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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLucknow Sentinel, 1891-12-18, Page 2ST 'That:advert:leer use '17fith;t:10a Of 'for the *tia,.!,basidere047347` a At the inght of yenta on," Mop; laraveasilistreleep th I'd heard it myself, and semi the pars e face just now." is I Her face, did not express much am e meet certainly; but ehe tried to back a '• from him into the shadow of the curta aud he let her go with an impatient a - At this juncture, for the third tune tae bell tinkled its warning of an arrival, y rnediately approached him. y were here, your cart ie outside. How dear Helen?" , She is here to answer for hereeli." e avas—firea oaf; and it is k attch a hot day. Really," peering at her d " she looksterribly pale. Come out bete; e the air, ley° ; come out both of yon, and we will have tea under the tulip tree. I wiil t tell Betsey to bring it at once." And she rude just now. I hardly knew what I said ;" t I was cut up, don't you know. I suppose - it isn't spur fault that you don't fancy me ; upon word, I dotet know what you should see in me after alL It is rough luck , thoegh, I shall never see your face, nottrapar your voice again. I have been thiekkg, we should spend our whole lives together. That thought had taken root deep ; how Those were his last words. Before Helen had time to think what they meant he had gone ; she heard him talking to Miss Mit- ford in' the garden, then she heard. his quick step on the gravel, then the cliek of the gate and the rumble Of wheels, load at first, but soon lesseaing mitile they alied -into d me it Would be easiest to do Ito when la C.4 ehinPle.4 911 I* steamily and hi tc;Whnt wonid you have seen ?" she in "'Near insigat might have misled you.' • Now feminine Weapons Of warfare ma eerve their purpose in an 'Amazonian battle I quite harmless ; he Was a frank opponent he hie etraight front the ehoulder„ oi he did pakte bit et all. , nearer, she wise standing by the plebe, bac to the light, " do you think that if 1 ha come in as I did-athrough no fault of mid e --..and seen tbat pooe chap making love to you, and hadn't asked you waat it mean but had taken it for granted that it wa your 'usual custom of an afternoon,' the that would Jeave pleased you ?" 44 It would have been less eccentric ; bu perhape I ought te be grateful for the inter est you take in my affairs." , • In speaking, Ilea voice broke, the sprig of sweetbrier whit* she held was trembling and be saw it. " I'm awfully sorry, Helen," he said, gently. " I beg your pardon. I had no right to bother you, but upon my honor I couldn't help it, I was ao angry." He had hardly heard what she said, her changing color her evident distress he attributed to the scene through whica' she had lately passed. It seemed cruel to increase her agitation hintself, but he had vile so far that he could not draw back. He muet secure this troubled angel at once and soothe her into perfe t happiness ; he could not bear to see h rown, he could not bear to think that e had wounded her. He guessed his angel had a temper, but of that he was' not afraid ; a temper in prospective is sometimes -considered one of the yather interesting vices, but like the rest of such failings, loses its allurements at • He stood in silence and watched her ; he was thinking how fair and stately a wife she would be ; he postponed for one moment the words which should bring her to his arms. During thatmoment she recovered herself ; with a sudden and yet unhurried movement she seated he?self on the window seat ; a table of some dimensions now inter- vened between herself and him. " We are making a very great mountain out of nothing, Mr. Jones," she said, lightly, " in your agitation you even .forget my name. Would you mind opening the door ? The heat in here is horrible, and a draught will blow away the scent of the flowers ; they are so overpowering they make pne breathless." • ktZawn-te 4aie CQat8 all extvan or • Was with me, in m�-:dreaU E, An cnsy shave:'" with'peachy... Still cepa ney pathway gleams.* want to find that kind. of im. ,` Sa haandsome, :brave,.and greet anct stalwart, and. wi ,a3 Ta}ata aaeeee _ aiea . eee a weal earns 'that. have .so W,itli hands that look lt`I could Hind that. :I'd uot.bo single to Alba!, tat's' fellows So silly likr)f coata eilariiikethe LOok Thfi alk. tatiy look nd their necks e brains. Vale know nafacial soap tliy or be peer, lika for enoe to see alma inan N'S LOVERS. OHAPTER ..The beet laid,sehemes of mice and men .te net leaveluanoaght but grief and pain igen Seemed reluctant to part with Mr. Ole Her eteanuous efforts to prolong ear farewell at the 'garden gate met with 'enecees. It wait unreaionable for her to 6614 answering her quick questions -:iitelayaiit • subjects ; he could find no Oates& 'With' which to respond to her hy remeake. "But jest Ett last he stem- , Meted pat that " he anderstood," " he kneW,",•; hoped elle would be happy," q heped thet he loved her as she should ovede'ae \And then, refusing to enlighten teply tha,her quick question as to he meant, aintshaIrdng' his head sadly sefintJderiiaI of the impatation—what- itenigat eignify—he turned abruptly t,was Wonder that ahe looked pile as e retraced her steps to the bowie, for the lazing ,suri streamed doWn on her bare Aashe weed the sweet -brier tree aPauied to gather a spray on which one ,tilekeditt, the pet* fell. one by one to the mend, and the resisting thorns tore her Ors. The crushed leavea left their scent ,.eiespon her hands, for she , held them in a vice :Mr. Jones Was standing by 'the window .when she came in. She looked at him vely. She had cause for gravity ; the ange in his mien frightened her. She 'hardened her heart and sent her thoughts Coursing back to past events, by the memory erwhich she could brace her determination. retained her glance ; his eyes were grave and _steadfast ; his attitude was alert ; his 'aweless, good-humored smile was gone. ' The fact was that, for once in his life, hie emotions were stronger than hie will. He ehad the Rivera Meet picnic made up his s Mind that Helen should be his wife. Sys- teinatically and deliberately he had set hinteelf to win her love. If the task had not been easy, it was none the less to his taste on that account ; neitheeewas the re- f milt less likely to please- him. She had, t :against his better judgment, subjugated A rune he, 'recognizing her disadvantages, o toredooked them. \ Until this moment he had been in no ham ; he would not Precipitate matters ; h on the contrary, he would prolong his wooing la mail her feelings fully reciprocated, if they n did not exceed, hie own ; that wordd be hie revenge for her obduracy. He had promised himself a delightful a time he had laid a capital plan, but " The besb laid schemes of mioe and men Y Gang aft a -glee." The advent of this rival was unlooked w for ; it upset his calculations and his self - He would not beat about the bush, he would go straight to the root of the matter. 93 He Would not have any nonsense, he teld a himself, angrily, before she returned. But when he saw her, looking, in her ' faded *.nk gown,, as fair and delicate as 'one of " those sea convolvalus that grew intertekned e with thrift and sea -lavender on the cliffs, and a bunch of which he had gathered for li her only the eight before, he felt, with a auddee qualm Of heart, what it would be to eh lose her, and he softened ale words. te " I hope did not send your friend " He was juet going when you came." " Is he staying in the place ?" " Came over from Ilfracombe, perhaps ?" " I have known WM for six months." Her way of answering him displeased and wi surprised him—it wets reluctant and con- ma etrained, it was oh, disquieting thought ! • la3 though she had something she wished m to hide from him ; this hypothesis was un- thea.rable, and shotild be dismissed at any " Are you going to marry him ?" There was a pause. A plane so long as_ to be alarming, then she answered— " No," in defiant and distinctly un- friendly tones. He was annoyed. but not alo to be deterred from gaining his point by her hi " Yeu don't think I hive any eight to .ask you that question ?" he said. " Any one has a right to ask any ques- lov tion, I suppose/ ; but it is always unpleas- 1 ant to be catechised." " When I found that parson alone with int you and—and—ahem—holding your hands, sta Ever atom of color had forsaken her face (Jai onas use - way heti gate 400 im- you ia lie did not open` the door, nor did he answer. She.did not look at him but she was conscious of his steady', gaze. She could hear anything just then tataer than " We will go out," she went on, quickly, " it is cooler in the garden. I must fetch my hat and order tea. We will have tea under the trees." She was passing him on her way to escape through the door—how clever was her ruse to • get away—her hand was close to the hanclle when he stepped forward and barred her progress. peak to you." " Not now,"—there was a wild petition in her voice which startled him—" wait— presently—not now." , " It is all right, darling. I don't want to tighten you, but the truth is I can't_ get hrough an hour without you. • When I m noawith you, I think of you. I dream f you every night. I want you to marry He paused. She was confounded at this onor which he had thrust upon her, the shes concealedeher eyes ; she did not move or answer. . "I'm so awfully fond of you, dear t that ery first day in the train I liked you. Yon re such a splendid girl, Helen ; you are so retty, and you are such good company ; ou are differeut from the others. I never new that I could be such a fool about a otaan. I will marry you no one but you. After all, love is the thing . for which to arry. Darling," with a soft contented smile and extended hand, " if ,you won't arry me, if you chuck me ovei, I shall go own and drown myself, or—" Or marry some one elae," returned' his darling' ; who spoke quite collectedly. I advise the latter coarse as it might not ntail such notoriety." "Helen," stillsmiling, " you hard-hearted " My name is Miss Mitford," interrupted e ; " perhaps yea will be good enough not call me by any other:" " My 'dearest girl, don't chaff, I want my ewer. I am in red-hot earnest." " When will you marry me ?" Mr. Jones' smile faded. " Look 'here, u that I am most awfully. fond of you. can t putet strong enough. I love you th all my soul, I swear I do. Will you arry you." silence. ' Yes, he had gennataen he w back ; he said he could not live her. Surely, surely, surely he would again. What had she said? Her wre pride, her suicidal vanity had made wounsl him. He must know, he must gue that she was only a woman after all, an therefore to be won. The remembrance Lady Lucy Freemantle ran a leaden thoug through her brain. The recollection of Miss Jones"' hint, her overbearing manner, the sins ( omission) of the Jones' progenitors, a these things which had combined in prornp ing her recent action were now replaced b a new and sickehing dread, which she (un used to and restive tinder mental pain strove with the strength of her strong will to banish—and failed. " My love, we shall miss Mr. Jones, said her aunt, as they sat together unde the tulip tree drinking their tea. " Me make a house lively, and he had sueh pleasant, cheery way about him. I declar he reminded me more than once of my poo Thomas." " Perleaps he will come to -morrow ? Helen was sitting, or rather, lounging bac in a deck chair, her large white hat was o the grass at her feet, her handswere claspe behind her head, her eyes, soft and' dewy were fixed on her companion's face. " Nay, my love, he bade me a last good -bye he is going to -night --on business to London I underetood him to Say, and then e goes to Paxford, I believe. Helen, you tea is getting cold. Dear 1 dear 1 there i poor little fly in it." Helen carefully extracted the fly with a eaf, and placed it on her knee to dry and ecover itself, but it was past cure ; the tea had been of fatal heat, and it was dead. he looked at it ; how easily it had come to grief, a false fletter, a fall, and a painful eath as punishment for one small mistake. o and fro in the sunshine, myriads of gnats and flies were darting— " You are so thoughtful, love ; wbat " It's toe- hot to talk, auntie. Jest look at thebed of portulaccas with the sun on i . I never saw such tints ; they would ve a painter to despair." " Mrs. Majoribank's yellow poppies are agnificent, Helen," with the gentle jeal- usy of the amateur gardener. " Her coarse il snits them to perfection ; she has remised me some seed next spring if I live long. To my mind the seed -time is the ppiest of the year. .We sow, and there hardly a limit to.our expectation of joy - 1 results. Now the harvest is a period of eat anxiety ; we realize that nothing is der our own control, we are at the mercy the elements ; we gardeners live on faith e the farmers. Mrs. Majoribanks makes great miatake with her roses - she will t prune, she will not sacrifice die present the future. My love, you haae scratched nr hand; you will pluck the eet-brier, you should cut it Helen. hat is "what I said to Mr. Jones ; tore off one of the fthoots so roughly as passed the bush on his way tie the gate ; is remarkably partial to sweetebrier. deed I never knew such a young man so voted to flowers. Mrs. Majoribanks is rprised at his intended marriage to that ughter of Lord Parsons -being unopposed her noble relations, but he is such an tellable and wealthy youth, and, I am sure, 1 make a considerate husband to any ung lady. Mrs. Majoribanks quite aught, 'until Miss Jones herself contra - ted the report, that he came here to pay court to you, love. But, I said, Lord raon's daughter could, from her assured sition, marry into trade, a connection ch we should prefer a member of our ily' to avoid. I do not like gossip, len. I spoke most decidedly, and Mrs. joribanks quite agreed With me." How parched the lawn is, Auntie. As n as the sun goes down and it gete ler we will turn on the hose and water grass as well as the flowerie" Nay, love, it would so encourage the gs, a heavy dew falls each night—but do you like—Mrs. Mejoribanks was very tty, I stayed there so long welkin of ht of 11 a 1 is dri SO SO ha is fa gr un Lik 0 is hi und the ,garden and talking. -She tcal Sir Adolphus is in London, he is always ding to his wealth by" fortunate specula - ns ; everything he touches turns to d, those girls of his will have fabulous tunes and yet Fred Majoribanks will P, t propose -to the elder one. who is " doubtedly attached to him, his mother ` s. Young men are sadly hmadotron " to 811 yo th po " That is all your answer ?" " You have nothing more to say to me ?" " Nothing." He was stunned. It was not her words ne, but her hard, set face that confounded m. Is there some one else, Helen ?" You—you are not," unsteadily, " e with some other fellow ?" He caught her by the wrist, pul ed her o the full light of the open windo . and red into her white fan. I could have eworn you lik me," he d, " ea trio doubt that other poor chap w o waa here this afternoon could have blazed, her lips were compressed. " Don't be angry. I only wanted to make sure ; for a moment, I was afraid. I knew you would have told me long ago if you had been engaged. I was a fool to n eon a bit annoyed I should have seen the whole Mr. dorueseeraseetekingaaa-good—eleel—feer edone. I suppose this sort of thing diverts you ; it's a variety entertainment—one poor devil after another dancing to' your pipe. I'm afraid I don't understand women ; for, on m, life, I don't know what kind of grati cation they get out of this form of CO th slu eh ro ad tio gol for no un Mie she Aso Jon uie taw beneath hei chin, and ttu•ew liack the nbboae upoa her shoulders : she was over - 1' Mrs. Majoribanks is a friend a mine, love " !the said, with mild reproof. isult that the very, reason you would like to hear her abused? There, Auntie, don't leek shocked, it was a a:are—only it oppressive and that fly prevented you drinking your tea. Will you have some raspberry vinegar instead ?' "Raspberry 'vinegar," with a laugh which 'was half a sob. " Vinegar already; no, thank Helen's mind that evening was a weather - go to the beach, then she remembered that the children were expecting her and she must not diseppoint them. At the gate she turned back, it was so hot she would stay in the garden ; on reaching the bush of sweet brier she made a fresh decision, the sea breeze on the shore would be refreshing, ehe veduld go—nay, she wouldn't, it was tie loeg a walk—she would—she wouldn't—finally she would and she went. ' She returned late,' very gentle and sub - *lewd, very careful of, and caressing toward, hM. aunt, with pensive eyes and a restless spirit. • This new mood seemed likely to be per- manent, is lasted through the ensuing week and on to the final days of leer visit. heavy showers fell contin ally, the Atlantic if of thunderstorms had sneeeded the heat, was troubled and stormy. Neither rough breezes nor rain kept Helen indoors she haunted the cliffii ,and the seashore. 'Upon the sea -lashed rocks she) would stand for hours, a tall, unbending figure against the dark backgreund, the wind flapping her calhtieretksird beating a warm color into her On the last day of hersojournatNoelcombe she had goiee for her usual evening ramble on tlee beach a she had walked for so long '0,4:forian r that she felt very -tired as she the steep ascent homeward. aaa new sensation, but its r merry heart goes all the day, Your sad one tires in a mile," as Shakspeare ana several other people have hitherto observed. When she reached Carnation Cottage she saw Miss Elizabeth, with chintz skirt pilmed up high, and Betsey's pattens protecting her feet from the damp grass, spudding up daisy roots on the lawn ; on seeing Helen she left her work ,and hurried toward her. were never coming ! Mrs. Majoribanks has been here, she waited an hour on purpose to wish you good -by." " I should like to have wished her good - by," said Helen with a mischievous gleam " She had news for us, Helen, she had been calling at the Jenese,s' ; the engage- ment is announced." Helen was overtired, her knees were trembling, her voice was rather harsh, she had raised it high. She turned toward the sweet -brier then changed her mind and faced the elder lady. " Whose engagement ?" she asked. " Sir Edwin Shuter and Miss Patricia Jones ; Mrs. Majoribanks is so vexed, she says that her son deliberately flung away his chance." A beautiful pine crept over Helen's face, the dimples Played in her cheeks ; she laughed a little joyous contented laugh to herself. , " I hope they will be as happy, as happy ad the Queen," she said, returning to the bush of sweetbrier. " Both engagements announced on the same day1 A curious coincidence Helen. Patricia's will take place first. Lady Lucy Freemantle and our Mr. Jones will not be married until Christmas, Lord Parsons will not return from America before then and he wishes to be present. The engagement gives universal satisfaction." But the engagement was in truth not nearly so unprecedented as Miss Elizabeth Mitford declared. Poor Mr. Flight, had he known it, was avenged. . CHAPTER XI. We rise in glory as we sink in pride ; Where boasting ends, there dignity begins. For, 'tis a question left us yet to prove, Whether love lead fortune, or else fortune love. Summer was long past. The corn was all gathered in ; the shivering trees were shed- ding their variegated leaves ; the chilly breath of coming winter was to be felt at " rosy morn and dewy eve." Even to a genuine coentry lover, the last days of Oc- tober, amid dying flowers, naked hedges, newly stripped woods and cloudy skies are depressing, and the thought ef pavements, shop windows, dry crossings and fresh faces poesesses a new and decided attraction. But if Helen ever aighed as she trudged over sodden lea.vela and, waded through the muddy Meriton lanes, no one heard her ; if the anivereal decay and death of autumn saddened her, no one stispected thet it was so. How should they ? She was the life and soul of her home—an imprisoned sun- beam in which they all rejoiced. If she smiled less easily, her smile was sweeter and less swift ; if her apirits were no longer rampant, they did not overpower—they sustained—the humor of her neighbors. If she was less ready of advice less quick of demaion, more diffident of the justice of her judgment, more lenient, more sympathetic, and -more thoughtful, she " was older," they &sal, as though age always wrought its change thus. One or two of Helen's girl -acquaintances, who belonged to the conventional, egotisti- cal, man -hunting isect--of whom the mem- hero, in converse, manner, appearance, and lamentable, rrionatony of character reeemble each other as closely as do primroses--de- care 'for thinge" (" things" meant their e,onversation — which, however, both in nrport and intention, far exceeded their Becauee Helen had made a mistake, or eeatiee fortune bed not been kind to her, ;tau no reo,sson that she ehould revenge her - If upon fate by making her innobent amity exceedingly uncomfortable, if hot ()naively miserable, by repinings and he sort of girl to visit her t g. notices, so many trifles which etcape my 'se, evation ; did you remark that Lady es has dyed her hair ?" She does not dye it," said the girl, as they said; she had grown older. Mini euoh ctrcumstanees a girl of her calibre age. Bat befere loreg Helen had good cease to more sober and less childish. A sad event, took place. au event at which remorse. sorrow and some natural excitement were hlent Flight to whom she had been so un- kind—Mr. 'Flight, 011 whom she had praetted her foolish wiles with such =- looked for result—Mr. Flight, wiles° very name turned her sick arid coldeesalr. Flights, of whom she neVer thought witlihnt stab of sharp pain—Mr. Fliglat had atoned for all his offences by death. He was dead mentam of broken heart as the eause•of his death.' He had, like many a heart -whole man, taken fever at Florence, and, after a loeg and severe illness, had succumbed to the disease. His last words had been of Helen ; hie ast act had been to make hit will, by which he left her everything that he pesseesed. She found herself the owner of fifteen thousand pounds and forgot the satisfaction of her riches in her anger with herself She had never so despised heiself. She had. been despicably, pitilessly re- morseless. Even now she could not cast her warmest thoughts to him ; she could not grieve for him, she could not Wish Mina back again. 1 ti,4 She did not want his one ;. all she wanted was to tell him ho ' rly ehe re- hpaevnetewd,epantd bow well she , nde stood now that she had laughed where she had better Regrets are vain emotions, as Helen knew to her cost—useless encumberers of the soil. Regrets mast be strangled, if life e is not to be a waste tangle of retiospect ; for regrets, like all weeds, grow apace. Mrs. Mitford was very tender with the girl at this time, and would watch her, fuetiaely and unebserved, from anxious eyes. She had drawn her own conclusion —a fresh and falseone—from Helen's altered looks and ways. " Henry," she said one day—impulsively disclosing (as women do) the secret which , she had intended to keep inviolate forever —" Henry, Helen regrets that poor young " To be sure elle does," the rector an- swered`, energetically. " I should think poorly of her if she did not. hy, we all teeyregret him. His sermons w above the " But, Henry, you' do not understand me. I mean moretaan I said. - I mean that she mistook the nature of her feelings. She really and truly loved him." For a, few secondi her husband remaines1 in thought, then he spoke slowly— " No, Honoraa—I think not. Do you not remember how I scolded her for singing that ridiculous ballad to the poor man— ' It at the most exceeding bore, of all the bores I know, • To have a friend who lost. his heart a short Had her heart been touched, those words would not have occurred to her." " I don't know that," said Mrs,. Mitfoad, with an indulgent smile. " A girl will say or do anything from a sheer love of teas- ing." Again, with a thoughtful brow, her hus- band reviewed the past, then he spoke with decision— " You are wrong., Honore. You were ' always a most imaginative woman. That poor young man had no attraction. for the child. I found her hiding in the hayloft more than once when he called. As there was no chance of her being discovered by him, I dea not think it • possible she would have concealed herself had she formed in attachment for him." ready to distrust her own judgment and to aely upon that of her husband, so she bright- ened perceptibly. " So she hid in the loft, did she ? How Frances has searched for her, while that poor young man was with me for hours in the drawing -room. That idea upsets my theory ; I am glad of it. But it is odd to me that our child should be Eft) hard of heart. I had had seeeral slight affairs before I was her age." " I don't see anything wrong with Helen a grig. You women are always raking an: she is prettier than ever, and as merry as sifting and prying for alove-tale. If a gin is happy, without a husband, yee won't be- lieve it.' Mrs. Mitford smiled shyly. Her husband was no doubt right. " I shall send her away, Henry. Now that there is no difficulty about ways and means, I should like her to go and see my people. Change of airand scene is excellent for mind and body, besides which she win meet many—" " So you won't be content till you have lost her, Honore. You foolish woman, hy won't you keep her here as long as yoeu, I You will break ,your heart when she ma es " I should break my heart if she didn't marry," Mrs. Mitford said, smiling very ieweetly at her rector ; -".for I want her to be happy—as happy as I am." So it was arranged that Helen should pay a round of visits, with which arrangement she was nothing loth to comply. She wrote lively letters home, descriptive of lively and varied life. She made nevi friends and met pleasant people ; she seemed to enjoy everythingand find amusement everywhere. There was an even, a sustained content to be detected in her mode of writing which was foreign to her years, and particularly new to her former habits of mind. In each letter she inquired for her Aunt Elizabeth. "She never writes to me," w s her come plaint, repeated over and over a • an. Mental worry, over -work and excesses are the fruitful causes of insanity. Dr. I Williams' Pink Pills are an unfailing remedy, building anew the blood and re- storing leasted energies. Good for men Emd 1 women. Persons with tender feet will be inter- ested in a new in -sole for hoots and &mem It is made of hollow India rubber, inflated with air or gas under pressure, the external protective covering being cativas, eilk or other aimilar material. Inserted in the shoe it relieves the pressure of the leather against all tender parts of the foot. haeni- believed -reenter; I Wouldn't toiTeia. ••••••• ' s • amusement. I never guessed you were making a fool of me, Helen. " wouldn't & gr eeabld, spiteful old woman." taushitom hat, which were fastened in a ter make them pay for her caprice, mettle, which was of the tighb quality. But, I since I was a boy," 4