The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-09-12

ALL WAS FORGOTTEN.
walk round my room this morning. The
housekeeper was TO have helped me, butshe
never appeared, so had to clutch on to the
things as best | could, and as | caught hold
of the writing table found this!"
He held up a ribbon as he spoke, which
Sydney recognized directly as one that she
had missed when she reached home.
"Well, are you not going 10 ask for it
back ?" said Leigh, finding that he got no
answer. :" 1 shall just tell your cousin the
little tale when / see him next!"
please give it to me" said Sydney, in a
low voice.
Leigh thought that he had given offense,
and relinquished the ribbon at once. 1t
seemed to him rather foolish to be upset by
such trivial thing, but he was too kind
hearted not to try and make amends.
u shall be quite sorry when our work
comes to an end he said, pleasantly, when
o'clock sounded the hour of Sydneys
departure.
$50 shall !" thought Sydney, but she
did not say so.
"In fact" went on Leigh, "I have some
thing TO propose to you. The doctor says
the bandage may come off my eyes in a day
or two, but | am not to use them much at
first. Will you stay on and help me, if you
have nothing better to do? No one has ever
suited me so admirably as you have done,
and do not feel at all inclined to let you
60"
Sydney's heart beat almost to suffocation.
How could she answer him? In a day or
two ut furthest he must discover the decep-
tion that she had practiced upon him.
"You don't seem to like the idea much
7 ;nl, ;,, lioap tad
haps you have something else in view; but
gathered from what your cousin told me
that you have not been getting on very fast.
Has your father other plans for you?"
al have 10 father,' said Sydney, glad Of a
question that she could reply to. Il have
been an orphan for some years, and I never
had any brothers or sistersn
"Then why will you not agree to my pro-
posal ?" said Leigh. cit would probably be
only a temporary thing, and 1 would not
stand in the way of your taking anything
else that turned up."
at is not that" said Sydney, in low
voice.
"What is it, then ?" 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 sudden start and half rose
from his seat, but sank back again as his in
jured 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 the bandage from
his eyes.
"No, no." she cried, fear for him overcom-
ing every other feeling; you must not do
il; you will ruin your sight forever" She
darted forward as she spoke and seized his
hand.
Instead of snatching away his hand, Leigh
took hers between both his and held it
firmly. 1t quivered like little frightened
bird in the captor's grasp, but he would not
let it 90. 1t was small and soft and warm,
and he stroked it lightly with his fingers.
"This is not mans hand!" he said
ooh, / will tell you the truth!n cried
Sydney, despairingly. My cousin told me
about your work, and l wanted the money
so much, and he said that he had told you
all about me. And then when / came /
found you did not know, and he was away,
and / could not make up my mind to tell
you, and | hoped you would never find it
out! But now / will go away, and shall
never come back"
iDHc uIGW UeE UdDu AWAY HUN ulill, Dut
as he released it he pulled the bandage from
his eyes before she knew what he was doing.
The sight that 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 woman would
have told him at once was old fashioned and
shabby But Leigh saw nothing of that;
he only knew that the curls that lay tossed
all over the little head glittered like gold in
the freight, that the pale cheeks were
tinged with delicate color, and that her eyes
shone like stars through the tears that hung
on their lashes!
But the vision only lasted for moment.
Turning passionately from him, she caught
up her things and flew from the room.
How Sydney found her way home that
night she never knew. A tumult OF feelings
surged through her heart, but in the midst
of it all one resolve was fixed within her
nothing should ever take her back What
though her work was unfinished; what
though she had not as yet received the
much-needed money? She would rather
starve than ever see him again
Leigh, meanwhile. was passing through an
equal tumult, but his thoughts were much
pleasanter than Sydney's. His principal
fear was that she would fulfil her threat of
not returning, and as the next afternoon
came and went, dragging out its weary hours
in dull loneliness, he became gradually con-
vinced that she had really meant what she
said. cf e.
Never mind, I'll go and see her to-
morrow" he thought 81 can get down.
stairs and into cab well enough now"
But when the day next came a sudden
thought flashed upon him that filled him
with dismay. He had not the vaguest notion
of her address; and more than this, rave and
storm as he might, there was no chance of
his finding it out unless her cousin had come
back 10 town. He had been allowed to ex-
change his bandage for shade, and reaching
pen and paper be wrote off hasty note with
no explanations. merely asking for the adj
dress by return of post.
But Morris Holt was still out Of town, and
the note lay unopened amid pile of letters
on bis writing-table for several days, during
which Leigh went through an agony of
suspense. Perhaps his note had been lost,
and never reached its destination perhaps
che had guessed what he would do, aud had
forbidden her cousin to send the address! !!