Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1900-04-06
CHAPTER NIv.-,continuca.,

She lert her head silently.
"llave you amy hopes of marrying the
man .you ~levc:'
"Ol.. no: nonr-not thu slightest she
said. lmrriclly; II shall never MARTY
"'l'llcl. Vera. will You listen to an old
womau's aivicc."
"Ycs. Gear Lady lSynast"n.
"Don't sacrifice your own life and The
life OF Il mar who is good and loves YOU
dearly Ia Il caprice of Your heart. Hush.
don't interrupt me: | dare say You don't
think it 4 cnpricc; YOU think il is 10 last
forever. But there is no forever i'll
these iaa'icrs: The thing comes To us like
an or!ingry disease; sonc of us take it
strongly. and it half kills us: some of us
are only a Very little i'll; but we all got
over ii. There is IL pain that goes right
through onc's heart: it is worse To bcar
than ANY physical suffering: but, thank
heaven. that pain always wears itself
out. hccaasc YOU are disappointed i'll
one thing. why are Hon not 10 make the
best yon can of your lifc!'
II do mean to mairy-in time said
Vera. hrokcnly. with tears in her eyes.
"Then why not marry ~John:''
There was II minutes silence. Was it
possible that Lady KynaStom did not
hi'N N'li 'IShtu it.S'ii. WIS ~ pos
sibl thai She could. in cold blood. ADVISE
her 10 marry one son while the other
one loved her? That was what WAS SO
terrible to her mind. To marry .sas
simple enough. bat to marry Sir John
Kyna>ton. She though, of what such
an action might bring upon them all.
81 cannot do it," She said. ~wringing
her hands together; don't ask me; !
canine, lo it,"
Lady Kynaston got up and went and
stood hy her chair.
"Ncra. | entrcat yom not 10 lot any
false pride stand in the way of this.
When We hear of John shutting himself
up. Of his refusing 10 soc amy of his
friends. and of his talking of going to
Austraiia. why. then we all feel that it
is You only who can help us: that is why
i have promised Maurice To plead with
you.''
"Iou promised Maurice. IL is Maui
rice who wants me To marry his brother"
She turned very pale.
"Ccrtainly lie does. You don't suppose
Maurice likes To see his brother so I'M
happy"
The la.knncd room. the spindle-lcggcd
furniture. Lady Nynaston's little figure.
in her black dress and soft white tullc
cap. tie bright garden outside, the belt
of trees beyond the lawn. all Sw,m to-
getl,cr before her eyes.
Maurice wished ii. To him. thea.
there were no fears and no dangers. He
coul.l hook forward calmly to meeting her
constantly as his brothers wife.
If this was so. then why, indeed. listen
to the voice of her heart when every
thing rr.ed her To stiiic it! Why not
make Sir John Kynaston happy and her
self prospernns and rich. as; everybody
round her seemed To consider ii her duty
to do:
"Wlai is ii YOU wish ne 10 say. Lady
NynaStons" she asked. turning suddenly
toward Maurirc's mother.
MY dear child. / only want YOU TO
say tii. if John asks YOU again. To he
his wife. ynu will consent. or say only.
if you like it better. that you will agree
to meet him here. There shall liz moth
iltg unpleasant for you: | will write To
him and settle cvrrytllin-."
III fti write to me. l will come" she
said. Arictly. and then Lady kynaS,on
came NY 10 her and kissed her. ialin. her
hands within her own. and drawing her
TO her With motl,csly tenderness. My
dear. everybody will think vel, of you
for this.
Vera saihorcd up her gloves and her
veil aa.l "pciiod the door which COM
munivated between the m~orningrnom
md t'ic dinin--rooin. She heard the chat
ter of Nrmrn's Voices and The tiuttcring
OF wrnicn'S garments in the hall: it seem
ed as ,lpush they were about to he
nsherc,i tito the room she was leaving.
SHE did not want To be seen; bcsidcs.
she WAITED To get away quickly and re
turn 80 London. She closed the morning.
room dnor behind her. and took !: couple
OF steps across the %iining-room toward
the windows.
Thcn size stopped suddenly short
Maurice s.t before her nj the table. He
lifted his eyes and looked nj her: he did
not seem surprised to see her, hut there
was ii whole world Of grief and despair
in his faoc. 1t was rs though he had
lived through half a lifetime since she
had last seen him.
MOI a single word was spoken between
them. What was there that they could
say 10 each other? Then suddenly she
turned away. and went swiftly back into
the room she had just left. closing the
door behind her.
1t was empty. Lady Kynaston WAS
gone. Vera stopped over the writing
t'tbit' anu. 'ihihS w 81 Sictl VI paper,
she wrote in pencil:
"Do 10. write to Sir joint is br
yond my strength forgive me and for
get me. VERA"
Twenty minutes later. when her bev,
of chattcring visitors had left her, Lad,
Kynasron came back into her morning
room and found in the little pencil not.
left upon her writins-tablc. Wondering
perplcxcd and puzzled beyond measure
she turned it over and over in hel
fingers.
What had happened? Why had Yer,
SO suddenly altered her mind again
What had influenced her? Half by acci
dent, half, perhaps. with an instinct o.
what was the truth. she softly opened
the door Of communication between the
morning-room and the dining-room, ant
then drew bnck again, scared and shock
ed, closing it quickly ind noiselessly
What she had seen in the room wa,
this