The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1894-04-06

The tears forced their auay.
even his strong determination to procee'
onward to the goal he had in view
would have wavered and deserted him
But the danger behind, the ruin of hi
reputation, lessened in his eyes the con
sequences with which defeat might con
front him.
He did not interfere with the expires
sion of her grief. He saw his inabil
ity to offer effective consolation, and ht
delicately refrained from speaking. Th'
sympathy shown on his countenance
was not feigned. He was heartless in
! politics, but his activity in that field,
where, as in the roar and rush of the ex
change, no man cares who else is driver
into corner if he himself comes out
on top of the pit, had not steeled him
for such scene as that in which he fig
ured in this quiet convent home. TWAS
the nun who spoke first:
Pardon me. MI. Raymond, she
said. Il did not care to let the sisters
see this outburst And Isabel, whom
am trying to hearten, would give way
if she noticed it. My feelings will not
pass beyond control again. And now,
since am so weak. do not trust Isabel.
She is less used to sorrow. think know
her sentiments. She does not love you.
She did love Laurence dearly, and for
the sake of his honor she will marry you,
but she would say to you that she can
never love again. To vindicate him
she gives you her hand, but her heart
will rest in his grave. brother though
he was.
~ accept. If she does not return
my love, will know no other living
man has it and will rest content, al
some day cause her heart to beat with
throbs responsive to my own. After
the funeral will secure the dispense
tions for the quietest of matrimonial
ceremonies, in keeping with the cir
cumstances.
Can we view Laurence's body?"
asked the nun. whose Lind reverted
more to the death than to the marriage.
The newspaper men will be around
until it is laid in the vault" said Ray
mond. II am going to suppress story
in one paper. Would you suggest the
secret to Others by appearing there with
her? The less said or done now the bet
ter. Then, again, if she saw him, she
would receive shock in the knowledge
that he must rest in unconsecrated
ground if bis honor is not redeemed by
investigation that will show he was not
suicide, no more than he was a de-
faulter."
''She will insist"
1.-The body will be carefully prepared
and will be temporarily placed in the
vault. In few months we will DO
able to place it in the grave, with all
aspersions from his memory removed
Then she will be stronger in the victory
she has won for him and can see the
body, which will be preserved as the
best embalmers cam.
Raymond took leave, and Mother st.
Gertrude went to Isabel to offer her
hope of reunion above--the only hope
she could extend-and to reconcile her
to that other union which was to be ac-
cepted as the only means to do justice
to the character of him whom Isabel
had idolized and Mother st. Gertrude
had ected-aye, revered.
Isabel had purpose to buoy her up.
She learned of the preparations and
agreed to the suggestions Of the sister,
while the action of Raymond in person
ally looking after the arrangements
the disagreeable features of the
1nion she was about to enter with him.
conduct was leading her to
he belief that her sacrifice for the re-
lemption of Laurence's name was not
\ little due to Raymond for his own
'acrifice, prompted, as she imagined,
ny his love for her and his regard for
he dead.
Raymond had already taken steps to
secure dispensations and to hasten the
ceremony. The ecclesiastical impedi-
nents alone stood in the way, and on
he face Of his petition and on the an
5wers coming to inquiries instituted it
'ould not be more than week unit!
ISABEL became Mrs. Raymond.
"Mangan can whistle, thought Ray
nond. Wherever he is, he can hard
y interfere"
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