The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-01-12
AIN AMERICAN COUNTESS.

took holder ground--this was trial Of
his affection, and he was TO snbmitl
avfu you believe me, Cliffordf'' she
Believe WHAT That you expect me to
be q patient dupe-an easy, good natured
fool, content to let the girl who is to bear
my name compromise herself with man
like that, and say am perfectly salts
fiedss'
His voice rose as he put the angry
questions; It reached Nine. de Soissons,
who had ct that instant come down stairs
and entered the little room separated from
the library by heavily curtained doorways.
She stood still end listened.
You put it harshIy, y Dora said
.sBut truthfully you cannot deny"
ssPerhaps it is too much TO ask, she
100 nnuchfs' and he laughed in wrath
and pain more than any creature lower
than the angels would grant, fancy
She did not speak; he poured out tor
rent OF angry words, but she made no
reply until he exclaimed:
sstE'en me why You met that fellow
give me any reason; III believe you'll
Millsu
III cannot, J, she answered, gently, II
tttty-z1l t11ttt NSiib t14clc DSCtdttSu
it was my duty because / should have
been pitiful coward, unworthy to be
your wife, if | had not acted as did.
Once more ask you to believe, to trust
me Clifford, | shall never ask you
again
Do you mean that our engagement is
Mt ain ent-that you throw me over-that
this has been a game you played '-
stop, = she interrupted; s'don't speak
things You viii regret. / only say
that you must accept my word. want
nothing changed; but unless you believe
me YOU cannot wish our engagement con-
Nnued
And this is all You can say?'
siAIl. It is very little; but if love
means anything, it means implicit faith. y
Her voice WIS low and firm; she stood
there Id the dim light, pale, but very
calm; she had made her resolve, ard would
abide by it.
Your conduct has at least the merit of
originality, he sneered ssOther women
lie; you scorn to do that-you only insist
on my shutting my eyes and following
meelxly where You lead y
ssI tell you have behaved as any good
man would desire the woman he loved to
do; that ought to, be as conclusive as any
other explanation. :"
Unfortunately, am not good enough
to accept ftt THE truth, Dora, OPT
Clifford, Cliffordr'
cor we part, 2 he finished, sternly.
Before She could answer, the velvet
curtains parted noiselessly. and Adele de
scissors stood in the doorway. Il would
be iine to say that at the first word she
caught she rushed in to make her avowal;
but human nature is a poor thing. She
stood stin, and in those moments of wait
ing seven times seven devils tore at the
heart of the beautiful woman, and
stroge for mastery. tt she remained
silent the affair between the two ended
here. Clifford had never loved that
ehild--the old dream had power over his
soul still. His trouble and anger during
that meeting in the summer proved it.
She need do nOthing-let matters take
their course; happiness might yet be hers
the vision she had lived upon during
her homeward voyage might be fulfilled.
Nos Adele did someth hing nobler than to
rush upon the pair, and avow the truth
without hesitation. She stood still and
prayed for help SIS she had never prayed
In her whole life, while the legion of
demons struggled and counseled and
sought to hold her hack, and she con-
quered
Clifford she said; they turned and
saw her. "Dora went to meet that man
for nay sake. Those were my lettersl
She did brave. noble thing; it is only /
who was weak and mean. as usual. I
had firted with him in the days when my
husbands cruelty drove me mad.
called it right because ! did not
absolutely let him make love to me.
Now have had to buy my letters back to
keep my name out of his book. | was III,
and Dora went IN my place. 1t was a
miserable action TO let her go, but what
else could be expected from mes,'
ssYou could not help yourself Adele"
Dora exclaimed. II was glad TO DO itlp
You hear her. Adele said, turning
toward Stuyvesant, who had remained
silent, so narrowed by conflicting emotions
that he could find no voice; ssyou hear
heri And that you may fully appreciate
the difference between her and me, you
shah have the rest of the truth. | haze
stood IN that room listening ready to go
away and let you two be separated by my
wickedness; and where there is one wo-
man like her, there are a thcrsand like
mel Clifford Stuyvesant, go down on
your knees and beg her forgiveness, and
kxOu > likewise
Tile has my forgiveness Dora said,
and was gone.
She would see neither Of them that
night; the countess had 20 send this word
down to Stuyvesant, and he went away
hupiiiated, ashamed, vowing to be worthy
of the pure girls love, and feeling that
the half heart he had given was nearly
taken from her
The next morning Dora saw him and
announced q decision to which she held
fast--she would not marry him. Mrs.
Laurence was glad enough now that the
engagement had been kept secret; furious
with Adele, though she knew none of the
particulars Dora made ready for visit
10 Boston, and nothing could stop her
/ wish I had died a year ago. Adele
cried in misery. Il have ruined your
ssEeu have done no such thing" Dora
answered "you are rot in the question.
A crisis-no matter what--has proved
that Clifford did not truly love me; If you
had been dead, somewhere similar crisis
would have come Thank heaven, for
both our sakes, it was NOT too latei His
conduct has made me aware that my af-
lection was not real either, because his
doubt and hardness have killed it,
She went away. Adele in her peTi-
tence would not even see Clifford, and he
hurried off to be miserable by himself at
his old country seat. They might have
r..f5, -,r,