San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-11-04
NOT PROVEN;
ESTHER HILLS SECRET.
BY GEORGIANA NJ. CRAIK.
OR

Gabrielle, nndlng ner euorJs raining SO
singularly to produce any kind of eff
feet, had drawn back, little mortified
Though she would not have allowed
that she was mortified), and, not quite
knowing what course to pursue next,
had somehow, instead of pursuing any,
fallen back on something that, even on
her part, was very like shyness too.
For, If he would not be patrOniZed Jas it
seemed that he would nOt), and, if she
could not treat him as ifhe was her
equal las to her own mind seemed per-
fectly clear. how could she be at ease
in her relations with him at all, or es-
cape beng troubled in his presence with
certain sense of awkwardness?
Though she saw good deal OF him,
therefore, as the summer advanced, yet
the amount of communication that she
had with him remained of the very
smallest. 1t was novel position to
Gabrielle, and one that she scarcely
relished, to find herself little more than
an ornamental appendage to her uncle,
as he and George Gilbert walked side
by side, and talked together. They
used to talk without either of them
ence, and she often resented this; she
was angry at tit mortified and hurt
the VAN young heart. 1t was only now
and then-attracted by something that
would suddenly appeal to her, and
rouse the better nature that existed in
her beneath all her folly and vanity and
SlightneSS-that she would for few
moments throw aside her own frivolous
thoughts, and listen with a sense of
pleasure to what they said. At these
rare moments she would sometimes al
most forget that George Gilbert was her
inferior, and that she did not like him.
She would listen and be pleased to
listen, and would occasionally have a
vague notion that it did her good, and
somehow lifted her above the foolish
feminine world in which she mostly
lived, into purer and higher air.
But yet, none the less did it seem i'm
possible to her that she herself could
talk to him as she might talk to any
body else.
II shouldn't know what in the world
to say to him. haven't an idea what
he would expect me to talk about" she
would say to Miss Dunstan or her sister
Helen. What can woman talk about
to a man who doesn't belong to her own
classp"
And then she would give little puz-
zled shrug of her shoulders, and would
60 her way, thinking that she had ask
ed a crucial question, and one that
placed the whole difficulty of the case in
a nutshell.
Yet was it of necessity so difficult a
thing to find out how to talk toG eorgeGiL
hertz For good many weeks Gabrielle
thought it was. One day-being sud-
denly, induced to meet the difficulty full
in the face-to her surprise she found
its proportions scarcely SO great as she
had assumed and asserted beforehand
that they we're.
my mother has been in bed for these
last two days with heavy cold," Mr..
Gilbert CHANGED to mention one after
noon.
"Ohl has she9 I viii 60 to see her,"
replied Gabrielle, quite simply, Ga
to assume) of beneficent superinten-
many of the cottages in the village, and
knew Mrs. Gilbert very well.
81 will go and see her tomorrow.
i'll" said Gabrielle. And then next
day she went to see her.
Mrs. Gilbert was little better, and
out of bed, and Gabrielle sat and talked
with her for an hour, in the pleasant
kindly way that, in such circumstances.
was natural to her; for though she was
a foolish girl, and given to trouble her
self most unnecessarily with silly
scruples about rank and position when
she was with George Gilbert, who might
claim to be on an equality with ler, yet
pleasanter gossiper with old women
a. ha in hn
than Gabrielle Lynn, nor one who was
more popular.
"She never seems to me to have bit
of pride in her." Mrs. Gilbert had said
of her before now to her son; and al
though his experience of her would
have led him to another sort of conclus-
ion, Mrs. Gilbert from her point of view
was not wrong.
She sat by the fire to-day, and chat
ted, and did the old lady good. AT the
end of an hour, just as she was going
away, the house door opened, and
George Gilbert came in, and, though
she had already hidden Mrs. e lbert
good-by, she had in courtesy to llnger
for an additional moment or two to
speak to him.
Gabrielle and Mr.. Gilbert rarely shook
hands together this was bit of pride
on his part), so as he came in and saw
her he merely raised his hat.
II have been sitting with your moth
er. | am so glad to find that she is bet
ter to-day" said Gabrielle.
"Yes-she is great deal better"
at is such a lovely day. think that
must have done her good. Is it not
warmp" said Gabrielle.
Very warm indeed"
And then, as neither of them seemed
to have any further remark TO make,