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Show ) j THE MAID af MAIDEN LANE 1 I . Sequel to 'Tho Bow of OrniiKC Ribbon." A HOVE STORY BY AMEUIA E. BARR (CopjrrlthU TOO, r Amelia K. liar?) CHAPTER VIII. (Continued.) Without a rfatitK'r without an erasure, this letter had transcribed Itself from Cornelia's heart to the small gilt edged noto paper, bijt&sho found It much more dimcult thing to answer the request re-quest of Rom Itan Arlens. She was hurt and ngitntcl and withal a little sorry for RemfcW she was also In a hurryfL for tho lotter for Jorls wna waltlnff, ns sho wished to send both by the 6iW messenger. Finally she wrote tho following words, not noticing notic-ing at the tm but remomhorlng afterwards what a singular soul reluctance re-luctance she experienced; how some uncertain presentiment, vngue nnd dark and drear, stifled her thoughts nnd tried to make her understand, or at least patiso: "My Dear and Honored Friend: "Your letter has given mo very great soriow. You must havo known for many weeks, even months, that marriage between us wns impossible. It has always been so, It always will bo bo. I grieve at your going away; I pray that your absence may In lug you some consolation. Do not, I beg you, attempt to call on my father. Without With-out explanations, I tell you very sincerely, sin-cerely, such a call will cause me great trouble, for you know well a i girl must truwt somewhat to others' Judg-1 Judg-1 ment In her disposal. I'loaso to con-' con-' slder your letter as never written. With a sad senso of tho pain my words must cnuBo you, 1 remain for all time ' your faithful friend and obedient scrv-I scrv-I ant, Cornelia Moran." Then sho rang for a lighted candle, I nnd while waiting for Its arrival neatly folded her letters. Her white wax and seal wcro at hand, and sho dolaycd tho servant until sho had closed and . addressed them. - "You will take Lieut. Hydo's letter , first," she said. "Mr. Van Arlens' noto you can deliver as you return." As soon as this business was quite out of her hands, sho snnk with n happy sigh Into a largo comfortablo chair; lot her arms drop gently, and closed her eyes to think ovor what she had done. Sho wns quite satisfied. satis-fied. Sho was sure that no length of reflection coul&havo mado her decide differently. Sho had Hyde's letter In her bosom, nnd she pressed her hand against It, nnd vowed to hor heart that ho was worthy of her love, and that ho only should havo It. "Oh, thero Is nothing I would niter In him, oven at tho cost of a wish! Jorls! Jorls!" and sho let the dear nnmo sweeten hor lips, whllo the light of lovo brightened nnd lengthened her eyes, and sprend over her lovely face a blushing row. Tho tea tray was brought in at flvo o'clock, but Dr. Moran hnd not returned, re-turned, nnd thero wns In both women's wom-en's hearts a little sense of disappointment. disap-pointment. Mrs. Mornu wns wondering wonder-ing at his unusual delay. Cornelia feared ho would ho too weary and porhaps too much lntorcstcl In other mnttors to porinit her lover to spenk. "Hut oven so," she thought, "Jorls can como n'galn. To-night Is not tho only opportunity." When tho doctor camo Cornelia wns so thoughtful for tho weary man's Btjjan to listen for Hyde's step, comfort, so attontlvo and so amusing, that ho found it easy to respond to tho hnppy atmosphere surrounding him. So an hour passod and Cornelia began to listen for tho sound of Hyde's stop upon the flagged walk. With hor work In hor hand making laborious stitches by a drawn throad sho sat listening with all hor being. Half past eight! Sho looked up nnd caught her mother's oyes. and the troublo and quoetlon In thorn, and tho neodlo going through tho flno muslin, seamed to go through hor heart. At nlno tho watolilng beenmo unbearable. Sho said softly, "I must go to bod. I am tired. Her mow- ment In the loom roused tho doctor thoroughly. Ho stood up, stretched his iiruis, walked to tho window and looking out snld: "It Is a lovely night, but the moon looks like storm. Oh!" nnd he turned quickly with tho exclamation "I forgot to tell you thut 1 heard today thut Gen. Hyde returned re-turned on the Mury Poll this morning, morn-ing, bringing with him n child." "A child!" said Mis. Moran. "A girl, then, a Utile mite of a creature. Mrs. Davy told mo the Captain carried her In his arms to tho carriage which took them to Hyde Manor." Then Cornelia said a hasty "goodnight" "good-night" and went to her room. She was sick at heart: sho trembled, something In her life hnd lost Its foothold and a sudden bewildering terror she knew not how to explain took "possession of her. She burled her face in her pillow nnd wept bitterly. Alnsl Alas! Love wounds as cruelly when he fnils, as when ho strikes. CHAPTER IX. Misdirected Letters. Tho night so unhappy to Cornelia wns very much moie unhappy to Hyde. Ho had sent his letter to her before eleven In the morning, and If Fortuno were Mud to him, ho expected expect-ed nn answer soon after leaving .Madame Jacobus. When noon passed and one o clock struck, ho rang for some refreshments. At 3 theio was n knock at his door and he went hastily to answer It. Balthazar Bal-thazar stood there with the longed-for longed-for letter in his hand. Ho felt that he I must be quite alone with it. So ho turned the key and then stood n moment mo-ment to examine the outside. He kissed tho superscription and kissed tho whlto seal, and sank Into his chair with a sigh of delight to read It. In a few moments a change bejond nil expression camo over IiIb face perplexity, anger, despair cruelly assailed as-sailed him. It wns evident that some Irrepnrablo thing hnd ruined all his hopes. He was for somo moments dumb. This tranco of grief was fol lowed by passlonato Imprecations nnd reproaches, wearing themselves away to an utter amazement and Incredulity. Incredul-ity. Ho had llurg the letter to the floor, but ho lifted It again nnd wont over tho cruel words, forcing himself to read them Blowly and aloud. " 'Your lotter has given mo very great sorrow'; lot mo dlo If that Is not what sho says; 'very great sorrow. sor-row. You must havo known for weeks, even mouths, that marriage between us was Impossible'; am 1 perfectly In my senses? 'It always has been and always will bo'; why, 'tis heart treason of the worst kind! Oh, Cornolla! Cornelia! And sho 'grieves at my going away,' and bids mo on 'no account call on her father' and takes pains to toll me tho 'No Is absolute' ab-solute' and I am not to 'blamo her.' Oh this Is tho vilest treachery! It It Rom Van Arlens who Is at tho bottom of It. May the devil take the fellow! 1 shnll need some heavenly power to keep my hands off hlin. I will novcr wonder again at anything a woman does Was ever a lover so betrayed?" be-trayed?" Thus his poilonnto grief and anger an-ger tortured hlin until midnight. Then ho threw himself upon his bed, and his craving, suffering heart at length found rest in sleep from tho terrible egotism of Its sorrow. Never for ono Instnnt did ho Imagine Im-agine this sorrow to bo u mistaken nnd quite unnecessary one. Not taking Rom Van Arlens seriously into his consideration, nnd not fearing his rival in nny way, It was boyond all his suspicions that Rom should write to Cornolla In the snmo hour, nnd for tho tamo purpoiic as himself. Ann that sho should ho forcod by circumstances circum-stances to nuswor both Rem nnd himself him-self In tho samo hour, and In tho vory stress and hurry of hor great lovo and nuxloty should misdirect the letters, let-ters, wore llkollhoods outside his consciousness. It wns far othorwlso with Rom. Tho moment ho opened tho lottor brought him by Cornelia's mossongor, In that vory moment ho know that It was not his lottor. Ho understood at once the position, nnd perceived that ho hold In his hand nn Instrument, which If affairs wont as ho desired, wns llkoly to mako trouble he could perchanco turn to his own advantage. Those thoughts sprang at once Into his reflections, re-flections, but woro barely outer-tallied outer-tallied boforo nobler ones displaced them. As a Christian gontlenian he know what ho ought to do without cavil and without delay, and ho rose to follow the benignant justlco of his conscience. Into this obedience, how-over, how-over, thoro -entered an limitation of a second of tltno, and that Inflnltoslmal period wns sufllctcnt for his- vll IJ genius. IJ "Why will you meddle?" It asked. "It will tip far wiser to let llytlo tnko H tho first step. If the letter ho has IJ received Is so worded that ho known "J It Is your letter, It Is his placo to Ml mnko tho transfer and ho will bo "flj sure to do It." IJ And he hesitated and then sat down, and ns there Is wlckoduoss "flj even In hesitating about a wicked act, Rem easily drifted from the negative " to the liosltlve of tho orlmo- content flj plntcd. flj "I had better keep It," he mused, flj "and see what will coma of tho keep- flj log." He suffered In this decision, stif- flj fered In his own way quite ns much flj as Hyde did. Ho saw clearly that HJ Cornelia had never loved him, Hint HJ his hopes hnd always been vain, and HJ ho experienced all the bitterness of HJ being slighted and humbled for an H enemy. Ho felt a sudden haste to escapo "flj himself, and seizing his lint walked "flj rapidly to his fnther's olllce. Peter flj looked up ns he entered, anil tho HJ question in his oyes hardly needed flj the simple Interrogatory flj "Well, then?" "It Is 'No.' I shall go to Boston H early In the morning." HJ "I have just heard that Gen. Hydo HJ came back this morning. He Is now H lMM I nirfwieu van iiubniuixirK it nousc. " the Right Honorable the Karl of flfl Hydo, and his son Is, as you know, mHJ Lord Gcorgo Hydo. Has this rondo a flfl difference?" H "It has not. Lot us count up what Is owing to us. After all thero Is a v.yflfl certain good In gold." jflflj "That Is the truth. In nny advor- AHI slty gold can find friends." H Then tho two inon spont sovornl Hflfl hours in going over their accounts, HHfl and during this tlmo no ono called H on Rem and ho received no message. HftHJ When he returned homo ho found nf- ! fairs Just ns he hnd left them. "So AVH far so good," he thought, "I will lot 'SAHJ sleeping dogs lie. Why should I set BBH. thorn buying about my affairs? I will Hflfl not do it" nnd with this dctormlna- , HH Hon In his heart ho fell asleep. fl But Hem's sleep was tho Bleep of I tired flesh and blood and heavy as H lead. And the waking from such sleep If thero Is troublo to meet Is llko , H being awakened with a blow. Ho H leaped to his feet, and tho thought ' of his loss and tho shamo of It, and M tho horror of the dishonorable thing ,1 ho hnd done, assailed hlin with a bru- H tnl forco and swiftness. Ho wan JB stunned by the suddenness and tho gfM inexorablo cliarncter of his troublo. ' And ho told himself It was "host to run nwny from what ho could not I fight." As soon ns ho was well on ' I tho road to Boston, he oven began to .. I assume that Hyde, full of the glory of his new position, would doubtless I bo well disposed to lot all old affairs dl drop quietly "and it so," ho mused, II "Cornolla will not bo so dainty, and 1 I may get 'Yes' whore I got 'No.'" 'M Hydo spent a miserable night, and 4M a. senso of almost intolerable desor- "B tlon nnd Injury nwoko with him. Jk "I must got Into tho fresh air," ho ul said. "I am faint nnd weak. I must 'ifl seo my mother." JlI Ho rode rapidly through tho city H and whon ho roaohod his Grandfather "fl Van Hecmsklrk'u houso, ho saw hlin -- leaning ovor tho half-door smoking . his pipo. Ho drew rein thon, nnd U10 jSkJ old gontloman camo to his sldo: "Why art thou horo7' ho asked. "Is I thy father, or Lady Annlo sick?" "iiJ "My father at homo!" BH "That Is tho truth. Where wort vHfl thou, not to know this?" ep "I camo to town yostorday mom- jM lug. I had a groat troublo. I was ,' ' B sick and kept my room." I "And sick thou art now, I can soo ,1 that," said Madame Van Hoomsklrk aM coming forward. "What Is tho mat- :M tor with theo, my Jorls?" M "Cornelia has refused mo, I know 'I now how it It, that no woman will .9 lovo 1110. Am I so very dlsngroonblo?" Jjl "Thou art as hanilsomo and ns 1l charming as can bo; and It Is not I Cornolla that has said 'no' to thoo, ?W It Is her father. Now he will bo sorry, "'I for thy undo Is dead and thy father I is Karl Hyde, and thou thysolf art 'I a lord." (To bo continued.) M |