The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1897-11-23

WYgS!9 ment that was
worth recalling af-
ter he had passed out of sight. So that
Margaret had to supply memory Tor
herself, and magnify molehills into
mountains, in order to maintain an or
binary decent stock Of sweet things 70
muse upon and weep over.
Meanwhile Ruthven kept very much
out of her way-a course OF conduct
which the girl misinterpreted into
anger, and fretted about accordingly.
The real reason being that Ruthven
did not dare trust himself in her pres
ence The love he had cherished when
absent from her, and the dreams he had
dreamed, had become twice as precious
when he met her again, and he was too
wary to cast himself headlong under
the wheels of Juggernaut which he
knew would crush him.
In her want of companionship, Mar
garet's thoughts turned to her old
school friend, Carmen Flower. The
young ladies had, naturally, kept up a
correspondence since leaving Black
heath; but it had not been quite SO con-
fidential on Margaret's part as on that
of Carmen. She had not told her, in fact,
of her love affair. The old habit of Sc
crecy, instilled so early into her by
Mrs. Garrett, had something, perhaps,
to do with this, and natural timidity
still more. Carmen was such quiz;
she laughed at everybody and every
thing. Margaret felt sure she should
never hear the last word of it were she
rash enough to disclose her secret whilst
it was in it's infancy But the girls
wrote freely to each other on all other
topics; and Margaret was wondering
whether a gentle hint on the subject OF
her loneliness might not bring re-
newal Of the invitation to Abbottsville,
when she received a hastily written
letter from Carmen to say that Sir
Frederick Flower was going to take her
on the continent for a few weeks.
1--WE shall be moving about from
place to place." she wrote, $50 I can not
give you any particular address to write
to; but we shall be home again in a
couple of months at the latest, and then
you must pursuade Mr.. Ruthven to let
you come on a visit to us for good
long spell"
So that hope was ended for the pres
ent, and Margaret was obliged to con-
tent herself with dreaming of the
good long spell' in the future.
But she dropped visibly whilst
dreaming She had been used to the
company of the young, and felt like a
prisoner cooped up in that little mouse
during the dry, not, dusty London sea-
son.
At last Mrs. Garrett mentioned the
girls condition to her master. who i'm
mediately became absurdly excited and
alarmed, cursing his own folly and sell
fishness in not having foreseen such
calamity, and proposing to call in the
first physician in London to consult
about her health.
''Lor' bless you, Mr.. James! don't be
in such a quandary All she wants is
little fresh air. She's been too much
shut up with me at home Can't you
take her down to the seaside now for a
few weeks-to Margate or Brighton, or
some nice cheerful place. It'll do you
both good and brisk you up again, for
you don't look in the best of spirits, to
my mind, yourself.
"I-I-no-I can't go; I'm detained by
business" stammered the unfor tunate
Rutkven; "but I'll get lodgings at once
in Brighton, and you shall take her
down there next week, Garrett, AMI I'll
get bed at the club till you return.
What would he not have given to be
able to accompany Margaret to either
ri the places mentioned, and to have
watched the roses return to her cheeks.
and the lightning flash to her eye?
Mrs Garrett went down duly to
Brighton with her charge, where The
fresh, salt breezes and life-inspicing
air could not fail to make her better in
body, at least. whatever they did in
mind.
But at this period-Margaret always
afterward dated their falling off from
the day of her arrival in Brighton