The Penn's Grove record., 1884-11-29

CfA 80 ~ Ae
you consider me a friend worthy a share
OF your esteem"
The words had been SIMPLE but the
glance and the pressure of the hand
had meant a great deal more, as Flor
ence had more than suspected, as she
~blushingly allowed Lloyd to place the
ring on her finger.
"And now it is gone, and | can't ex-
plain what has become Of it !" she
moaned, as she finished her story. 'He
will imagine that / don't care for him,
and | think-yes, | do believe that l
like him better than all the rest !"
Florence was deposited at the New
Hotel during the d~inner-hour, so was
fortunate enough to gain the shelter of
her own room unobserved.
On the following day Lloyd Norris
noticed with unspeakable d~isappoint-
ment that Florence no longer wore his
ring. The meaning of this he inter
preted in exactly the way she had
feared /; but he was much ~perpleXcd 10
understand a sad, deprecating, almost
pleading look that he had caught upon
turning suddenly once, when Florence
thought herself unobserved. Monsieur
lie Marquis de Lamagnere joined their
party in the garden after dinner, but
was received with such scant courtesy
by the only member of the company
who had any attractions for aim that,
with sorely- wounded vanity, he soon
said good evening and disappeared,
making a remark just before leaving
which brought the guilty blood to Flor
ence's pale cheeks-viz., that he in
tended ascending the Pyramid in the
morning.
The next afternoon florence was sit
ting alone in the verandah before DIM
uer, musing sadly over the loss of her
ring and the consequent marked avoid
ance of her society by Lloyd Norris,
when she was startled by a voice at her
elbow.
''Mademoiselle is looking pale /
hope she is not i'll 7"
CHANGING up rather impatiently, she
saw the Marquis de Lamagnere bowling
beside her, and answered his polite in
quiries a little shortly. AS she turned
her head, she saw something which
seemed to drive every other sensation
but dazed in%credulOus amazement from
her mind, for there on the little finger
of the white hand which the Marquis
had appeared to place rather meaningly
on the balcony-rail before her glttered
the ring the loss of which she 50
mournedl
She could not be mistaken there was
the same fantastic arrangement of the
stones-even one missing, Is she re-
membered. With a desperate struggle
Tor self possession, she made some COM
monplace remark about the weather,
and, after chatting easily for a few mo-
ments, left the balcony, as not for
worlds would she have questioned the
Marquis on the subject, or allowed him
to suppose she had noticed the ring. A
few moments thought told her that he
must have fallen In with n of her de.
spoilers during his visit to the Pyra-
mIds that day, and from him purchased
80 -i1&.
What TO do in such an emergency
was a problem far too weighty to be
solved without assistance; so, IN
stantly resolving to call her only conf
dante to her aid, she retired to her own
room Immediately after dinner and
wrote Louise a d~olorous account of what
had happened.
As she was preparing to go out on
the following afternoon, a chamber
maid brought a note to her room ; and,
recognizing the writing. with beating
heart she tore it hastily open and read
II leave to-day a place where my
presence can cause you nothing but UNI
pleasantness, myself the keenest pain
| can scarcely trust myself to say fare
| well to you, 50 write a few lines instead.
Your ceasing to wear my poor little ring
| could of course have but one interpre-
tation for me. Need you have added
such a refinement of torture as to force
me to see it worn by a man whom |
must of course now consider my sue
| cessful rival ? Ii was an action of
which l could not have deemed you
capable. l have loved and still love you
truly and deeply, Florence such love
can injure no woman, and L feel that |
have done nothing to deserve this treat
ment at your hands. Farewell ! May
you be happy with the man you have
chosen ! | cannot however stay to wit
ness your happiness. IL. N"
FLORENCE, Florence, what in the
world has happened 2" we're the words
which interrupted the %convulsive burst
| of sobs with which Florence had greeted
this heavy blow and the young girl
found her friend Louise kneeling be-
| side her, with affectionate arms thrown
around her, while tears of true sympa-
thy mingled with her " weeping,
even before Louise knew what had
taken place.
Florence'S only answer was to place
the note in LOuise's hand but she felt
vaguely comforted at the presence of
some one who knew and sympathized
with the whole story.
"Oh, my dear Florence" exclaimed
| Louise, after reading the letter, ''this
is dreadful But you will Of course
tell him the whole story now ?"
"Oh, no Louise How could =
| No, he has given me up ; | shall never
see him again. How could / tell him
| all about that miserable excursion when
he declared that he could have no re-
spect whatever for a woman who would
do such a thing Was there ever a be-
ing so utterly miserable as am, | won
der ?"
Nearly an hour Louise spent in ex-
ildtlSLluR 6fHEy diRul1Cilt dHu ~pCtoudoioE
that could enter her ingenious little
head to induce her unhappy friend TO
alter her resolution 4; but all in vain.
Bidding her adieu at last, Miss Hilliard
paused for a moment in the corridor IN
deep thought then, with a resolute nod
which set all her soft brown curls dane
ing, she muttered energetlcally, ''Stupid
little goose % and started down the
stairs at such a pace as almost to upset
a stout old gentleman just then labori-
ously ascending.
Instead of continuing her way to the
| street, she hastily entered n Of the
smaller reception-Tooms, where, with
out giving her courage time to evapor-
ate, she rang the bell and asked the ser
want who Immediately entered If Mr..
/ Norris we're in the hotel.
A few minutes later Lloyd appeared,
/ looking a trife surprised at the sum
mons. They were closeted together
nearly half an hour, after which the
young lady sent a servant to ask Miss
/ Thorne to come to her for a few mo-
ments. .
81 am not at all sure that she will not