The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-05-15

1 will never"
But just then the thought struck Mr..
Mohun that, before any woman could
wish to give him up, some overpower-
ing unfitness to be his wife must GER
'tainly exist upon her side; and he
paused before committing himself to
any rash oath.
81 am ready to hear you out, Jane;
but am sure, if you knew what hOrri-
Bile pain you are giving me, you would
try to tell me whatever you have got
to say in less cruel way than you
have chosen"
She looked at him tenderly, yearning-
Iy, as a mother might look at the sick
child whose worse sufferings she would
rapturously bear, if the cup could but
pass from his lips to hers.
"Cruel Oh, Clifford! 1 would to God
I knew any way to spare you this pain!
If l said what did too suddenly, for
give me. I have been thinking all
night how should break it to you best,
and now the time has come 1 say it
abruptly and in the hardest words 1
could have chosen. Oh, Gifford-oh,
Mr. Mohun, if you knew what torture
it is to me to have to pain your
'Mr. Mohun! Jane, what are you
thinking of? Do you wish already to
forget that you are my promised
wife?"
He kissed her pale, trembling lips; he
reassured her very tenderly-although
still without any further positive COM
initial of himself.
"Tell me what you have to say quick
ly, Jane, dearest, and the worst will be
over for us both"
And then he went on to whisper, but
rather indistinctly, how impossible it
was that any circumstances whatever
could alter love like theirs; and how
positive he was that no disclosure she
could make would change, in the slight
est degree, the position in which they
stood to each other.
Instinctively - utterly without the
agency of any reasoning process-Jane,
for the first time, knew that Mohun's
love was not blind, self-immolating
love, like her own. She had fully re-
solved +hat he should give her up. She
had sworn to herself to accept no sac
rifice, however noble. that he might
wish to make. But still, human nature
is so constituted that we can all of US
go through positively any other torture
better than that particular one which
we have laid down in our own mind as
right and fitting for us to bear. To
have witnessed Mohun's suffering in
giving her up, to have withstood his
passionate desire to marry her in spite
of all, would, no doubt, have bitterly
wrung Jane Grand's heart; but yet, 1
believe, the barest, unexpected thought
that he was prepared to meet her
wishes, and to act wisely, smote
through every fiber of her heart and
brain with far fiercer agony.
She said no word to let him know
what a pang of cruel disappointment
that soothing, commonplace whisper of
his had awakened. Neither then nor
afterward did she admit to herself lin
anything like tangible form of
thought the truth that his love was
largely mixed up with selfishness, and
worldly wisdom, and disregard for her.
But she turned very trembling and chill
in all her frame; she loosed herself alb
ruply from his embrace; and then,
standing a short distance away from
him, she clasped her two death-cold
little hands together, and looked into
his face-looked at him with eyes
whose piteous, dumb entreaty must
one would think-have risen unpleas-
antly before Mr.. Mohun's memory dur
ing a good many years Of his succeed
ing life.
you know what l went to London
for yesterday?' and as she spoke the
agitation died down in her voice, and
it began to take something of the hard,
unmodulated tones with which she had
spoken to Mr.. Clithero the day before,
'You know what | went for? To hear
the history, which 1 never heard be-
fore, of my parents life.'
Yes, Mr.. Mohun knew it. But he
hOped-he felt sure-that Jane had
greatly exaggerated to herself the eff
feet which these histories would have
upon their own future fate.
You are very proud, Gifford-you
are very sensitive i'll your ideas Of
honor; | know that from the way that
l have heard you speak Bertha and
Agnes Tenant a score of times"
But that has nothing to do with us
now, my dear child. How does my
opinion of the Tenant family concern
anything that relates 10 your engage
ment with me?'
ut concerns me thus farr' she cried,
and all the color rushed back now to
her wan face. at concerns me thus
far. that every time you have spoken
slightly of them you have spoken so or
me- However unwilling you might
feel to marry one of Mr.. Tenants
daughters, you will-you must-feel
thousand times more how impossible
it would be for You to marry me! Yes,
Clifford, yes-it is so, Oh. my God!"
What is it, Jane?" but the tone of
Mohun's voice was changing, and he
fidgeted nervousIy with his hands.
What similarity is there between your
position and that of the Miss Ten
nants?"
There is this difference between us.
Clifford: The Miss Tenants are rich
and have mary friends and parents
living, and l am poor and without
relative on the earth
She stopped short with agitation; MO-
hun breathed rather freer. Whatever
these fearful people were that he was
going to hear about. 1t was consoia-
ton to think that they were at least
dead and buried. He had had dread
full suspicion that the living vulgarity
of some atrociously near relatives was
going to be thrust upon him.
"Your friendlessness knits you closer