The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-21

CluD, IL WOuiu De eSceiient lot neT
health, and 1t would make me three
times the pleasure have without her"
Il have tried already" said Adela;
but l shall try again"
Il am sorry to hear that l missed
your visit today. But ] was in time
for our other caller. Mr.. Arkwright. He
is the second person of your nationality
that ] have the honor to call my
friend"
But Mr. Arkwright is not a Jew"
said Adela, blushing against her Will.
II Is hardly necessary to mention that
the doctor answered fully and clearly,
and that on his return home he told his
wife she need take no further trouble
in the matter
v.
Arkwright meanwhile felt that Il
deathblow had been given to his hap
pinness. Mime. La Crosse had insinu-
at.d very cleverly that she was in pos
session of all Adela's secrets and had
told him sharply and clearly that Adela
would not marry him. He knew Adela
too we'll to suppose for an instant that
she had given her confidence willingly
ON such subject: but he also under
stood her character clearly enough to
see that her conscientious truthful
ness would put her at the mercy of
Madame's probing. He saw at u
glance how easily he might have been
deceived by her gentle frienCMiness.
And because he had himself fastidious
delight in beauty. he always cXagger
ated the effect OF his own plainness on
women. 1t was not surprising to him
that she would never be Il wife of his.
although his future became sordid and
dull at the thought. And hers was Il
nature to suffer deeply in having to
give pain: he wculd at least spare her
that distress: he would send her
friendly note of goodbye and go away
without seeing her again.
But Adela's life was all aTlOw with
suden, unexpected happiness. Ark
wright was to leave for St. Petersburg
i'm five days. and she had not forgotten
the rebuff she had given him: but all
this was as nothing now that it was no
longer forbidden her to permit his love.
Madame thought she was fond of
Adela. She enjoyed her companion
ship. except when any third person was
present, and she found her interesting,
for in the eyes of Nine. La Crosse.
.Adela was constantly doing and saying
the Unexpected, since Madame was in
capable of understanding the unflinch-
ing rigour with which the girl strove
after an ideal character which thwart-
ed many of her own girlish sympathies
and proved frequent ohence to Mad
ame's welldecorated standard. out
wardly so graceful and luminous, but
in reality so hopelesSly philStine.
But though she was fond of Adela.
she was still fonder of Edward. She
sometimes thought that If she had ever
had a son, she would nave liked nm
to he Il good deal like Edward i'm char
acter only. or course. with more beauty
ana more ambition. The childless
woman was unconsciously jealous or
Adela as some mothers are jealous OF
And then her pride and vanity were
both engaged in the affair She had
warned Edward that Adela would never
marry him. ana she had rebuked Adela
Tor her supposed affecton Tor nm. 70
woman OF MadameS temperament II
would be intolerable. after this, to see
them come to an understanding.
Yet when she had tossed aside the
Chopin and begun the SLOW movement
of the Sonata Pathetique 'and she
played unusually welD. she fell into u
mood of imagined sympathy for Ed
ward. and murmured Poor little
Adela.
The sympathy ana compassion were
conscious. but the fear. and s.lfshnesS,
and guile which were twisted up with
them-the sense that her power was
slipping from her and that she was
dehasing herself to nrolong it-of all
these things she was unaware. except
when the music opened htr eyes Tor u
moment. and she closed the book hasti-
ly and passed rapidly out into the gar
den, regarding herself as too emo
tional being. ana murmurins to herself
that after all she was too sinsle-lnnded
to change '.er course of action. She did
not realize that Beethoven had for half
an instant shown her To herself. and
that the vision had been intolerable.
VI.
Three days passed by, spent by Adela
in her usual auiet fashion. teaching
her little brothers and sisters helping
them to Keen the garden in order, and
cooking dainty things for poor con-
sumptive tailoress whom she counted
among her friends. Rut through all
his her wonderful new joy gradually
changed In srlf-reproach and pain.
Had she after all deceived herself?
Had Nine. IL Crosse been right in in
sisting that Arkwrisht did not care"
Yet many things came back to her
memory which made II impossible to
believe Madame right without diSre-
spect to Arkwright himself. Then the
self-torture took another form. When
she SO ciuns!ly refused the orange
blossom. it had been with Il half-blind
instinct. that. understandings her as he
did. he would unders tand. too. all that
the little action meant that h. would
realize why she might accept such
things from others. but not from him.
Yet now how was he to divine shat
everything had changed for her? II
she could only see him. all would be
WELL but the time had almost gone
and he had not been to see her per-
haps after al he would not see her.
possibly he would write instead
Th. evening of the fourth day
seemed her last reorieve. yet that was
the night when Mary Dawson. her tail
Dress friend. always expected visit
FROM, her. II was out of the question TO
-, ,,l IL. t,.,I 49,, a..