The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-10-05

two little wire-strung mandarins. the
corner ornaments, to wag well-niGht
to d]islOcatioG.
Theodore Fansittart answered not a
word. She rose, took q bed room can
die from the side table. lighted it with
stately. deliberate precision. then Of
fered her arm to her elder sister. and,
s%orrowfully followed by Aunt Hosie.
left Mr.. Chester alone. Alone with the
rain and wind of that harsh midnight
(wailing like so many ghosts Of his
life's wasted hours, the certainty that
his pitiful game was up-roof. dinner,
pocket money, all f~orfeited-for com-
partnership.
The succeeding Sunday was murk
and chill, a day not soon to be erased
from the calendar of Daphne's men,
DRY. During the forenoon Mr.. Ches-
ter kept to his own room. as was his
Sunday morning wont. Dinner passed
OF in griG silence. only broken by
s%eneraliaes, interesting neither to gods
nor men, from the lips Of Miss Theo-
dora. Ifterward, needless of the sleet
md w$ld still beating up from the sea.
Barry Chester went forth into the gar
den. 1or an hour or more paced up and
dowR the distant orchard terrace,
smo9lng or half smoking through cigar
and cigar, his head down bent, his
stess irregular, his arms folded across
has breast; Daphne, sick at heart. with
she knew not what new fear. watch
ing him, unseen herself, from the
house.
To this hour there is one window she
can never stand at-no, not when sum-
mer is at it's bravest-without the cold
and darkness Of that last Sunday,
without the miserable. restless figure
Of Barry Chester coming back before
her sight!
He remained about the place al day;
toward nightfall made the abrupt an
NO lncement that he should start for
London next morning. 1t was his par
ticular request that NJ one in the
house would get up or go through the
form Of seeing him off. He had spoken
to Jean Marie; the lad would borrow
q spring cart and drive him quietly to
the steamer o after daylight. AS
to Daphne's accompanying him, he
begged-using some Of our more forci-
bIe English abjurgations-that he
might be spared the very proposal Of
such folly. Fief-de-la-Reine was,
doubtless, still open to her, though
not to him. Let her avail herself of it's
shelter while she could. He was going
to L~ondon-oh, to look out for en-
ployment, then, if he was to be the
subject Of such strict cross-e1amina-
ton! Anyway, her presence would be
an (anathemiZed) incumbrance to him,
an (anathemized) expense, which he
had neither means nor inclination to
incur. Promise to write? Of course;
faithfully, sacredly! Thus, with the
fippant callousness of a vulgar ma
ture, be answered, the girls trembling
arm around his neck, her lips touch
ing his cheek. Promise anything so
long as he might be spared Mysteries
and scenes! Let Daphne. in return,
pledge herself to be silent about him
when he was gone. If trades people
or others persisted in asking questions,
say that he was absent on business
we'll, on business likely to detain him
long-and that she had no mean Of
forwarding either letters or messages
to his address.
All through the night Mrs. Chester
lay awake, weeping scalding tears for
this ~sorriest scoundrel upon whom a
woman's love was erer wasted. At
daybreak came Jean Marie's signal of
reveille from the courtyard below.
Then, choking back her sobs by force.
"lest she should anger poor Barry"
Daphne had to nerve herself for the
moment Of final separation; and in the
dim morning her husband stopped,
and, kissing her on the forehead,
wished her a cold good-by-their last!
Smarting under an uneasy sense of
money obligations, doubtful as to what
claims might be put in against him at
the eleventh hour. MI. Chester de-
voutly hoped that, in parting from his
wife, he had parted forever from the
whole Vansittart family. AS he passed
through the house place. however-a
broad tiled passage dividing the front
door from the stairs-Aunt Hosie stood
before him; red about the eyelids. her
whole demeanor giving unmistakable
tokens Of a night spent otherwise than
in sleep.
REALLY, Miss Tansittart. this is quite
unnecessary" he was beginning.
To be Continued.