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2$ BY WILLIAM BLACK
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CHAPTER I.
Late one evening in April, In a prlvnte
iuhir room on the first Boor of a hotel
in Alherniarle street, a member of the
British House of Commons was lying
back in an ensy chair, having just begun
to rend, in nn afternoon Journal, an ar
ticle about himself. He was a man ap
proaching fifty, with hair become prema
turely quite silver white. This was what
lie wa rending:
"By his nmendment of last night,
which was defeated by nn overwhelming
majority, the member for Slagpool has
once more called attention to the unique
position which he occupies in contempo
rary politics. Consistent only in his
hopeless inconsistency, and only to be
reckoned on for the wholly unexpected,
one wonders for what particular-purpose
the electors of Slagpool ever thought of
fending Mr. Winterbourne to Parlia
ment. A politician who is at once a
furious Jingo In foreign affairs and an
ultra-revolutionary at home; an upholder
-of the divine rights and liberties of the
multitude, who, at the same time, would,
if he could, force them to close every
public house in the country, alike on Sun-
-"ij l.'fl L 111 t III J , in a KtJUU UVI1I I11UI K
dangerous to his allies than to his ene
mies, while ministering to his own in
ordinate vanity."
"It sounds like the writing of a young
man," he was thinking. "But perhaps
Jt is true. Perhaps that is what I am
like. I wonder if that is how I appear
to Yolnnde?"
He heard a footstep outside, and Im
mediately thrust away the newspnper
from him. The next moment the door
of the room was opened, and the frame
work showed a living picture, that of a
young girl of eighteen, singularly tall
and strikingly fair, who stood there hesi
tating, timid, half laughing.
"Look," she said. "Is it your idea?"
"Is it your idea?" he repeated peevish
ly. "Yolande, you are getting worse and
worse. Why don't you say, 'Is this what
you meant?' "
"Is this what you meant?" she said
l'itiffltfrMTi,V' t1""t "' 1
SHE SAT ON THE HEARTHRUG BEFORE HIM.
promptly, and with a slight foreign ac
cent. "Come to the mirror, child, and put
on your hat, and let me see the whole
thing properly."
She did as she was bid, stepping ovr
to the fireplace, and standing before the
old-fashioned mirror, as she adjusted the
wlde-briniiiied Uubens hat over the ruddy
Hold of her hair. For this was an ex
periment costume, and it had some sug
gestion of novelty.
The plain gown was of a uniform
cream white of some rough towel-like
substance that seemed to cling naturally
to the tall and graceful figure, and it
wns touched here and there with black
velvet. She wore no ornaments but a
thick silver necklace round her thront
and a plain silver belt round her waist.
"Is it what you meant?" she repeated,
turning to him from the mirror.
"Oh, yes," said he, rather reluctantly.
"I I thought it would suit you. But
you see, Yolande, to drive in the park
In London wouldn't it be a little con
plcuous?" Her eyes were filled with astonish
ment; his rather wandered away nerv
ously to the table.
"But, papa, I don't .understand you.
Everywhere else you are always wishing
me to wear the brightest and lightest of
colors. I may wear what I please
and that Is only to please you, that Is
what 1 care about only anywhere else
If we are going for a walk or a drive at
Oatlunds Park, I cannot please you with
enough bright colors; but here, in Lon
don, everything is too conspicuous! And
this time I wns so nnxioUB to please you
all your own Ideas; not mine at all.
But what do I care?" She tossed the
Uubens hnt on to the couch that was
near. "Come! What is there about a
dress? It will do for some other place,
not so dnrk'nnd smoky as London. Come
sit down, pnpa you do not wish to go
away to the House yet!"
"Well, now, Miss Invelgler, Just listen
to this," said he, laying hold of her by
both her small ears. "Don't you think
It prudent of me to Bhow up as often as
I can in the House, so 'that my good
friends in Slagpool mayn't begin to grum
ble about my being away so frequently?
And why am I away? Why do I neglect
my duties? Why do I let the British
Empire glide on to Its doom? Why but
Pi
that I may take a wretched school girl
for her holidays and show her things she
can't understand; and plow through mu
seums and picture galleries to fill a mind
that is no bettur than a sieve? Just
think of it. The British Empire going
headlong to the mischief all for. the
sake of an empty-headed school girl!"
"Do you know, papa, I am very glad
to hear that?" she said, quietly, and she
sat on the hearth rug before hira, "for
now I think my dream will soon be com
ing true."
"Your dream?"
"My dream. The ambition of my
life," said she, seriously. "It is all 1
wish for and hope for. Nothing else
nothing else In the world. It is to make
myself indispensable to you. Listen now,
papa. Surely it la a shame that you
have wasted so much time on me,
through so many years always coming
to see me and take me away. I have
more sense now; I have been thinking;
I want to be indispensable to you; I
want to be in London with you al
ways; and you shall never have to run
away idling, and you shall never have to
think that I am wearying for you when
I am always with you in London. That
is it now; I wish to be yuur private sec
retary."
"No, no, Yolande," he said, nervous
ly. "London won't do for you it it
wouldn't do at all. Don't think of it
even.",
"Papa, what other member of Parlia
ment, with so much business as you have,
is without a secretary? Why should
you answer all those letters yourself?
For me I will learu politics very quick
ly: I am sturying hard. And just to
think that you have never allowed me to
hear you speak in the House! When I
come to London the ladies whom I see
will not believe that I have never once
been in the House. They know all the
spenkers; they have heard all the great
men; they spend the whole of the even
ing there, and have many come to see
them all In politics. Well, you see,
papa, what a burden It would be taking
off your hands. You would not always
have to come home and dine with me,
and waste so much of the evening in
reading to me. Then all the day here,
busy with your letters. Oh, I assure you
I would mnke prettier compliments to
your constituents than you could think
of."
"They seem to think there," he said,
with a sardonic smile, and he glanced
at the newspaper, "'that the country
would be better off without me."
It was too late to recall this unfortu
nate speech. The moment he had spoken
she reached over and took up the journal,
and found her father's name staring her
in the face.
"Is it true, Yolande?" he said, with a
laugh. "Is that what I am like?"
As she read, Yolande tried at first to
be grandly indifferent contemptuous.
And then, in spite of herself, tears rose
slowly and filled the soft gray-blue eyes
though she had kept her head down,
vainly trying to hide them. And then
mortification at her weakness made her
angry, and she crushed up the paper
twice or thrice, and hurled it Into the
fire; nay, she seized hold of the poker
and thrust and drove the offending jour
nal Into the very heart of the coals. And
then she rose, proud and indignant, and
with a toss of her pretty head, she said:
"It is enough time to waste over such
folly. Perhaps thep oor man has ' to
support a family; but, he need not write
such Btupidity as that Now, papa, what
shall I play for you?"
"I must be off to the House. There
is just a chance of a division; and per
haps I may be able to get In a few
words somewhere, just to show the Sing
pool people that I am not careering about
the Continent with my school girl. No,
no; I will see you safe In your own
room, Yolande; and your lamp lit, and
everything snug; then Good night!"
"No. Not until you say, 'I love you." "
"I love iu."
"And I may go out to-morrow morning
as early as ever I like, to buy some flow
ers for the breakfast table?"
"I don't like your going out by your
self, Yolande," said he rather hesitating
ly. "You can order flowers. You can
ring and tell the waiter "
"The waiter!" she exclaimed. "What
am I of use for, then, if It Is a waiter
who will choose flowers for your break
fast table, papa?"
"Take Jane with you, then.
"Oh, yes." ,
So that was settled; and he went up
stairs with her to see that her little si!
ver reading lamp was properly lit, am!
then bade her the real last good-night
When he returned to the sitting room for
bis hat and coat, there was a pleased
and contented look on his face.
"Poor Yolande!" he was thinking; "she
Is more shut up here thnn in the country:
but she will soon have the liberty of Oat
lunds Park again."
He had just put on his coat and hat,
and was giving a last !ook round the
room to see if there was anything he
ought to take with him, when there was
a loud, sharp crash at the window. A
hundred splinters of glass fell on to the
floor; a stone rolled over and over to' the
fireplace. He seemed bewildered ouly
for a second; and perhaps it was the
startling sound that bad made his face
grow suddenly of a deadly pallor; the
next second noiselessly and quickly
be had stolen front the room, and wis
hurriedly descending the stairs to the
hall of the hotel.
CHAPTER II.
The bead waiter was in the hall, alone,
and staring out through the glass door.
When he heard some one behind him,
be turned quickly, and there was a vagae
alurm In his face.
"The the lady, sir, has been here
again."
Mr. Winterbourne paid no heed to
him; passed him hastily, and went out.
The lamplight showed a figure standing
there on the pavement the figure of a
tall woman, dark and pale, who bad a
strange, dazed look In her eyes.
"I thought I'd bring you out!" she said,
tauntingly, and with a slight laugh.
"What do you want?V he said, quick
ly, and under his breathe "Have you no
shame, woman? Cuius' away. Tell me
what you want!"
"You know what I want," she said
sullenly. "I want no more lies." Then
an angrier light blazed up in the Impas
sive, emaciated face. "Who haB driven
me to it, if I have to break a window?
I want no more lies and hidings. I want
you to keep your promise; and if I have
to break every window in the House of
Commons, I will let everybody know.
Whose fault is it?"
"What madness have you got hold of
now?" he said, in the same low voice
and all his anxiety seemed to be to get
her away from the hotel. "Come along
and tell me what you want I suppose
I can guess who sent you. I suppose It
was not for nothing you came to make
an exhibition of yourself in the public
streets. They asked you to go and get
some money?"
"I will take them gome money. Iff you
like," she said, absently. "They are
my only friends now my only friends;
they have been kind to me they don't
cheat me with lies and promises they
don't put me off, and turn me away when
I ask for them. Yes, I will take them
some money."
By this time they had reached the cor
ner of Piccadilly, and as a four-wheeled
cab happened to be pnssing, he stopped
it, and himself opened the door. She
made no remonstrance; she seemed ready
to do anything he wished. "
"Here is some money. I will pay the
driver."
She got into the cab quite submissive
ly, and the man wns given the address,
and paid. Then the vehicle wns driven
off; and he wns left standing on the pave
ment, still somewhat bewildered, and not
conscious how his hands were trembling.
He stood uncertain only for a second
or so, then lie walked rapidly back to
the hotel.
"Has Miss Winterbourne's maid gone
to bed yet?" he asked of the landlady.
"Oh, no, sir! I should think not, sir,"
the buxom person nnswered; she did not
observe that his face was pale and his
eyes nervous.
"Will you please tell her, then, that
we shall be going down to Oatlnnds Park
again to-morrow morning? She must
have everything ready; but she is not to
disturb Miss Winterbourne to-night."
Then he went into the coffee room,
and found the head waiter.
"Look here," snid he, "I suppose you
can get a man to put in a. pane of glnss
in the window of our sitting room the
first thing In the morning? There lins
been some accident, I suppose. You enn
have it done before Miss Winterbourne
comes down."
He stood for a moment apparently list
ening if there was any sound upstairs;
and then he opened the door again And
went out Very slowly he walked away
through the lamp-lit streets, seeing abso
lutely nothing of the passersby, or of the
rattling cabs and carriages; and although
he bent his steps Westminster-ward It
was certainly not the affairs of the na
tion that had hold of his mind. Rather
he was thinking of that beautiful fair
young life that young life so carefully
and tenderly cherished and guarded, and
all unconscious of this terrible black
shadow behind it. The Irony of It! It
was this very night that Yolande had
chosen to reveal to him her secret hopes
and ambition; she was to be always with
him; she was to be "Indispensable;" the
days of her banishment were to be now
left .behind; and the two, father and
daughter, were to be Inseparable com
panions henceforth and forever. And his
reply? As he walked along the half-deserted
pavements, anxiously revolving
many things, ana dreaming many dreams
about what the future might have In
store for her, and regarding the trouble
and' terrible care that haunted his own
life, the final summing up of all his
doubts and fears resolved Itself Into this
If only Yolando were married! When
he passed Into the House It wns to seek
out his friend, John Shortlands, whose
rough common sense and blunt counsel
had before now stood hira in good stead
and served to brace up his unstrung
nerves. The tall, corpulent, big-headed
Ironmaster, he at length found with two
or three companions. Winterbourne
touched his friend lightly on the shoul
der. "Can you come outside for a minute?"
-All right"
(To be continued)
SILENCE IN HEAVEN.
By Her. Russell H. Con ire, D. D.,
Text "And when he had opened
the seventh seal there was silence In
heaven about the space of half an
hour." Revelation vlil:l.
I nm one of those who believe that
this book Is not yet open; that In a
grent measure it is a sealed book, and
that by and by, in the development of
the years, men will understand the
book of Revelation.
So 1 have found this verse. I do
not understand its relationship; I
would not undertake to give an exe
gesis of It and I do not believe any
nun cun. But there Is a thought In It
which we can comprehend. There Is
something here that Is very useful;
and as a marvelous Illustration of a
great gospel truth, there Is nothing
finer to be found In any of the litera
ture of the world.
Think of the angels folding thelt
wings and bowing In silence for half
an hour In that eternal land above.
Wonderful saying, this half an hour of
silence In heaven!
It says here that when the seventh
seal Bhall be opened, or was opened,
as John related It In a vision he saw
there was silence In heaven about
the space of half an hour. It calls
attention to thut which Is to follow
It calls the whole mind's thought to
that one great purpose of living in the
earth viz.: the heavenly things that
are to come. It was the coming of
the end. It Is the Judgment day; all
mankind have reached the end of earth
ly existence, and It Is a time when
every man Is to be Judged according to
the deeds done In the hotly. There Is
half nn hour of silence a perfectly
awful thought. "Yet, being here, It Is
here to be meditated uihjii and studied.
Oh, what voices there are In the
silence!
The coming of the King makes si
lence. Christ is come! I recall vivid
ly a great demonstration In St. Peters
burg, Russia, when the Czar Alexan
der wns coming with the Czarina up
the river into the city. He was to be
announced by the firing of a gun on
one of the bridges of the city, and the
streets were thronged with people
the streets were black with the crowd,
In their dark clothing of that north
land. They surged back and forth
like the restless ocean bay. They were
In the windows and doorways. The
roofs and cornices were covered with
people. They crowded In by the tens
of thousands to welcome the Emperor
on that fete day. When the tiniear
rived, as announced, at quarter-past
two, nil were waiting for the gun.
They waited and waited; and oh, the
silence of that multitude of people,
Immovable, scarcely breathing. There
was something so solemn, so oppres
sive that It seemed as though the
earth must open unless they were per
mitted to move ortspeak or In some
way to make a demonstration. But
when the gun boomed then the people
moved. Then they shouted. Then
they swung their Hags and their hand
kerchiefs, and the military uttered
their huzzas, and It broke forth Into a
salvo of welcome, so great that the
heavens themselves seemed to reply.
But the silence that preceded It seem
ed to emphasize It and those who wrt
nessed It were more Impressed with
the silence than with all the acclaim
and all the parade and music ufter
wards. '
The lesson to teach Is the Impor
tance of men In every spnere stopping,
and meditating for half an hour. If
you are going to change your busi
ness; If you are going to a new place;
If yon are going to be married; if you
are going to Join the church through
your heart having been turned to
Chrlst;lf you are undertaking any new
thing, stop for half an hour and In
silence meditate. If you are under
taking the accomplishment of a day's
work only, In the morning in silence
niolltato, meditate In your bed before
you rise or afterwards sit by your
self and talnk a tow minutes. It will
save you time through the day, and
will greatly Increase your ability to do.
It will give to you that day, no matter
what your sphere, success, If you but
stop and meditate.
iniltii' "r itir.iMiiiiio.x,
ktbi. k t tea rw m v ml
fly Rer. W. C . Covert
The conditions of life are unfavor
able to the practice of religious
meditation. This Is the noisiest
Btago of the world's life. The world
never was so filled with the loud Jar
gon of men and the harsh clatter of
things. Our civilization Is a shriek
ing, roaring thing. A modern city Is
a perfect bedlnm. Industry goes for
ward with a thousand coarse, grating
PILOT
voices that spoil the silence and ravish
our nerves. It knows no night of
rest It knows no Sabbath of quiet.
We are a thousand years from the
silent ilfe of our forefathers of fifty
years ago. But the noisier the age
trie more men hunger for quiet This
Is the day of all days for the practice
of a sane, healthy religious meditation.
Religious life will die amidst the noisy
and superficial things of the day when
we break our companionship with
great religious thoughts. In proper
religious meditation in this day there
must be complete detachment from
surroundings. Not because men are
to despise the hard work and clamor
of life, and seek to leave It, but that In
a moment or an hour of detachment
they may feed on food that will
strengthen them for the battle and
turn with renewed courage to It
Let men think on lines suggested
by the great problems and duties of a
practical, religious life and they will
escape the peril of a fruitless medita
tion, and keep In helpful touch with
their day.
THE VISITOR FROM HEAVEN.
Br Rer, Ebenezer Rees.
Text: "Behold, I stand at the door
and knock; if any man hear my voice,
I will oien the door, I will conio in to
him, and will Blip with him, and he
with me." Revelatlou ill., 20.
In reading the Bible, do you ever see
pictures? Sometimes to me the page
glow with life. May I tell you my
picture of this text? It came ouo
evening long ago. I thought that I
was Journeying ulong a country road
on u tempestuous winter's night Tho
sky wept upon a dreary world. It was
ilurk and desolate and very lonely, as
I Journeyed up the hills and down the
valleys, with nothing but a pale, young
moon to cheer the way. Presently I
saw In the distance a light I watched
it wonderlngly, drawing nearer and
nearer to it, until at length I stood be
side a cottnge. I went up to the door
and knocked; a man within unbolted
the door and opened.
The stranger drew near to the house
holder and took hold of hla hand,
gripped It kindly yet firmly. Oh! the
touch of that hund said much. Tho
light and gladness of the one face
passed over into the other.
There are two kinds of welcome.
There Is the skinny little welcome If
you will purdon a word which Is more
expressive Own classical; as when wo
say, "I am so glad to see you;" while
you really mean and somehow show
that we shall lie gladder still when
be has gone. That Is not the welcome
which we must give the Savior. Thero
Is another welcome. Let me try to
translate It Jnto words. "Come In!"
Oh! we see It In the face; we feel It
at the door; the very gate as It swings
on Its hinges learns the secret anil
rings with it. "Conio In; I rejoice to
see you. This Is my house; let It bo
yours; go upstairs, downstairs sit
where you like; roam where you will.
This Is my home; let It be yours."
That Is welcome. We go to that house
again. And there Is a Hense in which
the human heart Is very like a house.
It has many rooms and corners, some
of which have not been swept out,
maybe, since the house was built
Christ must have entry to those cor
ners. We must Bay: "Come In, Jesus;
live with me. Thou shalt know all
alxiut me. Thou shalt read every Re
cret In my heart. Thou shalt know my
motives. Thou shalt hear the things
I have not whispered to others. Thou
shalt hear me praying and watch me
working. Welcome, Master! Live with
me. Correct me. Chastise me. Bring
the rod upon me when I deserve It
Only stay with me evermore." If we
could but give Him such a welcome,
how happy would we bel
Rhort Meter Sermons.
Toll disarms teniiptatlon.
Persplnratlon proves Inspiration.
No man can keep his sins to himself.
Revenge Is sweetest when renounced.
Great faith Is the secret of great
facts.
There may be backbone without big
otry. He has no faith In God who has no
hope for man.
This would lie a bitter world but for
our tears.
Destiny Is decided not by definitions
but by deeds.
He knows nothing fully who knows
nothing beside.
No man ever bought fortune by the
snle of his friends.
The church with a mission never
dies for lack of money.
You cannot tell much about God's
army by Its eburcii parade.
A llfo Is to be known by its outgo
rather than by Its Income.
The man who boasts of never minc
ing matters is likely to be chopping up
somebody'! reputation pretty fln.