The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1906-11-09
CHAPTER xix-(contlnued.)

CHAPTER Xix-(ContInued.)
"Oh, how lovely!" she cried. How
exquisite! Why, it's like a jewel!
how finished! And, oh, the poise Of it,
| and the life of It, The children are
adorable. How can thank you?"
"You more than pay me in accept
| ing it, DEAR" said he. Il have found
the greatest pleasure Of my life in
working at it, and il you think 1t
worthy-why, you crown me-"
Worthy" cried Lillian; a. Is
worthy Of a queen, an empress. 1t
might be gift from the patron saint
OF sculpture, whoever he may be, to
Minerva. But how heavy 1t is for
such a seeming trife. Is it's 1t
gold, Aloysius?"
"Yes," said Aloysius; lit is gold,
with just enough alloy to make it
durable. / am glad you like it."
Like it," she said in half in
ward whisper 1T is the most beau
tiful and perfect thing l have ever
seen. I shall hoard it as II it were
the great emerald OF Kandahar. 1t
will be my most treasured posses
sion all my life"
"Ah!" Aloysius answered. with his
rare smile; Il hope not that. Art Is
good, but there are better things than
art"
A rap sounded at the door, and a
| grave manservant announced Mr..
Alexis Braqgwyn. The new conner
walked confidently into the room and
paused suddenly. Lillian sprang from
her knees, and, darting toward him,
seized him by the arm and drew him
to the table on which the miniature
group was placed.
"Look!" she cried. Look at this,
Alexis. You will see 1t more learnedly
than can, but you can't admire it
more"
Alexis bent over it, and walked
round 1t, scrutinizing it on this side
and on that, dropping on one knee
now and then to get better point of
view, and now retiring from it, and
now advancing toward it,
"a marvel" he said at last. "A bit
Of pure genius. Your work, Aloysius?"
YES" said Aloysius. my work,
and Miss Lees property"
She noticed In some surprise that
no greeting passed between them, and
that they stood aloof from one anoth-
er. She saw that each of them was
pale, and she felt that for some cause
or another this unexpected encounter
was embarrassing and unwelcome to
them both. She was as far from the
plague of self-cOnsciousness as q
woman of her years could be, but she
could scarcely fail to suppose herself
the cause The one man was her af-
fianced husband, and the other her
declared lover still, though he had
long since retired from active rivalry.
She had welcomed Alexis rather less
because she loved him than because
he had seemed to provide refuge
from q strange fascination for his
rival Of which she had always been
half-afraid. She liked Alexis dearly,
but she had never loved him, as she
knew she might have loved that SOM
Der cousin Of his, If only there had not
been somehow a fear In her heart,
That he and his welfare and happi-
ness were and would always be of the
deepest interest to her she knew and
owned, and deep down In the complex
recesses OF that woman's heart which
vexed her with insoluble guesses she
knew that II she had surrendered
herself to love and to be loved by him
It would have been q surrender for
eternity.
Aloysius had walked to the window,
and stood looking out on the garden
and mechanically stroking his mus
tache. His attitude was altogether
rigid and unbending. Alexis fiidgeted
about the table in an obviously feigned
examination of his cousins handi-
work. Lillian stood uncertainty be-
tween them with pang in her heart.
Was 1t indeed she-she asked her.
self-whose influence had sundered
these who were once SO close togeth-
er? The tears crept into her lovely
eyes, and moving toward Aloysius she
laid timid hand upon his arm. He
turned and, meeting her gaze, saw the
bright drops Just ready to brim over.
"Dear," she whispered, "be friends
again for my sake"
She had seen him sometimes when
he had not dreamed that any eye was
upon him, and had discerned upon
his face the expression Of his saddest
mood. But she had seen nothing like
the melancholy which lay upon him
now. Thre was more than distress
in that strange look. A great yearn-
ing and pity were In It. but he said
no word, and made no gesture save
to raise his hand and lay 1t gently on
her head, once, twice, and thrice.
Then with IN unchanging countenance
he turned away.
mot for my sake. Aloysius!" she
asked.
He turned once more. with the
same sad, plying, longing look, then
stopping. raised her hand to his lips,
kissed 1t reverently without . word.