Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-04-29
nd" he paused, shave you under

saws he, now. .'Dulcie, don't you
know why l don't want TO leave?-
why / would rather be an invalid for
ever than leavep Don't you-don't
you know?"
NO" says she, shrinking from him
a little, and growing pale beneath the
freight.
"Oh, you must know!" says he, We
hemently. "For a whole week have
believed you knew. Last Monday,
when you brought mo those Christmas
roses and l took them
and. Dulcie''-' ~"
He breaks off suddenly, and rising
to his feet, comes over TO her. "Dul-
Gle. love YOU"
.'Oh, no! Oh, nor' cries she
sharply, rising in turn and drawing
back from him. you must not. You
cannot Don't you know about meP"
''know about youP"
"Yes. No man must love me-" says
the girl, putting out both her hands,
| rs If in remuneration of all affections.
"But, why? Darling. whyP"
because I'm engaged to be mar
ried." returns she, with terrible
solemuity.
Being young man of the world,
this declaration might, on another oc-
casion, have given him food for
mlrth; being, however, a young man
of the world for once honestly in love,
it only gives him food for consterna-
| ton.
Engaged" is all he can say.
Eyes! yes! Indeed!' hanging her
head.
There is so little Joy in her an
nouncement-so little of anything but
grief in the hanging of her dainty
little head, that grand courage comes
to him.
"An engagement! What is thatp"
cries he, eagerly. can engagement
can be broken. Blessed thought!
Now, if you had been married-though
even so-well; but an engagement"
'Ah! you don't know" says she,
This one can't be broken"
''Why notp And-who-p Oh,
Dulcie! / think you might have
told me, before, something about il. "
1T didn't occur to me. says Dulcie,
opening her fingers in her explanatory
way. Never! not for moment"
What didn't?" in a puzzled tone,
''your engagement? But really you
must have thought about that some
times, any way; and besides"
That! Nonsense" says she. What
didn't occur to me was, that you were
WE'RE" she glanced at him
shyly and shamefaccdly, "well-were
you know"
''Dulcie" cries he.
ooh nIr1 o,io. nno~t tn,ob
me. IL is so absurd. You couldn't De
III love with me in u month, could
youP"
Couldn't II" cried he.
"Well, even if you could" says
she, shaking her head dismally, lit
isn't of any use. Father has made up
his mind | am to marry him"
"Who?"
''Sir Ralph Auketel."
"Anketell?"
Yes"
"Why. he's twice your age"
"Oh, no, he isn't!" says Miss
McDermot, quickly. "He is thirty
four"
Looks more like ninety -four
in my opinion. and as ugly as SIM"
al have read it somewhere that sin
is always beautiful" says she senten-
tioualy.
Then Ankctell is as ugly as some
thing else. He," gazing at her
anxiously, sis ugly, isn't hep
Il don't th.nk he is so ugly as you
think him." says she evasively.
81 believe you are in love with
him." says Eyre, somewh t sulkily.
Silence.
"Well, are you in love with himP'
demands the young man presently,
with open ire.
"lm in love with nobody" retorts
she, with crushing meaning; "but
fathor thinks it would be good
thing for me to marry Sir Ralph"
And he-Sir Ralph docs he know
you are being coerced into IL marriage
with himp"
Il don't know what he knows"
'lf he does he must be mean
hound" cries Eyre, with passionate
contempt
''Ho is not moan hound" says the
girl quickly. IL may not want TO
marry him; i may have been per-
suadod to engage myself to him;
may not care for him in the very
|
one of the kindest best men ever
met"
well, never mind what l have
said" puts in Eyre quickly. Her
sudden defence Of the man whom she
so plainly does not love has struck him
as q touch of nobility in her character.
He can admire it the more as it seems
to prove to him that love has no part
in her defence. 1.-The thing l do
want to know is--Dulcie! look
at me! Tell me il you will try to love
me-"
why should ] try to love you?"
says she, tears rising in her eyes.
.'Why should try to love any oneP 1
tell you am bound TO marry
Sir Ralph. and-I must fulfil my
promise.
Surely not, If you yourself object
to it,"
ITO what?
''ro the promise"
A pause.
"You do object to itP"
II don't SEQ that have any right TO
object, the promise once given" says
.h.. raStloavlv ssRut-I Jn for oil