The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-12-03
CHAPTER xII.-continued.
what had her love beeng No.hil

What had her love been? Nothing.
rcally--as she had told her fathst.--
vague smoke rising here and there
set on fire by careless fancies; vague
fum.s lowering over a lake OF stag
nant eru6ition: essence of idlocy Ia:
boriously distilled from hundreds Of
trashy library novels. Not Jack VIM
cent, the man himself, had been the
OBJECT of her desire, pnt splendid I'M
Possibility: not a i've hero, out all inc
heroes in ailof MIR. Mes novels rolled
INTO one moving. smiiing siiuuoW OF
man. The rear MIR. v,,icent had 40
power over her; sne vas only III love;
WITH his shining gnost. That was nsr
love, as II seemed to ter now, ana Yet
she had been unable to hold II III safe
X eping. She must needs babole q
ney Tony. The craving TO tax OF IL
had rendered her an incompetent
guardian OF her own secret.
Then sho thought of ncr schooldays.
and the schoolgifi loves about which
they all used to chatter Every Sirl
In the school who had passSd her four
tecntf birtnoayfwas III Iove with some
body--the school doctor, the East
bourne curates, the Eastbourne
riding masters; or, failing such
mandy local lovers. Just the actors,
Statement. soldiers chosen from the re-,
volving racks OF picture postcards.
One girl-l.die Pritcnard--lud a mum
bred and tw @nty-three postcards bear
ing tho portrait of a famous general.
Sno could love none other; and II moth
ing came of 1t, ii they should never
meet or he should be Killed In battle,
she would live and die unmat-d. She
said 30 herself. Sybil Goring wor-
SHIPPED the music master. VIGOROUSLY
married man. who came to impart eS-
preston to the elder girls when Miss
Metzler had given them executive I orcc
and accuracy. i worship MN, sald
Sybil, not in the least hiding her Sc
creL Il would lie down before his feet
and let him tramplc on me.
Lookout! here he CONS" And per-
haps in an excess of maldenly contu-
sion, Sybil ran away from her all-un-
conscious enslaver.
They talked of{thelr loves, whispered
as they trudgef two by two, Were
chaffed and tossed about th.ir loves;
suffered heart pangs one minute. en-
joyed almond rock the next; and In tn.
end no harm came to them from ths
Hove or the sweetmeat. Both We're for
dIdden by the scnool authorities. but
tine almond rock was tine more danger
GUS of the two; 1t woke you IN the
might sometimes and made you sert-
ousy uncomfortable, whereas Il freely
discussed love never yet kept school,
girl awake.
Thinking OF these matters, poor Liz
zie Crnnden reached something like q
calm analysis, and worked out her gen
eral law. Love talked OF vanisheu;
lino a volatile gas. 1t floated away in
chatter and laughter innocuously
mixed itself With the sunlit air. and
ls.,r ,h,y nj Gf nj
! md Tremendous only when you bot
tied 1t up too closely. j she could
have obtained girl friends for trusting
| confidence, she would have been cured
OF Mr.. Jack long ago. She was al
most bursting wien ner father 8 rnly
questioned her. and Mr.. Jack came
| gurgling ont with u most lamentoble
1 expansion.
Nell, she thought, she was cured
\ now: but, alas, at what a cost!
Old Crunden came upstairs to see
iher once or twice Wills the crisis Of
NERVES still endured. He sat by the
bed, pa tied her shoulder, took her hot
hand and stroked It softly,
"Lizzie, my dear, don't let yourself
| down like this."
81 can't help It, father; 4 can't get
| over your, telling Sir john"
Don't you worry about that; 1t was
just between Sir John and me. II
won't go any rupther.
Why did you?'
III don't know For half an hour y
Twas under tho spell myself, Y suppose,
/ But / want to break the spell forever.
Another, time Mr.. Crunden.{ sitting
4 by this bed, appealed to Liz2le's pride
and courage.
II Liz. my lass, don't lower yourself;
\ get up and come out, and show your
! SELF to all the worldly your ia theirs
| side, 7 want you by my side"
"l'll be better to-nnorroW, Then ~
\ get rp--and do anything you tell me-
@rhat's right, can't stand it---your
lying here all tho day want TO sea