The Yale expositor., 1898-10-21
I retired 10 a distnnt window and took

l retired to a distant window, and took
up the Field; but my eyes wandered
from the close, cramped print to the
heads OF the girls bending over their
work, and thought what charming
picture they made in the chastened
golden light, and how reflectively my
wife's dark tumbled locks threw out
the smooth coronet OF FURNISHED gold
that crowned Edith's stately head.
She was a most beautiful woman
tall, fair, with soft blue eyes heavily
dashed, and f2ultless profile. Never
before had I seen her look so attract
i've as she did on that evening while
she directed Helen's little clumsy
brown hand across that square OF oat-
meal cloth on which such wonderful
birds, butterflies, and Towering vege-
tation were to blossom into life. Her
dress, Of light blue stuff, trimmed
with delicate lace, fitted her exquisite
ly, and there was a suggestion Of grace
full poetic perfection about her general
appearance, her every movement, that
was most soothing to the senses that
have watched her with unsatiated
pleasure for hours at a stretch-"a
daughter Of the gods, divinely tall and
divinely fair"-while Helen, my wife,
was a most distinct child Of earth,
small, dark-haired, dark-eyed, with
uniformed babyish features, and a skin
which, though pure and healthy, lacked
the delicate peach-bloom OF the other.
Was she ordinarily pretty or almost
plain? l still asked myself that ques-
ton after nine months of matrimony,
and could arrive at no satisfactory So
luton. For Helen was seldom the
same, either in mind, manner, or looks,
two hours together
One hour she would look, even in
the most partial eyes, dull, common
place, hopelessly unattractive-the
next, for no apparent cause, her ap-
pearance would change, her cheeks
glow, her eyes CLEAN with light that
/ vaguely felt for a moment would, in
most mems opinion dim Edith's placid
beauty into insignificance. She had
certainly very strange eyes-I never
could ascertain their exact shade.
Sometimes they were deep, dark, still,
like water in heavy sh3dow-agaiA,
they were all life with Pickering tawny
lights, as they were that moment, when
raised to Ediths in rueful expostula-
ton.
"Oh, Miss Stopford, please don't ask
me to change my wool again! Let
NE finish to the stalk in this browny
yellow"
MY dear Mrs. Dennys, impossible!
You have only three shades in the leaf
as yet, and l have changed my wool
as many as Internationally times in
a single spray of virgin vine."
Have you? Then I'll never be an
artist in crewels!" laughed Helen, the
cloth dropping lazily from her hands;
whereupon Jim, her little terrier,
thinking the lesson over, jumped
briskly up on her lap, upsetting her
workbasket, the contents Of which
rolled over the waxed boards-scissors,
tapes, EetIiSb, DOuhluS hChl ll6nl anu
left. A stout reel of black cotton
travelled languidly my way. and, stoop-
ing to pick it up, the golden hair of
the only woman l ever loved brushed
my forehead deliciously.
Meet me at the end of the cedar
walk in half an hour" she said in a
quick whisper, with downcast eyes,
fumbling for the reel that |, in my agi-
tation, had dropped again. Il have
something to say to YOU"
l nodded, lay back in my chair, and
instinctively held up the paper to
shade my face from observation.
When my wife called me over to drink
cup of tea, glanced apprehensively
into a mirror to see IL the color had
faded from my temples yet. No, it
was still there, burning brightly, even
through my tanned skin.
Meet me at the end OF the cedar
walk in half an hour" l repeated
stupidity, again and again, as 1 strolled
across the lawn towards Breton Hall,
the residence OF General Stopford,
Ediths uncle, and my grandfather's
brother. what does it mean? What
can she have to say to me? / can't
understand it,"
IrN-