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

worst, she played the dreary comeay
out; and with her own hands, so to
speak, laid the funeral cloth decelltly
over the face of her W dead love.
Women perform these last offices well;
tenderly for the living, as well as. rev.
erently for the dead. Mohun was
softened to tears under the influence
of her humble, gentle words, and in
his softened mood said things that
James heart drew its life from during
q great many years of her own future
life. He did not, of course, seek t6
swerve from the cruel duty that was
before him: but he invented rs many
softening untruths about the future
as his not very imaginative brain could
compass. He would not marry, ne
would not love again, he should be al
ways James devoted friend-and 1t
would be far too painful, too miserable,
for them to be together now, with all
the old love so fresh in their memories,
but-after he had been away from
Yatton n year or so-he would come
and hope still to find that Jane kept
some place for him in her regard.
"I shall always love you," was Miss
Grand's answer to his longest perora-
ton on the subject of fidelity. II shall
always love you"
Not a p%rotsstation more.
1t is remarkable how few words peo-
pie use when; they know that they
mean to keep them.
And Clifford stayed on-stayed on IN
til he was half frightened to find how
very near loye-making their broken
words, and long regrets, and parting
promises had become; then, for fear of
fresh ENHANCEMENT, he rose suddenly;
and Jane knew that her hour had
come!
"I-I-shall come to see you again
before 1 leave Yatton," he stammered,
wishing to avoid direct leave-taking by
tile old subterfuge common on such &C.
casions. Miss Grand-Janc! before l
go tell me that you wholly forgive me-"
81 forgive you wholly, Clifford. You
act as every one in your position must
act. Don't think, please, if you hear
l am not happy, that you have been the
cause. I shall do all I can to bear up,
and, I .hope-I mean l shall try to hope
that some day I could bear to see
you at Yatton, married to some one
worthier of you than I should have
BEEN"
The simple, truthful words, the lov-
ing, faithful eyes, pierced even Clifford
Mohun's conscience to the quick.
II shall never find any n to love
me as you have. done, Jane! l shall
never love any woman on earth as l
have loved you"
And he took her to his heart and
while her tears were quite dry-wept
hot tears, that more and more con-
WINGED him of the nobleness of his own
nature, and Of the immense sacrifice ne
was making to principle in giving up
at once, and without a murmur, his IN
tenable passion for her. Most. persons
of the Clifford Mohun temperament are
profoundly overcome by witnessing the
outward and visible signs of their own
emotions.
When the actual moment of parting
came, Miss Grand drew from her
breast, very calmly, the ring Clifford
had given her-the ring which she al
ready wore hung by a piece Of black
ribbon around her neck.
81 shall wear this till the day you
are married. Clifford! lift any fault
of ours had broken off Jul engagement,
1 should have sent it back to you, but l
feel we are separated by something as
solemn as death-and l think it will be
a comfort to me to keep my ring for
the present"
And then there were a few more pro-
~testations upon the side where such
things were needed, q few more kisses
from the lips that should never kiss
more" and then Mohun found himself
walking alone in the fresh morning air
with the conviction that, all things con-
sidered, he had got honorably and well
out of a most painfully difficult posi-
ton; and Jane, staring blankly at the
four walls of the sitting room where he
had left her, knew that all youth and
happiness, all hope or motive in life,
had passed away, with him, out Of her
heart forever.