The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-11-12
CHAPTER NN.-(Continued.

1Jn had taunted her as an adventures:
,nd husband huntrcss. This right-mind
n. rcsolutc creature, who had refused
.he utmcst promotion to which girl ii
nor position could aspire, Il rich. indulsent
husband, high-placed, famous, having nj
qualities calculated to charm woman, eX'
,opt youth. Why had she so flung away
sfsh fortune. why refused such Il help
mate? Simply because she did not love
Sim. Was her young heart blank. then
" WAS there anyone else? Yet who else
,onId there be for her who had lived like
!, bird in Il cage-who had never since his
brothers.; death been i'll the society of any
men of refinement except Nestorius and
,d Werner? There could be no one else;
her heart must be still nawakened to the
mystery of woman S love.
You are very merciful, in your silence,
he said, after a long pause, returning to
The front of the fireplace where Nestorius
was standing. But no upbraiding you
2ould bcstow upon me could intensity my
sense of my brutal folly. l was like a
rhild destroying a butterfly in wanton
rage at its beauty. If she were here
would ask her pardon on my knees. L
have been miserable from the hour of her
fight-thc abiect slave of rcmorse. All
kinds of horrors have presented them
selves to my mind even the idea of sui
cdc, that she might have rushed down to
The river and flung herself in"
No. no. interrupted Nestorius, quick
IT, II have no fear of such sinful folly
Her mind is too well balanced and she has
that inner consciousness of genius which
Is almost as an armor against the arrows
f,fn MT hot cf
would be able to support herself by litera-
ture, to pour out her wealth of thought
md fancy in fiction. She had her day
dream of cottage near the Avon, with
mn old nurse of hers for housekeeper and
companion. She had 4 scheme for the
future and in leaving this house you may
he sure she went with the intention of
working out her own destiny in that man
ncr. l am not afraid of any folly on her
part. My only fear is for the dangers to
which her absolute ineNperience of the
world might expose her"
She was penniless, said Lashmar,
"nless-as Lady Carminow suggested
thc had borrowed money from you
Did Lady Carminow make that sug-
v"stion? How like Lady Carminow! No,
she had no money from me. poor child!'
You say she has literary aspirations"
said Lashmar; "and you imply that she
has talent for writing
She has more than talent, Lashmar.
She has senius-original genius, rArest
sift in these days of initiative art. She
has genius as original and as unique as
that of Charlotte Bronte, the untutored
child of those lonely Yorkshire moors you
and / know so well. But l will not ask
YOU to believe this upon my assertion:
You shall judge for yourself, if you will
allow me to ask for my letters here"
Lashmar rang the bell and Mr.. Mes
torius' letters were brought, among them
packet of printers proofs, which Mes
torius opened, unrolled and arranged in
sequence with the deftness of hands ac-
cnstomed to dealing with proofs.
Read for yourself!" he said, when
You have an hours leisure. That is the
beginning of Stella's story. l read the
whole of it in manuscript"
What can she write about she who
has seen nothing of the world!'
Blind John Milton had never seen hell
and John Keats had never seen a Titan,
and vet they contrived to write about
such things with very fair effect" answer
ed Nestorius.
1T seems to me that she confded all
her plans and aspirations to you--her
manuscripts even. You were privileged
in receiving SO much of her confidence"
Il am her tutors old friend, and she
knew that sympathized with her. Those
two facts brought us at once en- rapport.
Well, now, Lashmar. what have you done
towards finding her?'
Lord Lashmar gave detailed account
of his efforts in BTumm.