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

| you. said Adele.
ssWhat dreadful play upon words, =
cried Lily s'It's bad habit yon both
haye--I'll fine the first who makes pin.
But now, Adele, about yorrself-what
will you do?r
s'Since you kindly put this house at my
disposal during your absence, ] shall stay
here,' said the countess, sit being per-
fectly understood that the expense is to
be minc.n
ssSuch odious calculationsl'i exclaimed
Lily, Struggling her shoulders, though she
was secretly pleased.
'tThey will make us both perfectly inde-
pendent Adele said. u have been
thinking over your proposal of last night,
and if we get on until il is time to go back
to town l have decided to spend next
winter with you, if you allow me to pay
half the expenses of the establishment
on no other terms You viii be mistress
just the same, of course. l only want to
make myself free and comfortable
Mrs. Laurence at first expostulated but
was brought to own that it was best, and
in her Heart was glad to have her outlays
lightened for she was an extravaganza
prss, and in spite of the ample fortune her
old husband had left her she often found
herself cramped.
ssAnd dare say we shall get On very
well, y she said.
ssIf we let each other alone,'' Adele an
swered, candidly.
ssAnd she's not handsome enough to-
bother,r Lily thought; for remembering
the brilliant bit of coloring Adele had
been in her girlish days, she could not re-
gard her present pallor and sad face as
ANYTHING but faded, washed out likeness
of the cid time. Since she was pink tinted
and bright haired herself that was very
natural.
The fortnight passed, and Mrs. Lau-
renee and her cousin departed with their
arks and their servants. They were both
sorry to leave Adele, for a woman who
has the art of making herself agreeable to
sister women is not met every day; be-
sides, there was a chance Of plying her
loneliness, and it is pleasant to do that
when one is setting forth in search of
gayeties and excitement. But Adele was
glad to see them go-not that their society
was disas,reeable; she rather liked Lily in
these days, aud discovered TO her surprise
that she was growing absolutely fond Of
blithe sensible Dora; but she was better
alone She was moody, and bitter, and
sullen; at war with herself and fate. 1t
was hard work to hide the fact and be
anliable: for play acting had grown a task
and bore. So she sat down in the silence
of the great house and looked her with
cred, desolatc, dead life full in the face;
lived among her ghosts reviled her own
! folly, and had a season of Walpurgis days
and nights such as are interesting enough
I to read about, but which are q purgatory
to pass through that might make the very
angels weep to witness.
On the afternoon of the fourth day she
stood in the garden watching the sun set
/ behind the distant hills, and every sight
and sound of beauty was o fresh pang.
! You who have suffered can understand;
/ to the fortunate souls who have not, a
volume of explanation would fail to make
the matter clear.
Out came the trim maid who had ac-
companied her from France, and with
many excuses for interrupting madame,
/ informed her that there was q gentleman
I arrived to see Miss Hastings There ap-
peared to be some mistake! Would
4 madame have the goodness to see him?
/ She, Cecile, had been airing herself in the
avenue when he drove up, and had ex-
/ planned as well as she could that the Indies
were absent; but he seemed so much an
noyed that she had told him she would
call madame, and he had hidden her so to
do. Cecile added that she had no doubt
it was the lover of the little mees. If
madame remembered, Cecile had men
toned to her that she was sure from hints
let drop by the maid of the little mees
| that there was such person, and this
gentleman was SO handsome mais yrai-
ment distingue.
Madame thought it highly probable that
Ceci1e was correct in her suppositions she
had discovered that Lily was making
Dora keep secret from her-as if she
cared for anybody's secrets!
She walked through the house into the
reception room where Cecile and the
visitor was waiting, opened the door, and
found herself face to face with Clifford
Stuyyesant
If the pair had been on the stage trying
for q point which would bring down
crowded house, they could not have made
a more effective tableau than they 1ncon-
sciously did during that first moment.
But naturally the lady was quickest to re-
cover herself; she was helped to do it by
seeing the surprise and wonder in Stuy-
yesant's eyes change into displeasure and
annoyance, She moved toward him with
her gauzy black draperies sweeping over
se floor, graceful and picturesque as if
she had studied the whole scene for
week in advance, and held ont her hand,
saying: ''How do you do, Mr.. Stuy-
vesant!''
He took it, grew red, grew white,
looked uncomfortable, tried to say the
proper thing, and was awkward and mis-
cradle. as an excitable man always will be
at such instants, no matter how much
training he may have had.
81 am so surprised-son--
'.And you did not know was in Amer
icaH' Adele asked, as easily as if his SEN
tence had been finished according to the
most rigid rules of polite conversation.
mo; | have been in Texas-just got
hack this morning; but you had heard
was there, suppose he said, making a
dash at his self possession, and ready to
bang his head against the wall with rage
at his absurd behavior.
81 had not heard yonr name men
toned, " she answered in the low, thrill
ing voice he remembered so well-that he
had cursed so often
81 expected to find Mrs. Laurence and"
- he hesitated
Sand Miss Hastings" she added
quickly; but quick as she spoke, she had
whole rush of thought first He was
Dora's lover now. Lily had kept the Sc
cret from her-perhaps hoping to enjoy
her pain by some dramatic exposure on
some future day. '"rhey are ut Saratoga