Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-02-05

dear Montague, WnaL cOQlQ you expect
her to do? It was delusion and q sac
rlhce!" wrote little Amy; "she is under
some of the bad Influences still, and your
aostention from seeing her is cruel-more
cruel than ever was her Uncle Grimshaw,
who, hope-as papa says-is now think
ing Of the needles eye through which he
must creep. You have committed sad
mistake in not seeing Melanle and ending
all this painful turmoil st once; though l
did see you cross Piccsdilly some days
ago, snd thought you meant to call"
(USo that visit has been concealed"
muttered Lonsdale-''the same old game
is being plsyed"0. "IG is horrible t.
think that after ell the past, and when
YOU are SO desr to each other, you should
be residing but few doors apart, yet
never meet. Some mischief is being
done, and nobody does so much of that
as everybody. You are quite like the
people in a three-volume novel! She
would cut me forever and q day If she
knew Of this letter. Do not fear your
fste too much but put it to the issue Of
g visit, dear Montague, CT delay may be
fatal. 1 am engaged to shop tomorrow,
at Q, m, with Mrs. Chillington; and
will contrive that Melanie shall be alone.
Call then, or shall never, never forgive
you.
"P. S.-I will keep the old lady in
Regent street as long as 1 can"
His heart was full of tenderest gratitude
to little Amy for her kindly and amiable
intentions.
What should he do bat go at the hour
she indicated, when he loved Melsnie SO
deeply, when both had been so consistent
" tried, yet faithful to the dream Of love
so long? But what did Amy mean by the
phrase that delay might be fatal?
A Well-padded and carefully attired
parsonage, who sat opposite, deep in the
columns of society paper; who had
rich, brown fringe of hair round his
rather bald head, and who had his NOUS
tachios equslly well dyed, but carefully
waxed to their spiky tips, might have
thrown some light upon that, as re had in
his pocket an important reply from Mrs.
Chillington.
CHAPTER LxvI.-"AND SO THE TALE Is
TOLD"
Curiously enough they quilted the club
together, and at the same time, that after
noon. Lord D'0Yley, for he it WAS,
turned through the gate to the left, to
visit first, a shop in Bond street, LonsdGle
through that which led to the right, west
ward down Piccadilly; and vast deal
was involved by the small difference in
time these two movements made.
On this occasion, Lonsdale did not go
through the empty pretense Of asking for
Mrs. ChilIington, but for LIdy Brsybrooke
at once, and the tsll turnkey, who was
lounging insoucianllY against pillar of
the doorway, Ieisurely informed him, in
the idiom of his county, that
"Lady Bibwook Wos st 'ome, but
Miesus Chillington wos out, tax ng nj c
hsiring."
Preceding Ehim in orthodox fashion,
with his card upon q sslver, he ushered
Lonsdale into the stately drawingroom,
the windows Of which overlooked the
Green Park, and wherein Melanie YVES
seated st the piano.
She was singing to herself, for she was
alone, in her soft contralto voice, without
strain or effort, as she never attempted
anything unsuited to her soft and birdlike
notes, for music was not Melanie's strong
point, thus she never thought Of attain
ing artificial perfection; and now, full OF
her own thoughts, she seemed neither to
see the VISITORS card nor hear his name
announced, but played on in dreamy alb
straction something. that was very low
and sad.
Then, as the valet withdrew, she sud-
denly paused and interlaced her slender
fingers at the back OF her head; and as
she did so her sleeves fell back and dis
played, to the dimpled elbows, her snow
white arms, ESQ tspered and lovely in
heir grace and contour.
One great beauty she had pre- eminently
even Hilda always admitted it-her fig
ure, which WAS simply perfect; and
though by no means vain, Melsnie was
sensible enough to have all her costumes
made plain, tightly-ftting and becoming
to her.
For q second or two Lonsdale lowered
near her unseen, and felt with truth that
we seem at times to possess kind OF
second self, and that "there is sense of
unreslity mixed up with our lives, even
at their greatest moments, which lands US
in good stead at crisis and carries us
calm in all outward seeming, and some
times even inWsrdly SO, through trials
ard difficulties that seem impossible upon
paper"
On every line of his handsome face
there was usually written self control;
but now 1t wore 5 yearning expression,
and q half sti1ed exclamation escaped
HILL hClSulC bu4hChg anu hnN hOb ASA
mind been full Of him she must haYe ut
tered cry.
Observation-Disclosures"
Her voice was 8 breathless one; st a
glance she knew him, despite the effects
of recent suffering snd severe illness, but
stood tor moment quite still, voiceless,
dumb, while 8 food of pain and Joy, Of
memories bitter and sweet, seemed to
sweep over her head.
"MeISnie-at LAST, my darling-3t
lSstl" His arms caught her as she
swRyed about to fall, and drawing her
face upon his breast, he covered it with
kisses.
When she lifted it, ihwas colourless as
one CT the marble busGs close by, for great
emotions rendered her pale. She did not
isint-far from it-but for g moment she
seemed to see nothing of the stately,
double drawing room, with it's siIken
hangings and ford decorations, snd all
seemed dark, blurred, confused, and she
might have reeled had not Lonsdsle's
arms been round her; and as he kissed
her hands be did not fail to see that his
engagement ring was still on the third I'm
ger OF the left, half hiding the wedding
hoop of Sir Brlsco.
"My oWnl" cried Lonsdale, as all the
misery that hoop recalled came to men,
DRY. "My own, what bitter bondage
your short life has been, and how cruelty