Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-04-28
The MartlGt Seal.
BY JEANETTE H. wALwoRTH.
CHAPTER VIII.

peats it twice, wishes you to be cupped
and sacrificed; the young men Richard
and Raphael look stupid and disconso-
late. Mr.. Lorimer says-your Mr.. Lor-
inner, of course-that he insists on your
either admitting him or the doctor.
The doctor has been to the house twice
in these two days. And the child Her
wailipg maddens them. They are not
used to children"
Nor to being bullied out of their
rights by children's nurses. Celeste,
leave the room. You have lied to me-"
This startling interruption came from
John Lorimer himself He had opened
the door softly, fearful of disturbing his
wife, whom Celeste, five minutes be-
fore, had represented rs abed with no
| decrease of the neuralgia attack which
| had rendered her invisible to all the
household, excepting herself, for two
days now.
LIED! monsieur?"
Eyes, lied"
"By madame's orders, monsieur"
with shrug more insolent than any
words.
what lie has she told youP' Nora
asked, laying down the pen she had
held suspended while listening TO
Celeste.
She folded her hands and leaned back
wearily in her chair. If he must have
n scene, as well then as at any other
time.
"She told me you were abed-that
you were suffering"
81 have suffered acutcly, in the last
two days"
And yet find you writing. From
the number of Uncovered sheets on
your desk, you have been at it for
| hours"
Il believe l have. Yes-hours," she
| answered, abstractedly.
"'Too i'll to admit me to your room,
yet we'll enough to write for hours on a
stretch! Nora, you must think am n
very patient man."
mo, don't think I ever laid that
| charge Mt your door"
lie had seated himself in n chair on
the other side of the table from her. He
had wanted to take her in his arms at
| the moment Ccleste's abominable face
had disappeared. She had repulsed him
| gently, but Enthusiastically. He extended
ono of his long brown hands now and
laid it over hers, as it lay stretched out
upon the pile of papers before her.
Without any petulant haste, she quietly
withdrew hers and locked its fingers IN
the girdle of her loose wrapper.
John looked baf1led and distressed.
None of the Lorimer boys were adroit
with women. Their experience of the
sex had been culled almost exclusively
from the staid, well-balanced woman
who had held sway over the old ma.
| hnnonU prO61n that hn6 Y.nnlyn1 than
all. He had n vague idea that petulant
unreason was a necessary accompani-
ment to feminine indisposition. Nora
was in pain. Hence Nora's incompre
hensible conduct.
He withdrew his hand with a dis
concerted smile:
GAS you please, little woman; but
am sorry for your aches and pains al
the same. Can't you think of anything
can do for you?"
Eyes" She fixed him steadily wit
her large soft eyes. There were blacl
rings under them.
what is it, Norrie? Anything in tn
world, dear, that can do, don't 20
know l will be glad to do for you?'
You can go away from me. You ca
stay away from me-until-until sen
for you to come back"
by George! this is past all reason
Sick or well, you have no right to trea
me so insultingly."
With the last words his patienc
seemed completely exhausted. II
spraug from his chair, and, with HI
hands clutching the lapels of his Goa
rigiliy, began tour of the room tina
resulted disastrously to all the imped
mcnts he encountered.
, 'Insultingly!"
She repeated the words in a sof
moclling voice, more than once.
"Ycs, insultingly." He came bac
and glared down upon her wrathfull,
but she was so small and fragile an
tendcr-looking, that his wrath melte
away into patti ut, bewildered sort
pity.
Mora, my Httlc wife! My dear lit
wife!"
= He leaned over the back of her chat
His breath famed her temples. BY IL
uplifting of one small white finger 81
might have brought the big fellow
his knees before her.
"Well2" She did not look at hiu
e She lifted no finger towards him
:. was an icy acknowledgment that 81
nGu nearu MIN; CnaC was all.
you did not mean it, just nov
- when you told me that you wanted n
to go away from you and stay until W
sent for me of your own free will. d
you, Nora?"
IL Yes. meant it."
And when will you send for me?
~ it"--hc gave her no time to answer, b
touched her soft brown hair with h
lips--"becausc we can't look our pre-
tiest with undressed hair and in o
= loose wrapper?"
Soft as her answering tones were, the
was ring of concentrated bitterness
them.
1T is because-I-believe I-ha
you. Yes, hate you, John. cal
- help it; there is no other word for it. u
He came around in front of her
see if she was not indulging her chi
ish petulance to rude excess. The
was no childish petulance imprint
upon the small white face before hi
instead, n hard passionless gravi
which puzzled and alarmed him.
had heard of these nervous complain
Jieor5nripU n xvouon,r ipta11aok D.