Year: 1867

tle." she said. You are unWise to
|. give way to such excitable moods;
Lord Rutherford is not the nature to
stand it.


Il know that, and do not indulge
in them before him" [ replied.


But if you allow this habit to
grow, when you are married you will
not find the restraint easy" she ex-
claimed.


. I shall not trouble myself then !;
my husband must take me for what |
am, was my reply.


[ needed not Alice's firm You are
very wrong, Magdalen,p to make me
aware of the fact; but somehow that
evening | felt as if some great pres
own true nature, evil though it might
be-, would out.


l went out again into the garden,
to avoid continuing the conversation,
and to calm myself.


The next day [ watched anxiously
for letter,-for, truth to tell, | was
| particularly anxious that my wedding
should take place at the time named,
and if Lady Rutherford died [ knew
this could not be. But to my sur
prise, Eustace did not write for a
couple of days, and then only hur-
ried note to say his mother continued
i'll, but that he thought there were
still faint hopes of her ultimate re-
covery; he did not mention his re-
turn.


was disappointed; but at the same
time [ knew Lord Rutherford's cold
nature, and / therefore. comforted
myself with the thought that he prob
ably had not the gift of warm love-
letter writing. | was naturally of
lively disposition. and putting the
epistle in my desk, certainly troubled
myself but little about it, turning my
attention to such amusement as Eus-
tace's absence now gave me leisure to
join in.


Instead of confning myself to the
rectory garden, | went visiting
amongst the neighboring families,
and-alas for my weakness and idle
ness i-again fell into the company of
Guy Deveril. Since my engagement
to Lord Rutherford, | had done my
best to avoid Captain Deveril, feeling
that it was better for my own happi-
ness and also more pleasant to
Eustace. who, though he would not
stoop to outward demonstration of
jealousy, was one who [ knew would
brook no rival. Now that | had moth
ing to do, however, no one to be with
me constantly, the temptation was too
great for ME to resist, and, insensibly,
from meeting Guy in company, and
talking generally with him, | passed
on to stroliing with him apart from
others, and finally to tete-G- -tete ram
bles and moonlight saunterings, much
in the same free way which [ had
been wont to indulge In before my
bctrothal


Guy was more on a level with my
self than the stern intellectual Lord
Rutherford, and the effort | made to
comprehend and appreciate Eustace
was not necessary when | was with
the gay captain.


He loved pleasure. romance, poetry,
music, all that could give sunshine to
life, but which gives no help to wealth
er its storms, and | was Of the s. ne
light nature. His company charmed
me, his fattery charmed me. and that
gallant attention in little matters,
which Lord Rutherford would never
have thought of paying, charmed me.
But though | INDUCED my vanity and
love of gayety, my conscience was still
on the alert, and as yet | was faithful
IN my thoughts TO Eustace, and if he
had but returned then, as hoped and
expected, all might yet have been
well. All, how ntindeed might
my fate have been!


Days, weeks passed. couple of
months went by, and Lord Rutherford
only wrote that his mother fingered
still, but in such a state that from day
to day they expected her to breathe
her last. Our union he never men
toned; only once or twice did he
speak of his return; and though his
letters came regularly enough, and al
ways breathed affection, | began to
receive them as a matter Of course,
and to grow slowly less interested in
their contents.


| was little displeased with Eus-
tace at thus deserving me for his dying
mother, and the attentions of Guy
Deveril were therefore all the more
welcome; and [ know not whether by
design or not, just at that. time Guy
pressed them more assiduously than
ever, and whenever he could be he
was always beside me.


Alice shook her head, and. my faith
er looked grave; but l used to laugh
and say [ was dull without Eustace,
and should die if I had no one to help
me while away the time, or else | put
on an offended air. and with flashing
eyes asked them if they distrusted me.
My foolish pride made me obstinate;
l would not be reprimanded by Alice,
who spent her life In cutting out