Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-05

time: before she should recognize me- II
l stay quiet and do all you wish. will you
help me?
Il will And what then?''
when I am well. if it should be So
shall steal away and disappear out OF
her life without her knowing. She MAY
think it ungrateful that one whom she
has treated so we'll should behave sc
badly. But that can't be helped. 1t is
the lesser evil of the two"
And l must abet you? All right.
will do it; though you must forgive me
if you should ever hear that 1 have
abused you and said bad things of you
1t will have to be all in the days work
if | am not to ultimately give you away
! must take steps at once to keep he1
from seeing you. I shall have to invent
some story; some new kind of dangerous
disease perhaps. I shall stay here and
nurse you myself Harold spoke in JOY
full gratitude:
..Oh. YOU are good But can you spare
the time? How long will it all take?''
Some weeks! Perhaps" He paused
as if thinking. Perhaps in months
time l shall unbandage your eyes. You
will then see. or
II understand 1 shall be patientv
In the morning Mr.. Hilton in reporting
to Lady de Lannoy of his patient, told
her that he considered it would be neces-
sary to keep him very quiet. both in mind
and body In the course of the CONVEX
satiOn he said:
Anything which might upset him
must be studiously avoided. He is not
an easy patient to deal with: he doesn't
like people to go near him. I think.
therefore, it will be we'll if even you do
not see him. He seems to have an odd
distrust of people. especially of women.
1t may be that he is fretful in his blind
ness. which is in itself so trying to a
strong man. But besides. the treatment
Is not calculated to have very buoyant
effect. 1t is apt to make man fretful
L. Ill hot hn t1oc
to do so for indefinite weeks. Pilocarpin.
and salicylate of soda and mercury do
not tend toward cheerfulness. Nor do
blisters on the forehead add to the con-
tent of life.''
II quite understand" said Stephen.
land 1 will be careful not to 60 near him
till he is we'll. Please God. it may bring
him back his sight. Thank you thou
sand times for your determination to
stay with him.
So it was that for more than two weeks
Harold was kept all alone. No one at
tended him but the doctor, who slept In
the patients room for the whole of the
first week, and never had him out of
sight for more than few minutes at a
time. He was then able to leave him
alone for longer periods. and settled him.
self in the bedroom next to him. Every
hour or two he would visit him. Occa-
but never for more. Stephen rig1dly OBJ
served the doctors advice herself and
gave strict orders that his instructions
were to be obeyed.
Harold himself went through a period
of mental suffering. 1t was agony to him
to think of Stephen being so near at
hand. and yet not to be able to see her
or even to hear her voice. All the pain
of his loss of her affection seemed to
crowd back on him, and with 1t the new
need of escaping from her unknown. More
than ever he felt that 1t would not do that
she should ever learn Of his identity. Her
pity for him. and possibly her woman s
regard for mans effort in time of
stress, might lead through the gates of
her own self-sacrifice to his restoration
to his old place in her affections. Nay.
1t could not be his old place; for at the
close Of those days she had learned of
his love for her.
When there is love, and the knowledge
of 1t, there Is no going back!