Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-05-03

at no other time. The slate was wiped
clean, and it almost seemed that
Jocelyn preferred it thus with the
scratches upon it where the writing
had been.
Maurice Gordon did not come back
In an hour. 1t was nearly 10 o'clock
before they heard his footstep on the
gravel. By that time Jocelyn had
heard the whole story. She had asked
one or two questions which somehow
cast different light upon the nara
tive, and she bad listened to the an
swers with grave, judicial little
smile--the smile of q judge whose YER
dict was preordained. whose knowl-
edge had nothing to gain from evil
dence.
Because she loved him she took his
story and twisted it and turned it to
shape of her own liking. Those
items which he had considered i'm
portant she passed over as trif1es; the
trifes she magnified into the corner
stones upon which the edifice was
built. She set the lame story upon
it's legs, and it stood upright She
believed what he had never told, anG
much that he related she choseto dis
,credit-because she loved him. She
perceived motives where he assured
her there were none; she recognized
the force of circumstance where he
took the blame to himself-because
she loved him. She maintained that
the past was good; that he could not
have acted differently; that she would
not have had it otherwise-because she
loved him.
And who shall say that she was
wrong?
Jack went out to meet Maurice Cor
don when they heard his footsteps, and
as they walked back to the house he
told him. Gordon was quite honest
about it.
~ hoped" he said, when | ran
against you in the woods that mat
was why you had me-back. Moth
ing could have given me greater hap
piness. Hang it, am glad old chapF
They sat far into the night arrang-
ing their lives. Jack was nervously
anxious to get back to England. He
could not rid his mind Of the picture
he had seen as he left his fathers
presence to 60 and take his passage to
Africa-the picture of an old man sit
ting in stiff backed chair before
dying fire. Moreover, he was afraid of
Africa. The irritability of Africa had
laid its hand upon him almost as soon
as he had set his foot upon its torrid
strand. He was afraid of the climate
for Jocelyn; he was afraid of 1t for
himself The happiness that comes late
must be firmly held to. Nothing must
be forgotten to secure it or else 1t may
slip between the fingers at the last
moment.
Those who have snatched happiness
late in life can tell of thousand de-
tails carefully attended to- a whole ex-
istence laid out in preparation for 1t,
of health fostered, small pleasures re-
linquished, days carefully spent.
Jack Meredith was nervously appre-
hensive that his happiness might even
now slip through his fingers. Truly,
climatic influence is strange and
wonderful thing. 1t was Africa that
had done this, and he was conscious
Of it. He remembered Victor Dur
novo's strange outburst on their first
meeting few miles below Msala on
the Ogowc river, and the remembrance
only made him the more anxious that
Jocelyn and he should turn their backs
upon the accused west coast forever.
Before they went to bed that night
it was all arranged. Jack Meredith
had carried his point. Maurice and
Jocelyn were to sail with him for Eng
land by the first boat Jocelyn and he
compiled telegram to be sent off first
thing by native boat to ST. Paul de
Loanda. 1t was addressed to Sir John
Meredith, London, and signed Mere
dith, Loango." The text of it was:
/ bring Jocelyn home by first boat.
And the last words, like the first,
must be of an old man In London. We