The Republican., 1900-12-13
| An End to All Things
NATHEN they parted he had fallen

had considered at the time. Eng
Ashed, she had amused herself with
him, and then given him his congo.
She was a married woman ana he had
oeen boy.
He recalled every incident of the
farewell. A youthful passion it may
have been, but-he could not dispute
1t even now-it was passion that left
its mark.
There had been a conservatory
opening out of the rooms she occu-
pied. 1t was in the conservatory that
he had made himself the most alb
surd-there, and for a moment at the
piano, at which she had seated her
self indifferently, and where he had
knelt to her like a lover in The Lon
don Journals" She had strolled
along, smiling at the flowers, saying
cruel things to him in her new and
careless voice, and he had followed
her wistfully like a whipped dog,
pleading to be readmitted to favor.
A spray of fern that she had dropped
had been captured by him passion
ately-she had touched it in their
last moments together. She shrugged
her shoulders with a sneer, and his
eyes filled at her cruelty.
What do you suppose there was in
a boy like you to hold a woman like
me?" she had asked
1t was the harshest thing she could
have said, and he remembered that at
that he had broken down altogether
Good heavens, how preposterous he
had been-how wrongly he had gone
to work, always being pathetic and
reproachful!
However, ID was over. He had not
found balm for his wounds in six
months" as she had prophesied, but
in nine years he had married, and for
gotten her existence entirely until it
was recalled to him oy the sight of
her name in the visitors list.
Now the recollections rushed back
at him, and while he laughed at his
former self as a fool, he was conscious
of a strange tremor at the prospect
of seeing her once more.
He loved his wife sincerely. Twelve
months ago he could have contem-
plated meeting Mrs. Jernyngham
without misgiving. But he had been
married ~ months. The time had
not lessened his love, but it had nat
urally dispelled the romance After
all, to be "in love" with a woman is
a greater safeguard against others
than to love her" He was bound to
acknowledge to himself that he was
frightened at the thought of seeing
Mrs. Jernyngham again. He had, as
q matter of fact, avoided the Casino
since he knew she was in Dieppe.
He put down his paper am, looked
across at Nellie reading Tauchnitz
novel. How pretty she was, and how
trustful! What would she say, could
she divine his present mood? Sinless
as it was, it would cut her to the
heart. Bah, ne was fool. Why
should that make him afraid to ven
ture out of doors! He was not fond
of her still-of course he was not.
The Tauchnitz novel dropped to
Mrs. MaXwelIs lap.
"What are you thinking about, dar-
Iing?" she asked
81 was thinking how charming you
look in that frock, my dear" he an
swered. He preserved the habit of
making graceful speeches to his wife.
Cynical bachelor friends said he for
got who she was-that it was the
force of habit.
There was a nasty black wrinkle
between your eyebrows, Jack, and
you were tugging your mustache, as
you always do when you're put out
1 do look charming in this frock, l
admit it-but you weren't thinking
so.'
"Nellie, come here. Do you remem-
Eber, soon after we were married, you
asked me question. You asked me
if l had ever cared deeply for another
girl than yourself"
Il remember" said Nellie. "Yes?"
81 told you what an internal idiot 1
had once made of myself over a mar
red woman. l asked you, too, never
to use certain scent because it re-
minded me of her. You know all
that?"
81 know; know; go on"
swell, she's here, that's all. and
confound tim rather sorry"
"Oh," said Nellie And then there
was a pause between them. She was
the one to break it.
"'It-it's quite all over, Jack? She
couldn't, she daren't attempt to?
You're married-you would simply
have to bow and pass on. Besides, by
your own account she was-well, she
didn't care for you any more. Why
should you mind seeing her?"
II don't know" he muttered, ir-
resolutely; I'D rather not, that's all.
Anyhow, let's talk of something else.
We are leaving Dieppe the end of the
week; as a matter of fact, l dare say
/ shall never come across her!"
Mrs. Maxwell, however, was not sat
isfed. For one thing, she wanted to
remain longer in Dieppe than they
had at first proposed, and for another,
she objected on principle to her hus-
band being nervous of a rencontre
with any woman in the wide, wide
world