has come over
her. Only yesterday she had believed in
her love for this man, who, now holding
her hand in close clasp, and looking
into her eyes with an impassiOned gaze.
fails to wake in her the poorest spark of
feeling.
'COme tomorrow at g." she says, a sus-
picion of pity in her linz ering glance.
At O'Clock the next day Major Stainer
puts in an appearance in the charming
drawing-roOm in Park-lane that calls
Lady VynOr mistress. He finds there
awaiting him not only Vera WriOthes-
ly, but the former pretty little lady like
wise.
To her cousin on her return from the
opera last night Vera had contided all
her accommodating nothing-and con-
tossing to feeling a disagreeable amount
of nervousness about the interview i'm
pending between her and her former
lover.
go to bed and don't let that trouble
YOU" said Lady VynOr. II have not
come to my age l hope without being able
to Outwit man. There, leave all that to
me-"
H. coated =, to,, F,,-o,.;.o 1,,...s:
chair wreathed in smiles, Laura VvnOr
betrays fine determination to outsit her
visitor, with a smiling obtuseness to any
desire for her departure beyond all praise.
She is almost en'uslvely amiable to
him az an old friend
of Vera's. And so he has been at Berlin
for q whole year! How delightful! Hecan
now tell her what she has been all her
lite so longing to know whether Kaiser
Wilhelm is as popular as one has been led
TO believe. And so on.
Stainer, bending IN sulky silence, an
sWers all her questions somewhat at
random. His eyes are fixed upon the
perfect profile of the girl sitting half in
side the lace curtains of the window, and
his mind is wandering to days now past
and gone when her love had been his own
beyond all doubt. Her. eyes never once
seek the room, but are turned upon the
busy world of carriages outside. One hand
is lying idle in her lap, the other is laZlly
fuTling and unfurling huge black fan.
The curtains so far conceal her that
Stainer cannot see her expression, and so
is unable to judge whether she is, or is
not. as anxious TO be rid Of her talkatlve
cousin as he is.
The moments, Stealing all too swiftly
by, tell him it is drawing very near to 4
sol IS
not infict himself Upon anybody for more
than an hour at time.
He has consigned Lady NynOr to re-
gions impolite, and has half risen to take
his departure, when an interruption Oc-
ours that cOmpels Lady NynOr, bon gre,
NAL gre, to leave him alone with Vera.
The mission on which the servant sum
mons her admits Of no delay,
When be has closed the door behind her
he goes quickly to where Vera has been
sitting. She has come out from the cur
taIns, however, and is now advancing to-
ward him.
AT last can speak to you Alone" he
saws. with a passion in his voice she had
never heard there in the old days.
''What fortunes L have been enduring
ever since that moment, last night, when
once again my eyes looked into yours!
And you, Vera-yOu cannot have forgot
ten anr'
u nave forgotten nothing" says the
girl, gravely.
he, triumphantly. And you-you have a
heart. You must still feel"
She interrupts him by slight but elO-
Quent gesture.
IL am not heartless indeed" she says;
fand have felt-toO much"
There 10 a quiver in her sweet voice that
misleads him. In truth, the emotion 1t eX-
presses is not for him, but for the memory
of those past dark hours when she had
mourned so truly for a love, now known
to be worthless.
@AlI may still be well with u.s." ex-
claims he, eagerly. 81 love you now as |
never loved you then. My silence during
this past year can explain. /"
..Can you?r says Vera, not severely, but
with a steady glance from her great VIC
let eyes.
II CAM will,'' he declares, wildly. 81
was mad then-blind. But surely the love
you once bore me viii help you to forgive
ness"
s'The love you killed? Do you appeal to
thatT'
"Nay, no more false oaths," she inter
rupts again with a weary movement.
- lNeN Will NC uSClCoo NV. nv wv
Won speak of IS dead, slain by your own
nand-if, indeed" dreamiIy, lit ever eX-
istcd."
ssNot dead" he entreats, with extreme
agitation. Do not say that. Give me a fresh
trial-one last chance"
"Too latep' she returns, in low, but
firm voice.
Outside she can hear a step upon the
stairs that of late has grown very familiar
TO her The color rushes back to her pale
face, as she turns toward the door. 1t is
flung open rather impetuously, ana DlSoy
enters the room.
1.-The eyes meet; but, seeing her stand
ing close to Stainer in apparently agi-
tated converse, DigbY comes to stand
still, and looks at her with terrible re-
proach in his beautiful eyes. This look
fades, however, and gives place to one
of ecstacy, as she goes quickly up to
him, and frankly holds out to him both her
hands.
Leaving them still in his warm clasp,
she chances back to where Stalner IS
standing, as if rooted to the ground.
"Maior Stainer," she says, with an odd
little thrill in her soft voice, "let me in
troduce you TOTO my future husband,
Lord Digby"
Training enables Stainer to acknowl-
edge the rather distant bow made my Dig
by. but the sense OF utter defeat is crush
ing him. He has grown haggard and aged
in these last few minutes. He mut.ers
something about an engagement, seIzes
-,1E hnNN ~