The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-04-30
A Sentimental
journey ~
And It's Results.
BY GILBERT DAYLE.

thinking of the reason that had brought
him to the place. He had been abroad
for IL years, yet within month Of his
return he had left again and hurried
to spend few days on the Riviera be-
fore taking steamer at Marseilles.
1t was absurd, he knew it, but the
longing to see her face again was IRE
sistible. He would not seek an oppor-
tunity of speaking with her. The
scheme on which their lives had been
worked out made this impossible. He
simply had an overwhelming desire to
see her Then he could go back to his
lonely life, not happy he could never
be that, but with a fresh picture of
the one woman he had ever loved.
He noticed a smart carriage draw up
before the broad steps of the Casino,
and almost simultaneously man and
a woman came out of the building.
The man was middle, aged, trifie
heavy in build and faultlessly dressed.
He handed the lady into the carriage.
Hippesley, as he caught sight of her
face, gave a start and clutched hold of
the table She was young English
woman magnificently beautiful.
The color left his face, and he rivet-
ed his eyes on her. He watched her
smilingly say ''goodby" to the man on
the steps; then the carriage turned and
drove rapidly away. AS it vanished
from sight he sank back in his chair.
his mouth twitchlng. His throat SEEM
ed dry and parched; he stretched for
ward and drank some tea at a gulp.
Then the voices of two men talking
Just behind him reached his ears.
"That was the Princess Zandra. She
is living at the Villa Erondel, at Beau
leu
Enormously rich"
"She was till day or so ago." The
man lowered his voice. Hippesley
found himself straining for the next
words. 81 happen to know" came In
almost a whisper, chat the late prince
was sufficiently i'll advised to invest
nearly all his money in an enterprise
that has recently come to the ground
with a crash, and the princess. who
never had the slightest suspicion of her
affairs not being in satisfactory state,
has suddenly been told that another
year at her present rate of expenditure
will leave her penniless."
"What will she do?'
go on living as she has done and
marry again. Women with such beau
ty can pick and choose. There are no
hard places for them. Rumor says it
Al hos loft hnT
He is not good man, but he is pas
sionately in love with her and a mil
lionaire twice over.'
Hippesley rose from his seat and,
making his way round to the terrace,
sank into a seat. He felt he could hear
no more 1t was all so curious, so star
tlingly strange. To think that the girl
he had left living with her father on
the outskirts of a quiet English coun-
try town should have developed into
this wonderful Princess Zandra, whose
beauty was known throughout Europe.
And they had loved one anotherl He
had gone abroad with the hope of
making name for himself. of being
able to claim her. But i'll luck had
logged him, and the time had never
come when he could write to her. He
had left her free, and as the years
went by, bringing nothing but persist
ent failure, he knew that it was not for
him to possess the only thing he count
ed worth having. Occasionally scraps
of intelligence as to the course her life
had taken drifted to him. Her father
had died, and she had gone to live with
a wealthy aunt in London From stray
papers that reached him he learned
that her beauty had caused quite SEN
sation in society. Then at last came
the news that she had married for
eigner of great position, Prince Fan
dra
He wondered if she ever thought of
him-remembered the night he had
confessed his love to her. Not day
had passed in those long years of fail
ure but her image had been before
him. Now at length, when he had
achieved some slight success, it was
too late. All that was left for him
was to take the absurd little journey
of sentiment.
Early next morning he Travelled to
Beaulieu. He got out at the railway
station and, following the path that
led round to st. Jean, passed the fish
ing village and gained the Point. There
he sank down on the ground and gave
himself up to his reflections. 1t was
perfect morning a cloudless sky. the
air soft and pregnant with the per-
fume of the roses that grew right to
the edge of the tiny cliff. Some 30 feet
below him was the sea, not ripple on
its smooth surface, the clear blue tints
cleaning in the sunshine.
Presently he was aware of woman
gazing curiously at him. The next
moment they had recognized one an
other. She went suddenly pale, and
her lips parted in wonder.
Ralph she gasped.
He looked at her nutely. He was
face to face with her ut last, and the
blood went throbbi,ig through his
veins.
Eyes, just Ralph" he said mechanic
ally.
She held out her hand, and he took
1t awkwardly.
"And to think it is you after all
these yearsv' she said softly.
Hippesley did not speak. His
thoughts had flown back dozen years
to the night when he had left her. An
indefinable idea came to him that she,'
too, was thinking of the same thing.
81 won't lie," he said abruptly. Il
am not here by chance. heard you
were on the Riviera, and after all
these years l wanted to see you again
just to see you; had no notion OF
speaking"
She gazed at him steadily, as If try
ing to read his thoughts.
"You have loved me all this timer
she asked slowly.
He bowed his head. She turned
away with a little sob.
"And you never wrote" she cried.
"Oh, why didn't you write"
81 was failure-such an utter fail
ure | could not write to claim you,"
he said hoarsely. you did well. |
wasn't worth waiting for"
She looked at him, the tears glisten-