Evening star., 1896-03-14


very, very serious. How can go ONT
Well, they wrote to each other after the
girl had come out, when they ought not,
you know-it was secret engagement
with each other.
Lord A. Lots of young people write to
each other because they fancy they are
in love. 1t is a common hallucination. It
is not generally known, but half the pri-
vate houses In this country are private
lunatic asylums In consequence.
Lady A. GuyI am SO miserable and you
Will not be serious.
Lord A. Let me take a kidney, my dearest
wife, and cup of tea and then I will
listen Sorry Charlie Is not here while
the kidneys are hot-Will you take one?
e or an egg? Nothing? A little buttered
toast-there now-silence for a brief
space. Oats breakfast)
Lady A. Gays her head in her hand and
sighs.)
Lord A. H.coks up.) Dear child-(Finds
and takes her hand and kisses iD you
don't lock we'll enough to go on with the
story. Suppose I finish it for you-(Push-
es chair round, takes up newspaper and
makes kind of fan with it to hide his
Yes. 1 think 1 can finish that story. They
wrote to each other. this pair Of semi
attached lovers. for some time. Their
letters became ardent, as becomes young
lovers. AS for the young gentleman,
Romeo himself was not more extrava-
CANT lover. OF course I have never seen
his letters. but 1 can quite understand
them-becAuse, you see, my dear, this
girl was the most lovely girl in the world.
and. the sweetest and the beSt-quite the
best-my dear-(kisses her hand again.
quite the best. say QRises and kisses her
foreheaO.
Lady A. Guy-what do you mean?
Lord A. I am finishing the story for you.
Lady A. But-but that is my story. except
that the girl was nothing of the kind.
She was capable, though she didn't know
it. of the vilest deception.
Lord A. Don't interrupt, If you please,
Lady AveneElet me see-Oh! yes-they
went on writing to each other until some
how-some day. really don't know how,
they came to the conclusion that they had
only been playing at love, and they didn't
mean it in the least.
Lady A. 1t was his exaggeration-he pro-
tested too much-so that the girl began to
ask herself-and she found out
Lord A. Yes-She found out? Come, I've
given you good life-now you can go on.
Lady A. She found out that II mean she
did not love the young man at all. And I
Il mean, she-told him she had made a
great mistake and 1 begged his forgive
ness
Lord A. Well?
Lady A. And he wrote back to say that he.
too. had made a mistake. and vel mean
they were to remain good friends always
and nothing more-So that was all ever.
Lord A. Happily. All over else what
would have happened to the other man7
Lord A. Well; there was another man.
wasn't thera?
Lady A. Ye-yes-there was another man
Lord A. You see-I am always right
Lady A. She was ashamed Of this stupid
love passage-and she told him nothing
about it.
Lord A. After ALL boy and girl business
What did it matter?
Lady A. She ought to have told him-Not
to tell him was scowardice. He thought
the girl was fresh and innocent and had
never heard any words of love.
Lord A. You think he had that opinion?
Lady A. 1 am sure of it,
Lord A. 1 find must finish the story, my
dear, after all. 1t is your turn to listen.
This girl did not tell her real lover that
she had made mistake. But as it was of
with the old love before it was on with the
new. and as there never had been more
than boy and girl fancy, there was no
reason why she should tell him anything
unless she chose. Her new lover neither
expected nor desired any such confession
He knew that he had the affections of
the girl; he trusted her altogether; and IL
he had known this thing it would not
have made him trust her the less
Lady A. But she ought to havetold him.
Lord A. doubt it. But 1t is a knotty point
We will argue it another time Well
they were married-these two-and they
lived happy ever afterward. 70.
Lady A. Motley cannot. Z,
Lord A. Ever afterward, 1 tell you. Mean
time the girl had left some of the letters
in her desk: forgotten them, I suppose.
These were found by maid whom she
dismissed and stolen.
Lady A. Springs to her feet Guy-you
know everything then!
Lord A. ThfS woman took the letters and,
I suppose-one knows her kfnd-she tried
to get money on them from the man who.
had written them. She failed; she then
threatened to play her last card. She
wrote to the ladys husband and offered
to sell him the letters. When she got no
answer she waited awhile. then tried once
more to eXtort money from the writer Of
the letters, and when that failed, she sent
them to the ladys husband. Is that your
story, Isabel?
Lady A. Yes-yes-yes! But-Guy-how did
you know about Charlieo
Lord A. My dear, do you suppose that
when people in our position get engaged
there are not always other people ready
to scrape up anything against either Of