Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-31

not. This magnificent woman seemed t.
hold him under spell, she was evidently
SO far above the petty level on which he
lived and moved and had his being So he
only smiled and answered nothing
"You have lost no time in getting youl
neck into the noose," continued the lady.
Again he smiled.
"It has not strangled me yet" he an.
sTered.
''You feel, then, that It ultimately will
do so, she said in the same tone.
'Oh, no, didn't mean that" he pro.
tested feebly.
He felt the lady's eyes blazing on him,
and shrank instinctively from her contempt.
All at once she changed her tone and her
voice took on a captivating sweetness as she
leaned toward him and said
"You will forgive me for speaking so
frankly. am nothing if not candid"
The young man felt greatly fattered.
This lady was, he felt sure, a countess, and
she was superbly handsome. Was it not
romantic that he, an humble schoolmaster,
should be, if only for moment, convers-
ing thus intimately with her?
There is nothing admire so much as
frankness," he exclaimed enthusiastically
Then let US have frank talk together, :"
said the lady. ''it will help you at least to
pass away the time. But you must come
and sit opposite to me. 1t hurts my voice
to speak to you at that distance"
He rose at once, more highly fattered
than before. When he had seated himself
in front of her, he raised his eyes to her
face Yes, she was beautiful exceedingly,
and the type of her beauty was unmistak-
ably aristocratic
"And now," she said in winning voice,
as If the request were the most natural
thing in the world, "tell me all about your
self. You must have history, and, 1
think, romantic one.
"Oh, no, he said, shade of disappoint-
ment in his tone, "there is no romance in
me or my history"
Perhaps not in your history" she said,
'but assuredly in yourself"
He drew himself up with the pleasant
sense of corroborated self esteem. This
lady understood him as no other woman had
ever yet understood him, not even his wife,
What an intellect she must have! What
knowledge of the world! In fine, how
great and noble creature she must be!
'Well!'' said the lady, after little
pause. Suppose you begin with your
name"
"Noel Pettinger," he answered, little
ashamed (not for the first time) of his sur
name.
'Noel is pretty" said the lady. Sand
your profession? Something very intel
lectual, 1 am sure"
He smiled with satisfaction. She knew
nothing about him, but her exquisite in
tuition had enabled her to divine at once
that his was an intellectual nature.
"What would you take me tor?" he
asked.
''You are so young" she said, Though
you are married, that you place me in
little difficulty. II you were Older, could
take you for university professor-not of
Latin or French-but of something modern
and interesting-science probably"
f.. "Alasp' he said, 81 have had to be con-
tent with much humber sphere. am a
schoolmaster.
"At one of the public schools?"
"Yes; but not the public schools you
mean. am the master-the head master
of board school"
''Oh, dearl Isn't that very disagreeable7
don't think should like that at all The
mere atmosphere would kill me-"
He felt humiliated. Till then he had
tried to think highly of his profession. 1t
surely must be (he had said to himself)
noble work to educate the rising genera
tion. Now the bubble had burst II was a
low, degrading occupation, only fit for COM
mon natures, else this lady would not have
spoken of it as she had done.
'fYou are surely fit for something better.
than this, said the lady.
II do not know" he answered bitterly,