Semi=weekly graphic., 1896-08-01

"1Vcll, she deserves it. rpe treated her
rather badly
my mind these last two days much
more than l should care to confess to
everybody All, well, I'll say no more
about that. 1t cannot be that she is so
bad as they make out am quite sure
that a girl of her good sense would
know better than to get entangled with
any Of those Hanoverian soldiers. l
won't believe it of her, and there's an
end ont "
More words in the same strain were
casually dropped as the two men waited
words which revealed to her, as by q
sudden illumination, the enormity Of
hcr conduct. The conversation was at
length cut off by the arrival Of the man
with the vehicle. The luggage wa
placed in it, and they mounted and
were driven on i'll the direction from
which she had just come.
Phyllis was so conscience stricken
that she was at first inclined to follow
them, but moments reflection led her
TO feel that it would only be bare justice
to Matthaus to wait till he arrived and
explain candidly that she had changed
her minS, difficult as the struggle
would be when she stood face TO face
with him. She bitterly reproached her
self for having believed reports which
represented Humphrey Gould as false TO
his engagement, when from what she
now heard from his own lips, she gath
cred that he had been living full of
trust in her, but she knew we'll enough
who had won her love. Without him
her life seemed dreary prospect, yet
the more she looked at his proposal the
more she feared to accept it, so wild as
it was, so vague, 50 venturesome. She
had promised Humphrey Gould, and it
was only his assumed faithlessness
which had led her to treat that promise
as naught. His solicitude in bringing
her these gifts touched her; her promise
must be kept, and esteem must take the
place of love. She would preserve her
self respect. She would stay at home
and marry him and suffer-
Phyllis had thus braced herself to an
exceptional fortitude when, few min
utes later, the outline of Matthaus Tina
appeared behind field gate, over which
he lightly leaped as she stepped forward
There was no eyading it; he pressed
her to his breast.
Tt is the first and last time, she
wildly thought as she stood encirclcd
by his arms.
How Phyllis got through the terrible
ordeal of that night she could never
clearly recollect She always attributed
her success in carrying out her resolve
to her lovers honor, for rs soon as she
declared to him in feeble words that she
had changed her mind and felt that she
could moi, dared moi, lily with him nc
forbore to urge her, grieved as he was
at her decision. Inscriptions pressure
on his part, seeing how economically
she had become attached TO him, would
no doubt have turned the balance in his
favor But he did nothing To tempt her
unduly or unfairly.
On her side, fearing for his safety,
she begged him TO remain. This. he de-
clared, could not be 81 cannot break
faith with my friend, y said he Had be
stood alone he would have abandoned
his plan; go he must
A dark shape, similar to his own,
joined him in the highway 1t was
Christoph, his friend. She could see no
more. They had FASTENED ON in the di-
reotion of the h;rbor, With feeling
akin to despair she turned and slowly
pursued her way homeward.
Tattoo sounded in the camp, but there