Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-12-02

pavement at the OUner SIDE. He na0
laughed aside her thanks, and when she
had insisted on them, had demanded
largesse in the shape of permission to es-
cort her to her home. 1.-THE night was
so dark, so stormy, so destitute of COM
fort in any form, and she was so evil
IDENTIFY tlmid about the conquering of
those terrible rubicons, the crossings, and
he was so entirely master of his time for
the next four hours. -
1t hardly took him one, however, to
guide her to her home. She had steadily
declined his offer of cabs or hansoms,
but had felt it ungracious to refuse him
further when he said he would traverse
the distance with her on foot. In truth,
she had been glad of his escort, and not
altogether blind to the beauty of his face;
and yet, as / have said, there was re-
pulsion as well as a fascination even then
in her feelings toward him.
There was one other thing that puz-
Zled her. Had she seen him before?
Those marked features, those soft bril-
liant eyes-were they familiar? 1t seemed
to her that somewhere in the rather i'm
mediate past she had seen him; but yet
when he so kindly came to her aid on
that crossing, just as she left Mrs.
Brands house, she could not connect him
with any place CT period, and after
a while felt that her imagination had
played her false in the matter.
When he had taken her home that
night he had stood ingeringly upon the
door step, until at last, in an uncertain
way, half reluctant, half longing, half
DESTROYS of his departure, half eager to
show some gratitude to one who had
been so courteously kind, she had asked
him to come in and let her make him
known to her mother. The invitation
was accepted with alacrity. Mrs. Roche,
IL gentle, tender voiced woman, received
him with a little soft dignity that aston
ished him; and two hours later, when he
left them, as they fondly but enormously
believed, on his way to his bed, he
laughed aloud to himself on the deserted
pavements OF that anything but aristo-
cratic neighborhood, as he called to mind
how he had INDUCED in tea and toast at
that hour, and enjoyed them too. What
eyes that girl had What MOUTH How
gentle, how sweet, how lovab1e! Yet
there was fire about her too, that sug-
gested many things, and made the pulses
beat, and added ten thousand charms to
those she already possessed. Well! He
had lost his dinner, certainly, gazing at
those beauX yeux, but there was al
ways ones club, the gods be praisedi and
a supper that would be undeniable.
The acquaintance, thus opened, had
been followed up with an ardor that per-
haps astonished no one so much as the
young man himself. He soon-astonish-
ingly soon, as it appeared to Mrs. Roche
mastered the hours of Madness days.
Knew when she was off duty and when
on. Never put in an appearance on the
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays on
which she gave her German lessons to
Millicent Grey, Mrs. Brands niece; but
invariably dropped in on the afternoons
of Monday "Wednesday and Friday On
Sunday his visits were uncertain, but he
came even on that day more than he
stayed away.
Mrs Roche was troubled @ little about
him at first, but grew accustomed to him
later on, and adnniring him intensely as
she did Degrading him, indeed, as a
breath from that old world in which she
once had moved, but which had proved
cold and forgetful when fortunes sun
went down upon her lfe), was openly
glad and gratified when one day her
daughter came to her and told her how
Mr.. Annerley had asked her to marry
him, and how she had given him eyes"
for his answer.
The girl had not seemed either elated
or, indeed, moved in any way when tell
ing her story, but had sighed rather, and
been little petluant and impatient-a
most strange thing for her-during the
remainder of the evening.
Paul Annerley had followed up his
proposal by a graceful word or two to the
girls mother that had more than pre-
possessed her in his favor, and the court
ship had run ever since very smoothly,
all things considered-the man being
passionately in love, the maiden cool, if
always gentle and sweet, and as adorable
in manner as in face.
From the first Mr. Annerley had been
L. I.
prospects. He would talk continually
of E'0ur office, and was always positively
eager to enter into any question that re-
lated to his status in life, his Cuisines,
as he called it, or his income.
"It is neither big nor small now" he
would say, with his charming smile, that
showed all his beautiful teetk, and lit up
his handsome eyes. But 1T Will I'M
prove. l have many irons in the fire,
and one sure thing, should all else fail
No, / never tempt Providence too far
| deSpise the man who puts his all upon
the die | would have a reserve fund
somewhere, however small it might be.
Not that l should speak despairingly
either with another brilliant smile
''of the little l can really call my own.
1t is sufficient to give bread and butter
at least to not only one, but two-per-
haps, indeed, three, should the desires be
modest.
Here the handsome eyes fall mean
ingly upon pretty Miss Roche bending
over her knitting, and then pass on TO
Mrs. Roche with an even more meaning
expression in them, that the good lady
would catch and dwell on afterward
with maternal delight.
Ali if her Nadine could but be placed
beyond the fear of poverty-beyond the
hateful drudgery of teaching. If her
daily bread might be earned for her, in
stead OF the dear feet being press every
day into the toilsome path of labor!
Yes; certainly Paul was very open, very
explanatory about his prospects; though,
| perhaps, after all, the explanations did
not amount to much. He had an office
| somewhere. An extraordinary press
Of Observation-Disclosures He was ut
| terly destitute of relationships father
and mother having died when he was
''quite little fellow" and he was an
| only child. His sisters, his cousins and
his aunts had no resting place upon the
| face of the earth-he was, as he would
remark often in his deep pathetic tones,
"alone in the world" He had friends,
| of course. Oh, yes! Every man had
friends somewhere; but he found friend
ship cold affair when all was told, and
in fact he was rather shy fellow about
making acquaintance. He had never
| been so happy as since his fortunate
meeting with Miss Roche, which had en-
abled him to gain an entree into house
where, ETC., etc. Perhaps this was true.
| Of his love for Nadine, indeed, there
could be no doubt at all. His eyes seemed
| never at rest except when following the
| girls movements, and drinking in each
expressive glance of the exquisite face.
When away from her he would laugh
aloud to himself at times at the vague,
wild, but unconquerable longing, that
never left him, to go to her, to see her,
to touch her hand, to hear her voice
again. His love was passionate one-an
| idolatry! He recognized it as such, and,
whilst marveling at this strange feeling
that had taken such entire possession OF
him, gloried in it, and chung to it with
all his might.
CHAPTER III.
at am tired to-day says Millicent
with a little, pretty, weary gesture
throwing her arms above her head anc
laughing softly. ''And idle, too.
shan't do any German, so you may a:
well sit down and gossip with me, in
stead.''