The Morris County chronicle., 1909-10-05
THE MAN SHE LOVED
By EFFTE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS.
CHAPTER xxx.

Continued.
~Lady Derriman! repeated the
girl, family: words were almost i'm
possible to her just then.
will you do this? 1t will give
me great happiness if I know you are
together.
A wave of inexpressible gladness
and joy mingled with Ends mental
agony; the tenderness of his tones
.ouched her poor, aching heart to the
core.
Then will go most willingly, =
she said; and Dare saw that the tears
well into her eyes.
1t was he who then took up the
subject, and very briefly told Enid all
hat Gervais wished, and before IL
lad struck, while the bells were Chin
ing out on the cold, wintry air, Enid
aad stepped into the carriage with
Dare and her faithful Maria, who
went at the earl's command, and
rolled away from Bromley Manor,
leaving the man she loved above all
n the world sitting, with bowed head,
alone before the shattered remains of
ais great love, faith and happiness.
And while the world gossiped, and
.hen forgot them for a time, two
women lived a peaceful life together
In the London houEB of the Derriman
family. Enid and Gervais' mother
would have been h&ppy-more than
nappy-in the mutual pleasure their
,lose companionship gave, had not
both their hearts been heavy and sore
with thought of him; they neither of
Them knew half of the misery that he
was enduring, but they had learned
enough to pity and to mourn.
my child," Lady Derriman would
all the girl, "my dear child"
And Enid's big blue eyes would fill
with tears as she was drawn down
and tenderly kissed
MY mother in Heaven sees this,
and is happy" was her grateful
thought.
In her letters to her son Lady Der
'iman told him again and again how
much she loved Enid, and what a
comfort she was; and Gervais always
felt thrill of satisfaction and pleas
Ire come to him as he read this; a
momentary CLEAN of something rare
and sweet that flashed across his
dark life like golden meteor, only
TO vanish and leave a blackness of
despair and suffering worse than be-
fore.
y What had passed between himself
and his wife that awful Christmas
Day none would ever know; perhaps
Enid alone out of all guessed what a
terrible meeting it must have been,
sut she did not see him again, and she
never spoke of the subject to his
mother.
Gervais and his wife travelled about
from place to place, staying in none
long.
What was the matter with the
countess?" the fashionable world
would ask itself; 1T certainly was
mysterious; no one seemed to know
what allied her, and yet she undoubt-
sdly was an invalid, and the earl was
dreadfully troubled about her, any
body could see that. Why, he looked
different man of late, he seemed
to have grown almost worn and old
handsome Gervais, the idol of soci-
ety!-and his hair was almost gray.
Oh! he was absurdly fond of her
then, she was very beautiful. per-
haps not so beautiful as she used to
be, and her manner was so strange"
Enid and Lady Derriman heard
little of this chatter; they lived in
quiet world of their own, peopled
with artistic fancies and poetical
thoughts. The few guests who came
to visit marvelled at the sweet beauty
Of the girl, and her contentment with
30 monotonous an existence, and they
would ask her out, now and then,
from mistaken idea of charity.
why not go, my dearest?" Lady
Derriman would ask sometimes.
you are too young to be cooped up
with an old woman
But Enid had always one answer:
Il do not want them, and ! want
you"
So time went on, and as spring was
fast melting into summer, Bromley
Manor was opened to receive its lord
and lady again.