The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-07
CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XIV.
When he was gone she sat down at the win
dow. trembling with excitement She could not
return to the drawing room just then. She re-
| NAMED there until the moon rose. Her tears
flowed fast
Nobody will miss me" she said. "They are
happy enough together without me- but they
would have missed me once suddenly becoming
inconsistently aegrieved. "There was time
when they would have missed me-"
1t might have been in answer to her speech
that she heard, the next moment the sound of
some one coming lightly up the stairs. She
knew it was Wilfred. 1t was habit of his TO
take two or three steps at time. Directly he
opened the door, and her heart quckenei; but
she did not turn round.
"Phil," he said, "are you here2"
Yes" she answered from the depths of her
chair. II am here, by the window"
He came forward hurriedly, with more of his
old warmth and boyishness of manner than she
| had seen for many day.
| ''This is better than expected" he said II
have been looking everywhere for you May 1
sit down, too9"
YES" she answered, speaking almost softly.
This was all he needed-ths suggestion Of
] softness in her tone and manner. He was in a
hopeful frame of mind. Since his resolution of
the morning his spirits had risen. He had been
| full of tender and buoyant fancies He had
blamed himself for remaining silent so long and
| allowing circumstances to get the better of him.
Perhaps if he had spoken before they might both
have beer spared all that had passed.
| II have been looking everywhere for you, he
said, because l was determined to find you and
say what have to say. l cannot bear uncer
tainty any longer. Why should wait and
choose words when 1 am so much in earnest? l
came here-don't turn your face away, Phil
came here to ask you to be my wife" And he
knelt upon one knee like young hero Of ro
nance, and took her hand. though with an air
rather impetuously tender than heroic
There is no need that / should say l love
you," he went on. "You know that without
being told. l think you have known it. even
when you have been coolest to me. You have
been cold to of late, Phil, and it is because l
cannot bear your GOODNESS that say all this in
this headlong fashion. cannot say it WE'LL
love you too deeply. Something has come be-
tween us since these people were here We have
not been so happy as were. Don't let them
estrange us from each other, Phil. Give your
self to me and then they will understand that
we have the right to be left to ourselves and al
lowed to be happy in our own way"
This was so unexpected turn for affairs to
have taken that Philippa lost her self-possession
entirely.
81 don't" she faltered-"I don't know how
to answer you. don't know what-to say"
"If you can say three words-if you can say
to me L love you do not ask you to say any
thing MORE" he answered. 'That is all want,
Phil"
She could not resist the temptation to ask him
one question
''Do you mean to say that-that you do not
doubt-that you are not afraid to trust III Q
without an explanation" she demanded "You
have not been blind. or you would not have been
must have asked yourself questions--why don't
you ask questions of me! Perhaps" somewhat
bitterly. perhaps you would not want me for
your wife if you knew ALL"
Phil, my DEAR" he said gravely, "if you will
say those three words, they will be enough for
me- Will you say theml'
She brushed her tears from her eyes with her
free hand and answered him, blushing. yet per-
sstent and proud.
"You are generous" she said "And you love
me, but you are not wise. Because you are gen.
erous and good. you are taking trust, and
and l do not choose that you should do 1t.
You shall not do it. / will tell you what you
ought to know, without being asked. You have
seen me under suspicious circumstances lately,
and every suspicious circumstance has been
brought about by Mr. Ernest Duval He has
tried to give you the impression that there
an understanding between us, and he had almost
succeeded because once it is true that we were
better friends than now. Once once.
when was very young and ignorant. thought
i thought that l loved him and he loved me-
He is bad man and coward, and l found him
out; and he has not forgiven me. Then if you
despised me as much as despise myself, Will
you would not hold my hand"
"Desplse you? / adore yoU" he cried, with all
the delightfully."- dramatic fervor of quarter Of
century. my dearest Phil, have you no an
swer for me2"
The one she gave him was very pretty and gra-
cious. notwithstanding the utter failure of her
attempt to preserve her dignity.
eff you want me in spite of everything" she
said "and will persist in wanting me, l will be
your wife. There is no one else who loves
me so WELL" And unsatisfactory as this final
clause might have appeared to an ordinary
lover, 1t was by no means unsatisfactory to Will
fred
| He scarcely knew how the next half hour
passed. II was kind of rapturous dream.
There is not the slightest doubt that he talked
! great deal of eloquent nonsense. He did not
| care whether it was nonsense not. 1t was
enough for him that Phil listened and blushed.
| AS to her, 1t seemed as If her troubles were
really over and she need have no care for the
morrow. Even If she had not loved him, she
must have done so now and the truth was that
she had learned to love him. with the whole
strength of her girls heart. In taking her by
surprise. however, Wilfred had done WELL If he
| had given her time to think, poor. conscientious
| little thing ten chances to one, she would have
persuaded herself that she must refuse him, and
| make herself miserable.
! When they returned to the drawing room Mrs
| Dorothy looked up at them with an anxious air;
but after her first glance she looked anxious no
| longer She read Wifred's success in his
radiant face. 1t is more than probable that
Duval understood also. He looked on with a
bitter sheer end was even more cynical in his
remarks than usual His game was ended. He
wondered if Phil had told her story, as she
had threatened to tell it, Certainly, Will
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