Middletown transcript., 1905-02-04
! was not to be trusted. !"


same. It has been a veritable fascina
tion, and, if ! had not guarded agains,
it with all my will, should have told
yoa long ago. | went away after Hopes
wedding for that reason dared moi
stay. But what was the use? Although
l did not see you, thought Of you
by day, | dreamed of you by night, and
1t made me mad to think of your
smiling at other men-accepting their
worship, the worship they were free
7" offer. wondered what you were
doing. ! cursed MY bondage. and then
remembered that, even IL we're free,
it would be no different. You wonld
have thrown aside my love, as you have
zone that of others. In comparison to
some OF them, what had | to offer ?''
Am | so greedy-so graspingg she
asked, in low hurried whisper; but
he did not heed the interruption and
went on.
Il Ionged for the sound of your
voice, the sight Of your face. What WAS
the use of my staying away? 1t did
me no good-it only added to my mad
ness. It made me picture you always
with others, and then, when l came
back, you greeted me with tile name
of poor Percival-everything was Per.
cival rA
THAT soon ended" she interrupted
drily.
eyes, but except that / was spared
the daily torture Of his visits, it made
no change to me. Lenore, what can
| do?''
She was crying quietly.
Dear cousin Angus, how can | tell
your"
''You blame me for telling you?
Il do not blame you-I am not free
to blame any one.'
Il could not be silent. Sometimes it
seen,s to me that it is only madness,
a sort OF witchery, that if could hold
you in my arms and kiss you, it might
pass, and / might be free again." He
had spoken half dreamily, and lie started
when she touched his arm and looked
up at him with very white face.
TRY" she said.
"Lenore What do You mean p
"Try. Kiss me, if you will, fit
will make you happier-if it will cure
you Of the infatuation that you hate"
81 hate?" He smiled rather sadly.
u wish | did hate it. No, little girl,
forgive my unmanly rawlings, and-don't
tempt me, Lenore I was mad to say
what did, and you are surely not going
to be unhappy about it? ! thought tina,
you took the sufferings Of your victims
very lightly, Lenorep'
but not you-oh, know it can't
come to anything you are bound to
Lady May, and / can be nothing to you
but | do love you! Won't you believe
me ?"
Il cannot believe you y he said
hoarsely. "You, to whom every one
offers his love, offers everything that
he has to give, you love met cannot
be true, Lenore r.
"lt is true. From the first-they are
your own words-or very nearly from
the first, cousin Angus-I felt that yor
were different from the rest. hated
to zee you frown at me, and / hated
Lady May. / think that it was that
that made me firt with Captain Perciva
IL wanted to get away, and though
that I could marry him, butt coulG
not"
"And you love me?" He took hel
hands and gazed searchingly into hel
face. "This is not coquetry? You arr
not trying to"
''Oh, you don't trust me bit r sht
cried, with very evident pain.
'If this he true, Lenore, my love, i
shall not end here. May does not cart
for me, she will set me free, and"
..No-she shall not !" She shudderec
at his words, and tried to drag her handl
away from him. IT won't let you d.
that for my sake Do you think mother
would ever forgive me if did? Should
l ever be able to forgive myself? Never
Not even for YOU will do that I have
some poor idea Of honor left, and
will 60 away. You shall not break your
engagement for my sake! This is only
a passing madness, as you Yourself said
and you will forget it when you SEE
me no longer. Let me 60, Angus p
II will not let you CO." He took hel
into his arms, tenderly but firmly. lie
more, if you only hesitate because Of
your mother. because you-we-sllould
be blamed, dearest. that is not reason
enough /; if you really love me, will
not let you 70. We will face the talk
May will release me at once if ask her. y
"And you would do that?''
Il would do that"
"And you would hate yourself-and
me too almost, afterwards. You shall
not do that You shall not let people
talk of you-in the way that they would
talk-for my sake, Angus. Unless you
promise me not to do it, will 20 to
mother now, and tell her the truth,
and she will send me away at once, and
you would never even see me again"
"Lenore, your mother is not infallible
Because she would refuse happiness tc
us on such terms, that does not say
that we are bound to give it up r.
ut says that am, Badly as have
succeeded, I have always tried to take
mothers view Of life-it is better tc
be hard on ones self than hard on
others. Perhaps I ought not to have
told you that I loved you-I don't know
but it seemed to me that, if expected
nothing to be changed, had the righ,
to tell You that, as / mean to be true
to that love alwass"