The Shadow of a Sin

he summer morning awoke the brightest and purest emotions in him; something in the early song o

her lover, "if we shall ever look back t

ll rather afford subject

at is that lying over there by th

ndicated. "I can see nothing," he replie

thing living, moving-something

m the sun. "There is something," he sai

e one ill. Who could it be in the

" said Claude; "you do not know

it; and as they stood the

distress, "some one is ill or hurt

he stile. Then when they were in the meadow, and under the hedge, screene

ied Hyacinth; and then a fa

girl, apparently not much older than herself, fair of face, with a profusio

om the white lips. "Claude," cried Hyacinth, "s

t is the matter

y around her, and flinging her hair from her face; then she turned to th

d Hyacinth. "Can we do

ogether with a convulsive shudder,

not ill. I am only dying by inches-

hat Hyacinth and Claude were both inexpressibly touched. Though she was poorly clad, and her thin, shabby clothes wer

ooking kindly on th

l and every wrong," he said; "pe

for me," she replied; "my trou

g under this hedge all

d. Something seemed to draw me here. I

tterably sad in the contrast between the bright mo

" asked Claude, a

ising her eyes, with their expression of

r away from you? or wha

husband is not ill; he simply drinks all day and all night-drinks ev

re is a remedy-the law interferes to

s nature; it can only imprison him. And then, when he comes o

way from him

nd must abide by it. Though he beats me and il

" said Hyacinth soothingly. The careworn sufferer looked w

our town to work. He was tall, handsome, and strong-he pleased my eyes; he was a good mechanic, and made plenty of money-but he drank even then. Whe

er breath wi

sigh; "I had my own way. My mother was not will

ughan's fac

at?" she as

a voice that all the world could hear, I would advise all girls to take w

that one of the woman's hands lay almost useless on the grass. She raised it gen

n you much?"

more terrible by far than

drink any more. He took a thick-knotted stick and beat it; and yet, poor hand, it was not harming him." Hyacinth shuddered

away? Why not see

uld find me; he will kill me some day. I know it; bu

ome again?" a

o returning-no und

sed the poor

en," she said gently. "

ned to Claude and asked for his. The request was a small one, but the whole afterpart of her life was affected by it. She did

sed by us; go away-don't

and money to be earned there. See-I will give you my address. You can w

ook and wrote on it; "Claude Len

nd noble, as he gave the folded note to

mise my mother will find you som

not seem to think it strange that they were there-that it was unu

gratefully. "A dying woman'

eerily; "you will be all right in

en know the name of the place. We were going to walk to Live

him; let him go his own road. Travel to Londo

rily; and then a vague unconscious

own and sleep again. Good-by." The birds were

Claude; "what

d only Heaven knows whether tho