Year: 1879

/


right-would drive away the strange


sunshine that was beginning to paleIy


glimmer over that barren life-aye,


and send that Door heart back to its


hopeless Imprisonment with a new


stamp of shame and wrong upon it.


And Dinnent was already in sight


And here were Mrs. Rowe and her


two daughters walking towards them


up the hill!


The buxom matron hailed them


with loud and hearty greeting-was


glad to see the invalid looking so we'll,


and hoped DR.. Hardy was not over


working himself.


"And upon my word, Miss Ray"


went on the wears widow. accustom-


ed to plan and control, "Now we've


met you, | think we may as we'll go


back with you to Briar Cottage, for


want to ask your father a question


about my life insurance. If you can


get down here I'll take charge of you


to your home. You can lean on me


as much as you like; and that will


spare DIR. Hardy driving out of his


way to set you down at your gate; for
I'm sure he looks as if he needed his


tea!'


"Won't you come home with me
now?" said Lydia, rather piteously, to
the doctor, as he instantly prepared to
alght. She knew nothing of the
ways and manners of lovers, so that
she was not hurt by his alacrity in
parting from her. But she felt fright
ened to meet her father and sisters, to
whom she felt it was her bounden
duty at once to announce the strange
and momentous change in her exist
ence. I'LL come in this evening" he
said huskily, sin about an hours
time" 1t seemed impossible to break
the truth to her here and now: it
would be easier when she was resting
on her own little couch in her own
shady parlor.


He hurried on to his own home.
His stable-boy wondered what was the
matter with him when he flung him
the reins without his usual word and
joke. His mother was out, had gone
to take tea with a neighbor; and the
surgery was full Of people-tedious,
worrying people, with chronic neu-
ralgias and indigestion. DR.. Hardy
could find neither the sympathetic
society which soothes nor the solitude
which strengthens; yet, had his
mother been at home, he doubted if
he could have told her Of his dilemma,
its ludicrousness was SO patent, its
pathos was so subtle. She would GER
tainly have laughed, and somehow a
laugh would have Jared him. And
he fancied she might have made some
severe remarks on Lydia Ray, and
they would have Jared him still more.
Besides, he had no right to share this
trial with anybody. He and Lydia
must get through it by themselves.
Women must forgive him that he did
not remember this at once. 1t only
escaped his mind, because, being
man, he did not fully realize how dis
graceful it is for woman to be ready
to fall in love!


He dismissed the last grumblind old
woman from the surgery, hastily
swallowed a cup Of tea, and then set
off to Briar Cottage. He would not
give himself time to think. 'The
best operations are often done I'M
promptu," he said to himself.


As he turned into the lane where
The cottage stood, there was Mrs.
Rowe, not hundred yards from its
gate, in full conversation with the
greatest gossip in Dinnent, and both
we're laughing heartily. "Was it pos
,ible ?"-but no, he would not believe
t, and pushed forward manfully, in
lending to pass the ladies with wave
IF his hat and a brief "good evening"
But they both held out their hands to
lim.


Let us wish you joy, doctor" cried
Mrs. Rowe, in a voice strong enough
% reach Mrs. Simeon, who was water
ng the flowers in her garden hard by
Let us wish you Joy. But you have
given us turn for all that. You've
put us quite on wrong scent! And
20 see how grave you looked this after
noon, as if all the poor sick babies and
were weighing on your
mind. But why did you let me sep
arate you? I've had a courting time
myself, doctor, and | have feelings.
Poor thing! [ noticed she was trem-
bling like leaf; and when | led her
n, | said to Eliza, Take her away to
lie down awhile And in five min
1tes' time Eliza came down and told
Is all the news"


Now, what could DR.. Hardy do?
Could he tell Lydia's blunder to these
;wo amused women, before she even
knew it herself? Perhaps he could
scarcely do better than he did, which
was to say quietly


THANK you, ladies; am sure you
will excuse me from any delay"


"Oh, certainly" they both said.
And he felt they turned and watched
lim as he went on.


"That's not love- observed the
gossip. Hes thinking of old Rays
Perhaps he's in some diff
,ulty-one never knows"


poor fellow!' said Mrs. Rowe.
He doesn't know what he's doing.
Money may pay for the Goals, but it
loes not warm a hearth, for all that.


When the little servant of Briar
Cottage opened the door, he saw she
knew all about it. Jane met him
IN the hall, and she intended her words
10 be cordial, but her tone was acid as
she said,-


"Well, Dr. Hardy, he never expect
ed this"


Again he could not bring himself
TO respond Neither did l." He had
a vision of Lydia, lonely, weeping, ut
terly humiliated beneath the SCOTS
and ieers of these two cold, hard sis
ters. He even had vision of a new
name on the Ray tombstones in Din
nent churchyard. He was soft
hearted fellow. And he was not vain.
It was not from any sense of his own |