The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-07-13
THE TlLE OF CHLOE
A, Episode In the History OF Beau
Beanish.
NJ GEORGE MEREDITH.
CHAPTER TX.

Chloe drew the silEen string from her
bosorn a. she descended the dim pathway
throush the furzes, md set her fingers travel
ling along 1t for the number OF the knots. ~
have no right to be living" she said. Seye n
Vas the number; seven years she had awaits, I'd
bsr lovers return; she counted her age and
,ompeted 1t In sevena Fatallsm had s,is-
tsiped her during her lovers absence; It had
tast hold OF her now. Thereby had she b cen
enabled to say. He will Gomez: and say ing,
"He has come" her touch rested on the first
knot in the strlng. She had no power to dis
nlace her fingers, aud the cause OF the tJing
OF the knot stood across her brain marked in
dull rcd characters, leSlble neither to her eve
nor to her understanding, but revvlng OF the
hour that brought It on her spirit with hu-
man distlnctness except OF the light of dtLy:
sbe had sense OF having forfeited light and
OF seeing perhaps more clearly. Everything
assured her that she saw moro clearly than
others; she saw, too when IL was good to
cease TO live.
Hers was the unhappy lot OF one gifted With
poetic Imagination to throb with the woman
supplaniing her and share the fascination OF
tho man who deceived. At their first meeting
IN her presence she had seen that they were
no. strangers. She pitied them for spea.b ing
falsely. and when she vowed to thwart this
course OF evil 1t was TO save younger cres.ture
Of her sex. not in rivalry. She treated them
both With proud generosity surprising gen
tleness All that there was OF selfshnsss In
her bosom resolved to the enjoyment OF her
one month Of strongly willed deluson.
The kiss she had sunk to robbed no one. not
even her body's purity. for when this KIN OF was
tied she consigned herself to her ond, and had
become bag OF dust. The other knots in the
etrtng pointed to verifcations; this first one
was q suspicion. and 1t was the more precious:
she felt 1t TO be more a certainty 1t had come
from the dark world beyond us, where all 10
known. Her belief that it had come thence
was nourished by testimony OF the space OF
bsckness wherein she had lived since, ex-
haustinG her last vitality In a stimulation OF in
iante happiness, which was nothing other
than the carrying on OF her emotion OF the
moment OF sharp sour sweet-such as, 1t may
be, the doomed below attain for their knowl-
edge OF joy-when. at the first meeting with
her lover. the perception OF his treachery to
thei soul conllding in him told her she had
lived and opened out the cherished kingdom
OF inssnsblity to her for her heritage.
She made her tragic humility speak thank
fully to the wound that slew her. Had 1t not
been 50, should not have seen him" she said.
Her lover would not have come to her but for
his pursuit OF another woman.
She pardoned him Tor being attracted by that
beautiful transplant Of the fields; pardoned
her likewise He, when / saw him FIRST was
as beautiful to me. For him might have done
as much"
Far away. in a lighted hall OF the West her
family raised hands OF reproach. They were
minute objects. keenly discerned as diminished
figures cut in teel. Feeling could not be very
warm Tor them, they were so small. and a sea
that had drowned her ran between: and look
ing that way she had scarce any warmth of
feeling save for white rhaindr leaping out OF
broken cloud through branohed rocks. where
she had climbed and dreamed when child.
The dream was then Of the colored days 10
come: now she was more infa 1t in her mind.
and she watched the scattered water broaden.
and tasted the spray sat there drinking the
scene untroubled by hopes as lamb, different
only from an infant in knowing that she
had thrown of life to travel back
to her home and be refreshed She heard
her people talk they were unendine babbers
In the waterfall Truth was with them. and
wisdom. How, then. could she pretend to any
right to live? Already she had no name: she
was less living than tombstone. For who
was Chloe2 Her family might pass the grave
OF Chloe without weeping. without moralizing.
They had foreseen her ruin. they had foretold
it. they noised it in the waters, and on they
sped to the plains. telling the world of their
prophecy, and making what was untold as yet
a lighter thing to do.
The lamps in an irregularly dotted line I'M
derneath the hill beckoned her to her task OF
appearing as the Rayest OF them tn at d. raw their
breath for the day and have pulses for the
morrow.