The Penn's Grove record., 1884-08-23

itor TO pass, promised to join them very
soon, aud then made q dash up to his
room, Crammed some miscellaneous
articles into a pOTtmanteau. rang his
bell violently, and by the time it was
answered forgot what he rang for,
kicked the portmanteau out of sight,
and, returning to the dining-room, rest
ed his elbows on the table, his head
upon his hands, and INDUCED IN a long
reflection. His forty years sat more
heavily on him that night than he ever
remembered to have felt them before ;
| his brow seemed marked with deeper
lines, his very hair appeared to him to
have grown grayer, and a look of suffer-
ing had come into his eyes since they
rested three hours before on Efiie Ire
herne's face in the freight. The mis-
anthrOpe had received IA shock for
which Miss JAMES philosophy could in
no way account /; there was something
at the bottom of it, she felt confident
land SO indeed there was
The romance of Hervey Davenant's
! somewhat unromantic life, the secret
of his gloomy misanthropical notions,
hal at last come to the surface, drag
ged from its hiding-place by the face
| and voice of Ellie Treherne. With pain
full ~distiEctness they recalled to Her.
vey's remembrance the garden of a
| pretty villa on the South Coast on a sui
try July evening twenty years before
a Young girl, with Eflie's hazel eyes,
pale golden hair and winning voice, sat
| on a low garden. chair, listlessly pulling
| a great rinse rose to pieces and strew-
ing its velvety petals over her white
dress and on the grass at her feet. Her
face was very pale, her eyeshad a strange
unrest in them, though her voice was
calm enough, as she told the dark-eyed
! eager-faced boy who leaned Familiarity
Over the back of her chair thai she ex-
I pected a friend the next day-the gen.
tleman to whom she WAS engaged. This
was in reply 10 some imprisoned re-
mark of the boys, as he secretly ca
ressed one of the soft golden curls that
hung over her shoulders. He remem-
bered, boy though he was, how the
evening sky suddenly became overcast,
how the flowers seemed to lose their
perfume, and how the blue sea in the
distance grew troubled and sighed in
sympathy with the desolation that had
fallen upon him. In the few seconds
that silently elapsed after those simple
words Of Alice Leigh's he seemed to
die and be buried, to experience a sue
cessiOn of infinite changes to rise again
a man, like in outward semblance only
to the eager-faced boy of the past. He
had known Alice Leigh i've weeks
long, glorious, golden, utterly uncloud-
ed weeks, The first shadow that ever
fell upon them was their annihllation.
Alice was engaged to be married, and
ueryey Davenant was dead and buried
passed away out of sight and mind as
though he had never been.
With a smiling face and u~nclouded
brow Hervey said farewell to Alice and
her father-to the bright dreams and
golden visions of the precious five
weeks. to hope and faith and trust and
happiness. With a gay adieu he left
the villa, smiling bitterly to himself, as
he proceeded down the path, at the
sweetness, the power, and the cruelty
of a woman. a few short weeks be-
fore he was a human being instinct
with life and hope +; now he was a ghost
doomed for a certain time to walk the
earth hopeless and iOyless because Alice
leigh was engaged to be married.
"Must GU leave us, Ellie ?"
Ellie Treherne bowed her head over
her embroidery, blushed wildly, Won
dered where on earth ''aunt Jane' was
plainly she was very much at home
amongst them-and finally glanced up
IN mute appeal not to be questioned any
further.
But Hervey Davenant was sitting by
her side on the sofa, effectually cutting
off her retreat, very grave, very reso-
Lutte, though not quite 50 grim looking
as on that evening a month before, when
she glanced up at him so curiously from
the rug.
Tell me, dear-must you leave US 2"
he repeated more sternly. He meant
to have an answer.
"No, / mustn't {; but | should, was
the rather vague reply, after much hes
itatiOD and sundry glances in the direc-
ton of the door.
"Why should you? Are we not very
happy, Ellie"
Yes but. but
"But what. lear ?p
81 wish you wouldn't ask mi so many
questions, Mr.. Davenant, 1.-THE girl said
desperately.
II have just one more to ask, dear
only one," Hervey whispered, drawing
closer to her. Listen, Ellie"
"Oh, no, no-please l"-and EfHe's
little hands We're clasped over her eyes
10 protest.
But Hervey drew them both away
with one of his ana looked earnestly |
and tenderly into her face. 1t was a
tell. tale c~ountenance ; but Hervey had
watched 1t once before and mislnter-
preted what it said he meant to have
a plain answer this time.
"LSok at me, Effie-lOok up into my
face and listen. | love you, my darling
Il love you, Can YOU ever learn to
care anything about me?' he asked very
slowly and earnestly.
oh, Nj. Dayenant, letmego! Please,
please-
Answer me irst, dear. | must-l
will have a reply ; | have a right to II
Can YOU ever learn to love me, dear Z"
mo, Hervey"-the reply came from
the depths of the couch wherein she
had taken refuge-becaus3-because
y know how alreadyl p