The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-04-22

himself upon a couch he forgot all his
WEAKNESS and all his anxieties in a
deep sleep.
Narly next morning he went to Ma
tilda.
How could you so cruelty disap-
point me?" she cried. you see now
that our time is nearly gone; in q
few hours we must part, perhaps for
ever"
MY dearest, loveliest Mata, was
about your pleasure. was following
Lord Neville, and he took me. further
than l expected"
Lord Neville again! The man is
an incubus! Why did you follow
him?"
You wished me to give him les
son. He was going homeward. | had
to ride last night, or let him escape
BY my troth, had only your pleasure
In mind"
"Oh, but the price paid was too
great! had to give up your society
for hours. That is loss l shall
mourn to the end of my life. l hope,
then, that you killed him. Nothing
less will suffice for It,"
Il was out of fortune as l always
am. | had an accident, and was at
his mercy. He gave me my life."
Nov, indeed, you pierce my heart
You at his mercy! 1t is an intoler-
able shame! 1t will make me cry out,
even when l sleep! shall die of it.
Youi You to be at his mercy-at the
mercy of that Puritan braggart. Oh,
cannot endure It'll"
You see that endure 1t very COM
placently, Mata. The man behaved
as gentleman and soldier. | have
even taken liking to him. l have
also paid back his kindness; we are
quits, and as soldiers, friends. And
can assure you no ones honor suf-
fered, mine least of all"
But Matilda was hard to comfort.
Her last interview with her lover was
saddened and troubled by this dis
agreement.
This, then, was the end of the visit
from which she had expected so
much; and one sad gray morning in
Matilda said to herself in the lrst
hours of her return that she would
not see Jace, but as the day wore on
she changed her mind. So she wrote
and asked her to come, and Jane
answered the request in person, at
once. Her admiration for her friends
beautiful gowns and laces and jewels,
and her interest in Matildas descrip-
tons of the circumstances in which
ey were worn, was SO genuine, that
atilda had forgotten her relation to
Lord Neville, when the irritating
name was mentioned.
did you see Lord Neville IN
PARISH? Jane asked.
NO" Matilda answered sharply. Il
did not see him. He called one day,
and had long talk with Sir Thomas
but aunt had a headache, and | had
more delightful company. He pre-
vented my seeing the Queen of Bo-
hemia on my return, because he offer
ed to attend to my uncle's business at
The Hague for him, and for this inter
ference | do not thank Lord Neville"
Nor l." answered Jane. Had he
not gone to The Hague he might
have been in London by this time"
Jane had risen as she said these
words, and was tying on her bonnet,
and Matilda watched her with curl
Gus interest. 81 was wondering" she
said slowly, "if you will be glad to
marry Cluny Neville and go away tc
Scotland with him.
ooh, yes" Jane answered, her eyes
shining, her mouth wreathed in
smiles, her whole being expressing
her delight in such an anticipation.
Matilda made no further remark, but
when Jane had closed the door be-
hind her, she sat down thoughtfully
by the fire., and stirring together the
red embers, sighed rather than said:
Why do people marry and bring
up sons and daughters? This girl
has been loved to the uttermost by
her father and mother and brothers,
and she will gladly leave them all to
go off with this young Scot. She will
call 1t Sacrifice for Loves sake;
call It pure selfishness. Yet | am not
a whit whittier than she. | would have
stayed in Paris with rupert, though
my good unc;e was in danger. | think
l will go to my evening service"
and as she rose for her Common
Prayer, she was saying under her
breath, I'VE have left undone those
things which we ought to have done,
and we have done those things which
we ought not to have done. And
there is no health in u.s."