Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-03-07
CHAPTER XXII.

night Ill Venlce."
 CHAPTER XXI.
 Having closed and secured the door on Lady Montbarry's departure, Agnes put on her dressing gown, and, turning to her open boxes began the business of unpacking. In the hurry of making her toilet for dinner she had taken the first dress that lay uppermost in the trunk and had thrown her travelling costume on the bed. She now opened the doors of the wardrobe for the first time and began to hang her dresses on the hooks Ill tue ! large compartment on one side.
 After few minutes only of this occupation she grew weary Of it and decided on leaving the trunks as they were until the next morn ing. The oppressive south wind which had blown throughout the day still prevailed at night. The atmosphere of the room felt close; Agnes threw shawl over her head and shoulders, and opening the window stepped into the balcony to lcok at the view.
 The night was heavy and overcast; nothing could be distinctly seen.
 Leaning on tLe parapet of the balcony, Agnes looked yacantly into the black void beneath Her thoughts reverted 10 the mis- erable man who had broken his pledged faith to her and who had died in that house, Some change seemed to have come over her since her arrival in Venice: some new influence appeared to be at york. For the first time ill her experience of herself compassion and regret were not tho only emo tions aroused ill her by the remembrance of the dead Montbarry. keen sense of the wrong that she had suffered, never yet felt by tn gentle and forgiying nature, was felt by it now. She found herself thinking of the by gone days of her humiliation almost as harshly as Henry Westwick had thought of them-.sle who had rebuked him the last time ~1i.r Of in her presence A sudden fear and doubt of herself startled her physically as well as morally She turned from the shadowy abyss of the dark water. as if the mystery and the gloom of it had been answerable for the emo lions which had taken her by surprise. Abruptly closing the window, sue threw aside her shawl and lit the candles on the mantel- piece. impelled by a sudden craving for light in the solitude of her room.
 The cheering brightness round her contrast ing with the black gloom, outside, restored her spirits She felt herself enjoying the light like child!
 Would it be we'll (she asked herself) to get ready for beds No! The sense of drowsy fatigue that she had felt half an hour since was going. She returned to the dull employ ment of unpacking her boxes After few minutes only the occupation became irksome to her once more She sat down by the table and took up guide book Suppose inform myself," she thought, Son the subject of | Venice!'
 Her attention wandered from the book be- fore she had turned the first page of it.
 Tue image of Henry Westwick was the present image in her memory now. Recalling 1 the minutest incidents and details of the eve ming, she could think of nothing which pre- sented him under other than favorable and interesting aspect She smiled to herself softly, her color rose by fine gradation as she felt the full luxury of dwelling on the per feet truth and modesty of his devotion to her. | Was the depression of spirits from which she | had suffered consistently on her travels at- tributable, by any chance, to their long sepa- ration from each Other-imbittered, perhaps, l by her own vain regret when she remembered 1 her rash reception of him in Paris7 Suddenly l conscious of this bold question and of the self abandonment which it implied, she returned mechanically to her book, startled by the ur- 1 restrained liberty of her own thoughts. What lurking temptations to forbidden tenderness 1 find their hiding places in woman's dressing l gown, when she is alone in her room at nightl
 With her beart in the tomb of the dead Mont 1 barry, could Agnes even think of another man and think of lovei How shameful! how unworthy of heri For the second time she tried to interest herself in the guide book and once more she tried in vain. Throwing the book aside she turned desperately to the one resource that was left, to her luggage resolved to fatigue herself without mercy until she was weary enough and sleepy enough to find safe refuge ill bed.
 For some little time she persisted in the monotonous occupation of transferring her clothes from the trunk to the wardrobe. Tho large clock in the hall. striking midnight, re- minded her that it was getting late. She sat down for moment in an arm chair by the bedside to rest,
 The silence in the house now caught her
 attention and held it--held it disagreeably.
 Was everybody in bed and asleep but herself
 Surely it was time for her to follow the gen.
 eral example? With certain irritable.
 nervous haste she rose and again undressed
 herself. 1T have lost two hours of resi-" she
 thought, drowning at the reflection of herself
 in the glass, as she arranged her hair for the
 nigh. II shall be good for nothing to-mor.
 rowr
 She lit the night light and extinguished the
 candles-with one exception, which she re
 moved to little table placed on the side oi
 the bod opposite to the side occupied by tn.
 arm chair. Having put her travelling box cl
 matches and the guide book near the candle
 in case she might be sleepless and might want
 to read, she blew out the light and laid bel
 head on the pillow.
 The curtains of the bed were looped bacl to let the air pass freely over her. Lying ol her left side, with her face turned away iron the table, she could sec the arm chair by tht
 dim night light It had a chintz covering- } representing large lunches of roses scattered over pale green ground. She tried tt weary herself into drowsiness by countin: over and over again the punches of roses tha were visible from Ter DO nt of view. Twic, her attention was distracted from the count ing by sounds outside-by the clock chmins the half hour past 12; and then again by th, fall of pair of boots on tue upper floor
 thrown out to be cleaned, and with that bar barous disregard of the comfort of other which is observable in humanity when it in
 habits an hotel. In le silence that followed these passing disturbances Agnes went Q, ] counting the roses on the arm chair mue ant aaOsv siUwlY Ba1Dl5 lopg she UbaMussl bs