The record-union., 1896-01-11

4 tial, and the esprit gaulois, the musical
fiuency of his speech fell upon my ear
with the soothing charm of a brook
chattering along a sunny meadow His
voice was never rough or hurried; his
face was never clouded; he never rasped
my nerves or called for explanation or
contradiction; he was not in the least
argumentative. The fellows laughed at
my apology, and assured me / was born
tc be an encourag cement for the bores
who could not exist if there were not
fools of my sort willing to be prosecuted
4 by them. This was their facetious way
of implying that I am that most laugh
able of creatures, a goodnatured man.
Arcanieva. came very often to my Of
| flee. On the second occasion he asked
permission to write a couple of letters.
| gave him some note paper and en-
velopes. He wrote his letters, smoked a
cigarette, and then went away, leaving
them behind him. Of course | stamped
them and sent them to the post. A few
/ days later he came again, and asked II
l could oblige him with a sheet of pa
per- In silence / handed him some
sheets and some envelopes, then said
without the slightest ironical intent:
| There are stamps in that box, ana
! then colored furiously lest | should
! have hurt his feelings. / think that /
suffer more after the indulgence of any
] little pleasantly of a sarcastic flavor
against my fellow-creatures than the
object of it. But Arcanieva wrote on
\ TRANQUILITY, and, closing his letter, he
reached forward, dipped his olive
fingers into the box; and-Heavenly
Powers, can I have been mistaken
but it certainly seemed to me that he
| helped himself to more than the re-
quired stamp; hastily lowering my eyes
before he could know that 1 had de-
tected him, / yet was able to see his
hand wander to his waistcoat-pocket-
1t was not the first time that I had
noticed in Arcanieva an indelicacy in
small matters, and an inclination to
| pocket trifles If you offered him a
cigarette, a vesta, a fusee, or lump OF
sugar, he invariably made provision
for such times as he might be in need
of the article, by slipping few more
into his pocket 1t made me feel meaner
| than he to have to take note of such
things; and the fact that it was becom-
ing daily more and more difficult for
me to think we'll of Arcanieva was
source of real distress to me.
This distress was soon sharpened to
poignancy upon a discovery that ban
lished the tranquil confidence between
my sister and me- Between us a divid-
ing, because a silencing, element, sat
and hovered the young God of Love.
We felt his presence, and his wings
were as a wall between us. When |
came home at night saw Bridget's
pretty face flush and pale and her eyes
glance quickly behind me. A certain
head of faded ivory and dusky hair, if
seen there. would flush her cheek with
a confessing glow; their absence would
bring a disappointed quiver to her soft
little mouth.
Arcanieva spoke naively and enthusi-
asticalIy about mis- passion. He took
the whole college and club into his con-
fidence, and went about raving of that
adorable Miss Bridget till all the fell
lows longed to be at his throat. Indeed,
it was becoming painful for me to visit
the Anthenaeum. Some friend was
sure to drag me into a corner and burst
into frantic abuse of Arcanieva. He
was a low adventurer, a schemer, an
| imposter Nobody knew where he came
from, who or what he was. Lumley
didn't know, nor did any of the rest
to whom he had brought letters. Web
ster had picked him up in Paris, and
given him a letter to Lumley. Had l
not heard the last reports about him? ?
I begged to be spared, and shrank from
the shame of hearing evil of the man
my sister loved. But they would not
spare me; they protested that it lay on
their conscience to hear the rascal pratt
ing about Miss Bridget and his often
sive love, that they resented it person
ally, and that I was bound to close my
doors upon him.
Close my doors upon him while
Bridget's heart was open to him? Pleas
ant counsel to a man who is constitu-
tionally incapable of hurting a fly. /
escaped from the Athenaeum, Stunned
Lumley and dear old Oldberry, and
| took long solitary walks when I left the
office to avoid the vexing sight of Bridg-
| cts pain and joy. / was in a dilemma );
| duty compelled me to act; and nature
made action in the circumstances pc
culiarly distasteful to me. My feelings
toward the handsome Russian as nearly
| approached evaporation as possible;
for, now that my sisters name was
openly coupled with Arcanieva's, it be-
hooved me to make inquiries, than
which nothing was more hateful to me.
The evening on which I reached this
| unwonted decision I resolved to break
the heavy silence between us as 1
walked home to Bridget. She greeted
me with the same quick glance over
my shoulder that so distressed me, and
then the little pink flush ebbed back to
its excited source, and she looked paler
| and prettier than ever.
Bridget, have you lost confidence in
me?" / asked with difficulty, and an odd
hurrying of my pulses.
Paddy, you dear. dear boy, what a
question: she cried, looking away
from me into the fire; but I saw that
she understood, for her cheeks grew hot.
'Have you nothing to tell me?" She
turned her face toward me very visit
fully, and my eyes, meeting hers cried
pardon for the wound my tongue had
inflicted do you love young Arcan-
! ieva? Tell me, dear" She hid her face
against my shoulder, and the tell-tale
flush reached her hair and spread
down to her throat. DO you want to
marry him?" And now I felt to the full
how brutal is this thing of probing of
a thing so delicate and fearful as a
girls heart. How could I expect her to
answer a question like that, not I, but
another alone, had the right to ask?
She moved from me in a grieved, proud
way, and 1 put out my hand implor-
ingly, cut to the quick by her pain.
Don't answer me. Bridget. I have
been troubled about you, dear. and
your happiness is all think of. But I
had no right to ask you the question.
Please forget it. -
xvon+ ont more anxious and nor