Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-01-20
RETR1BU TON
BY "THE DUCHESS"
CHAPTER XIX.


still lies within its ancient breast 1t has
not Yet disburdened itself, nor declared
aught that might heal the anxiety that
RACES in the fiighty, but kindly, heart of
MilliCent Grey.
Twenty times during the day she had
approached Nadine with a determination
to fire Off all sorts of point blank batter
ies-meant to take the girl by storm-and
twenty times she had been driven back,
routed with great slaughter by the innO-
cence of Madness lovely eyes. No. she
could not ask a question that would
make her friend unhappy, uneasy, dis
trustful of the man whom, if she did not
love, she had at least elected to marry.
- the day wore on, and eventide came
and died. and now night is on them, and
once again Nadine is standing before her
glass: mirror that reaches from ceiling
to hoor-regarding with anxious gaze
the lovely form that gaZes back at her.
once more she would be beautiful
Once more she would be pleasant i'll his
eyes His. In comparison with whom all
the world is poor.
Tonight her gown is blue. y pale cleo
trio blue that throws into purer prOmiE-
ence the startling fairness of her neck an<i
arms She is lingering now, touching
her dress here, and moving flower
there, debating all the while what orna-
ment shall nave the honor OF lying on
her pretty bosom.
Some vague sense of evil had warned
her against the cross. No. she would not
wear that. 1t had distressed dear Lady
Vnlworth had whitened her face and
made her kind lips stern; some old mem
DRY. sad and angry, had been brought to
mild by it, Not only that first time when
she had given way to an exclamation,
but again that second time when he
Maurice-NIr. Duran-had led her up TO
-I,n / aIN- NDly
seemed panied. sad cold, unable to give
her the kindly smile that, up to the
wearing OF that luckless cross, had ever
greeted her. No; certainly she Will not
wear it-but-
There is the sapphire pendant That
lovely. sparkling thing that Paul, too,
had given her. and that as yet has never
graced her neck. True, he had warned
her not to wear either it or the cross in
common, He had got them through his
business in some strange way he had
failed To explain They were valuable;
too valuable to be worn publicly as yet,
until he had made his fortune and hers.
Too valuable TO be worn at Mrs. Brands,
for example. He had, indeed, made
her give her promise not to wear them at
Mrs. Brands, and she had faithfully kept
that promise.
But there. He had not surely calcu-
lated on the fact that she would ever be
herein such house as this Ii he had
known, he would have been the first to
tell her to make herself look as charm
ing as was possible to her. He would
have had her no whit behind the rest.
The very fact that she does not love him
has made her the more particular in the
matter of obeying him, and now little
pang shoots across her heart as she Won
ders whether she hal been deaf to his
desires when she hung that diamond
cross last night around her neck. Ger
tainly it had brought her no delight
no luck. 1t had hurt Lady Valworth, her
kind friend 1t had hurt Duran, too, in
some odd way. She could not tell how
exactly, but he had asked her one or two
questions about it, and had refrained
from praise of it, even when she laid it in
his palm for inspection.
No: not the cross. The sapphire pend
ant, rather. She lifts it from its case,
and raises her arms above her head and
clasps it round her neck. As she sees it
glittering upon her lovely skin, she
smiles softly to herself, and bends for
ward full of girlish delight at the beauty
of it. and tells herself that Lady Val
worth will be pleased to see her thus
bedecked out to do honor to the home
coming of her son, Capt. Boyle-this
dearly loved son, who, to Nadine, is as yet
unknown. but of whom she has heard so
much.
With a last lingering glance at the
mirror, that gives her back her charms so
truly, she leaves the room As yet 1t IS
early for the arrival of guests, and as she
enters the huge ball room she finds it al
most deserted. The fiddlers are tuning
their instruments in a mOnOtonous Iugu-
brious way, and one or two people are
laughing at the lower end of the room.
The lights as vet are dim, and Nadine can
scacely sec them. She walks quickly
in their direction, her heart beating
gladly with a sense ofyouth and JOY, that
no misery in the future has power to kill
As she draws nearer the laughter she can
see that her two or three have developed
into n group. Duran is here, and Gerald
Massareene: Mrs. Brand and Millicent.
As Nadine comes up TO them some of
the servants turn up the lights to the
fullest. and quite glow of brightness is
flung upon the room. Duran steps for
ward to greet Nadine. He says nothing
10 her but only holds out his hand as if
in welcome. In reality, the soft sweet
beauty of her has entered into him and
stricken him dumb The lamps are shin
ing upon her starry eyes, her red parted
lips. her face so like flower. The
dainty, shy glance, that half bespeaks
the prnise and half decrieS it; the lovely
kissabIe mouth, that would fatn say,
IAN ] not good 10 look at, dear, my
love- yet breads TO say it; the bent, yet
proud little head, the tender, longing
smile, all appeal to him. His hand closes
upon hers. She is his at this moment,
whatever other forlorn times the years
may hold for him and her, and with the
eager hand clasp he leads her forward to
where the lamps shine clearest-to where
all may see how fair his love can be.
He turns TO make some gay remark 10
NIillicent, still holding Madness hand,
but IL glance at Miss Grey's face checks
him. she has grown positively Gvid.
She was full of laughter just a minute
ago, but now mirth has died from her and
her lips are all SET and stern, her color
CHASTITY.
Take her aWay-anywherel Into the
next rOOm,a she says i'll tone of sup
pressed but passionate command to Du-
ran. There is no need for him to ask to
whom she aIIudes-her eyes are riveted
upon Madness neck, where the sapphire
pendant is resting calmly. Duran, who
is IA man quick TO understand, seeming
danger in the air for her he loves draws
Nadine aside and presently takes her out
Of the room. A little too late, however
Mrs. Brand too had seen and recognized
the sapphires.
The guests have all arrived, the ball is
at its height. Yet still the hero of it is
absent There is, however, midnight
train that will in all probability bring
him.
''It must He has never failed me vet
SAYS Lady YalYorth, with q rather wan
smile, who is feeling hurt and disap-
pointed.
MiIlicent. who has been going about with
n nervous distressed AR all the night has
been regarded as a model fiancee by ali
her world. Plainly, she is fretting for
her recreant lover. She has more feeling
than they had given her credit for. She
Is not the heartless, soulless creature they
had imagined Yet her thoughts have
never wandered to Grant,; they have
been centered on the pretty, happy crea-
ture who, with the stolen sapphires
lying on her bosom, has been blissfully
unconscious OF the gathering storm that
IS so soon to break upon her.
Duran had made it Il first care TO learn
the cause of Miss Grey's desire to get rid
of Nadine as soon rs her glance fell upon
her in the ball room. What he had been
told since by Aillicent had led him at once
10 a knowledge of the truth. He was al
ready aware of the suspicion about the
nifI,f