Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-24

angels He did give us women,
But such wisdom was not yet for
Harold.
But OF one thing. despite all minor
ooubts-despite the seeming of facts. he
was quite sure-Stephen did not love
Leonard. Every fiber of his being revolted
at the thought. She of high nature:
he of SO low. She so noble: he so mean
She so full CT high qualities that all
around her gave her the love and defer
ence which are almost royal prerogatives:
he that could not understand the frank
expression OF her liking on which the mis-
conception of love was based. He who
resented her splendid dignity; who fouted
even her beauty. = Bah. the belief was
impossible
1t was characteristic Of the man that
In his mind he had abandoned. for the
present at all events. his own pain. He
still loved Stephen with all the strength
or his nature. and his love was as
changeless as it was bottomless, but for
him the selfish side ceased TO exist. He
was trying to serve Stephen. and before
this compelling effort every other thought
had to give way. Even In the keenest
moments of his agony he never ques-
toned If she had ever loved him.
And yet from thousand little evidences
he had come to believe that she held him
somewhere deep In her heart There are
little touches of the hand. little squeezes
or ones arm, little Sinkings of the voice
In moments of sympathy. little chances
OF understanding which even a nature
virgin to sexual feeling cannot misinter
pref. These doings. and the recognitions
of them, are down on the bed rock of our
nature. Though the glacial detrtus of
happy or unhappy chance, or the vol
canic upheaval of passion. or the slow
process of alluvial deposits of experience
may cover them over and hide them
they ever remain on the very foundations
OF our being. He had been satisfied that
In manner she loved him in some way
and in some degree, and he had hoped in
the fullness of time that the childish love
would rfpen and fructify, so that In the
end would come a mutual affection which
was OF the very essence of heaven. He
believed still that she loved him in some
way: but the future that was based on
hope had now been wiped out with sud
den and unsparing hand. One thing he
mad at present to accept that whatever
might be the measure of affection which
Stephen might have for him. 1t was not
love as he understood it-love between
man and woman; the Aaron's rod Of love
that swallows up all other loves He
resolutely turned his back on the thought
OF his own side of the matter and tried to
find some justification of Stephens act.
II was after many a long cycle of
thought when the circle was completed
and the starting place had been reached
again and again and again. that the
seeking and the knocking had effectual
result. Harold came to believe vaguely
at first. but more definitely as the evil
dence indicated. that Stephens act was
due to some mad girlish wish to test her
own theory: to prove to herself the cor
rectneSs OF her own reasoning, the fixity
of her own purpose. This seemed to more
or less satisfy his masculine intellect
He did not go on alanyZing further. for
as he walked about the room with por-
ton of the weight taken from his heart
he noticed that the sky was beginning to
quicken ha
him. and there was work to be done. In
stinctively he knew that there was trou-
BILE in store for Stephen. and he felt that
in such an hour he should be near her.
Harold was inspirited by the coming of
the new day. There was work to be done.
and the work must be based on thought.
His thoughts must take a practical turn;
what was he to do that would help Ste
phen? Here there dawned on him for the
first time the understanding of a certain
humiliation which she had suffered she
had been refused, And that guessing
made him grind his teeth in impotent
rage.
But out of that rage came an ipspira-
ton. If Stephen had been Inundated by
the refusal of one man, might not this be
minimfzed II she, in turn. might refuse
another? Harold knew SO well the sin
certify of his own love and the depth of
his own devotion that he was satisfied
that he could not err in giving the girl
the opportunity of refusing him. 1t
would be some sort Of balm to her
wounded spirit to know that Leonard
views were not shared by all men. That
there were others who would deem it
joy to serve as her very slaves. When
she had refused him she would perhaps
feel easier in her mind. OF course. If she
did not refuse him. All. WELL then
would the gates of heaven open. :
But that would never be- The past could
not be blotted out! All he could do would
be to serve her He would go early
Such a man as Leonard Everard might
make some new complication, and the
present was quite bad enough.
1t was poor enough thing for him. he
thought at length. She might trample
on him, but it was for her sake. And
to him what did it matter? The worst
had come. All was over now!