Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-02-20
It was the first time that he ha,

felt awkward, and at the mere sug-
gestion that he could look foolish in
the eyes of this woman Rupert Hav-
erford discovered that he was very
like other men, some of whom per-
haps he had judged hardly and some
contemptuously
He had no definite intention in his
mind as to how ne should act. Indeed
it seemed to him that the future was
not held in restraint by his hand or
his power, and he laughed once to
himself a little bitterly, as he recall
ed how he had gone round and rounl
this subject of late, thinking entirely
of his own feelings, and of how far
the bewitchment that this woman had
| cast upon him was to be permitted to
order his life.
In the lightest way possible Mrs.
Lancng had shown him that he made
too much of his own Importance.
1t was not exactly his fault that
he had grown critical and reserved
where women were concerned.
If he had met Camilla when he had
been working man struggling every
hour to advance himself into indeper-
| dence, he would never have question
ed her right, never have sought -
analyse what went to form her bril-
liant personality. He would have
given her unquestioning devotion
seeing in her that spirit of grace and
delicacy and beauty which had always
been placed in his dreams; gift
at once necessary and unattainable.
But the burden Of his great wealth
had changed in certain measure Ru
pert's nature; it had made him eau
tious, it had made him doubtful, and
he was so imbued with that weighty
sense of responsibility that he never
took a step in any direction without
great deliberation. and forecasting as
far as he could the probable results
that would accrue from any act.
Mrs. Lancing was not the only won
an who fluttered in and out of his
life in these days, who charmed hin
momentarily and pressed upon hin
eagerly sympathy and friendship ant
delicately insinuated homage.
He would have been blind indeed
! if he had not realised that his mar
riage was a matter of Importance AM
hope to many women of his acquaint
, ance, that any choice indeed was pos
! sible to him.
He was little impatient with him
!. self at times when he realised tina
it should be this one particular won
!, an who held him; even now, whel
: she had left him smarting and uncon
a Portable, he was falling back into tina
old train of anxious thought abou
- her
OF course, he knew her history a
the world knew it. Most people wer
kind about Camilla Lancing. Thee
!, had been nothing subtle in the wa
: in which her husband had wronge
: her.
> 1t was the knowledge of this wron
:. done to her which drew Haverford
her so surely. He longed to give he
protection, to build up barriers b.
tween her and all those things whic
y had been legacies of her married lif
And, of course, there was only on
way in which he could do this.
d All at once he realised that he ha
ceased to doubt or speculate as to tn
Is future of such marriage; hope b
n came deliberate intention. And sti
IT the path was not clear He knew h
If own heart, but what about the wor
ans heart?
1t Metaphorically. he stretched out h
g hands to catch that dancing, laughir
c. white-robed figure. only to feel tn
T., the SOFT filmy draperies slipped fro
at his grasp, and that Camilla W.
ID dancing away far, far out of h
lg reach.
When he alighted at the famili
n station he almost yielded to the TEN
e. tation to put himself in the ira
a again and go back to London.
AS the doubt and uncertainty dro
d. ped out Of his heart, something ne
N came in their place.
Now he was jealous in real earne