Ladysmith news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1906-1907, 1906-11-17
3 & TJFfs Eti;'2 10 I
CHAPTER Xxx.

y - - =
Eceiyed except by an under gardener
who was wheeling a. barrow-loads OF
mould to the Conservatives, and who
surrendered his burden for an instant
4 to salute him as he passed. He 5felt
himself dismissed, and was less hurt
by the belief than he could have#im-
agined if he had, conceived it before
hand as possible. But life seemed al
together broken to him and he had
NO interest in things! aT-Is5f
It had not been in Lilian's mind to
wound him, but he had suffered a
great fall in her esteem. What was
1 the actual shadow which had darken-
ed his cousins life she had not known.
She had always thought him too
courageous and too self-sustained to
care for the base conjectures of those
who had limited at the advantages he
had reaped from his uncle's death.
Something more than these were
needed to account. for the shadow
which had fallen Aon him, and it
/ seemed now as if the detection from
loyalty on the part of one who had
been his dearest comrade and COM
/ panion might be taken to explain it.
She excused herself from luncheon
and sat in her own room, and the day
which had begun so brightly seemed
all dark and vacant She made many
attempts to write to Alexis, but she
was dissatisfied with each of them,
and the plain truth was that she was
uncertain of what she wished to say,
His wrong was patent and open
enough, but so was his repentance Tor
| it. There had been something terri
BILE in the passion and pafoxysm OF
his grief, but sllch%a surrender was
unmanly, and it followed on a confes-
sion of cowardice which she found 1t
hard to pardon. "a .sae5 sss,e1a1
RI Suddenly she took her resolution In
her hands, and addressed herself not
/ to7sAlexis but to ,Aloysius. 3D. .saf .
4sfMy Il dear, rfAloysius,'s she wrote
Et'Will you give me an hour tomorrow?
I have something of the utmost inn
portance to say to you, and Twill keep
any appointments you may name
She signed and sealed this and dis
patched it by a mounted messenger.
She was barely surprised when three
hours later she was told that AIoysius
| had returned. She took pains TO re
move all signs of l1eadisorder into
which she had been thrown and went
down to meet him. # As
H':T knew, YOU were alone" he said.
ST saw your visitor of this morning
take the London train. Why. Should
trouble you to come. to me? My time
is at your disposal now if you wish IT,
- tit was like you to come" she an
swered. 4}';Be. seated and let us talk
together. And first want you to
promise that you will hear meaout be-
fore you answer what ! have -s teo&'assk E
you ia III. .vgL.s~
Yes" he said, gravely; promise
that" @
"I have had a dreadful Interview
with poor Alexis since you left us this
morning, and find it difficult to speak
of it, left him in such grief and
anger as Il have never felt before, and
! I must tell you that he himself made
ITO me "a full confession of the wrong
he did you. s4 u uiE# wl5&1e
Aloysius turned his melancholy re
gard upon her, and singular smile
| fickered on his face for a moment
and went out, leaving it more somber
in expression than before. The look
surprised and puzzled her. She
! thought there was something of an
amused contempt in it, but she was
not certain, and now his face had
! grown as impervious as a mask.
1 "Aloysit,s,," she said, 81 have never
/ seen man so moved Until to-day
I have not seen "a man shed tears
/ since the day on which my mother
died. when / was quite a child, and
my father broke down under the blow
1t was. very terrible, Aloysius. It was
more terrible than can say. 1t was
as if his whole soul broke in agony"
cAnd he made full confession?,
| Aloysius asked It was like a dead
man speaking-so impersonal, so cold
so far from all sign. Of interest OF
care. @ 81
"He told me the reason for the dl
vision between you ~ He said quite
4 plainly that he had dealt you an .un
! pardonaDle wrong, and that you die
well to- be implac able.s: He said tha
if the offense had been yours. and NJ
had been the sufferer, he would no
have forgiven you upon your death
bed. He has no hope that you vii
pardon. him, and he owns that ht
I dare not ask it, -
ID. What was the wrong that he dl'
/ me ~ said Aloysius, in the saIa'
7 strange, remote, auninterested way.
"Oh!" cried Lillian, twining ne
hands together and sobbing a little II
her speech. TT IS dreadful to haV'
to speak of it He lost faith in yo1
Il Aloysius He had B fears, vile fears
and ho failed To hide them You dis