The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-06-25


with a sudden light shining In her eyes,
and whispered brcathlcssly as he touch-
ed her fingers:
"Oh, I'm so glad, I'm SO glad!
Deveril felt almost stunned Weak
from HIS illness as he still was, the
Joy Of this unexpected welcome was al
most too much for him. She saw what
was the matter, and with ready wot,ian's
wit seized his hands In both OF hers,
laughing and half crying at the same
time. and saying in n voice that was
scarcely above a whisper:
oh this s more than hoped more,
much more"
z And Deverilt, not vet himself, felt HIM
self thnmped onathe back by the major.
who said, in his sro,,ti.l, genial tones and
without trace OF Clauda's constrnint:
well. my boy, this Is a pleasant
surprise, indeed You'll dine at our ta-
bic. Of COURSE"
Deverill heard without seeing. Tho
whole room seemed TO be filled with
those great hcnining, sparkling eyes
OF Nraggle's; the sound OF her voice
seemed to ring through every other
voice; the touch Of her hand thrilled
him through and through long after
the major had. with his own hands,
forced him into a chair.
And then. gradually recovering him
self. Deverlll met, not the beautiful brown
eyes Of the girl lie loved, but the CLASSY.
tcrror-strlcken stare Of her sister, Clau-
din, who. sitting back at one corner of
the table, tried In vain to attract her
fathers attention., and TO whisper some
thing IN his ear.
Shc tried to speak to Maggie, but the
girl would not listen. Sitting beside
Deverill, and wholly absorbed In tender
fos, ~, r,SH 4 tn "A tson
kindness loving woman feels for the
man she loves when he is suffering from,
weakness or pain, she would not look at
any one but him. would not speak ex-
cept to him, would not in any way con-
firm that vehement protest of Claudta's
that she had wished never to see him
again.
Throughout the meal he. seemed to be
in dream. The major was jolly, ex-
pansive, ostentations, condescendins.
Claudia was silent. pale. apprehensive
But Deverlll and Maggie, though they
did not talk much, were as happy as
birds.
1t was not that his doubts were set
at rest. On the contrary, these evil
dences of prosperity in the major were
disquieting, when one knew what his
precarious means Of livelihood were. And
anything more depressing than the fig.
use and face Of the watchful, nervous
Claudiasit was impossible to imagine.
But the bow must relax sometimes.
And after the weeks of suspense and
misery he had gone through, Deverill
felt that he could not. in the presence
of Maggie, be miserable that evening.
even II he had tried.
It was JOY to alook into her sparkling
face: 1t was intoxication to see her eyes
MI with tears when he told her, In an
swer to her question. that he was not
yet free from the pains left by his at
tack of rheumatic fever.
When dinner was over, Claudia would
have taken her sister away. But Mag
gle, on the alert, kept in close CONVERSE
ton with Deveril and succeeded so we'll
in her little manoeuvre. that they got
into corner of one of the big rooms
out Of which nothing short of an open
attack could have dislodged them.
80 he let you come down at last!'
sighed out Maggie, clasping her hands
in joyous content.
Deverill looked al her strangely.
who let me come down." said he.
The color left Maggie's cheeks, and
the light went for a moment out OF
her eyes,
Didn't Sir WIRED send you down."
she said in an altered voice.
ooh. no." said he decidedly. II never
ask him. for one thing. Why should r.
She still looked rather solemn. Then
the color began TO come back into her
cheeks, and she turned to him With a
happy smile.
AFTER ALL" said she softly 'the great
thing is that you're here. really here.
And II it's only by beautiful accident.
well let's enjoy the result while we can.
It's so dreadful TO think you're not quite
we'll yet! But you're better, much bet.
ter than you were! Oh, it was horrible
TO hear you calling to me. and asking
me why didn't comet
And Maggie bent down, shuddering.
and put her hands over her eyes.
Deverill felt his heart leap up, How
could he ever have doubted this girl?
What did mysteries, difficulties mat
ter? She loved him, she loved him as
he loved her. And with passion surg
ing through his veins and glowing In his
face he sat beside her, without word TO
say, but with his whole heart in his
honest evss
How did you know was III, Maggie?,'
lie whispered at last huskily.
II don't know. I think in the first
place guessed. Then l asked questions
guardcdly, so that they shouldn't think
| cared, and at ast-at last-I found out
ana tHen ! manOeuVered to lind out
where you llved--you'd never told me- or
else I'd forgotten. And when / found
that out, just wormed my way in
And wasn't good? Mrs. Peters made
me promise not to say a word. and IL
kept my promise Didn't IT.
The childish way in which she poured
out these words seemed to tear open the
wounds In Deverll's heart,
YVES she really wife? This child,
this llsht-hearted, wilful girl, who was
at one moment so quantity talking about
being woman of the world and the
next was pouring out her heart In prattle
like this?
But he could not bear to ask her.
He could not bear to open again those
terrible subjects that had filled their
minds and employed their tongues tina
evening at the flat, and after It seemed
better, wiser, to enjoy what came TO them.
to forget for little while ugly fears
and ugly realities. and to babble OF any
thing that came first to their lips, happy
IN spite OF everything in each others
presence,
And then. into the midst of their fever
fsh happiness, there came the bursting