Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-10-24
NONSUITED.

att is no use, Edith. We can never be
more to each other than we are now. We
arc both pcnniless, and In addition am
up to the collar bone in debt"
"But-but you love mef" she asked
tinidly.
"Lovel Bah! What is lover A nonsen-
steal caprice. Born today, dead tomorrow.
Perhaps ! did love you once, but-weil,
one can't live ON sentiment One day our
feelings lead us astray; next stern circum-
stance compels us to be more philossphic-
al. We have both been wrong-you Tor
loving me, and for being foolish enough
to encourage it. But Edith, our clandes-
tine courtship must cease from tonight.
You are but the governess, you know,
while well, society expects great things
from me- You must see how absurd
thought marriage is for us.
'tAbsuri'' she murmured, scarcely
realizing that such leyity and cruelty we're
possible from the man to whom sho had
confided her trust some months before.
Eyes, utterly absurd Now, be sensible.
Look at the matter in reasonable light.
don't want to hurt your feelings, you
know, but you are aware that your posi-
ridicule the idea of marriage between us.
OF course you will always have a friend
in me- shall always be glad to advise,
and''-
''Frank!" she interrupted.
ssDon't be hysterical, Edith. There's
really no need for any fuss, you know.
You arc poor. So am /. But have posi-
ton to maintain. You haven't. Come, let
us put an end to our foolishness. There's
George Markham, the curate, you know.
He's head over ears in love with you, and
and you wouldn't have any difficulty
with him. He'd make good husband,
and-and all that sort of thing"
The poor, deluded girl hung her head In
silence Her breast heaved tumultuously
as she endeavored to suppress her emotion.
She trembled In every limb, and for
brief moment the tears stood in her line
blue eyes. But Edith Malvern, the poor,
friendless little governess, had more phi
losophy in her nature than the heartless
man walking by her side In his uncle's
grounds gave her credit for.
This was staggering blow to her. To
have her hopes dashed to the ground and
her heart stabbed with one sudden, unex-
pected lunge was torture in the extreme,
abled her to hold her feelings in check.
Such words were concentrated cruelty ana
bitterness, but they had unlocked and
opened a capacity within her heart which
she had previously been unaware existed
there. 1t was the power to feel and to be
thanked for what she had escaped from.
A man whose opinions of love and of mar
riage-the most sacred passion and bond
oh 1,1tp n
based must be worthless. TO have been
compelled to call such man husband
would have been to one of her nature more
fearful than this sudden shattering of her
hopes. Had she discovered his hateful,
true inwardness after she had been irrevo-
cably yokcd to him her life would have
been one prolonged misery.
Calmly she withdrew her hand from his
arm. Her grief seemed suddenly assuaged.
She paused by his side, and looking stead
lily into his face said:
"It shall be as you wish. Yes, have
been foolish am, as you have said, poor
and of no account in the world. am par
entless as well as penniless. lit would
be-absurd to think of marriage. Let us
forget the past-be as though we had
never met. Your words have forever oblit-
Grated the past in my mind I could not,
I would not, be your wife, though all the
world urged me to it, but your debts, your
position! How are you going to extricate
yourself from the one and maintain the
other?"
''How unsophisticated you are, Edith"
''But you do not surely intend to make
marriage your emancipators" she asked.
He smiled at her earnest, plying, semi
credulous look and then replied:
''Well, perhaps such proposal seems
a-peculiar to you; but, my dear girl, look
at things sensibly. There's Mary, for in
stance, my cousin She's an heiress be-
lieve she-well, thinks great deal about
me- You must have seen it, Edith Now
''But, for PHYS sake, think of what you
are going to do. Do not deceive and be-
tray Miss Mary Pause before you attempt
to win her love for such sordid ends Is
it not enough that you should chill one
heart, without deliberately breaking an
other? She is of such disposition that
when she discovered, as she undoubtedly
would some day, that you had more regard
for her wealth than for herself, it would
kill her entreat you, consider. For my
self care not. can bear the revelation.
But Mary-no, she shall not be thus de-
ceived. Oh, consider!'
y
There was great deal of consideration
in Frank Vaughan's nature. He was full
of it, But unfortunately it was all for
himself. He did consider Mary truly, but
not in the manner enjoined by the feeling
girl he had deceived. He considered his
cousin heaven sent blessing She was q
good match. With plenty of money in her
own right from her deceased mother and
as heiress to her fathers great accumula-
tions, she was just the wife for him.
True, she was a trifle slow, but then
that would not matter. She could follow
the bent of her own inclinations, and with
her money he could do the same On the
whole, Edith had taken things very calm
ly. All, she was sensiblel 1t would have
done no good to create any fuss, as he had
told her. He had certainly expected her to
shed tear, because he had thought she
had givnn her heart to him. But then
womens heart are very flexible things. In
fact, women themselves are. OF course
they don't feel things like men do. Those
who write SO glibly about broken hearts
and things don't understand the sex. He
did. OF course women may feel touch
bf disappointed pride when their lover
liscards them, but pain-oh, it's impossi-