Evening star., 1901-04-20

laws the law, and. for mye ewn part. I'm
not in favor of altering it. Now, do you
s. suppose It9 WI want my danghtY to marry him
II suppose you wouldn't" murmured
Neeld.
And there's another thing. Duplay says
Harry q WsI kn1Is tSsn Rnupiay SHEARS he knows
opinion he's practicng fraud He knows
he isn't what he pretends to be. He de-
ceives me, he deceives jamie. If the thing
ever comes out. where is she? He's treat
ed us very badly If it's true"
The man. ordinarily so quiet and calm in
his reserved strength, broke out into vehe-
mence as he talked of what Harry iris
true. Neeld asked himself what his host
VIC AID say OF a friend who knew the story
to be true and yet said nothing of 1t. He
perceived, too, that. although Iver would
not have forced his daughters inclination,
yet the marriage was very good In his
eyes. the proper end and the finest crown
feelings how stood Mr.. Neeld? He saw
nothing admirable in. how and where he
stood.
Well, Wen see Nina and hear If she's
monkey being drawn into a thing like this,
Meanwhile Well say nothing l don't be-
lieve it, and 1 shall want a lot of con
vncing. Until | am convinced everything
stands as 1T did l rely you for that,
Neeld-and rely on you to come to Mer-
r1on tomorrow. Not a word to my wife
above all not a word to Janie" He got
walked off into the house with his bust
ness-like, quick stride.
Neeld sat there, slowly rubbing his hands
against one another between his knees
He was realizing what he had done or.
rather, what had happened to him And
why had he done it? The explanation was
as strange the things that he invoked
10 explain, Sun rubbing his hands, palm
slowly with wonder and reluctance:
Il was carried away. 1 was carried
away by-by romance"
The world made him feel a fool Yet
what other word was there for the over
Whelming, unreasoning feeling that at the
cost of everything the Tristrams mother
ana son, must keep Bient, the son living
anu am tne mother dead; that the son must
dwell there and the spirit of the mother
De about him she loved in the SPOT that
she had graced? 1t was very rank ro-
nance, 1ndeed-no other word for it, And
widest paradox-it all came out of edit
ing Josiah Cholderton's journal.
Before he had made any progress in un-
ravellns his skein of perplexities he saw
JAMIE coming across the lawn. She took the
chair her father had left and seemed to
take her fathers mood with it; the same
oppressive silence settled on her. Neeld
broke it this time.
:, gu don't look very merry Miss JAMIE"
ne SAID smiling at her and achieving a
plausible jocularity.
Why should l. Mr.. Neeld?" She glanced
dC MIN. on. has father foI
thing?'' 'oo any
Yes; that you're engaged. You know
how truly l desire your happiness, NV
dear With pretty courtesy the Old
man took her hand and kissed it. barring
has gray hair the while.
You're very, very kind. Yes. I've prom
lsed to marry Harry Tristram Not vet.
you know. And it isn't to be announced.
But I've promised"
He stole look at her and then another.
Sfle did not look
Knew his ignorance of feminine things and
made guesses with proper diffidence, but
he certainly fancied She had been crying
or very near tt-not' SO long ago. Yet the
daughter of William Iver was sensible and
not given to silly tehrs 81
II think I've done right" she said, as
she she had said when She. wrote to Nina
very pleased Suddenly She put out her
hand and took hold Of his giving it a tight
grip. s I,rb aoh, Mr.. Neelh, I've made somebody
Il dare say. my dear T dare say. 1 was
young fellow once; dare say
And he says nothing ab6ut it He wish
ed me joy-and he does Wish me joy, too.
I've no right to talk TO you. to tell you, OF
saet s,t irihd making men unhappy, but they
IF they like the men o. This suggestion.
at least, was not too difienit for him.
yes, when they like them when they're
him for moment. Z only just met him
on the road. I don't suppose 1 shall ever
talk to him about it, or about anything in
particular again." She squeezed Neeld's
hand a second time, and then withdrew her
own.
This was unknown country again for Mr..
Neeid; his sense of being lost grew more
acute. These were not the sort of prob
lens which had occupied his life; but they
seemed now to him no less real hardly
less important. 1t was only girl wonder
ing II she had done right Yet he felt the
Importance of it.
You can't help the unhappiness" he
said You must go to the man you love,
my dear"
With little start, she turned and looked
at him for an instant Then she murmur-
ed In perfunctory fashion:
Yes, 1 must make the best choice 1 can,
OF course. She added after a pause. but
l wish"
Words or the inclination to speak failed
her again and she relapsed into silence.
As he sat there beside her, silent, too.
his mind Travelled back to what her father
had said; and slowly he began to under
stand. No doubt she liked Harry, even
as her father did. No doubt she thought
he would be good husband, as liver had
thought him a good fellow. But it be-
came plain to the searcher after truth that
not to her any more than to her father
was 1t nothing that Harry was a Tristram
of Blent. Her phrases about doing right
and making the right choice included ref
Si iSiSo ~ eh1l, even IL tIldl were not LneT
whole meaning. She had mentioned her
fathers pleasure-everybody's pleasure.
That pleasure would be found largely in
seeing her Lady Tristram. What, then,
would she have to say on the question
that SO perplexed Mr.. Neeld? Would she
not echo Iver's accusation of fraud against
Harry Tristram and Gas a consequence
against those who aided and abetted him?
She, too, would call out Fraud! fraud"
And he did not blame her. He called him.
self a fool for having been led away by
romance. by unreasoning feeling.
Meanwhile Duplay walked home. the hap
pier for having crossed his rubicon. He
had opened his campaign with all the sue
cess he could have expected. Now 1t only
remained to bring Nina to reason. If she
spoke the case would be SO strong as to
demand inquiry. The relief in Duplay's
mind was so great that he could not ex-
plain it. until he realized that his niece's
way of treating him had so stuck in his
memory that he had been prepared to be
turned from Iver's doors with contumely.
Such an idea seemed absurd now, and the
major laughed.
Nina was strange. Duplay never ceased
to think that. They had parted on impos-
sfble terms; but now, as soon as he ap-
Deare0. she ran at him xxth anna