The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-05-29

| AddenbrOoke remained behind, pacing
| the ridiculous, homogeneous apartment,
while an unwonted storm of emotion
ragged within him.
The parts of the puzzle lay, fitted to-
| gether, in his hand; it only remained for
him TO step forward and proclaim the
| solution of a most commonplace enigma
An inefficient postman, careless house
maid-on some such undignified trifle had
the whole complication hung, like many
! another complication before it.
No doubt, sooner or later, the missing
clew would come to light, when he HIM
self had made its discovery of no import
ance whatever.
Had he been of a melodramatic turn of
mind, Addenbrooke might have laughed
aloud at the irony of the situation.
His own dream was shattered forever !;
but of that, for the moment he scarcely
thought.
What he saw most clearly was this:
That bv his own act he must make Lydia
over into the hands of man unworthy of
her-unlikely to make her happy; TO
think OF whom in connection with her
seemed contamination.
But the man whom Lydia loved withal
There was the sting, the shock, that for
made him pause, pale, motionless in his
walk.
Then, suddenly, before the modest and
uncritical mind of Addenbrooke flashed in
vivid colOrs the image oftwo men-of him
self and his friend.
He saw Lawrence Fleming, with his
snowy, unreliable cleverness, his moral
coarseness; the man stood before him re-
vealed in all his second-rateness.
And he saw himself, John Alden
brooke, as he had always been, in the
dignity of his irreproachful life-of his
honest, patient labor.
He looked on this picture and on that,
and knew each for what it was worth.
Then ensued in the peaceful breast of
Addenbrooke terrible war of thoughts
and emotions.
Life, which had hitherto been simple
matter enough, mere case of doing your
duty and minding your own business, had
assumed complexion of cruel Difficult
ties.
And yet he knew that the more obvious
aspect of the matter was not complicated
one.
Lydia no more belonged to him than
dog who had followed him home had been
claimed by its master.
He was bound, in common honor, to re-
veal the facts of which he had accidentally
become possessed.
Should he go to Lydia and say: "This
man, whom you prefer so infinitely to
myself, is far less worthy of you than l.
He had not led bad life, as men 90, but
he has not led good one. ~? Men
of the world do not do such things, but
then Addenbrooke was not a man of the
world.
And if he had no other right over Lydia,
had he not that of his own lifelong love
and her three weeks tolerance of it?
The door opened to admit Lawrence
Fleming. He had changed his coat, and
bore bundle of papers and a pipe in his
hand.
"Any tobacco" he said, taking the
empty seat at the writing-table.
Addenbrook nodded toward jar on
the mantlepiece continuing his troubled
promenade across the room.
1t was dawning, painfully but surely,
on his mind that his hands were indeed
tied that it only remained for Lydia to
choose between them.
"But it is | who would have made her
happy" thought poor. obstinate Johnny.
"Any matches?" said Fleming, with
his fingers in the tobacco jar.
Johnny made no answer, and the other
fumbled in the pocket of his coat.
SPY Godw
This time Addenbrooke was reused, and
came over to the table. Whats up?" be
said.
Fleming pointed in silence to a stamped
and addressed envelope lying at his feet.
Johnny picked it up with dull sense
of relief that matters had been more or
IL - l. Il l..
before he looked at it. that it was ad-
dressed to Miss Grey, and that it was
Flemings customary carelessness in the
matter OF posting his letters which had
wrought the mischief.
Lawrence was much excited. sit had
slipped behind the lining of the pocket l
have Just taken the coat from my port
manteau. o, that poor girl, that poor
girl what must she have thought OF me
all this time"
Addenbrooke faced him suddenly. "Do
you intend" he said, in a low voice, ten
deavoring to repair the mischief"
1t is possible that he had a low opinion
of Jennings consistency.
'T will go TO her tomorrow" cried
Lawrence.
A sudden pang of personal anguish, an
internal sense of bereavement, shot
through Addenbrooke.
He thought: after all, perhaps, am
nothing but jealous devil who begrudges
my girl her happiness"
Aloud he said There may be difficult
ties at first In fact, Miss Grey is engaged
to be married"
Fleming rose with an exclamation.
The two men stood facing one another;
Lawrence flushed, excited; Johnny pale,
with intense eyes and nostrils.
Lydia engaged Lydia! The women
are all alike. Could she have no patience,
no trust, but she must needs throw herself
away in fit OF pique on some fellow who
is not worthy of her"
''She is engaged to mel" cried Alden