Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1909-12-03

and refinement, but secretly, like every
woman who had ever gone wrong, as
far as Sir Percy Carlyon's experience.
went, she had lost all sense of Justice,
of proportion, of reticence, of discipline
and even of sound sense. He had heard
| stories of women who trod the down.
| ward path and then retrieved them
selves, but he a never met one. These
women and Alicia Vernon, with her
heritage of the best birth and breed
ing; were sisters under their skins"
The thing which really surprised him
was that Alicia maintained SO outward
ly and unbrokenly the high standard of
her birth and breeding, and was still
capable of disinterested a~ffection-her
love for her father.
: As Sir Percy would not reply, Mrs.
Vernon said no more for a while. She
leaned against the mass of rock at her
| back and looked around at the still
woods, in which only a few trilling bird
notes broke the golden silence, across
the sunlit valley and then at Sir Percy
| Carlyon. What strange fate had
brought them from one n of the world
to the other that they might meet alone
in such a place? She was so still that
| Sir Percy presently looked around to
see il she were there. She was sitting
quite motionless, looking with deep, in
scrutable eyes straight before her. She
turned her gaze to him and said:
81 know no more than you do why 1
could speak to you in this way, or
why 1 could ever think Of you again.
/ am like a child who has got hold
! of some pretty, shiny thing, which
turns out to be a jewel, and the child
weeps and struggles when the jewel
is taken away
Sir Percy could not but be sorry for
her: he often had moments and hours
OF silent rage with her, but 1t would
not hold against her in the presence
Of her despair. Presently she arose
and came toward him, smiling.
Look around you," she said; "this
spot, / know, 1 feel, is associated with
the image of tina girl. Now you will
be unable to think of it without think
ing of me also. / will not have it that
| only shall think of you: / mean that
you shall not be able to escape the
thought Of me. Come, it is late; let
us be going"
They turned and walked back
towards the house. Father along the
mountain path they met Senator
March and General Talbot; quite nat
urally the party divided, and Sir Percy
joined General Talbot, while Senator
March ranged himself with Mrs. YER
non. They fell, behind, as Senator
March was pointing out the features
and general historic points of the land
scape while Sir. Percy and General
Talbot went ahead. When they were
quite far in advance and walking down
the country lane bordered with the
mountain ash. now with little brown
buds upon the bare white branches,
and the whole air scented with the
coming spring, General Talbot said:
81 think this journey, my dear fell
low, to be one of the ~pleasantest, and
even one of the most fortunate, that l
ever made. 1t has been a long time
since I have seen my poor child so like
her earlier self. She is interested and
amused. The social customs over here
permit q woman to enjoy a great many
pleasures and to receive a great many
attentions from men without exciting
remark. My daughter is, as you know,
extremely careful in her conduct, often
prudish. Not that 1 would wish her
otherwise. but still / am glad when she
finds herself in an environment that
permits her a little innocent enjoy
ment. Those parties at the opera were
extremely pleasant, but no such at
tention could be offered or accepted in
Europe"
you are quite right; socially Amer
lean customs are extremely pleasant.
They embody liberty without license
II agree with you from what / have
SEEM
tTa he Continued 1omorrow.) |