The morning times., 1896-04-26

| III WflaG bDe Sne fUIueQ II
into The palm OF her hand and passed over
to the fire.
- ike 10 keep on looking at the list OF
places we are going to, she exclaimed,
WIN HttIe Smile, as she sank into her
seat. 1T ma kes our honeymoon seem
| nearer
inen as Dick Meynell pulled over chair
lor hiiiselT she spread the slip OF paper
on her knee and slowly passed one finger
down the line of words.
cFarls, Nlce, Naples, Rome and then
talfo ana The Nile. Then in the sprIugIim(
Dack 10 Venice, and with the summer, past
Itaiy's blue lakes away to Switzerland.
AilefWdru, When the autumn comes, back
10 heyneii hurst, your hone-our nome,
! "nere we VIII be like the people in old
| afterward." !"
lease God, my darling, 'muttered Mey-
| heli unuer ms IIiouStacne.
DICK, she asked, ifreieyantly, "do you
| silnk IL aWIully wicked or me 10 wanb to
| DC happy! Not want III u casual fashion,
you KNOW, but crave, desire, yearn
iof happiness win every tnrop Oh my neart
| very wrong
And he, remembering the tragedy OF her
curtain was only INSTALLING, smiled tender
| ly as he said:
:. LYDIA, you cannot possibly wish for all
the ha ppiness THAT AS owed you
=. one ula not answer dlre Guy, but lifting
the piece OF paper from lier zap she scaiiiieu
| ~ WIN Drawn prows,an0 pucKered mouth.
presently sue dropped IL Win Il sign.
DICK, III CouAii be happy-ausoiutely,
en.ireiy tiappy' JusC1or so lo.ig as our Jour
HeylhBs are 10 lasI,l lilDk t0uIu uit con-
tent. On! uoh iook SO snockeu, sue crieu,
streIchlng pretty, pitauiliss nanus. out TO
MIN. 40 not W;tuu TO uie-Dul am aIralu
~ WlsH 10 HVe. An! ueartst, you would
understand Inc betIer you Knew What
the word life mas meunp to me-
She rose from her seat, ana crossing the
fur rug sank DOWN at DICK MeyheIis IeeU
sItl On Ia Nh
want 10 ten you, Dlck, ior lne first
time, Tor the last tune, what my past lie
mas peen TO me. DO not stop Ii.e. Ieel
must speak or IL before 1 Dury IL out oil
sisnt, out OF remembrance forever
ehe LOOK MS manu- III ncrs, anu as she
spoke Oh patteu ana smooIncu ana kissed 1t
aSloying women VIII.
Il was unwclcome when | was born
MY Iathcr and inoIucr openly ayoNrd lneIr
dislike for CHI luren, anu neither ever IoI-
gave tllc otntr ior Tue duuIllOn u their
idInly. IN tiIose udyS tncy were rICn, buJ
l was leIt To servants and gOvcrntSscs
WHO treated me us Iney pleased. / was
fourteen, and my parents were almost
strangers to me, ilen the financial CRASH
Game Which dragged my father 5 name, with
scores or others, through the mIre OF ali
EHsian1. fONcrty ana the narrOWneSS OF
our new home brought me IOr the first
tiinc mo uaAly ana IIOurl contact WIN my
pdtSHlS. On, DICK, 1t was SliaIucl Utter
rIuie to live With two people who never
met without rcIroaCics, s..oru and con-
OdtLS. onc uay--I wonder whether any
thils, even your love, Will wipe out that
h!deous reconection-my father struck my
lnother- That nIgnt she IeIt him"
Like frightened CnIIu, pdi 6-Cneeked and
trembling, Lydia lung to her lover.
"Ddfilng, btsccCn you not TO distress
yourself by recalling the wfelched past"
he cried.
But she persisted, saying it was for the
last time, forever.
Il never saw her again. but the gossip
OF the house filtered 10 my ears auu the
great divorce case between Loru ana Lazy
Mardale was too much whispered Il bout
ior me not 10 hear. was IeIt on my
fathers hands, Tor u Year Anew at
ieast measure OF peace. but little as lie
ever saw me, much as he neglected me,
suppose ! Was H4HuTdnCe hIS ME, or
perhaps too Keen remlnucr oil my mother.
one uay-it was my birthday, / was six
teen-he told me he was going to give
iuc huSbuuC. / sCaTCeiy reIuOnstTa teu-I
was too ignorant Tor one thiug-and in Il
Tdguc way. too eager 70 grasp AT possible
happiness 1Or another. ] was married to
sir. vernon a month later.
Her voice dIed away. lost in the sea
OF TecOHcCtiouS Which the four years OF
her married lire had let loose upon her
Don SPEAK OF han, Lydia, crIeu Dick
Meynell, Il can't bear 1t. =
Bat sne nelLAtf rdra uOr needed the
lovers words As IN u dream, with large
eyes fixed upon the hfZing IRE and lips lhat
sC,-'C1ly stirred, Snt rdnIoIcu on.
''Oh the horror OF that hIdcous marriage
Tie MO .oCG thjtt devOureu clIIluren was nUTe
meTCTui tndn the Satyr who III human guise
Kills a tIlal Is best anu pureSt in glrlnOol
FOR Two years my lie was "a torture
kissed lick ; hand twenty times as though
. iii mitigation OF her words S-'.then one ,isy
cOurag gc came TO me ana tne dim reCoIieCtioIi
OF CONNECTION OF my ngutntr WHO migut
he!p me. II was 20 iIIln, Strut of1rey lioip,
1 Went How Kind he was, IL was his HaIu
mat opened 70 ing htt!e way tie door of
freedom, ana when gained for me the
separation Whicn gave Ire TINE 10 regain
some OF my broken selt-rcspect.'
Her voice changed from its low sad kew
and she went oi! brightly, each wUrd ring
ing gayer through the warm, VIole -scenle,l
atmosphere.
Then one day Sir Geoffrey and his dear
wife came to Inc with the keys of my lib
erty in tiieir bands. My wrctcned husband
had given me the final proof OF his sin. DO
you know, DICK. that shameful wrong,
which is the death knell TO the love ana
happiness OF most women, was Il veritable
JOY bell to me. Oh. dearest, | hope l am
not very bad SO to rejoice III anuther's sin
but it was just at that time-I first met
you
she blushed del iciously over her confe,-
sion.
The rest you know. The divorce was
easy enough-he never even attempted t.
DEFEND himself. | wonder why Sir Gtoffrey
always mistruStcd that lack of DEFENSE"
But was not yOur-Mr. Vernon out uf
England when the case came on?'' qucried
DICK, forced against his will to take IL
tereSt in the business he hated most i'll the
world.
Il think so,'' said Lydia. AT any rate
he neither appeared nor was he repre-
Sented But l have seen him twice since
then, and he is i'll London nOw-or was two
days ago Tue ThorpS passed him in Pic
cadill y"
Dick MeyneH moved uneasiy in his chair.
The presence in the same city with him
self OF the man who made life SO hard
for the woman he hoped within a few
hours to call his wife CALLED and diSquieted
him unaCcountab!y.
His movement reused Lydia from her
Curled-up attitude at his feet. She looked
up at the clock.
How late it is. ! wonder what is keen
ing Sir Godfrey. He said he would come
here the minute the decree absolute was
pronounced-tlIat ii was surely only mat
Ter of momeut or two. Surely the courts
must have risen by now. y
Dick Meynell was too busy with his own |
thoughts to heed her words.
Lydia, my darling, you know how it |
pains me to discuss me question Of your |
past marriage with you, for it always |
seems an insult TO even mention a man |
such as vernon i'll your presence, but |
have you ever spoken to him since tn, |
caSe?''
"oh, yes, said Lydia. frankly, and ris- |
ing to Eer feet she spoke.
You've seen him-alone?'' cried Meyueu |
his voice strained and harsh with an anx-
iety he StTOye TO hide.
Lydia wrinkled her delicate brows in an |
effort or memory.
Yes-dear-twice. Our talk was alb |
solutely OF business matters, and we were |
alone. Dick-why, 1ck, wha, is |
the matter? What have l done?''
Her face was blanched as white as ,bp
soft fur about her throat and her voice rang
out with piteous fear as, with great groan |
DICK Meynell rose from mis- chair and Caught |
her in his arms.
My sweetheart, my poor wronged love
l fear that you have ruined both our lives
Even as he spoke the door smut sharply to |
behind them, and heavy, slow tread ao-
vanced into the room.
Very pretty, upon my word-a sweet