The Yale expositor., 1894-12-21

IuS bIiBnbncSS anu tllb ol'eii Mo NAON
out OF her. She looked bored by
everything. She cat little and drank
less. She looked unutterably wearied.
Very few words were spoken, and it
was great relief when we withdrew.
We went to the drawing-room, where
tho lamps were lighted, but not turned
on full.
"Come, Audrey, to tho terrace"
she said. "and let us soc the May
moon shining over the trees and the
fountains"
AS we stood watching it she sud
denly caught my hand, and with pas
sionate gesture / shall never forget,
she cried:
"Oh, Audrey. Audrey! is life worth
living after all?n
was very much puzzled by Lady
Latimer. 1t seemed to me that hav
ing so much money, living in such a
magnificent house, the fact Of being
surrounded by every possible luxury
under tho sun ought to have made
her at least content. If she had passed
through those magnificent rooms with
a smile or a sna Oh OF song on her
lips, or the light of glad content in
her eyes, | could have understood.
She seemed to have two moods. When
she was with the old lord, silence.
WEAKNESS. with q certain fine scorn of
all and everything; when she was with
me, of simple, almost child-like merri-
ment When it was possible for her
to escape the stately, gloomy presence
of her husband, she did so. and then it
was to hurry to me and beg that
would 60 out with her; AMI when we
were in the woods together she forgot
that she was Lady Latimer, and ran
after butterflies, gathered wild flow
ers like any simple country girl We
spent no RS in those bonny Lorton
woods. They were like fairy-lani.
The boughs OF the trees M overhead,
so that the sunlight which fell on the
green grass below became filtered, as
it were. through the leaves; beauti-
full brook ran through the wood, sing
ing, ripping, clear as crystal, so that
one could see the pebbles plainly in its
banks, and the green grass was wet
with the shining water. The trees in
Lorton woods were strong and tall,
with great spreading boughs, and the
birds had built nests in them. Surely
no other wood or forest ever held so
many birds, and surely no other birds
ever sung so sweetly as these. Every
kind of fern and of wild flower grew
there; great shcaves OF bluebells, OF
wild strawberry blossoms, and OF the
lovely, delicate meadow-sweet. II was
n wood full OF hidden beauties; we
were always finding fresh hooks and
corners. each one more beautiful than
the other. Lady Latimer loved it.
We sat for hours together by the side
of the brook, talking on every posi-
BILE subject except one. We never
spoke of herself. / had TO go over
and over again all the details and rou-
tine OF our home life. Lady Latimer
loved to hear of my fathers study and
his sermons, and how he visited the
sick. and how nervous he was If baby
cried while he was baptizing it; how he
cheered the old people, and how kind
he was to the young men and maidens
of his parish; how he loved the boys,
and secretly enjoyed the fun of them.
She liked to hear about my mother.
Il should think, Audrey" she said
TO me one day, "from your descrip-
ton, that your mother must be that
wonder OF wonders-a perfect woman.
She is saint in church, a help in the
study, manager in the kitchen, a
mother in the nursery and a LADY in
the drawing-room."
"She is all that" / answered laugh
ing, although my eyes were full of
tears that was my mothers portrait
to perfection.
Lady Latimer liked best OF all TO
hear about the boys their adventures,
their escapades. their desperate en-
counters. their daily deadly peril of
life and limb, amused her more than
anything else. She would talk to me
of myself, and what would Do my prob
able fate. / could sec nothing before
me but few more quiet years at
homo, then probably a marriage with
q high church curate; but Lady Lati-
mer would laugh and assure me there
was something more than that in store
for me.
1--WE shall see what those dark eyes
and that dark hair of yours will do for
you, Audrey" she would say. For my
own part, could not imagine why
nature made, the oldest of nine chill
dren and the daughter of a country
vicar, beautiful.
During all of those long hours, when
life at that vicarage was dissected and
| laid bare, no word was over spoken OF
herself or OF Lord Latimer. The
longer l remained with them, the
greater grew my wonder that she had
married him. He was so old, 80 dull,
so gloomy; she so young, SO fair, SO
gay. But no allusion TO her marriage
ever crossed her lips or mine. / en-.
joyed my visit. loved Lady LatiDer;
everything and every one was pleasant
and agreeable to me, and when the
time of my visit ended, l returned tc
the vicaragc. ] should like TO de.
scribe that first night of mine at home
4 how tho bows surrounded me- and