Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-10-31

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she was Q little jealous OF herself, a little covetouO
to regain the exalted height from which she had
unawares fallen overnight, and which had trans
formed her into a disembodied spirit of Joy, akin to
the snow that sears and the flame that shrivels, q
thing eternal and yet elusive.
As q matter Of self-respect, she volunteered:
IT was very indecorous Of me TO act as I did
H. e. d %o.n IN idDsu. but i, Father thss. AMue sss y Has responsible.
coS,d not help playing into his hands"
She vas very charming as she stood there. her
higher on her cheeks, while she essayed a ~}ustifca-
ton OF the mornings boisterous mood. She wore
a white lingerie dress trimmed with bows Of pale
blue ribbons, the only fnery allowed the convent
girls, and to the stranger she seemed the impersona-
f'n1 81 him. sw1 SsnJ RTis a15.1s maid len boao as ihe stood be be.
Lightly, her cheeks aAame. a semi-smile circling about
Ups and eyes. And this maidenliness, which he had
not suspected in the morning. when she had seemed
q vefitable hoyden. in her rough white sweater and
fur cap and tnmbled hair. led him to be cautious
against becoming personal too quickly.
rather Augustin was very good to me last nirht.s
ana ne talked about his misadventure and the cour-
age rather Augustin had displayed in coming to his
They sat down together on the four-yards-lons.
Iep-covered, mahogany sofa, with lyre-shaped arms
and back, he lounging comfortably in one corner, she
sitting miles away, very, very erect, upon the edge
OF the farthermost corner, rather frightened at thus
entertaining all by herself.
She exerted a strange charm on him a. she sat
there SO stiff and pr i'm and virginia., but he dared not
Keep ms eyes upon her for too long a space. lest she
came more at ease, her ~frigidity fell away from her
and he perceived to his delight that she was even
ACrShCA WhCu II uuDcUl tldn When erect and cold.
They spared a little-she was too bright to be
insipidly amiable-and there was a little Of the limo
cent coauetry Of youth SO often a prelude to the
and shifted from the evanescence OF pure g~irlishness
to the %semblance of mature dignity which would
invest the full-grown woman she would one day be.
All the while Sister Veronica sat in the remote
alGove, %no:dding over prsyer-book and rosary.
BY the time the old-fashioned, wrought iron grand
fathers clock struck one for the %halfhour between
hive and six, the divine spark had futtered from eye
to eye, the immortal beatitude had brushed their
heafte with geflnh IyfOpc and oc Il Sa~-- .z.-
to go, and they stood side by side, all they felt was
wonder that the mute music which throbbed in their
itself audible to their ears as we'll. They wero
amazed that the ordinary channels of speech, that
ordinary words, must still serve them.
Father Augustin exacted punctuality of me in
leaving at this hour" he said. Tomorrow may 1
Smiling. Elizabeth breathed a confused, happy
day." linen S'e asNe'' 30 you stay over another
H. replied with imprisoned earnes.ne.s:
Eltkzabeth flushed delieioussly -"
"Of that we will speak tomorrow" she said, conf
fusedly. Before you go, Mr.. Stranger, viii you mott
tell me you; name and hear mine"
He replied, haltingly:
refer to Father Augustin.' He became grave, al
dear Able" Then, as il fearing to say too much. he
left Elizabeth side abruptly. At the door he faced
For tonight" he said, think of me as a stran-,
ger, and you to me shall be Elizabeth of All Saints.
Elizabeth stood alone and quiet, quite still in the
light was gradually hltering, and her eyes were
luminous, almost as if phosphorescent, with the high
tide of happy understanding. But, being human and
a woman, she desired confirmation to follow imme-
diately in the wake Of hope.
Down the long, chill, marble-payed corridor she
RENE length. Softly she pushed open the library
door; At the Gothic window, book in hand, but not
reading, sat Father Augustin' He did not hear her
toa alisases sad fn Mh;. at his s hH., upon a 4 taDsi,5y 2
He started as one who had been walked from a
deep slunber.
my daughter. he said. and stroksd the girl: hair.
joy that invaded her was pulling her in all direc-
tons, and she did not know, in her experience. from
which corner to proceed. She plucked up resolu-
had such a pleasant afternoon she said.
"How did thou find the young man. ehr ,
"So-so," said Elizabeth. Her heart was thump-
humping. Dear Father Augustin, what-what is
His nance" queried Father Augus,in, starting up.
His name?' he repeated, naively, as if the posses
unsupported and remarkable fact. His name! Eh
bier. by and by I shall remember it. Thou saidst. l.
believe, that thou thinkest well OF him% =. :
Charming, Ell bienl" Father Augustin tilted back
the girls chin and gazed long and deeply into the
pure, untroubled eyes. 80,
and does the charming young man stay over till
"He stays all week, dear Father Augustin." whis-'
pered the girl. I
That is well. His name-I remember it now
It's strange. my daughter. how names loiter away
from the memory and then saunter back again as we
grow older. His name-why, child, what ails thee1"
For Elizabeth had covered her face with her hands
and her shoulders were hcaving with sobs.
Dear Father Augustin," she whispered. how kind
you are. how good, how we'll you remember how il
feels to be young! You need not tell me the stran-
gers name, for I have guessed it. 1t is CASTOR
Devereaux."
She began to cry softly, her head leaning against
the old priests shoulder; and Father Augustin smiled
his gentle, shrewdly kind smile. OF what he said to
her she caught only stray fragments, for joy shutters
and bars the windows of the soul quite as much as
grief. Perhaps he told her infinitely of the cams
paign he had planned in her behalf, of which the
successful end had flashed upon her like a sunburst.
Perhaps. neglecting the inmaterial details, he spoks
only of those things which the tongue of even a
saintlike old priest can touch only in the silve1
borderland of twilight, when a sublime peace, a holy
JOY, or a sacred sorrow fills every lane and bypath
of heart and soul.
Presently Father Augustin ceased speaking. and
El;-,Lc4I cnaSeL ureenium She uuas ahout 10 sneak