St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-07-17

she returned to the green-room with
seeming tranquility
There were not more than half q
dozen people left there, but among
them were Phil and the poet. She
moved toward them, and Marsh per-
formed the office of Introduction.
II am pleased to meet you, Mr..
Maurice" she said, in the beautiful
tones which had so moved him when
he heard them from the stage. He
bowed in answer, but was tongue-tied
| for the moment, as if he had been in
the presence of some gentle divinity.
Il am alone at home this afternoon,
/ Mr.. Marsh she added, land l shall be
glad if you and Mr.. Maurice will take
& cup of tea with me. Lima is there, OF
course she added with faint smile:
"but sisters are not always the best OF
company to each other
! ''You libel Lima and yourself said
the poet with pretence of gayety.
sin half an hour she said, turning
toward the door. May [ expect
you?''
Her carriage waited at the stage en-
| trance to the theater. and she drove
away, with another faint smile and a
nod of the head to Phil. He and the
poet followed her on foot, and, reach
ing the house, We're shown into a little
jewel of a room, where everything was
wonderfully neat and rich and dainty
BY and by the actress reappeared, in
! indoor costume; tea was brought, and
the three settled down to talk, The
hostess, with her face turned from the
light, nestled into luxurious chair,
| and spoke from twilight in which her
| features were scarcely to be discerned.
You know Tregarthen Island, Mr..
Maurice?'
'Oh, yes" said Phil, good deal
surprised at the question. II have
spent more than half my life there"
Il am a Cornish woman,a she said.
II was born at Gorbay. But have
not seen it for long time. Is it much
changed? Tell me about the Island.
Are the Pollarths lving?'
Jan is dead" said Phil. 'sDid you
know Jan the patriarch of the tribe?"
Poor JAM" she said, with a tremor
in her voice. Marsh sat i'll at ease,
fearing she would break down. s'But
the rest are all living? Reuben and
hiS
"All of them,' Phil answered.
Jams is the only death that has taken
place on the Island for more than
twelve years.
"And the Castle" she asked--"are
the repairs finished?"
mo- returned Phil. s'They were
abandoned years ago. Mr.. Tregarthen
never had the heart to finish them
How was that?" The cup and sau-
Ger she held in her hands clattered
against each other, and the poet
writhed upon his chair and turned pale.
Why should she torture herself in this
way? he asked internally. Phil no.
ticed nothing. What was more natural
than that lady great in the worlds
eyes, should shut out her greatness for
little while and talk of the places she
had known in childhood?
cts sad story" said Phil, ig-
norantly. s.Did you know Mr.. Ire
garthen?" She answered only by a
movement of the head. s.He met with
a great misfortune-a misfortune
which seems nearly to have broken his
heart. He married worthless woman,
who
Great heavens!" groaned the poet,
wringing his moist hands together.
Phil turned and stared at him.
"a worthless woman said Mrs.
Tregarthen from her Swallowed corner,
in voice SO unlike her own that both
her hearers started. Eyes. Go on"
'.You are i'll, madam" cried the
youngster rising to his feet.
'tOh!h besought Marsh, rising also,
and turning an imploring look up
on her, pursue this interview no
farther"
BE seated she said, in voice less
painfully disguised by emotion, but
still strangely harsh. Il will not keep
Mr.. Maurice in the dark any longer. /
beg your PARDON she continued. to
the Amazed visitor, ''if / have seemed
to try to entrap you. But you will tell |
me everything about him-you, who
know him so well? have had nobody |
to tell me a word about him for years;
and-I-am Mrs. Tregarthen!"
CHAPTER XII.
The situation was sufficiently embar- |
RAISING. At the moment Mrs. Ire
garthen, Marsh and Phil each felt it to |
be nothing less than terrible. Phil was
an especially sensitive lad, unusually |
swift to like people, and splendidly GER
tain of the accuracy of his own secret |
intultions. He had met nobody who |
had so impressed him as Mrs. Tregar-
then. He was sure that she was as |
good, as pure and womanly as she
looked-as pure as the sweet, perse-
cuted Bertha in the poets comedy
The faint smile he had twice seen upon
her face had fingered in his mind as