Year: 1875

to each about the other, driving them
further asunder.


All the cnnsonance of their life was
lost it became a iarring. discordant
strain. They we're rushing to the
very brink of ruin. Yet about her
all this time were his thousand little
kindnesses, making her life perfect in
luxury.


One day, after one of her desper-
ate outbursts, he said in his cold, in
cessive tone, Lucille, life has become
hateful"


The blood rushed back upon her
healt as she replied: Divorce can dis
serer eren mind from mind!


Her tone was strange, even to her
own ears. She said afterward to her.
self, in great despair, that it was not
she, but that outside relentless power
speaking through her.


He started, reeling where he stood
his low, quiet voice shaken, broken !:


Divorce, Lucille and instantly
left her.


She started as if TO follow him, in
a sort of wild terror, but when she
opened the door he was not in sight !;
the hotel hall was still and empty
She closed it, and was alone.


The long evening passed, and the
night. She spent it in their parlor,
waiting to let him in if he should
come, for he was obliged to pass
through it in order to enter his apart
ment, as the hours passed she was
seized with Il wild terror. Perhaps
he would never come. She had made
his life hateful; perhaps he had ia
ken her at her word, and left her for
ever. And into her heart came a
craving to hear his voice, to see his
face, if but once again.


The night passed, and another day,
then another night, and another day,
still he did not come; and in this
time this craving grew stronger, un-
til the woman said to herself, in ter
rible conviction, "Iloue him."


The evening of the third day came.
AS he looked at her the blood rushed
to her brow, her very lips quivered
with gladness that he had come. He
went almost directly to his own room.
She buried her face in her hands He
must not find her out. TO him it
was mind and mind. She trembled
at the thought of his infinite scorn
He asked her intellect, not her love.


The next day he told her they were
going home; utterly ignored those
terrible words of hers :--Diuorce can
disserer eren mind from mind' Did
not ask her if she wished to go; sim
ply asserted the fact.-Lucile, full of
terror at being alone again with the
man whom she loved objected, say
ing, timidly, that she could remain
few months longer with their friends
if he wished to 80.


lie said, in low quiet tone:


Lucille, the steamer sails one
week from to>day"


Thus they had taken passage, and
we're separated from the dear friends
who in their love of gossip had serv
ed to WIDEN the breach.


1t was their first day out. With
the consideration that had all this
time surrounded her, he had kept her
on deck to avoid seasickness.- All
day long she had shrunk into herself,
chilled in his quiet presence, and Ia
king stealthy glances at his cold, inn
mobile face. At len ,th it was even
ing The March air was raw and
chill. She, wrapped in furs, did not
feel it; he, for all his heavyi coat,
was cold. She saw it, although he
ignored the fact, setting his lips in
their firm way that showed he would
not brook the mastery Of any suffer
ing, whether mental, moral or physi
cial. With every percept've faculty
intensified by his new love, instantly
she discovered this. She clasped and
unclasped her hands in the nervous
way that had become her habit, then
said, with morbid horror OF breaking
the long continued silence:


1--WE had better go below"


"If YOU can content yourself, you
are better of here :" and he drew his
hat lower and folded his arms.


If she could content herself: al
ways that cynical tone. The angry
blood rushed to her cheeks. She be-
gan impetuously:


"You know it is not that, but she
stopped abruptly.


"But what ?"


The anxious thought was put into
Indifferent conventional words;


81 thonght the cold was inconveni-
encing you


There was skeptical curve to his
lips. ;.


Thank you for your consideration, ="
he said, with cutting sarcasm. She
bit her lips; her eyes were full of
tears. He looked past her and be-
yond her, did not see them.


The night was dark; the clouds
hung low the sea was heavy; a
mighty waste of black, turbulent wa
tiers. Occasionally the moon burst
through a rift in the clouds, serving
only to intensity the terrible gloom
that folio we'd. At each of these times
size searched his face, with growing
terror at its paleness. The fright
ened anxiety at length became unen-
durable. There was a moments IN
certitude, then drawing OF her fur
cape, she arose and threw il over his