The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-02-06
CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER II.
 When the morning came 1 broke my promise and ran away. It was a cow srdly thing to do, but l said to myself that had dreamed a dream which ought not to interfere with my waking move ments; that l had no need to keep a promise made to vision; and that if 1 wished to preserve my sanity, must leave at once the place where had been subject to such strange delusion.
 As walked to the station, letter was put into my hand from Alison Gale:
 "l am glad to hear where you are ssaying," she wrote. That is the house in which my brother wrote his great book his last book. The whole place must be haunted by his thoughts, and beauti- fed by the memories of those creations which had their beginning there."
 crumpled the paper up in my hand with feeling of irritation. This fact had not known before. for had always believed that Wilfrid Gale stayed at the inn to which l had meant to go it was a fact which did net feel pleased to have put before me at this moment ldesired to learn no new circumstance which would add to the vividness of my recent impres- sions, or confirm any haunting belief in the:. reality. wanted to forget "The Valley of Utter Darkness" and all the other books which my friend had written, and all the characters in them. Idecided that fiction was nuisance, and ambition a vulgar mistake. I bought a morning paper to divert my mind to politics.
 The first person went to see when reached London was Alison Gale. did not ask myself why did it, nor try to decide whether l desired to strengthen my resolution to escape, or only 10 re- ceive the reward of 1t.
 The reward was given to nae ungrudg. ingly. still looked i'll and worn ; my residence at Alderthwaite had failed to restore me to my ordinary condition of cynical cheeTtulness the memory of what had left behind stood between me and my personal hopes; could get little enjoyment out of them they were at best but necessary consolation.
 Alison perceived my melancholy mood, and was full of compassion and sym pathy. These feelings gave the touch of tenderness to her gratitude which had been wanting before; and her surrender to me was very easy and simple She promised to be my wife with gentle hu- mility, as n she would not refuse anything 1 wished, yet doubted the suficiency of herself to be all that deserved to have.
 But then, 30 she was pleased to say, no one could be sufficiently paid for be- ing good and noble and great. When people did very good things, their own generosity had to be their reward. As for herself and here she looked down, blushing very prettily, and playing with the flowers ia her belt-it would be a great happiness to her to spend her life with one vho had come forward with 90 much perception and generosity to make the world understand what Wilhid was, and to save his genius from being wasted She had always thought that she would never marry, because marriage would take her from Wlhid, and she would rather case for him most of all but to become my vite now seemed oaly like going en wiAA her kfe with him, and she fek suro that her brother in heaven, if he cosid s:iy heA. ahont it, would be happy to thiAk sl ear spending the rest of our lives iegskAex.
 saw that sAe ever estimated my opin- ion q her hgseheTs ge0ius, and placed me h falae poainea as tellow~ wox- shipx wisA heEsaH at his shrine. lcoald also have wisAed that she had shown msss pssssaL regard for me, instead of putting 70 forward as a subsdtaee for the broaAx sAe had lest. But the per sonA 6elAg wonld come with time, and she weulA alss learn to understand that l had . career ef my own, and talents worth considering
 In the meantime, her excess of sub missivs gratitude was somewhat embar- raSaAg, and 1t made it all the more pain ful for Ae to oppose any wish of hers whsa she brought it forward. Almost the first suggestion she made on hez c~r behalf was painful one.
 should hke," she said, blushing brightly, "when VIC are married, instead of going to the places that so many go to, to stay at Alderthwaite Hall for little while. He liked 1t SO much, and you know it already, and could show it to me-"
 answered quite abruptly that this was out of the question :; the place was alto getAsg s.suitaole. Then [ recovered my self and said was sorry not to agree to anything she would like but the situa- tion was melancholy, the house old fa,hioned and uncomfortable. It would not do at all
 She was little hurt and surprised at first, having evidently felt confident of my sympathy with this desire. She had great deal of sentiment, and was sure that 1 had it too, in a cleverer way but, being satisfied with the main thing, my devotion to her brothers memory, she was willing to be guided and corrected in smaller things. Alter time she began to seem somewhat abashed at herself for having meddled in an arrangement which she ought to have left altogether in my hands.
 Her shyne<s and submission troubled me, and was sorry to have driven her back into the mood of grateful devotion However, it could not be helped, and 1 did not doubt that we should learn to un- derxtand one another befter in course of