Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-06-28

tsey ah1urd 10 bs pf6voEsa by him, bs: oAnso he il n engAGed man, and, th11o1 fore, an ineHgible mamber ee soCiol0. And it says that Lady Athelston ought to put . stop b such thinGa. And il sAys tAAk Mia Chester, o3 cou1sa. win break her hoArt vhan her mistreso' son turns his fAAcy aoewhsre. And 1t says that she nuot ho denAGning little hyp- ocrite. Tho tAs maghty woEld
 And it 1evoe says" cT1ed Q veEy young man, joining in the conversation, radiant after . Auke, "that, if she is not the most beautiful girl here, there's no other moro beautiful No; catch it saying that r
 "Nor does it say another thing" 1" added the first speaker, ooldly, "that if Misa Oastillain, of Hawkedale, had . brother, Sir Neil Athelston's behavior here would be little less unguarded, and Miss Chester's fair fame unbreath63 upon by the idle, scandal-lovinR of. N 1 ~
 say, interposed Neil, looking fully and angrily into hiS companion's face, while the quick color dyed .his own, "don't you know where to stop?"
 "It would not signify 30 much," was the deliberate answer, eff the young la- dy did not live under your own roof, and under your own protection, aa it were. Why, man, can't you sec the wrong you do to her, as well as to Miss Castl- lain?"
 But Neil, irresistibly tickled by the seriousness % out of place in that gay scene, only joined the others in . hearty laugh.
 Nothing goes deep enough even to put him out of temper," muttered the gentleman who had spoken last, as he eyer will" So the world said what 1t chose, and Sir Eeil, unmoved, went on his selfish way. There was another relief to which Lima could look forward after their re- turn to High Athelston, and this was Sir Neil's visit, in the grouse season, to his shooting box in Scotland. This came and went 3 few days of rest and quiet, and then he was back again, and the house was filled with the old gayety and cruelty and unrest.
 To another rest Lima was looking for ward now. This was the expectation of houseful of visitors for Septemher. They were most of them to arrive on the evening of the last day in August, to meet at an o'clock dinner; and, before this dinner, Sir Neil Athelston had de- termined to have few hours of-for hlm-very novel enjoyment. "Rustic felicity, as he called it, with his iroui- cal, good -humored laugh. .An drink ing tea in the valley. you know, Miss Chester, like Sunday school; and a real 1o%k1o nd fra &<>s IL, the Crummles' pump and tubs. What do you say to my highly original idea ?"
 Lima said nothing, but that original ideas were always to be welcomed. But oven Neil could see how little pleasure the thought gave her when he proposed it, and how her light words and heetino smile only covered & thorough and entire indifference. When Lady Athelston had arranged, however, that the guests from their own neighhorhood, who were to stay ct High Athelston, with those from adistance, should be asked to join in this tea at the waterfall, and drive home with them in time for dinner, Lima looked forward with more pleasure to the after noon. Marjorie Castillain would be among them, and these few months had taught Lima how to value this girls generous, willful friendship. True, Lou. isa would be there as we'll as her siste, and Louisa had by no means taught Miss Chester to value her friendship; on the contrary, she had taught her simply to dread and avoid all intercourse with her; but Lima lost sight of that in the pleasure of the other anticipation.
 Then, Col. Stuart would come. too and, even if Mr. JelH.rsy were invited with hum (as he probably would be, be- cause Sir Neil liked him and because. as he was known in the neighhorhood a agentleman by birth, and . clever and attractive one, 1t pretty generally chanoed that he was invited evervwhere1 1t was never the same pain to Lima to meet him when the Colonel wrs present. So they all met, gayly and pleasantly, just within the valley gate; and. de. soending from the carriages which brought them, prepared to walk up to the waterfall, following the winding of the glistening little stream which curved and frolicked hithsr and thither on the soft, bright turf, all walking, at least except Lady Athelston and Lima. who drove the carriage on through the val ley,
 Slowly they went along in the Auguat sunshine, the walking party now and then keeping up with them, now and then talling behind, now and then has tening laughingly on. "As merry . party" Lima thought, looking on from her low. cushioned seat. "as ever the great, sunny hills looked down upon" And as she caught glimpsea of the dn- ferent faces her thoughts went hack-aa thoughts have habit of doing occasion any-to the first time she had seen them, and shs wondered how far her first im- pressions had proved true ones. "Near- ly in every case" she said to herself.
 The knowledge of them which this summer had given her he'd hardly changed her opinion in the slightest de- gree where ahe had been able to form an opinion at all. Had not Miss Castil- lain always shown just the same cold suspicion and hard mistrust of her as she had read in her greeting on that first dayP And had not Marjorie been al- ways just as friendly, as amusing and as incomprehensible as she had been dur incy khok koA oon xuh|>h .ho h>N