Year: 1874

The Lost Wager.


(coSTISUED FRoX LAST WEEK.
. CHAPTER III.


The next morning found Waite
} punetual TO his engagement witt
: Eleanor, who greeted him, as always
calmly and sweetly. But he was {
different being from the Walter of the
night before there was something
almost too anxious in his tenderness
too iBsistant in his devotion |; ths
iabaadonmenL and overflow OF tn.
night before were gone. Instructive.
Iy she felt it, but said nothing, as wa:
her wont when feeling strongly ol
J keenly. What, indeed should SHE
say? There was nothing tangible tC
notice he was simply very sweet
very much dllI petits SoiJlS, with a de.
liberately devoted manner that she
could hardly bear.


But soon 3 change came, and all the
quietness and nonchalance went out
of his face. 1t came thus She said


"Walter, wonder If you will think
me premature in claiming my pFivi.
, leges +? have made an engagement
for you to-day, for this evening. ]
have to 60 to = small party at Mrs.
Rowell's, and could not bear TO lose
you altogether"


"That pleases me, dearest. / like
to feel that you think belong to you;
and then, too, have too few evenings
with you just now to spare one if ]
can help it," -


az thought You would like it too, u
said Eleanor, "for You will see there


Miss Manning, who is said to have
slain her tens Of thousands, and who
certainly must be q most-why, Wal
ter, what ails you? Are you III ?'


He had flushed q deep crimson as
she spoke, and now started abruptly
to his feet. mo, no, I'll get g glass
of water" and he left the room alb
truptly. In few moments he return
ed, quite himself again, and saying,
1.-THE heat, dearest, was too much for
me. will leave you and go to my
room for q while before we meet at
dinner. i shall be myself again by
the evening, and-you are right about
my liking to see Miss Manning. /
always want to see attractive women;
they are interesting as studies of
human nature, if nothing eise."


"G0 at once, my dearest Walter,
and will look for you at dinner.
You frightened me just now with that
intense flush"


So he went. Good need had be. to
be alone. His position had come
home to him in that instant, and for
the first time. He stood pledged to
expose himself to this wOman's
charms, and so il possible attract her
to himself I; for, though no eoxcomb
in the ordinary sense of the word, yet
Walter Gordon bad seen his power
over women too often not to know
that he could not come into contact
with Miss Manning, as he must per-
force do, and not run the risk of at
tracing her and yet he had prom
| ised to marry another woman, and
held her pledged love in exchange.


Before the evening came, Walter
had determined that he would go to
the club that night-the same men
would almost certainly be there-and
forfeit his wager, declare his position,
and say frankly and boldly, 81 am
not in q position to DO such thing
without disloyalty to the woman 1
love and dishOnor to myself" He
wished it could be done before the
evening came, but that was impos-
sible no, the ordeal must be gone
through, if indeed ordeal it was and
then he half persuaded himself that
Miss Manning after all would have
furnished him but q mediocre excite
ment, and played an imaginary fox to
her equally imaginary grapes, with
great comfort to himself.


Nevertheless, as he followed Flea
nor into Mrs. Howelps parlOr that
night, his heart fairly leaped into his
mouth, ahd he stood aside from the
little knot of men gathered atthe cor.
ner, which betokenedSthe presence of
the siren, with q sense of doubt and
hesitation long since strange to him.
But his hostess soon cut the Gordian
knot in twain by proposing to intro
duce him "to Miss Manning" with
significant emphasis on the name
and Gordon thought to himself as ne
threaded his way after her through
the rather overfilled rooms, "a wo-
man has need to be indeed charm
ing who can stand so much flour
ish of trumpets good wine needs
no bush, and Brooks was right in
what he said last night" Another
moment and the cabalistic words that
bridge over the ehssm supposed to
yawn, deep and impossible, between
8 man and woman of the upper class
until they have been uttered, were
pronounced by Mrs. Howell, and Wal
ter's eyes were upon the subject of his
already Iepented wager. She was
seated in q low chair, q man on either
side of her and two men standing in
front of her, TO whom Walter added a
third, Both Of these two had been
part of his audience the night before;
he felt their eyes and ears were open,
and his resolution for the moment fled
| from his memory. A coup de main he
saw must be made, or he would be ab-
surd, and he had never been absurd in
his life. Miss Manning had raised her
eyes to his at their introduction, and
then dropped them and half turned
away, to answer q remark made that
moment by one of the gentlemen seat
ed beside her. That moment gave
Gordon time to gather his forces. As
she turned again to him he said, "Will
You think me impertineDt If ] kneel
instead of standing? l will swear l
mean nothing by il, and there are so
many reasons against standing"
Then she smiled, the smile that had
made even Pierson enthusiastic and
pOetical. No wonder Walter thought,
"It's an inspiration" and so it was;
il made q mouth whose coarseness and
clumsy sensual lines one thought new
er could be got over, when one saw
her face in repOse, attractive, alluring,
and delightful to gaze upon. There
was magic in it, a magic that remain
ed when she spoke. A woman who
charms you bO her smile, and when
she speaks does not break the charm,
is a rare creature.


'iIf you please, Mr.. Gordon" she
said, ."Pm not unamiable, but l do
SO hate being made conspicuous, and
think you would make me terribly
So"


''No, indeed; will only kneel on
one knee, and there is such q crowd
no one will notice it,"


"Here, Gordon,n said Williamson,
one Of the seated adOTers, "you may
have my place; have some work to
do" In q moment Walter found
himself sitting beside Miss Manning,
and talking hard, talking brilliantly,
excitedly, as he had not talked for
L L4Onlu6s 4hCIC bCCACO
power in the woman to stimulate and
develop the gifts of those about her;
every one was always at his best with
her-a mental atmosphere analogous
to that of some favored climates
where travellers tell us they never
weary, are vigorous and joyous be-
yond their usual mark. Walter said
to himself, 81 cannot, 1 will not even
Craze her individuality; but L will
make her think me clever, make her
enjoy my society, at least for this
hour; so much may take" But he
was either blind or willful, and more
over reckoned without his host. Ma
riRn Manning was woman who
cared only for the essential part of
people. She felt instinctively that
Walter avoided being himself with
her, that he was fencing with her,
and she resented it and resisted it
with her whole nature. She strove
to make him cast aside his armor.