The Republican journal., 1888-07-26

| 81 am so cross, my DEAR said the old lady
drawing Betty TO a seat by her side. "Colil
| has ridden over to the LadbrOkes's for dinner
| 1T was very thoughtlesS for him not to rcmem.
| Der that this was your last evening"
ut does not matter, godmother," said Betty
il alone with YOU
Would you, dear? l thought you and Coil
i bad got on more comfortably lately''
''lt was onlya surface agreement" answered
Betty rather proudly. "We are too entirel,
opposed i'm character to be really friends
~ 1ou will hardly believe it, Betty. but ha,
planned match between you two. | though;
yon were so well suited to each other, and il
would have been so nice for me to think OF
your living here together after my death,''
And you spoke to him about il = questioned
Betty, without raising her eyes.
Yes; on the evening you came: told him
what ! wished. But | was to meet the fate OF
all matciI-lnakcrS, You sec she added. Siwhing
Colin said he would never marry unless he
were in love-t!iat he must reserve to himself
the right of choosing his wife. And, as you
say. dear. You and he were very far from fall
in@ in love-.
Did he say that:" asked Betty. eagerly.
Nv oulin't he agree TO what YOU wished: Then
! have wronged him terribly; he is ever so
much nicer than l thought, ~
You thought: questioned Miss Campion.
slowly. .ih remember now | told you that
was going to speak TO him, and you believed
that he would marry any one ] suggested! How
foolish and wrong ! have been! You might
have liked him if you had not been 50 prejl-
diced beforehand, and everything might have
been ,iiflercnt.'
DO not -rieNc. godmoller, said Betty.
gently. "If we have not been friends. it is
quite my own fault. | had 10 right to iu,l.e
him before knew him.
But. in spite of her brave words. her heart
sank strangely. She knew that she would have
,,I 1.,.. I.-. Il
he was Offering hcr-for her belief in his u-
worthines>. though it had destroyed her trust
III him. had not been strong enough to kill her
love. And now her life would be one long
sorrow for that mistake. Colin would never
speak Ia her Of his love agan-had she not
peremptorily forbidden him: lie had gone
away now to avoid her, and after Tomorrow
she would never see him again. But at any
rate she would see him once more. and then
Oh. surely he would see that she was sorry for
having mi~iudgel him so.
But Colin remained AT the Ladbrokes' for the
night and ha'! rot returned to Forde when She
left it the next morning for home.
Betty hai been right when she assumed that
Colin had zone away Oh the prey iou> afternoon
to avoid her Her harsh rejection of his pro-
Po>al had aroused his anger, and he felt too
hurt to bid her goodby. Bat on his return to
London bis anger grew less as time passed on.
though his love for Betty did not diminish. As
his thoughts dwell on her so constantly. he be-
gan To seek lor some reason for her unkinu-
ness: and the more he considered he matter
the more neNplicable did her conduct appear.
Her harshnc>> and anger the day that II" pro-
posed TO her were at variance with her
character that he At last concluded that some
misunderstanding must Xi>t in her mind which
he ought to explain away.
This idea led him to make a Journey to Dey-
onshire few days later. though his hopes of
winning I;e!ty'> love were small.
He walked oNtr TO thp r,rtory on the lnorp.