Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-03-20
CHAPTER NV.

HOW THEY WERE LOST IL TIE STOII.
From the Albemarle TO Wallic's house
was not a long distance. but it had be
gun TO snow, and the keen northcrlv
wind drove the flakes straight into the
faces Of the pedestrians and afforded
Wallie a good excuse for keeping his
mouth shut, or opening it only FOR mono
syllable answers to the questions which
I'd from time to time addressed to him.
With all his pains he had undoubtedly
bungled tho interview with the Russian
| star-just at the iunCture. too, when he
was beginning to entertain the best
| hopes OF success. How swiftly and eff
fectively she had turned the tables upon
him, What terrible versatility and self
command She had! With what wicked
roguishneSs had she fired that parting
taunt at him about his motive in es-
! pousing her rivals cause AT any rate
I'm glad let her have the last word!'
said WGllio to himself; but that was
somewhat cold comfort.
He left Ell in the drawing room and
went 10 find Mrs, Cadwaladcr and
Beatrix. lie sent the latter to her
brother and remained in conference with
| the former
| Beatrix came softly into the drawing
room and saw Edward standing near the
farther end Of it with his back toward
/ her. She paused, and remained motion
less. gazing at him. Her heart went out
toward him, and yet she shrauk from
| him. She wished to be in full sympathy
with him, but Mariana seemed to stand
| ls,twevn them. For when She had
learned from Geoffrcy's letter to Walle
/ that Mariana was Eds companion she
| had been forced to the conclusion that
/ the rotation between them must be an
unlawful one, and the circumstance that
Mariana, rather than any other woman,
should he the person holding this posi-
ton had affected her with peculiar
| horror. There seemed to be something
Wantonly repuguant in it. She might
have prevented herself from definitely
realizing the fact had IL stranger to her
self been involved; hut Mariana. she
had lived under her name and occupied
her place so long Us to make her feel
that She was il some way personally
mixed up in the catastrophe.
In few moments IA turned round
and saw his sister.
The personal magnetism Of eye to eye
with those who are really dear to each
other Overcomes, for the time being, all
scruples and recoilings. When, there
fore, her brother gave glad start. and
stepped toward Beatrix with an inartlcu-
late exclamation of affection, she forgot
everything except That he was her
brother, with whom she had spent her
childhood, who had cut his initials or
the banister of the old staircase, whose
white roses she had worn on her bosom
until within tho last few months, by
whose side she had ridden, and in whose
company she had ransacked the woods;
she found herself with her arms round
his neck. kissing him, smiling with wet
checks, and murmuring: Dear Ed! dear,
darling boy! Oh, am so glad to have
you again!"
How well you are looking, sisr' he
said ut length, taking her by the elbows
and looking at her. She was, indeed,
beautifully dressed, and her face was
rosy with the emotion Of the moment,
and, passion aside, he cared more for her
than for any one else, but he had not
the eyes to discern the traces Of fatigue
and anxiety on her face; it takes lover
to do that. When man looks at his sis
ter he thinks of the past; when he looks
at his mistress he thinks of the present
and tho future.
why, but you're a great swell now
aren't your Ed continued laughingly
Ills temperament varied quickly, ant
without any moral reason, between ex
tremes of depression and joviality. :"
had no idea my little sis was going rc
come out on the top Of the heap this way