Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-02-08

| ~ .uO AAooiIlSHI. lno mist was dense
under my window. too, on the very
grass that | had waded through a
compile OF hours before. As 1 looked
out shiver passed over me. and /
drew in my head with sudden change
of thought.
'.How cold it is! Mr.. and Mrs.
Rayner must be devoted admirers of
the picturesque to live in house that
must be so very dampr'
CHAPTER II.
was down in the dining-room the
| next morning, with the unfailinr
punctuality of a newcomer, at the
sound of the breakfast-bell, before any
one else was there. Mr.. Rayner came
IN IN few minutes, handsomes cheer
iui' put rather preoccupied; and was
listening to his bright small talk with
the polite strangers smile, when dis
covered, without having heard any
sound that Mrs. Rayner was in the
room. She had glided in like ghost,
and was standing at the table, waiting.
was thankful to see that there was no
trace OF the steadfast, eager gaze which
had Disconnected me on the night be-
fore, nothing but the limpest indiffer-
ence to me in the way in which she
held out her hand when her husband
| introduced me.
"She must have been pretty ten
| years ago." l thought, as I looked at
| her thin face, with the fair faded COM
| Plexion and dull gray eyes. There was
| gentleness about her which would
have been grace still, if she had taken
any pains to set off by little womanly
coquetry her slim girl-like figure, small
thin hands, and the masses of long
brown hair which were carelessly and
unbecomingly dragged away from her
forehead and twisted upon her head.
Then the door opened, and the serv-
ants came in to prayers, with the elfish
baby and a pretty delicate-looking
child, blue-eyed and fair-haired, who
was presented to me as Haidee, my
pupil.
Nobody talked during the meal but Mr..
Rayner, and the only other noticeable
thing was the improper behavior of the
baby, who aimed a blow with a spoon
at her father when he passed her chair
to cut himself some cold meat. He
saw it and laughed at her.
-" 1t is a most extraordinary thing,
Miss Christie. said he; "but that
child hates me-"
thought he spoke in fun; but, be-
fore had been long at the AIders, !
found that it was true that this most
unpleasant baby's strongest feeling
was dislike of her father. She would
not even take sweets from his hand.
-" Were you not surprised, Miss
Christie said Mr. Rayner, during
breakfast, sat the wording of my adj
vertisement?''
Yes, Mr.. Rayner.'
My wife was afraid that it would
brighten off many desirable young
ladies by its ogreish abruptness. The
fact is, the lady who has just left us,
quite typical instructress OF forty,
with prominent teeth and glasses,
nearly frightened our lives out. She
wouldn't talk, and my wife wants q
cheerful companion. Moreover, she
threatened to prosecute me for decoy-
ing her to so damp a place. So we
registered solemn VOW that we would
have nothing to do with boar an
tiquity again.
How could she say anything
against such lovely place9'' said |.
Wen, now, Miss Christie, ! have
sometimes thought the place damp NV
self; but my wife has got attached tc
it; haven't you, Lolaa"
Yes" said she, without a sign OF
feeling or interest
"And SO we remain" he went on.
''You must know, Miss Christie, that
am pennilcss wretch, dependent on
my wife; am not, Lolap' He turned
playfully to her.
mot quite that said she. gently,
but with no more warmth than before.
50 Practically 1 am" he persisted.
% She was an heiress, l ruined
spendehrift, when she married me.
of oh a.,
dition she would allow her friends to
make was that I shoald settle in the
country-out of reach of temptation,
you see, Miss Christie
He spoke with some feeling, and
looked affectionatcly at his wife; but
she remained as impressive as ever.
could not help feeling rather sorry
for Mr.. Rayner. He was always kind
and attentive to his wife; but she was
always the same, limp, nerveless, apa-
thetic, speaking when necessary in a
low, soft voice, slowly, with many
pauses: She had habit of letting the
last words of 4 sentence die away upon
her lips, and then, after few mo-
ments, as if by an effort, she would saw
them aloud. 1 soon grew quite afraid
of her, and, being anxious to shake off
this strange dif1idence, offered to read
TO her when my short hours of study |
with my pupil were over. She accept
ed my offer, and l went into the draw
ing-room that very afternoon and read
several chapters in adam Bede." I |
stopped at the esd of each chapter
waiting for some comment. but sho |
only said: t'Thank you very gently,
and. when asked if l should go on:
'Yes, if it will not tire YOU
Presently 1 found out that she was not |
listening, but that she was sitting with |
her hands in her lap, while her eyes were
fixed on the garden outside, with a deep |
sadness in them which contrasted |
strangely with her usual apathetic in
difference to all things. Still Tread on,
until such a heavy despairing sigh |
broke from her pale lips that l lnvol-
UNFAIRLY stopped short in my reading,
and raised my eyes, with tears IN them,
to hers. She started and turned toward |
me. 4 little color came to her cheeks; |