The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-04-29


meet. So l wentback TO bed once more,
and cried and abused myself Ay, re-
+ venge as sweet.
/ IN spite Of aa. determined to 50
down to dinner. / would DO that much
F for his sake. Il should not be suspected
that anything had gone wrong between
+ us; and l knew that. Il j stayed AWAY,
Mabel for one. would certainly ggesS
what had occurred. This. if / could
f prevent il. should be known toro one.
/ smiled grinlv Is / thought how my
! revenge must fail in this. that the world
would never know what / had scorned
and Tefused.,I made a great effort, dab
bed my eyes with rose-water, and went
+ downstairs II p2Ssable trim.
Tonight We were not sIde-by-slde,
I but sat directly opposite 70 one another.
F Mabel was rightly lncent Hope was q
+ concern Of the world ;, SO he showed no
traces of il. Al save one at the table
would have said that his heart was gay
and light. No one would have dreamed
that. 4 few hours before, his love had
been refused bv an idiot of a girl. lie
laughed and ieStNd: anecdOte and witty
! repartee fell uncelsipgly from his lips.
lie held the whole talk, or every unit of
the party talked to HIM. Yet. woman
E 4
than was hlS usual custom and at times
/ there wsis "a sharper. harder ring in his
voice. Had il not been for this. and the
/ remembrance of the look which still
haunted ne. I could have believed he
/ had forgotten or brushed away from his
4W Win8 the events of the dav. Vincent
Hope vas g proud mau, and Heritage
+ Rivers t0Ol
o. would rather say nothing about the
next TWO DAYS. | hated myself 81 much.
{ that ! wonder 1 have ever forgiven my
seh-peThapS I never have. MI l care
TO say is. that none even suspected what
/ Mad happened; even Mabel began TO
think that the accusation of flirting
should lie at Vincent Hopes door, not
at mine: for although he talked to me
when needfal, it was easy 10 see that
his manner was changed.
The morning of the third day came,
and knew that in a few hours we
should shake hands, part. and there
would be the end of everything.
BIaize is fifteen miles from Il railway
/ station. and that station is 50 unimpOr-
tart that very few trains stop at Il.
/ Vincent Hope 10 reach town that even
/ ing. was obliged to start betimes. soon
/ after luncheon. Charlie Lighton and the
! dog-cart were waiting TO take him 10
7 the train; and after many expressions
/ of regret from host and hostess. he took
/ his seat and was ready to start. OF
I course. our hands met, as, in common
with every one else. lie bade me adieu-
2 quiet. polite adieu. nothing more-nOt
even coupled with the conventional
wish that we might meet again. Why
should he wish TO meet me again? Our
encounters as vet had not been happy
| in their results to eitherl That accom-
plished whiR. Charlie: gathered up the
reins. and With last, all-em3racing
good-bve. Vincent Hope was sped away
along the winding carriage-drlve, and,
for the first time in her foolish life.
Heritage Rivers knew that such things
as broken hearts may be found outside
TOmanceS.
Somethingwas afoot that afternoon
walking party or skating party; for it
was the middle of January. and bitterly
/ cold. Now that the necessity of keep
/ ING up appearances for another s sake
was at an end. Miss Rivers felt very
much ike breaking down and disgrac-
ing herself. She l0nged for solitude.
and made some excuse to stay at home.
/ As every one was bound on the eXpedi-
/ ton. she had the house practically to
/ herself. After bemoaning her wicked
| ness and folly for some time in the
sanctity of her own chamber. d strange
/ craving came over her. Sine felt she
must 20 down and sit in the little room
/ which adiOins the library; and. although
/ censuring her own weakness. she yield
+ ed TO the impulse.
Vincent Hope. in spite Of his resolve
/ to spend his time at BlaiZe House in
/ well-eaTned idleness. had been unable
/ to do so exactly. Ominous rolls of
/ printed matter came by post-a sin of
/ long standing, he said. which publishers
insisted ON dragging into daylight at
! once. 80 he did one or two hours work
/ each day. and grumbled at it in a very
/ amusing manner. BY tacit consent the
/ little room had been kepUsacred to him:
! there, when he chose, he worked with
ont fear Of interruption. 1t was no
/ doubt on account Of this that Miss
J Rivers felt that uncomfortable desire TO
/ sit for while in this particular room.
i The stupidity Of her desire need at be
/ commented upon, rs her generally idi-
/ otic nature must havemadeits itself mani
/ fest many pages back She entered the
room and closed the door softly. She
! sat down at the leather-cOvered table,
1 and leaning herhead on herhands. look
/ ed anything but a prosperous, healthy,
/ comfortable young woman.
Presently she glanced stealthily around
her. and from the bosom of her dress
drew out photograph of a very hand
some. looking man. MT.
/ Hope had given it TO her, at her request,
some days before. 1t was to go into her
/ celebrity-album. she told him. Laying
it on the table between erelbows, Miss
| Rivers gaZed at it long and earnestly,
| until her foolish eyes became so misty
/ with tears that she could see it no long
/ eT. One by one these tears began to fall ,
and soon came so fast that she gave in
ltOgether-fOrgot where she waS-fOr-
got all risk OF interruption; and laying
her head on the table, presented the
very picture Of woe.
Her beWailings and beweepinCs were
at their greatest height, when the door
was suddenly thrown open and Mr..
Hope stood before herl She sprung TO
her feet. and in her agitation brushed
the photograph to the ground. Even in
her dire confusion, the prayer that it
might have fallen face downward franz
ed itself But she dared not look TO see;
/ she had TO face the intruder as best she
could Yet he seemed Tor the moment
taken even more aback than Miss
Rivers. He stammered out something
about shaft broken three miles from
hOme-lmposslbiH OF catching train
come back TO write kilograms. etc
Then he looked ON the ground. and what
he saw there was enough to make him
| glance wOGdeTingIy at the shamefaced
girl who stood before him with wet
lashes and glowing cheeks.
Miss ItIvers-Iieritagep ne said, tel
me what this means"
She made 10 reply. but endeavored tC
pass him. He blocked the way. and by
the exercise of some force. took botf
her hands in his. As they stood there
she could see on the ground between
them that unlucky photograph lyine
face upward.
Let me 90. Mr.. Hope she said. Il
IS unkind to keep me against my will.
Her appeal was vain. His str0nl
hands held her yet more firmly. HI
seemed to be waiting until she chose X
look up and meet his eyes. But tha
would never have been-not If they ha6
stood there till the present moment.
AT last he spoke; his svoice was alnos
grave:
Heritage. 7 am very proud. / hav
always vowed | would ask no womal
twice to be my wife: but | viii ask yol
once more If you love me-"
Miss Rivers only bent her head lowe
and lower.
Answer me. HeritageID he said, in
changed. passionate voice. ~Mydarline
answer me, and this time truthfallyI"
1t was no use. Had she wished to d
so, she could fight no longer. She ven
tured TO raise her eyes a little, and said
| so timidly, so differently from her usaa
. way of speaking:
: If | thought you would only forgiv
J me, | would try and show you what
cannot. viii not tell you-how much
love you."
She WAS very. very humble In he
new-found happiness.
Then Vincent Hope loosened he
I | hands a little. and Well. these thing
: only happen once in the life. of tru
I woman. and she should neither writ
/, nor speak about them. But whe
(. Charlie Lighton came to look for th
telegram, not even written. nor. in tn
proposed FORM to be written. VinceI
j L.