The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-02

Her refusal was ambiguous, abusive. She
could no more tell him why she rejected
him than she could have tod a cripple
of his hump. He, too, must feel some
thing of the unspeakable quality of his
name. Indeed, he had avoided a dozen
chances of telling it, she now perceived.
She spoke of obstacles she could not
reveal" reasons why the thing he spoke
of was impossible" She addressed the
note with a shiver, &c X Shocks"
Things were worse than she had dread
ed he asked her to explain. How could
she explain? Those last two days in
Rome were dreadful. She was haunted
by his air of astonished perplexity. She
knew she had given him intimate hopes
she had not the courage to examine her
mind thoroughly for the extent of her en-
couragement. She knew he must think
her the most changeable of beings. Now
that she was in full retreat. she would
not even perceive his hints of possible
correspondence. But in that matter he did
a thing that seemed to her at once deli
cate and romantic. He made a go-between
of Fanny. Fanny could not keep the Sc
cret, and came and told her that night
under a transparent pretext of advice.
"Mr. Snooks," said Fanny, wants to
write me. Fancy l had no idea But
should I let him?" They talked It over
long and earnestly, aud Miss Winchelsea
was CdfeIul TO keep lNe vel over ner
heart. She was already repenting his dis
regarded hints. Why should she not hear
of him sometimes-painful though his
name must be to her? Miss Winchelsea
decided it might be permitted and Fanny
kissed her goodnight with unusual emo
ton. After she had gone Miss Winchel-
sea sat for a long time at the window of
her little room. 1t was moonlight, and
down the street man sang Santa Lucia
with almost eart-dissolving tenderness
She sat very STILL She breathed a word
very softly to herself, and the word was
"Snooks." Then she got up with a pro-
found sigh and went to bed. The next
morning he said to her meaningly: II
shall hear of you through your friend
Mr. Shocks saw them off from Rome
with that pathetic interrogative perplexity
still on his face, and If it had not been
for Helen he would have retained Miss
Winchelsea's hold-all in his hand as a
sort of enclopaedic keepsake On their
way back TO England Miss Winchelsea on
six separate occasions made Fanny prom
Use to write to her the longest of long
letters. Fanny, it seemed, would be quite
near Mr.. Shocks. Her rev Scholastic
was always going to new schools-would
be only five miles from Steely Bank, and
ii was in the Steely Bank that Mr.. Shocks
did his teaching. He might even see her
at times They could not talk much of
nIIll-Sue anu amy always SHOhS u
him." never of Mr.. Snooks-because Hell
en- was apt to say unsympathetic things
about him. Her nature had coarsened
very much. Miss Winchelsea perceived,
since the old Training College days; she
had become hard and cynical. She thought
he had weak face, mistakng refinement
for weakness as people of her stamp are
apt to do, and when she heard his name
was Shocks she said she had expected
something of the sort. Miss Winchelsea
was careful to spare her own feelings af-
ter that, but Fanny was less circumspect
The girls parted in London and Miss
Winchelsea returned, with new interest
in life, to the Girls High School in which
she had been an increasingly valuable as
sistant for the last three years. Her new
interest in life was Fanny as a corre-
spondent, and to give her lead she wrote
her a lengthy descriptive letter within a
fortnight of her return. Fanny answered.
and very disappointingly. Fanny, indeed,
had no literary gift but 1t was new TO
Miss Winchelsea to find herself deploring
the want of gifts in a friend That let
ter was even criticised aloud In the safe
solitude of Miss Winchesea's study and
her criticism, spoken with great bitter
ness was "twaddler' 1t was full of just
the things Miss Winchelsea's letter had
been full Of particulars of the school
And of Mr.. Shocks only this much: Il
have had a letter from Mr. Shocks and
he has been over TO see me on two Satur-
day afternoons running. He talked about
Rome and you've both talked about you,
Your ears must have burnt, my dear"
Miss Winchelsea repressed a desire to
demand more explicit information, and
wrote the sweetest long letter again. TELL
me all bout yourself, dear. That journey
has quite refreshed our ancient friendship,
and l do so want to keep in touch with
you" About Mr. Shocks she simply wrote
on the fifth page that she was glad Fan
ny had seen him, and that If he should
ask after her she was to be remembered
to him very kindly (underlined). And
Fanny replied most obtusely in the key
of that ancient friendship" reminding
Miss Wfnchelsea of a dozen foolish things
of those old schoolgirl days at the Train
ing College and saying not word about
Mr.. Shocks.
For nearly a week Miss Winchelsea was
so angry at the failure of Fanny as
go-between that she could not write to her
And then she wrote less effusively, and
in her letter she asked point-blank Have
you seen Mr.. Snooks?" Fanny's letter
was Unexpectedly satisfactory.
II have seen Mr.. Snooks,' she wrote.
and having once named him she kept on
about him; it was all Suooks-Snooks said
and Shocks that He was to give pub
lie lecture, said Fanny, among other
things. Yet Miss Winchelsea, after the
first glow of qualification, still found this
letter a little unsatisfactory Fanny did
not report Mr.. Shocks as saying anything
about Miss WinChelsea. nor as looking a
little white and worn. as he ought to have
been doing. And behold! before she had
replied came second letter from Fan
ny on the same theme. quite gushing let
ter, and covering six sheets with her loose
feminine hand.
And about this second letter was a
rather odd little thing that Miss Winchel-