The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-03-06
quoted the old wrong she had done him
-vaunted the completeness of his re-

/. quoted the old wrong she had done him
-vaunted the completeness Of his re-
venge.
In suddenly aroused wrath and scorn
I drove him from me; as he hurried
from my presence in writhing humilia-
tion, my lord met him-marked his agi-
and entering, saw his guests agitation
I have contided all to him? Alas I
was but girl was ashamed Of the
base love had excited-I trembled for
the consequences to my beloved hus-
band should he hear how he had been
insulted; dared not confide the matter
to Lord Inchcape.
gave a hating explanation Of my
emotion. Colonel Accrington was leav-
ing US, and by q careless word which he
had dropped it was evident that he had
been but amusing himself at the eX-
pense Of my friend, Mrs Dellamere.
had not concealed from him my anger,
and he was leaving Us forever.
Ny lord accepted the explanation at
once; his honorable mind harbored no
suspicion at the time; but he remem-
bered the episode afterward. did not
see Laura Tor many days after that; but
my sweet Alice told me that Colonel
Accrington had paid Laura flying visit
on his way to the railroad station. As
she, Mrs. Crecy, drove up to the Pavilion
to call for Laura, as She usually did on
her way to the Fosse, she met Accring-
ton on his horse. He passed her with .
sardonic smile and bow-his face looked
like demons. Laura denied herself to
her, sending word that she was Ill that
morning and would not leave her room
Their friendship hos ruptured-1 won
der why?" said my innocent Alice.
When Laura once more joined Us she
was strangely changed toward me- While
jealously concealing her own pain she
made me comprehend In thousand
subtle ways that l had fallen IN her
estimation that she could no longer
admit me to the inner sanctuary OF her
affection. What my enemy had said OF
mo I know not She taunted me once
thus: II had an adieu from Col. Accring-
ton; it was Of high.tragedy sort; he
rayed of a mad love--of the fatal beauty
of an insatiate coauette-l laughed: he
was amusing" And so saw she judged
mo guilty of playing with her lovers
heart, and scorned me. Time passed;
we heard that Colonel Accrington had
gone abroad; we left Stafford for our
house in London; we should have been
happy as the angels but for the memory
Of that hateful episode. 1t haunted me
a secret must invariably corrode in
the heart of the guiltiess. l began to
question the past with distrust-to doubt
the tendencies OF my own nature-almost
to believe myself in measure guilty OF
levity, IL Of nothing worse, else how
could that cold-hearted man Of the world
have ventured to depict my image to
himself in warmer colors than those OF
formal acquaintanceship
Laura's disdain oppressed me, too,
and the consciousness Of secret with
held from my lord humiliated me. These
disquietudes injured my health; my lord,
with loves divining eye, observed the
change; he wooed my confidence, he
anxiously strove to discover the
crumpled rose leaf in his darling's life
but dared not confess it, did not-I
did not put him off with shallow pre-
tens.s; be- understood that did not care
to share my every thought with him; he
did not insist But from that hour my
husband changed toward me, his air OF
tranquil felicity fed, he became thought.
full, moody; he began to call me "child"
oftener than "wife," as If he remem-
bered regretfully his forty years beside
my eighteen. Tenderly kind to mo as
ever, he was teaching himself the heart
freezing lesson that youth aud middle
age are not ftly yoked together.
Sweet love, they were-they were-no
happier wife ever thanked God than
yours befora the serpent entered our
Eden!
lTo BE CONTINUED.