Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-25
not for the world have let her know that had

ness as could summon. oh. nothing special.
Bulgaria is again to the fore. and as usual
they have been bullbaiting Balfour"
"aiargery, please go and fetch the Times Mr..
Fortescue has left in the breakfast ROOM"
Like lightning il shot through nv mind that
the Times was probably uncut, just as it had
been left at the door.
| Il am afraid / must CO.
began preparing to beat q retreat
Alfred may 1 beg that yoa will favor me
with your company for few minutes? l will
not dctain you long"
Favor 'Detain," This looked serious
| Margery brought the Times. evidently TN
| touched. Not word One glance from the
| paper to my face was all Mrs. FOrtescue
voaensafed l felt most uncomfortable. but
decided that II would be too undigni1ied to offer
an explanation even if had one ready.
| Breakfast is quite gay meal now my
WIG continued. always IN the same sepulchral
! tone. What a fool was TO have forgotten she
was just over the breakfast room. Il am
afraid must be a sad wet blanket, for there
| are 10 such bursts of merriment when an
mere. 1 suppose that Is why you used to read
| the THes2"
The pause that ensued was terrible.
Alfred. L don't like to give the servants I'M
necessary trouble. Is there any use in their
| putting fire III the smoking-room. now that
You spend your evenings in the schooI-room?''
What are you driving at. Arabelle?"
"oh, nothing. Or course the servants will
make remarks; but If you don't mind, l am
| sure don't"
Mind what? Do try to speak more plainly.
| | don't understand word of what you are say
| ms" The Ancient Mariners glittering eve
! was nothing to the orb my wife fixed on me.
'Arabel!e this is really too absurd. Are you
| making all this fuss because / went into the
| schooi-room last night to give book to Lily Y
| lily"
Mrs. Fortescue almost shrieked the name.
| Miss Boliltho, mean, of course. Charlie
always calls her"
May | ask whether Miss Bollitho also calls
| you Alfred? 2 she inquired in lofty. indiffer-
| ent manner.
Certainly not. 1t is an insult to the girl to
ask the question. l will not listen to such out
rageous folly" and strobe away, feeling as if |
had scored point.
How the deuce did my wife know that l had
Deen IN the school-room the night before? Not
! tnat cared, of course; why should l? 1t was
the Simplest accident in the world The way it
! happened was this. The thing abhor most in
! the world is sitting for hour after hour with
not a soul to speak to- Now. that evening had
dlned alone. had been up to Arabelle's room
and found 1t perfectly stihing-the temperature
| would have given me fit of apopexv in five
mnutes-and as was wandering up and down
! the hall, undecided whether to hunt up jenkins
or to go to the club, noticed that the school
room door was little open. [ glanced in
| There was Miss BOllitho-pretty and fresh as a
| hower-her whole heart and soul fixed upon
/ the DOCK she was reading, and the book was my
/ book. my own little volume of poems! Seized
with an irresistible longing to know which she
was reading. went softly into the room. All!
II was my special fayorite, the poem l loved
best-''Pdrted"
Now. during the eighteen years we had lived
| together my one serious cause of complaint
| against my wife had been that she was ALWAYS
trying to damp my literary aspirations As she
| herself confessed she had no taste for poetry
! and from the day that we were married she
mad Stoutly refused TO read line of mine
! once. when l had insisted upon reading
,Pirtad to her, she had absolutely laughed in
/ the midst OF the most pathetic verse
Tears were standing on Lilys dark lashes
Her confusion at being detected weeping over
| love poem was the prettiest thing imagin-
! able. took the book from her hand What
| poet would have done less? l read to her some
little sonnets. which considered, perhaps the
| Know. but pathetic; the sort of thing a girl
| would like.
/ remember now, most of those I read
| turned on the sorrow Of losing those whom we
! love, and IN the midst of one which described
| how Young soldier. while diving on battle
| field fancies that his fancee is by his side
| poor Observation-Disclosures little thing that she
/ is-sobbed aloud. Could | ever doubt again
that my poems had the ring of truth?
As watched the girls unfeigned emotion;
noticed her varying color; the expression of
| her great dark eyes changing with every
| thought felt for the first time had found
one who understood me; felt, too that l had
in me the making of a true poet. and that hers
was the touch which was to call to life the
| poetic fame.
A really sympathetic listener is a rara avis: no
wonder that was happy evening. Poor chill /.
| she told me she had never spoken to a real
| poet before; aud her wondering gratitude as |
| read to her was quite touching-her hsping
murmurs of admiration in my ears delicious.
The hours flew only too quickly and we were
both puually startled ub mid pi
Il had no idea it was 10 o'clock" Lily cried.
| in dismay. II have had such happy evening.
How shall thank you?
And with the prettiest air of mingled shvness
and devotion she just touched my fingers with
her lips. For the moment l swear / felt the
'lmmortaf' she believed me to be. had
planned half dozen such evenings and here
was this absurd folly Of my wifes lust going to
spoh everything. Our new chief was away that
morning, 50 there was nothing going on in the
ONCE, and tossed off several little things
which | could not but feel were better than
anything had written before. Miss Bollithos
name was splendid one for rhyming Lillian.
Lilias, Lila, Lily-why. there was no end
to the variations of which it was
capable. One poem that l wrote / deter
mined to give to her. 1t was, perhaps, a
thought tender; but then, after all she was
little more than a child. so it didn't matter.
When had finished this / thought of her as |
had seen her the night before. listening with
wrap dtttHtiOu NulIt Ttdu; anu as the picture
rose before my mind poetic feryor took DOS
session of my soul; power stronger than my
self forced me to write. ! dreamed that was
twenty and that she-I called her Liv-was
mine, my life, my ALL 1t was passionate love
poem; but what Of that? Did not Dante and
Petrarca write love poems to women who were
not their wives? In me, as in them the poet
and the man are distinct; the one adored a
lovely vision, the other never wronged his wife
even in thought.
That afternoon / again met Miss Bollitho and
Charlie. could not help thinking that she was
expecting me, she was prettily confused
when appeared and seemed to have something
she wished to say to me. Just as we were be-
ginning to talk that hateful Frank Bristowe
joined us. L was thoroughly angry for the fel-
low is cad. and was evidently bent on forcing
me to Introduce him to Lily. To put stop to
his lmpertinence l proposed that he and I
should walk on together. No sooner had we
left the other two behind than he turned upon
me, roaring with laughter.
'Ah all ! MIR. Joseph, that is how you pass
your time now that Your wife is fast in bed is
it? All an T! | saw your little game the other
day. It's the best joke in the world That
sweet, confiding way she was looking I'D into
your face was quite touching. while as for Won
alb ah To think of Alfred Fortescue proving
a gay Lothario. 1t was deuced mean of Won
though, not to introduce me, for she is an un-
common pretty girl"
My blood boiled. This fellow, who was barely
tolerated in the family, to presume to address
me in this ail-fellow-well-met fashion. as If we
xyara on faruna Of eouatityf mn. N 60. =