Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-02-21

my III nave uOut. llo WIS Us pd!o US
when he had seen Lily shrink away
from his clasp TO her lovers, and he
even shivered in the hot sun. He did
not move after Owen Ormiston had
ridden away until Lily came softly to
his side and placed her arms round
his neck.
Father" she whispered shyly in
his ear, don't be angry with me,
dear! You were never angry with me
before! Don't be angry!"
He moved so that his arm embraced
her. but said nothing. The tender
arms about his ne k frightened fondly.
II could not help it, dear" the girl
Unprecedented couldn't father!
did not mean to love him--I never
thought OF it-but it came somehow"
There was silence again. But
presently Aaron kissed her and
snoothed her fair hair gently.
"You think you do love him, my
girl? You think you do, eh?" he
said.
"Think, fatherP All, l don't think
/ known
He put his hand under her chin and
raised her face. 1t had never
seemed to him so fair as now, aglow
and radiant with limo ent newly
awakened passion, which until now
had been hardly confessed 10 herself
Aaron Blair bit his lip and beat his
foot upon the ground.
You're like your mother, Lily" he
said, in a tone of strangely bitter and
hopeless tenderness. Just now you
are terribly like your mother"
She made no reply, partly because
she was awed by his tone, and partly
because she rejoiced in his restored
gentleness. She withdrew from him
little, and for u few moments stood
clasping his arm. Then an awful
thought presented itself, and she
looked up.
"Father-Lady Elizabeth! II she
says MOI l never thought OF her
before: but now feel sure she will
say No. What shall we do thenP"
She clasped her tender hands to-
gether, and looked with dilating eyes
into tho sad stolid face before her.
"Oh, father, what shall we do? She
can make Owen roor-he has told me
so; he has nothing but what she gives
him. Oh, father, should ruin him
then, shouldn't |? And I'll nevet do
that! l couldn't, could |?
"No, don't think you could do
that, my dear" Aaron Blair's face
lighted up for a moment; he raised his
head and breathed more easily. you
would not like TO do that, Lily?" he
said gently.
"0h, no-no, no no!' She shook
her head: her radiant face grew sud
denly pale. ii couldn do that-pll
never do that! I'll nevec marry Owen
to burden him, father!"
She turned away, and went slowly
across the grass to the house, her
head dropping, her hands linkei loose
ly before her.
"She will never marry him at all, ="
muttered Aaron Blair looking after
her.
There was short, angry, and bitter
scene between Lady Elizabeth and her
son in The drawing-room of The Cot
scene to which Millicent Heath lis
tened in fear and trembling. She
had been quite right. Lady Elizabeth
| listened with intense scorn and in
crcdulous contempt to Owens story Of
his love for Aaron Blair's daugh or.
There was no installing the decided
negative with which she met hint
left no hope of future relenting. The
| 1, I,
voice, her eyes, was more hopeless
than any impetuous outbreak. Let
him marry Lily Blair, she told him,
looking straight into his eyes-let
him for the seco nd time in her life
dash down her hopes and disappoint
her in her old age-and from that day
he and the wife he had chosen would
be strangers TO her, as utterly sepa-
rated as though they dwelt in different
spheres. Let him weigh that and re-
member it. and, as he knew her, be-
lieve that her decision was irreyo-
cable.
With that she would have left the
room, had not Milly sprung after her
and essayed some eager words of
pleading and entreaty. With her
thin white hand closing like Il spring
upon the girls arm, Lady Elizabeth
silenced her.
''Be silent, Millicent! / refuse to
hear word of extenuation from you
or from any one! l am sorry that
you have allowed yourself to be in
volved in this most distasteful bust
ness. You will withdraw If you are
wise. Owen has heard my reply to
his preposterous demand, and will do
as he pleases. l have been a mother
10 him for fifteen years; he has asked
me nothing that | have not granted
as he knows. Now, il he chooses to
repay my affection in such a fashion,
let him do it. He knows the conse-
quences; he has heard me state them.
l will never have anything 10 do
either with this low-born girl, who
has infatuated him, or with her
scheming father. II he throws me
over for her, he does so forever; for
l will never willingly look upon his
face or hear his name again. | call
you to witness, Millcent, that from
| the 1nV that ha fOntpapta any eitch