The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-03-01

comfortable dread of tomorrow; and d.
rectly l got to my room carefully locked
up that fatal ring.
l was not surprised that the whole of
the next day passed without Eustace max
ing his appearance, for 1 knew he was very
busy with servants and tenants; but as the
evening drew ON grew little uneasy.
The uneasiness increased when, Just as
we were going to sit dewn to tea, my father
suddenly summoned Alice out of the room.
Had anything occurred? Ny heart beat
so that l could hear it above the ticking of
the clock.
A quarter of an hour passed, and then,
to my intense relief, the door opened and
Alice returned. She was decidedly pale,
and, coming up to me, she seized my hands,
and almost dropped down on the stool be-
fore me.
Something has happened" l exclaimed,
calmly, for | felt desperate something
has happened, AliceP Do not keep me in
suspense. 1t is about Eustace ?"
at is" she answered, family. "Oh,
Magdalen, what have you done 2"
81 have been foolish, l know, but"
"Worse, worser' she exclaimed "You
have been mad. You have given room
for Guy Deveril's boasting."
turned pale
"What do you mean, Alice? Tell me
out plainly what has occurred"
81 scarcely know the whole of the story
myself, but it appears that some chance
brought Lord Rutherford and Captain
Deverill together late last night in company,
where it angered Eustace to hear Guy speak
of you with the freedom he did. He
boosted, Magdalen, that he had more in
Auence over you than your betrothed, and
that it was the coronet alone that made you
accept Rutherford. Finally, as words got
higher, he declared that you wore his gage
d'aneour on the same finger with that Of
your engagement ring. Lord Rutherford
gave him fiat contradiction, declaring it
was false; and you guess the rest
"a challenger 1 whispered family; and
Alice burst into tears.
l cannot distinctly remember all that
passed that miserable evening. l was like
one in some terrible dream Somehow l
found myself out in the night air, running
between the rose-hedges; and 1 distinctly
see the scene, even now, of summer stars
cleaning here and there through the
foliage of the trees. And then stood in
the great library of Rutherford House.
Lord Rutherford was sitting by the table,
with the light falling on his face, writing
but as | entered he looked up. What l
said | know not-whether | made a full
confession and besought pardon, or whether
| gasped out few accusing sentences and
left Eustace to guess the TRUTH never
distinctly knew Some words of his,
though, stamped themselves on my heart,
and haunted me for years
"Tell me one thing, Magdalen, he said,
sternly-"that ring, was it Captain Dew
erirs gift?"
eyes" l answered, family.
'Then you told me falsehood; you,
Magdalen, stopped to the degradation of
untruth. l have indeed been deceived
There was silence-a deadly silence
during which Eustace Rutherford stood
looking down on me from his tall height
with an expression of stern resolution. |
knew 1 was condemned; my judge was just,
but merciless.
81 will grant your request, at length he
said, in clear, low tones; 81 will apologize
to Captain Deveril; he spoke truth, and
then he turned and walked out of the room
and left me.
Inever saw him again-indeed never.
1 was very i'll after that, and it was weeks
before I recovered complete consciousness,
) or could comprehend the few lines of fare
well he had left for me before starting for
the continent He did not reproach Inc
) for the past, but he only said that we ought
} both to feel thankful that before, rather
than after marriage, we had discovered how
totally unsuited we were to make each
other happy.
Guy Deveril left the neighborhood dur
ing my Illness You see, Mabel, my pun,
;; ishment was not undeserved, but it was
heavy. And now what say you to the
pearl ring? Think you that it is an aus.
picious bridal gift?
THE MANUAL TRAINING SCHOOL at
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