Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-10-05

ing all sorts of mistakes. But you are un.
commonly quiet, must say, and yet you
are sharp enough tool That suggestion
you made yesterday was really very good.
thought about it a great deal in the
night"
II am glad you think 1 can do The
''You do it remarkably WE'LL" said
Leigh. "You really ought to turn out
don't know why always imagine you arc
so young. suppose it's your voice."
Can 1 do anything more for you be-
fore go?" said Sydney, passing over the
difficult question.
YES. wish you would just give me
q rug. 1 get SO cold sitting here, and the
doctor won't let me try my ankle yet. !
wish that horse hadn't managed to stand
on SO many places at once when it knocked
me over"
Sydney felt a rush of sympathy GO
through her, but she dared not express It.
She put the rug softly over him and went
back to the writing table.
II think shall come out poet at last, -
said Leigh in dreamy tone. II don't
know why, but l seemed to think of stars
and music and the sweet south on bank
of violets all in q breath just now"
Good afternoon, said Sydney, opening
the door and taking sudden departure.
II shall have to tell him." she said to
herself desp rately as she fastened down
the stone staircase. And yet-there ara
only three days more!''
Il say, young man," began Leigh in o
playful tone when his secretary arrived on
the next afternoon, you ought not to
pies tablosl The doctor told me might
take walk round my room this morning.
The housekeeper was to have helped me,
but she never appeared, so had to clutch
onto the things as best 1 could and as
caught hold OF the writing tablD found
this!'
He held up q ribbon as he spoke, Wits
Sydney recognized directly as the one th,0
she had missed when she reached home.
well, are you not going to ask for II
backP" said Leigh, finding that he got >is
answer II shall Just tell your cousin the
little tale when l sec him ne4t."
please give 1t to me-" said Sydney III
allow voice.
Leigh thought that he had given Of
tense and relinquished the ribbon at once,
1t seemed to him rather foolish to be up
set by such trivial thing, but he was too
kind hearted not to try and make amends.
IT shall be quite sorry when our work
comes to an end" he said pleasantly when
8 o'clock sounded the hour for Sydney's
departure.
$50 shall II" thought Sydney, but she
did not say So
TN fact, " went on Leigh, IT have some
thing to propose to you. The doctor says
the bandagG may come off my eyes in q
day or two, but l am not to use them
much at first. Will you stay on and help
me if you have nothing better to dor No
one has ever suited me SO admirably as
you have done, and do not feel ut all in
clined to let you CO."
Sydney's heart beat almost to suffoca-
ton. How could she answer himS In a
day or two at furthest he must discover
the deception that she had practiced upon
him.
You don t seem to like the idea much!"
said Leigh in disappointed tone. Per
haps you have something else in view, but
I gathered from what your cousin told me
that you have not been getting on very
fast. Has your father other plans for
your"
II have no father" said Sydney, glad
of question that she could reply to. II
have been an orphan for some years, and
1 never had any brothers or sisters"
"Then why will you not agree to my
proposal?" said Leigh. 1T would proba-
bly, be only temporary thing, and would
not stand in the way of your taking any
thing else that turned up"
''It is not thGt" said Sydney in a low
voice.
"WhGt is it, them" asked Leigh rather
peremptorily.
Sydney could not reply; her heart was
too full. She felt her eyes filling with
tears, and in the effort to choke down her
feelings a sob escaped her lips.
Leigh gave a sudden start and half rose
from his seat, but sank back again as his
injured foot gave way under him. Sydney
watched him anxiously. She dared not
speak, but in another moment she saw
him raise his hand as though to tear tho
bandage from his eyes.
mo, no." she cried, fear for him over
coming every other feeling, you must
not do it. You will ruin your sight for
ever" She darted forward as she spoke
and seized his hand.
Instead of snatching away his hand,
Leigh took hers between his own and held
it firmly. 1t quivered like little fright
ened bird in the captor's grasp, but he
would not let it go. 1t was small and soft
and warm, and he stroked it lightly with
his fingers.
This is not mans hand!" he said.
"Oh, will tell you the truth" cried
Sydney despairingly. my cousin told mo
about your work, and wanted the money
so much, and he said that he had told you
all about me. And then when l came 1
found you did not know, and he was
away, and could not make up my mind
to tell you, and 1 hoped you would never
find it outl But now 1 will go away and
1 shall never come back"
She drew her hand away from him, but
as he released it he pulled the bandage
from his eyes before she knew what no
was doing.
The sightthCs met his eyes he will never
forget till his dying day. The small, slight
figure before him was clad in dress of
some dark wooden material that any wom-
an would have told him at once was old
and shabby. But Leigh saw
nothing of that. He only knew that the
curls that lay tossed all over the little head
like gold in the freight; that
g9%R q M@~M~&a