Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-03-23
SlBIL LONlBOND.

Sibil LOvibond stood before the long
mirror in the drawing room and pressed %
hand on either rounded hip, with an ha-
bitual gesture designed less to smooth away
the wrinkles in her fautlcss gray cloth
gown than to express a satisfaction in n
perfect fit that left no wrinkles to he
smoothcd. Shc was tall and blond and
dclicatov modelled and slim, and the hands
were very slender and fine and white, and
her eyes were full of grave sweetness and
purity and Innocent rs twin blue flowers.
Three years before, when Cecil Low
bond died, it had been to Sibil, his daugh-
ter, self evident that the l.ovibond estate
belonged in part to Bcrtio, her brother
and in part TO herself. and sho had felt
that present possession of their respective
shares might in u measure console them
for their fathers decease. To Mrs. LOW
bond, Sihil's mamma, upon whom tho
whole estate had been settled by will, that
point of view seemed not to have occurred
and not to be likely to occur and after
much hesitation and patience Sibil had
determined at last to come to her mann
mas assistance and at tho moment was
reporting TO BERTHE, who shared her ideas,
so far at least they promised to benefit
himself, the somewhat INDIGENOUS inter
view which had been the result.
"Of COURSE" Sbil said in conclusion,
speaking always without rancor, in her
silver tones, "she was in a passion. She
may at any moment in an access of caprice
disinherit one or both of us. IT might
have been you that at least managed tho
estate if papa had not known always that
you are not wise. "
BERTHE Lovihond sat q cheval on frag-
ile chair behind his fair sister, looking
up at her and at her image i'll the glass,
and it was quite True that there was moth
ing in his pink face and slow gray eyes to
suggest that apart from certain skill at
polo and at billiards he possessed the
wrath of an idea beyond those which
tibil impaired TO him. NATURALLY we're
tll of us out of our wits except you" he
rctOrted without resentment Che had never
been allowed to cherish an illusion in re-
gard to his abilities) and went away to
his club, leaving Sibil TO reflect upo
what right things he sorS3times said when
he did not mean them.
She thought with a kind of impetuous
rage az she stood looking after him on the
chance she might have had if she were "A
man--on the one hundred and one WAYS
pf independence and distinction that to
her at least would have stood open. She
thought with rage quite impctuOuS that
as a girl she could count on nothing cX-
cept on Inheritance and marriage, and
that the inheritance might we'll come too
late, or come diminished by mismanage-
ment, or come not at all, and that upon
the amount of the Inheritance the quality
Of the marriage was dependent. Sne
thought finally that reflection of such
lucidity and force as that is bad for the
complexion and for the modelling Of tho
face about the lips and eyes, but moro
temporarily behind the mask of her UNI
troubled, fresh, pure face she pursued for
many minutes her line of meditation. She
had pursued it many times before.
Later in the morning Mrs. Lovibond
was occupied with n visitor when sibil,
daintiy bonnetod and rloyod, swept into
the room and ruStlcd aticctiOnatcly about
her mamma, 10 whom she was i'm public
entirely devoted, and asked how long she
might keep the carriage, and what COM
missions she might execute and whether
she Iht not he kissed goodby.
Mrs. Loyibond was tall, like her daugh-
ter and slim, and her hair, once blond,
like her daughters 5, was gray, and her face
was gray and full of the fine lines and
distinction that como of thousand cx-
quisite scruples for half a century con-
stantly possessed. Mrs. Lovibond had
been the cause all her life of other peoples
telling in her behalf, to spare her sensi-
bilities, countless 1ibs, but she had never
herself told fib and had never learned
to forgive tbs in others nor to recognize
with equanimity their prcsense in others.
She had been greatly agitated by what
WAS to her the monstrous departure from
any becoming or even possible attitude Of
girl toward her mother that in their tall.
e.,
she had not seen Sibil since. Her nerves
were still vibrating from the excitement
which she had undergone, and She was re-
volted simply by Sibil's caressing intona-
tions and looks Whom Sibl offered to
kiss her, she could endure no more. She
rose hastily from her chair and without
apology left the room.
Sibil instantly, in the manner the most
unassumed in the world, sank into "a chair
and covered her face and shook with weep
ing iinperfectly held in check.
Dear Mrs. Naunton." she said as soon
as she could bring herself to speak, "don't
ask me what fear is the matter. 1t is
too dreadful simply. We have seen it
coming ever since papa died"
And she removed her bonnet and gloves
and dismissed the carriage.
Not so many weeks subsequent to Mrs
Naunton's morning visit it began not UNI
commonly among the acquaintance of the
JoVibonds to be remarked that dear Mrs
Lovibond had fora long time been strange.
At first this remark WAS made in iSOla.
ton, parenthotically almost, and empha-
sized, if at all by nothing more than an
exchange of glances or dccorous pause
or word Of sympathy. "Have you seen
Mrs. LovibOnd of late? How unlike her
self she seemsl She appears to have sunk
into an utter melancholy" Then came a
rumor of her being denied regularly at
the door to visitors, and of an incxplicable
aversion on her part to Sihil, a daughter
of whom anybody might be proud, and of
orders to the servants and of messages to
her friends which, to say the least, were
very old, and which indeed seemed often
to strike the poor lady herself with aston
ishment when they were brought to her
notice.
Sometimes she Indignantly denied ever
having authorized them. and always Sibil
when present, agreed with her that there
must be some mistake and by beseech-
ing glance toward her mothers inter
locutor silenced protest and explanation.
Even BERTHE came in time to declare
abruptly to Sibil that, "Begad, you know,
this Is serious, ana ne auded that q lot of
the Bontlowers (Mrs. Lovihond's maiden
name was Bontflowor) had been queer ~
About the time of BelSaa's declaration
in regard to the queerness of the Bont-
Hnypppa rs T,nN ibf, 10 ,g