The record-union., 1897-08-21
should be obliged to marry Mrs. Albat-

Silc u1u Dt oDlSco " marry Isis. <>iDaS-
ross.
| The moment came. It was in the little
sitting room upstairs.
Something had happened. DR.. Jasper
saw that plainly enough.
The lady was flushed and excited, and
he missed the usual confidential hand
squeeze.
! II wanted to see you," she said, and
paused. Nothing has come to your
ears I suppose?"
The doctor looked inquiringly
We'll, then, I'm dreadfully troubled;
annoyed beyond measure; put out. Of
course. you know my maid, Susan; she
has been with me ten years, and is not
a gossip
What on earth do you mean? Do be
plain; surely with me you might be
quite plain" and he moved a little near
| er, feeling at that moment curious
kind of attraction which almost COM
PEELED him to lay his hand upon her arm
and force her to be quite honest.
Don't keep me on tenterhoolzs,' he
said eagerly; tell mel
4 will" said the lady; Il feel 1 can
tell you anything I don't think L have
any other friend in the world-at least,
not like you; no one understands me,
no one has helped me as you have, and
we've got to part, that is all
What on earth." said Jasper, really
shaken and troubled; he had never seen
her grow pale like that. nor her lips
quiver like that-and she was not OF
the crying sort-she did not cry now
"What-what has Susan been saying.
only that it's all over the place, and
that she thought at last she ought to
tell me-
You don't mean, you don't mean
He couldn't quite say it.
Yes, l do" she said, and rose and
walked up and down the room full OF a
sort of angry vexation, mingled evil
IDENTIFY with a conflict of passionate
feeling she could neither conceal nor
subdue.
Sit down." he said. He had risen.
He took her arm; she was positively
trembling. He led her to the sofa by
the fire
I shall have to leave this place. -
she said in a sort of hard voice The
angry tears came into her eyes. He
had never seen her weep. This was
the nearest approach to 1T.
I know what you are going to say.
Don't say it. You shan't go; you are
useful. The people trust you. Tt is
your sphere 1 am the marplot."
why should you go?" said Jasper,
hardly measuring his words. why
should either of us go? Why not stay
and stay-stay together?"
You don't mean it?" Men at such
times are more fools than knaves."
Yes, yes-I-do.
Jasper had taken her hand The wo-
man with the iron will, the keen in
tellect, the nature self-cOntained, which
seemed at times as hard as nails, turn
ed toward him, and in another moment
fell crying and laughing hysterically
into his arms At this moment, as i'll
luck would have it, Phemie, hearing
unusual sounds, and thinking some one
needed assistance, entered.
go and fetch some sal-volatile. your
: mother is not very we'll" Indeed, at
: that moment Mrs. Albatross seemed to
have really tainted away. Whether she
tainted or not, no one will ever know
the doctor himself was doubtful.
Jasper never entered the house again.
wrote a hurried note in a disguised
hand to Phemie, who on the following
day would be 21 years old and come
into $500 a year, which had been left
her. to the disgust of her mother, by
her fond father-and Jasper went to
bed.
He must have risen early. No one
at his lodgings saw him go out. His
hot water was brought UP at o'clock.
His boots had not been put out over
night.
The servant knocked at 8. The door
was not locked. She entered. She saw
boxes packed and labeled Lett till
called for" The bed was empty.
The station was a mile off. There
We're only two passengers by the early
train
When Mrs. Albatross came down to
breakfast she inquired for Phemie. Phe-
nie was gone.-Rev. H. r. Hawles in
London Sketch.