CHAPTER I.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 189, 29 January 1887, Page 3

CHAPTER I.

The bright November moon was rising slowly, and shedding its mellow light on the quiet earth ; some sof fc rays had found their way into a little study, and were falling gently about the figure of a girl sitting by the table. Presently she rises from her seat, and with quick hurried movements, walks towards the window and throws it open. As fihe stands there, with the clear light falling fall on her, it is eaey to see that she is •youn? ; but her face is flushed and tiredleoking, and the hand which is resting on the window-sill is trembling visibly. There ia all that jaded air about her which betrays bo plainly the long hourß spent "with blinded eye-sight poring over miserable books ;" her every movement chows how much restraint she is trying to put on herself to keep quiet. To-morrow is the lirst day of the University examination, and Cecily Gilburn is a candidate. It is her first year, and now this night, when all her study is over, when ber books arg put aside for the last time, she feels as though she never can get through the hours before morning. Cecily has given up a great deal in order that she might study tor thia degree examination, she has sacrificed much to gratify her intense love for knowledge. _ A smile plays tor a moment round the girl's lips as she recalls what her friends think about all this work. They have told her that the sacrifices she has made of bealth and happiness are too great for the ©nd she would gain. She has given up too much for this one thing, and bow Cecily's face grows sad as she doss think of all that has been given up to it. There are many thinge, but surely the end which may comb will compensate ber ; in all but one thing : will it repay her for tbat — will any amount of success restore that ? She has lost her place in ber home through this study ; a great deal of the love which had been hers seems to have away. She is never consulted now about little matters of importance aa she astrti to be ; even the children are not so fond of her as they weie ; they eeem afraid ©f the sister whom years ot study have altered so much. She ia the ornament of tbe family new, not so much a happy member. i'et all this has been for her love of learaine, not for the love ofdistinction. Surely it has been worth the sacrifice ; is she not bstttr off now, with the increased knowledge which study has given to her, than she sh.mld have been otherwise ? But that she could have had both ; if she only could iave kept her place in the family circle, and have been able to study as well. Yet she has not been able to do it, and after all the study has been worth tne sacrifice ; perhaps when her degree is taken she may he able to regain her place When it is ■woe What it even dtili it lay beyond her ea#er grasp ? oh, that the exam were over, in?^ead of just beginning. Now, unable to fceep still an> longer, the girl hurriedly cl wC3 the window, and begins walking u p and down her room with quick impatient steps The examination was over ; then came the atixious months of waiting and finally the answer — Cecily learned it with a quietness sl>a had not thought heraelf capable of— she had failed. It was all over now ; the result had brought to her the knowledge that in 3pite of the yoars of work, the long, long hours of uay and night spent in study, she did *ofc yet know enough to take her degree. She caw the quilety superior smiles which -pas-ed among her friends when her failure ~v>!*.« spoken of ; but there were very few v?> o had a word of comfort for the weary girl. It served her right. Perhaps now she Tvoald see the force of their rea-oning, and en.ieavour to modify her ambition. But Ctctiy could have borne it, or rather have uvide" others think she bore it all, indifferently ; for she was too proud to let them see how much pho felt her defeat ; ahe could pas* over all the remarks which people ni>de on her failure with that cold caught y manner ene knew so well how to assume. She cared but little for them : they were out-iders, and their opinion mattered no thiatr to her ; but when it came nearer liovrse, and Cecily was plainly told by someone whose opinion she did care for that she was wasting her time and energies, and tbat inet-dd ot leading the happy useful lite laid out for her, she was endeavouring to vratily a passion for distinction, and layin v up stores of misery for herself and ttZiza, it was more than the girl could bear. Proud as she had always been, and qu'ck to resent any injustice, Cecily was greatly hurt at the cruel words, even though ie was Wilfred Hamilton who spoke them, aiid she replied sharply to his angry remonstrance. Unfortunately, Wilfred's temper was quick, and in his annoyance he made no allowanced for the girl who was worn-out with long study, fie said then, and bitterly Teu retted it too late, that if she meant to Bpend the best part of her life making .others miserable through her studying, then lip- thuugbt the sooner their engagement ■vjit'-i broken off the better for both ; he considered that he should be doing a fo:jli s h thing to bind himself to a girl who meant to give the whole of her time to study until she had won a certain wretched degree fit. euid it, but he never meant Cacily to take his words as she did ; they had grown np as boy and girl together, and often and often had quarrelled before, but the longest quanel baU never lasted more than a day, cud cow as he saw Cecily's face change, and ?aw the sudden haughtiness which came into her manner, he would have given world? to lecall his foolish speech. But she only beard his unkind words, and madly stung as the girl was, with a proud a-f-umed indifference in her manner she told him that she would never hold him unwilltn^iy bound, and he should be free. &ud thuf they who had grown up together, v?bo had learned to care for one another wkh a far deeper love than that of mere companions, parted. It seemed aB if matters must remain so, fof Cecily was too much hurt and too proud to unbend in the least towards him, and Wilfred took her cold manner to m^an that &he had cc a^ed to care for him ; and the gulf between the two widened, because ©at*b was too proud to take the first step tov;iuda reconciliation.