Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-12-08
CHAPTER XNIII.


room of dark oak, hooking out on the
little ivy mantled court, of which l
was now reminded by the bowling
of the storm within its high walls
Mrs. Blakesley had eXtemporized
bed for me ON the old sofa: and the
fire was already blazing away splen-
didly. l sat down beside it. and the
somber-hued past rolled back upon
me.
1 was sitting in my own room, wait
ing for Lady Alice. And, as l sat
waiting, and wishing she would come,
by slow degrees my wishes intensi-
fed themselves, till / found myself,
with all my gathered might, willing
that she should come. The minutes
passed, but the will remained.
How shall tell what followed? The
door of the closet opened slowly,
gently-and in walked Lady Alice,
pale as death, her eyes closed, her
whole person asleep. With a gliding
motion as in a dream, where the voli-
ton that produces motion is unfelt,
she seemed to me to dream herself
across the floor to my couch, on which
she laid herself down as gracefully,
as simply, as in the old beautiful time
Her appearance did not startle me, for
my whole condition was in harmony
with the phenomenon. l rose noise.
lessly, covered her lightly from head
TO foot, and sat down, as of old, to
watch. How beautiful she was.
She was waking. My love with the
unknown face was at hand. The re-
viving flush came, grew, deepened.
She opened her eyes. God be praisedi
They We're lovelier than ever. And
the smile that broke over her face was
the very sunlight Of the soul.
gently, as she stretched her beautiful
arms toward me.
1 could not speak. / could only sub
NIT to her embrace, and hold myself
with all my might, lest l should burst
into helpless weeping. But a sob OF
two broke their prison, and she felt
the emotion she had not seen. Re
laXing her hold, she pushed me gently
from her, and looked at me with con
Germ that grew as she looked.
lou are uIestlully Cll'ihStu' my
DuncanI What is the matter? Has
Lord Hilton been rude to you? You
look so much older, somehow. What
can it be?'
I understood at once how it was.
The whole of those dreary twelve
years was gone. The thread of her
consciousness had been cut, those
nd ha 1S
united She thought this was one OF
her old visits to me, when, as now,
she had walked In her sleep. l an
swered:
81 will tell you all another time. ]
don't want to waste the moments with
you, my Alice, in speaking about it
Lord Hilton has behaved very badly
to me; but never mind"
She half rose in anger; and her eyes
looked insane for the first time.
"How dares he?" she said, and then
checked herself with q sigh at her own
helplessness.
"But it will all come all right, Alice
/ went on in terror lest l should dis
turb her present conception of her cir
cumstances.
Alice" 1 said, 'it is nearly morn.
ing. You Were late tonight. Don't
you think you had better go-for feal
you know?"
"Ah," she said with a smile, in
which there was no doubt or fear,
"you are tired of me already! But l
will go at once-to dream about you"
Go, my darling I said; land mind
you get some right sleep. Shall / go
with you"
mo, no; please not. l can go alone
as usual. When a ghost meets me, |
just walk through him, and then he's
nowhere; and l laugh"
One kiss, one backward lingering
look, and the door closed behind her.
l heard the echo of the great hall. l
was alone
Yet at the moment by n sudden i'm
pulse, / opened the window gently,
stepped into the little grassy court and
then retreated into my own room,
where I paced about till the house
hold was astir.