Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-03-06


which would have been greatly to his
advantage, and if you had only known
Henry Tudor, with his vain, bolster
Gus, stubborn violence, you could form
some idea of Marys powers by that
achievement alone.
Such was the royal maid to whose
tender mercies, l now tell you frankly,
my friend Brandon was soon to be
turned over. He, however, was a
blade of very different temper from
any she had known, and when first
saw signs of a growing intimacy be-
tween them | felt from what little
had seen of Brandon, that the tables
were very likely to be turned upon her
ladyship. Then thought l, God help
her" for in nature like hers, charged
with latent force, strong and hot and
fiery as the suns stored rays, it need
ed but flash to make it patent when
damage was sure to follow for some
body-probably Brandon.
Mary did not come home with us
from Westminster the morning after
the ioustings. as we had expected, but
followed some four or five days later
and Brandon had fairly settled himself
at court before her arrival. AS neither
his duties nor mine were onerous, we
had a great deal of time on our hands,
which we employed walking and riding
or sitting in our common room reading
and talking. OF course, as with most
young men, that very attractive branch
of natural history, woman, was a favor
IL;
it great deal-that is, to tell the exact
truth. | did. Although Brandon had
seen many an adventure during his life
on the continent which would not do
to write down here, he was as little of
a boaster as any man | ever met and,
while | am in the truth telling business,
l was as great Il braggart of my inches
as ever drew the longbow-in that line,
l mean. Gods. flush up hot even now
when think of it! SO talked a great
deal and found myself infinitely pleased
with Brandons conversational powers,
which were rare, being no less than the
capacity for saying nothing and listen
ing politely to an infinite deal of the
same thing in another form, from me.
l remember that | told him | had
known the Princess Mary from time
when she was twelve years old, and
how | had made fool of myself about
her. l fear | tried to convey the i'm
preston that it was her exalted rank
only which made her look unfavOrably
upon my passion and suppressed the
fact that she had laughed at me good
humOredly and put me off as she would
have thrust a poodle from her lap. The
truth is she had always been kind and
courteous to me and had admitted me
to a degree of intimacy much greater
than / deserved. This, partly at least,
grew out of the fact that helped her
along the thorny path to knowledge a
road she Travelled ut an eager gallop,
for she dearly loved to learn-from Gu
riosity perhaps.
/ am sure she held me in her light
gentle heart as dear friend; but, while
her heart was filled with this mild
warmth for me, mine began to burn
with the flame that discolors every
thing. and | saw her friendlncss in
very dsturting light. She was much
kinder to me than to most men. but |
did not see that it was by reason of my
absolute harmlessness. and. ! suppose
because | was vain fool gradually
began TO gather hope which goes with
every vain mans lOve-aud, what is
more actually climbed to the very apex
of idiOcy and declared myself. | well
knew the infinite distance between us;
but, like every other man who came
1.
stone, | lost my head and, in short,
made a greater fool of myself than |
naturally was which is saying a good
deal for that time in my life, God
knows.
l knew vaguely, but did not fairly re-
aliZe, how utterly beyond my reach in
every way she was until l opened the
foodgates of my passion. as l thought
1t, and saw her smile and try to check
the coming laugh. Then came look
of offended dignity, followed by
quick, softening glance.
Leave me one friend, | pray you,
Edwin. l value you too highly to lose,
and esteem you too much to torment.
Do not make Of yourself one of those
fools who feel, or pretend to feel, l care
not which, such preference for me. You
cannot know in what contempt wom-
an holds man who follows her though
she despises him. No man can beg
woman's love; he must command it. Do
not join their ranks, but let us be good
friends. 1 will tell you the plain truth
1t would be no different We're we both
of the same degree. Even then | could
not feel toward you as you think you
wish, but l can be your friend and will
promise to be that always if you will
promise never again to speak of this to
me-"
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