Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-04-10

Continued from last week.
After short silence Mary continred
half banteringly: answer me. sir!
will have no more of this. You shall
| treat me at least with the courtesy you
would show bourgcoise girl
ooh. that you were only a burgher's
daughter
Eyes, | know all that; but am not.
IT. can't be helped. and you shall an
swer me-"
"There is no answer. dear lady. 1
beg you-oh, do you not Sec
Eyes, yes; but answer my question.
Am I not kind, more than you de-
| serve?"
"Indccd. yes a thousand times. You
have always been so kind. so gracious
and so condcSccnding to me that | can
only thank you. thank you, thank you"
answered Brandon almost shyly, not
daring to lift his eyes to hers.
Mary saw the manner quickly enough
what woman ever missed it, much
less so keen eyed girl as she-and it
gave her confidence and brought back
the easy banter of her old time man
ner.
"How modest we have become!
Where is the boldncss of which we
used to have so much? Kind? Have
always been so? How about the first
time | met you? Was | kind then?
And as to condcscension, don't-don't
use that word between us"
/ tt~h in IN e.
turn was recovering himself: mo, l
can't say that you We're very kind at
first How you did fly out at me and
surprise me. 1t was so unexpected it
almost took me off my feet" And they
! both laughed in remembering the scene
of their first meeting. 'No, | can't say
your kindness showed itself very
strongly in that first interview, but
it was there nevertheless, and when
Lady Jane led me back your real ma
ture asserted itself. as it always does,
and you were kind to me-kind as only
you can be-"
That was getting very near to the
sentimental - dangerously near, he
thought, and he said to himself, "If
this does not end quickly, shall have
to escape"
you are easily satisfied if you call
that good" laughingly returned Mary.
Il can be ever so much better than
that if l try"
Let me see you try" said Brandon.
"Why, I'm trying now" answered
Mary, with a distracting little pout
Don't you know genuine out and out
goodness when you see it? I'm doing
my very best now. Can't you tellT'
Yes, think recognize it, but-but
be bad again.
mo, | won't | will not be bad even
to please you. | have determined not
to be bad, and | will not-nOt even to
be good. This" placing her hand over
her heart, lis just full of good today
And her lips parted as she laughed at
her own pieasantry.
Il am afraid you had better be bad.
l give you fair warning" said Brandon
huskily. He felt her eyes upon him all
the time. and his strength and good
resolves We're ooZing out like wine from
an ill coopcred cask After a short ST
lence Mary continued, regardless of the
| warning:
But the position is reversed with us.
At first | was unkind TO you, and you
We're kind TO me, but now l am kind to
you, and you are unkind to me-"
Il can come back at you with your
own words" responded Brandon. you
don't know when l am kind to you. |
should be kinder, to myself at least,
were to leave you and take myself to
the other side of the world"
"Oh, that is one thing l wanted to
ask you about. Jane tells me you are
going to New Spain"
She was anxious to know, but asked
the question partly to turn the CONVEX
satiOn, which was fast becoming peril
Gus. AS girl she loved Brandon and
knew it only too well. but she knew
also that she was a princess, standing
next to the throne of the greatest king
dom on earth-in fact. ut that time the
heir apparent, Henry having no chill
dren, for the people would not have the
Scotch kings imp, and the possibility
of such a thing as union with Bran
don had never entered her head, how
ever passionate her feelings toward
him. 1t was not TO be thought of be
tween people so far apart as they.
Brandon answered her question: 81
do not know about going. | think
shall. | have volunteered with ship
that sails in two or three weeks from
Bristol, and l suppose l shall co."