The evening times., 1895-09-25

| hCCp up yooA SohtN6Ss
The great doctor, a stern person to looh
| at, had spoken almost tenderly.
And now Hugh Lancaster was outside
''Curse Elphinstone!'' he muttered.
Elphinstone was the man, aformer school
fellow of Lankester's, now walking the
hospitals, who had advised him to go and
see the great doctor. Lancaster had met
him one afternoon-it was one of his bad
days-and had told him OF the curious tricks
his eyes were playing.
They get all misty" he explained.
Elphinstope looked grave and said:
Take my advice, old man, and go to a
specialist"
! Lancaster said he would take the advice.
But when he got home ard looked at his
!, eyes in the glass he could see that there W as
nothing at all the matter with them, and he
| set Elphinstone down as an alarmist.
Then, i'll q few days, ne ran across EIphin-
stone again.
well, have you been TO an ooulist?''
| he asked.
'No."
Elphinstone then told him plainly that
he was a confounded young idiotto delay the
thing like that.
l. I'm go after my Exam )" said Lankkes-
| ter.
| mo. go tomorrow" said EIphinstone.
| And now he had been, and he was cursing
! the man 10 had sent him. If fellow
had 10 go blind-weli, let il cone suddenly
/, and unexpectedly. Far better SO than 10
have TO sit at home watching for ii day by
day Curse Elphinstone!
Curse everyonei Why the devil did they
all get in his way? He was hurrying down
| Oxford street now-he did not quite know
where to-and people kept running into
him, and Jostling up against him as he
passed.
Course you!'' he cried savagely TO child
who got in his path, and the child ran off
bowling 10 its mother.
Then. by a strange irony, nc knocked into
| an old blind man who was standing on the
curb and upset his tray OF matches.
"Shamei'' said a woman. Look what
you've done, you clumsy Iout, and him blind,
too"
| Lancaster turned.
| whats that? Blind, do you say? Poor
devil, / didn't know that. You can't see
| at all All, that's bad God knows I'm sorry
| for you. II must be hard not to see-cruel
| hard-deviiish hard. Here"
And he took half q sovereign from his
pocket and gave IL TO the man.
You are generous, my lord" said the
woman, who thought 1t was a farthing.
Lancaster continued on his way. At last
| he got a stretch OF pavement to himself.
| which set him free to think again. Well,
| one thing at any rate was pretty certain. il
| was all up with his career. The Indian
| civil service would have TO try and get along
without the aid of Hugh Lancaster. He
supposed by the by that the guv'nor weIid
stump up all right, or would he have to
/ walk the streets, led by mongrel cur, SELL
| ing matches?
''Fusees, yaypenny box; pity the poor
blind mani" he rehearsed between his teeth.
The idea tickled him and he smiled
Then, suddenly, he thought of Ethel
was the worst. That was where it hit
! hardest. OF course, he could not-would
| not marry her now. He must let her
| off. And yet-he might get better. For
what had the doctor said? "Your sight
may last you many years" What a
duffer he was to make up his mind for the
worst; That was just like him. Perhaps,
after all, the sight would not give out. And
yet-what was the good of deceiving him
self? That had only been a way of putting
1t. The doctor knew well enough it would
go, and soon. 1t was not to be doubted. He
must give up Ethel. Under the circum-
stances he could not expect her to marry him.
Imagine pleasure-loving little Ethel welded
to blind manor, at best, a man with black
goggles. He laughed aloud at the idea.
Hargreaves would have her now. Foramo-
ment he felt like blubbering. Then he be-
gan to wonder whether he should have
warning of it, or would it come quite sud
| denly? Why hadn't he asked the doctor
that? But, of course, the sight would grad
ually get weaker and weaker, until it went
out altogether. That is how it should be.
Well, he knew what he would do as soon as
he felt it coming. He was not going to
live in darkness all his life. Hugh Lankes-
ter was not quite such fool as that. Not
quite.
He had reached Bond street. Two ladies
bowed to him. 1t did not strike him till
they had passed that he had not raised
his hat to them. Hang it all, how abomin-
ably rude they must have thought him.
He must wake up. He stretched his eyes.
How strong the sun vast Then he fell to
thinking again. He called to mind how
once, at an lat home" about a couple of
years ago, a palnlistry woman had ex-
amined his hand, and had said:
''You won't have very long life-yourl
commit suicide " At the time he had treated
1t as good joke.
But suppose, after all, the thing should
come suddenly, without warning? II was
Just possible. Then it would be too late;
he would not be able to do anything. -
Better, perhaps, TO have done with 1t at
once. Yes, yes. No, not quite at once
though. He would go on the bust for a
week, and then. How should he do 1t?
He must buy pistol. Or poison?
No, poison was woman's way. Better
get the pistol, Still, poison was cleaner
And yet he did Not know. Pistol-poison?
Poison-pistol? Pistol.
Suddenly he stopped and put his hand to
his eyes.
"Hell!' he cried, staggering back against
shop window; hell! it's comer'
People ran. up.
Its come!'' he cried, "it's comer' Then
added: But it's too soon; it's not fair; it's
not fair.
whats Gomez" asked the crowd.
'1t-it. Oh, light the gas-light the gas;
won't somebody light the gas?"
He tore ut his eyes.
The eyes were still open, but the sight
was gone.
: They led him away.
.Fivc pounds to the man who'll kill mel
Ten pounds! A hundred pounds. Oh, for