Year: 1869

eyes, and o patient smile, which pierced
him like sword.


You see I was wiser than you" she
said. "lalways feared that knew you
better than you knew yourself. But you
must not think blame you; know you
have been fighting battle"


BY this time she had taken of the little
carved hand, and now she had laid 1t in
palm.


"You sec that It was more truly SYM
Dol than you knew. 1t belongs where the
heart had gone before. Heart and hand
are joined by divine right. think"


Mark Akenside had never loved any
woman as passionately as he had hated
himself Just now. He believed that in
giving up Blanche, he gave up tho good
angel Of his life; and he longed to catch
her escaping robes; to kneel In dust OF
humiliation Mt her feet and force his way
into her heart again by the very force and
passion Of his supplication. But some
thing in her look forbade him. and made
him sure that 1t would be worse than use
less.


"You are too good for me-" he said
slowly; ''and yet If You had had patience
enough you might have made better man
of me than ever shall be now"


She did not answer him save with q
gleam Of tender pity In the clear, kind eyes.
which shed more bitter tears for him than
he would ever guess or know.


"He really thinks now, with Maud out
of his sight, that he Is In earnest" she
thought, rs she went away with look OF
gentle compassion for his weakness which
only the strong sweetness of her own ma
ture saved from being touched with scorn.


"Poor fellow, how ungrateful he would
be some day II would take him ut his
word!"


He went away from her, but he did not
follow Maud to her shady path. In bitter
ness of spirit he went home, with self-con.
tempt singing him sorely. When he laid
up the little coral hand which he had
brought with him. he persuaded himself
that 1t was forever, unless in time his re-
morse and his constancy would win for
him Blanche Desmond's pardon.


He stayed away from Woodside u whole
week nursing the aforesaid constancy and
remorse; but when he went back there
ngain Blanche was gone.


She had chosen this epoch to make n
long delayed visit, and leave the field clear
for Maud. That young lady received him
coldly. He wondered whether his absence
had piqued her, or whether her sister had
told her any secrets showing by this lat
ter conjecture how little he knew Of
Blanche after all. Like man mot like q
hero) he wanted to solve this mystery,
and so set himself Mt work to break down
the barrier of Maud's GOODNESS, and again
she wovc around him her subtle, glittering
meshes. In two weeks he was more hope
lessly her captive than he had ever been
her sisters.


One day moved by some superstition.
he carried TO her the hand of carvcn coral.
and hung It on her chain. "When tho heart
and hand have gone together. all must be
right" he said to himself.


This time his engagement was made
known Mt once and received the parental
sanction. It saved his pride that these
ruling powers had never been notified OF
the other one.


He asked his betrothed. after she was
his betrothed, what had been the strong
fixed purpose in her life which she had
once so earnestly asserted, and so rcsolutc-
" refused to tell him.


She smiled archly in his face with her
answer-"to make you love me. dear"


Blanche came home in time to help
with the wedding preparations. Akensidc
had wondered once whether IL was ''in
her" to love. 1t was not in her, certainly,
to parade her woes, or hang out any sig
nal of distress. She was calm and stately
and gentle-mistrcss of herself, through
all Maud. who has not one-twenticth her
capacity for unsclfish loving, will probab-
ly go on to tho end, doubling If her sister
has any heart.


As for Akenside, ho will SEQ sometimes
from afi.r, the calm and stately lily he had
not discernment enough to gather, with n
pang of regret and longing; just rs doubt
less he would have sighed now and then
for Maud's butterfly beauty and glittering
grace, IL he married her sister.


The one who was best and noblcst
among the three suffered most, but that is
tho way of the world. Would you, rather
for that reason, be Maud than Blanche?