Bridgeton pioneer., 1885-04-02

| chinese SC0cne Ol UllnUS at all, Dut he said
nothing to disturb Olivia's faith.
The girl arranged Chi Lungs pillows,
looking down upon him the while with COM
passion, and Chi Lung looked back with
regard which seemed to her pathetic. like
that of suffering dumb animal Probably
if he had had the remodeling of Oivia's
face he would have elongated the eyes and
given them an upward turn at the outward
! ends, and would have made her cheekbones
delightfully."- prominent; but barbaric as her
features undoubtedly were, it seemed to
please him to look upon them, and all the
time she remained in the room he watched
her without ceasing.
He could not ask where he was or how he
came there, and perhaps he did not greatly
care to know. Anyway, he kept silence,
and Lawrence and Olivia in a little while
went back to their painting.
These two young people had grown into a
remarkable intimacy, and by this time each
knew all about the others antecedents; but
to-day they We're both embarrassed, and
their conversation was forced and jerky.
When Uncle Eaoul came in after his morn
ing'S walk he found them both silent, each
/ prodigl0uSiy engroSSed in landscape.
81 nave been to see our invalid" said he.
"The del irium has left him. What shall we
do with him when he gets better?'
rs there a Chinese Embassy i'll Brussels?"
asked Lawrence.
Il don't KNOW" returned the old gentle
man. Il fancy not There is one in Paris,
is there not? There is one, | think, in Lon
dom"
would the Embas sador do anything for
him in any case"' Lawrence asked again.
1--WE can try" said Uncle Raoul; 1--WE can
try. Is it Of any use 10 do good things in
this world? They undo themselves again.
The poor Nabucodonosor, as You may call
him, may die in the snow after all. And
after all may be killed by wild boarp'
"Uncle Raoulv cried Olivia. How dare
you talk of such terrible things?'
my dear child" returned Uncle Raoul;
before all, am a philosopher. Aha! And
at what is our big Arthur smiling there?"
Lawrence blushed at detection. In his
own mind he had seen the philosopher as
he had appeared in the forest at Sanceau,
hanging on to the oak branch, and shouting
"Au SecourSn'
"Why should have laughed, after all?''
said Arthur to himself Can a man do
anything more philosophical than to sing
out for help when he happens to be in dam
ger?"
AT the philosophers entrance the old lady
Ildu SdtHcIeu up Her knitting ana disappear
ed, and he, after a look at the two pictures,
went away also, leaving the young people
alone together. Neither of them being aware
of the improperly of this arrangement,
neither of them ran away. They had both
been bred in England, and had imbibed this
dreadful ignorance there. Uncle Raoul's
only excuse was that he was a bachelor and
a philosopher A family man, with his wits
about him, would have known great deal
better
1t was new thing to Olivia to find her.
self embarrassed in a mans presence, and
in this case the man kept his back turned to
her and seemed absorbed in landscape paint
ing. For aught she could tell he was not
giving her single thought. The arrange
ment of the easels was of her own design
ing, and was intended to conceal the begin
nings of her work from Arthur's chance OBJ
servation. Beside her own canvas she had,
when she chose to avail herself of it, an ex-
cellent view of the young mans broad shoul-
ders and of the back of his head. So far as
she could judge by his attitude he was deep
In his amateur work. His presence had nev-
er disturbed her before. Why should it dis
turb her now?
The strange look she had seen in his face
haunted her. Why did he look at her so?
And she had blushed and lowered her own
eyes before his. Why, again? Her bosom
futtered, and her breath came pantingly
She sat there palpitating like some innocent
forest thing who hears the step of the hun
ter, and as yet has no experience to teach
her what it means, has never seen man, and
yet breads the approaching creature.
AS for Lawrence, the talk of Chi Lungs
going reminded him that he too was but a
sojourner here. He determined in no new
way to betray the nature of the feelings
which in so short time had reached to so
strong growth within him.
You will fall back into quite the old
ways again." he said, "when you have got
rid of your Chinese and English intruders."
Thls sounded extremely unpleasant to Oliy-
las ears. She had not begun to think of
LaWrence's going away, and this cool-sound-
ing speech of his shocked her. She made no
answer to 1t for second or two, and then it
seemed too late to answer at all, so she kept
silence There you are, my young friend"
said Lawrence to himself in answer to the
cold sickness which assailed his heart; ;'that
is what you gain by being an ass. You per-
init yourself to nourish the most foolish
sentlments-you put an artificial match to
your emotions-you fan and blow at the
flame until in fortnight or three weeks it
actually grows to burn you-you scorch a
young lady by your idiotic glances, and the
young lady very properly pours cold water
on you."
But do what he might to abuse himself
into wiser mood, his heart ached and sick
ened at her silence. Olivia's heart sunk
lower and lower. The shy wild innocent
forest thing feels no sense of loneliness
when she hears the huntsmans footsteps
turned away. Perhaps Olivia, though as
yet she did not know it, would have liked
the huntsman to follow the chase until he
made his capture.
The old lady returning at about this time
was naturally disturbed to find that Uncle
Raoul had been so exceedingly ndiscreet as
to leave the two young people alone togeth-
er. But secluded as her life had always
been, she had heard and read of English
manners in this particular, and she tried to
console herself by the reflection that it mat
tered less in the case of Lawrence and Oliy-
ia than it would have done in the case of a
i.