Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-02-19

but his stealtliy manner in visiting the
house at that time of night aroused my
suspicious anew. What il Sarah, in
her masters absence, had been per.
suaded to take care of stolen property:
They disappeared up the stable path
and L took the opportunity to ring the
door bell. Jane came down, very
sleepy, and admitted me. l told Jane
to go to bed, and hearing no noise in
the Kitchen took my candle and slipped
down there. The side door was aiar,
and just inside was a small brown port.
manteau. did not dare to inspect il
closely, but 1t seemed to me had seer
1T somewhere before. Then l turned
and fled guilty to my room. Haidee
was sleeping quietly and looked less
feverish than when 4 went away. The
fire was burning cheerfully, and the
moment laid my head on the pillow ]
fell asleep and did not awake until
morning.
Haidee was already awake, and un.
| doubtcdly better.
| GLOW did you sleep, darling?' said
/, sitting on the bed and kissing her.
ooh, beautifully, Miss Christie.
| hardly ever woke up once, and when
did watched the beautiful fire. 1t is
SO nice and warm up here; should
like to be here always. l think should
have nice dreams up here, not like the
ones l have downstairs
You shall stay here until you are
quite well, my darling said 1, re-
solved to ask that she might sleep in
my room permanently.
"Miss Christie, dreamed a dream
last night with my eyes open, just like
, as if l wo<c awake" said she, after a
pause.
That was because you were i'll, ~
darling. When people are ill they
dream like that.
'Do thcy-quite plain, like as if it
was all quite rcalP'
Eyes, sometimes they think they see
people and talk to people"
That was like my dream. 1 dreamed
it was while was walking at the fire
that the door there opened quite gent
ly and softly, just as if it moved quite
of itself, and then l saw papa's face,
and he had in his hand something red
and sparkling; and, just when the door
came quite wide open, thought 1 sat
up in bed. and he looked at me. And
then the door seemed to shut quite
softly again, and l didn't hear any
thing-and that was all.
That WASH really dream. darling.
1t was just fancy because you were
ill.,
Not a dream! Papa didn't really
come, did hep
"Oh. no, darling! Papa is away in
London. See, the door is locked"
was beginning since the night be-
fore to be very sorry for Mrs. Rayner.
The deep affection and real feeling she
manifested for her child led me to won
der if through Hai,!ee might not have
the power to draw nearer to her and
through sympathy with her come to
understand her better. And what if
might be able to win my way to her
heart and persuade her to leave Geld
ham for time, mectingMr. Rayner on
his return with the news that his vic.
at last, was ready to break through her
apathy and come back to the world
again. The thought made my heart
beat faster and / longed TO begin my
delicate work at once.
But was disappointed. | had all
my meals by myself that day, exec pit
tea, which had upstairs with Haidee,
for Sarah said Mrs. Rayncr was too
unwell to leave her room. When we
had finished tea, still sat upstairs by
my pupils bedside, and my high spirits
'C viz vi 1LstuItllCC cNpCClcu
visit infected her, and she laughed and
chartered to me in q fashion very I'M
usual with her. AT last 1 heard the
front-door bell ring, and my heart
seemed to stand still with joyful antici-
patton. But no one came upstairs to
fetch me, and after few minutes
breathless waiting, ran downstairs,
unable to bear the suspense any long
CT. l met Sarah in the hall.
"Who WAS that. Sarah?" asked I,
too much excited to think of q decent
subterfuge.
Only one of Gregson's boys asking
for Mr.. Rayner, miss
Strange that Gregson's boy should
come to the front door, 1 thought l
could not 90 upstairs again. 1t was
half-past six; and at half-past seven l
was to be at my "ncst," If Laurence
had not come before. 1 thought that
hour would never end. 1t seemed to
me to be getting very dark, too. When
the hands of the school-room clock
pointed to twenty minutes past, / put
on my shawl, and had opened tho win
dow to 60 out, when Sarah came in.
IF you please, miss, would you
mind helping me with the store-list?
Mrs. Rayncr is too i'll to do it, and it
mas 70 De posted tomorrow morning.
"Oh, Sarah, won't it do in-in half
an hour?' said I, breathless!y.
Mrs. Rayncr will want me then,
miss. 1t won't take you more than
five minutes"
I followed her out of the room, sup
pressing my Impotence as we'll as
could. But the task really did not
seem to take long. In what appeared
to be about quarter of an hour l was
free, and I dashed into the garden,
through the plantation, toward my
nest"
1 had not looked at the clock again,
but surely it was very dark for half
past seven! Yet Laurence was not
there! And as I stood wondering
whether something was wrong, heard
the church clock strike eight. What
awful mistake had 1 made? Was he
gone? Should 1 really not see him
again? A bit of paper half hidden in
4I