The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-17

since she had looked for his name III the
army list. and failed TO hnd it, Had he
resigned the profession he loved it would
have been for her sake. that ne might be
free to comply with her fathers conditions.
and he would have kept his word to her.
And now her father was gone too; there
was nothing left in that PARKWAY Paradise
of her youth but the old home. which no.
body wanted. which could neither be let
nor sold, and which she pictured TO her
self melancholy and neglected, fallen into
premature decay.
She did not talk about these things, she
could not. Even when the other poor Ia
dies at the home had found a certain con-
ISOLATION in comparing notes, she had kept
silence. Miss Wells knew the bare facts,
but nothing more, one may be sure. of the
love story; and as TO Evelyn Enderby,
rot, were they to live under the same roof
fer a hundred years. was she the woman
of whom Jose Dupuis would make a con-
fdante. She was ready enough to bear
other peoples burdens. but there was only
One. to whom. on her knees in the shadow
and silence, she could take hers. q,
Sometimes she would see the captain
the very existence of whom was ignored
by Mrs. Enderby-a slight. bent figure,
with the uncertain gait of one whose sight
is not too reliable. returning from his
promenade with Isaac; but. the ore wing
the house boosted. with it's side entrance,
was devoted to him. and none of it's female
occupants ever came in contact with him.
That was one of the conditions his peo-
pie made, when they arranged to put him
here He was not to be excited, and the
sight of a petticoat is supposed to excite
him. the doctors wife remarked fippantly,
when the fact of his residence had to be
explained to the new inmate.
1t was, therefore, not wonderful that an
abrupt query put to her by her hostess,
when she had been in the house three
weeks or so, should be met with a very de-
cided negative, on the part of Mademoiselle
Dupuis.
Il came across the captain, Mrs. Ender-
by! Most certainly not, How could L,
without transgressing your express instruc-
tions?" and the rare color mounted to her
cheeks.
Il knew i'll told Frank l was quite sure
you hadn't. 1t is that oficious idiot, Isaac,
who is always ready with a reason of his
own making, if the poor man is not as we'll
as usual. II you will believe it, he has
stuffed the doctor with the idea that ever
since he heard you on the lawn with Dolly,
the day after you came, there has been no
peace for him.
But L couldn't help being on the
lawn"
"Of course not. Only Frank thought
We both thought-if you knew, you would
be very careful. With these mad folk
you see there is never any telling, He
might fancy himself i'm love with ~,
or fifty things. Now L suppose 1 have said
too much and frightened you!" and Evelyn
looked pitiful.
IF it were i'm the least likely, 1 think
1 should be frightened the girl replied
frankly, and Dolly's appearance on the
scene at the moment and the consequent
interruption of the conversation was, to
her mother at all events. very welcome.
Il am not going to have Mademoiselle
scared away by any nonsense Isaac may
talk to you or Susan either" Evelyn de-
clared emphatically. recounting what had
passed to her husband. She suits me ex-
actly. and Dolly IS devoted to her; the
beauty of it is she's fonder of me than
ever, all the same. AS to the captain,
Isaac is there to look after him and keep
him out of mischief; and if he can't do
it, it would be a good deal easier to re-
place him than Mademoiselle.'
Privately, Enderby was inclined to be of
his wife's opinion, and he gave the keeper
a ''bit of his mind accordingly. Still he
was not quite easy; if it were true that
his patient neither ate nor slept as he
had done previously. and that he COM
planned of being kept apart from the
woman he loved, this new development
OF his mania might become serious. The
curious part of it was that he could not
be said ever to have seen Jose, for the
stroke, which had affected his brain, had
not spared his sight, and it was a very
hazy world which he looked out upon
through his blue spectacles. No, Isaac
maintained, it was just the sound of her
voice; and as Enderby reminded himself
irritably, one could not impose silence
even upon ones governess. One of these
days, doubtless, the poor fellow would
take him-the doctor-into his confidence.
He was accustomed to hearing of mys-
terious noises, and voices. and conspiracies,
so accustomed that he had fallen into
the way of dismissing the subject with
scant and he was by no means
sure that he would not do well, in the
present instance. to seize the bull by the
horns and inquire point blank what all
this nonsense was about.
One afternoon, however, on his return
from his round" he found things had
been brought to a climax by the captain
himself. He had passed Dolly and heT
preceptress on his way home, so that he
was not disturbed on their account when
he almost ran into his wife's arms in the
hall and saw the tragic expression on her
face.
you'll have to send that man away,
Frank-you really will.' she exclaimed,
clinging TO him. He is no matter of use.
The captain has been wandering about
the house for the last hour, and now he
is in the schoolroom, and refuses to stir
out of it. Only think, Frank. if Dolly
had been there. how dreadful
Nonsense, He would have done no harm
to Dolly,' the doctor replied brusquely, a:
he broke away from his wife and hurried
upstairs. Nevertheless. he was a bit ruff
fled, and when he came down again hi.
lips were set in a way Mrs. Enderby knew
well. He was about to lay down the law
and ii would be idle to appeal against it
aye. even though it should decree the dis
missal of Mile. Dupuis. And her blue har
with the cornflowers was still waiting to bt