Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-05-15

CHAPTER XIV.
IN THE SIREN COUNTRY

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" for affection, mistake fire.
EyySyy51 quently made by people not
EEzSsJ given to self analysis and in
day or two reaction set in toward
Brandon which inspired desire to
make some amends for his harsh
treatment. This he could not do to
any great extent on Buckngham's ac-
count-at least not until the London
loan was in his coffers-but the fact
that Brandon was going to New Spain
so soon and would be out of the way
both of Marys eyes and Nary's mar
riage stimulated that rare flower in
Henry's heart, good resolve. and
Brandon was offered his old quarters
with me until such time as he should
sail for New Spain.
He had never abandoned this plan.
and now that matters had taken this
turn with Mary and the king his reso-
luton was stronger than ever in that
the scheme held two recommendations
and possibility.
The recommendations We're. first, it
would take him away from Mary. with
whom, when out of the inspiring in
fluence of her buoyant hopefulness,
he knew marriage to be utterly impos-
sible, and, second. admitting and fac
ing that impossibility, he might find
at least partial relief from his heart
ache in the stirring events and adven-
lures of that PARKWAY land of monsters,
dragons. savages and gold. The posi-
bility lay in the gold, and very faint
ly burning flame of hope held out the
still more family glimmering chance
that fortune, finding him there almost
alone, might for lack of another lover
smile upon him by way of squaring ac-
counts. She might lead him to a cav
ern of gold, and gold would do any
thing, even perhaps purchase price
less treasure as certain princess of
the royal blood.
Brandon at once accepted the king
offer of lodging in the palace, for now
that he felt sure of himself in the mat
ter of New Spain and his separation
from Mary he longed to see as much as
possible of her before the light went
out forever, even though it were play
ing with death itself to do so.
Poor fellow. His suffering was so
acute during this period that it affect
ed me like a contagion.
1t did not make nope of him, but
came in spasms that almost drove him
wild. He would at times pace the
room and cry out: "Jesu. Caskoden.
what shall do? She will be the wife
of the French king and | shall sit in
the wilderness and try every moment
to imagine what she is doing and think
ing. | shall find the bearing of Paris
and look in her direction until my brain
melts in my effort to see her, and then
l shall wander in the woods. a suffer-
ing imbecile, feeding on roots and nuts.
Would to God one of us might die! If
1t were not selfish, l should wish
might be the one
l said nothing in answer to these out
bursts, as | had no consolation to offer.
We had two or three of our little
meetings of four, dangerous as they
were, at which Mary, feeling that each
time she saw Brandon might be the
last, would sit and look at him with
glowing eyes that in turn softened and
burned as he spoke. She did not talk
much, but devoted all her time and en-
ergies TO looking with her whole soul.
Never before or since was there a girl
so much in love. A young girl" thor
oughly in love is the most beautiful
object on earth-beautiful even in ug-
illness. Imagine then, what it made of
Mary!
Growing partly, perhaps. out of his
unattainability-fOr he was as far out
of her reach as she out of his-she had
long since begun to worship him. She
had learned to know him so well, and
his valiant defense of her in Billings
gate, together with his noble self sacri-
fee in refusing TO compromise her in
order to save himself had presented
him to her in so noble light that she
had come to look up to him as her SUI
perior. Her surrender had been COM
plete, and she found in it joy far ex-
ceeding that Of any victory or triumph
she could imagine.
The trouble began in earnest with
the discovery of our meetings in Lady
Mary's parlor. There was nothing at
all unusual in the fact that small COM
panies OF young folk frequently spent
their evenings with her, but we knew
well enough that the unusual element
In our parties was their exceeding
smallness. company of eight or ten
young persons was well enough, al
though it Of course created jealousy on
the part of those who were left out,
but four-two of each sex-made a diff