The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-21
~ k1 , v

1t would be years before he could give Hetty the luxuries for which she sighed
 The truth was that Hetty had Q vain little heart and a hard little heart. as well as a narrow intellect But how was one to know this when all out ward appearances indicated po exactly the reverse? So Adam worshipped her and Arthur dallied with her. Dinah was as unworldly as Hetty was world ly; she was beautiful, too, in her spir- itual way When MT. Irwin had told her of the death of Thias Bede she had said: 'Lisbeth is in trouble, be- like may comfort her." and had gone to the Bede cottage forthwith.
 Lisbeth, who had been deaf to the consultations of others. was comforted by Dinah. The pale Methodist had way with her that was dear to the afflicted and her presence in the cot tage was like gentle music to Seth. who had loved Dinah long and loved her still, though she had told him that she was called of the Spirit to higher things than matrimony."
 Before Arthur followed Dinah to the Bede cottage in the company of MT. Irwin, he found a chance to ask Hetty if she ever walked in the Chase. Get- ty replied that she passed through a portion of It daily and mentioned the hour she might be passing by the big beech tree.
 So poor Thias Bede was buried un- der the white thorn: the cottage set tied down to it's former life; Dinah went back to Snowfield. in the next shire, where she worked in a mill; Adam sat long at night with Martin Poyser talking of carpentering and crops; and Hetty walked in the Chase and met Arthur Donnithorne
 Rut after while Arthur'a con sciey, q began to trouble him. He applied his usual remedy in such cases-made a set of brandnew good resolutions and thought that would suffice. But his favorite remedy not working as well as usual. he bethought him that he would ride over to Broxton. tell Mir. Irwin just how matters stood and ask his advice. Of course this sort of thing must not go on any longer: that was clear. He saw with alarm that Hetty was getting altogether too fond of him and he of her. He meant no harm, of course. but 1t was well to be careful. -.-
 As Arthur rode through the fresh morning air on his way to the reo- tory his thoughts were busy with n future in which poor Hetty had no place. It would not be many years now, in the natural order of things, when his grandfather would sleep with his ancestors and Arthur would reign in his stead. So the young man down on the estate. of course. and, some time, take a wife from one of the county families He would be q model landlord-beloved of all his ten | antry. He fancied himself riding out in state with caps being doffed to him and his wife on every side-not taken off sullenly, as they were to his grand fa hut tho good squire.
 Almost before he knew 1t his horse stood at the gate of the rectory, and | IIetty came back to his memory with | a jarring and discordant feeling. When ! Arthur finally sat before the rector the confession he had come to make suddenly became difficult. Why should l he tell Irwin, after all? Was he not man enough to break away from such a small entanglement as this by his | own power?
 So, instead of talking of Hester Sor- rell Arthur talked of the preparations which were making for the entertain ment to the tenants to celebrate his coming of age a week hence-for Ar thur was still hardly more than a 1 big boy-and he nlso told the rector | that his grandfather had consented to | have Adam Bede made overseer of the wood on the estate. position which would nor lntertere with ms carpenter work with Burge
 Then Arthur rode home very sure of himself and glowing at the thought of Adams pleasure when he should be l informed of his good fortune.
 It was some weeks after the birth 1 day festivities that Hetty, one night, having locked the door of her room case and opened 1t to gaze lovingly on a pair of garnet and pearl ear rings.
 Little ears," Arthur had said, and 1 when she exclaimed, with what seemed to him childish candor, "Oh, wish I had a pair of pretty earrings 10 wear | in them! he had remembered.
 There came a knock. and hastily put ting away her treasures-her principal l thought concerning them, aside from | how well they became her, had been l their probable cost-Hetty opened the door to find Dinah Norris standing there. Dinah again had been visiting the Poysers, but was going away the next morning.
 Dinah, in her white nightrobe her face full of subdued emotion, looked l almost like a lovely corpse into which l the soul had returned charged with sublimer secrets and gublimer love.
 T knew you were not in bed, dear" she said in her sweet, clear voice which was lIElldlbhB IO A1OtNSI ANl 1lSdiN you moving about. Dear Hetty, it has been borne in upon me that you may some day be in trouble. If you over are, will you remember that you have friend in Dinah Morris and if you come to her or send to her. she will never forget the words of this night? l Will you remember Hetty?"
 The solemn tone of Dinah and the trouble" caused Hetty's face to blanch.
 why do you talk to me in that way?" said she. What do you want to frighten me for? Why can't you let me be-" And Dinah went back to her own room to pray for the vain girl whose future troubled her soul
 One day, when Adam was talking to Hetty in the Poysers garden, he of 1 fered to take one of the children which l the girl was holding. As he took the l child 1t snatched at a light chain l around Hetty's neck and a gold locket | flew from her bodice to the ground
 Adam picked it up and saw that it was a costly locket and in the back of l 1t two locks of hair intertwined-a lock of black and one of light color ! Adam felt a puzzled alarm: he was cure 1 none of her relatives would have TiY en Hetty such an expensive locket But the girl took the trinket with lp- parent 1ndirerenca and looked bo ln~