Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-11-21
PlG DVil Genius.
a DOt,.->.iC STORY.
BY WiLKIE COLLINS.
rJ~:-AI,I- TN .yn-,x-
a DOMESTIC STORY.
~ WILK!E COLLINS.
GE;GI,E TI!.. STORY.


:.
: - .I...a .a,iy. Possessed Of tho ircStim-
Il &C. a,.,.tlita- 81 worldly experience. must
submit nevertheless to tie laws oi nature
Time and >.'cp t"-,;A powerful AGENTS in
o., ~liaH h,rl> I tar IHornin- had c"t the
h.;.,rot Nj. rt,~il', resolution I" keep
awasr. Free from discovery. sydney a.
c,ld,d the Stars. Tree from discovery, sgd
ncy entered her OWN rrom
Half an hour lattl I.inlcy orc,cd the door
OF lis drawingroom. His wife was still
Sleeping. His m",herin-iaw awokc two
hours later. locked at her watch. and di>cov-
cred that She had lost her Opportunity. 9th
er old women. under similar circumstances,
might have felt discouraged. This old wo-
man believed in her own suspicious more de-
voutiy than ever. When the breakfast bell
RAM sydney found Mrs Presty in the corri-
dor waiting Ia say go0d-mOrning.
Il wonder what you We're doing last night,
when you ought Ia hay been in bed?' the
Old lady began. with att ;cherous amiabiiity
of manner. "Oh, | am !, mistaken. Your
door was open, my dear. and looked in
why did you LOOK H. Mrs. PreSty?''
My young friend, :. ,snaturally anxious
about you. | am anNiou still. Were you i'll
the house or out of the |. usc?''
II was waikin; /" t.:t -,arien,' Sydney re
piled.
''Admring the moonlight"
Yes; admring the moonlight"
Alone, OF couISe?' Sydacy's friend sug-
gested.
And Sydney took refuge in prcvarication.
"Why should you doubt it," she said.
Mrs. Prcsty wasted 10 more time in asking
question. Sic was pleasantly reminded of
i..c words of worldly wisdom which she had
addressed to her daughter on the day of Sgd
ncy's arrival at Mount Moryen. THE good
qualities of that unfortunate young Great
ure, She had said, 'can not have always re-
sisted the horrid temptations and contamina-
tons about her. Hundreds OF times she must
have had deceit forced on her; she must have
lived through ungovernablc fear" Elevated
little higher than ever in her own estima-
ton. Mrs. Presty took Sydney's arm and led
her down to breakfast with motherly famiI-
iarity. I.inley met them at the foot of the
stairs. ii is motherin-aw first stole look
at Sydney, and then shook hands with him
cordially. My dear Herbert, how pale you
are. That h0rrid smoking. You look as il
you had been up all night"
Mrs. Linley paid her customary visit to the
scho0.-roOm that morning.
The necessary attention to her guests had
left little leisure for the exercise of Obserya-
ton at the breakfast table. The one circum-
stance which had forced itself on her notice
had been the boisterous gayety of her hlis-
band. Too essentially honest to practice de-
cepton of any kind cleveriy, LinlGy had
overacted the part of man whose mind was
entirely at ease. The most unsllspici0us wO-
man living, his wife was simply amused.
''How he does enjoy society,"" she thought
Herbert will be young nan to the end of
his life"
In the best possible SpiritS-still animated
by her successful exertions to entertain her
friends-NlrS. Linley opened the school-room
door briskly. ''Ilow are the lessons getting
On?' she began, and checked herself with a
start. ''Kittyv' she exclaimed. "Crying|'
The child ran to her mother with tears in
her eyes. Look at sgd! She sulks, she
cries, she won't talk to ME. Send for the
DOCTOR
You tiresome child, don't want the doc
tor I'm not ILL.,"
There, mammal" cried Kitty. "She nev-
In other words, here was complete re-
versal of the usual order of things in the
school-room. Patient Sydney was out Of
temper; gentle Sydney spoke bitterly to the
little friend whom she loved. Mrs. Linley
drew chair to the governess' side and took
her hand. The strangely altered girl tore
her hand away, and burst into violent fit
of crying. Puzzled and frightened, Kitty
ito the best of the childs ability followed
her example. Mrs Linley took her daugh-
ter on her knee and gave Sydney's outbreak
of agitation time to subside. There were no
feverish appearances in her face; there was
no feverish heat in her skin when their hands
had touched each other for moment In
all probability the mischief was nervous mis-
chief, and the outburst of weeping was
hysterical effort at relief.
Il am afraid, my dear, you have had bad
night" Mrs. Linley said.
bad? Worse than badr'
Sydney stopped, looked at her good mis-
tress and friend in terror, and made COLI
fused effort to explain away what she had
just said. As sensibly and kindly self-pos-
sessed as ever. Mrs. Linley told her that she
only wanted rest and quiet. Let me take
you to my ROOM" she proposed. I'VE will
have the sofa moved into the balcony, and
sou will soon 20 to sleep in the delicious,
warm air. You may put away your books,
Kitty; this is holiday. Come with me, and
be petted and spoilt by the ladies in the
morning-r ROOM"
Neither the governess nor the pupil were
worthy of the sympathy SO frankly offered
to them. Still strangely confused, Sydney
made commonplace apologies, and asked
leave to go out and walk in the park. Hear
Ing this, Kitty declared that where her gov
erneSs went she would 60, too. Mrs. Linley
smoothed her daughters pretty auburn hair,
and said, playfully: II think l ought to be
Jealous. ~ To her surprise Sydney looked up
as if the words had been addressed to her
self. You mustn't be fOnder, my dear; Of
your goyerness," Mrs. Linley went on, than
you are Of your mother" She kissed the
child, and, rising to 60, discovered that Sgd
uey had moved to another part of the room.
She was standing at the piano, with a page
OF music in her hand. The page was upside
down-and she had placed'herself in posi-
ton which concealed her face. Slow as Mrs.
Linley was to doubt any person (more es-
pecially person who interested herr she left
the room with vague fear of something
wrong and with conviction that she would
do well to consult her husband.
Hearing the door close, Sydney looked
round. She and Kitty were alone again !;
and Kitty was putting away her books, with
out showing any pleasure at the prospect of
holiday.
Sydney took the child fondly In her arms.
"Would you be very sorry" she asked, "if l
was obliged to 60 away, some day, and leave
your Kitty turned pale with terror at the
dreadful prospect which those words pre-
sented. There! there! am only Joking"
Sydney said, shocked at the effect which her
attempt to suggest the impending separation
had produced. You shall come with me,
darling; we will walk in the park together"
Kitty's face frightened directly. She pro-
posed extending their walk to the paddock
and feeding the cows. Sydney readily con-
sented. Any amusement was welcome to
her which diverted the child's attention from
herself.
They had been nearly an hour in the park,
and were returning to the house through a
clump of trees, when Sydney's companion,
running on before her, cried: Here's papav'
Her first impulse was to draw back behind a
tree in the hope of escaping notice. Linley
sent Kitty away to gather a nosegay of
daisies, and joined Sydney under the trees
Il have been looking for you everywhere"
he said. MY wife"
Sydney interrupted him. discovered al
ready!" she exclaimed.
There Is nothing that need alarm you,"
he replied. Catherine Is too good and too
true herself to suspect others easily. She sees
a change in you that she doesn't understand
she asks II have noticed it-and that is
all. But her mother has the cunning of the
devil. There is serious reason for control
ling yourself"
He spoke so earnestly that he startled her.
Are you angry with me?" she asked.