Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-10-23

"NoG lmpertlnenG, Arnold. IL you want
to ask any more, pray do. Idare say you
canno understand my simple life"
"And you ask me nothing at all about my
self. 1t isn't fair, Iris"
"Why should II know you already"
'FYou know nothing at all about me-"
ooh, yes, l know you very we'll indeed. /
knew you before you came here. You showed
me yourself in your letters. You are exactly
like the portrait Idrew of you. l never
thought, for instance, that you were an old
gentleman, as you thought me-"
He laughed. 1t was a new thing to SEQ
Iris using, even gently, the dainty weapons
Of satire.
"But you do not know what l am, or
what is my profession, or anything at all
about me-"
'No. lido not care to know. All that is
not part of yourself. 1t is outside you"
Sand because you thought you knew me
from those letters, you suffer me to come
here and be your disciple stilll Yet you
gave me back my ~letters9"
"That was because they were written to
me under a wrong impression"
will you have them back again?"
She shook her head.
~ know them all by heart" she said
simply.
There was not the slightest sign Of
coquetry or hattery In her voice, or in her
eyes, which met his look with clear and
steady gaze.
II cannot ask you to read my portrait to
me as you drew it from those pictures"
"Why mott" She began to read him his
portrait as readily as if she we're stating the
conclusion of a problem. ~ saw that you
were young and full of generous thoughts;
sometimes you were indignant with things
as they are, but generally you laughed aJ
them and accepted them. 1t is, it seems,
the nature Of your friends to laugh a great
deal at things which they ought to remedy il
they could, not laugh at them. thought
that you wanted some strong stimulus to
work; anybody could see that you were a
man of kindly nature and good-breeding.
You were careful not to offend by anything
that you wrote, and l was certain that you
were a man Of honor. / trusted you, Arnold,
before / saw your face, because l knew your
soul"
'Trust me still, Iris" he said in rather a
husky voice.
"Of course / did not know, and never
thought, what sort Of a man you were to
look at Yet l ought to have known that
you were handsome. should have guessed
that from the very tone Of your letters. A
hunchback or a cripple could not have
written in so light-hearted a strain, and /
should have discovered, if I had thought of
such a thing, that you were very well salts
fed with your personal appearance. Young
men should always be that, at least, if only
to give them confidence"
"Oh, Iris-ohI Do you really think me
conceitedP'
II did not say that I only said you were
satisfied with yourself. That, / understand
now, was clear, from many little natural
touches in your letters"
"What else did you learnt"
"Oh, a great deal-much more than l can
tell you. KNEW that you go into society,
and l learned from you what society means
and though you tried to be sarcastic, l under
stood easily that you liked social pleasure"
"Was l sarcasticf'
"Was 1t not sarcastic to tell me how the
fine ladies, who affect so much enthusiasm
for art, go to see the galleries on the private
view day, and are never seen in them againi
was IL not sarcastic
Spare me, Iris. / will never do it again.
And knowing so much, do you not desire to
know moreF'
"No, Arnold. I am not interested in any
thing else"
but my position, my profession, my
people-are you not curious to know them?'
mo. They are not you. They are acct
dents Of yourself"
Philosopher But you must know more
about m told you l was an artist. But
you have never inquired whether / was q
great artist or a little one"
"You are still a little artist" she said,
~ know that without being told. But per.
haps you may become great when you learn
to work seriously"
II have been lazy" he replied with some.
thing like a blush, "but that is all over
now. / am going to work. / will give up
society. | will take my profession seriously,
il only you will encourage me-"
Did ne mean what he said2 When he
came away he used at this period to ask
himself that question, and was astonished at
the length he had gone. With any other
girl in the world he would have been taken
at his word, and either encouraged to go on,
or snubbed on the spot. But Iris received
these advances as If they were a confession
of weakness.
"Why do you want me to encourage your
she asked. Il know nothing about art
Can't you encourage yourself, ArnoldT
"lris, | must tell you something more
about myself, Will you listen for a moments
Well, am the son of a clergyman who now
holds a colonial appointment. l have got
the usual number Of brothers and sisters,
who are doing the usual things. l will not
bore you with details about them"
"No," said Iris, ''please do not"
Il am the adopted son, or ward, or what.