The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-05-03

delightful 10 some as to see and know
that a woman care for them-it adds ten
fold to their devotion for her; hut am
bound to say these men are in the mi
nority. Most of them are far more slim
ulated by doubts and fears-the woman
becomes more dear as she seems more
distant, and, as rule, when man is
literally crazy about one of sex, it is be-
cause she has worried and 'ormented
and kept him on perpetual balance be-
tween hope and fear. Now you, and
others like you, have so hung upon
Clement Lascelles' looks and words. have
so positively shown him that he is great
being. a lofty intellect, a rival to Apollo,
that it is not likely he IS coming off hin
pedestal to worship his worshIppers.
Your only chance, my dear, is to aban-
don your worship; to counterfeit indif-
ference as best you may, and to let
gradual and startling conviction come
over him that you were not really in
earnest, after all, ... d..
1t is very easy to talk, pouts Dolly.
1t is very easy to act, too, returns Ma
rian, if you are positively certain that
your plan ofcampaign is going to be
successful.
How do know that it will be2
!
Try it for "a hours, and see how it
works.
But don't know what am to do.
You must be absolutely guided by me,
and not act for one moment on your
own responsibility.
dare say it will turn out all wrong,
says Dolly ungraciously, and that | shall
lose him altogether.
All right, replies Mrs. Dalton losing
patience and rising from her seat. Do
as you like. After all, what on earth
does it matter to me whether you are
happy or miserable Gu your own way.
Dolly springs up and catches her by
the arm. No, no, Marian don't go;
don't be angry. l will do whatever you
tell me.
Then harken and obey. Dick Wynd-
ham is coming tonight. You know he
is rather fond of you. Talk to him, and
to him only, all the evening. Do not
glance in Mr.. Lasceles' direction; will
keep my eye on him, and report to you
how he takes it. II he approaches you
in the evening look bored and distrate,
and reply to him by monosyllables.
shall never be able to do it, groans
Dolly.
little sarcastically.)
Ali you don't know what it is to love
cries Dolly.
Not as you do, certainly, retorts Ma
rian, with an infection of voice which
Dolly is not acute enough TO catch.
Dick Wyndham arrives in time for
dinner. He is rather fond of Dolly-he
is exceedingly hard up. and wants her
ln. oIF
He is bright and amusing, has a consld-
cradle fund of small talk, is devoted to
sport, and has not Mr.. Lasceles aesthetic
taste or lofty manner of showing super
Iority. He has genuine contempt for
a man who talks art and plays classical
music as Mr.. Lascelles has for one who
thinks of nothing but hunting, lawn
tennis and polo, though he rides fairly
straight and is an average shot himself.
Not little disgusted is Lascelles.
therefore, when Dolly, whose sOrrOw-
fulness and its cause have greatly sooth.
ed his complacency for the last "a hours,
seems to have eyes and ears for no one
but this haf-witted soldier at dinner.
She is looking charming in dress of
delicious apricot tint, which he has not
seen before (he is great connosseur of
dress;) if he could only catch her eye, he
would beam on her one of those glances
which would have intoxicated her maid.
en- soul. But whereas it has been his
wont to meet her tender pleading glance
every two minutes heretofore, tonight
he might be Banquos ghost, and she one
Macbeth's guests, for all she seems to
see him. His memory serves him up
various sneering and savage quotations
He is So little congenial to his neighboI
at dinner that she expresses the most
unfavorable sentiments regarding him
in the drawing loom later on, causing
Dolly to halt between the desire to de-
fend him hotly, and sense Of pleasure
that some one besides herself has suffer.
ed from his coldness. Mrs Dalton makes
a pretext for calling Dolly aside.
Excellent, my love ! she cries, in high
good humor, pressing the girls arm. He
is enraged beyond measure. He scarce
ly took his eyes off you. 90 on and
prosper !
Thus stimulated. Dolly does 20 on and
prosper exceedingly. When Mr.. Lascel.
les and Dick approach simultaneously
she devotes her whole attention to the
latter, and has scarcely word for the
former, who presently retires in tragic
dudgeon, and leans against the wall
looking like Hamlet, Lord Byron. or any
other blighted being in the sulks.
In reality, Dick is the person most to
be ptied, although his face is alike with
smiles, and his heart aglow with antici-
pations of possessing lovely woman,
and satisfying the debtors who, meta
phorically speaking, take him by the
throat, crying, pay me what thou owest!
In ocent creature that he is, he suspects
no treachery nor dreams that milk white
bosom palpitates for the internal young
prig' over the way. Dolly will play bill
liards and lawn-tennis with him on the
morrow; in the afternoon they are TO
ride together; and, as he sits smoking
after the ladies have retired, he ELECTS
on the most approved method OF asking
a certain question.
Up to this moment Clement Lqscelles
has not seen any necessity for putting
his fate to the touch, because he had
been absolutely certain OF inning;
but now that for the first time he has a
rival, a rival who is progressing by leaps
and bounds in his lady's favor, he sees
that something must be done. He can.
, not have been befooled. She loves him
or-or he, the adept at reading the secrets
of souls, must for once have been deIud
ed. Perish the thought
With gloomy brow and stately step he
retires from the smoking room, and
seeks the solitude from his chamber, but
not his couch. The dawn has long
broken ere he courts repose.
Marian cries Dolly few hours later,
bursting into her friends room whilst
that ldy-no early riser at the best of
time-still nestles among her pillows,
read thisr and she seats herself on the
bed in a state Of great excitement, whilst
Mrs. Dalton languidly peruses the letter
thrust into her hands.
call it great impertinence | she re-
marks. returning it to Dolly.
Impertinence! with wide open eyes.
Certainly ! said Mrs. Dalton. taking it |
back, quotes from 1t :
Though cannot pretend to offer you
the one great passion of life-sad pas |
sages beyond the ken of other mortals
have tarnished the pure lustre which |
once surrounded my soul as with halo |
yet il you will take heart weary with |
the sorrows of the ages, dimmed by the |
darkling doubts with which an intimate
knowledge Of humanity clouds the spirit
take me to your tender breast and let
NE find shelter there, from life's griefs
and disappointments. What recompense
a heart blighted as mine has been can
bestow will strive to make to your an
gellc sympathy and goodness.
Is it not beautiful cries Dolly, IN an
ecstasy. wonder what he means? II
suppose some horrid woman threw him
over once