The Butterfly House

ustace who had the build of a racing human, being long-winded and limber. Annie caught up with her, just before they reached Alice Mendon's hous

which had probably somewhat hindered her movements. "Let me go, I sh

are you

m go

he

,-away fr

Annie's great relief, a tall figure appeared, Alice hers

he matter?

the ten-thirty tra

are you

New

in Ne

m go

l return quietly to your own home like a sensibl

sperate voice. "You would run away i

f I were, I should stay and face the situation." She

and and children and not ent

ll the children, they will never really have a mother again. They will never forget. But if I d

the onl

alk, Alice Mendon. You h

ite true. I have never been temp

it to you. You

so. I was made so. It

rench her arm free

Eustace," she sa

I don't love you any more myself. I don't

aid Margaret, and she see

ithout stealing, if I could have given them to y

s known," said Margaret in a low

wn unless you yoursel

ve thought it all over. I cannot tell

ure punishment. I suppose that is your punishment, Margaret. You have always loved

s such things," said Margaret, a

hite draperies, towered over Margaret Edes like an embodied conscience. She was almost unendurable, like the ide

in your whole body. You have not an ungratified ambition. You neither love nor hate yours

iled a large calm smile as a statue might smi

hat I stole, and she knows it, and that is enough for

always done," said Alice; but Annie was si

down upon me, Alice Mendon," said

d Alice, "that your own

hing. I did not know it myself. Why, I never

hing to further her own ends," said Alice in her inexo

d not loved her so much. She felt the little arm tremble in her c

positively go home at once. I will take your suit-case, and return it to you to

ng," said Margaret; "I can

You will meet it at the end of every mile. Margaret Edes, go home. Take care of your

garet. "If they knew, if he knew, Wilbur would not

will set it inside the gate here. Now Annie and I will walk with you

epeated Marga

sleep, but

When they had reached Margaret's door, Alice

s you can, and to

ked Annie in a small voice when th

her," whispered Alice. "Now yo

ha

to the other door. Thank God, there are only two doors, and I don't think she will try the windows because she won't suspect our bein

, n

be afraid of," said Alice. "No

up her joys of life and almost forgot poor Margaret who had trampled hers in the dust raised by her

e. "That was the last train. Do you think you

. She wakes very early of herself and she may

will s

I can man

is away from the others or I should not be su

illage houses seemed rather awful with their dark windows like sightless eyes. When

li

little

be married, to

"You are a lucky girl," she wh

red not lock the door behind her lest she arouse somebody. She tip-toed upstairs, but as she was passing

fear she would arouse the whole house. She followed her grandmother into h

" said she. "It is after th

as no harm, but I can't tell you. Inde

you? I'd li

eed, I can't,

to know. Pretty d

you why not,

th a man-I don't care if you are eng

rimsoned. "Oh, gran

to-morrow, no, to-day, right after breakfast and give h

, there wasn

elling me

s tell t

ying," said the old woman. "I rather think you do tell the truth, but sometimes when a girl gets

ven't bee

with you? There

s not any man

room as fast as you can and move still

ie

e old woman clambering back into bed. She

daughter's engagement at the breakfast table. She waited u

at Susan, "I have some good news for you. Our little A

l like Margaret Edes," she said, and Susan laughed also. "Whatever news it may be, it is not that," she s

ng look. She flushed under it and swallowed a spoonful of cereal hastily. The

said she, looking away from the girl, and fixing unsparing ey

ped their spoons and s

about?" said Harriet sharply

to be exasperating, "sometimes, a little attention is so strong that i

ered, yet kindly smile. Poor Susan had never regarded the honey pots of life as inten

ed to Mr. von Rosen," said the old lady.

happy," she said in an awed voice. Harriet rose, to follow

years older than

aid the old lady, and sipped her coffee deli

o imagine that her Aunt Harriet might have had her own dreams which had never entirely ended in rainbow mist

happy. Her lover brought her an engagement ring, a great pearl, which had been his mother's and put it on her finger, and Annie eyed

like it, de

ever saw," said Annie, "but I k

hich do not seem so," he said, and caught up the

hat it was not remorse which she felt, but a miserable humiliation that she, Margaret Edes, should have cause for remorse. The whole day had been hideous. The letters and calls of congratulation had been incessant. There were brief notices in a few papers which had been marked and sent to her and Wilbur had brought them home also. Her post-office box had been crammed. There were requests for her autograph. There were requests for aid from charitable institutions. There were requests for advice and assistance from young authors. She had two packages of manuscripts sent her for inspection concerning their merits. One was a short story, and came through the mail; one was a book and came by express. She had requests for work fro

said. "They did so enjoy talking over their mother's triumph

t said sharply, but Wilbur'

had been reading The Poor Lady instead of his beloved newspapers and now

world did you ever manage to think that up? I suppose just this minute, as you sit there l

aret. Oh, if she had only unders

king up to little Annie?

n't k

se her mental calibre is limited. She may make a good wife, though. A man doesn

s. "Thought I must order a new suit, to live up to

l outlook would make the new suit

expect may get me the office," laughed Wilbur. "This new suit is simply to ena

eady clothes enough,"

e much difference how the old ma

ffort. There were depths beyond depths; there were bo

fe's bedroom at midnight. "Awake?" h

es

s just this minute gone. Gue

turned Margaret wearily. Love affairs di

getting married any way," returned Wilbur

good-night in answer to Wilbur's and again fell to thinking. There was no way out, absolutely no way. She must live and die with this secret self-knowledge which abased her, gnawing at the heart. Wilbur had told her that he believed that

self the injured instead of the injurer possessed her. Oh, what would it mean to be Annie sitting there, without leisure to brood over her new happiness, working, working, into the morning hours and have nothing to look upon except moral and physical beauty in

eit rather shamefacedly, assuming that she could defray her own expenses from the revenue of her book. He would never call her to account as to what she had done with the wealth which he supposed her to be reaping. She was well aware of that, but he would naturally wo

ter. That book had to be written first. Poor Annie could not enjoy her romance to the full because of over-work. The girl lost flesh and Marg

vinced. The book was really an important work. The writer had gone far beyond her first flight, but there was something unmistakable about the style to such a jealous reader as Margaret. Annie had her success after all. She wore her laurels, although unseen of men, with her orange blossoms. Margaret saw i

with yours," he told her. "The publishers ought to push yours a little more.

stly. "Don't do anythin

if you don't wa

Wilbur, who seemed nightly more incensed at the flaming notices of The Firm Hand might, in s

nion of her, seemed at times to go a little way toward squaring her account with her better self. And the club also seemed to rouse within her a keener vitality of her better self. Especially when the New Year came and Mrs. Slade was elected president in her stead. Once, Margaret would have been incapable of accepting that situation so gracefully. She gave a reception to Mrs. Slade in honour of her election, and that night had a little return of her lost peace. Then during one of th

ok that I shall be glad when you are old enough

s and her own reputed authorship. She was Spartan in her courage, but she suffered, because she saw herself as she was and she had so loved herself. It was not until Annie Eustace was married that she obtained the slightest relief. Then she ascer

their home. Then one evening, seated with her husband before the fire in the study, with the yell

e something

d lovingly at h

, for the publishers insist upon its b

ation and looked at Annie and sh

u like me to write? I will never neglect you

knelt before her. "I am proud that you are my wife," he

hough it is really I who am proud, because I have you for

He put his arms around her as he knelt, and kissed her, and the yello

d come to tell you and I hoped you would be pleased. It

ld have been lovely anyway, but your su

our chair and smoke and I wi

e had written at high pressure, and one can go over a book a thousand times and be blind to things which should be seen. She had repeated one little sentence which she had written in The Poor Lady. Von Rosen knew, but he never t

very wonderful to her. They were still spread out, most of them on tables in the parlour because all Fairbridge was interested in viewing

t I have been looking all around and the pre

said

knew what was coming,

des' book, The Poor Lady, and I have always thought it was a very silly

utographed the forty-two. She had not even

E

criber

ies were present in the original an

rd

sed/en