Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-07-10

had passed now since any news of her
had reached him; three months that had
been loLg enough to change the world
for him, but that had left her in all like
lihood unaltered either in hearl or mind.
He had nG.Fsaid to himseit before they
reached London that he would &C to seek
her, Dut yet on the morning after their
arrival he allowed his restless steps to
take him to her aunt's residence. He
went, he tod himself, only to look I'D at
the house which, at any rate, had been
her home for a little while. TO see the
place with which she must have been so
familiar
For half an hour he walked up and
down the square and the neighboring
streets, trying to make up his mind what
he should do, and at the half-hour's end
he walked up to the door and knocked.
His throat felt dry as a servant opened it.
is Miss Beresford still here!Y he ask
ed, telling himself while he spoke that ste
would answer, NO" and that would end
it; but instead of answering No" she
instantly replied. Yes, sir" and, as if
his entering were matter OF course,
stood aside to let him walk in
He did walk in. and she preceded him
upstairs. She took him into large, un-
used-looking drawing room. and set a
light to the fire, and drew up the blinds.
and then, taking the card he offered
her, withdrew and left him alone. Was
ho in afs1S ha ac Fol
about him-trying to believe that in an
other minute he should see jeanne Beres-
ford's face.
He did see it almost before that minute
had ended, and she looked so unchanged
as she opened the door and came in that
the first sight of her almost overwhelm-
ed him. just so he had imagined a thou
sand times that she would look, in the
happy days when he had loved 70 picture
his coming to her here-just this way
with this quick look of welcome in her
eyes.
II am so glad" she said, in a frank
tone of pleasure, and came to him with
her hand held out. The window was at
his back, and until she was close to him
she did not clearly see his face.
Il was passing through London aud
ventured to come"-he began to say, in
a forced voice.
BY this time she was looking at him
with changed expression.
Il am afraid you are not we'll? Oh,
you do not look at all well!' she exclaim-
ed, impulsively.
Il was ill some time ago." he answer
ed. IF l had not been i'll / should have
seen you sooner; but that is all over. 1t
is not that, but i have had a hard time in
other ways" And then be rose from his
seat and went to one of the windows,
and stood looking out into the dreary
street
The pain that the sight of her had
given him was so acute that he was tell
ing himself he had been a fool to come !;
would it not be better at once to get out
Of the house again? he thought. And
yet how could he go at once, without
leaving her to think that he was mad2
He turned round abruptly after d minute
and, without going nearer to her. said:
Miss jeanne" he said, in an agitated
voice. Il yielded TO a sudden impulse in
coming here. | had not meant to come,
but | am fighting a hard fight, and it
seemed to me all at once as if the sight
of You would help me, and so L came; and
now / am afraid ] was a fool for it only
brings back the thought Of those days
at Brentwood, and | have no right
But he stopped there for she had risen
too, and come near him, and something
in the sweet eyes that were fixed on his
made the rest of his sentence die away.
IF you came to say something to me,
you must not so away without telling me
what it is" she said. in a tone of sympa-
thy that thrilled TO his heart ''You will
make me unhappy if you do. When you
have already told me that you are in
trouble, surely you ought in Kindness to
tell me the rest"
Poor lad-he looked in her face, and the
sight of it, and the thought of what
might have been, all but broke him down.
For few moments he could not speak
again to her How could he bear to tell
her the thing that had happened to him,
and not to tell her also that he loved her?
But yet with all his strength he strug-
gled to be loyal to Margaret, and pres
emily, as she stood beside him-somehow
-confusedly and brokenly-the words at
last came, and he told her how he had
engaged himself to marry his cousin, and
did not tell her the rest.
And she? She merely stood quite still
as he spoke, with her face after a few
seconds a little turned away. If bis tale
moved her, like thing that touched her
self, she gave no sign. She only listened;
when all was over Godfrey could say
nothing to himself but that
Yet, when he had told his story, and,
at the end. yielding for one moment to a
sudden oyermastering passion, cried out
to her that the thing he had done seemed
bitterer at times than he could bear, she
turned round quickly, looking up into his
face with eyes into which the tears had
sprung.
(To be continued)