Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-02-27
CHAPTER XVI.


Prince Henry-What pagan may thot boz
King Henry ~.
It Is no doubt delightful, and thing
to be greatly desired and zealously
striven for, to stand well with our fel-
low-men; nevertheless, there is such q
thing as Oh oppressive and emharrass-
ing popularity.
II Is not, indeed, the universal priv
nege TO learn this fact by personal eZ-
per3ence, but Allan North was fated to
make tho agreeable discovery. He
awakened the next morning to the
knowledge that he was, at least for the
present time, the most popular man in
x; and he was forced to submit
smiling to the enthusiastic hero-wor-
| ship that the tickle public is always
so ready to lavish upon its favorites-
Had his mind been free from any per-
sonal anxicties and cares he might have
found this an interesting experience;
but there were many matters vitality Of
fecting himself, whose Importance SO
far overshadowcd the political issue
with which he had become temporarily
identified, that its intrusion upon his
| thoughts and attention seemed like on
only to be endured as phil
osophically as possible for policy's sake.
Tho unexpected demand upon him
for o formal public address and the
necessity of meeting this emergency
had for tho time driven his own affairs
from his mind; but no sooner was the
crisis safely passed than his thoughts
turned more eagerly than ever to the
possibilities and hopes and fears which
the last two days had developed That
ono moment, when he stood before the
steps of the Clement house and caught
the fiecting vision of one who, if she
wcrc not in very truth the proud and
| beautiful Myra who had once reigned
royalty in his heart and who now lived
in his bitterest memory, was so strange
| " like her that the sight of her face had
thrilled him with sudden passion-that
one moment, full Of keen pain, of eager,
mad hope, he had lived over and over
again. solacing himself thus until the
moment should como when he could
change this suspense to certainty.
In the meantime, speculation was
rife. If it were really she, his Myra,
by what strange fatality did they meet
here in x? And why should she be
with Mrs Maynard? BY what curious
freak of fortune were these two women,
whose interests had become 50 closely
interviewer with his own, though he
had never before suspected their mutual
connection, thus thrown together?
Of course his reflections on this point
were mere fruitless conjecture; never
theless they possessed a great fascina-
ton for him, and even his satisfaction
ut having solved the mystery so long
envcloping Annie Dupont was quite
eclipscd by this fur deeper personal
feeling.
He did not, however, lose sight of the
necessity for caution; and for the pres
ent he realized that his professional in
terests must be paramount The flower
success, which he hoped to pluck, was
still just little beyond his reach and
surrounded by the nettle uncertain
ty; until this prize was secured he must
close his eyes to all other nllurements
even though his only chance, or hope
of happiness lay within them.
1t was therefore solely in pursuance
of his professional duties-or SO he as
sured himself with great emphasis
that he went on the morning following
his signal success ut the opera house tc
call on Mrs. Maynard, before proceed.
ing to Evansburg on his second and
probably decisive visit and give hel
some hint of the turns that affairs were
! taking.
| His walk thither was enlivencd by {
curious incident, which, however, he
might soon have forgotten but for it,
speedy and embarrassing sequel.
He had just entered upon tho quie
vista of Dclaplaine street, absorbed II
his own interesting reflections, wher
J his attention was idly directed toward
5 a gentleman in an invalids chail
which an attentive valet was slowly
nushinr nlorr the pavement TIL;
JOSEPH A, JACKSON, ARCHITECT