The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1899-08-23

counting for women, even the best of
them. For there are women in the
world who, even while they hate sin,
can still love the sinner, and forgive
and eOndone everything for the sake Of
their love. And there are others who
are incapable of separating the sinner
from his sin, and " no, however much
they may pity and sorrow for mans
fall, can neither forgive nor condone
the sin by which he fell. And then
dishonorl thought of pretty, sanity
Monica, with her narrow, nun-like
creed and her rigid moral code, and /
knew if Robin had been the only man
in the world he would still have stood
no chance with her. Pity she might
have felt for him, sorrow, and perhaps
even sympathy up TO a certain point;
but love, never.
''You see" tried to explain, "Mon-
lea is such queer girl. She's had
queer bringing up, and really she isn't
a bit like the ordinary everyday girl"
'If she had been, said Robin, softly,
al should never have loved her."
''She's so romantic and full of fan
cies, / went on. "She lives in world
of her own, and she's always reading
poetry. She has the strictest code of
honor 1 ever came across, and she meas
ures men by her own standard. She's
awfully fond of quoting poetry about
some chap in the middle ages who wore
the white flower of blameless life
King Arthur, wasn't it? And then
and then-oh, hang it all, what's the
good of talking?"
Robins white face grew whittier still,
and his lips twitched with a queer
smile as he looked at me.
The white flower of a blameless
life, ," he repeated, slowly. az see, Col
onel. And does Harold Marsden wear
the white flower of blameless lie p"
/ felt puzzled; his tone sounded so
odd.
"Why, yes" / said, ''as far as man
can in these days Anyway, he ha
kept his honor"
These last words fell from my lips
almost without my knowledge-cer-
tainly without my will, and | would
have given the world to recall them as
soon as they were spoken. I had not
meant to hit the boy so hard as that.
saw him Vince, but moment later
he was smiling again.
"Don't hit a man when he's down,
Colonel" he said, "It's unsportsman-
like; and, besides = besides -" His
voice faltered huskily, and he was ST.
lent
was silent, too, for I did not know
what to say. had never felt more en-
barrassed in my life.
"What a world this isp' Robin went
on, presently. "WhaI just, charita-
bic, sympathetic world, overfiowing
with the milk of human kindness. /
wonder if the next world will be the
same. / wonder if, even there, ones
best friends will believe the worst pos
sible without proof, and condemn one
without a hearing. 1 xonder-I won
der" His voice faltered again.
looked at him in amazement, and
then a sudden glimmering of the truth
-unsuspected during all these years
broke in upon me.
Robin" cried, do you mean to tell
me that you are innOeent?"
He made no answer, but only looked
at me, still with twitching lips. The
truth grew clearer to me.
at was not you, after all. Was it
Harold ?" asked eagerly. "Ahl 1 see
it all now-as I ought to have seen it
years ago. Oh! Robin, Robin, why
didn't you speak out at the time? Why
did you take up the burden of sin
that was not your own?p
Robin frowned uneasiiy.
"Well," he said, ''if the sin was not
actually mine, the fault was, aud that's
much the same thing. was bound to
stand by Harold when it was my ex-
ample that led him wrong. If ii hadn't
been for me be never would have touch
ed card; but he followed me, as he al
ways did. One night he lost more than
he could afford to pay, and then-well,
you can guess the rest. In a moment
of despair he tried to cheat, and the
other fellows thought it was /, and
and-well, as l said before, was bound
to stand by Harold"
He paused and looked at me again,
but l said nothing. What was there
that l could say?
at didn't seem to matter whether |
went under or not he added, in low,
bitter tone. "Harcld had a mother who
would have been broken-hearted if she
had known the truth; but / had no.
bOdy.n
put out my hand and grasped his.
"And 1 never guessed the truth till
nowP' l cried. ''Robin, can you ever
forgive me for my blindness? What
fool must have been-what foolw
Robin sighed drearily.
"It doesn't matter much now" he
said, "but used TO wonder at first that
nobody guessed the truth. It seemed
so strange that everybody should take
my guilt for granted. Do you remem-
Der the day came TO tell you about il,
Colonel? / think had some vague
idea that you would trust me, and refuse
to believe the story; but you took it all
for granted-like the rest"
/ groaned.
''0h, the pity of itn' said. "The
pity of it all|
'lt doesn't much matter now" Robin
said again, "and really l don't know
that il mattered much at any time.
Come, Colonel. you're the only man in
the world-except Harold--who knows
my secret; and you must keep it as
shall keep it, for ever. Let Harold go
on TO the end, wearing the white how-
er of bIameless life;' and as for me
as for Newell, I'll let the old place
and go back to Australia. There's moth
ing else for it,. can't face things here"
So Robin went forth again from the
home of his fathers, and his place in
the Old World knew him no more.
went down to Southampton to see
him off. The day and the scene were