Year: 1868

pale and troubled. He sat down In The
chair l silently placed for him, and
gazed gloomily upon the smoulderine
fire. knew that he bitterly feared
some terrible disgrace for the woman


I sat dowa beside him presently
"Did you get him off unseen, Carl p


"Yes, thank Heaven l was all the
time afraid, though, that he would col
lapse on my hands l got him across
the hall into the servants entry; and SO
out by the rear entrance. 1t was only
by great good luck that we met no one.
l finally got him home. On the way
he talked in a maudlin way about Kate,
but I paid little attention to him" And
then Carl paused.


"What is he to her, do you think ?''


1t was Carl's question. l had not
dared to ask it. 1 gave no answer.
In the pause that followed we both re
called the voice and look of tender pain
with which she besought Carl not to
hut him, the unfaigned distress with
which she sobbed out that she should
die Of shame if he were seen.


"He is not Ill look p' I said at
last "not if he were the man he was
meant to be. There is really some
thing uncommon about him. A fne
nature in ruins" added.


"Well," said Carl, sharply. ,,'Wby
don't you say it out, Nelly You think
he may be her husband So do L. Great
heaven. A woman chained to thing
like that"


There was no word to be said, no
consolation TO offer. I could almost
have wished Miss Aubusson at the bot
tom of the sea before she had come to
be the disturber of Carl's peace.


We had not been without our troub-
les-we two. But they were now only
remembered sorrows, Carl had climb.
ed into the sunlight of fame, and [ sat
by and shared the brightness. Nobody
else had p right to be proud of him L
was proud of that. too. And l had my
pangs when the large, uusatisied ma
ture went out to seek another love than
mine. But this selfish feeling died in
prospect Of trouble to Carl. What
would [ not have done to prove Miss
Aubusson free and fit to mate with himy


dreamed of her in the brief, uneasy
maps that filed the rest Of the night.
Her sweet, pathetic beauty was before
me, tie rowful, tender passion OF
her voice in my ears.


l was curious to meet her in the
morning. I searched the proud, gentle
face for any sign of shame or dishonor
of her own. But could not find it.
And had made up my mind that Miss
Apbusson was vicarious sufferer, when
Carl bent over me in passing, his azure
eyes aAame.


81 am going to see her. I have ask
ed for an interview, I shall know what
is the spectre that haunts her," he said.


Looking up at him, could not help
saying, impetrously, "God help you if
it is anything that can come between
you and her ?" For saw that, for bet
ter or for worse, he had given his whole
soul into this woman::s keePing-given
it with that entire surrender that is on
ly possible to such strong, selg. tered
natures as his.


sat while in the drawing room
waiting, but Carl did not return. Then
l went out to the studio, where [ was
accustomed to meet my class of young
girls. All that morning there was a
current cf thought tending tow0rd Carl,
underneath the careless, girlish chatter.


Carl was in the habit of looking in
upon me almost every day sometimes
we ate our lnnch together if it was
only FIVE minutes that he stayed, it
made my day bright. 1 liked to get
away from the prosalc details of my dai-
ly work, and rise into Carls world, fill
ed with all beautiful forms of poesy.


But to day he did not come at all,
and the gray, sombre afternoon drew
slowly to a close.


AS soon as 1 was free, L went home,
and nastened up to the parlor. Carl
was there, some pretence OF reading In
his hands. But he was only thinking.


"Tell, Carl!" -as.- .--.-. il.


A shade crossed his face as he met
my eager look. tsa.a l,.


alt is all unsettled as yet 7 he said
hastily.


1 was vexed and annoyed. -s


"Doa't be impatient, Nelly I! 1 am to
see her again tonight !"


"But why to night? Why does she
hesitate? Why can't woman put BY
geometry for once in her life 2" e.


"There is no coquetry< BE patient
with her, Nelly! You would if you
could have seen her as l did"


The wistful eyes, the 1nexpressible
tenderness in his voice, softened me.


"How did she receive you ?'' asked


Chow did she receive me She
came to the door to meetme, and her
voice fabtered through all shades of
feeling as sne thanked me for what 1
did last night. And then L told her.
That was my vantage ground. you
know. But thought l dishonored
myself by accepting it, for she could
not repulse me as she might have done
if L had not placed her uRder obliga :
tion to me. Something of this I said.
And then 1 knew my ayowal was not
painful to her, that she was proud and
glad to owe anything to me-. But she
said quite calmly, and her luminous
eyes looked up with sweet frankness-
that when knew her history l might
wish all this unsaid.; from what she
knew of me she could rot doubt it
would be so and here the color all Hut-
tered out of her face. But she would
not blame ne. She would not blame
me, she repeated. Then she said she
had an imperative engagement tonight,
but she would return early, and might
come to her then. She would tell me
all that 1 ought to know" :s7.


"She has virtually owned that there
is something to be concealed, that she
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