Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-05-09

kss0oAOAA ance, she closed the window sharply.
 The sweet and faithful heart, bidden to watch for her husbands coming, felt the closing of the window to be the true ending of her hopes and fears for that night. It was reprieve that left deep yearning and faint heartedness and sorrowful wonder. Never had he failed her before. It could not be fear that made him shirk the interview he had himself planned; neither fear of her father. nor want of passionate love for her. With ears straining to catch at every sound, she gazed through the closed window at the vision of dancing lights without, and the flare of the moon sweeping beyond the clouds and silvering the tossing tops of the bay trees.
 "What questions has father to ask, mother?"
 "Why, what these mopes signify. He doubts if you brought your heart back with you from Sydenham. But I say it was your spirits you left there"
 "Mother, let me be here. I am low in spirits tonight. Father would easily make me cry, and what would he think to see me in tears"
 "Jenny, just tell me this, then, that may answer him when go downstairs hath Mr. Shaw talked soft things to thees Come, come speak up, my child Surely, I need not be angry, if your beauty has pleased him, and he has saddened you with foolish fancies. Is that it? We will make you smile again when we know what troubles you, sweetheart!"
 "Why do you say I nope and am low hearted, mother? Is not my laugh merry? Am not cheerful help to you in the house? One cannot always be glad. The noise of the sea, and the cry of the wind tonight and the struggling of the sweet moon with the clouds have-have-" She faltered, and con- tinued, in voice as soft as flute's-"Some- times one has pleasant sorrows which one likes to nurse. There is no reason that l should nope. I can feel very happy. An, dear Lordl would that he had come and saved me from another day of fear" And breaking out thus, she threw her head upon her mothers breast and cried.
 But Jenny wept rarely-at least, in her mothers sight; therefore, the honest bosom on which her face was hidden was rent by the unaccustomed sobs, and anxious, plain tive sympathy spoke in the poor woman's voice, as she exclaimed, with her pretty fingers tenderly kneading the girls rich hair:
 "Oh, my child, my dearie! you will break my heart with your misery! What is your fears Has any one wronged you? Kind Lord, what trouble is this that hath come upon youa Jenny, Jenny, raise up your eyes-see how bright the moon shines in the room; it makes thy hair like yellow silk. Oh, my pretty lamb, who is he that hath not come? and what is thy fear, Jenny2"
 Now, the door of the bedroom and the door of the parlor both standing open, and the staircase measuring but small space be- twixt the low floor and the passage, it was scarcely possible that Mir. Strangfeld, sitting ill expectation of his daughters arrival, should fail to catch his wife's words. When, therefore, in her clear, pained voice, she cried, "Who is he that hath not comet" and "What is thy fear, Jenny?" up rose the mas ter shipwright, and the staircase groaned under his boots.
 Jenny, hearing him coming, drew away from her mother with quick movement of terror, and backed through the glare of moonlight into the shadow near the bedstead.
 "Wife," exclaimed Strangfeld, in his strong voice, Chow is it that Jenny does not come to mel"
 To which no reply was vouchsafed. He advanced by stride and said, "What has the girl been saying, and what is her feara Jenny, come forth. can see you standing there. Give me thy hand, foolish wench, and now down stairs with us all. If there be aught to fear, pray that the Lord may deliver us from evil"
 So speaking, he held forth his hand, and 
 came to him fearfully and dropped fingers of ice into his palm.
 As they went down the stairs there was a lifetime of suffering in Jenny's thoughts. For what now was she to doa Must she con- fess under the crushing gaze of her fathers eyess Beyond her strength of voice, beyond control of passionate weeping, would the confession take her. Cuthbert would be here anon-to-mor surely-and shift the heavy @oI IofI ,,I xx-sfI h him at hand those stern eyes would not be terrifying, nor the anger unbearable.
 "Now, my girl" said he, his voice insen- sibly softening under the beauty of his only child, "speak boldly, and acknowledge the trouble that has come to you. I will tell you," laying a forefnger on his thumb, "when this habit of moping first became wis ible to me; that was a full month before we sent you to your aunt Rachel That visit did not improve thee, but, on the contrary, has made thee worse. Now you have your date, and so you shall not be at a loss for the reason.
 The girl tried to meet her fathers eyes, whereof the severity appeared intensified by the spectacle rings that concentrated their forces of fire and feeling; but to stand to them hardly was an impossible feat; her gaze went downward, and in a scarcely au. dible tone she replied: 'I do not mope, father; sometimes I like to be alone" "Be honest, wench, be honest!" exclaimed Strangfeld, harshly. "What was the mean ing of those words your mother was repeat ing just now?"
 "Jenny, they were, Would that he had come and saued me from another day oJ fearr" whispered Mrs. Strangfield. "Have no fear, my pretty. Thy father is stern, but he loves thee"
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