Year: 1878

she was loved, and rejoiced. and SO
discovered that she herself loved again.


At first she was angry with herself,
then she wept over her Inconsistency, but
at last she yielded utterly. After all,
it was the love that made her untrue,
since she had loved she could never
pride herself on being faithful again,
and so she listened to the sweet words,
that. despite herself, made her happy,
and promised to marry Colonel Humph-
ries.


When widow does marry a second
time she generally contrives to make a
fool of herself


Mrs. Halifont had certainly not done
as foolishly as some widows do. She
had neither chosen small boy, or a
titled Italian without money enough to
keep himself in macaronl. Her future
husband was older than herself, and too
rich to be suspected of being fortune
hunter, but, after all, no one knew him.
de came into the neighborhood without
letters of introduction to any one, and
whether he won his fortune by trade,
or came to it by inheritance, remained
mystery.


There were those who shrugged their
shoulders and declared that Mrs. Hall
font would regret not having chosen
some one of whom more was known
some retired merchant, some gentleman
of fortune, whose father had been known
to her friends. Nothing. to be sure,
could be said against this Spaniard or
Cuban with the English name; but who
knew anything in his favor?


However, no one said this to Mrs.
Halifont, and, if any one had. words
never changed woman's fancy yet.
Mrs. Halifont believed in Colonel
Humphries, and meant to marry him.


Indeed. the trousseau was prepared,
the wedding-day fixed, all was ready,
and Ida Hallfont believed herself to be
a very happy woman. She once more
built castles in the air. Her old sorrow
seemed to fade away in the distance.
She was girl again.


At last only twenty four hours lay
between her and her wedding day.


She was busy in her sewing-room on
this last day, finishing some rufies in
lace and ribbon, and singing softly to
herself, when suddenly the house was
filled with cries.


An old man servant, while cutting
the grass upon the lawn, had wounded
himself seriously. The doctor was sent
for at once, but was not at home, and
meanwhile poor Zebedee was bleeding
to death. Suddenly Ida Halifont re-
membered that Mr.. Humphries had said
that he understood wounds as we'll as
though he had been bred a surgeon.
Without this, it would have been natu-
raj for her to call on one who was so
soon to be her protector, in moment of
anxiety. She would call him herself,
that there might be no delay; and,
seizing her garden hat, she ran along a
little path that led from her ground to
that of Mr.. Humphries, climbed low
fence, to save time which would have
been lost in reaching a gate, and SC
gained the rear Of the dwelling, of which
tomorrow she would be mistress. She
thought herself terrified and distressed
She felt rather injured in that such ar
unpleasant thing as the wounding Of
poor Zebedee should have happened OF
the eve of her wedding day. Ten min
utes after she thought of herself at tina
moment as utterly at ease-wondrously
happy-for, as she reached those win
dows and peeped half timidly through


the curtains, thing happened tina


made all she had ever suffered appea


as nothing,


The room, the window of which sh


had approached, was one that opene


out of conservatory. She saw Colone


Humphries busy with some rare plant


he had just set out to the warm sur
shine that fell through the glass. H
had taken off his coat and rolled up hi


sleeves. Now he left the conservatory
and coming forward proceeded to was
his hands in basin of water that la


been set ready for him. He was clos


to Ida Halifont. He did not see he
but she could have reached out ht
!. hand and touched him. Why did ST
not speak and call him by name =? VIII


did she sink down upon her hands an
trembled like an aspen leaf? Alas tt
awful reason was this: Upon that ar


to which she was about to give IL


right to clasp her in tenderest embra'
y she saw terrible mark-a mark 81
J had seen once before. She knew j
v shape and size and color. Her eyes hs
; been rivited upon it as the sinewy han
: at the wrist of which it ended, grasps
. her dying husbands throat. She h;
/ learned it by heart; she could not
'e deceived. Though years had roll,
IL away, that horrible marked arm W
not be forgotten or mistaken for al
II other.