The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-12-20
CHAPTER VIII.
Continued.

81 might have known it from the first.
Every one told me, as we'll as they
could, what an idiot I was making Of
myself! An idiot-a cursed, headstronS
fool!?a l am served rightly now-to have
my name mixed up in such a compll-
cation of infamy as this! Pray, how
long is it'-and he stopped short, and
for the first time looked full in the
girls face-"how long is it really since
you knew all this? 1 should greatly
prefer hearing the whole truth now"
1t was an infamous, cowardly speech.
las her eyes stared up, in their helpless,
blank misery, back to his, Clifford felt
how cowardly it was; and he almost
hated her-as is common to some peo-
ple-for the injury he had done her by
such a suspicion.
Cant you speak," he exclaimed, rs
her trembling lips parted, but brought
out no sound. do you wish to drive
me mad by putting on that air of cool
indifference at such a time as this|
/ believe it is aH established rule of
art that no hero shall ever act in an
intrinsically dishonOrable or cOwardly
manner; and as Mohun must, Of neces-
sity, be styled the hero of this story OF
Jane Grand's life-and as I have every
wish to transcribe the record of the
same with due regard to the Unities-
I feel myself drawn in diverse direc-
tons by the requirements of art, and
of what I consider to be truth, at this
particular point. Before hitting him
very hard, however, ! would beg Of
the reader, from his own knowledge of
life, to state how many mcn-say out
of every hundred-would shine if
placed in exactly the same position as
Clifford Mohun's?
To remain mistaken in his loyalty
under such circumstances q man must
DE either weak or most heroically
strong; and Mohun was neither. Pride,
world respect, thirst for popularity,
were, at this time especially, passion
ately strong in him; of true moral cour-
age, of the higher kind of self-respect,
of a purpose and happiness beyond the
reach of ordinary worldly opinion, he
knew nothing. He understood n
kind of dishonor very we:l-the COM
mon, vulgar kind, into which he had
never had any temptation to fall; and
he loathed it and felt himself extreme
ly noble in giving up his en-
gagement to Jane Grand. He went
through none of the conflicting
struggles which a mar Of higher ma
ture must have sustained, even while
resolving to act in precisely the same
way; and, in judging of the guilt of an
action, we must-modern ethics say
bear in mind what degree Of moral re-
sponsibility has to be accredited to the
actor.
To behave as heroes are expected to
do, a man must have a little of the
Heaven of the heroic in his composition;
and Mohun had n He never did a
heroic thing, or thought a heroic
thought, or decided for any other OBJ
ject save what he conceived to be an
immediate personal advantage in his
life. The episode Of his youth, con-
tanning the best germ in 1t, was that
of which he was already at the closing
scene-his love of Jane; and that in
this he had been unworldly was simply
owing to the fact of his being made
up of the common elements Of human
ity-a lad who could calculate while
falling in love being a lusus naturae of
which even this generation affords but
few specimens. The homage Of so
young and tender a woman as poor
Jane had made his pride succumb for
the time to personal vanity, and he
thought very highly of the victory
(speaking of it to his W conscience
in other terms than I have done), and
had been very seriously enamored Of
James lovely face and had known as
much of the inner value of the pearl
"worthier than all his tribe" which
he was noW about to cast away, as a
savage knows of the value Of the
piece of gold he barriers for a handful
of tinseled rubbish or glass beads.
So much for Clifford Mohun as a hero.
We will return to him as the COM
monplace type Of commonplace human
creature that he was.
Can you speak, Jane? Can you give
me any answer to what 1 have asked?
Or must l really think that-that-"
Giford's manhood was spared the
further shame to which his WI lips
were about to put it by Miss Grand'S
rising from her seat, lettering up to his
side, and throwing her arms around
his neck. She laid her head upon his
breast and sobbed there. Spare her,
oh, Cornelia! it was for the first and
last time in this life.) She said tender
words that till this moment had never
ever entered her heart to say. She be.
sought him to have pity or her now,
SO that, at least, she might have the
recollection Of his kindness, Of his gen.
crosby, to comfort her when he was
gone.
"You can't really believe I would
have kept all this from you-you can't
really believe I ever looked in your
face and deceived you. Yon only said
it in your first anger-I am sure Of
that! Oh, Clifford, it is q hard trial
for you to bear! Will you eve forgive
me all the suffering my love has
brought upon you?"
With the tact of perfect love she
sought to assign to him the part which
it was most possible for him to enact
with self-respect--the part Of an in
jured man who was following 4 stern
law Of duty in sacrificing feeling and