Elaine, The Lilly=Maid.

by contact with Lady Dewhurst and others . Besides , she might hear unpleasant tilings of her husband . I wish , somehow—she were not quite so good . Her letters are an everlasting reproach to me , and it is uncomfortable to be continually on bad terms with one ' s-self . Here , in the society of those I am with daily , I quite appreciate my own merits . Maud Warren knows I am no saint , and as for Theodora—what a fool Dewhurst is ! Olive asked me to-day when I thought

of going back to Elaine , in a tone which implied I was not anxious to do so . I felt angry , it was so unjustifiable . I am longing to see my darling , and will go to-morrow or the next day . Don't think I shall go with Dewhurst for tho twelfth , either . I always feel what a hound I am in accepting his lavish hospitality , and especially when we arc on the moors together . No , I won ' t be base enough . This time I'll stav with Elaine .

August 9 th . —I have returned , but only just returned , from Dewhurst Park . I couldn't get away , much as I wished it—every day something unforeseen cropped up to prevent my leaving . I left without telling Theodora , or anybody except Olive . After all , I suppose I am a moral coward . How horribly quiet and dull it is down here after being at Dewhurst ! I wonder what thej- are all doing

tonight , and if anybody misses me . Well , my dear girl ' s loving welcome was compensation for everything . I shall become accustomed to the quiet in a day or two , especially as I shall be with her nearly all day long . She asked me to tell her all my adventures , but I fear my account was a bald one . She wouldn ' t understand , or care to hear everything—and I am not in possession of any great reserve fund of imagination . « -

August 17 th . —I have been here about a week , and have begun to forget Dewhurst Park and its attractions , and to be once more thoroughly happy with Elaine , lint , meanwhile , a" astounding thing has happened . Olive arrived most unexpectedly upon the scene yesterday . She made mo take her at once to see Elaine , and has invited the latter to go and spend a month with them at Mount Vernon ! Of course , I inn to go , too . I believe she wants ns the day after

tomorrow , but I had much rather be here , and so would Elaine , she says . I wonder whom we shall meet there ! It is very gratifying to note that critical Olive has taken a wonderful fancy to Elaine nlrendy , and is very gentle and tender in her manner towards her . " Take care of the white flower , Paul , " my cousin said yesterday . " It is worth a thousand gaudy exotics . Don't crush it , or leave it to wither . "

Queer girl , Olive . Of course , I knew what she meant . As if I would . August 20 th . —Could anything on earth be more unfortunate , more annoying , more desperately , horribly awkward ? I have used ns many adjectives as a woman would , and feel inclined to repeat them all . Elaine , I , and Olive arrived at Jlonnt Vernon yesterday , and to-day who should appear upon the scene but Lady Dewhurst and Miss Warren . I thought they had gone up North before this , and immediately suspected Olive to have played me an underhand trick , and

accused her ; but she earnestly assures me that they have come selt-invited , or on the strength of a general invitation uncle Hubert gave them . The old boy rather likes Maud , 1 think . They profess not to be able to understand why Olive should not have received Theodora ' s note to forewarn her of their coining , as they say—it was posted two days ago . Credible , indeed ! but they have some motive of their own . " Drawn hither by the attraction of your presence , probably , " said Olive drily to mo .

How I wish we had never come ! Why couldn fc Olive have let us alone ? 1 don't know what is to be done . Of course , Elaine is simply "Miss Frith , " and a friend of my cousin ' s , to them as yet—but it must come out , and that soon . Already her ladyship and Maud have begun to exchange significant glances , and there , was a look of terrible meaning in Theodora ' s eye an hour ago . They must luvo heard a rumour beforehand . There will be mischief , mischief . August 22 nd . —Maud Warren called me Lancelot , meaningly , to-day . Of

course , she sees things . Neither she nor Lady Dewhurst have taken to Elaine , and turn up their noses at her direct manner and unconventional ways . They will never hit it . 1 am in a state of great perturbation , and wish 1 had gone shooting with Dewhurst , in spite of— circumstances . How I am to keep peace all round is a puzzle . Olive presses me to acknowledge Elaine as my future wife without delay , lint she forgets that tho dear girl expressly pleaded that 1 would not do so inst yet . She shrinks from public comment , 1 know .

September 1 st . —I have spent a wretched time . 1 knew and foresaw how it would be , and could curse myself for ever having put it into Olive ' s power to ask Elaine hero at all . i have had a fearful scene , and a grand row with Theodora , which 1 prefer not to describe , and have been maddened by . Maud ' ssarcasm . In-

Elaine, The Lilly=Maid.

deed , I was so put out , that when Elaine asked me what had vexed me I answered her quite irritably , and surprised her thereby . I couldn't help it . How I wish she were more like other people ! Theodora and Maud watch every word and action , and tlie latter openly mimicked her to-day . I shall tell Olive she must send them away , or I shall take Elaine . It is disgusting and unwomanly in them I won ' t have her insulted .

September oth .- Elaine and I have had our first quarrel . For two or three days I have been trying to make her relinquish certain tricks of speech and manner which seem to afford Itaud and Theodora intense amusement . She looked surprised at first , and then said : " You used to like my ways , Paul , " and her lips quivered . " I always seem to vox you lately . I am afraid I don't understand so well how to please you as—Miss Warren or Lady Dewhurst does . " " Oh , for heaven ' s sake don't be jealous , Elaine ! " I began .

She turned red and white . "Jealous , Paul ! —and then deliberately walked off and left me . She has boon quite cool to mo since , and it is very fiolish in her . September 10 th . —Things get worse and worse . Elaine has conceived a violent antipathy against the two , and even Olive ' s tact fails her . She is rendered quite miserable , and I'm sure I am . Of course , Maud and Theodora are sufficiently aggravating , but Elaine gives them every opportunity . I hope I have

not been unkind , but I have been irritated beyond all power of endurance . The fact is , my lily is in wholly uncongenial soil here . Circumstances are against us , both . I still love her dearly—of course I do ; not qaite so ecstatically , perhaps , but one can't always remain in a state of extrcmo rapture . I hate those other women—though they are able to charm me , too , and can soothe as well as irritato me , when they like .

September 20 th . —It is all over . Everything is at an end . Elaine and I have parted . She took offence at some fancied slight on my part , or was jealous . We had what appeared at first to bo onty a foolish little quarrel , but it has ended very seriously , so seriously that the rupture is final . " I see you no longer love mo as you did , Paul , " she said quietly . " I am not of your world . You were attracted by me at first , and fancied you liked me

better than you really did—I suppose because I seemed to you different from others whom you had met , and because , perhaps , I seemed hard to win . Now , you contrast me with—some others—no , don't contradict me , you know it to be true , and I suffer by comparison . " " My dear , dear girl ! " I protested . "No , don ' t Paul—I have loved you very dearly , hut this is—good-bye . "

Tu vain I begged a hearing . She said she would rather not listen , so I desisted . She has decided to go home at once . Olive is wild with wroth , and vents it all upon me—all . As if it were not enough to bo made a victim to Elaine ' s ridiculous and unfair nonsense and a fine butt for the other two , who know all that has happened as well as if I had told them , and rejoice openly at

my discomfiture—especially Lady Dewhurst . the remembrance of Olive ' s words stings me : " No words can express my contempt for you , and for the despicable part you have played . I would rather see Elaine dead than she should marry you—you who are as unfit to be her husband as your friend Theodora is to be the wife of a man like Dewhurst . I am ashamed to call you kinsman . "

What a bitter tongue she has ! Altogether 1 am distracted between them all . October 17 th . — It is nearly a mouth since 1 lost Elaine . 1 most assuredly never intended to come here—Dewhurst Park—from Mount Vernon . 1 never contemplated such a move ; but I was bitterly sore and indignant , chafed and angry with Olive , with Elaine , ami with the world . Then suddenly Theodora began to be very tender and consoling . U was very soothing after Elaine ' s jilting

mo , and Olive ' s harsh strictures , and 1 consented to come to Dewhurst with her for a week or two . There are other men here , so it doesn ' t matter greatly . The " week or two" has spun out to nearly four , and I am very unsettled as to my next move . The fact is , I am trying to forget , but don't find it very easy . Elaine ' s eyes haunt me night and day . I am not going to her to beg forgiveness , and ask her to " make it up" as the children say . If she chooses to fancv 1

don ' t eare for her she may Perhaps it is just as well , after all — weighing everything carefully ; but oh , this fatal entanglement with Theodora ! If 1 had married Elaine , it would have been all quite over , ns I hoped it was , but . Olive has gono down to stay with her . She will give her a nice opinion of me , I know . October Hist . —I am still lingering here , half congratulating myself upon tho rupture with Elaine , half mad with longing to llv back to her and ask her to

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