Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-25
me ,rv to be great that it may honor and

Withdrawing her hand from his she
said as calmly as the moonlight on the
lake, and as coldly: ''Let us go in now.
They will wonder what keeps us so
long"
'But, will you not first say yes ?"
Still imperturbable she replied; mo,
not now"
"Do not make a scene! l do not say
no?"
swat, 1 will tell you when we meet
at Christmas. am going to New York.
/ shall spend the autumn at my BROTH
er's there. You eau see me. AT
Christmas you and are to come here to
Angles, for the holidays, and will tell
you then"
Thus he rowed the boat to the pier,
they ascepded the steps, crossed the
Path beneath the oaks and entered the
cottage. Then he said good night to all
and returned to the village to his hotel.
As he walked by the pretty lake he
thought aloud: ''It is so strange she
takes it so. She has seemed so pleased
with my society, so glad when have
come where she has been; / thought she
had understood long ago; | only waited
until had made it possible to ask her,
till / had a means OF maintenance Tor
her"
He had stopped unconsciously by the
lake. and did not hear the footsteps that
approached him. He hardly awoke
from the deep thought in which he was
lost when hand was laid on his shoul-
ders, and the Professors kindly voice
said:
"Yes, you only waited, buty waited
too long. If You had said it last night
all would have been right. Or else you
should not have introduced Bangs TO
her. Now, do not go off into the alti-
tudes. Leila is a good girl, but she is
most worldly one. She has always been
firt. She has no faith in
broken hearts, nor even in blighted
hopes. She may come ont all right.
She would have accepted you this morn
ing; she may do so next Christmas. 0,
she has told Angie ALL and Angie has
| told me. Do not feel any annoyance at
that. We are both her friends, and both
yours"
Then they said good night, and Eu-
gene went on wondering if Richmond
could be right, and remembering that
both he and Angie had told him nearly
this much, more than once before.
CHAPTER II.
AT CHRISTMAS.
The summer passed and the autumn
came. The closed up houses along
fashionable streets cast off their sepul-
chral appearance, opened their windows,
and living faces and forms were seen
about them.
With the October days came Leila to
| the brown stone mansion in Clinton
Place, where her brother Lorenzo Liv-
ingston dwelt. Among the very first
who called, of course, was Eugene. She
received him much as they had parted,
calmly, but cordially. 1t seemed to him
that "all might yet be WELL
| He was frequent visitor and earnest
| ly he looked forward to Christmas by the
little lake in the west. There was no
mark of anxiety about Leila.
With others, came John Bangs to the
Livington Mansion--at first long inter-
walls elapsed between his visits, then
they became shorter, until before De-
cember was far advanced he was there
almost daily. He came 10 the same un.
certain manner, in the same white,
brown hair and straggling side whisk
ers. His eyes were as llfeless in hue,
and as indefinite in direction. Not that
he was at all bashful. His clothes
were London cut, his jewelry was as
profuse and as self.asserting as ever.
As he came oftener, Eugene found
more and more, that himself was getting
to be de trop between these two.
Leila was to leave New York in day
or two. Her childhood's companion,
her lover of half dozen years, felt fear
more and more slowly, surely and coldly
seize upon and tighten round his heart.
He was not a man long to be in doubt.
Like the Moorish lover of the pretty
Venetian lady, with Eugene,
"once to doub. was once to be resolved"
The oppor unity came and he en-
braced it. 1t was done very simply.
They had been to the opera and were
returning home. As he held the door
open for her to enter the parlor, he
reached out his hand to say good night.
While holding hers he looked her in the
eyes and said: Leila, you leave US to.
morrow"
"Yes; shall see you before the cars
go!"
"Shall you see me? Yes-that is, if
you wish it. You 60 to Mrs.
Richmond's. You remember our com
pact on the lake last July? Ii come TO
your sisters this Christmas, it should be
to get my answer as you promised. Shall
l C me?"
For moment Leila's queenly head
La~ oe -,
pride. Then she raised the great brown
eyes, camly as she had done when child
to. answer some utterly unimportant
question, and looking into his, which
were all afire with passion and excite.
ment, she replied softly, "No, do not
come"
He expected the blow. He had lorg
been trying to nerve himself to bear it,
and show no sign of weakne,s. But
what man like this ever succeeded in that
effort.
He let go the gloved hand that had
rested in his grasp, said no word. gave
no sign, gave no second look into the
calm, cold face. the passionless eyes
of the woman he had known, had loved
SO many years, and who now thus sealed
his destiny forever. He bowed his head
over the hat he held in his hand, turned
mechanically ON his heel and went away
went out into the keen bright air OF
the frosty night. Walk down the
street, not towards home, he knew not
whittier. He walked still on, on, aim
lessly. He was dazed He still, strobe
rapidly through the snow, that cracked
under his feet. The moon went down,
the stars put out their lights, the silent
city began to awake. He walked till
turning he saw the sun rising over the
ocean. Then, as if it were sign he had
waited for, he turned, and walked back
to the city as he came. He walked past
the house in Clinton Place, but he never
turned his eyes to its door. He reached
and entered his office, took up his work
,.hera hn bod Ibid Ii down the ninht he