Weekly Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1908-1909, 1908-08-14


affair of last night was uppermost in
his mind, for his air was very alb
stracted.
mo, thank you, my lord. This is
my evening off. I am no longer Miss
Marsh, the secretary, but Miss Marsh,
the lady of leisure"
Il didn't think of it as work, and I
thought perhaps you didn't, either,
when we did it together"
Little boys shouldn't think; it's a
bad habit" she said, severely; be
sides, you talk like T in the Dolly Dia-
logues.'"
At this Vincent's face grew desper-
ate, and I saw that she had goaded
him into asking her the question that
had been on his mind all day, and I
nearly fell off the sofa in my efforts
to hear without being seen.
do II" he said. well that's be-
cause I've something I've been. want
ing to ask you all day long. It's some
thing very personal, and, of course,
I've no right-that is, you won't think
So" the boy was STUN bling pitifully,
but I've got to know; it's SO hard to
believe that you would do 1t deliber-
ately. Is it true?"
Lord Wilfred," said the girl,
Strengthening up, you must speak
more clearly if you want me to under
stand what you have been saying"
Its this" said Lord Wilfred, facing
her abruptly and terribly in earnest.
Someone told me last night that you
were a married woman. Is it true?"
/ could not see the face of the Sec
rotary, but could not help perceiving
the ring of truth in her voice.
I'm not married." she said, simply.
81 told Mr. Terhune so because I
wanted to disabuse him Of false i'm
preston he was laboring under But
what is it to you?"
This" said Wilfred, and he leaned
toward her suddenly and grasped her
hands and put his face within an inch
of her-I could see by the freight it's
look Of determination and ineffable re-
lief. The secretary gave little cry
and drew back. 1 conjectured that
Wilfred was on the point of making
an irretrievable ass of himself, SO I
interrupted proceedings by knocking
a book off the sofa and rising to my
feet. At the first sound OF the book
falling the two had jumped to their
feet and stood, the girl shrinking close
to Wilfred and Wilfred with his arm
thrown around her.
WHO goes thers!" he said, sternly,
as he discovered my figure in the
gloom, and "Ah!-it's you, Terhune,"
as I came into the circle of light, in e.
tone hope may never hear from him
again.
AS the secretary saw who it was she
sprang away and was gone from the
room in a second.
Well" he said, with sheer, as the
curtains closed behind her, leaves
dropper, meddling as usual What
can l do for you?"
/ sat down on the stool. "Sit down"
I said. with quiet authority, "and we'll
| talk 1t over" He sat down. In mo-
ments like this he forgets his indie
| pendence and remembers that at one
| time he used to obey me habitually.
l wanted to comfort him, but I knew
my duty better. Vincent" I said, ap-
| pealingly, don't you see it won't do?
She's no match for you-a girl with no
family and no money, and of her sta
ton in life. Give it up, l implore
you. Think OF your father. There
has never been mesalliance in the
family; it would break his heart"
| Vincent raised his head. Mrs
Armistead says her family is perfectly
respectable" he said. II asked her.
Perfectly respectable" 1 repeated
. marrying a girl who has nothing in her
favor but the fact that her family was
perfectly respectable!
Vincent sighed pathetically and
delivered one more blow. Think"
said; your brother Edmund is over
40. unmarried, and sufferer from
rheumatism of the heart, as you know
Suppose he should die-wouldn't you
make more creditable heir to the
title il you hadn't tied yourself UP to
a wife of obscure origin-a penniless
American girl? And if you don't come
into the title you're only younger
son, and you know yourself your pro
pensity for getting into debt, and the
foreign Office for boy of your age
is not paying business. No, Vincent
you're not cut out for making money
and it's certain you can't depend on
your father forever. Can't you see
how rash and foolish you are to con
slider such thing?"
/ leaned over and put my hand or
Vincent's shoulder. He turned his
head, and when I felt his smooth
cheek against my hand 1 knew thai
the battle was won.
I'm awfully sorry, Arch" he said
that / was such a beast last night
~ never forgive myself for trying tt
strike you. Only. you see, I lost my
head, and I didn't know quite what
1 was deing." "Of course" I said, g
understand" But he would not lei
me stem the tide Of his remorse. AND
then. you know, what you said wa:
very hard to bear, and you see, after
all, it wasn't true. She told me i
wasn't. Did you hear herr"
Yes" I assented, and 1 believe she
told you the truth
"Of course; but then you're Away:
right, Archibald, always right. Wher
| 20 away from here and never SET
her any more"-his lips quivered un
| ,o1trofIa bIy--aT NAV he ahlo RI forge