The Irish standard., 1896-04-11

TO Of their past. There was no disorder
of fight--eyerything was in its place,
except the drawer of her desk, which
was still open as il she had taken some
thing from it as an afterthought. There
were letters and papers there some OF
his own and some in Capt. Pinckney's
handwriting. 1t did not occur to him
to look at them--eyen to justify himself
or excuse her. He knew that his
hatred of Capt. Pinckney was not 50
much that he believed him her lover, as
his sudden conviction that they were
alikei He was the male of her species
"A being antagonistic to himself whom
he could fight and crush and revenge
himself upon. But most Of all he
loathed his past, not on account OF her,
but of his own weakness that had made
him her dupe, and a misunderstood man
to his friends. He had been derelict of
duty III his selfish devotion to her; he
had stifed his ambition, ana under
rated his own possibilities-no wonder
that others had accepted him at his own
valuation. Clarence Brant was mod
est man, but the egotism of modesry is
more fatal than that Of pretension, for
1t has the haunting consciousness Of SUI
periori virtue.
He reentered his own room and again
threw himself in his chair His calm
was being succeeded by physical
WEAKNESS; he remembered ne had not
slept the night before and he ought to
take some rest to be fresh in the early
morning. Yet he must also show him
self before his self-inpited guests, Susy
and her husband, or their suspicious
would be aroused. He would try to
sleep for a little while in the chair, be-
fore he went downstairs again He
closed his eyes oddly enough on a dim,
dreamy recollection of Susy. of the old
days IN the little Madrono hollow
where she had once given him rem
devious. He forgot the maturer and
critical uneasiness with which he had
then received her coauettish and willful
advances which he now knew was tile
effect Of the growing dominance,o of Mrs. A
Peyton over him and remembered
only Ler bright, youthful eyes, and the
kisses he had pressed upon her soft,
fragrant cheeks. The faintness he had
felt when awaiting in the old rose gar 4
den, few hours ago, seemed to steal
on him once more, and to lapse into a
delicious drowsiness. He even seemed
again to inhale the perfume of the
roses.
''CIarence!"
He started. He had been sleeping
but the voice sounded strangely real.
A lffTja crfv- folI
sprang to his feet. 1t was Susy, stand
ing beside him--and Susy even as she
looked in the old days
For with a fash Of her old andacitv.
aided. BY her perfect knowledge Of the
house, and the bunch OF household KEYS
she had found. which dangled from her
girdle, as in the old fashion, she had
disinterred one of her old froclxs from
closet, slipped it on, and loosening
her brown hair had let it fall in rip
ping waves down her back. It was
Susy IN her old girlishness, with the in
stinct of the grown actress in the ar
rangement of her. short skirt over her
pretty ankles, and the half conscious
pose she had taken.
Poor, dear old Clarence" she said
with dancing eyes. Il might have won
a dozen pairs of gloves from you while
you slept there. But you're tired, dear
old boy--and you've had hard time OF
it. No you've shown yourself
man al last!-and I'm proud Of YOU
Half ashamed of the pleasure he felt,
even in his embarrassment, Clarencs
stammered: "But this change--this
dress!''
Susy clapped her hands like child.
Il knew it would surprise you! It's an
old frock | wore the year went away
with aunty. | knew where it was hid
den, and fished it out again with these
keys. Clarence-it seemed so like old
times. Lord! when L was with the old