The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-14

was a young English doctor, whom she recognized at once as her old playmate. Jack Breton, her godmother's only son.
 Lucy snowe had thought Jack one of the most admirable of creatures. Now that he was a man, his clear profile had gained something expressive and fine. His blue eyes glanced vividly. His mouth had a pleasant character. His chin was full. cleft, Grecian and per feet. He had an English form and com plexion, save for the auburn golden hair that clustered around his head.
 He gave Miss snowe just that degree of notice that she had come to expect habitually, that is, about as much is given to unobtrustive articles of fur niture. She took advantage of this to study him; and once, as she was com paring his head to that of the golden image" that Nebuchadnezzar had set up, her regard was so fixed that he asked her what it was that had attracted her attention. To her ear his tone had that dry courtesy which betrays, though 1t intends to conceal. annoyance.
 She did not speak. but merely re- sumed the work she had been doing and kept her head bent over it during the rest of the time while he was in the room. There is a perverse state of mind in some natures which is soothed rather than irritated by mis- construction. All the reserve in her as well as her English pride and stub bornness, united against the least fn- cllnat tion to recall herself to her old friend in her subordinate position
 Yet she had intense feelings about those old past days. Passive as she was now, little as she spoke, cold as she looked there was in her soul pas sionate longing such as the volatile continental women around her could not feel She told herself that for such present as she had it was best to be stoicaI; and about such a future as waited for her it was best to be dead Studiously she tried to suppress all her thoughts into a sort of catalepsy-a woman resigned to hopelessness.
 Sometimes she longed achingly for some thing to tear her out of that existence and lead her onward and upward. But she told herself sternly that such long, ings must be killed, and she did as Jael did to Sisera- She drove nail through their temples; only, unlike Sisera, they did not die. They were merely stunned and would turn on the nail at intervals with a rebellious wrench that made her brain thrill to it's core.
 All the teachers in turn had made ad- vances toward friendship, but she found in each some trait that was unsympa- thetic to her Instead of joining in the light talk and pleasures that prevailed in the pensionat when the days work was done, Miss Snowe walked in utter loneliness in the old garden that re- mained in the rear of the pensionat as a relic of the time when the building had been a convent.
 That, however, had been generations ago, and many of the alleys and walks had become overgrown and wild, so that they made a perfect concealment. Lucy SnoWe's favorite walk was tangled alley that stretched along the rear, under the high walls of a college.
 There went a tradition that during con- vent times something had happened on this site, There was whispered tale of a black and white nun who haunted the place. At the foot of an aged pear tree one could get glimpse of slab, smooth, hard and black, between some half-bared roots. It was believed that this was the portal of vault in which the nun had been buried alive for some sin against her vows long before the tree had sprouted.
 Miss snowe had prosa1c British mind and did not give the nun a thought, save to smile in irony at the superstitous ten dencies of the continent. If, however, she saw no ghost, she saw something else. She discovered that Colonel de Hamal had in some way obtained access to one of the college buildings and from this strat egic point was wont to toss notes into the pensionat garden for Miss Fan shave. Dr. Breton discovered it at the same time and besought Miss Snowe to watch over the innocent, trusting young creature.
 She is so young, so thoroughly art less," said he. "She is under an illusion. I fear, regarding this De Hamal. Her pure, child-like young heart must not be played with by one like him"
 Miss Snowe was on the verge of say ing something sharp about the artless and innocent Ginevra, but she looked at the mans face and saw pain and trouble in it. Instantly she choked back the truth and spoke hopefully and cheerfully to him. Then she turned away to grieve that he should feel pain, and pain from such a cause. She longed to be able to give him hearts ease.
 A reception at which both men were speak to Ginevra She bade her compare them-the Colonel Count, undersized, with little bands and feet, pink and white complexion and an insufferable dandy's smile, and the big doctor. "A mere lackey for pr. John!' cried Miss Snowe. "A doll a puppet, manikin, who might be footboy or valet for the doctor. Is it possible that fine, generous gentleman, handsome as a vision, offers you his hon orab1e hand and gallant heart, promises to protect your fimsy person and flimsier mind. and you can hang back?'
 But Miss Ginevra Fanshawe ran away, half crying and half laughing.
 After the reception came the long vaca- ton, and Miss Snowe, who did not care to go anywhere. was left alone in the great house. Each day 1t became more vast and more void. The weeks went by, black and heavy. At last her nerves could