The Portland daily press., 1898-01-07
GALL RIGHTS REsERvED.l
(Chapter XIV Continued.)


During this while Marian and Rawdon
1&sd seen each other every day according
70 thG1r usual won't but change seemed
to have oome o'er the spirit of their
dream. Cecil was depressed, subdued,
and Inclined to brood, worried by an In
cessan1 conflict Of sentiments which kept
him silent and thoughtful. Marian,
coming much under his influence as she
did. to a very great extent unconsciously
reflected his mood. They had many a
walk and many talk together, never
falling to call two or three times during
the course of each day at Mr.. Lambert 8
house to inquire how Clara did The
young fellow delayed quitting dunbar
House for the lodgings he had taken all
the while the poor girl remained in IT.;
but after she had been carried out to be
driven to her home, he bade farewell to
the Hartrees, and moved into the rooms
that he had hired in Sydney.
Marian said he to his companion, as
they strolled along together on the morn
ing that he had learnt the welcome IN
teiligenee of Clara being out of danger,
II must make up my mind to some set
tied course before very long now. My
business in England renders it quite i'm
peratiye that [ should not extend my
stay in this country longer than can
possibly help
The girl made no answer. She had too
much delicacy of feeling to venture upon
any suggestion. That must come from
him.
~ have Just been thinking it over," he
continued, land believe the best and
certainly the most honorable plan for
me to adopt will be this: Wait until
clara Lambert issquite convalescent, then
go.and see her, once more put my posi-
zion before her, and ask her to.release me
Truly misfortunes come not singly to
this unhappy girl" said Marian, with
little sigh of sympathy"
"But what do you think yourseif?
asked Cecil. 81 do not see what other
course is open to me-.
IT despise myself for not having the
moral courage to renounce you ana lnsdst
upon your marrying Miss Lambert. Ii
thoughtsthat I,y.givings syou up syous would
still keep your engagement ;: with 4n,-.4ot, her
tYou wouldn't do it, interrupted
Cecil, with "a smile.
II do not believe I could" she mur-
INJURED. "That is to gay, L. know it would
break my heart; never could have real
lied that love Is really but another word
for seifshness.
must admit that in our case the two SEN
timents seem TO be very nearly allied.
But to return to what l was saying-to
the great problem that has been the
haunting condition Of my existence for
the past three weeks-l must make up
my mind without further delay how l
intend to act"
He walked on awhile in silence, and
then exclaimed:
tsI have an idea I will go and have a
talk with Mr. Lambert. He is a gentle
man and clergyman, besides being the
father of Clara, and am sure that II
represent to him how am situated he
viii counsel me wisely and in right
minded way"
Marian agreed that he would do we'll to
take this step, and expressed some Won
der that it had not occurred to him to
interview the girls parents before now.
But he explained this by saying that the
notion had indeed several times entered
his head. only he could not dream of ap-
preaching them whilst their daughter
lay in state bordering betwizt life and
death. Now that her condition was no
longer critical, however, he deemed it his
duty to go to them.
Accordingly, that same afternoon, he
walked over to Fitz William Lodge, land
inquired for Mr.. Lambert. The clergy
man was at home and directed that
Cecil should be shown into his room,
where he sat half doing over volume of
Jeremy Taylor's Works, for the anxiety
of the past fortnight had rendered him
far filter to go to sleep than to appreciate
the rich eioQuence OF the old divine. He
closed the volume with a smotheTed yawn
as Rawdon entered, and rose to greet
him. The first words were naturally in
duiries after Clara. She was doing well,
although very weak and likely to require
great care for some time to come. Then
Cecil found himself very much embaf-
raised. for he had come upon delicate
mission-to tell father, in effect, that
he no longer cared about his daughter,
and to ask to be freed Sfrom his engage
nlent to her. But Mr. Lambert was not
by any means forbidding man; he per-
ceived the youngsfellow' hesitation. and
although he could not then guess at the
reason of it. he imagined that Rawdon
might.have Esomething to communicate,
the impartins of which would cause Chin
little confusion therefore, in orderssto
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS him he put n..the
mildest, most genial manner At his COM
mand. with the result that in very snort