Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-26

she stamped her foot passionateiy. and
'.Yes?" said. with poor attempt at
irony. and one?"
For me to stake next Friday. when the
duhs passes this way on his road home
| lie does not!' 1 cried.
| "IIe does! he does!' she retorted. And
| you Will do, too, what say, sir. Or
| Or what?' 1 cried, calling up a spirit
| for once.
Or and she raised her voice little
| and sang:
But alas, when wake and no Phyllis find
| How l sigh to myself all alone
| you never loved met cried, in a rage
at that, and the threat.
| Have 1t your own way"' she answered,
| carelessly, and sang it again; and after
that there was no more talk but we
| walked with all the width of the road be-
| tween US, with a sore heart, and she tt
tipping along, cool and happy; pleased, 1
| think, that she had visited on me some of
| the chagrin which the stranger had caused
| her, and for the rest with God knows
what thoughts in her heart. AT least, l:-
| tie suspected them, yet with the little
| knowledge l had. 1 was angry and panied,
| and for the time SO far freed from Illusion
| tnat would not make the overture, but
| hardened myself with the thought of my
| guinea and her selfishness, and coming TO
| the gap in the first fence, helped her over
| with cold hand and no embrace s'ich as
| was usual between at such junctUres.
In word we were like naughty children
i
| have parted in that guise. and that the
very best thing that could have happened
| to me-who had no guinea and knew. not
| where to get one-though 1 would not 90
| so far to say that in the frame OF mind
was then in, 1t would have saved me.
| But in the article of parting. and when the
| garden fence already rose between is, yet
| each remained plain to the other by the
| light of the moon, which had just risen.
| Dorinda on sudden raised her hands, and,
holding her cloak from her, stood and
looked at me an Instant in the most ravish-
ing faShlon, with her head thrown back
| and her lips parted and her eyes shining
| and the white of her neck and her bare
| arms ard the swell of her bosom showing.
| l could have sworn that even the scent Of
| her hair reached ME, though that VAS i'm
possible. But what l was enough. l
| might have known that she did 1t only to
tantalize me; might have known that she
| would show me what I risked; but on the
| instant, and Obvious of all else. l owned
her beauty. and, resentment and my loss
| a1ke forgotten, sprang to the fierce, my
blood on fire and words bubbing to nv
! lips Another second and / should have
| been at her feet, but she turned and, with
| backward glance that only the more in
named me, fled up the garden and to the
mouse, whittier / dared not follow her.
However. enough had passed to send me
| to my bed to long and lie awake; enough,
tEe morrow come, to take all color from
| the gray tssks and dull drudgery of school
time: insomuch that the hours seemed
| days and the days weeks, and Mr.. DIS ig-
! norant pressing and infliction too wearisome
| to be borne. What my love now lacked of
| reverence 1t made up in passion, and pas
| sions offspring, impatience on which it is
l. 70 be supposed my mistress counted, for
lor three whole days she kept within, and
| though every evening l flew to the rendez-
Vous and Their, cooled my heels for an hour
she never showed herself
once. however. 1 heard her on the fur
| Their side of the fence, singing:
But. alas when 1 awake. and no Phyllis 1
find,
| How 1 sigh to myself all alone.
| And sick at heart 1 understood the threat
| ana her attitude. Nevertheless, and though
the knowledge should have cured me- by
convincing me that she was utterly I'M
worthy and had never loved me, I only con-
Sumed the more for her. and groveled the
lower In spirit before her and her beauty
OF body: and the devil presently putting in
my way the means where he had already
provided the motive, it was no wonder that
short time fell.
1t came about In this way In the course
OF the week and before the Friday on which
the duke was to return that way Mr. D.
announced an urgent call 10 London: and
as nc was Toe wise to breach such pro-
pcsal without a quid pro quo Mrs d. must
needs go with him. The stage wagon. which
traVeied three days in the week would
serve next morning. and all was hasty
preparations; clothes were packed and mails
got out; gossip one Mrs. Harris. was en-
gagged to take Mrs. DIS place; and the bows
we're Entrusted to me- with strict instruc-
..e,,s 70 see al lights out at night and no
waste; Ihat these injunctions might he
more impressed on me. was summoned to
mrs. DIS parlor to receive them: but nm
luckily, with the instructions given to me
We're mingled housekeeping directions To
Mrs. Harris. who was also present. SO that
"nen retired from the room l carried
WIN me the knowledge that in certain
desk, perfectly accessible my empoyer left
three g1lineas, to be used in case Of emer
gency, but otherwise not to be touched
II was an unhappy chance explaining &C
VEL wei as accounting for SO much of what
!oio"s mat were TO enter into long de-
tails of the catastrophe it would be use
less; since the judicious reader will have
already informed himself of a result that
was never In doubt from the time that NV
employers departure at once provided the
means OF qualification, and by removing
the restraints under which we had before
labored held out the prospect of pleasure.
Nor can plead that sinned in Ignorance.
for as sat among the boys and mechani
cally heard their tasks 1 called myself
=. InleI: hundred times, and hundred
10 that: and once even groaned aloud. vet
never finched or doubted that T shonld
take the money. Which I did, and-to cut
a long story short-before Mr.. D. had been
three hours out of the house and that
evening humbly presented the whole Of ~
TO my mistress. who rewarded INV com
piaisance with present kisses and future
pleuges; TO be redeemed whenever she
should have once more tasted the pleasures
OF the great world
To tell the truth, her craving for these
and to be seen again in those haunts where
we had reaped nothing but loss and morti
ncation, were continual puzzle to me
VINO asked for nothing better than to entov
her society and kindness as far as possible
from the world. But as she would go and
would play, and made my subservlence in
this matter the condition of her favor, If
was essential she should win, since 1 could
tEen restore the money 1 had taken
whereas II she lost I saw no prospect he
lore me but the hideous one of detection
ana punishment. Accordingly, when the
evening came. and we had effected the
same clandestine exodus as before hut
TINS time with less peril, Mrs. Harris he
ing sleepy, easy-going woman, / could
think OF nothing but this necessity: and far
from experiencing the terrors which had
Deset me before when Dorinda would enter
me Inn, gave no thought TO the scene or
the crowd through which we pushed or
any other of the preliminaries; but had INV
soul SO set upon the fortune that awaited
US mat was for passing through the door
IN the hardest fashion, and only paused
When a hand gripped my shoulder and
rough voice exclaimed in my ear: SOFTLY
Sounss, er; who are you that poke In SO
ooldly? don't know YOU
was In last week." 1 answered. easn-
Ing with eagerness easp
Inen you were one too ~.