Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-08


up at the door with an infinite melancholy
IN her streaming eyes, then turned awav
with shudder and cOnvulsiyelv seized
her companIon's arm.
"Oh! | cannOtl Let US 90 awavI Let
US get out Of sight"
March drew the arm she had uncon.
sclously placed in his closer, needless of
the proprieties, and turning, stepped for
ward with decision. She thanked him for
the assumption Of protection and leader
snip with look, and kept pace with his
quick strides as If she had lost all will or
was glad to merge it for the moment in
hls. his gaze dwelt upon her again in
ssOrrOWiul sympathy, and abruptly glanc-
ing up she took ii upon her face like a hot
breath, and turned away with warm
cheeks.
'Miss Van CIeef. viii YOU be nv wife p,
NO, Mr. March" he heard her whis-
per, bravely, not turning her head.
lhey went on in a conscious silence. At
length they found themselves seated on a
bench in the cemetery in the face of the
young moon. The loneliness of the place
seemed grateful to Constance; it brooded
about her as defending cloud, and she
sat regarding the spare lunar crescent
starlngly, though from time TO time in
uncomfortable anguish she wrung the
hands clasped in her lap. The day was in
those last moments which are neither
light nor darkness. The earth gristled
/ and blackened, then was bright again in
patches OF gray, then once more hesitant-
~ black. The day was night, the night
! day; they mixed and clasped hands. Con-
stance wound her fingers among them
selves IN ceaseless pain. But she did not
yet give way.
''Ah, why, why should they be so cruel
| What right had they?V cried she.
March, who had received much light
within the past hour, was silent. He
could put his own Otfense cut of sight.
but ne found it difficult to talk of hers.
1t was Elder Weiss,' she said, more
calmly. alter a moment. IL must not
speak harshly of the society. They are
everything that is gOOd.'
'.They mean TO be-"
y es, yes; and when one thinks of it
no, | can't 20 so far"
lone may be too generous" said March,
quickly.
Eyes, but one may so much more east
! ~ be too selfish and narrOw-sighted," re-
turned she, with smile which cheered
March in spite of its wanness. ''In a
way | almost deserve it. | brought it on
myself. | would not heed the warning"
"Ah, but their right to warnP
And what wrong was there? We need
not speak of it. don't see how we
cam she murmured, with a faint blush
but we understand-you understand"
She stopped suddenly. "As to their
right" said she, slowly. "Ah, don't YOU
see that father, feel as be NAV for me,
Will think that they had it, that he must
take their side in it all: and what can his
daughter dOYn
''It is hard"
No, it is just. l ought to suffer If |
had done as my father wished, if / had
become faithful MOravian like himself,
like Mr.. heator, it would not have hap
pened. 1t is judgment. | should have
| listened to warnings, | suppose. | should
no, should nOt,o exclaimed she, with
sudden decision. ''Why should L? How
should II They asked too much. They
were rude; they were insulting. They
are now. An, could anything be worse
than that sceneP'
| She burst into hysterical tears at length
4 and hid ner face in her handkerchief. 1t
4 was evidently for March now TO take the
/ generous view.
1T is as we look at it, cOnsoled he.
I Constance choked back a sob and raised
! her head.
There is only one way Of looking at it.
! DO : or think the outrage, the horror OF ii
/ will not always remain with me? Do
| you fancy that the picture OF Elder Weiss
/ standing there and stabbing me moment
/ after moment with his quiet, wicked
| words viii ever leave me?s | know they
did not mean he should 90 so far: the
/ congregation may have thought him toe
/ hard. But does that make it easier? ]
/ feel as If | had been dragged through the
/ streets Ike the poor Wretches in the
1 Reign of Terror; as if all that was most
/ sacred to me had been turned open TO a
mob. GA, it was too shameful" She
! paused moment. "And / can tell it Ia
/ YOU unused the poor girl. "That is part
{ f.f Z ctag Tf,v.
I serves. There is no corner of my heart
into which the world has not the right to
pry.'
"Miss Van elect, Miss Van Cleef, pray
don't do penance to your imagination in
that way!'
She looked at him thoughtfuny as she
/ wiped her eyes.
You think l exaggerate. How is il
| possible to magnify such "a thing?"
by letting others see now much it
+ seems to YOU" said March, seriously.
1 Don't you see that it really means moth
+ ing for anyone, but-but us, Miss Van
/ Cleef If we do not find it beyond rene
/ dy, others cannot. They have not the
I right. 1t IS our position toward it that
/ determines the quality Of the offense. 1t
/ Outrages YOU, OF course. l assure you
my own feeling about 1t is positive
I enough but"
Forgive me, Nj. March. have been
making yOu listen to my TRADES about
my-eli, forgetting your feeling. And it
has hurt you, too. Strange That / never
thought OF that! 1t must be even worse.
"A, snail we never get to the end OF the
shame Of itn'
AT once. Miss Van Cleef, if you will.
It IS really as | say. only a gu stion of
our attitude; and | nave proposed an at
titude. You refused TO assume it. Will
you not change your mind? Miss Van
/ CIeei," he begged, "will you not be my
Wife?'
1T is impossible that we should talk Of
that, Mr.. March" said she, with the dig
nifty which even in this strait did rot
abandon her. Then after a pause she add
ed without emotion: Il see now YOU feel
that you are bound to offer me that re-
source. Ii Is fine and noble. Believe me,
appreciate it. | think | see my position
quite plainly, and it is certainly distress
inS enough. But II is not so bad az that.
Surely if it is as yon say we can live 1t
down alone, and it would be wicked to
sacrifice two lives to it .
Il did not say it would be a sacrifice if
/ ! may speak for one of Them" pleaded
March, quietly.
NO, l know you did not. But what
( reason is there but this for marriage be-
tween usT
She struggled TO say it judicially; her
/ blush, however, would not be repressed.
And this, as / saw she stammered, SIS
not a reason
ut is the best of reasons, Miss Van
Cleef. l do not pretend that / am in
love. Heaven knows the hints Of that man
Were false enough. We have been much
together. He built upon that, l suppose.
But there has been no making,
| think. We have understood each other
excellently, have we nOtf"
The woman nature in Constance shrank
from the bold truth of these statements,
but her reason instantly condemned her,
and she obliged herself TO take her hands
from hcr face and let him see her crimson
checks. TINS was not the fashion in
which her fancy had taught her she should
be wOOed.
but that would come in time. We
are, perhaps, neither OF US ill-favored as
the world views such things; we are ac-
/ cushioned to practiciug the amenities. |
don't see why we should be unhappy"
lie made this argument with the con-
scIenti0us fullness of one who feels that he
has an obligation to his client, whatever
the infirmity Of his cause; he wished to
set it before her as brightly rs the case
admitted.
The flush kept COnstauce's cheek.
"GOu ere extremely generous, MIR.
March" she said. with q nervous smile.
"YOu dramatic your inclination as an
opponent and argue against it wonder
fully well. But | must not let myself be
led away by such s0phistry. As sophis-
try it's very good :; she told him, with