The Morris County chronicle., 1906-01-30

| nusn was or her cheek, the fragile
outline Of her face seemed softcnee
| into fnller ind more rounded lines than
usual. Shn knew-she felt as She had
never felt before-tbat she was beau.
tiful, and she sickened at the thought.
she looked down at her haEds the
lovely dropping hands in which every
blue vein was showing in such distinct
ness upon the perfect skin-and she
remembered whose blood it was that
ran therel Were these hands OF hers.
| that Clifford had kissed SO reverentiys
formed on the likeness Of her mothers,
the nameless French actress. or--but
from that darker thought her sosl re-
VOTED with loathing that you and j,
reader, may feel thankful we shall
never be able quite to fathoml TO for
give, to pity, well-nigh to love, the
memory Of the man who in his crimes
had not forgotten her, was a state Of
mind to which after-years did bring
Jane Grand. Now She hated the
thought of her own life, Of her own
beauty, Of the very blood Of her veins
because she was his his child, the in
heritor Of his money, Of his nature Of
his shame.
Rigid and hardened, even beyond
what she had been at first, she left Mr..
Clithero's house Rigid and hardened
she went through all she had set her
self to do during the remainder of the
day. At another time she might have
felt shy at going alone into a great
London shop, and making her way
alone through London streets, and
amidst the crowd and din of London
terminus. But she felt neither shyness
nor loneliness now. She seemed not SO
much to be acting in her own person
in the person OF the happy blushing
country girl who had come up to town
that day--as to be going through a
part in some dreary life remote from
hers, and disconnected alike from her
own past and future
"That was a handsome woman" one
passenger remarked to another, after
leaving the carriage where Jane Grand
sat; beautiful, but with hard look
about her eyes and month, that took
away all the charm of her good looks. Z
"a phlegmatic, stolid young person,
in spite Of her bloom and youth An
expressionless, apathetic face, that
never changed 4 muscle during all the
time looked at her" was the reply.
For of the soul in its iercest crises,
strangers read just as much-and just
as little, alasi-as the nearest relations
we have upon the earth, and the soul
itself is closed, sealed to all. In moral
as in physical death we are alone; and
neither strange nor loving hands can
raise by an inch the veil that is be-
tween rs and them. The wears little
carriage met her at the Houghton
station, with message to Miss Grand,
saying that Mr.. Follett was still de-
layed by close attention to his paTochial
duties, but that he hoped to be able
to call round and see her in the course
of the next day. And Jane did not feel
the wears detection as unkind or
strange or characteristic las at another
time she would certainly hare decidedl
of his want of moral courage. She was
only relieved to be alone, and not to
have to speak during the remainder Of
her journey home. When she got in
Chesterford parish, where every face
she saw wasa familiar one, she felt
if that was possible more frozen and
fearless than she had done during all
the preceding part Of the day. Her
heart quickened not by a single stroke
from its heavy lethargy, even when she
had stopped at the garden gate of
home, and felt poor Miss Lynch's kind
", trembling hands cIasping hers.
rs Clifford hereg'
mo, Jane, dearest. ] thought you
would be too tired to meet him to-
night He has promised to come and
see you the first thing tomorrow morn
ing
Have you told him anything?v
mo, my child, have told him moth
ing.'
"You have done right Auntie, am
very tired; viii 60 to my room and
talk no more tonight. / don't want to
go into the parlor, please, and don't
want Grace to see me-.
TO be continuedl