The Van Buren press., 1898-03-05
81 assure you, | won t. +"

cuLe as he poured upon me IN that re-
viewl If there is any man hate-yes
hate, Clarenee!-it is he"
"And yet he may be quite harm
less, inoffensive sort of ass, if we only
knew him."
81 withdrew the book instantly and
burnt the entire edition"
IF all authors accepted their crit
les version in the same spirit, that man
who wrote about the hundred best au-
thors would have had to fix his total at
So"
81 felt as if all the world was laugh.
ing at me-"
"You little silly. I don't suppose
even millionth part of the world knew
anything about it, Nobody reads re-
views of books-except the men who
write them.''
81 could not regard 1t so stoieally,"
she sighed 81 cannot even now. You
do not altogether realize my utter
degradation: These babblings of in
cipient imbecility.' That was one OF
his phrases
She shuddered at the recollection Of
1t.
"Bv Jove! OF course, the best of crit
les are not angels, but yours must have
been a.
"a heartless, heartless mani
"If it had been mans book"
"He may not have known 1 was
a woman"
"You are too severe. No reviewer
critieises book till he has read the
title page"
"But | did not use my own name, l
wanted to see if they would mistake my
work for that of a man. l called 1t
Heart Longings, by Harold Ransom:'
but all my friends knew, SO that really
made no difference
"Not bit"
He had grown suddenly thoughtful,
and spoke absently.
"You will forgive me, tarling-won't
you?-for deceiying you?"
"Deceiving me?" he asked.
"Well, for seeming not to confide in
you unreservedly
Taking the childish, pretty face be-
tween his hands he gazed down into
her dreamy blue eyes, and laughed
softly to himself.
"I-don't-know," he said.
"But-it was nothing actually wrong,
| Clarence she cried. Indignantly; then,
melting again. l know, dear, l used to
say all along that l had concealed Moth
ing from you. l had told you every
thing"
81 used to say the same to you, didn't
| n"
eyes"
"Well, coming to think of it, l re-
member | have a secret which | have
never disclosed to you. So, after all, we
are each as bad as the other"
She started, and scanned his feature s
eagerly.
"You? A secret, Clarence?"
"Only little one-like yours"
"But mine was no secret. had for
gotten it," she protested. Besides
mine was nothing for which you could
blame mel"
81 wish could say that of mine
"Clarence!" she sobbed, you have
been deceiving mel"
"No; / had forgotten about it."
"You always said" she faltered, hel
lips quivering, you never loved any cir.
until you met me-"
"Now, want you to make me prom
Use: If 1 forgive you, you will forgive
me?"
She hesitated.
"Tell me, first, all about it,"
"Do you promise?" he insisted.
ooh, Clarence, you can never be the
same to me again! do hope it is moth
ing dreadful. What can it be? IL
"Do you"
"Yes, yes, dear. l promise!" she said
desperately. Whatever it is, I love you
and mast forgive you"
"You won't hate meP"
81 could not"
She pressed her handkerchief to hel
eyes.
81 won't keep you in suspense" sait
he. 1--WE have both been sinners, and
| was the worst of the two. / must tel
you, then. Before l was a successful
| barrister, / was a good-for-nothint
Young scoundrel, with a very goot
opinion of myself and a very bad on'
of everybody else. | was a wicked
Young dog, and did several scandalou
things that l am ashamed of now"
She caught her breath and waited il
an agony of expectation. He seemed
very serious, and yet a battling smil'
was pickering round the corners of hi
mouth.
"They were all of the same descrip
ton, but l am sorry oil account of on
in particular"
"And that?"
"Well being hard up, I used to carr
odd guineas in all manner of odd ways
| was a fiippant, self-satisfed brute
and" he paused, and putting an arm
about her, drew her closer to him. "
have a heart now-you know / have
sweetheart, don't you? But once upot
4 time-you have promised to forgiv
me and not to hate mel-in the day
when you published your book
was"
"You-you-were-W
"The heartless man who reviewed Il!
st. Paul's.
He Had TO Own Up.
He had taken his shoes oil and wa
about to creep upstairs, when h