The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-22

She smiled at him. "Why, you have only
known mellow long? Two months"
Il loved you before / knew you. dear;
ever since L saw your face in that picture 1
brought you. Won't you have a little com
passion on me, dearest, and not let me
nave to wait any longer?"
But she was firm, and in spite of all his
pleading he could only prevail on her to
promise that in a fortnight's time, the day
before they were to leave FOlkestone, she
would give him her answer.
Una stayed in her room that evening,
spending the hours in reading over and
over again all the letters Maurice had writ
ten to her during the two years of his alb
sence. They were letters which had filled
her heart with joy and pride, and the last
but one, in which he spoke of the bright
prospects opening before him and of the
hope, rapidly growing into a certainty, of
soon being able to ask her to come out TO
him when this piece of work was completed
and he should be removed to a healthier
place, seemed to her to bring her betrothed
his voice, his look, his gesture, when he
had won her promise before leaving Eng
Iand-so wildly before her that she sank
OBOAl AtA hhtNo INV 80 III -
hands, crying out:
"Oh, Mauricei How could L think it poss-
ible 1 should ever forget you? No, no, my
darling, no one shall ever take your placer
By and by she rose and sat for a long
time thinking, with Heseltine's portrait,
which she wore in a locket under her dress,
clasped to her lips. Suddenly a thought
struck her. She took note paper, wrote a
short, businesslike letter. addressed it to
the Eastern Railway Company" in whose
service Heseltine had gone out to Persia,
and posted fl herself at a pillar box near
the hotel. Her mind was made up now.
For her own satisfaction she had written
her letter; but whatever the answer was.
she would never be unfaithful to the love
of her youth. She would tell Ralph
Brandreth so tomorrow.
But the doctor was away next day. He
had gone up early to London on some bust
ness of Miss Beresford's. On the following
morning Una received an answer to her let
ter. She was alone when she read 1t, for
her aunt had not come down to breakfast
and Brandreth had slept in town.
Dear Madam-In answer to your inquiry
we beg to inform you that Mr.. Heseltine
mas not DG6l QlSIllSSGu lIOIl Oul StINlCe,
but that owing to his having had the mis-
fortune to lose his eyesight he is at present
unable 10 continue the work he had begun
at Shirabad. So far from our wishing to
dispense with his very valuable services.
we hope to retain him as one of our con-
sulting engineers even should he never re-
cover the use of his eyes. which. W. regret
to learn from him, is an almost certain
| eventuality. We are writing TO him to that
effect at Calcutta by this mail. Yours" etc.
Una sat like one stunned. She could not
understand why she should have been de-
ceived in this way. What reason could
either her betrothed or Brandreth have had
for keeping her in the dark as to the actual
truth? She would wait till the doctor re-
turned and then tax him with the decep-
ton he had practiced on her, for he had
certainly conveyed to her mind an entirely
misleading impression. But she blamed
herself bitterly for her readiness to ina CINE
tina Maurice could so easily have sunk in
the way she had imagined, and so wore
herself out in vain self-reproaches.
The key to the puzzle was at hand. At
midday the post came in again. and a
letter was brought to her in an unknown
handwriting, bearing the Calcutta post
mark. 1t was from Heseltine's sister.
Una's eyes ran over the closely-written
pages. and her cheeks glowed and her
bosom heaved as she read:
MY Dear Miss Observation-Disclosures we
are strangers TO each other. 1 feel that I
can no longer refrain from writing TO you
for the sake of one who is very dear 10
me-. my brother Maurice. 1 do not know
how much you have heard about his state
of health, but 1 am sure that if you could
see him and II you still have any affec-