The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-07-16
After Five Years.

1
| trum even-f1ve years-there is
often change enough, as may well
happen when the events of half an
hour may direct the whole current
of our being. Within this period
now supposed to have passed, the
| personages of our little drama have
| partaken of the common lot. The
| canon, though as bright and hale as
| ever, is grown gray. Miss Mildred
! wears pince nez on her dear nose.
! Mr.. MAYORS is very much aged, which
| the canon affects to resent extremely.
| He says it is not fair to him, since
| those who consult the Cambridge
calendar, and find the tutor and he
are contemporaries, draw the false
deduction that he himself must be
getting on in years. He feels, on
the contrary, more youthful than
ever. since Robert is coming home
from India.
Upon the whole, the canon had no
reason to regret his wards alliance
with SO able and diligent man of
of business as Adair had proved him
self to be. The young man had al
ways treated him with the same re-
spect and esteem which he had shown
as his assistant and amanuensis, and,
indeed, of late, with an ELUSIVE DEM
onstration of regard that seemed
somewhat foreign to his character,
but which certain exceptional kind
ness on the others part had not I'M
cnO h1y aunl-nd Tn onnparannn
Adair had changed but little; he had
never looked juvenile, and now
seemed no older than in his college
days; his thoughtful face wore a still
keener and more shrewd expression,
and his manner upon occasions was
more masterful than it had wont to
be, but that was all. Sophy, on the
other hand, was much altered. She
was still sweetly pretty-to the eye
that looks beyond the merest exter-
nails, even prettier than she had
been; but the sprightliness which
had once formed her most striking
charm had fed She had trouble
of which every one knew, sufficient
to account for this The only Off
spring of her marriage, a little child
now four years old, was an invalid
and a cripple. 1t was girl, but her
pet name (the only one she was
known by was Willie. She had
been named Wilhelmina, the nearest
feminine approach to the canon's
William, in spite of his own remon-
STRANGE against so outlandish
choice.
Another great change in her was
that there was mo murmur at the
door so constant ON its hinge before"
All her lively talk had ceased. Even
when that said accident took place
which crippled her child in all prob
ability for life and at the same time
made it too likely that that life would
be a brief one, she had said but lit
tie and murmured not at all. Per-
haps she thought it but righteous
judgment upon her, poor soul! for
certain sins of hers. And yet (for
so she thought and SO. Jeanette
said) it might have been prevented.
Although it has been shown that Mr.
John Adair could be liberal enough
upon occasion, the occasions were all
in connection with his personal in
terests; in matters outside them he
practised rigid economy. His do
nestle expenditure, except when it
came Immediately under the public
eye, was conducted on the most prov
ident principles. The wages he con-
sidered ample for the nursemaid of
his only child were not such as to
cause any brisk competition even in
that overstocked market, and result
was almost child herself. Sophy
and Jeanette, it is true, were in con-
slant attendance upon little Willie
(who was to her mother all that now
could be considered gain on earth
and well nigh made up for all her
loss); but sometimes it was neces-
sary to intrust the little treasure to
this hireling. And the hireling had
dropped her. What was worse, she
did not think it was worth while to
mention the fact, and when it was
found out the mischief had gone too
far for mending. Jeanette after
ward expressed her opinion that, be-
sides the limb of the poor child, there
took place on that occasion another
breakage-its mothers heart.
1t was a great mitigation to So
phys married life that she saw but
little of her husband. To the read
ers of this history who have been adj
mitted behind the scenes it would be
superfiuous, indeed. to say that she
did not love him. She had never
loved him even at the best-that is
to say, when she had seen but little
of him; and it was not likely that
love had grown from knowledge.
Now that Sophy was gone, the
canon spent less of his time in his
college rooms and more of it at home
than had been his wont, out of con-
sideration for his sister. Aunt Maria
felt the absence of her young com
panion very much, Notwithstanding
that she had been so long accus-
tened to it.
On certain winter evening the
canon was sitting with her as usual
but not, as usual, at his books.
The days newspaper, too, lay reject
ed upon his knee; he was reading for
the third or fourth time a letter that
had come that afternoon from his
darling boy. He was coming home,
though not Immediately; and strange
to say, the delay lay at the canon's
door. Robert did not wish to leave
India till he had got reply to this