Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-03-07

scTltaUlc uiSnity.
She then gave him his tea, and ar
ranged the tray as carefully as ever
before him. If her hand trembled a
! little, she took very great care it should
not be seen.
As for him, he seemed dissatisfied
with all she gave him, and toyed dis
conpntedly with his food, and finally
told her, almost rudely, to take it away
from him.
This idea is foolish" she said grave
ly. "You will want strength for your
removal. Try to eat something"
"The very thought of my removal
takes away my appetite" retorted he
sullenly, rejecting with angry persist
ence the little dainty trifle she sought
to press upon him.
4 Then the surgeon came in again,
and felt his pulse, and asked aquestion
or two, and went through the usual
formula.
"All going on as we'll rs we could
WISH" he said at last "You have, in
deed, made a wonderful recovery. my
dear Sir Rawdon. Give you my word
there was time when-eh? eh
Well, and so the carriage is to be herS
for you at twelve? Hah! glad to run
away from us, eh? eh?
as it safe for me to move to-day ?"
asked Sir Rawdon languidly. There
was no languor, however, in the deep
anxiety of his eyes. Il don't think I
feel so well as / did yesterday"
@Eh ? what? Poufl nonsense, my
dear sir" said the surgeon gayly. AIN
| valld's tremors, nothing more. | tell
you, you are getting out of our hands
more hopefully every moment. We
shall be ashamed to prescribe for you
soon."
Perhaps if my going were to be
postponed until
"Not at all-nothing of the kind.
The very change will do you good"
said the surgeon cheerily. Come, come
now-speak to him, nurse"
"But supposing should have re-
lapse-that would be unpleasant" said
this remarkably careful young man.
"Eh? How is this, nurse ?" said the
surgeon, somewhat perplexed by his
patients pertinacity."
AS he appealed to her, Sir Rawdon
raised himself slightly on his elbow,
and appealed to her too-with his dark
eyes Her glance, passing from the
surgeons face to his, rested there for
a moment. There was entreaty, long |
ing, hope, and something far more |
than all these in his gaze. She turned |
awoy from it slowly, but resolutely.
There will be no fear of a relapse"
she said to the surgeon, in cold meas
ured tones, her eyes bent upon the |
ground. at is better, far better he |
should go to-day, as arranged"
A swift change altered the express
sion of Sir Rawdon's face. Whereas |
before it was almost humbly imploring,
it was now proud and stern.
ITO day, then, be it, by all means
he said, in decided tone. "The SOON
er the. BETTER" after which he sunk
back with an angry jerk upon his pill
low
The surgeon laughed a little, and
presently went away. The nurse bus
led herself in tidying the already
scrupulously tidy room.
"In what mad haste you are to get
rid of mel" said Sir Rawdon at last,
finding the silence unbearable. How
cold, how calm, how unfeeling she
appeared with that beautiful unreada-
bic face of hers!
You see | have your interests at
heart" she said.
milne? ?"
"Yes. Do you forget how you were
pining for your freedom only a short
two weeks ago? Now it lies before
YOU"
"You are ungenerous," he said.
Then more slowly, "A fortnight is
long time. One may learn many
things in it"
"True. You have learned to get
WELL" said she quietly.
"More than thatl' He flushed
dark red, and held out his hand to
her, Il have learned besides To-"
He paused with terrible, unmista-
kable suddenness. The color died
from his face, and quick pallor sue
ceeded it. His very lips grew white
because of the severity of his mental
struggle. What was it he had been
about to do? To tell this nameless
girl-this worse than nameless girl,
who was ashamed to declare aloud her
honest appellation-that he loved her /!
To ask her to be his wife! He, a
Dare, and the head of his house His
hand sunk once more to his side, he
breathed heavily, and at length with
out looking at her, turned his face to
the wall Here a bitter strife took ,,
place between his heart and him, but
when it was ended his heart remained
the victor, and he reused himself, and
looked around for her.
OF her however, he found the room
empty. During that short but vio-
lent battle with prudence and affec- |.
Jion, in which prudence had been .
slain, she had left him-had vanished, rs
it were. In her chair sat probationer, !
A young woman with pale eyes and
snub nose, and generally afflicted !
air. He mad seen this probationer be- :
fore, and had amused himself at odd
counting the number of !.
aspirates she could drop in half an
hour She spoke with little shuttle
in her throat, and was otherwise in ! :
many ways most hatefnl to him.
Now, the knowledge that Nurse '
Eva was never absent from him for :,
longer than thirty minutes at a time y
became an intense consolation to him.
She would soon be here, and that obi
1us young woman would yacate her
chair, in which it seemed positive
,acrilege that she should be allowed to
Mt But the minutes crept on, and n
he half hour grew into an hour, and
he hour into two, and still the proba- n
ioner sat on, and Nurse Eva made no q
'ign. i
The dragging hours were at first C
,ore to him, and at length became in
olerable. And when the probationer Y
'ose, and declared l. was time for him C
o rise, as the carriage would soon be b
lere, and when nurse from another u
ward came to assist her, he was almost G
ude to them both. b
But time was inexorable and wore b
way, and at last the carriage was an "
and two or three of his u
riends and relations came in to con- g
,ratulate him and help him down to 81
t. The house surgeon was present Al
lso, looking really pleased at his re- L
overy To him Sir Rawdon turned 5
With a somewhat hurried air, and an p
mount of passionate anxiety ne vain II
y tried to conceal. HI
"Where is Nurse Eva?" he said, his m
oice trembling slightly II cannot go W
Intil bid her goodbye, and / thank u
her for" p
He stopped, and cleared his throat a
luskily. rf