The Vehement Flame

desired to develop in him. What would the mail bring him from Green Hill? It brought nothing for a week-a week in which he experienced certain bad moments which

onday, when he went to see his tutor, to say t

d Mr. Bradl

iled broadly, with the rollicking certainty of sympathy

cting hand over his helpless leg, for Maurice's restlessness-tramping

the youngster said; "I-We

ha

se, I've got

at are you ta

g; it made Eleanor's husband feel like the puppy. "I ought to have rounded him up," Mr. Bradley was saying to himself; "Houghton will hold me responsible!" And even while making unpleasant remarks to the bridegroom,

e extravagance of the "bridal suite,"-to pour out his hurt feelings to Eleanor, and while she looked at him in one of her lovely silences he railed at Bradley, and said the trouble with him was

nor had gone across town to her laundress's, to ask if Mrs. O'Brien would take Bingo as a boarder-. "I can't have him at the hotel," she explained, and then told the great news:-"I'm going

ll only be lovin' ye hotter than an old

t's true!" and cuddled the baby g

and "in a year from now you'll have something bet

the crest of contented achievement. She even laughed to think that she had ever hesitated about marrying Maurice. Absurd! As if the few years between them were of the slightest consequence! Mrs. O'Brien was

when the fifty-four minutes had lengthened into three days that they had gone, after supper, to see her. Eleanor, supremely satisfied, with no doubts, now about the wisdom of what she had done, was nervous only as to the effect of her aunt's temper upon Maurice; and he, full of a bravado of indifference which confessed the nervousness it denied, was anxious only as to the effect of the inevitable reproaches upon

wife; adding, under his breath, "If sh

ger. "I shall tell you exactly what I think of you, Eleanor, for, as my dear mother used to say, if I have a virtue it is candor; I think you are a puffect fool. As for Mr. Curtis, I no more thought of protec

ly say that I dragged Eleanor into it; I made her m

locked their retreat. "You needn't think I'll do anything for you!" she said to her niece; "I shall write to Mr. Houghton a

him," Eleanor

puffing and talking, had to make way for them.

nt to give Bingo

ed into extravagant ridicule. His opinion of Mrs. Newbolt, her parlor, her ponderosity, and her missing g's, exhausted his vocabulary of opprobrious adj

rite to him all she wants to! I'm betting that we'l

's alley, they paused where it was dark enough, halfway between gaslights, fo

go back to that hell-cat, and

ght. I-I have injured you

damn sight more if you ha

marriage was a glorious and perfect thing,

Maurice." She spoke with a sort of heavy calmness, that made a sma

love me! Darling, when you say things like-like

h tautened her courag

such a wicked, c

Maurice, in a burst of enthusiasm, invited his third bad moment: "I am going to have a r

what difference did it make what a person like Auntie thought! "But who will y

ntances in Mercer-"but I have a lot in Philadelp

I don't want anyone but you,

e could only always be enough for her! He vowed to himself, in sudden boyish solemnity, that he w

ension spoke: "What w

orget it. Even while arranging for his dinner party, and plunging into the expense of a private dining room, he

any girls," she

street yesterday? (If Uncle Henry could

l, yes; but she'

em very well; they're just boys; not in college. Younger than I am, except Tom Morton. Mort's twenty, and the brainiest man I know. And Hastings has a bag of jokes-well, not just for ladies," said Maurice, grinning, "and you'll like Dave B

e in the girl

ked Rose, but I had to ask her mother, too," she sai

all right; but the other two? "A

hat it didn't really matter about the ladies, faded or not; they were El

t the dinner was to celebrate his marriage. "I got spliced kind of in a hurry," he explained; "so I couldn't have any bac

with all kinds of ragging: Who was she? Was she ou

tunning, Star! Of course you always are; but rig up in your best duds! I'm going to make those fellows cross-eyed with

Yet, like him, under the excitement, was a little tremor: "They will be angry because-because we eloped!" Any other reason for anger she would not formulate. Sometimes her anxiety was a

u!" Eleanor said "He'll probab

ton might be "horrid" to Maurice. If the Houghtons didn't like an elopement, it would mean that they had no romance in them! She was absorbed in her ardent innocent purpose of "impressing" Maurice's friends, not from vanity, but because she wanted to please him. As she dressed that evening, all her self-distrust vanished, and she smiled at herself in the mirror for sheer delight, for his sake, in her dark, shining eye

they saw the bride they had fallen into dumbness. Brown said, under his breath to Hastings, "Gosh!" And Hastings gave Morton a thrust in the ribs, which Morton's dignity refused to notice; later, when he was at Eleanor's right, the flattery of her eagerly attentive silence instantly won him. Maurice had so expatiated to her upon Morton's brains, that she was really in awe of him-of which, of course, Morton was quite aware! It was so exhilarating to his twenty years that he gave his host a look o

cat awoke no interest. Then one of the "faded flower

was murmuring i

s your

ve the boys a chance to do their duty, said, distractedly, "Princeton

ings, dropping into agonized shynes

is thumb into things, was given up to the stifled laughter of the girl and boys, and to conversation between the other two guests, who were properly arch because

tally cursed Hastings because he did not produce his jokes; as for Brown, he was a kid. "I oughtn't to have asked him! What will Eleanor think of him!" He was thankful when dessert came and the boys stopped their fatuous murmurings to little Rose, to gorge themselves with ice cream. He talked loudly to cover up their silence, and glanced constantly at his watch, in the hope that it was time to pack 'em

aurice had nearly bankrupted himself on a box), and he and Eleanor were alone, he drew her do

hless with happiness. "I tried so hard! Bu

Mort told me you were very temperamental, and had a wonderfu

se!... Maurice, what

hildren!' Nelly, what was t

his own words-"simply corking! Though perhaps Rose was a little

ner table. He was too old-and he was too young. The ladies talked down to him, and Brown and Hastings were polite to him. "Damn 'em, polite! Well," he thought, "'course, they know that a man in my position isn't in their class. But-

her shoulders, silently held out her arms to

come from Mr. Houghton in a day or two. "What will he get off?" he asked himself; "probably old Brad and Mrs. Newbolt

'll write and beg me to b

begging" letter from Henry Houghton arrived. There was an inclosure in it from Mrs. Houghton, and the young man, down in the dark lobby of the hotel, wit

e letters, and sat down to watch the effect of them upon her; there was no more "worry" for Maurice! But Eleanor, sta

a day if you'll let me do it?" She would not let him, so the letter was perfectly decorous.)-"Of course it was not the proper way to treat an old friend, and marriage is too serious a business to be entered into in this way. Also I am sorry that there is any difference

Eleanor, reading the friendly words, wa

not!" sai

ened the ot

ed not to have had the chance "to be your bridesmaid"! You must give us an opportunity soo

past their meadow. Her face lightened and darkened as the sheeting violet and orange flames from the great smokestacks roared out against the sky, and fell, and rose again. The beauty of them caught Maurice's eye, and he really did not notice what she was saying, until he caught the words: "Mrs. Houghton's l

t says, 'Consider the stars.' I do hope you'll like them, Eleanor," he ended, anxiously. He was still in that state of mind where the lover hopes that his beloved will approve of his friends. Later on, when he and she love each other mor

she said,

st find out about ways and means. And Edith would

she

I have great times. We have a hut on the mountain; we go up for a day, and Edi

be with a child?"

elly, I have an idea. While we are at

said, flinching. "Oh, wouldn't it be

love feeds on pap!) "Pitch dark," he teased, "

me to," she said, simply, but

reen Hill, and one night Mr. and Mrs. Houghton were away, and there was a storm. Gee, I never saw such a s

was kneeling beside him, her eyes worshiping him.

calls her Buster; and wondering whether she was scared, when in she rushed, in her night-gown. She made a running jump for my bed, dived into it, grabbed me, and hugged me so I was 'most suffocated, and screamed into my ear, 'There's a stor

old for that sort of thi

nny it was? The little thing hugged me with all her might until the storm blew over. Then

window. "Oh yes, it was funny; but I think she must be a r

Nobody is! I mean they're old, and sort of commonplace. But we can go and live in the woods most of the time, and get away from them,-except little Skeezics. We'll take her along. You'll lo

voice was so sharply irritated that Maurice looked

your ear? Was it what I told you about Edit

might have more in common with a child, eight years his junior, than he could have with a woman twenty years his senior. Her eyes were suddenly bright with frightened tears. In a whisper, that fear which, in these days of complete belief in her own happiness, she had fo

d to scold her, and tasted her tears salt up

enry are old, and of course they can't understa

n on his shoulder, told herself that it really didn't