Show forsaking all others afi by AMELIA CHAPTER VIII continued she fully believed in her own rea boning harvey was not so confident he did not understand mrs atherton s silence and complete withdrawal from the scene of action and phebea pas was inco apprehensible secretly he was dissatisfied with the position in which he was placed toward his tooth er and there were hours when he long for the old loving confidence that once seemed unassailable helen was quick to detect these booie and almost as quick to adissi pate them an arttus wore ne narration of an incident that put gladys in the guise of an oppressor and his spirit again rose rebelliously he was not a boy in leading strings to be am posed upon and eld in check even by his mother not he not he in bleed echoed helen and he held him self very erect as he caught delilah s cajoling look poor harvey and thought himself a fine independent fellow meanwhile gladys was undergoing one of the repulsions of feeling that are inevitable with mercurial persons who enjoy or suffer keenly after having for years considered only others she now thought little of any thing save herself and the plans late ly decided upon that would perhaps revolutionize her life and she and her two servants were busy every hour that she might the sooner carry them out slighted love will enable any proud woman to tree herself from a bondage of the affections and gladys was harder in her ariae than most tor her character was not tree from an alloy of vanity after a few days 0 strained grief she rose one morning pale but cheerful resolved to cast harvey from the innermost shrine 0 her heart and give him the place he had voluntarily chosen from that moment life took on a new aspect for her and slowly but surely the past began to recede into the night of things forgotten in the flush of her new hopes and schemes she seemed more like the girl of old than she had tor years she laughed and sang and darted about her rooms like a humming bird phebe said delight in her eyes she could not understand the suddenness and the completeness of the change there was no mercury in honest tom linson s mental make up but she dim ly comprehended that after an age of belt suppression gladys tree self was coming to the surface and a new era of feeling had begun one day helen received the long ex pecked summons to mrs atherton s room she was glad it had come at last nothing would be gained by idle talk but when everything was ex and definitely understood life would be pleasanter tor all concerned harvey missed his mother and for policy s sake a reconciliation was de it could be aas ly effected now that gladys had indicated a wish to come to terms and she obeyed the summons promptly determined to bring the interview to a successful issue as soon as possible she expected to find mrs atherton pale and weak with the inertia of an invalid but gladys convalescence had been rapid and she looked even bet ter than she had before her illness she was fully dressed and annette had arranged her hair in the latest style which chanced to be especially becoming to her delicate beauty even helen felt that it was absurd to affect to consider this radiant woman feeble or I 1 was not prepared to find you so well she said rather awkwardly when the greetings were over noa oh I 1 am quite myself again the rest has done me good and smoothed away incipient wrinkles answered gladys her tone was con vent lonal as it she addressed an ac I 1 suppose you know why I 1 have sent tor youa an old feeling of doubt kept helen silent she was no longer sure that ehe did know this fashionably dressed woman with the superficial cordiality of manner that holds others aloof more surely than the coldest re serve seemed a stranger to her she she was not of her world and the thought gave her an able sense of insecurity there seems to be a little difficulty about the household keys gladys re fumed I 1 understand that you wish to deliver them to me in person yes it you have fully decided to claim them said helen quickly but I 1 hope as does my husband that you will leave them in my hands I 1 am sure you will approve of my methods it you take the trouble to look into them I 1 detest petty details as you know you have been very kind to interest yourself in my affairs during my ill ness and I 1 hope you will oblige further by accepting this check tor gladys carelessly pushed the scrap of paper toward her caller and smiled as helen with involuntary eagerness took possession of it mur her thanks this closes the matter as far as I 1 am concerned that Is when you return the keys CHAPTER IX helen paused a few moments before answering I 1 really do not feel justified in re signing them until we have talked the subject thoroughly over mrs ather ton and come to an understanding concerning our general future this should have been done when my hus band came of age it is true you have told him that he has no direct claim upon your money but he is one of his grandfather s heirs and in passing him over the old man committed an act of injustice which we hope you are too honorable to perpetuate gladys bit her lip to prevent herself from making a sharp reply th s se t conscious young woman with her cut and dried platitudes and implicit be ilet in her own virtues brought every bit of evil in her to the surface no doubt you reason correctly from your of view but you are not informed concerning the facts he said calmly to return to the j matter in hand 1 Is absolutely feces sal for tomlinson to have the keys because I 1 am going to new york am mediately and there is packing to be done going to new york helen al most gasped in her surprise isn t the decision very yes it was made on the day har vey wrote me that note i ou of course remember it the ano looked at each other full each reading the thoughts of the other I 1 should probably have gone eventually however tor life Is too quiet for me her and I 1 ant to enter society again then your visit will be a long one I 1 hardly know when I 1 shall re turn helen looked relieved in that ease we need not go into anything that is past it you are go ing away the changes I 1 have made in the and believe me I 1 intended them tor the best will no longer affect you gladys smiled and the smile troubled her daughter in law exceed angly you do not understand the house will be closed when I 1 go and the ture sent after me I 1 do not care to keep up two establishments you intend to close the house helen cried yes saunders and his wife will have charge of it for the present the other servants to whom tomlinson has been paying board wages during my illness an unnecessary expense occasioned by your kind interest in my affairs will go to the city with me or follow me there do you mean to say that phebe took the liberty of paying wages to the servants I 1 discharged helen de banded her fine eyes oh no to the servants you dis with she aid not recognize your right to discharge them so you see that instead of lessening my ex benses by your considerate kindness yoa materially increased them for tuna tely it does not matter I 1 have plenty of ready money in hand nothing could be more careless than gladys tone she spoke as though she had scarcely a passing interest in the subject discussed and met helens amazed look with calm indifference I 1 can hardly tell you how much all this surprises and shocks me said the younger woman after a pause it would hae been only fair tor phebe to take me into her confidence and so avoid such wicked waste money is never wasted said gladys in a languidly philosophical tone wherever expended it does good to somebody the spendthrift 1 always a benefactor though he may not be his own we are apt to take a narrow view of this broad question and regard as wasted the good we do not individually enjoy none the less it fulfills its miss on somewhere more worthily perhaps than when with us helen looked bewildered to hear her butterfly talk in such wide measure there was no room in her neatly docketed brain for so large and impersonal a truth ohp felt she was not keeping the upper hand at this inter view so carefully arranged in ad vance and said ith less than her customary a trance I 1 can t b ie e yo i rea ly intend to shut up the ahnise mrs atherton what is to b cons co ns of harveya oh mv f ie d I 1 e ve him in your hands ou hiva sho n yourself so well able to maag I 1 is affairs that I 1 shall not even offer a suggestion under the circumstances the words were cruel but there Is a touch of the tiger in every woman outraged by in gratitude and injustice and gladys was very human helen could not speak she put her hand to her throat to still its telltale throbbing I 1 leave it with you to tell your hus band my decision gladys continued undisturbed by her silent rage he can readily find other quarters within a month phebe will remain here for a few weeks to superintend the pack ing of the furniture and close the house by that time you will be set tied somewhere the furniture in your own rooms and the nursery with harvey s pian 5 books pictures easel everything in bhart that he during his boyhood and youth I 1 regard as his and phebe will see that it Is sent to you I 1 think there is nothing more to be said A few moments of silence ensued then helen said in a choked tone so this Is your revenge this my reward don t waste words gladys broke in not talk fustian I 1 am only doing what I 1 should have done when harvey married I 1 wanted to go to the city then but I 1 had a foolish idea that I 1 was necessary to him and so re bained now I 1 find I 1 am not feces sary and count for nothing in his life I 1 intend to take myself out of it A man should forsake all others and cleave to his wife said helen piously do you know I 1 fancy you wor fulves construe that passage rather too literally 7 said gladys in the halt philosophical halt mocking way helen found new in her and which held her at an impassable dis tance no one will deny that when a man marries a woman he should forsake all other strange women and keep to the one he has chosen or who has chosen him but there Is no reason why he should forsake his kindred of either sex this harve u to have done however and he cannot complain when the forsaken follow his lead and is it possible that you have so ittle natural affection tor your only son that you can coolly leave him to poverty while you his mother are rolling in wealtha fustian again helen twelve hun dred dollars a year Is not poverty in rockville it Is a competence you are an excellent housekeeper you man aged your father s house on much less the color deepened in helen s face her father s limited means had always been a sore sio with her pr P r good sense however told her that it would be unwise to lose her temper you will make harvey an allow ancee you surely do not expect us to live on his salary I 1 expect nothing I 1 advise noth ing I 1 have not the right tor hence forth I 1 shall do nothing unless he should come to real want which Is almost impossible the events of the past year have convinced me that it Is better for him to depend upon him self and work for the money you both so much desire with your help he may eventually become rich man at the worst th san agle will be ally strengthening there wag no longer any ence in mrs atherton s tone she spoke seriously without anger yet firmly as one who through reasoning had reached a just and unalterable de cislon it Is true I 1 have money enough and to spare but the lonely days I 1 have er lured sirce harvey a lase lac suggested a probability long ago dis carded that of my own in view of it you can readily understand why even were there no other reason 1 prefer to keep control of my property helen s face was a study gladys aig imenes were unanswerable bit she could not wo id not believe that her own cause wes lost I 1 will bling harvey to you sha said faintly tris affair cannot be settled beav een you and me here are other things to be considered do as you please but my resolve precipitated by your own action Is traen however as I 1 leave early in the morning perhaps I 1 d better bid my son good by there Is no need of your being present at the in I 1 prefer to see him alone that you may poison his mind against mea cried helen instantly on the defensive no mrs atherton I 1 will not trust you with my dear bus band god who reads all hearts knows I 1 have tried to do my duty that I 1 have blundered Is be cause I 1 have been treacherously dealt with but I 1 will fight tor his rights to the last be careful you know not what you may do replied earnestly I 1 fiill at least try to undo the evil I 1 have done said helen a break in her voice and then she was gone and gladys with a fluttering heart await ed her return with harvey A great dread was upon her she felt that the hour she had foreseen all her life wag near at hand and the sacrifice ol 01 aars had availed nothing to be continued |