The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-17
Che Waid OF maiden lame.
CHAPTER TX.
BY AMELIA E. BARR.
PaRT IT.


the morning, and if fortune were kind
to him he expected an answer soon
after leaving Nine Jacobus Her depar-
ture depressed him very much. She
had been the good genius Of his love,
but he told himself that it had now
grown to perfection, and could, he
hoped, stand in its own strength.
Restlessly he watched the hours away,
now blaming, now excusins, anon
dreaming of his coming bliss, then
idgetting and fearing disappointment
from being too forward in its demand
ing. When noon passed and O'Clock
struck he rang for some refreshment,
for he guessed very accurately the rea-
son of the delay:
''Cornelia has been visiting or shop
ping he thought, land if it were visit
Ing, sone would part win her until
the last moment so then If she got
home by dinner time it it as much as
can expect. 1 may as well eat, end
then wait in what patience l can, an
other hour or two-yet it will be two
hours. 1 will give her two hours--for
she will be obliged to serya others be-
fore me. Well. patience is my PEN
ance"
But, in truth, he expected the letter
to be in advance of 8 O'clock Twenty
words will answer me-, he Thought
yet, ten words; and she will find, or
make the time to write Them; and be-
tween this hope and the certainty of 3
O'Clock, ne worried the minutes away
until s struck. Then there was a knock
at his door, and he went hastily to an
swer it. Balthazar stood there with the
longed-for letter in his hand. He fell
first of all that he must be quite alone
with it. So he turned the key. and then
9teou a moment 10 examine the outside
A letter from Corneliai 1t was a coy 10
see his own name written by her hand.
He kissed the superscription and kisset
the white seal, and sank into his chair
with a sigh of delight to read it
In a few moments change beyond
all expression came over his face; per
plexity, anger, despair cruelty assailefl
him. 1t was evident that come irrepar-
able thing had ruined all his hcpes. He
was for some moments dumb. lie felt
what he could not express, for a great
calamity had opened a chamber of feel
ing, which required new words TO eX-
plain it. This trance Of grief was fol-
lowed by passionate imprecations and
reproaches, wearing themselves away 10
an utter amazement and increduGty. lie
had flung the letter to the floor, but he
lifted it again and went over tie erael
words; forcing himself to read them
slowly and aloud. Every period mas
like a fresh sentence of death.
Your letter has given me great sor-
row. let me die if that is not what she
says, very great sorrow! You must
have known for weeks, even months,
that marriage between Us was impossi-
ble! Am 1 perfectly in my senses2 1t
always has been and always will be;
why, It's heart treason of the worst kind
Can I bear it? Can / bear it? Can
bear it? o Cornelia! we have been so
happy; o it is piteous sad! So young, so
fair, SO false. and she grieves at my 60
ing away; ard bids me on no account to
tell her fatheri And takes pains to tell
me the no is absolute, and L am not to
blame her! o this is the vilest treachery.
She might as well have Played the CO.
quette in speech as writing. It is Rem
Van Ariens who is at the bottom of it.
May the devil take that fellow! 1 shall
need some heavenly power to keep my
hands off him This is a grief beyond all
griefs-I believed she loved me so en-
tirely. Fool! thousand times fool!
Have ] not found all women of a piece?
will never again wonder at anything
a woman does-was ever lover SO be-
trayed? o Cornelia! your ink should
have frozen in your pen ere you wrote
such words to me-
Thus his passionate grief and anger
tortured him until midnight. Then he
had a high fever and a distracting head
ache and, the physical torment being
gave way before 1t. With such agoniz-
ing fears as spring from despairing.
wounded love, he threw himself upon
his bed, and his craving, suffering heart
at length found rest in sleep from the
terrible egotism of its sorrow.
Never for one instant did he imagine
this sorrow to be a mistaken and quite
unnecessary one. Indeed, it was almost
impossible for him to conceive of a
series of events which, though appar-
entity accidental, had fatality more pro-
nounced than anything that could have
been arranged. Not taking Rem Van
Ariens seriously into his considera ton,
and not fearing his rival in any way,
it was beyond all his suspicious that
Rem should write to Cornelia in the same
hour, and for the same purpose as him
self He had no knowledge of Rem's in
tention to go to Boston, and could not
therefore imagine Cornelia "griev-ng" at
any journey but his own impending one
to England. And that she should be
forced by circumstances to answer both
Rem and himself in the same hour, and
In the very stress and hurry of her great
love and anxiety should misdirect the let
tiers, were li1elihoods outside of his con-
seriousness.
1t was far otherwise with Rem. The
moment he opened the letter brought him
by Cornelia's messenger, in that very
ter. He understood at once the position.
and perceived that he held in his hands
an instrument which, if affairs went as
he desired, was likely to make trouble
he could perchance turn to his own adj
vantage. The fate that had favored him
SO far would doubtless go farther-if he
let it alone These thoughts sprang al
once into his reflection but were barely
entertained before nobler ones displaced
them. AS Christian gentleman he knew
what he ought to do without cavil ant
without delay, and he rose to follow the
benignant justice of his conscience. Into
this obedience, however, there entered 6
hesitation of a second Of time, and that
infinitesmal period was sufficient for ais
evil genius.
why will you meddle?' it asked. "Thi:
is a very dubious matter, and common
prudence suggests a little consideration
It will be far wiser to let Hyde take the
first step. If the letter he has received
is SO worded that he knows 1t is YOU
letter, it is his place to make the transfel
and he will be sure to do it. Why
should you continue the chase? Let The
favored one look after his own affairs
being a lawyer, you may as well tell your
self that it is not your interest to NOV,
the question. And he hesitated and ther
sat down, and as there is wickedness II
hesitating about a wicked act, Rem cas-
lily drifted from the negative to the pos
itive of the crime contemplated.
ST had better keep it,, he unused, 'anC
see what will come of the keeping. Al
things are fair in love and war" a stu
pid and slanderous assertion as far a
love is concerned; fo.' love that is no
BILE and true will not justify anythins
which Christian ethics do not justify.
He suffered in this decision, suffere,
in his own way, quite as much as Hyd
did. Cornelia had been his dream from