Telegram-herald., 1889-10-24

your st4fF So as@Arl A1tof TIE II 81 ,<11-
usarions were ever. Have yoa bsaa
tzklax counsel with solitude ca the Ezyp,
tlzn qusstiony Or have y0a dsclaed IKE
= sensible man 70 20 o. the White Sui
phurf MhsGevsr has besn TIE c. lse Of
your absence, you have 81 least been
charitable Il furnishing Us with 3 topic
Of conversation. / scarcely know hat
we should have done without the Victor
Clare disappearance as Mr.. Els has
called It, during the last week.'
Il am sure you ought % be obliged 10
ne, then, Clare said. flushing and
laughing. "AssuTedly could not have
furnished you with a topic Of converse
uon for a whole week II had been pres
snt.
Opinion has been divided concerning
the II stery OF your fate, she went on.
Zone party has maintained thai, rush
ing away ia desperation, when you heard
Of Sir Brents arrival, you started the
next day FOR Suez; the other, that you
were hanging about the grounds, armed
10 the teeth. and only waiting an oppor-
tunity 10 dare your rival 10 de&diy COM
bal
How kind ones friends are, 10 be
sure. especially when they are in the
country, and have nothing in particular
with which 10 amuse themselves"
but what have you been doingl
should like 10 know II you do not object
10 telling me"
Il have been very busy making my
final arrangements for leaving the coun-
try" answered he, stretching point, 1t
must be owned.
You are really going, them she
asked after minutes silence-a minute
during which she was horribly conscious
that her changing countenance might
readily have betrayed 10 any locker on
how deeply she felt this unexpected blow.
II wrote 10 Gen. on the night |
saw you last, accepting his Offer" Clare
answered. "Of course / am in duty
bound, therefore, 10 report IN Cairo as
soon as possible"
"And you will sell Ciaremonty'
Il have no alternative.
She said nothing more, but he saw her
hand-the same white jeweled hand that
had cleaned on his arm in the starlight
go to her throat with quick. conyul-
siye movement. Instead Of the thrill OF
repulsion which he had felt before, a
sudden sense of pity and regret came
over him now. He was not enough of
puppy 10 feel certain keen enjoyment
and gratiiied vanity in the realization Of
this woman's folly. He appreciated, on
the contrary, now entirely she had been
a spoiled child of fortune all her life-a
queen regnant, 10 whom all things must
submit themselves-and he felt how Bit
ter must be this first sharp proof of her
own impotence TO secure the toy on which
she had set her heart. 1t was these
thoughts which made his voice almost
gentle when he spoke again: You must
not think that / am ungrateful for your
kind interest in my behalf. You can
imagine, perhaps, how much l hate TO
part with Claremont, which has been the
seat of my family for generations; but
when a thing must be done there is no
use in making a moan over il. / cannot
sacrifice my life to tradition Of the past;
and that would be what / should do il
clung to the old place, instead of cutting
loose with one sharp stroke and swim
ming boldly out to sea-"
"But you might stay if you would"
said she, with that tremulous accent
which the French call tears in the
voice"
"No, could not stay" said Clare reso-
lutely. Il have no money, nor any
means of making any in America.
This ended the discussion. Even Mrs.
Lancaster, fast and daring and willful as
she was, could not say, Il have money
more than | know what TO do with: take
it," Her eyes said as much. but Clare
did not look at her eyes \ minute longer
passed in embarrassed silence. Then
somebody came up, and Victor was able
TO walk away. AS he crossed the room
ne saw Eleanor Milbourne for the first
time since his arrival He had not even
inquired if she was still at The Willows,
and her unexpected appearance, for
he had begun 10 fear that she was
gone, filed him with a rush of feel
ings of which the first and most promi-
nent was delight. After all. did it mat
ter whether or not she was engaged to
Marston Brent: Simply TO look at her
was enough to fill a mans soul with
pleasure, to steep him in that "dewlght
of repose' which only few rare things
OF this earth Of ours are capable OF in
spring. Did any sane person ever fly
from the sight of Venus when she held
her court ali alone in the lovely summez
heaven, because he could not possess her
magic luster for his own? The compar-
ison was not at all highflOwn 70 Clare,
whatever it may seem to nybody else.
He had always entertained as much hope
of winning the star a. Of winning the
woman; and as for an abstrac. question
of beauty. he would have held that Venus
herself could not have surpassed Eleanor
Milbourne. She was 81 adorable goddess
whom any man might be content TO
worship from distance, he thought;
and he was preparing 20 20 and sun him
self in the glance Of her ewes. which
seemed like bits Of heaven in their blue
ness and their fairness. when Mrs. Brant-
lev touched bis arm and bade him take a
newly arrived piece Of white muslin IL
to dinner. Clare looked a little crest
fallen. but against the decision o. his
hostess on this important subJecz what
civilized man was ever known 70 revolt,
Re took the white muslin in TO dinner,
and had tho satisfaction e finding him
elf separated by the length q the table
from Mss Mnbourne
After dinner Mrs. Brantley claimed bis
attention. II seemed that there was a plan
under discussion for shoving the sole