The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-24
NOW FIRST PUBLISHED.
Blu MRS, OLIPHANT,
COPYRIGHTED, 1898, BY THE AUTHOR.
CHAPTER XXI

II ~ Aa NOlllE ArOtlb HAlloEAAs oldL4AANA
but not excited as by any idea of a new
discovery which could affect his fate,
who brought Miss Bethune back TO her
self, far better than Gilchrist could do,
who had no art but 10 weep and entreat,
and then yield to her mistress, whatever
she might wish. A 'quelque chose NAL
heur est bon"
He had been in the habit of soothing
and calming down an excitable, some
times hysterical woman, whose 'acces
des nerfs' meant nothing, or were, at
least, supposed to mean nothing except
nerves, and the ups and downs which are
characteristic of them. He was reused
by the not dissimilar outburst of feeling
or passion, wholly incomprehensible to
him from any other point of view to
which his new friend had given way. He
took it very quietly. with the composure
of use and wont. The sight of her emo
ton and excitement brought him quite
back to himself He could imagine no
reason whatever for it, except the sympa-
thetic effect of all the troublous circum-
stances in which she had been, without
any real reason, involved.
1t was her sympathy her kindness for
himself and for Dora, he had not the
least doubt, which, by bringing her into
those scenes of pain and trouble, and as
sociating her so completely with the com
plicated and intricate story, had brought
on this attack"
What he had known to be Characters
tic of the one woman with whom he had
been in familiar intercourse for so long a
period of his life seemed to Harry char
acteristic of all women. He was quite
equarto the occasion. DIR. Roland him
self, who would have been so full of pro-
fessional curiosity, so anxious to make
out what it was all about, as perhaps to
lesson his promptitude in action would
scarcely have been of so much real use
as Harry, who had ''arriere pensee," but
addressed himself to the immediate
emergency with all his might. He
soothed the sufferer, so that he was soon
relieved by eopious foods of tears, which
seemed to him the natural method of
getting rid of all that emotion and excite
ment, but which surprised GilcArist be-
yond description, and even Miss Bethune
herself, whose complete breakdown was
so unusual and unlike her.
He left her quite at ease in his mind
as to her condition, having persuaded her
to lie down, and recommended Gilchrist
to darken the room and keep her mis-
tress in perfect quiet.
u will go and look after my things" he
said, land I'll come back when l have
made all my arrangements, and tell you
everything. Oh, don't speak now You
will be all right in the evening if you
keep quiet now, aud if you will give me
your advice then, it will be very, very
grateful to me-" He made little warn
ing gesture, keeping her from replying,
and then kissed her hand and went away
He had himself pulled down the blind
to subdue little the garish July daylight,
and placed her on sofa in the corner
ministrations which both mistress and
maid permitted with bewilderment, so
strange to them was at once the care and
the authority of such proceedings They
remained, Miss Bethune on the sofa, Gil
| christ, open-mouthed, staring at her,
until the door was heard to close upon the
young man. Then Miss Bethune rose
slowly, with a kind of awe in her face.
las soon as you think he is out of
sight, she said, "Gilchrist, Wen have
up the blinds again, but not veesibly, to
go against the boy"
"Eh, men," cried Gilchrist, between
! laughing and crying, 'to bid me darken
| the room and you that Gamma abide the
dark, night or day."
ut was a sweet thought, Gilchris t.
all the pure goodness of him and the
| kind heart"
81 am not saying, mem, but what the
| young gentleman has very kind heart "
You are not sayings And what can
! you know beyond what's veesible to
| every person that sees him2 1t is more
biAuA OAlhbs NNAlOuLAoba gOu anu dill bilG
| rest, what do l care what you SAVE If
that is not the voice of nature, what is
there TO. trust to in this whole world2
| Why should that young lad, bred up so
| different, knowing nothing of me or my
ways have taken to mel Look at Dora.
| What difference! She has no instinct
nothing drawing her to her poor mother
That was most misfortunate woman
but not an i'll woman, Gilchrist. Look
| how she has dnnn nv rnipnf INT
has no leaning towards her, no tender
thought; whereas he, my bonnie boy
| MEN, said Gilchrist, "but if it was the
voice of nature, it would be double strong
in Miss Dora; for there is no doubt that
1t was her mother, and with this, oh, my
bonnie Teddy, you ken yourself
Miss Bethune gave her faithful servant
a look of flame, and going to the win
dows, drew up energetically the blinds
making the springs resound. Then she
said in her most satirical tone: "And
what is it l ken myser2"
"Oh, men," said Gilchrist, "there' sa
| the evidence, first his ain story, and theI
the leddy's, that convinced ye for a mo
ment; and then, what is most of a, the
old gentleman, the writer, one of then
that kens everything-of the father thai
died so many long years ago, and the baby
before him"
Miss Bethune put up her hands to hel
ears, she stamped her foot upon the
ground. "How dare yellow dare YEP
she cried. EITHER man or woman thai
repeats that fool story to me is no FRIEND
of mine. My child, that I've felt in my
heart growing up, and seen him boy anC
mani What's that old mans word-i
stranger that knows nothing, that haC
even forgotten what he was put up t
say-in comparison with what's in my
heart Is there such thing as nature
or nos Is mother just like any othel
person, no better, rather worse9 Oh
| woman! you that are womanl and NJ
call to be rigid with your evidence like
man-what's your evidence to me} l will
just tell him when he comes back. MY
bonnie man. will say, you have beer
driven here and there in this world, anc
them liked best have failed you: but here
is the place where you belong, and here /.
a love that will never fail"
"Oh. my dear Teddy, my own mistress, 3
cried Gilchrist, "think-think before yol
do that He will ask We for the evidence
if l am not to ask for it. He's a fine, in
dependent-spirited young gentleman, ant
he will just shake his head, and say he'll
lippen to nobody again Oh, dinna de
ceive the young mani Ye might find GU
| after-n
what, Gilchrist3 Do you think
would change my mind about my owl
son, and abandon him, like this woman
at the last2"
- Y