The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-23

his lip, Wulkc Jcass Hdld now, WIN
her hands hanging at her sides, looked like
| a picture of fashionably attired desoation
Little Sybil alone retained her self-posses-
sion, and threw herself uncOnsciousy into
the breach.
81 saw you at the Grosvenor," she said,
addressing herself to jess with a friendly
smile. "In picture, l mean. o, do you
mind telling met is your hair really as long
as it was in the pictured down to your knees,
l meant"
"Sybil, dearr' demonstrated Diana; but
the remonstrance was in vain.
Its longer" said Jess, smiling little
| for the first time. "It's near down to my
| feet"
There was no use in prolonging this ex-
ceedingly unsatisfactory conversation. The
difficulty was how to bring it to an end
Jess had no idea of doing anything but
what she was told; and George, not quite
equal to the occasion, stood, looking the
impersonation of impotence and misery
1t was Diana who said at length:
"Shall we move on little and look at the
picturesF
| And then the crowd soon surged between
them, and jess was borne away by George.
without leave taking of any kind In Ave
minutes, when Diana again looked round
she had quilted the room.
| "Uncommon pretty woman said the
| colonel to her, but a little odd in manner,
don't you thinkl Not quite right, perhaps.
| That may have been the reason why George
did not want to introduce u.s."
Diana was thankful that he had taken it
in that way. But she went back to her
| husbands house that afternoon with a
| heartache, which she tried TO explain away
| by saying to herself that after all George
| was like brother TO her, and she could not
| bear to think that he was either descending
| to subterfuge, or making some great mis-
| take in life.
She was thoroughly puzzled by his be-
havior. That this girl with the golden hair
| was the woman whom he loved was TO her
absolutely certain "Mlss Jessica Strong.n
| JeSsica9 Had not Frank mentioned a Jess
| Armstrong in whom he had taken an in
terest2 Jessica Strong and Jess Armstrong
| there was a curious likeness between the
names. Had she not heard that Jess Arm
strong had mysteriously Disappeared
| Dlanas ears began to burn at the thoughts
which would crowd into her mind. Had
George been the cause of that mysterious
disappearance Was Jessica Strong no
other than jess Armstrong from the sluIns
| of Whitechapell And was she George
| Eastwood's wife9 or about to become his
wife9 IL not, would he have dared to
bring her to his uncle's side. and let her
| touch the hand of an innocent child like
| Sybil to say nothing of Diana herself2
thoughts in her mind until she felt as if the
world were chaos, and her faith in man
kind dream; and at last she turned TO her
desk, and wrote note to her brother, beg
ging him to dine with her that evening. Ii
| anybody could solve the mystery, it would
be Francis Helmont.
Meanwhile George Eastwood and Jess
had been driven to a house in Mazda Vale:
small detached house, with little garden
before and behind, house that looked like
| an embodiment of respectable domesticity
| Here George, who had scarcely spoken a
! word duriag the drive, handed jess out OF
the cab and opened the gate for her; then,
while she walked slowly up the garden
path, ne paid the driver and stood for a mo-
| me t contemplating the distant view of a
| wood yard, which was all that his eye
could find to rest upon. A minute or two
later, he made his way into the house AID
up to a small drawing room, whittier Jess
| had preceded him.
Il suppose 1 shall find her crying" he
said, impatently to himself.
But no, Jess was not crying. She was
exasDeratingly unlike most women, George
| reflected, as he threw himself down into an
J easy chair, and looked at her. She had
already removed her gray cloak and her
| bonnet, and stood by the fireplace in the
exquisite robe that he had designed for her,
the rose-shaded lamplight shining on the
| gold embroideries and on her "wreathed
and woven hair" She was quite notion
less, and very pale. Georges brow con-
| tracted again as be looked at her.
81 wish, Jess" he said, "that you could
manage to behave little more like other
people,"
II knew | had done wrong" said Jess,
meekly. 81 did not know what ought to
say when that old gentleman spoke to me"
You need. not have looked 50 fright
ened, at any rate" George grumbled.
"But was frightened
Enlightened of what? Everybody was
very civil"
They were all so grand" said jess, in
low voice; land they looked at me as il
I'd no business to be there No more
| handn't.n
| George sighed impatiently.
YOU'RE as good as any of Them" he said,
''if only you would hold up your head and
look as though you knew it. You were the
| prettlest woman in the room and the best
| dressed; and you might have made a sensa-
tion-if- Well, that doesn't matter now
but wish to goodness you'd never gone"
| 81 won't go anywhere again" said the
| girl, submissively. Two tears gathered in
her eyes and fell over her delicate cheeks.
| She let them lie there; she did not seem to
care to wipe them away.
| "NonsenseW said George, imperatively.
"You will go to great many places of the
same kind, trust. Why l wish we had
not gone to-day is because Of my uncle's
appearance. had no idea that he was in
town, or that he would care to be present
| at an occasion of this kind. And the Hex
hams, too. Who on earth could have fore
| seen itg'
He shook himself impatiently, and tapped
the floor with his boot
Its me that's the cause of all your
trouble" said jess, softly. II see that
Pm burden to you, and | never meant t.
| be-"
you'll never be burden to me-" said
George, energetically, ''if you will only
try to do what l want, Jess You know
that if took you to my uncle as my wife
now, he would be awfully annoyed. He
might cut me off altogether, and then
where should we be9 What want In that
we should go on with our present plan.
You live here as Miss Jessica Strong, with
Mrs. Fogg as your landlady and attendant.
| visit you from time to time, take you out
occasionally, and paint you a good deal
My dear girl, you will be a celebrity, a
noted beauty, before you know it, Then
my uncle may be approached on the sub
ject Of my marriage with you. Till then
let us keep things dark. Il will not be for
very long, darling, so don't fret"
I'm not fretting, " said jess, 'only--l wish
it was all over. Your uncle-that old man
looked very kind
He likes pretty face-but / think we
had hntA