Phyllis of Philistia

om, for the feeling that she was free was very sweet to her. The fetters that had bound her had been flung away, and she now only had a splendid sense of freedom.

hat she was asking herself as she lay back on the pillows of the French sofa, and listened

ome the wife of anyone, and she hoped that no one would ask her. She did not want the worry of it. Ah, she would be very careful in the future: sh

rings, her maid entered to ask if she was at home. The butler had sent a footman to her to mak

jumped u

to Mrs. Linton. She w

had left any traces that the acuteness of Ella Linton might detect. The result of her o

d, and flowed into the arms o

rite out for your father to deliver in the House and cause people to fancy that he is the wittiest man in place-so unlike that dreadful teetotal ma

tea in a minute. How good of you to come to me the first

d that he would become so famous all in a moment? I must confess that when you wrote to me that letter telling me of your engagement, and how happy you were, I was a little cross. I could not clearly see you the wife of a parson, even so presentable a parson as Mr. Holland. Oh, of course I wrote you the usual exuberant letter-what would be

is, with a very shallow laugh, at laugh that sounded like a ripple

nse-for Tu

d men (in plush) to carry in a dainty little silver tray, with a little silver tea-pot of a pattern that silversmiths, for reasons which have never been fully expla

ebrows Mrs. Linton's voice

ctly new in that way"-she indicated the muffin dishes. "A

Phyllis. "You got it

ll learn all about

oor was quite closed behind them, Ella was gaz

pered. "Not engaged in any sense-thos

rally, my Ella,

me that you had engaged you

word of mouth that I

the last girl in the world to promise

myself fancied up

mind? Isn't it very unfortunate-j

Ella, when the man wrote s

made a hit, whether in theology or anything else; and I perceive quite clearly that your Mr. Holland-well, not your Mr. Holland, has made a distinct hit. What so

t told you that I'm not go

rn and Mercury and Mars and the rest of them come and go at their appointed seasons, and no one ever gives them a second thought, poor old respectable things! but the moment a comet appears in the sky everyone rushes out to gaze at it, and the newspapers deal with it from day to day, and the illustrated papers give its portrait. Nothing could be more unort

, E

ave written something or other. Well, he took a bit of prosecuting, five or six years, I believe, and he didn't go nearly so far as Mr. Holland does in that book of his. All this time people talked about little else but Colenso, and his books made him a fortune. That was before our time, dear-when th

so glad that you like the cake. It is ver

d," said Ella. "Do you mean to tell me plainly that you threw over Mr.

he has written a book to make people hav

at you were never in love

y that if y

k against Darwin. If a girl really loves a man she will stand by him all the closer when he is u

lland. Perhaps I only fancied I cared for him because I saw that so many other girls-took t

f the other girls. How many girls, I should like to know, begin to think of a man as a possib

atever I may hav

month

I may have done then, I know

rned him adrift simply because he wrote something disparagingly about Solomon, or was it David? And I did so want you and him for my next day; I meant it to be such a coup, to have returned to town only a week and yet to have the m

at is, if you think I should-i

get such a funny notion into your head? Do you think that girls nowadays absent themselves from feli

't recollect

have already appeared in the illustrated papers. The block printing has done that too. There's not a theatre manager in London who wouldn't give his best box to a woman who has come straight from the d

ice? Oh

ad promised to marry him has broken off her engagement to him simply because he has written that bo

at he would be gratified on this account. Whatever he may be

g pays. Someone told me the other day-I believe it was Herbert Courtland-that it is the men who write books embodying a great and noble aim who make the closest bargains with their publishers. I heard of a great and good clergyman the other day who wrote a

not a man of t

it be Mr. Holland's publisher. Who would begrudge the martyr his halo, dear? Even the most sincere and single-minded martyr has an eye on that

this lead

ve for Conscience' Sake. That's a good enough qualification for distinction on the part of any girl in these hard times. But I might have known long ago that you would play this part. That sweetly patheti

t ro

irl who is on the

y on the side

nd as often as you please in the meantime. By the way, you will probably

at your house, while you have Mr. Courtland, the New Guin

good deal of him in Italy, and will

to like him:

other women like him. Now, I have, as usual, remained too long with you. I'm greatly impressed with the situation of the moment. I don't say that I think you are wrong, mind you