| Show ues aes se J MRS 01 n siby f E S 1 copyright and kobert bonner sons f s s as a ss s i eleanor looked iad kiy ant and then was a becom lib blish on her cheek as she turned to nod farewell over hei t tot ruthers had closed the front door and they were descend ng the steps as i estyl sh dogcart drawn by a maa ent looking pair of baas blattel ed plowdy up the street the flush on eleanor s cheeks became a deep red with a glance she had realized that the oung man who held the rem was owen page he ft as looking inquiry bigly at the numbers and now as he drew up before the house he lecog jibed her and sprang down from the vox I 1 hope I 1 am in time to catch you ne said as they bands will vou do me the honor of with mea I 1 hal come to ask ou for an instant eleanor hesitated then she said I 1 am very sorry mr page but I 1 have promised to wall with mr struthers this atte we were just starting in fact as s ou drove up the two anen exchanged looks and there was an awkward pause which atas broken by her adding mr struthers therb th s is mr page a friend of my aunt s and mine they bowed I 1 regret exceeding that I 1 should be so unlucky said owen page with evident chagrin I 1 shall hope to be more fortunate another time I 1 beg that you will not allow me to interfere with yo ir pleasure miss baldwin we can walk another day exclaimed struthers in a tone that as gentle lut almost sad eleanor looked aiom one to tha other and uncomfortable as the sittia tion was clotild not help being struck by the contrast in their appearance owen page wore a perfectly fitting dark drab coat adorned by a big but bouquet the stand ng collar that encased his his closely cropped whiskers and short pointed auburn beard and his tan colored daiv ing gloves were equally trim and in keeping with his well appointed equip age the horses of which were now held by a irreproachable groom beside him mr struthers in nondescript pepper and salt looked commonplace and sober again she seemed to hesitate I 1 cannot go with you both she said with a smile and I 1 think an engagement Is an engagement mr page I 1 must ask you to excuse me this afternoon A moment later owen page had mounted to his seat and raising his hat rather gravely he drove his pair down the street glancing at struth ers eleanor observed that he was standing gazing after him with an absorbed air that seemed far from happy are you she asked gayly opening her parasol she was conscious somehow of ela alon why did you not go with hima he i ed quietly did you wish me to go with hima I 1 did not wish you to feel bound to go with me lou will have to put up with me now she said with a smile I 1 am afraid you think I 1 am un grateful then he said with marked directness it would have been grievous disappointment to me she made a little curtsey who is that gentleman miss bald wina mr owen page then she added I 1 have seen him quite frequently at my abunta and elsewhere he Is very rich I 1 believe and he owns a yacht and a great many horses and er is much interested in farming oh the melancholy in struthers tone struck eleanor in her reply she had spoken half ironically without exact ay meaning to do so it had suited her mood which had become buoyant and bow her companion s mournful ejaculation seemed to her very funny why should he be mournful what as owea page to him or he to owen page it she had forsaken him for iker page there might have been ground for gloom but here he was walking with her as he desired and yet his humor had changed in a moment from cheerfulness to dejection what was the reasons she was conscious herself of being in the best of spirits what a lovely day it was and how agreeable the air with its bracing suggestion of au dumn she felt like flying or since that was denied her like talking vol oh mr struthers St uncle phin approves entirely and he thinks that he knows of a position in another month I 1 hope to be hard at work we had just finished talking about it when you came in at her words struthers seemed to start as one awakened from a maze I 1 congratulate you be said but you do not approve 7 on the contrary I 1 do heartily there was so little enthusiasm in your tone that I 1 was doubtful can you expect me to be enthuse aftic that you are going awaya thai was very prettily said mr struthers prettily said I 1 am not a man to make pretty speeches miss baldwin I 1 am very much in earnest I 1 he stopped short in his eager delivery and after an instant added softly excuse me I 1 have na right to bore you with my own emotions bore mea you could not do that I 1 think eleanor answered awed by his serious tones into soberness on her own part for some minutes they walked in balence traversing the stretch of side walk that lay between them and the park when close to it he suddenly turned and said there Is something I 1 wish you to hear miss baldwin I 1 will wait until we are where we can talk freely whereupon he led the way into the park and along the main avenue at ithe first opportunity he branched oft into a with which he ap speared to be familiar when they were sheltered from probability of interrupt inter rup t on he slackened his pace and said pointing to a bench shall we sit herec eleanor seated herself she had divined from his manner what was brewing and she would lain have pre vented him from speaking but it ws obi s that he was determined to hai e his say he was stand ng be 01 e her with bands still clasped 1 1 his back his fafe reflected grave resolution his ees ere bright with the stress of excitement still the voice in which he now began was composed though clear A fortnight ago miss baldwin I 1 did not know of your existence to day is ro one in the world to ward whom I 1 feel as I 1 feel toward you I 1 am a young just startling in life poor and struggling without influence and dependent solely on my own endeavors in order to make my way I 1 am well aware that a woman such as you can afford to be ent to the love of a man 11 e me I 1 remember well that on the first even ing of our aca acq an evening every moment of wh ch is precious to my you said that you would make none but a brilliant match moreover what have 1 to offer you except poverty 7 even if ou would we could rot venture to be married for I 1 have not the means with which to support ou lou see I 1 recognize the hopelessness of ane situation and yet I 1 am bold or fatuous enough whichever you may call it to tell you of my love to tell you what a bliss ful ln flunce your presence and so biety have been to me during these t vo short weeks I 1 told you on that same first evening that I 1 had never been in love I 1 know now both its rapture and its sh I 1 know too how the gall of jealousy can in an instant blot happiness from the heart and bleach the glory from the sun shine you are going away far away very likely and in another fortnight I 1 can scarcely hope to be remembered well ou have my secret one which I 1 did not intend to part with and the worst of it Is the telling of it cannot aadil me as I 1 well understand As struthers finished he seated him self on the bench beside eleanor and covered his face with his hands for a few moments she was silent then she said you may be suie of one thing mr not easily torget you this fortnight has been a very pleasant one to me and largely because of your presence I 1 am very very sorry that you feel as you do and that I 1 cannot help you I 1 am your friend but it Is not love that I 1 feel tor you I 1 had no idea that ou loved me iso I 1 have merely opened my heart to you because I 1 could not help it stall I 1 shall never give up hoping against hope he added lifting his tear dimmed ees to hers you spoke once of your life work and asked if I 1 would ever give up mine for the sake of a woman my life work for the fu ture Is to win your love only tell me truly before I 1 cease to trouble you he went on that there Is nd one else whom you love there was something in the look of that man who came to take you t drive with him that forced the irod into my soul and made me feel that I 1 had in him a rival does he love yon you cannot deny it I 1 see I 1 do not love mr page I 1 shall never marry him even if he asks me thank you for that and now all that remains for me Is to make the most of myself to win a name and fortune and success in order to der myself in some measure worthy to be your husband I 1 shall hope you cannot prevent me from that and the day may come when I 1 shall dare to to ou again of my love which time will only make stronger and deeper I 1 see you shake your head that will not deter me some day I 1 shall win you from yourself again eleanor shook her head sadly it Is true she said that I 1 cannot prevent you from hoping against hope but I 1 fearn you that it Is at your peril poor aunt emma she has done her best to win me from myself why should you hope she asked with a sweet smile to succeed when she has failed r CHAPTER XV five years had slipped away one autumn afternoon not long after her return from the seaside mrs stagg was sitting in her drawing room be side the low table from which she had dispensed tea to five clock visitors there had been several of these but the last bad just gone and it was late to expect more she had taken ad vantage of being alone to fill a cup for herself from which she was sip ping meditatively time had been for bearing toward her she was compla bently conscious that few women with a daughter nearly old enough to enter soc ety could boast of so good a figure and such a generally youthful effect but her present reflections concerned neither her appearance nor her daugh ter AS she set down the empty cup she gave a long sigh as a sort of out let for her feel and glanced at the clock while she was saying to herself that it was late for her bus hand he entered the room ah cherub I 1 am behind time Is the tea cold I 1 have only this instant finished mine when he was comfortably dished with a smoking cap emma said who do you suppose has been here like most men harold had no tate for guessing he merely stirred his tea and waited owen page she continued they got back a week ago he is looking well not i day older and he says that his ife has entirely recovered horn the eff acts of the ro man fever how long have hey been three years the sailed a fort plight after the were married you remember and bae been there ever since he sas that the exception 0 his wife s illness everything j i ads run as as ana that they child not have had a pleas anter exper ence whenever I 1 think harold I 1 at t have been el canor instead ct her I 1 declare that I 1 feel 1 e screaming harold stagg whose movements mentally as well as physically were slightly more del berate as the result of a few inches of extra g rth stirred what was left of his tea and drained it then as he handed back the cup ed yoi might cream yourself black ao 10 the face and you t help it lowi emma shook her head despondently ou levei did understand old understand my feel on that matter you never truly sympathized what matter 1 eleanors revisal to accept owen page it was madness sheer sheer madness as f 1 av a d fifty times betche you have my dear what Is the use of reviving it for the fifty firsta As to my lack of sympathy that is a new charge did I 1 not represent to eleanor in the most solemn language that such an opportunity may not occur again may not it could not I 1 do not believe there ever was a girl who had so good a chance and who threw t away so idiotically I 1 remember what you said perfectly well you let her see though that you were not going to interfere I 1 coulden couldn t compel her to marry him it she dian didn t choose to no but you could have put your foot down and declared that sue should not leave us I 1 was willing to trust to time it she had not been allowed to go to that tearful college I 1 am conal dent that she would have married owen page within a year well as you say I 1 am a fool to bother my head about her I 1 washed hands of her biye years ago oh no you dian didn t cherub you pretended to but you coulden couldn t you will always have a soft spot arf your heart for her I 1 did my duty by her it ever worn an did emma answered with non committal sternness then with quick perception she added Is that letter from hera harold had taken out a letter from his pocket while she was speaking yes he said she wishes me to pay her a visit at her college what do you mean to be continued |
