The Sunday morning news., 1891-11-29

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"You cannot in conscience withhold it,
after foisting the quarrel upon them"
"There is certainly something in what
you say" Liddell admitted slowly. 'sBut
you must not jump to hasty conclu-
sion. The matter is too complicated to
be disposed of SO simply. You disre-
gard my heroine. must remember her
rights"
"But if they clash with those of
Mary
at is just that the one at fault should
bear the suffering. And my heroine
was certainly not blamable in this case"
"Was Mary?"
'She took possession of a plot which
didn't belong to her."
''But unconsciously, and therefore in
nocently. Mark, don't you see? You
were to blame, and no one else, for not
guarding it more carefully"
Liddell made despairing gesture.
'sBut cannot take the consequences
upon myself Don't you see what will
follow? 1 must condemn my helpless
characters to death. / shall never finish
the book if | must surrender an integral
-
part of it,"
"You must decide for them or for
John and Mary"
Liddell walked restlessly to the limit
of the shadows in which they stood, and
then back.
my people are entirely dependent on
me-" he argued, while John and Mary,
by very reason of their independent ex-
istence, will probably strike some other
paths which may lead them together"
'1t is only a chance, and if they do it
will be what you repudiated moment
ago as patchwork"
Mark threw back his head defiantly,
and Maurice saw that he was approach
ing verge where, abandoning reason,
he would take his stand on pure obstinacy
and refuse to listen to argument or per
suasion. He was at his wits end when
an idea struck him.
mark, was your story going to end
happily"
Liddell started as though he had been
struck.
"No."
"You had foredoomed your characters
to woe and desolation on the last page9"
'It was realistic story, as told you.
did not dare to end it with the old
conventional happiness.
'.Then why not let them die now in
peace? They would not thank you for
prolonging their existence under such
conditions, and by yielding up their life
now they leave that happiness which
would have been but feeting phase of
their melancholy career as a permanent
possession to their unconscious benefici-
aries"
Liddell stood for few moments in
silence.
81 cannot deny that you are right"
he said at last with sigh. "Well, so
be it"
"You will never
"Hush! Say no more now"
They walked on in silence into the
ring of electric light that encircled the
hotel, but at the foot of the steps Carne
stopped again.
81 shall not go in. Do you care to
stay here longer?"
s'No. The sooner get away now the
better. There is nothing to stay for
"Then come with me and we will
| catch the nine-thirty train"
| "But you have just come"
''The truth is, | don't want to see that
Mary. At the lake we were simply lis
| tening to the recitation of chapter
from your novel, but now that you have
made the chapter over to her, our artistic
privilege would become personal i'm
pertinence if we should ever come to
know her Mary in the abstract is a
different being from Mary in the con-
crete"
"True. will go to my room and
gather up my papers, and then settle my
bill at once. Willyou come up?"
mo, shall wait for you here%
II will be ready in five minutes
Carne lit cigar and paced back and
forth in the edge of the shadows while
he waited. Presently two figures grew
/ out of the darkness of the lakeward path
and an anxious voice called from the
steps:
SIS that you, Mary? How long you
have been on the lake? Did you have
| your SAaWi.
"Oh, it wasn't bit chilly; it was
lovely" answered the voice he remem-
bered, with tender throb in it that did
not belong to the spoken words. Carne
sharply turned his head until the heroine
had passed. A few minutes later Lid
dell Joined him and they walked rapidly
away.
..Iet us take boat instead of walk
ing around" said Liddell gravely. 81
must bury this in the lake"
Maurice saw that he had a roll Of
manuscript in his hand, and with deli
cate intuition he forebore to break in or
his friends pensive musings till they
reached the shore and pushed out into
the rippling moonlight.
ssIt was about here they were, dom
you think?" Liddell asked after few
moments.
Carne nodded. and Mark, uncoverins
bis head. lot the white roll slip into fh'