New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-20

| Being well connected he had oDtalheu ~ ~ ~,
| ment cerksbip and his salary Obtained loI hlln
the pecessarics of life though little DeSonu Iheni
| Hundreds we might almost say thousanus on younS
men are content with this, ana II ueS oSoy %e
tain refined Measures because they are expensive
| content themselves with such as are Vulgar anu
cheap But Arthur 1orrington was NOT such a oIe'
Life it presented itself to him couat o
To him useless except inasmuch as IL proVioeu MIN
self with food and raiment and though ne n as
ears old there was no prospect in his life higher
| or better than 10 do this by means OF sitUhg al
| a desk with little unimportant business oeioIe
him which could be executed IN nan he ee yaor
/ allotted for it, during the twenty-five DeSO years
His nature was noble one and he shrank from
the monotonons idlenesS that lay stretched out IN
| wcorv waste before him. Was an immortal soul
sent into the world for nothing better than thls
| Arthur determined to do something WIN nus ne
| that would make il worth while 20 have nveu "
| when he came 10 die. He saved his money, at
| tended divinity classes and prepared himsen 10
| take holy orders determining TO become q clergy
man as his father had been before MN. ne nlauc
acquaintance with clergyman In one oil the worst
parts of London and assisted him as jealous lay,
| worker in every way In his power. Wmie eh9aged
in work and thoughts such these. there came 70
| him the news Of his cousins death; ana ON inc
| death Of a man he had never seen, and of whom
he had every reason TO think III, earth became all
/ of sudden bathed in a Hood OF SUNSHINE
Through the spring days of that beautiful year
| he and Maud Courtney were constantly together,
! for Sir Hdebrand had received him az helghoor
and as the representative OF iay VINO nb b
ties of friendship in the kindest manner Halcyon
days glided BY that mid all the chances ana
1 changes of this worSaday world would never
| he forgotten and if, as spring melted into sum-
mer Mauds ringing laugh was perhaps less often
! heard than of old, deeper happiness IMAM nai
| ever vet Shone there deepened the expression VI
Il was on an evening all sunshine and beauty
that, as they stood together in the rose garden,
| Arthur asked her to be his wife. 1t seemed to
| l. rf,l RI n
well-grounded hope of success she was gathering
roses to place in her vases-fresh, halfopened buds
See" she cried, holding bunch toward him
" they viii soon be splendid flowers, but they VIII
bloom just as well in water as out here, and Will
give me great deal more pleasure
They are like girls transferred, to new homes,
said Arthur, = and you viii see how much tneS
Maud felt little shy at this speech, and, in
stead of looking at him, kept bel, eyes :nXed On
subdued stole gradually over her face till she was
as pink as they were. There was silence then;
happy silence though neither felt content Mana a
would willingly have put back the moment sne
felt was coming; Arthur longed for II TO De over
and the prize She was the first to speak,
crisis which, though it would only recross he, her
path, she would have postponed Indefinitely mad
Shall we not 90 in pr she said timidly, and
turned toward the house as she spoke. ,.-,
But her words and movements only hastene9
the inevitable for it was then that Arthur wooed
that
1t might be q surprise to Maud tnat sucn
man should consider her worthy to be his ne
companion: it might be O surprise to Arthur ilaI
this exquisite treasure had actually become MS
but il was no surprise 70 the watchful father,
when his motheress darling came TO NM az
smiles, bushes and tears, TO tell MN tnat 1ne
words had been spoken by which her life was
no longer his or her own, but must forever be
devoted to another, stranger who few weeks
ago they had neither Of them seen or heard OF.
Sir Hidebrands happiness was unalloyed, ana he
m, atnlo tod mi
care which had secured to his daughter JOY. not
always possible to the high born, namely, love
@Of course" Us he said to himself, she must
have been happy with any good man who was
kind TO her. l would not have married her 70
any one else-not q poor John i1msen, unless l
was convinced he had sown his wild oats and
steadied down-but she is in great luck, for She
really likes Sir Arthur"
Maud's feelings for Arthcr. The young couple
were deeply in love. and life went by them as
holiday Sir Arthur rich and generous; not
wish or fancy Of his beloved ones need remain
unsatisfed Pendean was newly furnished TO suit
her taste her future carriages and horses were
perfect. and the jewels given her by her lover
bid fair to rival the handSomeSt that might appear
at the first drawing-room after their marriage,
at which the bride was to be presented.
In the midst Of all this present happiness and
these DELIGHTFUL preparations for the future. only
one uncomfortable thought occasionally entered
the mind Of the devoted lover, and that one he
admitted to himself was foolish, and that IT, was
ridiculous to allow it in the slightest degree TO
bis happiness. Still, even when Maud was
most fond and Sir Hidebrand most kind, the skele-
ton in his closet made itself to be remembered.
and pertnacousy that it at last expressed itself
in words as thoughts will do when they recur so
frequently as to become part of our idiosyncracy.
He and Maud were alone IN the conservatory,
to wear in her hair. He looked rather wistfully
into her frank, pretty face as he presented them.
a year ago, Maud said he, and had little
enough to do with conservatories; the entree into
denied Suburban
She laughed gayly.
think of? You poor, Arthur? To think of you
at a desk, and with only money enough TO live
on. Was not it wretched? What would you do
While was preparing myself to be clergy
man 1 was quite contented. L had noble goal
before me-"
Don't talk of being contented before you knew
me, replied Maud, with sweet little pOut
He give her q tender smile as he replied. "You
know what mean, dear | could not be content
row without you. but l had never seen you or
heard of your existence even, nor YOU of mine
And if we had met" and now his secret trouble
for the first time came TO the surface and clothed
itself in words, you would not have given me a
thought, and | should not have had a chance of
winning you, because was not Sir Arthur Tor
ringtOn;
Yes" she cried "how strange it all is. We
might have met and become acquainted and never
have given each other thought 1t seems so
| impossible, does it notP And yet it is utterly
| true
And if had offered to you should have been
| the most presumptuous Of men,"
"Of course you would Only You couldn't have
done it; clerk in the Woods and Forests-iust
| fancyl"
so that after all" said Sir Arthur quietly.
with a touch Of sadness and even of reproach in
his manner, " it is my title and property you are
marrying and not myself.
| Maud looked eagerly into his face. her heart
stirred more by something in his voice than by
| his words.
"But you know I care for you, Arthur" she
said softly. And l could not help the other y
And why could not you help the other?" per
| sisted he.
why, it could not have been it would not
| have done; it would have been wrong and also
| impossible"
" 1 admit it ALL" he replied, il could not have
| been; IL would not have done; il would have
been wrong and also impossible. and yet it hurts