The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1897-09-16
There must be way ont, " she said
If | could find il. "

An hour or two later, when she TOOK
her candle from his hand, she said:
Look for the way out. "
She smiled. and he followed her with
his eyes as she mounted the stairs, her
skirts trailing and the candle held
high. She did not look hack at the turn
IN the staircase. Aylmer, IN the smoking
room, was ruminant
1t was impos sible to mistake her.
Nor did he misunderstood She raid
Yes when he spoke the next day
Lady Aylmer SAID, Diana, Diana,
dear woman, God bless you"
Perhaps he will, said Diana
Now, IN her drawing room, the
woods saved and his future martgAged
instead, Aylmer took rapid survey #
his life up to the point it had then
reached and decided that he had pursued
the only course open to him Neither
did he in caImnoss repent the sftp be
had taken. Diaaa Granton had not her
money alone to recommend her She
was Of the world and admirably fitted
for the position be offered her That
she Was comedy has been SAID. and she
took a sensible view Of the situation
He vas lot in love with hef, and she
was wise enough to conceal from him
the secret@that her own heart had been
revealing to her gradually for some
time past.
At dinner that evening She looked IL
him and knew that she loved him He
looked at Diana and thought of forgot.
ten Audrey
Il was the fault Of the roses H. the
drawing room
The scent of them haunted him-fol-
lowed him home Poor little Audrey
What would she think? But near as be
had come To loving her, he had never
made love to her and had nothing 10
reproach himself with, for which now
he Was fervently thankful Yet he was
not quite happy As his hanson took him
to Charges street. A memory of some
thing that Was wistful at times i'll Al
drey's eyes stirred him The thing was
absurd, lnconcelvable Her mother,
gentle as she was, was woman OF the
world and had known that he meant
nothing Audrey was child to caress
and pet, 1t Was he who had suffered al
the parting. Her tears were the frank
tears of childhood and rolled down her
cheeks unconcealed.
His miselvlngs told him that he had
done well to go.
He thought of the restlessness that
had possessed him during the early days
of his travel 1t had sent him from
! place to place He had written letter
then that Was never posted, and had re
Trained himself until time and distance
allowed him TO write calmly. Presently
the need TO write at all ceased and hc
knew himself cured
But tonight Audrey haunted him. He
/ could be thankful that be had not made
fool of himself The girl was not Of
his world, and he knew the folly of an
Ill assorted marriage but she had been
very dear to HIM.
How fair she was Her face insinu-
ated itself persistently between him
and sleep She must be grown ep nov
yes, Audrey must be 10 The curves
/ of her slender figure would be rounded
and many subtle changes mark the time
that had seen the crossing Of the Dor.
| der llne of wOmanhood, but she would
be the same Audrey that he had known
and had been so near to loving
1t was late before he slept Then
| Audrey came to him in dreams that
had no definite shape He tried vainly
afterward to remember in what Ruise
and to what accompanying eircum
stances she had appeared to him. He
only knew that she had been with
him, sleeping as waking, through the
night
The mir aud the light of day, how
ever, cleared his brain. He spent
morning with Diana, and by the time
she was sitting opposite to him at lunch
he could view the situation calmly aud
see that his happiness lay III tae direc-
tion he was taking Nor was be con
sciously selfish.
lie parted with Diana and walked
homeward 1t was a time of roses. The
roses in a flower shop caught his atten-
ton. They filled the window
He found himself in tho shnn IL
had been attracted by red roses, yet in
the end 1t was white roses he chose
He believed that he made his choice by
hazard, though now he sometimes Won
ders. 1t may be that some thought of
Audrey s nature Influenced him.
he took out card and paused
What to say? His love? He hesitated
and wrote, For auld lang syne " Then
be gave his directions as to the sending
and left the shop
Three days later letter reached
him.
He opened 1t carelessly, not recogniz-
ing the handwriting His fingers tight
ened suddenly upon the sheet
Il put your roses on her heart, "
wrote her mother, loose, as they came
She would have loved them so, -
Lady's Realm
What Fruit Contains.
Our ordinary fruits contain the fol