The Van Buren press., 1895-10-05
were by the bedside. Together they
watched and waited till the brief
agony wasistilled.

laundress reused her, and she went
shuddering to the chair where she sat
shading her face, while the women
laid out the body after the decent
fashion Of our people. When they had
gone she locked the door. Then she
pressed her hands over her eyes and
trembled slightly, remaining still and
sorrowing for some minutes. Present.
ly she went gently to the bed and, un-
covering the face, began to smooth the
hair from the forehead, speaking in
| low murmur.
Harry dear" she whispered, ssthe
world could not divide us at the last,
though it Is SO big, We are together.
you and I, as we used to be in the be-
ginning. Do you mind, now that you
know that l am with you2 You are
not angry, dear, because after all these
years God has let me see you again,
and call you by your name, and-oh.
yes"
She bent to kiss him, but shook her
head sadly instead, and knelt by his
aide.
Let me talk to you just as II 1t were
the same again, as IL nothing had
happened, and we were boy and girl
once more. won't say anything
shout her to make ycu.angfy. l won't
remember 1t and you mnst forget too
Can you forget, wonderp Do you
forget now? You forgot me while you
were alive; are you forgetting her
now you are dcadP'
The tears gathered in her eyes and
she sobbed softly. She looked into the
white face and said quickly:
"3ut l won't ask you to forget,
Harry. l won't ask 1t, 1t isn't mine to
| ask. 1t was all a mistake, dear, and
we have both suffered; perhaps she
has suffered too. 1t was hard you
were not happy; you were SO good and
loved 80 much. We have both loved
much, have we. not? Where have you
been all these years? wonder II You
ever thought Of me as / have thought
Of you, and remembered the. old dayA
If you had met me wonder If you
would have taken me in your arms and
Kissed me as you did in the meadows
at Langley. would have let you,
Harry, as | did then; you know would.
Were you too proud to come back to
me? Oh, my dear, I would have lain
at your feet, had you wished it. and
begged you to look down and smile at
me. But it's too late now; there's no
hope for either ofSus. II felt that there
could not, be after the day you wrote
me, but would have faced everything
and dared everything If you had come
back Never mind, dear, 1t Is good to
look back upon md think of and love,
and nobody can take it,away from us.
Don't think of 1t if it makes you angry,
but can't help remembering, and now
lam telling you with no one else to
hear A-'i ifr s*'tf
| The bright sun beat through the
window blinds and filed the room with
radiance thick and hot She bowed
her head on the bed and remained
kneeling with her arms stretched
across his body. Presently she rose
and began to move softly about the
room, touching his books and little
treasures. The white figure on the
cross hung in its infinite pathos above
the bed. She took it from its place
and was about to lay it on his breast.
With quick gesture she stopped and
replaced it on the wall. Then she
turned to his writing table and took
up the faded photograph in the Oxford
frame. if st
'tYou were his then" she said, in
gentle, even voice, land you are his
still. You have the right; | have
none. Perhaps you, living in your
great world to-day, have quite. forgot
ten, but l know he has remembered,
and"--her voice shook q littie-'ths
| would wish. it, aH s4I
She laid the photograph on the body
where she had turned back the sheet
and smoothed the creases away from
| it. Her hands clasped before her, she
stood looking at the strange pair-the
dead man with his pale face, and the
picture with its saucy eyes and anti
quated fineries. The wicked orbs
seemed mockingly TO tell her OF bar
rier she must not pass; right OF pos
session she dare not dispute. She
sighed, as If submissively, and
turned to the window, lifting
a corner OF the blind to scan
the well-nigh deserted Temple
thoroughfare. A coster passed with a
basketful of cowslips, and she remen-
bered morning in Langley meadows,
where Harry made wreath and
crowned her his queen of the cowslips.
Going to the door she called Hannah,
and, giving her some pennies, sent her
to buy a bunch of the flowers. She
| took them back to the room and began
to strew them over the coverlid. The
mocking eyes appeared to follow her
with unconcealed derision, and hastily
she swept the yellow blossoms together
again. Filling large jar with water
she arranged the flowers in it and put
it on the table by the head of the bed.
She picked few sprays from the
bunch and laid them for moment on
the cold lips. Then she took them
and, undoing button in Der bodice,
hid them at her breast. Without look
ing at him again she crept noiselessly
out of the room, locking the door and
| giving the key to the laundress as the
doctor had directed.
| sAAAN --st-Lts4f LAti y
= In the smoking-room Of West-end
clnb two men were talking. One said:
II was at Lady Stourconmon's last
night What a fiirt that woman re-
| mains at iiftv,n-B Black and White.