The St. Johns herald., 1901-02-02

Tt must not bel" he exclaimed, in-
 dignantly. ("Shall not bel" he nut
 tered, inwardly.) You don't love the
 girl, you have admitted it; you are
 net half as fond of her as of that
 newest pup of yours" CT would die
 to save her half moments pain, and
 don't suppose she cares straw for
 me-" he reflected, bitterly) "I feel
 like kicking youp
 He looked like kicking likewise.
 "Kick me, or thump me, or do what
 you will. old chapI My feeling is just 1 this: am a worthless sort of fel-
 low, have gone the pace, and don't deserve the love of any woman in the world"
 "What man ever did?" growled Met ford.
 "Oh, but you haven't notion what thorough bad lot I've been! Don't look so unbelieyingl" proceeded the kickworthy convalescent. "I was go- ing to tell you something that Jess told me which makes me .tolerably sure that Miss Wethered-but you would only scoff. never knew such fellow as you, upon my wordi" i Metford smiled illegibly.
 ''The position is a very simple one," he said. Assuming that from what your sister has been-pardon me for saying so-unwisely suggesting to you, Mary-I mean, Miss Wethered- cares enough for you to marry you, a worthless and heartless but toler- ably good-looking chap like you, who, as you justly remark, don't deserve the love of any woman, nor, for that matter, the succession to one of the oldest and wealthiest baronetcies in England"
 He paused. his face white and drawn, lines visible uponit that were not there when this debate began.
 You haven't any love to offer her. You don't know what love is. You merely want to cancel a supposed debt of gratitude by offering her your looks, your wealth-everything you have ex- cept the only thing that woman like Mary Wethered hungers fori"
 He was becoming eloquent, too eIo- quent, and he perceived it.
 Love will come later" Winston an- swered, confidently; gratitude is said to be akin to love. The girl is not quite my style admit, but l like her II really do, old chap! She is passably good-looking, although, I suppose, one could hardly call her pretty"
 Metford snorted.
 Sings well-sufficiently well, that is, for drawing-room purposes. Don't look so beastly scornful! Of course, you can't appreciate anything humber than Italian opera. She plays the piano nearly as well as Jess does, talks inter- estingly, and has, l must say, the gentlest voice imaginable. Whatever you may choose to say, you old calculat- ing cynic, I am more and more inclined to agree with my sister Jess that if return to India without asking the girl to be my wife shall be the stupidest, most ungrateful and most contemptible beast on earth"
 ''I warn you," said Metford, warmly, 'that if-you pretend love to Miss Weth- cred and let her pledge herself to you you will repent yourself within week, and the girl will find you out and be the most miserable woman on Gods earth. You won't listen to my words of wis dom, of course; for of all the pig-head ed, obstinate mules"
 "A somewhat mixed metaphor!" langhed Winston, unabashed.
 Mixed metaphoF be hanged! Be man and gentlemAni Go away uIrde-5l clared, and if, after you have had six months to think about it, you feel something more than gratitude stirring within your bosom, get six months leave, return to England, insert your head into the matrimonial noose--and be hanged to youl"
 "Beastly old cynicl" declared the blase lieutenant. 'I like your con- founded impudence talking about love. Why, don't believe you possess even the rudiments of a heartl Damned good chap, all the same! You shall be my best man. Tomorrow or the next | day shall indite a hyperbolic epistGe to | Miss Mary, asking whether she cares i  til he gets his captaincy- It may be for years as the song says; but l datter myself I am we'll worth waiting for. | and don't propose to take the risk of | any other feilow-a cold-blooded chap | like you, for misunderstanding into | the lists during my absence!"
 Metford was speeches. with com tempt. That Winston should have proved himself such an unmitigated cad!
 The funny part of it was that Miss Wethered, who was taking brief rest at the seaside, received two letters by | the morrow's malone from the "un- mitigated cad," thanking her "ever so much" for all her kindness to him dur ing his protracted illness; the other from the "beastly old cynic," the re- ply to which-it seems almost like sacrilege to print it-was as follows:
 Dear Dr. Metford: I am so glad! How glad I cannot tell you! have loved you ever since the day that first met you. but I never dared to hope that should be hon. ored with your love. Very sincerely yours. MARY WETHERED.
 And this is the letter that sister Jessie wrote a day or two thereafter to her graceless brother:
 My Darling Boy: You did 1t beautifully. If I were queen. you should be decorated with cross for most conspicuous gallan- try. I know how fond of the girl you had become, and what it must have cost you to act as you did. It was very hard work, wasn't 1t, poor boy? Mary is overjoyed Some day, when she has been married a year or so. I may let her into part of the secret of our conspiracy. But "mum's the word for the present