The Irish standard., 1892-02-27

Ol1ve was as busy as usual; out Wnen
he spoke she looked up He was well
built man, slightly above middle height.
and he was looking at her with pair
of thoughtful gray eyes, dark and
rather lethargic. he had a clear, gentle
voice and slow manner, in which, how
ever, there was not the slightest affec.
tation. Nothing in his face was re-
markable; the skin was bronzed, the
features irregular, and q tawny mus.
ache dropped over the mouth. Yet
there was snmsthing in those heavy
lidded g-ay eyes that made Olive thinl:
Of them again.
There was ledy with him; we'll
made woman, NOT beautiful, but dis
upctly thoroughbred. She wore
Jacket and gown Of brown tweed. and
che plain costume seemed to adapt itself
She too locked at Olive; and the girls
qnick ear caught the sentence that the
man said 10 her III low voice. It was
some thirg about Dante's Matilda, ''who
on She edge of happy Letbe. stood
wreath:ng dowers with flowers"
They departed and Olive went on
with her wrcathing. Often in silent
fashion, she talked with the blossoms
rs she pdnlxed them carefully out OF the
scented heaps before her, and confded
her thoughts
''t7o .be !i,r bells yendcr,
Aud gray he1iotropcs."
And they in their Turn breathed cut
fra7rant memories IT her childhood and
early gtr!hood, o. the plants that her
father and motte,. had tended in their
cottage garden; ri the May garlands
thai Hhe village children had carried
from deer to door; Of the nosegay that
Ei:hacl had brought her one summer
morujng, his first lcve-gift. Simple
memories indeed, yet they helped to
keep her spirit fresh and sweet, and
cherish her old love for the humble
country home that was Now so fer
away.
Nowadays, with all the stores OF
Uncle Wakes shop at her command,
she spcnt a great deal Of time. in book
world And the books filled her Anlnd
while her fingers were busy, and kept
her brain SO happily occupied that she
missed many undesirable things which
she might otherwise i;ave seen and
heard While she set cluster beside
cluster, she Thought sometimes of Fer
fiita at the cr-sheaTing, offering
posies 10 the Shepherds guests; or per
haps Of Eyslia, the blind hower-girl o5
.Pono peii. weaving her c}aplets in the
rb@ss~itsn fashian: or Of those heaven.
w flowers which ST. Dorothea sent 10
:.'heopIilus after her martyraoru. And
all the while the roar of the great
world was going On, and the endless
procession went sweeping along pala~
it'll Regent street, while one quiet
"a .idcn dreamed her dreams and wove
he" garlands in peace.
She did not forget Lucy Cromer, that
desr friend who had once sat in this
very place. busy with the same dainty
work that she was doing now Little
as Give knew of Lucy's story, she had
gue.,sed ait some of it's details, and felt
that weary, passionate heart had
throbbed over the flowers in those days.
Why had life been made SO bitter to
Lucy. and SO sweet to Olive herself?
WHY had the one been taken and the
othe, left? This bright girl, young and
und;s mayed, thought pityirgly OF her
who lad leant upon IL broken reed. and
rejoised proudly in the Sr11sty staff that
supported her own footsteps. The time
Of loneliness and leserticu was nigh at
hand; but She was happy and conf
dent still
Nothing Of Importance happened in
these days Of early summer, while o.
i've SGT wreat?,ing flowers in the Re-
gcut street shop. The routine of her
business life was seldom broken. One
customer, who had ordered. the spray Of
yellow roses. came in and wanted more.
He seem to require great many bou-
quets and sprays, and sometimes the
young lady in brown tweed came with
him, but mora often he was alone. The
flowers were packed in tin boxes and
sent to Steward Aylstone. Esq, Cecil
street, Strand.
II Olive hail forgotten the existence
Of Aaron Fen:ahc. Jane Challock's let
ters must have recalled him to her
mind. But she had not forgotten him,
and had asked many questions Of Mi
chael about their old friend. She had
soon discovered, however. that Michael
hated TO recall early associations, and
his answers were SO curt and unsatis-
factory that at last she dropped Aaron's
name Altogether Still. it vexed her
sorely that she had no news to send to
Jane. for although there had been no
openly avowed engagement, everyone
in Eastmeon had known that Jane
! Challoc]x and Aaron Fenlake were
Y lovers true. In village it is not easy
to do ores counting unobserved. The
birds OF the air tell the secret; the
trees whisper it; the stream babbles of
it night and day. Aaron's unspoken
love was freely discussed by all his old
neighbours; and poor James unuttered
hopes were the property of all her girl
friends.
Aaron Fenlakc had always been a
shy, slow fellow, one Of those unlucky
men who fail to express their feelings
byslools or voice. He had often scowled
!, I. 4 k<~c Ia