The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-09-02


"What for?''
'"To keep! To remind MOI
"Of my folly?'
"Of my own. p
''Your folly is over and done with.
Our engagement is broken of, " he saws
modify. Better forget it ever oxist-
ed"
II cannot do that" with IN irrepress-
ibas little sob. Il am waiting for those
letters"
Take them, them And he throws
them down Oh the table. Keep them
to compare with Horne's if you like.
don't CARE
How can you insult mo so? What
right have you to think me so mean, SC
heartless?' cry Indignantly land
you cared for me once, or pretended to. I"
II did care, care now. though
know I'm only fool for my pains, {"
bitterly. "Heartless, do you say? How
can holp thinking you heartless after
your conduct last night?''
MY conduct? And what of yours:
If danced with Frank, and, yes, fiirt-
ed with him u little, you were flirting
all tho time with Celia and Mollie, and,
oh, there wasn't girl i'll the room that
you didn't flirt With You know there
wasn't"
eyes, and you should know that there
is safety in numbers, he retorts, fixing
his dark eyes on mine roproachfully
But you, Maud, you fiirted with Frank
all the time, and no ono but Frank-a
very different thing"
And what was / to do when YOU
deserted me? Sit still and look misera-
bic? Thanks, 10. Really, you are I'M
reasonable.
"You forget that I did not desert
you, as you call it, till after you gave
mo to understand that WASH wanted.
You told me to go, and vent
You did--on tho Instant
And you blame me for that now?
Did you not mean mo to take you at
your word?"
Not like that, slowly. You went
oh, yes-ls if you were glad to go l
dare say you We're, but you needn't
havo betrayed your feelings quite so
plainly"
II haven't the smallest intention of
betraying my feelings for your gratifi-
cation" he says, with some warmth.
You have treated me shamcfully, but
[ see little use III discussing it now. l
don't want to reproach you for jilting
me. You've doneit, and that's enough. -
"Jilting you! Oh. Jackp'
Call 1T what you please, F." and he
turns away wcarily. "Wo won't quar-
rel about that. Celia was right, l see. "
"Celia?"
Yes. She said l would only make
matters worse if saw You. Ididn't be-
liovo her, butt
Celia tried to stop your. coming?"
"If you like to put it in that way,
yes. - with look of surprise. "But 1
thought L ought to bring those letters
myself, so [ came. A"
Cecilia seems TO have been unwarrant-
ably busy with my affairs, say cold
". II don't know, of course, what she
may or may not have told you, but this
L do know-that have never trusted
her, and that trust her less than ever
now
"Iou arc ungrateful surely. She tried
to spare You this Interview"
Had it not been for her it would
never have been necessary But go to
her, since you'd rather take her word
than mine, F" passionately $50 to her
and tell her that she has succeeded,
thanks to my folly and your" -
| break of, unable to speak for the
rising sobs that choke my utterances,
and turn away abruptly to the window.
Succeeded? Cellar he repeats moro
to himself than TO me. MAUD, what is
the meaning of all this? Is t possible
that Celia misundcrstood'-
'She misunderstood nothing" /
speak i'll Il dull, cxprcssioncss way and
without turning round "She is far too
clever for that. 1t is You who misunder-
stood and l. -
What have L misunderstood? Oh, if
you won't tell me, must go to Celia
and''-
eyes, go to her. What are you stay
ing here for?'
Nothing now" And he walks to
the door. In another instant he will be
gone.
Can 1 let him go like this? No,
thousand times no.
"Waitn' And turn impulsivcly.
"You-you have forgotten something"
'Have 1? And WHAT"
"Yonr ring. 1 have no right to it
now, rs you say"
81 never said so, but''-hc checks
himself" give it to me, then.
Come and take it.
mo, dear, l don't want it. If it is
to come off mt all, You must take it. -
''It seems almost pity, doesn't it?'
say softly, and my voice is scarcely as
steady as it might be- Ho makes 10 re-