The Dickinson press., 1894-10-27
~0e18ea7eQ a1d
~Uapors

man? What have you done with him
Where have you put hing
He paused q moment to set his face
and then he turned again to look al
her.
..The girl is gone madw lie said
"Does she think l am her fathers keep
er? Where have 1 put him! Have !
got him in my pocket, do you thtnk:'
1 had much ado to keep quiet, but
I did mnnag to hold my tongue. ]
had my eyes fixed on him, however;
as he again turned to go his eyes en-
coun,ered mine, aud. I Thought, fell
before them. In IL moment we heard
the door slam behind him, and Louise
sank sobbing into IL chair. 1t took all
Birley's efforts and mine to calm her
I think ! must have become very en-
crossed with my own efforts, for when
ut length Louise sat composed and
turned to Birley, Birley was gone.
"YOu will not leave me-" she said,
laying her hand on mine, It'll he comes
back:'
That touch precipita:ed feeling in
me, and the confession which l had
not intended / should make for some
time yet. Considering the highly.
wrought condition of the nerves of both
Of us. / do not think it is surprising
that we should then have opened Our
hearts to each other.
II wish," l said, that 1 need never
leave your side again."
On an impulse of shyness she tried
to withdraw her hand, but I kept 1t
and she let 1t stay.
LOUISE" I said, do you know what
that man meant when lie accused HE of
seeking to marry an heiress%"
Yes" said she, with hanging head
1.-THE beautiful head1. II think l do.
He said something Of the same to me
at Blackpool."
"And do you think" I urged, "that
IL l told that heiress how 1 loved her,
how I had loved her and thought Of her
from the first moment ! had seen her,
before l guessed she might be an heir
ess-do you think IL ! said. that, it
would be only because 1 expected she
would be rich n day."
"Oh, l do not think that at all. But
she said. looking up with n bright,
uncertain smile (Which was 40 winning!
so ravishing:-"but l am not All
heiress."
You guess, then. it IS you I would
say this to!-that it is You l love and
have ever thought Of"
She tremblcd violently dear f1uttered
hearty, hut I still held her hand.
II did not guess" she murmured,
until he made me think of it at Black
pool. Then ! understood why you had
been so very good to me, and L"
"What, Louise: Whit, dear" !
:SThen IL Think" she faltercd. 81
began to-D0 not make Inc say it!'
She trembled more violently and her
head was bowed so that | could not
see her face.
ITO love me a little" 1 asked. Do,
do say IT." :.
eyes" she whispered. Her face was
hid against my shoulder, and my arms
were about her before she added,-"but
not a littlc;-very much!!'
1t was some moments before either
of us spoke again.
do you Think said she. at length.
'it ia right that we should have said
these things at such a time?-when we
do not know anything certain about my
dear, dear fatller?:"
LOUISE" 1 answered, darling, 1
would, You know, save you the small
est pang Of pain. But l think l ought
to say at once, dear, that You must give
up the hope you have chung to, I know,
in secret, that o might after all find
your father alive. He does not live.
I am IRE now,-indeed. 1 nay say l
as good as know where he lies buried,
though l must not tell you more ut
present. All We can hope to do, then,
darling, is to give him Il decent resting
place. Then we shall go away out of
this terrible region of money-grabbing,
and steam and poisonous vapOrs, where
the eye cannot rest upon single
spot of nature unabused-we shall go
away to a place where the people IRE
poorer and milder, where we may see
clear skies and pure water, and trees
and flowers bright and wholesome.
Won't that be a welcome changer
and to get away from the constant
talk Of brass"
Thus l al Oh to tighten her heart,
and to raise her hope,-to turn her
thoughts, above all, away from that
subject on which she had so brooded.
"Oh, yes"! she exclaimed, that will
be sweet. Let us go-do let us go
as soon rs ever all things are settled,
and we have done something for our
dear uncle Birley! We shall do some
thing for him-shalr we not?"
We were thus talking when ''dear
Uncle Birley" came in. He probably
suspected the understanding he had
come to, but, like a kind and discreet
old gentleman as he is, he said moth.
ing then.
Wondered where I've been-haye
you? Well, lad, 1 have just
walked down to thy lodgings
to tell tn old woman she MAY
go to bed, for thou'rt to stay here the
rest of this night-the last night but
one, very likely, that l shall be here
myself"
"A tear glistened in his eye, and q
lump rose into his throat; but, after q
momentary pause, he talked on and
these signs of emotion disappeared.
We soon went to bed, but l think no
one of the three slept much:
In the course of much intimate talk
with Louise which I had that Sunday
l learned how near l had been to
losing her while she was at Blackpool,
where her vigilant duenna had been q
hard, faithful old German servant OF
S%teinhardts. 1t was only gradually
that I got to know all the anxiety, and
even terror, Of those days of detention
and surveillance, but that day I heard
to my horror that the poor. girl had
been so wrought upon by Stcinhardt's
l, presentations Of her duty to her faith.
q. of the Nervousness Of refusing ia
fulfill what (Steinharylt declared) had
been his frequently expressed wish
that she vas on the point of accepting
j Frank for q husband-when he and his
father were called away, the one home
and the other to London.
Tie knowledge Of this, it may be
+! guessed. did not make me feel any the
less bitterly toward Steinhardt.
CHAPTER XII.
Titanic T0naIbston
On Monday morning the whole neigh
borho0d was alive with the news that
Mr.. Birley was ito be sold up" Ar
execution had been put into his house
under a bill Of sale, and an agent OF