Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1933-01-12, Page 6to* THURSDAY, JANUARY^ ja, 11)33 THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE I CHAPTER XXXII “For the moment it wasn’t. It was the Tormarin devil—-the curse ■of every generation. But I think that Varigny woman could turn a saint into a devil if she tried; She Isaid something about you—and couldn’t sand it.” “Was that it? Then I suppose shall have to forgive you"—with pale lttle attempt at a smile. But the half-hearted smile again almost instantly. “Oh, Blaise, what would I a faded your temper matter it we could still be together?” she cried passionately. “Nothing in the whole world would matter then!” Presently she spoke again. “But it’s worse for you than I wish it were more equal.” “How worse for me? I understand. sad smije— “Ah, you know I don’t mean that! But I’ve only the separation to face I’m not. tied to somebody I don’t love. You’ve got Nesta to consid­ er.” “Nesta?” He gave a short’, grim laugh. “Nesta can go back tc where she came from.’ There was a long Jean broke it. “Blaise, you can’t can’t do that—you in?. don’t Unless"—with a brief ■ “you love me less?" go silence. At last IT tc last */ rue C'& -J BY MARGARET PEDLAR temper had been exorcised, as if that fierce storm of anger provoked by Madame de Varigny’s taunts and which had .so nearly resulted in a t*.agedy, had shocked Blaise ^into re­ alization of the terrible latent pos­ sibilities of the family failing and the absolute necessity for an iron self-government. For weeks he supported Nesta’? petty gibes and ebullitions of temper with illimitable patience, and it was only when, trading on his unaccus­ tomed forbearance, she ventured toe far, that she was brought very sud­ denly to understand that there was a limit beyond which she might go “I know why you no longer love me,” she told him at last, on an oc­ casion when she had been vainly endeavouring, by every feminine blandishfent and wile of which she was mistress, to evoke from him some sign of an awakening tendresse “I know!” She nodded her head significantly while pin-points of jealous anger flickered in her long, narrow eyes black, as midnight. “Then, if you know,” replied Tor­ marin patiently, “it is surely most foolish of you to keep asking why I do not. Why can’t you content your­ self with things as they are, Nesta? We can only try to make the of a bad job. You don’t help much in the matter.” “I don’t want to help you,” retorted viciously. love me. that haired woman who is living with Lady Latimer. with you, too! ... No! ELvier ®imea-Abnnr»ie Established 1873 and 1887 Published every Thursday morninf at Exeter, Ontario SUBSCRIPTION—$2.00 per year In advance. RATES—Farm or Real Estate tot sale 50c. each insertion for first four insertions. 25c. each subse­ quent insertion, Miscellaneous ar­ ticles, To Rent, Wanted, Lost, or Found 10c. per line of six words Reading notices 10c, per line Card of Thanks 50c. Legal ad­ vertising 12 and 8c. per line. In Memoriam, with one verse 50c. extra verses 25c. each.suddenly come upon them, yet know­ ing in their hearts that this was the very comfort that must for ever be denied them in the lonely future. At last Jean raised her head from its resting-place and her eyes search­ ed Blaise’s face, asking the question .she could no longer bring herself tc put in words. He met theii’ gaze. “Jean, is it your wish I do this thing—take Nesta back?" He felt a shudder run frame. Twice she tried ly to answer. At last her dry lips to utter an “So be it.” His answer sounded like the knell <f the whole meaning; she declared, “to run away and leave ”............. settled i you like that. “I can’t”-—forlornly —“hope for you to love me again—■" And Tormarin had relied with un­ mistakable decision: “No, you can’t, hone for that. And I’m glad you understand and recog­ nize the fact. Still, we can try tc be good friends, Nesta, at least.” But this tranquil state of things only lasted for a comparatively’ Very soon, as the nov- • rein- . ________ -- ..ear off, Nesta in from. became more self-assured and, ap, I’m out- parently, considerably less frequent- life andHy visited by spasms of repentance ' and remorse. Her butterfly nature could retain no very deep impression for any length of time, and gradually the characteristics of the old Nesta— the pettish, self-willed, pleasure-lov­ ing woman of former times—began to reassert themselves. Blaise tried hard to exercise bearance with her and to treat at least with justice and with a tain need of kindliness. But did not second his efforts, Instead she became more exigeant and dif- icult as time passed on. She was no longer satisfied by the fact that she was once more install­ ed as 'mistress of Staple. She de­ manded a husband who would sur- surround her with all the little ob­ servances that only only itself can dictate, whom she could alternately scold and cajole as the fancy her, but who would always back to her, after a tiff, ready’ tc play the adoring lover. She found Blaise’s cool, measured e ’ d e r-ib r o t h e r 1 y kindness able, and she exhausted beating continually against the rock of his determination, without pro­ ducing any effect other than to make his manner even more austere, less friendly than it had been before. Then when she recognized her to­ tal inability to move him to any sort of responsive emotion, and tha1 her beauty1—.which was undeniable —made no more impression him than if he resorted to the 'iar weapons of temper, in the through her ineffectual- j she forced \ affirmative : in her ears of chatelaine of Staple, deferring eagerly to Blaise on every point and trying her utmost to please him and conform to his wishes. It held some­ thing of the appeal of a forgiven child who tries to atone for former naughtiness by an almost alarming aw. ess of virtue. She accepted with meek docility Blaise’s decision regarding the pure­ ly formal relations upon which their married life was henceforth to be based, apparently humbly thankful to be reinstated as his wife on any terms whatsoever that he chose ti dictate. “I know I have been bad—-had," iof life. The future was s Henceforth their lives must be apart “So he it,” cried Blaise. “She shall; come bark and take her place again at Staple.” j Jean clung to him a little closer. “Blaise, beloved—I know the hard- • er part will be yours. won’t be so easy, dear. I shall Charnwood to be with Clare at once 1 —to-morrow—and it. won’t be easy'short time. V—j .____ tl* when I see in an evening the lights ieity and satisfaction of her twinkle up at Staple, to know that, statement began to you two are within, shut the world together, while side—always outside your your love.” “You’ll never be outside he said swiftly. and forever. shall rob you it, were she over. I will But mine i go tc I my love, “That’s yours, now And no other woman ] of one jot or tittle of my wife twenty times - bring Nesta back tc1 Staple, and she shall bear my name ; and live as my wife in the eyes oi the world. But my love—ithat is1 yours, utterly and entirely. Yours . and no other’s.” ’ She lifted her face to his, and ’ their lips met in a kiss that was the seal of love and all love’s-* faithful­ ness.” “So is mine yours,” she said “Now and forever, in this world and the next. Oh, Blaise—-beloved!” —she clung to him in a passion of love and anguish and straining be­ that free-f lief—“Some day, surely, in other world God will give us dom to take our happiness!” CHAPTER XXXIII The Returning Tide sinceTwo months have passed Fate’s dividing sword had fallen, for' ever separating Jean from the man I she loved, and the subsequent march [ of events, with the many changes involved and the bitter loneliness j of soul entailed, had made the two; months seem to her more like twe years. I She had left Staple for Cham- wood on the day following that of! Madame de Varigny’s visit. Jt was no longer possible for her to remain under the same root with Blaise do that—you can’t send het away again,” she said in quick, low tones, “She’s your wife.” “My wife! She seems to have been oblivious to the fact—and to havr wished me to be equally’ oblivious of it—-for the last few years.” “Yes, of course she’s been wrong wickedly wrong. But that doesn’t al­ ter the fact that she’s your respon­ sibility, Blaise. You must take back.” “Take her back?”—violently, be shot if I do! She’s chosen live her life without me for the few years—she can continue to de so.” Jean laid her hand on his arm She was smiling wistfully. “Dear, you’ll have to take her back," she persisted gently. “Don't you see—she’s not wholly to blame? You’ve admitted that. You’ve blam­ ed yourself in a large measure for hei’ running away. Jt’s up to you now to put things straight, to—tr give her the chance she didnt’ have before.” “You’re discounting these last few years,” he said gravely. “These years in which she has lived a lie, allow­ ing me to believe her dead—cheat­ ing and deceiving me as no man was ever cheated before. She’s cheated me out of my happiness”—heavily— “taken you from me.” “Yes, I know.” Jean’s voice quiv­ ered, but she steadied it again. “But even in that, she was not solely tc blame. ‘You’ve told me how—-how weak she was and easily led astray., where the enforced strain of meet- And she’s very young. What chance ’ ing each other daily, and of endea- would Nesta have of asserting will against her sister’s, even she wished to return to you? ran away from Staple in a fit , temper and because you had fright-'of them to endure even for a few ened her. After that—you can see , remaining days which still interven- for yourself—Madame de Varigny it ed before the date originally plan­ responsible for everything that has , ned for her departure, happened since.” j Tormarin remained silent. The quiet justice of Jean’s summing up of the situation struck at him hard She waited a moment, then added quietly: “You must take her back, Blaise.” He wheeled round on her violent­ ly. “And you?” he exclaimed. “You? Did you ever love me, Jean, that you van talk so coolly about turning me over to another woman?” She, whitened at the bitter accusa­ tion in his flinch. “It's just Blaise, that thing—-to do the only thing that is worthy of you. Oh, my dear, my dear”—her hands went out to him in .sudden, helpless pleading—'“do you think it’s easy for me to ask it?” The desolate cry pierced him. He caught her in his arms, kissing her fiercely, adoringly. “Sweetheart . . . Forgive me! J am half mad, I think. Beloved, say that you forgive me!” She loaned against him, glad to feel the straining clasp about her—to rest once place against her heart. “Dearest of all,” she ously, giveness between us two. never will be. We’re Just­ us, struggling in the dark, and there is only duty”—“brokenly—“only duty —to hold to.” They stood together in silence, comforted just a little by the mere human touch of each other in this communion of sorrow which had sc her voring to behave a,s though nothing had more than mere commonplace She friendship lined * them together of | would have been to great for either tones, but she did not because I love you I want you to do this of his arms more in her said tremul- there is no question of for- There ■both of Member of The Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association best me she “I want you tc And you won’t, because of washed-out-looking, carroty- for. her cer- she and abuse He held it not to hurt and she had he wished to felt Blaise’s hand her mouth, stem- of vulgar recrimin- that poured from there quite gently her, but immov- perforce to hear say in rebelious Professional Cards respects, you go out of that same day. And return. released her and had the my you sat- tliat which you now know for a fact exists between us. Your lips soil such love as ours. If you do, if you disobey my commands in either ol these house don’t He isfacticn, for once, of. perceiving she believed he meant what he said Presumably she came to the conclu­ sion that, in the circumstances, dis­ cretion was the better part of valour for she made no attempt to chal­ lenge his determination in the mat­ ter. At the same time, unknown tc him, she compelled Jean to pay for the silence enforced upon her at home. With a species of venom absurdly childish in its manifesta­ tions, she essayed to excite Jean’s envy by constantly enlarging to her upon the subject of Blaise’s perfec­ tions as a husband, drawing entir- ing imaginary descriptions of the attention he paid her and of his con­ stant solicitude for her welfare and vaunting her happiness at being his wife. GLADMAN & STANBURY BARRISTERS, SOLICITORS, Money to Loan, Investments Made Insurance Safe-deposit Vault for use of our Clients without charge EXETER LONDON HENSALL CARLING & MORLEY BARRISTERS, SOLICITORS, &c LOANS, INVESTMENTS INSURANCE Office: Carling Block, Main Streea, EXETER, ONT. At Lucan Monday and Thursday (To be continued) Don’t fail to get in on the uced subscription rate. red- Dr. G. S. Atkinson, L.D.S.,D.D.S. DENTAL SURGEON Office opposite the New Post Offlca Main St.v Exeter Telephones Office 34w House 84j Closed every Wednesday (all day) until further notice. And she’s in love I wont be quiet! Oh!”—her voice rising hy­ sterically—“You think I don’t notice things, 'but I do. I do, I tell you!” She sprang up from the couch where she had been lolling, indolent­ ly amid a heap of cushions, and crossed the room to his side. "Do you hear me?” she cried vio­ lently, shaking him by the arm “You thnk I’m a blind fool! But I’m not! I’m not! I’ve seen that Pet­ erson woman looking at you like f cat looking through the larder win­ dow—*— Suddenly she clapped against ming the torrent ation them, so as ably, what silence. “Listen to me,” “It is quite true what you say—thati I love Jean Peterson and .that she] loves me. But we have given up! our love, and with it our hope of happiness in this world, for you. In; return, you will give up something! for us. You will give up the infill-J ite pleasure you appear to derive! from villifying and belittling a wo-i man who is as much aibove you as the heavens are above the earth, j .whose conception of love is as fine' unendur-• ail(j yure as yours is mean and com- herself monplace and jealous. You will never again speak of Miss Peterson with anything but respect, nor will you ever again refer to the love he said quietly, ■that on all kinds of lumber and shingles. Call and see for your­ self or phone 12 Dr. G. F. Roulston, L.D.S..D.D.S. DENTIST Office: Carling Block EXETER, ONT. Closed Wednesday Afternoon took come anew Matched White Pine $35.00 per M. JOHN WARD CHIROPRACTIC, OSTEOPATHY, ELECTRO-THERAPY & ULTRA­ VIOLET TREATMENTS PHONE 70 MAIN ST., EXETER upon had been blind, she old, painfully famil- tears and fits of course of which she would upbraid him bitterly, pouring forth streams of reproaches which more often than not culminated in an attack of hysterics. All of which Blaise bore with a > curious, stoical self-control. Itj seemed as though the Tormarin j Lady Anne, with her usual sym­ pathetic insight, had made no ef­ fort to dissuade her, reluctant tho’ he had ’been to part with her. For herself, the fact that Nesta ' was alive had come upon her in the light of an almost overwhelming blow. She had never liked the girl, where­ as she had grown to look upon Jean as a beloved daughter, and no one had rejoiced more sincerely than his mother when Blaise had confid­ ed to her the news of his engage­ ment. At last she would see that grey page in his life turned down for ever and the beginning of a newer fairer page, illuminated with hap­ piness! And instead, like a tide that has receded far out and then rushes in again with redoubled energy, the whole misery and sorrow of the past had returned upon him, a thousand times accentuated by reason of liis love for Jean. It was with a heavy heart, there­ fore, that Lady Anne, together with Nick, quitted Staple and established herself for the second time at the Dower House, retiring thither in fa­ vour of Nesta who was now install­ ed once more at the Manor. And the thought of how gladly she would have effected the same change, had it been Jean whom Blaise was bring­ ing home as his bride, added but a keener pang to her ■She watched With the progress of events the commencement of gime Nesta had appeared genuinely repentant and ashamed of her con­ duct in the past, and there was something disarming in the little half-apologetic air with which she had at first reassumed her position sorrow, anxious eyes at Staple. At the new re- Phone 12 GRANTON. ONTARIO Dr. Wood’s J. CLATWORTHY ARTHUR WEBER LICENSED AUCTIONEER For Huron and Middlesex FARM SALES A SPECIALTY PRICES REASONABLE SATISFACTION GUARANTEED Phone 57-13 Dashwood R. R. NO. 1, DASHWOOD Norway Pine Syrup Mrs. E. K. Devlin, 135 Smith St., Winnipeg, Man., writes:—“Three years ago my little girl, aged 5, had a dreadful cold which left her with a very bad cough that hung on to her for months. I tried every kind of cough mixture I could think of until I was advised, by a friend, to try Dr. Wood’s Norway Pine Syrup. After two bottles the cough had completely gone, and now I always keep a bottle in the house.” Price 35c. a bottle; large family size 65c.; at all drug and general stores; put up only by The T. Milburn Co., . Limited, Toronto, Ont. , FRANK TAYLOR LICENSED AUCTIONEER For Huron and Middlesex FARM SALES A SPECIALTY Prices Reasonable and Satisfaction Guaranteed EXETER P. O. or RING 138 Pontiac for 1933 is a Big Straight Eight PONTIAC SPECIAL SEDAN Brilliantly styled, and with a new Straight Eight power plant developing 77 horsepower, Pontiac for 1933 has just been announced. The new Eight is in the lower price field. Air-strcam body design and Fisher No-Draft Ventilation arc interesting features of the lat­ est Pontiac. Above is shown the special sedan model. Lower right, the grateful front end. Left, the striking radiator treatment. OSCAR KLOPP LICENSED AUCTIONEER Honor Graduate Carey Jones’ Auc­ tion School. Special Course taken in Registered Live Stock (all breeds) Merchandise, Real- Estate, Farm Sales, Etc. Rates in keeping with prevailing prices. Satisfaction as­ sured, write Oscar Klopp, Zurich, ot phone 18-93, Zurich, Ont. INSURANCE LIFE, ACCIDENT & HEALTH When Studying your future Life, Income or Pension program, consult ELMO RICHARDS Representing METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY EXETER, BOX 277 USBORNE & HIBBERT MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY Head Office, Farquhar, Ont. President FRANK McCONNELL Vlce-Pres. ANGUS- SINCLAIR directors J- T. ALLISON, SAM’L NORRIS SIMON DOW, WM. II. COATES. AGENTS JOHN ESSERY, Centralia, Agent for Usborne and Biddulph ALVIN L. HARRIS, Munro, Agent for Fullarton and Logan THOMAS SCOTT, Cromarty, Agent for Hibbert W. A. TURNBULL Secretary-Treasurer Box 295, Exeter, Ontario GLADMAN & STANBURY Solicitors. Exeter r