Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-02-21

ais king She starts slightly as he con.s
:. am sorry to disturb you," SAYS Dv-
,a''' WIN an effort at calmness Sshrt T.
Vas Vas 30 necessary that 1 should come
am glad you have come. I too
was anxious to see you," saws Vera a
'oueh OF nervousness in her tone. II
you must know it is impossible that we
sIouid stay here any longer. Our uncle
VINO was our guardian. Is gone and"-
she mas risen to her feet and La looking
az MIN In sore distress-"I have wanted
to speak to you about it for long time;
i thought, perhaps, you would help us
10 nnd another home" He can see that
she suffers terribly in having to throw
.efsen upon his good nature, to openly
THIS, and at once" says she, stammering
little, and with q slight miserable breaS
In her voice.
You VIII not have to look for another
home. says he; "this a your own
house."
Oh, NO" drawing back with a naughty
gesture: Il have told you 1t is impossi-
BILE. l shall certainly not stay here"
AS you WILL" quite as haughtily. "It
will be in your power for the future to re-
side exactly where you please, but il the
fear Of seeing me here is deciding you
against this place, pray be satisfied on
that point: have no longer the smallest
claim to consider myself master here"
Warned by a change in his manner.
Vera looks at him.
Something has happenedY' she says,
abruptly
Yes; something find it difficult to e1.
plain to you"
Still he manages to tell her all and to
show her her grandfather's will-the will
which his father had suppressed all these
years.
But this is horrible" she says, faint
ly, when he had finished. Il won't have
itr' She throws out her hands as though
in renunciation. why should deprive
you Of your home? Give me enough to
live on elsewhere with Griselda, but
You are quick to fall into error" says
he, grimly. Il have begged you already
to try to grasp the situation. 1t is 1,
it appears, l wb,"-he hesitates, and
after finding it impossible to speak Of
his father, goes on-"who have deprived
you of your home. You must see that.
beg" slowly, that you will not permit
yourself any further foolish discussion
on this subject"
He turns away abruptly. There il
something 90 solitary, so utterly alone In
his whole air, that without giving her
self time for thought she springs to her
feet and calls to him.
Where are you going? To sit alone? :?
To brood over all this? Oh, do not
Why" going swiftly to him and standing
before him with downcast lips and trem-
bling fingers and Quickened breath, why
not stay here with me for a little while
and let US discuss all this together and
try to see a way out of itf'
MY way is plain before me; 1t wants
no discussion" says Dysart, resolutely,
refusing to look at her.
You mean." TREMENDOUSLY, that you
will not stay?" One white hand hanging
at her side closes upon a fold of her soft
black gown and crushes it convulsively
Il mean," in an uncompromising tone,
that l fully understand your mistaken
sindness-the sacrifice Of your inclina-
lions you would make-and decline to
profit BY it"
You are disingenuous. What you
really mean is," in a low tone, that you
will not forgive"
There II nothing to forgive, save my
presumption"
He opens the door deliberately and
closes Il with a firm hand behind him
Vera, left standing thus cavalierly in the
middle of the room, with the knowledge
full upon her that she has been slighted,
spurned, her kind intentions ruthlessly
flung back upon her. lets the quick. pas
sionate blood rise upward, until it dyes
cheek and brow. She presses her hand
upon her throbbing heart, and then all at
once it comes to her that she is no long
er poor, forlorn, but rich, one of the rich
est commoners in England. And with
this comes, too, a sense Of deeper desc
lation than she has as yet known. Drop
ping into chair, she covers her face
with her hands and cries as il her heart
Is broken.