The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-09-10
[copyrisht, 1871. by the Author.1

II flnd every ones awfully good"
returned Sir Jaffray, and then Beryl led
away the talk to other subjects, striving
hard to make her cousin believe that, 90
far az she herself was concerned, she
was NOT anything but perfectly pleased
at the news.
But she said not one word in praise
Of Lola or one which could lead him
to believe that she liked the woman he
had chosen for his wife or thought he
had chosen wisely aud we'll.
Strangely enough, he was really anx-
ious to get some such expression from
her, and he staid longer than he would
otherwise have done in the endeavor,
but he failed, and the failure disap-
pointed and irritated him.
He tried to be vexed with her in his
thoughts, but he only succeeded in feel
ing dissatisfied, and he could not shake
of the impression that in some way it
was an Ill omen not to have Beryl's
good word.
Throughout the time that followed
Beryl did her utmost to mislead others
as to her real opinions. Lady Walcote
came to see her, and she went to the
manor just as usual, and even the close
and loving intimacy which existed be-
tween the two women never led Beryl
to say word other than that she had
always tried to carry out the arrange
ment for the sake of the family inter
ests, but that it was o relief to her to
have an end put to 1t. Lady Walcote at
first questioned this and made her
doubts plain enough, but Beryl held to
her position and in the end prevailed.
What did more than anything else,
however, to make the girls real feel.
ings difficult to understand was her at
titude toward Lola herself. She acted
precisely as she might have done had
there never been any idea that she her
self should marry Sir Jaffray, and she
bore herself toward Lola as though the
latter, by her engagement to the baron
ct, had become member Of the inner
circle Of the family and was therefore
to be treated as an intimate.
She was neither SO cordial at first
that people could think she was seeking
to hide any modification under that
cover nor so distant as to suggest hos
tility toward the girl who had SUP
planted her. She allowed the relations
between them to develop naturally, and
she drilled herself to take keen inter-
est in all the preparations for the mar
riage.
In this way she completely baflled
Lola herself, quick and shrewd though
tho latter was. She could not under
stand that any woman who had really
loved man could see him taken away
from her and yet harbor no anger
against the woman who had taken him.
IF she'd done it to me, I'd have poi
soned herr" she exclaimed to herself
more than once after she had been
watching Beryl closely and had been
more puzzled than usual. "She can't
have cared for him, Or she's the most
artful devil that ever wore petticoats !"
In time she came to the conclusion
that Beryl's oalmness was not. as she
had thought at first, a mask, but the
natural expression Of woman who had
no deep feelings to stir or in whom they
had never been stirred.
Thus during the preparations for the
wedding the two girls were much to-
gother, and when people knew that
Beryl was to be the chief bridesmaid,
and that she and Lady Walcote were as
keenly interested in all the details of
the wedding as Lola herself, they read
Beryl's conduct from tho surface and
agreed that she and not Sir Jaffray was