Year: 1873

out she VIII not DIR. Elliott. She
says that she knew he was light and
changeable when she accepted him; it
was for that reason chiefly that she hest
tated before; and when at last his impor-
tunities prevailed, and she promised to be
his wife, she promised also to trust him
through good and Ill report, to be patient
and true TO him even when he seemed un-
true to her, and never to leave him till he
should bid her do so; and so, DR.. Elliott,
she will not even write TO him again lest
she should seem distrustful or exacting;
neither will she let any one say word Of
blame of him; and all the time it is kill
ing her"


| saw it was; and from my heart |
cursed the nature which could wantonly
lntilct such pain on the trusting woman
hood of her who loved him. More, | did
persuading her daughter to write once
again to her neglected. lover, if only to
give him an opportunity of explaining his
silence or asserting his freedom


1t may be that he is offended at some
thing" | said "some lovers trifie which
a word from her could blow away; or it
may be that he is anxious to force her to
break of the engagement. The worst Of
men, Mrs. Quincy, will hardly have cour-
age 10 say to a Iady, i am tired of you
60 your way and let me 90 mine They
reserve that form of speech for their filter
feminine compeers; and though their
treatment of both is to all intents and pur-
poses alike, they retain sufficient grace or
shame to prefer trying, by neglect or cold
ness, to provoke the lady into giving them
their congo, rather than make the coup on
their own account. In either case, per-
suade Miss Gurney to write; it will posi-
bly, be for her dignity, certainly for her
happiness"


In the end the letter was written-hOw
gently and tenderly, all who knew her ma
ture could guess; and for the next ten
days Kate Gurney went about among her
poor people with a hectic spot in each
thin cheek, and dry, burning eyes, whose
feverish hunger it half broke my heart to
see.


Ten days, and no answer came.


was dining there one night, and had
not gone when the last post came in,
bringing a sounding knock at the door
which made us all start. She had been
very pale, very quiet, all the evening; but
for once her patience failed her. With
hasty word Of apology she rose up from
her chair and went out to the hall. We,
left behind, could hear through the closed
doOT-the sharp click of the letter-boX, fol
lowed by a minute Of total silence; then
one hOarse, smothered cry-"Oh, nv God,
my God - and heavy fall.


She was lying face downwaTds on the
ground when we Went out the letter
crushed in her hand, and no life or move
ment in the Nlank white face and rigid
limbs. | carried her upstairs to bed, and



appearance dead as an unburied corpse.
Even when the strong remedies Of one of
the first London physicians, Joined to my
unremitting care, had brought her round
in some degree, the only sign of life she
gave was a low, heavy moaning before
sinking back again into unCOnsciOusness.


DR.. AlbatToss told me, in confidence, he
thought Miss Quincy had got her death
blow; and my heart echoed the sad fore
bOQing for hate's mother, in her heavy
trouble, had given me that crumpled let
ter and my blood boiled as | read the few
words in which a heartIess libertine had
crushed out this good and true-hearted
woman's life.


1t was not more than dozen lines,
headed with the Scarsdale crest, and writ
ten neatly and clearly, without one blot or
erasure. 1t must have been the fruit of
careful study, and have cost many rough
copies to have produced SO polished
work; and after beginning My Dear Miss
GuTney,' it went on TO say that much
grave thought of late, had shown the
writer that it would be unfair to persuade
his reader To leave her comfortable home
for the constant change and misery Of bar
rack life, under the disadvantages of an
income as wretchedly small as theirs
10. ID+ -,
Of conscience CD Obliged him to give her
back her promise, a resolution to which
he was the more compelled by the sense
of his own unftness from nature and cir
CumStances, to make Miss Gumev happy.
After which he added the usual stereo-
typed expressions Of regard and esteem
for the woman he was beraying, trusted
she would forgive him any pain or annoy
auce he might have caused her, and
wound up by signing himself, Yours
most sincerely" Good God, what bias
phemy0, Guy Scarsdele." "


And |, reading, wondered how He who
rules above could permit so utterly base
and worthless scOundreI to cumber the
ground; for if ever an honest man longed
to take such a coward by the throat, and
choke the wretChed life out OF him, | did
that day We put the letter behind the
fire that same night. 1t was not well
that, in the event of her recovery, Kate
Gurney should ever cast eyes on it again.


She lay between life and death for many
weeks, hardly touching food, at times
fevered and wandering; or else lying half
unconscious, or with closed eyes
and furrowed brow. During all that tine
/ never heard, even in her delirium, one
word ofanger against the man who had
wronged her All that ever reached our
ears was the first cry of agony, and now
and then the more pitiful reprOach,
Guy, Guy, how could you? Oh, love,
how could you:'-nothing more, not one
word


Before she was out of danger Mrs. Cur
ney broke down. Without her daughter
she was like feeble plant torn from its
stick. Indeed, even !, who knew SO well
Miss Gurney's quiet life of usefulness and
sympathy, failed 10 realize all she was TO
her weak and widowed mother, who hav-
ing leant on her husband till, like too
many Of our city clergymen, he dropped
and died in harness. worn cut by inces-
SAINT toll, had since his death clung with
like imDotent trust to her daughter, and
that prop also removed, had sunk at once.


From the day when Dr. Albatross told
her that in all human probability her
daughter would never walk forth in Gods
sunlight again, the helpless, harmless
woman broke down and faded away: and
the first thing that reused Miss Gurney to
the life still left her was the cessation of