Year: 1879

most precious offering TO which every noble
hearted man entities himself-a woman's
heart.


81 have seemed very happy tonight, Mr..
fitzallan," she began in quiet low tone,
the torn leaf trembling in her hand and the
color dying out of her face "but ] am in
great trouble"


"lndeed I am sorry to hear it.8 He
drew little nearer, listening attentively,
and helping her now and then by word Of
encouragement.


Her story was a simple one. She was TO
be married next month TO her cousin, Mr..
Hawkesbury. She had dreaded it all her
life but it was her fate And then taking
courage from the respectful and almost pa
ternal demeanor of her listener, she made
the frank confession that she disliked her
cousin just because she was forced to marry
him; and to this she added such childlike
entreaty not TO be thought "too bad" that
it must have required more than ordinary
self-control for Fitzalan not TO say something
that would have allowed the scene to become
tender one but this he seemed determined
to avoid, and in her simple way the sadly
perplexed girl was pouring out her hearts
trouble to him.


"Will you speak for me to Mr.. Selwyn,"
she said, as you are an old friend of his ?
| cannot reason as men do, but / want you
to try If there is any way of release for me.
Pray forgive me if | am wrong in asking
your interference, but am very wretched"
here came burst of tears that must have
tried the listener sorely-" and / myself
have so often spoken to Mr. Selwyn, and it
is no use. He always says my fathers will
must be carried out, and oh how | wish
could do it,"


at must be done, if possible" Fitzallan
said "But it would not be your fathers
will to mar the happiness of your life or to
put you in bondage"


like that" said the girl sadly.


"Well, ! shall have talk with him. said
Fitzallan, sand do my best for your hap
piness, though | would be sorry to injure
Hawkesbury's prospects.


After that night Madge waited in anxiety
to hear the result of Fitzallans parley with
her guardian. Three days passed and note
came from him, only few words. saying
that he had succeeded at least so far as to
win promise that the matter should be
considered. But Madge saw little good
coming of Mr.. Selwyn's !" considering" what
seemed to be decided irrevocably long ago.
At last it was the eve of her birthday; to-
morrow would be the dreaded day, and that
very morning Mr. Selwyn had said to her
gravely, but tenderly:


"My child, it has been the work of many
years for me to see to the fulfilment of your
fathers last wish. He was my best and
dearest friend, and his life was sad one.
At least his dying will must be done. But
promise you happiness-I do, indeed"


But beyond that day Madge was unable to
bear her hearts burden. al must tell him
h. ~ pal. kh@,, T. ga
twilight, some time after Mr.. Selwyn had
returned home, she found him asleep in his
armchair in the dark dining-room. But
little daylight came in between the red cur
tains, and it was only the glow of the fire
that showed her his white hair and long
beard. She knelt beside him, as she often
did for talk when he was in that chair, and
she woke him by stealing her hand into his.


"Who is it-Gerty? No, Madge-my
little Madge that is to be so patriarchal to-
| morrow"


"Papa Selwyn," she began, not giving
him time to joke any more, lest she might
not be able to disclose all her troubles, "I
want to tell you something, and you won't
be angry, will you, no matter what it is 2"
81 am quite sure" he said " nothing can
make me anything but as deeply in love
with my second daughter as a poor old fel-
low like me can be. Why, child, l am
under cloud all day because to-morrow-as
soon as to-morrow-I can be Papa Selwyn
no more, and Madge will be thinking about
nobody but her cousin"


"No, indeed !" cried Madge, impetuously !;
"you will be Papa Selwyn always-always /;
and don't care for my cousin bit"


But her guardian shook his head gravely.


"My dear, you will marry your cousin"
Eha ra1fs fsrlN ha1 ,aI 1N,,v anI
Madge had courage enough to blurt out with
an effort the few words


81 can't marry Jack, because / ought to
love my husband, and l can never care
enough for him. Or, if must be engaged
to him tomorrow here there was great
sob" Mr.. Fitzallan is very good and kind,
and don't want to hurt him-but he must
go away"


"My poor child" he said 81 know your
secret. Bravely said my little Madge, my
bonny girl You have had the truth out
and done nobly. You are worthy of the
man that is to have you, and that is saying
a good deal" Then raising her head gently,
he bade her listen, for he was going to tell
her secret in return for hers When she
heard it she waited with wide, wondering
eyes while he told it second time, for she
could not believe in her Joy. AS you know,
Madge," he began, "most people in this
world have more cousins than one." And
then he went on to explain to her that Her.
bert Fitzallan was very distant cousin, and
that it was to him her father wished her to
be married. Fitzallan's father had been the
companion of his labors, and Herbert had
been loved by the dying man as a son. for
Herbert was twenty when little Madge was
an orphaned baby of four. "You ask what
ahn oil hat
was my clever trick upon Madge. / never
said you were to marry Jack. told you of
your fathers wish, brought Jack here, the
only cousin you knew and praised his
good qualities-which were fine enough,
can tell you, and appreciated by young
lady not far from here. | knew that way


ward heart of yours, and knew that wo-


man should not marry without real love,
and great deal of it, too. So / left my
darling open to the idea that Jack was to


be the lucky fellow and she did just what
! and all sensible folks expected-almost
hated Jack and her doom. Then I took


care that the man you were meant for--who,
my dear, has the best and truest heart in the
world-should come in the way just at the
right time and show an interest in you. So
have not succeeded and made my Madge
choose her fathers choice with her own


free will As for Fitzallan, he is all impa-


tience for tomorrow and he would have
told you the secret at that ball the other
night, when he says that he was put to a
desperate trial. but he had promised me
never to disclose it till we were quite sure of
success Well, you are happy now, Madge p


"My dear, good father How can love
you enough ?" was all she could say when
she felt his arms around her in that moment
of fulfilled desires, and his lips pressed her


forehead in fatherly affection now that his
: long solicitude was at an end and his hard
, task well done.


That very night Madge, scarcely able to


realize her joy, was betrothed to Herbert
Fitzalan, who, when once the secret was
disclosed, would not wait another hour.
"Have | not waited years ?" he said
"All my time abroad was waiting, and
then | came back and found my Madge
more than ever had dared to hope"
But Madge in her new freedom did not
forget poor Jack. Indeed, she was almost
in trouble about her unkindness to him
when she heard that he had been only play.
ing part, bearing all her teasing, and being
purposely ungracious whenever she grew
kind, But Gertrude consoled her effectu-
ally on that score, by telling another secret
4 r..