The age-herald., 1900-05-06


 brief note. acquainting her with all he had
 learned that morning, and the terrible con-
 sequences it had wrought for both of them. Then he would take the steamer which
 sailed the next day for Europe.
 He knew that his uncle had some im- portant business to transact with certain 1 houses in London and Paris, and that he
 would very gladly avail himself of his serv-
 ices in this matter, aIrer his first surprise | at his nephew's determination was over. He ] shrank from the thought of seeing any other of his relatives or friends; he would | leave the dearest of them few messages, and that was all
 Cecilia Howard had passed the most mis-
 erable day of her life She had gone about | with weight of remorse upon her soul l which she could not put aside for on mom- | ent, and looking forward to the night, when Horace should come to her, with unutter- able fear and dread
 Hour after hour that night she listened. trembling, and afraid for the footsteps of | Horace Nichols, but greatly to her sur | prise he did not come She concluded at
 last that some business must have detained | him, and fearing that her courage might | fail her in his presence, resolved that be- | fore she slept she would write him a let l ter, telling him all that she had done and | suffered
 Sine did not sleep that night until the let | ter was written.
 It was delivered to him with several oth-
 CTS, and he was then in the midst of prepa-
 rations for his departure at noon. He tossed | the whole into a drawer and an hour later | tore the envelope hastily and ran them
 over. Cecilia's letter had slipped behind the | others, among a pile of unimportant pa- pers, and escaped his notice. He was on board the steamer which at | noon left the harbor for Liverpool and on l the evening of the same day Cecilia How | ard, who had watched and waited for his | coming, received the letter which told her | all.
 | A year had passed. During this time Hor- l ace Nichols had been wanderer In many | lands and now he was to return home. | The third morning after his return, the l. young man went to the room which he had
 formerly occupied. Nothing had been | changed during his absence. He opened the ! small table drawer, rumaged among it's l papers, which lay just as he had left them, | and in overturning these his eye suddenly | fell upon the letter which Cecilia Howard had last written him.
 | His heart gave a quick bound, for he
 knew the handwriting. He sat down, and l after little while opened the letter. When | he had read it, he laid 1t down on the | table, and thought.
 | Cecilia Howard sat sewing. that morning,
 before the pleasant grate fire in the sit
 ting-room. She was humming fragments of
 some sweet old-fa shioned tune to herself.
 
 change which is of the soul, and which 1 touches and sublimates the whole face.
 Horace Nichols stood still and looked at
 her a few moments, as she sat there for | he had opened the door softly, as the do-
 mestic, who knew him well, had, at his
 request told him where to find Cecilia, and | that she was quite alone, for Mrs. Howard | happened to be absent that morning. | 'Ceeiliai" It was said almost in a whis- | per.
 | She started and looked up She had had | no tidngs of his return.
 | Horace Nicholls came forward very hum- I bly,; many feelings struggled in his face, Il but he said "One hour since Cecilia, l I read the letter you wrote me a year ago. I and which has lain in my drawer all that | time. Cecilia, can you forgive me? Will | you come back to me?'
 | She leaned her head back; the tears | rained over her cheeks, but the light shone I on her face exalting it into a new beaut". | as she said, with a mingling of gratitt e' | and solemn triumph in her voice: T I Thought you would come, Horace; | thought God would send you back to me-