The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-17

1t makes one feel cold" returned Hester.
ITO think We played tennis with HIM"
1T was mistake in his cousin to bring him
here" said Nell
'Yes," put in Marian, eagerly, 'but only q
mistake. He thought he was doing him good,
and ne really believed in him this time. Don't
let us say word against Will Hamilton. Pri-
vately, you know, / think he has been goose to
waste himself, but heroic people-people who do
things you admire them for in the abstract-al-
ways are geese. more or less. l simply delight
and revel IN Will Hamilton. like even his mis-
take"
Nell went back over the beach road slowly.
She tried to gather herself together as she went.
She wanted either to become accustomed to her
pain or to shake it off in some way before she
reached North Brabant. 1t was too horrible to
bear and hide.
Though, perhaps" she said with a gentle,
plteous humbleness, as she half unconsciously
passed her hand over her strained eyes, "per-
haps 1t is only because | am not used to suffer
ing. have been so happy. Perhaps this is
nothing to what some people suffer-perhaps-I
don't know; cannot tell how look, but must
not let mamma see me feeling like this"
She did not look like herself at all. A certain
pedestrian who had chosen to walk over from
North Brabant, and who was consequently COM
ing toward her-a pedestrian who thought he
had reason to know her face better than any
other man, seeing it in the first moment was so
struck by the look of it that he almost stopped
short by the roadside.
He was so intent upon her that he did not
notice whore he was going, and as she did not at
first see him. in moment or so more the phaeton
approached him SO nearly that she glanced up
quickly.
What she saw was Jack Hamilton-as unlike
himself as she was unlike herself-pale. bag
gard WORKOUT, with ali the marks of his sins
upon him. even his dress little disEeveled-
Jack Hamilton looking at her with great hollow,
beautiful eyes.
She scarcely breathed. Her heart gave one
wild leap, and then seemed to stand quite still
for several minutes, though the whole crisis
only occupied few seconds. The most terrible
thing woman with tender soul can be COM
PEELED to do she did She saw him make an in
voluntary motion with his hand as if to lift his
hat She let her unanswering eyes rest upon
him for a moment, turned them away and drove
past, leaving him standing on the wayside-
standing actually stock still.
Before she had left him six yards behind she
was trembling from head to foot, her lips were
quivering and her eyes were blind with tears
Il never was obliged to do anything like that
before" she said breathlessly. "Oh, it is cruel
thing-it is cruel. But it is right It is women
who must-who must do it. But. oh! was it
right for mel'
She had never found it so hard to face her
mothers soft eyes as she did when she reached
home. She was obliged to confess that her drive
had not cured the headache, and that it was, in
fact a little worse.
II think, DEAR" Mrs. Huntingdon said, "you
your room" And she went up stairs with her
and arranged her pillows for her, and gave her
the tea herself, and then shaded the room and
came and stood by her moment, laying her hand
softly on her forehead
you never used to have headaches, Nell,
DEAR" she said.
mo mamma" in the lowest of humble voices.
II think you must see DR.. Bennett"
"Oh. no. mamma dear 1t is not bad enough
for that"
'How would you like change, Nelll We could
60 to the mountains"
There was a moments hesitation. and then
Nell turned her face little and kissed her
mothers wrist
"Perhaps-perhaps, "she said. ST have thought
it might be good thing if do not get better
dinner. You will see" And she kissed the
slender wrist again.
She did come down to dinner still looking pale,
but very pretty and soft-eyed. and being dressed,
her mother fancied, with little more than
usual care She had put On a new white
dress whose lace rufles and jabots were lighted
with loops and knots of daffodl- colored ribbon;
and in fact she had chosen it in the hope that it
would make less of the shadows under her lashes.
Perhaps it did so, for at last she persuaded her
mother that she must keep the engagement she
had for the evening leaving her at home to en-
Joy her convalescence.
: Only because 1 want to be ide," she said.
sand because am little tired of lights and
But somehow the house seemed very still after
the carriage rolled down the road and she could
not even hear the distant sound of the wheels
And the rooms seemed very empty and the hours
before her very long. She wondered what she
should do with them, and for a few seconds
almost wished she had not remained. She
took up book and tried to read. IL contained
an intensely sad love story, whose hero
was a man with pathetic grievance-he
was very interesting and treated with the cruel
49,. .l~lxx
pages and laid the book down. 1t seemed to be
illustrated with haggard face staring at her
with blank, stunned look in its tired, hollow
eyes. Then she went to the piano. A song
stood open upon it. 1t was Tosti's ''i Rapirea. !"
She began mechanically TO read aloud the words:
All setu fossil meco
Nella barchetta bruna
Che al raggio della luna
Ved pei mar fuggir
III rapirei milo ben.
Her voice fell and broke She suddenly COW
cred her face with her hands.
"Why do they write such things?" she said
'sWhy. it's all about-thatl"
The room was too still-too still--so still that
she could not bear the silence of it. As she
drew near the window she saw that the grounds
were bathed in moonlight and that quivering
pathway OF silver and pearl had crossed the sea.
II will 60 and look at the water" she said.
sit will be COOL and at least there will be some
sound there"
She was upon the lawn the next moment At
the edge which sloped down to the terrace above
the beach there stood little vine-covered arbor.
She meant to go there, but did not enter it at
first She stood few moments upon the grass,
looking out at the great beauty spread before
her--at the white beach, at the shimmering
molten silver, at the deep stiffness of the dark
blue sky where the great fair moon sailed.
''Oh," she said, and her voice had little
heart-wrung tone. 'How can any one be so
wickedl 1t must be bad heart-a bad heart"
The words died on her lips because she heard
an approaching sound. 1t was the sound of slow
footsteps on the terrace below. A man was COM
ing towards her; man who was tall and young,
and who had square shoulders If his head had
not been bent he would have seen her; but his
head was bent, as if he was depressed or in deep
thought. and as he walked he dragged at his
mustache with melancholy ferceness. Nell
turned and fed into the arbor. Only few