Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-12-12

sudden terror, and looked at him with
a world of sorrow and reproach in her
pale face. II knew that it would be sou
she repeated. II dreamed the other night
that you had gone away, and l came
here, and, oh, it seemed such a dreadful
way to come, and l kept taxing the
wrong turnings, and going through the
wrong meadows; and when l came, there
was only some one-some stranger-who
told me that you had gone, and would
never come back"
"But abel-my-love-my darling"
the tender epithets did not startle her;
she was so absorbed by the fear of los
ing the god of her idolatry-'I am only
going to town for day or two to see my
lawyer-to make rangements-arrange-
ments of vital Importance should be
a scoundrel if l neglected them, or in
Cured the smallest hazard by delaying
them an hour. You don't understand
these sort of things, Isabel; but trust
me, and believe that your welfare is
dearer to me than my own. | must go
to town; but l shall only be gone a day
or two-two days at the most-perhaps
only one. And when | come back, lizzie,
| shall have something that involves all
the happiness of my future life. VIII
you meet me here two days hence-on
Wednesday at o'clock? You will,
won't you, Isabel? This shall be the
last time, IsabeI-the last time l will
ask you to incur humiliation for me.
Henceforward we will hold our heads
nigh, my love; for az least there shall be
no talsehood in our lives"
Mrs. Gilbert stared at Roland Lans-
dell in utter bewilderment. She was al
most stifed by mingled grief and indig-
nation
II did not think you were ashamed to
meet me here sometimes" she sobbed
out; you asked me to come. / did not
think that you were Inundated by talk
ing to mol"
why, Izzie-Isabel darlingr' cried
Roland, "can you misunderstood me so
utterly? Ashamed to meet you-asham-
ed of your society! Can you doubt what
would have happened had l come home
a year earlier than it was my ill-fortune
to come? Can you doubt for moment
that | would have chosen you for my
wife out of all the women in the uni
verse, and that my highest pride would
have been the right to call you by that
dear nameV
Isabel Gilbert was not a woman of the
world. A perfect happiness had come to
her-the happiness of being beloved by
the right object of her idolatry; nothing
could add to that perfection: the cup
was full to the very brim, filed with
an inexhaustible draught of joy and de-
light.
Mr.. Lansdell stopped to shake hands
with Isabel when they came to the gate
leading into the Graybridge road.
Goodbye" he said, softly; goodbye
until Wednesday, Isabel. Isabel-what
pretty name it is! You have no other
Christian name"
"Oh, no."
only Isabel-Isabel Gilbert. Good
bye"
He opened the gate, and stood watch
ing the doctors wife as she passed out
of the meadow, and walked at a rapid
pace toward the town. A man passed
along the road as Mr.. LansdeH stood
there, and looked at him, as he went
by, and then turned and looked after
Isabel.
Raymond is right, then" thought Ro-
land; they have begun to stare and
chatter already My poor darling, hence
forward it is my duty TO protect you
from such as these"
Mrs. Gilbert went home to her hus-
band, and sat opposite to him at dinner
as usual; but Roland's words, dimly as
she had comprehended their meaning,
had in some manner influenced her. for
she blushed when George asked her
where she had been that cold afternoon.
HE will marry Gwendoline," Isabel
thought in a sudden access of despair:
''and that is what he is going to tell me
on Wednesday. He was different to-day
from what he has been since he came
back to Mordrcd. And yet-and yet"
And yet what? Isabel tried in vain to
fathom the meaning of all Roland Lans-
dells wild talk-now earnestly grave
now suddenly reckless-one moment full
of hope, and the next tinctured with de-
spair. What was this simple young
novel reader to make of a man of the
world, who was eager to defy the world.
and know exactly what a terrible world
it was that he was about to defy?