Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-05-19
CHAPTER X

The days rolled on quickly, much too
quickly for Florence. 1t seemed now an
understood thing that her visit, extended
by two months, should terminate them
Christmas was paSt-the happieSt Christ
mas, Florence thought, she had ever spent,
in spite of painful recOllectionS. She never
asked herself the reason, and could scarce
ly have answered had she done so; but she
had basked in the sunshine of true home
for the first time III her life, she had rev.
elled too in the brightness of Philip Car.
rington's almost uninterrupted society;
she had lacked none of the comforts which
were so essential to her nature, though per-
haps few useless luXuries were omitted !;
but she never missed them.
She had had many good wishes and kind
presents-amongst the latter, a plain gold
hand bracelet from Philip Darlington. In
Der jewel-bOX were a dozen handsome
bracelets, mementoes of old times; but
none of these had given her one-tenth the
happiness which she felt when the simple
golden Circlet claSped her arm for the first
time. She had accepted it with but little
outward show of pleasure, beyond a bent
head, bluShiug cheeks, and a few whis-
pered nervous words of thanks But Philip
knew, when he always saw the bracelet
shining or her wrist-Often hidden, pushed
back under her muslin cuff, yet always
there-Without words 10 tell him. how
much it was priced. lie had been doubt
ful whether she would take it from him,
and gave it lightly, saying
!sIt is porte-bonheur bought in Paris
for Ethel; so if you do not like it, / can
still keep it for her; but, as it is, she is no
loser, | think",-nOr was she, for he had
bought her one of treble its value. "The
idea pleased me-"
Florence's hand grasped it eagerly
enough, if her words were thankless. She
held her wrist towards him that he might
clasp it on, and it always stayed there.
Letters often came from Nice disapproy-
ing Florence's present conduct and censur-
ing her for sacrificing all her pride and
throwing aside so lightly all her old ties
for new ones; and especially for thinking
in her present heavy mourning of joining
in anything so utterly incongruous and
frivolous as the contemplated ball at Full
ham. All this was quite beyond Lady Ra-
VEINS comprehension. If her ladyship
failed to draw her niece from her evil ways,
she efectually succeeded in spelling Flor
ence's first simple pleasure. The impru-
dence of identifying herself almost pub
licly with people so much beneath her own
station was, i'll Lady Ravens eyes, beyond
all censure. Apart from her own secret
pleasure, Florence could not deny that
there were germs of truth and worldly
wisdom in what her aunt said.
Could she have separated Philip from
the herd and placed him in her own world,
how happy she would have beenl Her
love was not vet deep enough to suffer vol
UNFAIRLY for its cause: it had still to pass
through some purifying fire. She shrank
instinctively from mixing with her aunt's
guests. She had always kept herself so en-
tirely from all their visitors that she scarce
ly knew who they were, but she could i'm
agine; and she felt degraded at the bare
thought as her aunt Raven told her, of
identifying herself with them. She was
disgraced in her own eyes by accepting
such incessant kindness, from people whom,
in her heart, she must despise. One only
was eNcepted-and, alas, he could not be
separated from the others! Moreover, he
seemed to read her heart closely.
Philip Darlington was not a man to be
loved lightly. lie had dared to raise his
eyes to one who was perhaps beyond his
reach, and he meant to WOO her until she
yielded; but, should she still faunt her
pride, he would force himself to forget
her. Meanwhile, as he drank in the sweet
ness offered to him, the sunny light deep
ened in his gray eyes and smiles lowered
over his lips. He coveted the prize, and
he would try hard to win it; but pride
was deeply rooted in his nature also.
No one would have known the Miss
Worthington of year past. Her cheeks
were now flushed to the hue of rose, her
eyes sparkling and brilliant, her dark hair
was tangled and fell almost to her waist
worse still her dainty hands were soiled,
and were grasping long ivy and holly
wreaths. To crown all, she was mounted,
1t seemed Drecariously. on a ladder and