The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-09-21
WOMAN'S WHOLE EXISTENCE

1 like eyes.
But you will come again, she said
wistfully. lie frownod.
"Who knows" no returned, in his
most cynical tone. II may come again,
| or l may not. How can 1 tell what tate
may have in store for moy Second sight
IL not one Of my gifts.
she was still looking at him.
II hope you will come again. she
| said slowly.
Ills eyes met hers and the frown van
| ished as quickly as 10 had come.
II hope So too. p" he said more gently.
Griselda flushed softly. and tender
| wistful light flashed over the charming
face that was so dangerously near his
| own.
II shall miss you, +" she half whispered.
"Shall youY'' he said We'll, If It's
| any consolation to YOU 10 know it. shall
miss you, too" Ihen no squared his broad
shoulders, and laughed rather harshiy.
my advice-don't. It's bad policy 10 miss
| Leoplo. Forget m as soon as I'm gone.
That's tho best bning YOU can do.
Forget you'' she repeated, forget
youn'
Something in hsr tone struck him
strangely. lie I)uked dow n ut her, ana
| as their eyes met sudden hghu ilhshed
upon him-a binding dazzling, bewild-
erine light that struck home to mis- heart
like knifo-thrust she was not enid,
but woman. and she loved him.
the truth WAS so unexpected. so over
whoIming, that he staggered under 10 as
II 10 had been u blow. lie had never
Crcamt cf this. Whenever he had thought
of Griseida In relation TO himself he had
1 oel so entirely euRrossed with his own
side OF the question that it hau not oc-
! onrred to him 10 consider her. Now the veil
WAS torn from his eyes ana he saw clearly
For "a moment his heart beat with pas
Griselda was not for Thin, nor he for
| Griselia Not for him the sweet dalliance
and golden dreams that are known only
tu happy lovers: not Tor him she pence
ful joy Of hearth ana home, the laughter
Of lit,Ie children. Those things were for
OIL :.
II never forget people" said Griselda
| in hcr soft voice.
He drew in his lips till his mouth
looked like bar Of iron across his stern,
set face.
Its time you began. then" he
answered, grimly. "Ihe lesson of forget.
fulness is the best that you can learn in
this life. ~
She shook her head.
Il shall never learn 10, " she said. He
{ lok botn her hands IN his and drew her
gently toward him, looking down at her
with a strange expression in his grave
eyes.
'Grsolda," he said. there are two
Geofirey Uerings. There Is the Godfrey
Dering whom you know, anu there is
the Godfrey Dering whom you do not
know.
She glanced at him with preplexed in
quiry, but she said nothing.
"The Godfrey DeriBg. he went on,
whom you know is-well. you know
what he is, or what he appears To you TO
be. better than / can tell you. The
Godfrey Dering whom You do NOT know
L. tFn
different. lie is made of iron, not of
flesh ana blood. He is absorbed in his work.
lie THINKS only of himself and of his career,
and he tramples down everyone and
everything that STANDS in his way. lie is
not TO be touched or turned, and love
has no part or lot in his life. There is no
broom for IL, no room for anything but
self and am bition. He Is hard, and sell
fish. and cynical, without faith in God
or man. Hs has no heart onlv stone.
He paused and his strong clasp tight
ened on the little hands that he held.
"Griselda, he said, tde Godfrey
Dering whom you have known Will die
tonight. Perhaps it would have been
better IL he had never been born.
And then she fou nd her voice at last.
no" she said, sit would not have
been better; for II ho had never teen born
l should never nave known aim.
He shook his head
And it would have been better" he
said, "if YOU had never known him,
unless you can learn To forget him. To
remein her him can do you no good, for
you will never see him again.
"Nevery' she echoed.
Never. " he answered. He rose 70 his
feet, and drew her with him, still hold
ing hsr hands in his. "Griselda, " he said,
this is our good bye l may SEQ you
again in the morning out this Is our
good bye. Will You promise me something
before go?''
She raised hcr eyes to his. Yes" she
anwered simply.
lie looked down nj her. and for
moment he could not speak. lhe light
that glowed in her eyes, Iae touch OF her
soft little hands In his, aroused strange
tImult of feelings within his breast, and
set his heart teating wildly with mad,
impaticpt pain that he had never known
bsforo Hot words rushed to his lips,
but he forced than back
At last he spoke quito calmly. Looking
az his imrrSssiyo face, ana listening %
his quiet voicu no ono ooIsd have guessed
NJ the torrent OF passion that soe5hed
beneath that cold exterior.
Promise mo, no Sld, Terv gently
ana gravoiy. "that yor will forgive mo
aul try 90 forget mo. L lat H. all.
she looked up at him, and tho shadow
that fell across her ewes was the forecast
of martvrdom moment later she was
smiling DrAYcly IN MS lace
Il have nothing CO forgive" she said,
"and-aud | will try 10 forget you. "
And he was satisfied.
'Sho will get over it,, h, told himself
with "A touch Of grim cynicism Love Is
not life There ara other Interests, and
one cnn' { be always groaning over tho in
evitable. She will get over IL In timo and
be none the worse for 1t. ~
Manlike, ho Judged her by himself, but
thcrc he was wrong, for In matters Of
3 n iment men and women are essentially
uitlrrent
Mas love IS OF mons life thing apart,
'lis woman's whole existence,
wrote one Of our great poets And in
those words he gave expression 10 an
eternal tru:h that lies ever at the root OF
human passion, anu human DESPAIR. ana
all tho vast unwritten tragedy OF human
| lifo Truth