The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-06-19
CHApTER III.

1t was spring time again; but spring was
tardy and bleak.
The lance leaves of the daffodils were
only just piercing the brown earth; the
primroses had scarcely awakened in the
most sheltered hooks of woods and hedge
rows.
The plows were busy on the bare fields,
leafiess trees hardly yet showed signs Of
the new life rising within them.
A biting east wind was blowing across
the country. But it was spring, and the
sun was shining and the sky was blue over
head.
Dorinda felt the spring in her hesrt, as,
well wrapped up in velvet and turs, she
walked up and down the sheltered terrace
on the south side of the house-the home
of her husbands people for several gener-
atoms, and now her own. They had pot
gone up to London for the season, and
though most of their neighbors with the
exception OF the duchess of Frampton,
who was laid up by illness at her country
seat q few miles from them, had left or
were going to leave shortly for town.
Dorinda did not regret her own absence
from the great society world for which
only q year before she had longed so
eagerly. AS she paced up and down the
long stone terrace, her husband, gun In
hand, came out of door that opened on to
it. He SAW her before she saw him, and
his brows puckered into q painful frown.
AS she heard his steps she turned her head,
her face lighting up with that quick, sweet
smile which gave it beauty to those who
cared to find it there.
''It's jolly morning." he said; shut isn't
it too cold for you to be outs"
He was always gentle to and careful of
her.
Ppm tired of staying indoors" she said,
with faint touch of petulence. 1--WE been
in the house three days"
Il was a little dull, as he was out all day
but she had learned many things since her
marriage, the love of her heart supplying
the place of worldly wisdom, and she
never complained of his long absences.
'Regretting the London season alreadyg"
he said with careless amusement.
"No, she said bravely, II am very happy
here.n
She knew now that she was not to him
what he was to her.
But, though she had moments of intense
depression and heart sickness, she did not
despair. One day, if she were patient and
wise it might be different. One day, if
heaven pleased, there would be tiny hands
to draw their hearts closer together. In
the meantime, with what wonderful wis
dom born of her own love- and in which
not even the most flashed coquette could
have instructed her better, she never bored
him with too much Of her presence, and
never wesried him with too many of her
caresses.
But alas for the wisdom of her hearth
Mrs Thwaite had returned to England
for q visit, and at this very moment
was staying in the neighborhood-at the
Vicarage, tie wears wife being cousin
Of hers
Only the afternoon before, Underhill had
been with her. BY some coincidence, Do
rinda and the other woman were wearing
the same furs and the same tone of color
But Dorinda was not looking well this
morning. The cold had pinched and chilled
her, and as her husband looked at her, the
rich tone of velvet and fur raised up Wis :
ion of that other woman. who had looked
so daintily lovely in her winter toilet He
had never seen her look plain or dowdy
Every gesture was a delight, every act of
womanly coQuetting revelation. He
walked on by the side OF his wife, his eyes
dazed by the vision.
II don't think the London season was
quite as nice as expected said Dorinda
The pretty voice with its note of refec-
tive self-analysis. reused him. He took
the cigar out of his mouth, and as he
knocked off the ashes he saw that be had
bitten it almost through. He flung it from
him with an unsaid curse, as II 1t had been
witness to his traitor thoughts, and
looked down at his wife with guilty re-
morse.
"How was thatr' he asked. 81 thought
you seemed to like it remarkably well,
considering that you had been brought up
to believe that anything beyond parochial
tea-fght was snare for the unwary.
DO you know / felt quite nervous at the
thought of being even indirectly responsi-
BILE for taking you out of q Sunday school
and launching you in London ball
room.n
She laughed.
81 liked the London ball rooms. and the
dressing. and the driving, and theatres,
and the hundreds of other places we went
to-in way; but at the end of it all came
/ to the conclusion that 1t was disappointing.