The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-11-08
CHAPTER XIV.

4 How should your NO announce
ment was put in the newspapers, and,
for reasons that yon can understand,
did not care about writing to my
friends, although to you, perhaps, q
letter would have been easier than to
most people. All, Mrs. Chester" she
runs on, with the frank self-absorption,
the unaffected egotism that renders the
society Of newly married persons so
dismal to the rest Of human kind, Hdo
you rec0llect a conversation we had in
| your own room-all roses, and white
dimity, and full of the smell Of sea-
weed, that last evening l was at Fief-
| de-la-R Refine r.
Yes, daphne remembers the CONVEX
1 sation accurately word for word
II don't mind confessing that felt
/ the least just the very least. degree
bitter against you that evening"
Bitter against me?'
You seemed SO contented with the
! world and the world with you, and my
own spirit SO heavy. and-well, If the
truth be told. it did appear to me,
4 weighing our lots, one against the 9TH
er. that had some mail reason to
! feel jealous
! So Aunt Hosie was right Human ma
fure remains the same always Glenn
entina's love for Severnc, lukewarm
! though it may have been, contained
just sufficient vitality TO admit OF that
0ld-fashioned sentiment, Jealousy.
II recollect one thing with great
clearness: that prophesied your hap
piness," says Daphne, little con-
science stricken.
And how you extolled Sir John!
Well. looking at his character now with
unprecedented eyes, can say, honestly
and dispassionately, that think he
deserved every word of your eulogies;
can, indeed, poor sellowl''
Up springs the blood into Daphne
Chester's face. Something in CIemen-
tina's Multiplying tone wounds her to
the quick. AS though she had right
TO feel wounded, to take any lingering
interest whatsoever, either in Sir John
Severne or in his wife's estimate Of
him!
"Only his merits were not made for
me. There was the pity of II. The fact
was, we became engaged much too
young. ! felt it instinctively that first
moment when we met again. Cont
you remember. Mrs. Chester, how Felix
and / broke in upon a little sketching
lesson Sir John was giving you under
the rocks? And every hour we spent
together afterward convinced me more
and more OF our mistake"
Daphne Chester's cheeks burn like
fire. she has heard rumors, even at
Fief-de-la- Refine. of the rapid pace.
the emancipated doctrine, Of youthful
matrons OF the day. Condolences like
these, condolences from the lips Of
wife not two months married, posi-
lively stagger her.
"You must have guessed, am sure
seeing so much Of us as you did" And
now it is Clementina's turn to show
embarrassment; she casts down her
eyes, she turns her bright new wedding
I.ring round and round upon her finger.
"You must have guessed-that cared
for my Cousin Felix
Your Cousin Felixr' repeats Daphne
Chester, BY this time too thoroughly
mystifled to do more than Reuter- the
brides own words.
"He Is not brilliant as far as books
60; it may be good judges would say
he has not got Sir John Severne's SOL
id qualities. and he is certainly poor,
while Sir John Seyerne. as certainly,
has plenty of this worlds goods. But
you see one cannot reason about caring
for people! III think have cared
for Felix always" says Clementina, the
sweetest flush of womanly feeling
staining all her face. and ! know that
to be with him, poor, abroad, anyhow,
will be the only possible happiness OF
my life"
Daphne had turned first red then
pale, then red again, during Mrs.
Broughton's confession it is time
to call the bride by the name she wears
so joyously. No word Of congratula-
ton can she speak. Bewilderment,
scarcely yet enlightened, the. dawning
of new wild personal hope, combine
together to render her dumb.
Your Cousin Felix. III mean Mr..
Broughton, is with youY she asks, at
length, stammering as guiltily as
though her heart owned secret pas
sion for Clementina's husband.
Eyes, he is at the hotel, and later on
in the day you will see him that is. If
you win let us invite ourselves to a
Fief della Refine high tea. Felix re-
quires a good many hours for break
fast and rest, after the horrors Of a
Channel steamer, and, as Sir John was
ready to escort me. thought had
better drive on FIRST and give you
warning Of our advent"
"Sir John Severne isis travelling
with yon. then?'
Surely, were Clementina's lips abb
Eolutely engrossed in herself and her
Felix, she must decipher the meaning
of Daphne Chester's trembling voice
and rapidly changing color
Travelling with us? Well, that is 4
conical idea. DO you think we could
endure to have any other society than
our own7 No; our ycossing over to-
gether last night was purely accidental,
never knew sir John was on board
until we got past the Needles, and
then the vessel began to roll and
every one was feeling so Wretched.