Year: 1876




stranger, assisting at a lovers quarrel.


Two persons had entered the room an
instant after had seated myself 1t was
twilight, and the lamps were not yet light.
ed. | was wholly invisible, and they evil
IDENTITY imagined themselves to possess the
solitude be!itting their conversation.


The farce may as well end here SAID
a woman's voice at the moment Of hel
crossing the threshold. ''For my part.
am weary of the play. | no longer love
you and will not pretend affection mere
ly to feed your vanity, which is as limit
less as your imperlinence in persisting in
attentions that you see | detest."


1t was the most intolerably proud voice
that could be imagined,


81 still love you, and you know it, And
l have far too much faith in your former
professions to credit the words put into
your mouth by the anger of an unfortunate
moment. You are utterly mistaken in your
suppostion. My love for you is always


"Iou1 love for me Your lore !" with
an accent of angry scorn that deiies de-
scription. "Neyer dare to mention to me
again a word that you can not comprehend
1t is an insult to me to hear tan insult
that will not endure. And to cure your
apprehension Of my repentance, let me tell
you that |, who know the meaning of this
word that you utter so glibly-I love some
one else"


She stepped swiftly to the window and
threw it open. There was an instants 81
lence. There was audible the rustic Of her
sleeve as she tossed something from her
with force.


81 have thrown your ring away" she
explained with a moncha}ance in extraor-
dinary contrast with her former violence
II threw it toward the cistern. Possibly
it has slipped through some crevice OF
other, and gone down into the water l
hope so. In that case it is impossible that
the sight of it can ever again insult me
with the remembrance that | have worn it
Permit me to wish you an exceedingly
good evening""


''lt was easy to imagine the mocking
reverence of the courtesy she now swept
him; then she was gone. Immediately
after and silently, he also left the apart
ment.


They did not go too soon, whoever they
We're. A cold perspiration dampened nay
forehead; l really trembled The vehe-
mence of the feelings engaged, the Ger
tainty felt by the actors of their complete
isolation, and my own innocent guilt in
ovcrhearing, all quite ovelpowered me.


Half minute did not elapse after the
last sound of the gentleman's footsteps be-
fore the parlor door again opened, and a
prim little woman entered, with lamp in
her hand. She looked in all the corners,
as one might search for & dropped pocket
handkerchief, and at last perceived the
new conner.


"Ah, MISS / have kept you waiting
quite time, to be sure But your aunt
took sudden notion to put mustard
draughts on her ankles-though DR.. Rich
ardson had just gone, and lie never
thought Of ordering them and have 'em
she must. And supposed you'd be COM
Portable here"


"Qulte comfortable. thank you The
servant said you would come presently d


"Well, you'd best have some tea before
you see your aunt. She told me to give
you some. | shall try to find something
you like though what with all these peo-
pie flying about the house that have got
no business here-this company. mean
i don't know whether am on my head
or feet"


| received the refreshments she brought
me gratefully, after which was conduct
ed to my aunt's room.


Consideration for the feelings of other
people was not one of the old lady's char
acteristics, and after few disparag ging
remarks on my personal appearance, |
was dismissed for the night.


The sun was just risen next morning
when | took courage to step outside and
look about me. The grass was very wet
with dew. but how it sparkled in that fresh
light! All at once | stopped and stared
before me. There, glittering in the grass,
lay ring. | stood like one fascinated,
gazing at it very foolishly, for knew well
what ring it was. Presently heard some
one calling far off, and not stopping to
think, | picked the ring up, and ran back
to the house, all trembling


At breakfast | endeavored to discover
the hero and heroine Of last evenings dra-
ma. Two of the ladies were sisters, tall,
languid blondes, very beautifully dressed,
and very dainty. They trihed elegantly
with their knives and forks, and carried
on airy summer-morning tlirtations with
two gentlemen, who were each dark, and, j,
like the ladies, dressed with care little
too exquisite. The third lady, Miss Hunt
lngdon, was little person, with soft,
pleasant, ylvacious manners, in whose
conversation was always a concealed sar-
casm. But it was far too Indifferent and
too good-natured to belong to the lady of
last night. Besides, her sweet mocking
voice was as different as possible from the
deep, passionate tones that had so thrilled
me. And of the four gentlemen present,
certainly not one at all resembled the por-
trait | had painted for my hero. | was
puzzled, and felt sadly guilty again as
thought of the ring lying all silently there
in my pocket, and carrying every where
with it a story which knew and had no
right to know.


Day followed day, and the days melted
gradually into weeks. When the novelty
of my position was over, it proved not
nearly SO terrible as it had seemed at first
Aunt Agnes said many harsh things, but
she did not mean them all, and the good
ness of her heart compensated in some
measure for the asperities of her tongue


l saw a great deal of Dr. Richardson
He was more than kind. He thought my
life lonesome and joyless. and brought me
hi'1iiy DoohS tuttI utu lOuSeu IOr, anu III
terested himself in little things that hap
pened, talking with me often, and always
leaving me happier than he found me.


But there was one thing that troubled
me much l sometimes fancied-and with
unaccountabe distress-that in Dr. Rich
ardson | had discovered the owner of the
ring. Certain tones of his voice pierced
me like a sudden pain, they carried me
back SO vividly to that unfortunate hour
in the dim little alcove. Yet when looked
into his face again, and into his eyes, SO
content. so frankly happy, this magma
ton melted into sweeter dream. But it
returned again and again, and always
with deeper pain.


The visitors found on my arrival were
long since gone. Miss Huntingdon lived
in the neighborhood; and it would, per-
haps. be proper to say that we were be-
come quite intimate, had not all the talk
and revelation been on her side. l, for my