The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-04-03

| at is TERRIBLE" at last she said. with
| shndder, as the spray touched their faces.
| He drew her back further under the
| shelter of the cliff. He wrapped his coal
over her thin dress with that OLD tender
| severity.
Then he spoke without preface of any
II love you. Violetl Perhaps you might
have grown TO love me, too. All! dear, the
world is wrong for US both"
| But Violet lifted her face to his, her voice
| clear and unfaltering.
| She played her part in the strange scene
| with q sense of wild, throbbing pain. She
| was possessed with a passionate feeling
that she must tell him all before it was toe
| late.
81 began to care, too, from-from the
very beginning. There is no harm in say
| ing so now we are going TO die"
1t was so much easier, now death seemed
close, to speak the truth. The black stain
| of treaenery appeared far removed.
Violet had chung to him eonvulsively at
| the first cool plash of water round their
feet. Her hat had fallen off; her hair
| swept his cheek.
Dear" he went on, edo you remember
| that day--the first day | ever saw'you. Vio-
| let? You were sitting in the sunshine.
| with lilies in your hand. Dear, you almost
reminded me OF lily yourself, with your
bright hair"
But Violet was sobbing passionately upon
| his shoulder.
He kissed and soothed her as he would
| have done child.
g. cared them" he added, when her sobs
| grew softer. even when [ knew you be-
ionged to George. 1t cannot be wrong for
US to talk it over now"
Violet still cried softly.
| In spite of all her troubles the world had
been very happy one to her on the whole.
| In some things she was still almost child
and death seemed very terrible, even with
one she loved.
The night grew darker. There was water
now up TO their knees. Nigel felt as though
they we're being drawn downward by the
rising waves.
He spoke to Violet once, and she did not
answer. She had tainted, and hung upon
him like a leaden weight.
He began to feel as though his knees must
soon fail him. He tried to shout but his
voice was hoarse and feeble. What use for
the effort; who was there to hear? But
theE, even then, came moving speck of
| llght on the dark sea nearer and nearer, as
though skrting the coast.
Nigel gathered up his falling strength.
He. shouted till he could shout no longer,
and answering shouts came back to him
| over the water.
1hey were saved.
The first person who stretched out his
| hand from the boat was George Landon.
Violet was apparently unconscious, but
/ q
| tie family when they tried to move her.
LET her be-" said Nigel, beseechinglY, to
| George. LET US humor her in this"
So they were rOwed hOmeward through
the gray, chilly night. Violet lying upon his
| breast. George watched them in the stern
| of the boat. He was naturally slow of
thought. He did not grasp things, perhaps,
so quick as most people, and yet he saw the
way Nigel looked down upon the white face.
Somehow it dawned upon him that she
ia mot hall 70 hipnu u. haf
Nigel did not relinquish his burden till
she was lying on her own bed. Then he
stopped down before them all and kissed
her brow.
So many strange events had been hurried
| into one night that no one seemed surprised
at the action. But George, standing some
what apart, saw it, and knew that Violet
| was his ne more.
They told him at last that she was sleep
| ing TRANQUILITY enough, and would take no
| harm.
So he sat in his rather bare-looking room
alone. the gray morning light streaming in.
| He was still dazed with that look, that kiss,
stupehed, as it were, by an unexpected
| shock.
Naturally slow-headed, and not very quick
| of perception, the fact broke upon him but
| slowly. But once knowing, he did not hest
| tate; slow natures are often Mt critical
| times most decisive. Right and wrong
stand out to them in distinctive colors
there is no such thing as seif-decepton.
| George drew toward him pen and paper and
wrote in a steady, unfaltering hand two
letters-one to Violet, the other to Nigel
| Hayward. He did it gravely, and with
steadfast determination.
1t did not seem to him anything like an
act of heroism, but rather right and just
| that he who had always been to him like a
god among men should have Violet for his
| own.
So he wrote to Violet more like an elder
| brother that he thought it was better their
engagement should end; that he himself
| had fancy to 60 away for few years and
see something of the world, and would she
| and Nigel take care of his mother.
| While to Nigel he said he was sure he
would make Violet better husband than
| himself.
That morning, when Mrs. Landon came
| dowg, after few hours sleep, she found
| George walking reStlessly about the dining
room.
Mother" lie began. in his odd, awkward
way, mother, am going away. IL have
| broken of my engagement with Violet"
Mrs. LandOn sank back in a chair with
| an exclamation of horror.
The events Of the past few hours seemed
more than she could comprehend. There
was poor Violet, not recovered from the eff
fects of her adventure, calmly thrown over
By George!
but Violet-Violet wouldn't like itp'
she exclaimed, utterly bewldered
Violet will have plenty eff people ia
care for her without me. mother. She will
marry Nigel"
Mrs. Landon gave another gasp, and ap-
peared on the verge of Mysteries
George poured out a cup of tea and
| brought it over to her.
believe me, MOTHER" he added, almost
beseechingly. as she drank it. sit is the best
thing for both of US. Don't say anv more.
l was never good enough for Violet"
In relating the events afterward Mrs.
Landon could never explain the matter
clearly.
All she could say was that suddenly, quite
suddenly, almost without saying good-by
her son made up his mind to 90 abroad
He talked of Switzerland and ended in Aus
tralia, leaving his friend, Mr.. Hayward, to
marry Violet.
Mrs. Landon could not but cherish feel
ings of anger for George. who thus reversed
all her favorite plans. Size regarded Violet
in the light of an injured person, and won
dered audibly how she and Nigel arranged
things so easily between themselves. Only,
she was not sure, because both were So
| good and accommodating.
Even they themselves, in the midst OF
their new opening world, did not fully un.
derstand.
"He never cared for me, really" Violet
used to say, with laugh and shrug Of heI
pretty shoulders, poor George! or he would
not have given me up so easily."-All the
Year Round.