The Yale expositor., 1894-10-19

lieve me. shall not be ungrateful
Tho man stood with bent head.
overwhelmed.
"And Fletcher. do not return TO
this house on any pretext whatever,
unless send for "a. What you
want can be sent after you.
He tnrned away. and tho man
moved like one blind towards the
door.
"Fletcher!
He came back and lifted his head.
John Anderson looked at him
earnestly. then he stretched his
hand. the man silently wrung it,
and then, too really overcome to
speak retired { o the room
Colonel Anderson went out into
the hall and fetched his hat and stick.
How desolate, how unutterably
dreary looked the silent hall, heaped
up with packages ready for de-
arturo, the impedimenta OF wife
going forth from the home to which
she had come with such high hopes
years upon years ago!
He glance up the staircase. that,
too. wds deserted, aud no bright
face looked down at him from above,
then with that apath which is the
courage of desperation, he opened
the front door and went out
Fletcher, downstairs, in what was
really the da kest hour q; his life,
heard the door shut, an1 by in
tuition knew that his master had
gone. and would not return again
till they had ali departed.
Mary, tying her bonuetstr trings for
the last time IN her dismantled room,
also heard the Goor close, and .ough
she was still firm, still mistress of
he self, since the hurry had been so
great. and the time for reelection so
short, felt herself quiver at the
sound.
She knew that he had been in the
house, just as he alwa knew. also,
when she was in, though they never
met. never crossed each others
paths. Or made a single inquiry
about one another, throughout the
whole three dajs.
Martha came in smiling
"Oh. ma'am," she said, master
SAYS Fletcher is to come with US
and he's getting ready now "
"He wants a free hand" thought
Mary with curling lip. perhaps
he is going u bring her here-who
knows. These smart ladies do such
disgraceful things"
Indeed" she said aloud, drawing
on her gloves lis the carriage
here?"
"No, ma'am. There's half an hour
before starting yct," and, perhaps
feeling her happiness to be indecent,
Martha turned and fairly ran out Of
the room Mary smiled bitterly to
herself.
So this iaugling, halting. unbeau-
tiful chain of married life was to 60
unbroken to the end, while the
silken thread with never a knot in
it, that had bound her and John An
derson together. was TO snap vio-
lently asunder at the first tug, TO
the scorn and derisio ion OF the worldi
She crossed the room and unlocked
the dressing room door. Bare and
meager looked the narrow bed, she
thought, uncared for and deserted
the whole place and does not the
furniture reflect the detected mood
of its occupier? and yet Polly had
swept it and Fletcher had tldled it.,
and John Anderson had slept in it,
for how long? She thought it must
be at least year.
A thin overcoat was lying on the
back of chair, seeming to take the
lines of his gaunt figure as clothes
do seem to catch the identity of the
wearer. Obeying an uncomfortable
impulse, and it was the first natural
one she had known for days, she
stopped down and pressed her lips to
it. Through the thin cloth she felt
the crackle OF paper, and though she
had never been one to pry into any
thing she instinctively drew the let
ter out, and stood looking at the
handwriting.
1t was Lady Blanche's and she re ad
the contents deliberatel ly.
Nv roor fellow IL ran Come TO me at
once. CIn nothing be arran ed;"
"Yours ever.
BLANCHE J."
fro RE CONTINTfED