Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-08-21

/ rose without a word. The room seemed
whirling around me. The only thing which
was clear to my sight was that cursed gold
band on the fair white hand-that sy mbol Of
possession by anotherl In that moment hope
and all the sweetness of life seemed swept
away from me-.
Something in my face must have told her
how her news affected me. She came tn
me and laid her hand upon my arm. /
trembled like a leaf beneath her touch.
She looked beseechingly into my face.
ooh, not like thatv' she cried. "Basil, l
am not worth it. l should not have made
you happy. You will f~orget-you will find
another. If l have wronged or misled you,
say you forgive me. Let me hear you, my
true friend, wish me happiness"
l strove to force my dry lips to frame
some conventional phrase. In vain! words
would not come. l sank into a chair and
covered my face with my hands.
The door opened suddenly and a maj en-
tered. He may have been about forty years
of age. He was tall and remarkably hand
some. He was dressed with %scrupulous
care; but there was something written on
his face which told me it was not the face
of a good man. AS l rose from my chair he
glanced from me to Philippe with an air of
suspicious inquiry.
CDR. North, an old friend Of my mothers
and mine,' she said, with composure. "Mr.
Farmer" she added; and a rosy blush crept
round her neck as she indicated the new
conner by the name which l felt sure was
now also her own.
bowed mechanically. Imade a few dis
iOintad ~ m n n rEa about fhA waafhaP and RinA
dred topics; then I shook hands with
Philippa and left the house, the most miser-
able man in England.
Philippe married, and married secretly
How could her pride have stopped to a clan
destine unionl What manner Of man was
he who had won her2 Heavensl he must be
hard to please if he cared not to show his
conquest to the light Of day. Curl sneak
coward villain! Stay; he may have his
own reasons for concealment-reasons known
to Philippe and approved of by her. Not a
word against her. She is still my queen;
the one woman in the world to me. What
she has done Is right!
l passed a sleepless night. In the morning
l wrote to Philippa. l wished her all happi.
ness-I could command my pen, II not my
tongue. l said no word about the secrecy
of the wedding, or the evils so often conse-
quent to such concealment. But, with a fore
boding ofevil to come, begged her to remem-
Der that we were friends; that, although
l could see her no more, whenever she
wanted o friends aid, a word would bring
me to her side. / used no word of blame
1 risked no expression of love or regret. Nc
thought of my grief should jar upon the
happiness which she doubtless expected tt
find. Farewell to the one dream Of my life
Farewell, Philippal
Such a passion as mine may, in thesC
matter-of-fact unromantic days, seem al
anachronism. No matter whether to sym
pathy or ridicule, l am but laying bare m.
true thoughts and feelings.
/ would not return to my home at once
I shrank from going back to my lionel!
hearth and beginning to eat my heart out
had made arrangements to stay in tow
for some days, so 1 stayed, trying by
course of what is termed gayety to driv
' remembrance away. Futile effortl HOY
many nave tried the same reputed remedy
} wit,OI1t G1onasgI