Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1902-06-26
CHAPTER xIv-COntinued.

into chair. II took all Birley's efforts
and mine to calm her. think | must
have become very much engrossed with
NV own efforts, for when at length
Louise sat composed and ! turned to
Birley, Birley was gone.
"You will not leave me-" she said,
laying her hand on mine, "till he
comes back?n
That touch precipitated feeling in
me, and the confession which ] had not
intended l should make for some time
vet. Considering the highly wrought
condition OF the nerves of both OF Us, |
do not think il is surprising that we
should then have opened our hearts to
each other.
81 wish," said, s'that l need never
leave your side again"
On an impulse of shyness she tried
to withdraw her hand, butI kept it and
she let it stay.
Louise" said, "do You know
what that man meant when he accused
me Of seeking to marry an heiress?"
.Yes," said she, with hanging head
1.-THE beautiful head, az think I do.
He said something of the same to me
at Blackpool." "
"And do you think" 1 urged, that
il told that heiress how | loved her,
how I had loved her and thought of her
from the FIRST moment / had seen her,
before I guessed that she might be an
heiress-do you think if | said that, il
would only be because l expected she
would be rich one day?"
"uh, l do not think that at all
But" she said, looking up with a
bright, uncertain smile (Which was SC
winning!-so ravishingD shut / am
not an heiress.
"You guess, then, it is you / would
saw this to?-that it is you / love and
have ever thought OFF"
| She trembled violently (dear Auttered
hearth but still held her hand.
'I did not guess" she murmured
"until he made me think of it at Black
pool. Then understood why you had
been so very good to me, and | -"
"What, Louise? What, dear?"
urged. =,
@Iben IL think" she faltered, 81
began to- Do not make me say it!'
ITO love me a ilttle?" / asked.
"Do, do say it.
"Yes," she whispered. Her face
was hid against my shoulder, and my
arms were about her before she added
-t'but not little-yery much!"
II was some moments before either
Of us spoke again.
j "Do YOU think" she said at length
| 'it is right that we should have said
these things at such time?-when w
do not yet know anything certain abou
my dear, dear father?"
4 Louise" l answered, darling,
would. YOU know, save you the small
est pang of pain. But | think / ough
70 saw at once, dear, that you must Civ
up the hope that you have chung to.
know, in secret, that you might afte
! all And your father alive. He doe
not live, am sure now-indeed l ma,
say as good as know where he lie
buried, though I must not tell yo'
| more at present. All we can hope t
, do then, darling, is to give him de
cent resting place. Then we shall g
away out OF this terrible region o
money grubbing, of horrible toilin
and moiling in smoke and steam an
poisonous vapors, where the eye canno
rest upon one single spot OF nature un
abused-we shall 60 away to plac
where the people are poorer and mlldei
where we may see clear skies an
/ pure water, and trees and flowers brigh
and wholesome. Won't that be wei
come cnange?-and to get away fror
the constant talk of brass.
t "Oh, yes," she exclaimed "that wi
be sweet. Let us go-do let US go q
soon as ever all things are settled, an
0 we have done someti ing for our des
uncle Birley! We shall do somethin
: for him-shall we not?"
We we're thus talking when "dea
Uncle Birley" came in. He probabl
suspected the understanding we ha
2 come to, but, like kind and discree
old gentleman as he is, he said nothin
: then.
Wondered where I've been, hay
: you? Well, lad, I've just walked dow
TO thy lodgings to tell tn old woma
she may 90 to bed, for thou'rt to sta
here the rest of this night-the lai
! night but one, very likely, that sha
. be here myself"
A tear glistened in his eye, and
lump rose into his throat; but, after
momentary pause, lie talked on, an
these signs Of emotion disappeared
: We soon went to bed, but think 4
one of the three slept much.
d In the course of an intimate tai
r with Louise which had that Sunda
i / learned how near had been to Iosir
her while she was at Blackpool, whel
: her vigilant duenna had been a hare
faithful old German servant of Steil
hardt's. 1t was only gradually that
got to know all the anxiety, and eve
terror, of those days of detention ar
surveillance, but that day / heard
my horror that the poor girl had bee
! so wrought upon by Steinhardt's repr
sentations of her duty to her fathe
of the Nervousness of refusing to full
! what (Steinhardt declared) had be'
his frequently expressed wish, that 81
was on the point Of accepting Frank +
husband, when he and his father we
called away, the one home and L
other to London.