The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-05-09

10 Aliiib -litAt ii'tti'i- ir-t. iiilttbs liltAH
a broken heart had sent him forth 10
those distant shores.
Then. before Addenhrookc knew what
was happening, Fleming plunged into
the very heart Of his own particular
grievance.
ut was last year" he said. lat a coun.
try house. It began from the moment
she came into the room don't pretend
that she was the first. bat il was differ
cnt. somehow am not even sure that
she was good looking, bat there was
something about hcr-if you cared at al
well. sou cared. She stayed a week
and at the end Of the time told her
more or les directly. that loved her ]
was to sne her the next day in London
The ncxt day. a. IL happened. | was pre-
vented los my mothers serious illness
! wrote and told her this begging her 70
hX q day for my visit She made no
reply. and four day. later called at the
hourc 90 be- told be was ont of town.
The nest day accepted the offer Of The
Waterloo Place Gazette. and went out to
Africa I'm sure don't know why
cared She wasn't worth IT,. she had
given me every oncouragcment-had
even allowed me TO kiss her ] suppose
there was a richer fellow on hand, OF one
whose father didn't happen TO keep a
shop"
Fleming rose. Struggling his shoulders.
Adienbrookc remained silent. The voice
OF Mrs Baxter. anaouncing that th
portmantcau was On Lawrence'5 room,
came as "a relief % both.
"By the hy." said johnny. IA a low
voice. as the other felt for his keys, "all
this took place az the Meades' in War
wicLshire. from March the 2sth on
wards
oh" answered Lawrence, with some
vexation pausing ON his way TO the door,
Il suppose YOU know all about it like the
rest Of the world. And lie went from
the room.
".
Addonbrooke remained behind, pacing
th. ridiculous. incongruous apartment,
while am unw onted storm Of emotion
RACED within him
The parts of the puzzle lay, fitted to-
gcthcr. i'm his hand. it only remained for
him to step forward and proclaim the
solt.onof a most commonplace enigma.
An inefficient postman. "a careless house
mail-on some such undignided trinc
bad the whole complication hung, like
many another complication before it.
SO doubt. sooner or later, the missing
clcw would come 10 light. when be him
self had made its discovery of no import /
ance whatever.
Had he been Of a melodramatic turn
of mind. Addcnbrooke might have laugh.
ga aloud NJ the irony Of the situation.
Ills own dream was shattered forever; z
but of that for tho moment he scarcely
thought
What he saw most clearly was this: .
that, by his own act. lie must make
lydia over into the hands of a man un
worthy of her-unlikely TO make her
happy. 10 think of whom in connection
with her seemed contamination
But the man whom Lydia loved
wiihan
There was the sting, the shock, that
for tAe moment took away his breath,
AMI made him pause, pale, motionless,
in DIS walk.
Then suddenly, before the modest and
mcrtical mind of Addenbrooke flashed
In vivid colors the image of two men
.i himself and his friend.
he saw Lawrence Fleming with his
snowy unreliable clevernoss. his moral
.oarscncss. the man stood before him re
ecalod IN an lis second rateness
And he saw himself, John Alden
brooke. as he had always been. in the
li.nity of his ireproachful lile-of his
honest patient labor.
lie looked on this picture and on that,
aud knew each for what 10 was worth
Then cn,ucd in the peaceful breast Of
Addcnbrooke a terrible war o. thoughts
lnl emotions
Life. which had hitherto been a simple
natter enough. mere case Of doing
-our duty and minding your own bust
lcss. had assumed a complexion Of cruel
lmculty
And set he knew that the more OBJ
,iou- aspect of the matter was not
one
Lydia no more belonged to him than
log who had followed him home and
lad been claimed by its master.
he was bound. in common honor, TO
cvcal the facts Of which no had acct
lcntally become possessed.
Should he go TO Lydia and say: This
nan. whom you prefer so infinitely to
myself. is far less worthy Of you than /.
lc has not led bad life, as men go, but
le has not led good one" Men Of the
world do not do such things, but then
idlenbrooke was not a man of the
world
And if he had no other right over
.ydia. had he not that of his own life
ong love and her three weeks tolerance
# IT.
The door opened to admit Lawrence
-leming He had changed his coat, and
,ore "a bundle Of papers and a pipe in his
iand
ANY tobacco:' he said, taking the
mptg seat at the writing table.
Addonbrooke nodded toward a jar on
he mantelpiece continuing his troubled ,
across the room.
1t was dawning, painfully, but surely,
ID his mind that his hands were indeed
led. that it only remained for Lydia TO
hose between them.
But il is who would have made her
appy| thought poor, obstinate Johnny.
ANY matches. said Fleming, with
is fingers IN the tobacco jar.
Johnny made no answer, and the other
lmbled in the pocket Of his coat
by Georgei' {
This time Addenbrocko was reused,
nd came over to the table. Whats
D.. he said.
Fleming pointed in silence to a stamped
nd addressed envelope lying at his feet
johnny picked it up, with a dull sense
T relief that matters had been more or
,ss taken out Of his hands. He knew,
.f.,. Ia. I,..l-at ~ IL fI.t - x,-as al I