The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-08-15

dropped abovc the distant hills. The
sky overhead, the ground under foot,
everything green, the very rocks
themselves seemed soaked through
and through.
A chill wind was rising, and the
ground was dank and slippery, but
Percivals face was brighter, serener
than it had been on that golden Au-
gust afternoon when he met Edith
Helston for the first time in that
place. He turned as her footstep an
nounced her and went to meet her up
the narrow path.
81 asked you to meet me-" she said
hurriedly, because l have got lot
of things to say to you"
Lets sit down." he said. "See,
brought this plaid to wrap round
you. The wind is rising, and these
October evenings
She shivered acquiescently, and he
wrapped the plaid around her, took
his seat at her side and said, Nov. "
II made up my mind last week
when asked you to meet me-" she
said, "that this comedy of ours ought
not to go on any longer. 1t was a
piece of folly, but l meant it to end
well l was wrong. l hoped that it
would move her. And so it has" she
added half to herself
''You have something more to tell
mep
Eyes, l have. have this to tell
you-that l have played our comedy
as we'll as I could. Have l played it
well1"
"You have played it wonderfully, 1"
he answered.
Until last night" she went on, II
hoped it would succeed. Last night
l saw Lola's real heart, and 1 am glad
that it has failed"
lit has failed, thenl" he asked
gloomily.
1T succeeded, and have made it
fail. will tell you how, if you like,
if it is not enough for you to know
that Lola never cared for you; that
she is incapable Of caring for any
one."
mo" he said quickly, that is not
enough for me-"
The rising wind drove a few be-
lated raindrops against their faces,
and the forlorn cry of the plover
rang drearily over the moor behind
them.
Last night" she said, Lola came
into my room. She came to ask my
advice, she said. She was in a diff
ficulty, and this was what the diff
flculty came to: Young Rogers had
offered to marry her, and she liked
his mills, and she liked his fortune,
and she liked his horses, but she said
she liked you better, and wouldn't l
give you up to her because you had
been fond of her before, and she was
sure you would be again if I would
only let YOU" Miss Helston had set
her little teeth together hard and
spoke through them.
THAT was pleasant for you," he
said gently, but SO far it worked as
you wished, didn't it7"
$50 far" she answered, lit worked
as l wished. Then she said that you
were the only person she had ever
cared for and the only person who
had ever left her after caring for
her."
"And you, what did you say2"
what you or any one would have
said. told her that you loved her
that you had only made a conidante
Of me, and that was why we have
been SO much together"
"And she2"
"She stood making a hairpin red
hot in the flame of the candle and
running it through the wax, and
when told her-oh, indeed I plead
ed your cause more warmly than
could have pleaded any cause of my
own-she said, Then he does really
care for me-he has cared for me all
the timel and l said, Yes, you had,
and then she just said Good night
bnd went away"
YES"
This morning she told me she
was going to marry young Rogers,
she had been mistaken in her feel
ings about you, and then l under
stood her to the core of her miserable
little soul. She can't care for any
one, but she can't bear to think there
is any one she knows who doesn't
care for her. AS long as she thought
you were somebody else's she wanted
you. When she found that you were
hers, always had been hers, she
threw you away and took that Man
chester cad. l am very sorry it has
all turned out wrong, but indeed it
would not have turned out different
ly even if l hadn't tried to play prov
Slence for you"
well" he said Its all over.
must bear it somehow, l suppose.
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