The Morris County chronicle., 1909-04-06

Beaufort said. "And then, there i;
your sister so near at hand. Yor
must try to forget the little accident
that has disgusted you, Carry. Think
of the pleasure of having Edith SC
near at hand, and that excellent fel
low John--though he's too much Of
an M. p"
1t was with purpose that Beaufort
laughed, with that gentle and friend
ly ridicule of his brother-in-law, te
carry her thoughts away from the
accident-from Toms escapade
| which he thought was the foundation
of Carry's trouble. And what could
| she say more? She did not, could
not, tell him that Toms look had re.
minded her of another, and that Tor
rance himself, standing in full length
in the hall, claiming it's sovereignty
| master of all that was within, kept
the miseries of her past life and her
unsatisfied heart too terribly before
her. OF that she could say nothing
to her husband, nor of Janet's rebel
lion, nor above all, of what was in
tolerable in Edith's gentle society, the
sense of her superior happiness, her
pity for poor Garry! He might have
OWNED what it was which made the
house intolerable to her; but if he
did not, how could she say it? Thus
Lady Car gradually achieved the
power of living on, of smiling upon
all who surrounded her, with some
thing which nobody comprehended in
her eyes, but which some few people
were vaguely aware of, though they
comprehended it not.
poor Carry!" Lady Edith said, in
the very tone which Lady Car heard
in her heart, but it was said in John
Erskine's library at Dalmylian, with
the windows closed, five miles away.
why poor Carry?" asked her hus-
band; "if you were, to ask her, she
would say she was happy woman,
happy beyond anything she could
have hoped. When I think of her
with that brute Torrance-where she
is now, but in such different circum-
stances
"Oh, John, the circumstances are
different; Edward is very nice;
but"
But WHAT"
"Carry is not like you and me, >
said Edith, shaking her head
No, perhaps so much the better
for us. She is fanciful and poetical
and nervous, not easy to satisfy; but
the omparison-must be like heaven
after hades."
Edith continued to shake her head,
but said no more. What was there
to say? She could not perhaps have
put it into words had she tried, and
get John to understand TIA man
immersed in public business, fearing
that soon he should need a private
secretary, which was an expense quite
unjustified by his means She patted
him on the shoulder as she stood be-
hind his chair, and said: Poor John,
have you all these letters to,answer?"
Every one," he said, with laugh.
"You are in a compassionate humor
to-day. Suppose you answer few of
them for me instead of saying poor
john"
This was so easy! If she had not
been so busy with the children she
was the best of private secretaries!
Alas! there was nothing to be done
for poor Carry in the same simple
way. Nor in any way, Edith reflected,
as she sat down at her husband S
table-a sympathetic sister must not
even venture to show that she is com
passionate. She must conceal the
consciousness of his fathers look in
Tom Torrence's face, and of the fact
that Beaufort's book had never been
written, and that his name was alto
gether unknown to the world save as
that of Lady Caroline Torrance's Sec
ond husband. Oh, poor Garry! Edith
said again, But this time only in the
depths of her own heart, not to John.
The only other person who saw the
change in Lady Cars look was Janet,
who had defied her mother. The girl
was in high rebellion still. She spent
her life as much as she could with
Tom, seconding powerfully, without
being aware of it, the watchful super
vision of Beaufort, who, if he had
failed her in so many respects, was
anxiously and zealously acting for
Lady Car in her sons interests. Janet
seized upon her brother on every oc-
casion when it was possible. She
managed to ride with him, to walk
with him, to occupy his attention as
nobody else could have done. 1t is
true that Tom had no delicacy on the
subject of Janet, and sent her away
with push of his elbow when she
bored him without the least hesita-
tion: but in her vehemence and pas
sion she did not bore him for the
short period of his holidays which
remained. She had told him of her
rebellion with thrill of excitement
which shook her from head to foot
The crisis was the greatest that had
ever happened in her life. She could
not forget it, not word that had
passed nor a look. Tom had contem-
plated her with an admiration min.
gled with alarm when he first heard
the tale Of her exploit. you checked
mother!" He had scarcely dcne more
himself, though he was man and
the master of all. And Janet was
only a little girl of no account at all
But her fervor, her passion seized
hold upon him, and as it occupied
herself in the overwhelming way with
which a family conflict occupies the
mind, Janet became as the master Of
an exciting find to Tom. They