Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-10-20

paint me as?'
"As an angel, I think" said Claude,
grayely.
was so much amused by the idea
that she would talk of nothing else
while he was helping her with her
, cloak; but just as they were passing
through the hall again on their way
to the carriage, she half raised her
scarf and showed him the Christmas
roses.
Your flowers are quite fresh still,
she said, glancing up at him half
shyly.
And Claude was more thrilled by
those words, than by all her former
thanks. Your flowers she called
them his and she wore them Her
hand lay in his for a moment as he
helped her into the carriage with
elaborate care, then the footman
closed the door with vicious speed
and the coac man urged on the
horses. Claude felt desperate-he
must see her once more; this was
last chance for an indefinite time,
for he was to leave too early the foi-
lowing day for a call at the deanery
to be possible Regardless of the
snow he hurried out all bareheaded
as he was, threaded his way among
the crowd of carriages, and ran full
speed across the park TO the lodge
gate; 1t was a short cut over the
GRO hp 1u ct,.ir
deanery carriage; leaning breathless-
" against the gate-post, ne waited
till the sound OF wheels drew nearer,
and the yellow lamps flashed into
sight, the horses slackened their
pace a little at the turn, and for IN
instant he had what he longed for,
a last look at Esperance. She did not
see him, and he wished she would
raise her eyes just for moment
from something she was looking at
earnestly, but a sudden sense of
gladness filled his heart, when as the
carriage turned into the road. the
light fell for a minute on her hands,
Christmas rose.
Lady Worthington was no match
maker, and although the union OF her
f0vorite proteges could not but sug-
gest itself to her, she would not allow
the idea to influence her words or ac-
tions; nor, although she strongly sus-
pected that Claude had fallen in love
with his former ideal, would she
make the slightest effort to win his
confidence. He left the Hall on the
following day without saying a word
to her, and although she was little
curious, she wisely kept silence, not
even talking the matter over with
Frances.
Claude went back to town. and
worked hard at his painting, but ow-
ing to the short winter days much of
his time was necessarily unoccupied,
and mis- thoughts were constantly re-
yerting to Esperance. He took a fan
cy for going to the afternoon service
at the abbey, that he might be hearing
exactly what she was hearing; he
took in the Guardian" and searched
the columns anxiously for anything
relating to Rilchester. The very
name of Dean Collinson was sufficient
to set all his pulses throbbing, and he
took the most lively interest in all the
special preachers mentioned-me
whom Esperance had SEEN perhaps
shaken hands with.
Won by waiting. /
This did all very well for a time
Parliament was opened, and the Woc-
thingtons returned to town. There
was plenty going on, the days were
growing longer, but yet as the spring
advanced Claude grew more and more
restless the brief illusions in the
Guardian became only tantalizing:
the Westminster services no longer
satisfied him--he could not even sue
coed in drawing Esperance's face
from memory, and had it not been for
the hope that he might really be
working for her his pictures would
have suffered considerably,
The opening OF the Academy gave
him some satisfaction Two of his
pictures were on the line, and were
very fayorably spoken of in the cri-
uqueS. lie wondered II Esperanee
ever read the papers, if by chance she
would see those Academy Notes
BY the third week in May both his
works We're sold, Evidently his rep
utation was greatly increased ana
he felt a certain sense Of pleasure.
but his restlessness only grew greater
At length he resolved that he would
tell all to Lady Worthington, feeling
sure that she would be both a safe and
a sympathetic contidante.
sacrificing for this purpose even
the afternoon light, he started early in
hope OF finding Lady Worthington
disengaged, and before three o'clock
was shown upstairs to her drawing
room. The room was empty, and he
had some minutes to wait. He stood
in one Of the windows and looked out
on hensington Gardens, abstractedly
watching the procession Of nurse
maids and children, and the bright
sunlight llickering through the fresh
green Of the trees on to the brown
paths below, Then Lady Worthing