New-York tribune., 1886-11-14

so much You lilScncl him to Poe and with good
cause / think But he s sort OF roc ;'c tomcheu e
with sunshine And yet, II some great grief or or
nus.c Wi.n came IN him would not the sunshine die
out OF all that hc did Mght not ns wore yet ths
grim and even malignp j may De wroE; ye. y,Sin 1,'
Thought struck me rs / stood tnei's III niy uu,o' e
omd watched not only his paintings, put MS Hhc'
sensitive, mobile face A., ..,,,t which vou
should not wonder iar at inc anI ,Ts"S vet Casmr
,~;,i NH M doubt escape it, The great g,ier VIII DC
rarcd him. should say iic oNes hi, iS any az. less
s1 stha'sai mistress. There lies his safeguard
@''' sorrow has other modes OF reaching us l., ,.
II used to think so. just now ieei aS IL Sic
aYou don't mean what you say, she reprosveo son
with very serious glance up i into my ,rar,,s n%H
Tandod her After q little silence she sall !:
.H'. Is a Farisan by birth, is he not, this 'asmir
'"n',,so aVes lie is the only child of Mis-. Dorians
S''!ei aInd YOU You are Belgan' You
were born in Brussels 2
1T is a charming city, Brussels it is a, little
clean white, brilliant Paris. spent such happy
autumn there when | was a mcc girl | was
drowsy old Saint Gudulc, with its magnificent
stained glass windows and its buried kinSs and
queens in their solemn tombs. | wonder it did
not turn me into Catholic Poor mamma, | re-
member, grew frightened lest it would. All,
you had most beautiful birthplace You were
left an orphan there. were you not at quite an
early age p
81 lecollcct hearing it. Some one in Paris told
me. think And your mother was friend OF
Mis-. Dorian. though not related to herr?
mot rciatcl no.
1T must have been very sad She spoke ten,
dTry . She had used her gnt tones sHh0
idle inquisitivencss and with much compassionate
dciicacy..-
I'M hay In
come all alone across that huge waste OF ocean
ut was very kind Of Ms Dorian to let nc, ne
come | could think of nothing else Ia say. My
own words sounded harsh and curt to me-. All
this was pune torment. | had dreaded it so ong:
TIE lies rang so despicably in my ears ms uttered
them AMI vet how could | avoid them? Only
in one way. Only by telling her that | was the
son of ioathcd criminal ,,,.,,
But my torture % had G net endeaai WsIl sIl you you
something about your family | am fond OF old
family records and especially foreign ones; Now
l suppcse you came OF long-descendd race
"You forget I broke in. with a laugh that
made her start it was so chill and hard, how
republican n distasc | have acquired for oil pre-
rocativcs and mcmentocs of that ratrician sort.
| believe nv family very honest folk, edu-
Gated, refnc'. but not noble IN the least degree.
| That is all know care To know"
IL have displcased you,' she said, raising her
brows in surprise .
much more natural laugh We had by this
| time reached her gateway. ~ must leave you
/ here | continued, putting out my hand as we
both paused. 81 promised to give Casimir a
sitting for my portrait this afternoon. lie com
plains that il. will not be begun till the summer
But | gave Casirlir no sitting that day. |
roamcd off into country roads anl byIaths for
hours. and did not return to Rocllsidc until short
| time before dinner.
| Uvpoclisy had always been ono OF my hatrcds.
/ I meant TO marry this woman if il were possible.
and had now q secure belief that she would soon
plight with me lasting troth; If ! married her
he wholly uniustificd? From all points of purely
honorable feeling, yes And vet TO the world |
was Otho Claud. not Ctho Cla'lSs and had been so
for yeas | had reason to eXpcct. moreover that
il my true origin were revealed she would turn
! from me. She might love me, but she would turn
! from me. Her pride had cast her in that mold ;
But for this agonizinr consideration would
Willingly tell her all no sense of Personal shame
witness the estransing. sundcring result That
made n coward of me- and that alone. dared
not risk tie hazard of lcsing hc. 1t would he
easier to cut off my RIGHT hand. or 70 hold il in
n destroying fame. The worst concei' able suffer
ing or calamity would be preferable. And after
nll, was the dcccnton in any TANGIBLE manner 3
WRONG to her? Would not Casimir counsel 1t :
Would not MIS- Dorian insist upon and impole Q
its continuance? Thousands of men placed as ]
was then placed would have rc@aIrled what now
rsc before me in tho stern lines Of duty as the
mere shadow OF one and no more. There was
hardly possibility Of my real name ever trans
ping Ny guardian only waitcl my word to
transfer a large amount Of property before her
death into my keeping. | would be independent;
and in all ewes the pcsscssOr OF an unhlcmishcd
name when | stood at the altar with Ada Gram
ercev Ana through the rest of my life discovery
was equally certain not to ovcrtake me-
Before rc-cntcrng the grounds OF Rocksidc l
had made my resolve. | would keep silent.
Tie st'ugrc-and there had been bitter stI1ig-
ele-was now Tast conceded the impostIc TO
my own conscience, but its commission had
likewise declared TO be melted by copous cX-
cuse defended by ample Palliative and eXtcnt-
The lawns Of Rocl,sidc. trim and vclycty,
s'or ed shocward in sweet fresh the slant
licht Of early morning struck them was not
vet wholly calm. and perhaps on this account l
sought the rocks before passing into the house
/ Once among their lcdgCs and crrviccs. now so
familiar both tO sight and tread, moved on for
some distance in the direction OF The GF5mefccys
! COTTAGE. -
Suddenly stood quite still; 1t secmcl to me
thlt | was turning to stone like the rocks them
selves Through an opening in some trees that
drooped lower than the rest, | had gained a view
of that part of the shore whore Ada and had
FIST met after many months Of separation
She was there now: man was at her side.
They were spcaSing together saw him take
her hand, bend over it and kiss it. She drew
her hand away. but with no sisn OF anger.
Then she went speaking, though L could not
hear what she said | was too far away for that
l had clearly recognized the man lie was
Foullxe Dorian.
NV heart bccan to beat with great throbs
My limbs grew weak that | sank down, and
at the same moment my head wmrled dZZly
But soon rose again, pcer1ng at once through Tic
branches.
Neither he nor she was there. Both had van
ished Had it been a horid Illusion Had my
senses tricllcd me? Could it al have been
| actual?
XIII,
This doubt was only a proof of my mental
turmoil. To think soberly would have been to
scof It, But could not think sobcrly. II the
ghost of some one whom | knew to be dead had
appeared before me and then melted away, my
ha1 Virt im aH mo
might have been much less positive than now.
But of course the intense uncxpcctcdncss Of what
had seen explained this dubious mood neccs
sar1ly transient Opposite conviction ensued,
anl with but too sharp haste. | did not nccl
a little later to pick from that very spot where
had witnessed Ada Gramcrcey in converse with
Daxara white tlread glove such she had