The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-03-07

duSdO WdS VLy SaQ IO WdAIn, anu OuC need not wonder of what she was think ing, or of the figures in the distance that fitted before her yearning gaze. And she did not know herself how long she would look thus, or how completely she had drifted from the life about her and from the home that had never seemed to be hers. On the contrary she would re- pToach me with my long breeding Sss, my forgetfulness of her, and there would come the terrible fear that will come to all women like her, that l had grown weary of it all, and would be quit of it soon, without much thought for her There were times when she would tell me this as the deep conviction which she had, and had to deny its truth to keep her sane, knowing in my heart how true continually deplored. Andyet there had never come to me resolution to escape it. mine had been career deliberately adopted, and it must go on to the end. It could not be altered without my being to the world greater villain than was already. had repented, but no man or woman would have believed in such a repentance as mine. "He has thrown her off," would have been the outcry against me. had acted like hound from the beginning to the end, and it was like me. What else could have been ex- pected? Poor woman
 We had lost sight of Trafford all these ten years. We had tried to forget him we had been abroad, moving from place to place we had left him to his Londo practice in western suburb of London, so far as we knew, and he had not en. deavored in any way to find us out. He had let us go from his sight He had not sought to obtain divorce, for he had not thought of taking to himself a second wife, and he was content with the two children-one boy, one girl-which she had left with him. We did no. even know that he had become famous in those ten wasted years of ours, and tn at men spoke of him with admiration and with gratitude, the gift of healing being Gods gift with him which had worked great ends. There were stories of his goodness as we'll as of his eccentricity. but we had not heard of them then-of his generosity, of his bad temper, of his power, of his pride-as there are stories, false and true, of all men who rise above the level of their fellows. It was not till we were back again in Lon | don, tired out with many ciies, that came across his name in the newspapers. found that 1t was not easy to escape the name, which cropped up in every inn portant case connected with the court or the nobility. People sick unto death seemed to cry aloud for Sir Edward Traf- ford he had been plain Ned Trafford when stole his wife away, a man of strong opinions and firm will, but one who had never thought would rise to honors such as he had gained.
 tried at first to keep the newspapers from her, but she was fond of news. The theatrical world interested her-the con- cert world, the world oF art and literature and she would have guessed my mo. tive had l made any marked effort to conceal news from her. She must have seen his name very frequently at last, but she never alluded to it; in London she grew more restless and excited, and was even strange at times and gave me great concern, as for new trouble that might be advancing. We were out a great deal the theatre and concert room were OUT distractions; we were not fond of home, were strangely glad to escape it. was not pleasant to sit facing each other for long hours. and to be uncertain what thoughts were troubling each of Us even II one did not despise the other ln that heart of hearts which was under lock and key. We had no society we were to have been "all in all," and we still shrank from those friends we might have had, or the few honest, trusting folk who would have believed in :" the respect abilities" about our darkened world. and called us friends of theirs. We were above deceiving them ; we accepted our position and lived very staidly we would have no new friends, and we had set our selves apart from all the old.
 Now and then strange accidents oc- cured and unlooked-for meetings. The world is full of them, and we could not escape them. Ten years had not swept us out of those terrible memories for faces and incidents which some people have. l need not speak of them more they were part of our trials which there was no eluding, they were part of our contract It had often occurred to me that should have been glad to meet a man like myself, of my thoughts and char acter, some one who had done as had done, and to whom 1 could talk and eason-and, if it were so, confess. What a hundred questions l could have asked him whether his life's sin had been worth one hour of his better life ? Whether he had lived down remorse, or 1t remorse had made his life hell? And when such man by chance confronted me, some one whom knew by evil re. pute to be man like meas bad as I was asEand, strange feeling that it was, I could shrink from him as from one lost beyond redemption, and whose career had been a scandal and a gross affront to me! l was a sentimentalist, 1 have said already. The reader of these lines will not understand me without knowing of my weakness. could not make the best of my position it was beyond me. was thirty-seven years of age, and a rich man comparatively, when I came back to London with her. was in the prime of life, when life should have been at its best, and yet could envy the