The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-04-18

Again she looked up at him for a
second.
By what right. she thought, did he
ask that question unless it were fol-
lowed by another? and Lady Muriei had
told her she must not expect Christian
TO express himself in words for some
time to come. Bertha was very young,
and IMMERSED in the ways of society;
still. she often thought that if she loved
any man very dearly she could not he1p
telling him so. in the hope of receiving
an assurance of his love in return.
Then she would excuse Christian for
his silence by telling herself that there
was some serious obstacle which he
could not overcome.
Ay, she was right, there was-that is
if he really loved her at all; but it
never occurred to Bertha that that OBJ
stacle was Lady Muriel.
Lady Muriel. her type of goodness
and virtue!
She would sooner have believed in the
downfall of the entire English church
than that Lady Muriel could have a
grave fault.
At this moment, however, she was
not thinking of Lady Muriel, but of
Christian, as he asked that almost lead
AA6 4bColiOig WiiiCil btTlHl, Ill ClfClill-
stances considered, found it not very
easy to answer; so she did what prob
ably most very young girls would have
done-she looked a little shy and sheep
ish. and said she did not know.
Christian laughed and tried to look
bright and handsome. telling her once
more with his eyes how much he adj
mired her, and then a sort of inward
conviction crept over him that Bertha
was not wholly Indifferent to him, and
laying that lattering JUNCTION to his soul
he felt pleased.
He is bound hand and foot to Lady
Muriel. Has he not loved her for five
years, the romano of their young
dream having only been interrupted by
that very prosaie rich marriage which
she had felt it to be her vocation to
make. Whether Christian has loved
her as much since as before that mar
riage is perhaps a little doubtful; Lady
Muriel thinks he does and rests on his
devotion as on a soft messy bank when
the much business she imposes on her
self has wearied her.
However that may be, Christian has
of late felt a growing inclination to adj
mire Bertha; there is something so
sweet, young n %spring-like about her.
He is evidently tired somewhat by the
garish heat of the summer sun, as it
shines fully upon him from Lady
Muriers matured schemes and highly
developed undertakings. Had she not
just a little outwitted herself when she
suggested to this young man that it
We're a plausible sham to hint that he
was a possible sutton of Miss Bertha
Yorke-bs' this NEAR suggesting to his
W,s,l AI-. |I,o .-Aas1f1sA,v ..s Il, .N.,.
reality. aud each time he had looked
at Bertha of late he became more and
more impressed with this idea.
Of what Lady Muriel would say he
did not however. dare to think. Ath-
lete though Christian Meyer was in
outward appearance, morally he might
to a certain extent be written Coward"
That is decidedly if being terribly
afraid of a scene with a woman, dubs a
man a coward
And that Lady Muriel would make a
scene and a very strong scene, too, he
did not for a momen doubt. Standing
there, however, hat August morning.
looking at Bertha, as the branches of q
incorporating elm sheltered them
both, he had no thought for Lady
Muriel, and if she had come upon them
then, probably he would have braved
her anger for Bertha's sake, telling her
plainly that he had learnt to love her
little cousin.
But Lady Muriel was fast asleep;
despite all her energy, early rising was
not one of her weaknesses, and she
knew nothing of the meeting under the
greenwood trees.
Nor was there much to tell, or Bertha
would assuredly have repeated it YER
batim TO her divinity; this fact Chris
tian remembered just in time, when he
was about to ask, do you know how
much L owe you pretty Bertha ?" and
the words nearly choked him in the
desperate effort he made TO prevent
himself from uttering them, the old say
ing about being off with the old love
before you are on with the new, coming
forcibly into his mind the while
Rather like a pair of fools then they
both looked, as they stood staring at
each other, while neither spoke, but
then lovers are wont to look foolish
though they do not know it; there is a
mute language in the eyes which, to
them at least, fills up all the awkward
ness of silence.
Bertha, till today. had sometimes
doubted whether Lady Muriel was moi
mistaken III lnldSlIliHB that SIflSttdH
had any especial prediction for her,
since very frequently he seemed almost
to ignore her presence.
From today, however, she felt she
should believe in him. Had he not
looked the love which now, more than
ever, sine his prospects from his uncle
were in jeopardy, he dared not speak?
She was the first to break the curious
silence, almost painful as it was from
the intensity of feeling it produced;
less so, perhaps, TO the girl than to the
man, since the same dread did not OPP
press hee which hung like an incubus
over him.
81 must be going up to the house.
she said; at is getting late, nearly I
O'clock"
"And your feet must be wet from
standing in this dew. Bertha. why did
you wear such dainty shoes?"
Bertha laughed and looked at her
tiny feet almost embedded in the lone
grass.
t BE Continued ON Monday