Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-22
'You promised to keep away. Can't you

You promised to keep away. Can't you
Keep promises?"
No; not such promises as that"
And so You make my life impossible.
You see this room; you see how I've
changed it? I've been changing everything
could. Why? To forget you, to blot you
out, to be rid of you. I've been bringing
myself to take my place Tonight 1 seemed
at last to be winning my way to it. Now
you come. You gave me all this: why do
color came to her cheeks now as she grew
vehement in her reproaches, and her voice
was intense, though low.
A luxury of Joy swept over him as he
listened. Every taunt witnessed to his
power, every reproach to her love. He
played trick, indeed, and a part. but
there was no trick and no acting, in so far
as he was her lover. If that truth could
not redeem his deception, it stified all
sense of guilt.
And you were forgetting? You were
| fixing his eyes on her.
Perhaps. And now" She made
gesture Of despair. Tell newly have
you Gomez" Her tone changed to entreaty.
I've come because 1 must be where you
are, because I was mad to send you away
before. mad not to come to you before, to
think ! could live without you. not to see
that we two must be together; because
you're everything to me- He had come
| nearer to her now and stood by her. Ever
since l went away l have seen you in
this room, in that chair, l think it was
your ghost only that came to town. He
| laughed a moment. 81 wouldn't have the
| ghost. 1 didn't know why. Now 1 know.
1 wanted the you that was here-the real
| yOu-as you had been on the night l went
away. So I've come back to you. We're
ourselves here, Cecily. We Tristrams are
ourselves at Blent."
She had listened silently, her eyes on his.
| 81 seemed bewildered by the sudden rush
| OF his passion and the enraptured eager
| ness of his words that made her own vehe-
mence sound to her poor and thin. Pride
| had its share in her protest, love was the
| sole spring Of his intensity. Yet she was
| puzzled by the victorious light in his eyes.
What he said, what he came to do was
such surrender as she had never hoped
for him, and he triumphant in surrender
ing.
The thought flashed through her mind.
troubling her and for the time hindering
her joy in his confession. She did not trust
him yet.
I've had an offer made to me-" he re-
of political post. If accept 1t i shall have
to leave England for considerable time
almost Immediately. That brought the
thing to point" Again he laughed. It's
important to you, too, because If you say
no to me tonight you'll be rid of me for
ever so long. Your life won't be made i'm
possible. I shouldn't come to Blent again"
"A post that would take you away she
murmured.
not come to blackmail you into loving me,
Ceciy. Yes, you shall be left in peace to
move the furniture about" CHANGING to-
ward the table, he saw Mr.. Gainsborough's
birthday gift. He took it up looked at it
for a moment, and then replaced it. His
manner was involuntarily expressive. Even
If she brought that sort of a thing to
Bient-! He turned back at the sound
of a little laugh from Cecily and found her
eyes sparkling.
Fathers birthday present, Harry" said
she.
Delipbta5 with lar ,,;r.h - -
holding out his hands. She shook her head
and leaned back, looking at him.
sit as my mother did. You know. Yes,
like that he cried.
She had obeyed him with a smile Not to
be denied now, he seized the hand that lay
in her lap.
"a birthday! yes, of course, you're twen-
ty-one! Really mistress of it all now! And
you don't know what to do with it. except
spoil the arrangement of the furniture?''
She laughed low and luxuriously. What
am l to do with 1t ?" she asked
Well won't you give it all to me?" AS
he spoke he laughed and kissed her hand.
II We come to ask you for it. Here l am
I've come fortune hunting tonight"
1t 8 all mine now, you say? Harry take
1t without me-"
1t mightn't remind me of YOU
YES yes, that's what I've wsntad IN
do she exclaimed, drawing her hand ont
of his and raising her arms a moment in
the air Addie Tristram's pose was gone.
L
Take it without you, indeed, It's all for
you and because of you
Really, really?" She grew grave s.Har-
ry, dear, for PHYS sake tell me if YOU love
mel" va 'e
Haven't I told you?" he cried eavIv
Where are the poets? Oh for some good
quotations.. I'm Internally unpoetical. I
Know: is TINS it-that you're always before
my eyes, always in my head that you're
terribly in the way, that when I've got
anything worth thinking l think it to Won
anything worth doing l do 1t for Won any
thing good to say l say it to you? Is this
1t-that curse myself and curse youp Ia
this 1t, that l know myself only as vow
lover ana that If L m not that then I seem
nothlng at all. I've never been in love be-
lore. but all that sounds rather like II
And you'll take Blent from me-"
~ es, as the climax of all, I'll take R1an+
from you" '-ei'
She rose suddenly and began to wall, 70
ana 1ro across the end of the room. while
he stood by the table watching her
Well. isn't it time you said Something to
me! he suggested with a smile
~, Give me time. Harry; give me time.
you came suddenly out of the darkness 81
the night She waved her hand toward
the Wlndow-"and changed the world for
me. How am to believe it? And If can
believe it. what can 1 say? Let me alone
for a minute, Harry, dear
He was We'll content to wait and watch
All time seemed before them and ~,
better could he fill it? He seemed bir, ,som
to suffer in this hour a joyful transforma-
ton; to know better why men lived -
loved to live, to reach out To TIA f,,u
strength and the full function of his heinz
The world changed for him as he cbonaaoi
it for her. AN ~iaiseu