The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-08-07

uOur VI YOUR uitulflueQ dULeQL1On."
"You have, nevertheless, amused your.
SELF" 0
eyes. You asked me to take her Of,
your hands for time, and have taken
care to give me every opportunity. You
have told herr"
Il have not supposed it necessary"
1T is necessary. You will tell her to-
night"
"And your"
1T is not subject care to allude to.
shall be silent, provided you promise
she shall know"
II will make my opportunity"
The days passed, and every morning
| the dark eyes met the sun more gladly,
and every night the red lips parted in
more tender fashion on repeating his
| name.
LADY Katharine watched her closely.
"All goes WE'LL" she murmured still, and
at last she made her opportunity.
Thirltown was en- fete for Easter, and
Lady Katharine Dyson gave ball at the
park. Marina's first ball; new delight
of the enchanted region into which she
had entered that wild March morning.
1.-THE incarnation Of spring." said
Heathcote, moved almost to poetic fancy
by the sight of her radiant face.
perhaps. But spring is capricious,
and chills with cutting breath when
most we are rejoicing in her beauty"
said Katharine, hating the child yet
more.
"My little SIREN" whispered Denis as
he and Marina glided past.
ITO lure men to destruction? Say
rather
81 will say nothing beyond this rich
praise, that you alone are you"
Poor little butterfly, basking in such
sun rays of speech, believing the flowers
would never fade or the magic light
grow dim.
Heathcote, with blind pertinacity, re-
fused to be discouraged. His chance
was surely good one; he would put it
to the test at once. Katharine, divining
his intention, felt that the hour of her
triumph drew near. "She will refuse
him, and he will come to me then, and
will learn to care more than ever he
cared before. 1t is the way of men. /
have tricked her into it; have done
well, and now
Marina danced on, innocent, beauti-
full, happy. This hour of delight was
the crown of her seventeen years, and
life was very fair. Sir Denis scarcely
left her side; he found her strangely in
teresting, more SO than he cared to con-
fess. Was child like this to snare him
into loves sweet folly? he asked himself.
Bah! he would spend this evening with
her, and he would leave her forever to-
morrow-perhaps. Heathcote claimed
her at last, but she hardly noticed his
remarks, till his earnest declaration and
proposal reused her from her abstrac-
ton. Dismay overpowered her; she 70
fused to listen. "Not tonight, not to-
night" she cried incoherently. She could
not bring pain into this perfect hour.
She moved away slightly, with flushed
face and tear dimmed eyes. Lady
Katharine saw the gesture, and, think
ing her work was done, stepped forward
unnoticed.
Marina, may take. you off for few
minutes? l want to introduce you to
some people,"
Marina gladly suffered herself to be
led away. They met Sir Denis.
"My dance"
mo; Lady Katharine wants me-"
"The next, them"
eyes, the next"
A backward look and glad smile as
they moved on into small boudoir
Lady Katharine fastened the door. Then
she drew the child to her.
'tMarina, want to speak to you
quietly. You are very young, dear; your
ignorance of the worlds ways is pretty.
You hardly seem to understand the rules
of society"
Marina glanced up wonderingly.
"You have no mother, dear, and must
not quarrel with me for giving word
of warning. Really, my child, l must
ask you to be more careful, and not
dance quite SO often with Sir Denis"
''Is that all?" laughed Marina softly;
81 thought must have done something
very dreadful"
But she drew apart while speaking,
and shivered slightly.
81 have not been with him more than
usual, have II"
'But this is SO public; and, my dear,
/ he is a terrible firt."
eyes"
Then Lady Katharine lost her temper.
Don't stand there so calmly and think
you can carry on as you like, and make
fool of such man as Arthur Heath
cote with impunity. Bahl you little
fool; you have been played with like a
doll, as many another has been before
you. Ask your gay lover when he last
saw his wife. Badly as he treats her,
she may claim little respect, and it is
not decent to see you flirting publicly
like this with him. I tell you he is
married man."
81 know it,"
Not a tremor, not a movement sug-
gusted the agony of the child standing
with head erect, facing her foe, and act
ing the lie SO bravely that her listener
was foiled. She had meant to crush
this beautiful little being to the earth;
and, behold the. blow seemed to have
glanced harmlessly aside.
"You knew it? And are you not
ashamed-you, who pretend to be so in
nocent, SO far above the vanities of Iife?"
Pardon, Lady Katharine. How often
have you not tried to instill into me some
of the worlds righteous doctrines? And
is it not one of its first articles of belief
that marriage opens the golden gate to
Irritation? You yourself-would you be
SO very angry if some one were to firt
just a little with a married woman"
The shot told, but Marina only no
ticed it with sort of pity. She used
her weapons of self defense with a heavy
heart; she longed for escape-for death;
but her voice never faltered.
ut is different altogether" cried Kath-
arine wrathfully. "a married woman
may do as she likes; but for young
girl to lead man on SO disgracefully is
abominablep
1--WE have only been amusing each
other, Lady Katharine. There is no
harm done," said Marina, with little
laugh. Besides, / have only forestalled
my privileges slightly. l shall very soon
be married to Mr.. Heathcote, and then,
you see, can do as / like"
The elder woman caught her by the
arm in frenzy of rage. at is false!
You are lying to me. You have refused
him?"
GfIo l,o,xo ooao.D4o5 L.. % II,