Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-10-27

was by no means the peaceful haven it
looked, and besides, would they really
miss her? For a week or two, per-
haps, but not more.
Il am going to bed" she said, IN
her usual voice, to Mrs. Mortlake, i
have a bad headache"
Esperance looked up compassionate
ly.
L am so sorry! l wish 1 had helped
you with that writing"
No one else spoke; and Bertha, col
oring deeply, left the room. How she
longed that evening to be alone,
Much as she loved Esperance, she felt
that her presence now would be al
most unbearable. She hurriedly made
her preparations for the night, and
lay down in the darkness thankful for
a few moments of quiet, in which she
might think over the extraordinary
and most unexpected events of the
day. In the morning she had had 10
thought of disobeying her fathers
wishes, and before the evening was
over she had weakly yielded 10
Georges long premeditated plan; this
was to be her last night beneath her
fathers roof! She sobbed a little as
she thought Of this, partly from an
odd sort of attachment to the actual
house, hardly to be called love, but a
great deal more from terror and the
sense that she was about to do what
all the world would blame
While she was still crying, Esper-
ance came up to bed, shading the can
die with her hand, and moving about
the room with noiseless steps for fear
she should disturb her cousin. Ber-
tina watched her in silence for some
minutes, but she could hardly bear to
look at the pure, child-like face. it
made her feel SO guilty; at length
great sob escaped her, and Esperance
FASTENED to comfort her."
"Is your head so bad, cherie? Let
me stroke it for you"
Bertha allowed herself to be cares
sed for a minute, then with an ire
pressible burst of tears, she sobbed
out, ooh, Esperance, if the others had
been like you, it would have been very
different
What would have been different?"
asked Esperance, unable to understand
her words.
Everything -life!" sobbed Bertha,
frightened to think how nearly she
had betrayed herself.
But Esperance never dreamed of
suspecting her; she thought her
merely unhappy and overtired, and
said she would sing her to sleep; and
Bertha lay still, listening to an olo
French hymn, and let her eyelids fall
toward the end, but in reality she
never slept at all that night. She
only kept up the semblance of sleep
until the candle was out; she heard
the soft "baiser du soir'' as Esperance
kissed her fathers miniature, the
slight rustic of foreign paper, as Gas
pard's letter found it's place beneath
her pillow, and a few minutes later
the calm, regular breathing, which
told that her little cousin was asleep.
Then she gave the rein to her misery,
and tossed through the long, wakeful
night in an agony of suspense, terror,
and regret.
The next day, however, she was
quite self-possesed; it was one of
those suddenly hot spring days when
every one feels languid She easily
persuaded Esperance to stay indoors,
and they read together a great part
of the afternoon. At dinner-time a
note arrived for Bertha her color
came and went, but no one observed
her. She opened it, and said it was
from Mrs. Passmore
mo one has been to see grannie for
the last week" observed Cornelia
What does she want, Bertha?"
"She wants me to go down with
Esperance to spend the evening with
her; she says she is feeling very lone
ly and depressed; if we could stay the
night so much the better; she has
heard that the carriage is being
painted, and we might not care to
walk both ways. What do you think,
Esperance?'
Il should like to go very much,
said Esperance, brightly, I'VE have
not been out all day, and it would be
so nice and cool now"
1--WE will go down after dinner
Them said Bertha, quietly; Il don't
know about staying for the night
though; we will see how grannie is
when we get there If we do not
come back by half past ten, Christa-
bel, you will understand that grannie
was very pressing, and that W
stayed"
Bertha's cheeks were burning now,
but no one noticed her. Everybody
was hot that evening-there was
nothing unnatural in it.
To he Continued