Year: 1873

as quaint old Herbert expresses it,
TO tumble up and down my chest
And see what my soul doth wear.
! IT was the avenue which made me take
the house nobody's avenue in particular,
yet it seemed to belong to each one of the
small group OF cottages to which it led
from the high road 1t had existed as
a sort of lane before the cottages were
| thought of, and great trees had had time
to grow up in leisurely way and meet
overhead.


A long gate closed it in at night from
| the snares of the outer world, and gave
greater sense OF security to the lonely
spinsters and timid widows who lived in
the cottages.


On this night a thick mist embodied the
trees and me as with sombre garment,
and the remark of one of our old neighbors
when she heard our destination came back
to me like bird of ill-omen: "Going to
Dovccotes Then you will live and die an
old maid No one ever goes there but
the doctor to make them sick, and the
| lawyer to write their wills. 1t is too far
| from the village to walk, and too near to
make it worth while to ride"
| She evidently spake not without knowl-
| ttSt 'tl'l NCtiitN ltii lllt ilullC Iilc pOlHl
that was wrapped up in it. 1t had fear
| full sound to be an old maid all my days,
| for Old maids DO live immensely long
lives, having neither great Joys nor great
SORROWS to wear out their bodies. 1t al
most seems that, with little more effort.
! they might live forever. | was twenty
two years old, and no love passage had
ever been mine If one must be an old
| III la.
| have a few old love letters and a bunch
of dried flowers to turn over in Winter
evenings. 1t was an old familiar track
in my mind; my thoughts travelled it
often


The hour was not very late, but the fog
made darkness that might be felt. Sud
denly heard voices near me, but whether
in front or following it was impossible to
| tell, as distinguished no footsteps.
II fear we have made a mistake" said
a woman's voice, trembling in spite of a
hard tone in it. eff you cannot bear with
me while we are lovers, what will become
OF me by and by? ?"


ut is only when we are alone that |
| should ever suspect that we are lovers" :"
| relelned n masculine voice.


"Yon were willing that our engagement
| Sh0ulu he Kept 4 secret"


eyes, because you besought me so
anxiously. but your manner to other men
is 50 utterlv-utterlv-"


"Don't hesitate for u word. I assure
| You ] can endure it. My manner is So


"Unenga@ed ! would say, to put it very
mildly


''Perhaps it is better that my condition
should fit my manner


''Perhaps You can change that
manner"


81 could no more do that than the
| leopard could change his spots | have
loved YOU well, but that is no reason why
we should marry, suppose"


''Is it not 2''


con none whatever. hear some one
coming. Here is the ring you meant for
fetter. Goodnight and good bye"


A woman ran by me so closely that her
| skirts brushed mine, and the fog lifting q
little at the same moment. | saw the out
line of man take his elbows from the
| long gate on which he had been leaning,
and STOPPING down seemed to be looking
| for something on the ground. Then he
| hurried away toward the village, and, as
Bunyan says Of his pilgrim 81 saw him
| no more"


| felt like a person blindfolded, who
has been tormented with other peoples
secrets against his will. leaned my own
arms on the gate until the fog cleared
away, and soft, wavering moonlight
| fell on the trees. which seemed to whisper
together about the very secrets that ]
shared with them


In crack between post and bar some
thing cleaned in the moonlight. picked
Out a ring, the ring which one had thrown
away in her angry haste, and which the
other had looked for in vain. 1t was u
violet formed of small sapphres, with a
diamond in the centre.


carried it home and tucked it INTO the
furthest corner of my upper drawer, and
for Il month | pondered it IN my heart
looked eagerly for all notices under the
head of ''Lost and Found" Vast hordes
OF dogs seemed to have gone upon their
travels about that time; mutfs and bonds
and other small matters were entered to
return, and no questions asked but no
one had lost ring. | composed with
infinite pains at least dozen ADVERTISE
ments, which should delicately convey to
that outline of a man that his ring might
be recovered if he desired it. I said no
word to my aunt with whom | shared
the cottage and all other worldly gOods)
OF my adventure in the avenue. If she
had ever had any nonsense about Ii er, it
had entirely worn off before my time. She
would have sought for the owner of the
ring in the same straightforward and ex-
haustive way as if it had been q stray hoe
found in our garden. Those two lovers
would have been forced to stand and de-
liver their names and their secret within
week.


Aunt Hester had brought me up in the
same way that she did everything else
She never forgot to wind her clock on
every seventh day, and she never failed
to give me good measure of home COM
fort, but ii was not pressed down nor run
ming over. | gave her honest liking and
respect without any love, and she never
missed it. Nevertheless it gave me ter
rible shock when hervigorous life was sud
denly arrested by a stroke of paralysis.
Our only servant in her fright was help
less as her mistress, but Miss Purdy, who
lived next door, came in to stay with my
patient while | ran through the midnight
darkness down the avenue and the long
village street for doctor. DR.. Gilmore
was the name on the first door that had a
light behind it. At the first pull of the
bell the handle came off in my hand, and
| opened the door and found myself in
the office. The doctor lay on lounge
sleeping heavily, as if he had Just thrown
himself down after hard days work.
called to him in vain, and finally laid
violent hands on him. He must have
been dreaming some fearful thing, for he
seized my wrists in wise and roared
"Now have your before he opened his
eyes.


"You are mistaken, doctor; it is | who
have you" I said laughing. He released
my wrists and sat up with eyes very wide
open


"And what are you going to do will
me?" he asked