HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1890-12-5, Page 22
1H1✓ ,kik l.lSS1 LS YUS'1'
STRANGELY WEDDED.
A THRILLING STORY OF BOA[A'NCTS AND ADVENTURE.
CHAPT.'GR XIX.
}L0:1U1a 1YOLM111.
It is a treacherous peace that ie purcli
ed by indulgence.
When Trevor had disappeared
hind the curve of the stairca
Ethel Dennie turned to Made
Woieuski. 'Which floor are you
Madame ?'
'On the floor above.'
Oh, really—then you are like m
You don't like to be too high up '
do not like to be very high u
They tell me the air ie the m
pure at twelve storeys—I prefer
havo a little worse air and not
have to climb so high for it.'
-Of course there is the lift,' e
Ethel, whe wanted to be polite b
whose thoughts were with Trevor.
'Yes, but I do not like the lift
at least I do not like the feeli
that the plane might get on fire a
the lift would probably atop world
and—and we should all be frizzl
alive.'
Ah l that would be dreadfu
Dried Ethel, with a shudder, 'b
do not let us stand here. Come
and pay me a little visit,'
Madame' Wolenski looked hesita
ingly at her morning garment
I have been out—I am not dress
-I have been visiting a poor wo
ea who is sick,' she said.
'But I am Alone—my husband
dining out,' Mrs. Dennis urge
'Oh 1 do come in just for•ale
minutes. I will. show you ray 'dog
'I cannot resist that, . Is 'the do
a beauty 2' the lady asked.
'Oh ! a beauty -a pure bull d
—Dome and see him,' and th.
Ethel turned round and i'edithe wa
into her own domain, Madame Wo
enaki following her.
'Oh l what a pretty Sat, what
sweet room,' she oried. "Alt 1 it i
much larger than mine and the de
corations are lovely.'
'But we took it furnished,' sai
Ethel. 'Yee. I thiult we war
very lucky.'
'Ah ! it's such a chance whe
you take a house in that way,' oaf
Madame Woleneki-.-I•I have no
been so lucky ; but there I did no
know that I should like living in a
establishment of this sort, indeed
am not yet quite sure whether I d
or not. But tell me, Mrs. Damns
where ie the dog ?'
I will bring him,' and she wen
into the next room returning in
moment with the majestic Crumm
les behind her.
'Oh ! he is quite a beauty—
Jove,' cried Madame Woleneki en
thnsiaetically—'And his name ?'
'Crummlea,' answered Ethel de-
lighted to find her favorite so high
ly lauded.
'E—chrummles—Why, what a
name,' Madame cried.
'Orum—tales,' repo ated E thel
smiling.
'E--tchrummles,' said Madame
again, but after several most valiant
attempts she had to give up the ef-
fort, for say the word properly, she
simply could not. 'But he is quite
a beautiful person—quite beautiful.
Nell—' to the dog, who was
eyeing her, in a most suspicious
manner—'are you not going to speak
to me 2 How do you do, Mr. E—
chrummles 2'
She held out her hand to him
and Crummles went a little nearer
to her and began to sniff at her
gowu in a way that was anything
bat frieudly. Madame hoping to
propitate hie majesty further ven-
tured to smooth down his silken
satin coat, but Crummles lifted hie
head and raised his upper lip in a
voiceless snarl of mob venom, that
the lady made haste to put herself
out of harm's way.
'He does not like me,' she said
;in alarm.
'Crummles—Orummies, You are
dreadfully rude,' Dried his majesty's
mistress ireprovingly. "chat was
because you ventured to touch him
before he had made up his mind
whether you were to be trusted or
not,'
What a dreadful creature 1 Do
you always have him about. Does
he ever fly at any one 2'
'No -he would if I told him to do
it, He would fly at your throat
this instant at a single word from
me,' Ethel answered—'but he is
very good tempered really. Ho has
always disliked my husband very
meek, but be hoe never done more
than treat him to that voiceless
snarl. Oh ! no, really—when you
once get to know him and he to like
you, (°rummies is the dearest fellow
in all the world.'
'And your husband—does he like
luta 7'
'Not much—he pot up with him
beeaase I have always had him. By
the bye—aro you going to Mrs,
Maravin'e to morrow 2'
'Yes -1 think so,'
heli we go together 7
as-
be -
88,
me
on,
e,
oa•
t
to
to
aid
ut
ng
nd
ng
ed
ut
in
t-
s.
ed
m-
's
d.
do
en
y
1-
a
b
•
d
e
n
d
t
t
0
I
0
t
a
a
•
•
'Oh I I should like to very muol
But your husband, does he like go
ing three anywhere ?'
'He is not going—he never goe
to afternoon ; in fact, he eoeroel
ever goes out •
with me. He alway
declares that he ie not a Societ
man in any way. We might go fo
a drive before we go to Mrs, Mara
vin's.'
I obeli be delighted,' sal
Madame with evident pleasure
'You aro moat kind to think of it
And now I must be going up to m
own apartments, ao I will wish you
a good night.'
She rose from her obair an
Crummlea expressed the voiooles
snarl which had so disturbed th
lady before. However, she did no
seam much frightened and stoppe
before the chimney shelf. els that
your husband Mre. Dennis ?' she
asked, pointing to a photograph in
ether frame.
''Yes -it is a very good portrait o
him,' Ethel replied.
'And that is i11r. Trevor 2' the
other went on, looking at a large
photograph of that young gentleman
which filled a similar drama and no
oupied the other end of the shelf.
'Yes.'
'What a nice face he has. I think
him charming. Is be a relation of
yours ?'
'Oh, no, not any relation, but my
eery oldest'friend,' Ethel-xeplied.
'We were children together, little
ohfldren'together.''
'And you are :riptide during all
these years—hew strange. Well,•
you: will bring Mr. Trevor to see me
one day, Won't you ?'
I ail), with:pleasure,' Ethel re-
plied, 'but Madame, he is not Mr.
Trevor now—he ie Lord Rosetrever
since hie cousin died.'
'So,' cried the other in astonish•
mens, 'then that was why be looked
so disturbed this evening ? Ah !
and well he might, well he might.
Well, will you 'bring Lord Ross-
trevor Then one day ? I thought
him charming.'
'I'm so glad,' Ethel cried, with a
gush of feeling as she took Madame
Woleneki's firm outstretched hand.
'Good -night, good•night.'
realtlios what a huge' :miettike telae
hewn stades rho better.'
S'o aha sat sown to 'het ilii#tins•
table mill wrote tt letter taiMre; fPr-
! dant,
'You viii eemetnbor J.,ck Trevor,
the 13iehop'e eon,' she said. 'Ile
i' came in to day to tell me the great
' : news, tine great ohaauge wbioh has
come into bis life, He is now Lord
e Rosetrovot• of Rosstrevor, County
Y Ant!itn, and Trevor Hall, Norfolk,
d turough the death of hie second
Y . oousiu, Lird Rosstrevor, who died
r yesterday. I don't think I told you
that be was in the XGth when we
d friends. �ttd He1ethinksfofileavingatest
the
' I Service now.'
She felt better when elle had add-
- ed a little general news and had
given the letter to Judge to poet ;
• yet, after all, there ie but poor sat-
'iefaotion in stinging someone who
s had managed to ruin your whole
e • life for you. And just as she was
• beginning to think again—and just
d
then, poor girl, thinking was syn•
onytaue, with being wretched—Maj.
or Dennis returned.
a He was very full of what he oall
ed "Prevor's luck,' and could hardly
But the little glow of pleasure
soon died away when she was once
left alone. She sat down in a chair
before the -fire and °rummies made
himself a bed on the skirt of her
gown, and then her thoughts flew
baclr to the wonderful news which
the cloy had brought. Aye, and
they flew bank further .than that,
back to the old days of her child-
hood when she and Jack Trevor had
been all the world to one another,
when the dark shadow of her moth•
er's great ideas bad not yet coma
between them. Then to the first
trouble of her life, when Mrs. Mor -
daunt had resolutely put a stop to
har correspondence with her old
playfellow, the wretched day—aud
what le so unutterably wretched as
the impotent stand of a child against
the powers that be ?—when she had
left Jack's l.irtliday unnoticed, his
birthday or the feast of good S.
Valentine or one of those tender fes•
rivals to which young folks attach
so much importance.
And then her thoughts wandered
to the latter days, when Major Den-
nis had first crossed her patb, when
her mother had found out that he
W04 rich and that he stood next to
the Frothingliam title, the day that
he proposed and she had not dared
to say no, because he had Dome
armed with her mother's consent,
the Jaye later still when her mar-
riage was coming very near and she
had the sort of feeling that she
couldn't go through with a cere-
mony which to her was bat a mock-
ery, when she had been weak and
yielding, when—when—Oh 1 she
could hardly bear to think of it now
—she had been weak enough out of
sheer wealtnees and cowardice to let
her mother, for ambition's sake
purely, mould her life in a wrong
shape, ruin her happiness and break
her whole heart and spirit. What
a fool she had been, and oh 1 how
bitter, all bitter, her tboughte were
then, Wby, if she had held out
firmly and obstinately and had pos-
itively refused to marry Major Den.
nis, what:could her mother have
done ? She could have given her
au uncommonly bad time, she
could have debarred her from ouy
pleasures, she might oven have abut
her up on bread and water and
have beaten her,thongh that course
wee not in the least probable. But.
even suppoefng the very worst had
happened, if only she had held out h
firmly, it would have been all over W
Allitb a eurnamg 'before—except, ae
X fora Milliner or a dresetuak•
er, No, Ido not know her. Inor-
br healed of.her.'
'I thought you might know her,
or know of her,' said Mre. Dennis,
who, having got the information
she wanted, did not with to continue
the auhjeotfurther. 'She is not a
friend of mine or anything of that
kind,'
I understand I do not know her,'
answered Madame indifferently,
'nor am I very likely to meat her.
And my friends here aro English,
or nearly all. And they are not
any of them likely to know anyone
with euoh an exceedingly odd sur-
name as Valerie, sooially.'
And Ethel' Dennis caught herself
wishing that she had said nothing
about her husband's mysterious aa•
q'iatntitnoe.
CHAPTER XX.
1100051
"Too Sadden and groat oranges, though
for the better, are not easily borne.",
When Trevor went away from
• The Flats that evening, he jumped
into a oab and drove straight round
to hie anole's house in Grosvenor
Square. Lord Gascoigne was at
home, but had company at dinner,
and, being rather a /ergs party, they
had not yet left the table,
„I must see Lord Gascoigne to•
night," Trevor said. "Is my grand
mother dining here ?'
'Not this evening, sir. Her lady-
ship
adyship was to have dined here, but
sent her excuses this morning, not
feeling very well,' , the servant re•
plied.
'Well, 191 go into 'the library, and
when Lord Gascoigne reaves the
table,aek him -to Dome to me for five
minutes.'
',Very good, sir. I will tell' his
lordship as soon as the 'ladies leave
the dining.room.'
So Trevor, went to the library, and
made use of his time by writing a
couple of letters 'before the door
opehed and Lord Gascoigne ap-
peared.
'My dear Jack, I hope nothing is
wrong,' he began in an alarmed
voice.
'Nly dear uncle,' cried Jack jump-
ing up, 'i have come for your con-
gratulations. Lord Rosstrevor died
last night, and X succeed him.'
•My dear lad, my dear lad t' was
all that Lord Gascoigne could gasp
in his surprise. 'So you are Lord
Rosstrevor—my dear lad, I can't say
enough to tell you how glad I am.'
'Thank you. Now I must go—I
only wanted you to know it as soon
as possible—I am going down to
Norfolk in the morning, and I've a
dozen things to do before I leave.'
'And my mother Y
,I'm going round there now—yea,
she meet know it at once,' Trevor
said. 'Dear Granny, how delighted
she will be. Barker tells me she is
ill, though.'
'No, not ill—a touch of sore throat
and she thought it safer not to come
tonight, that is all.'
'Then I'll go round there now.
Good night. Make my apologies to
your friends for taking you away '
'Oh, yes—they're amusing them-
selves well enough,' said Lord Gas•
coigne eaeity.
Then Jack went out to his cab
and directed the man to drive round
to Brook Street, where his grand-
mother lived.
'My lady is not very well. I am
not euro if you clan see her to -night,
sir,' said Lady Gascoigue'e man.
'Oh! yes; you tell Lady Gascoigne
that I want to see her for ton min-
ntes on most important business,'
said Jack, seeing that the man was
a stranger, 'Say Mr. Trevor.'
'Very good, sir.'
Be eh owed him into the library
aud in 1 ess than two minutes came
down again. '1 beg you're pardon,
sir. I did not know you. My lady
will see you if you will come up.'
bo Jack followed the eorvaut up-
etaire, and was taken to the draw-
ing -room, where his grandmother,
with a voluminous white lace shawl
covering her head and shoulders,
was sitting near the fire.
'My dear boy,' ebe cried, '1'm so
delighted to see you. But what id
yournewe—nothing wrong with you,
I lope ? What is it ?
'Granny,' said he, taking both her
fiends in its, 'eometbiug very w on.
derful has happened to me.'
'Yes, I know --you are going to be
married, and have come to tell me
about it.'
'No, dear, you aro all wrong. 1
don't know that that would be any-
thing
nything very wonderful, It is much
more surprising than that ---1 am not
Jack Trevor now.'
talk about anything else. And
Ethel, who did not want to think
too mach about the impossible that
night, tried to Change the subject by
telling him of the charming woman
she had met that day.
'011 1 Costae.' she said, 'Mrs.
Maravin introduced me to euch a
nice woman to day, Who lives in The
Flats, just above us, in fact ; she is
a Pole, a Madame Woleneki.'
'011 i' suspiotonsly-'a Pole, are
you sure ?'
'No, for did not ask her nor didshe say anything about her nation-
ality. But Mrs. Maravin said so,
and that he Gad' brought bar a let't'er
of introduction from one of her dear
ear- friends inVienna,'
Major Dennie stood looking
thoughtfully into 'the fire fora' min•
ole or two. 'Look here, Ethel,' be,
'I don't mind what you do in a gen-
eral way as you very well know, I
don't like your picking up- foreign
women in this offhand sort of fash-
ion, because—Oh l --well because
she maybe a friend of Valerie's.'
'And I've promised to drive with
her tomorrow. That ie take her
for a drive and then to go to Mrs.
Maravin's,' cried Ethel in dismay.
'Oh! well, that doesn't matter—
but don't get into a way of running
in and out of her rooms. You see,
foreigners get mixed up one with
another, and—and—it's safer not
to, don't you know.'
'Very well. I wish I'd thought
of it before. I never did or I should
not have asked her, of course,' said
Mrs. Dennis, whose experience of
Mademoiselle Valerie had been quite
disagreeable enough to make her
wish to be very careful lest she
should betray their whereabouts.
The following day about three
o'clock in the afternoon, Madame
Woleneki arrived and was shown
into the drawing room. 'Am I too
early 2' she asked.
'Not at all. I have only to put
on my hat and coat. 1 shall not be
a minute. You will excuse me,
won't you 2'
She went off to get ready and
passing the half -open door of the
small study or smoking room, saw
Major Dennis reading a newspaper.
'Oh I Cosmo, Madame Wolenelti
i8 here. You'll come and see her
won't you 7' she said.
'Not for the world,' he answered
hurriedly. 'I don't like foreigners
—never did. My time to meet her
will come soon enough. Pray don't
let her come in here, pray don't.'
'Very well,' she answered, and
went away, feeling that really he
allowed hie prejudices or his fears to
carry him too far.
However, she and Madame Wol-
eneki went down the stairs together
and got into the victoria which was
waiting in the court -yard. They
had driven some little distance
through the mild, moist winter air
when some sudden instinct made
Ethel turn to her companion and
ask her a question so abruptly that,
even to her own ears, her voice
seemed to have a threatening ring
and to carry a sort of challenge with
it.
'By the bye,' she said, 'did you
ever know a woman stilled Valerie 7'
Madame Woleneki turned her
head:towards her, but with such an
indifferent air that Ethel was con -
'Owed in a moment that she had
never hoard of Valeria in all her
life before,
'Valerie,' she repeated, 'no, I
don't think so. Is she a milliner or
a dressmaker ?'
'Neither,' Mrs. Dennis replied,
'I believe she is a lady.'
'Oh 1 a lady, I see. What of
er ? Is she remarkable in any way ?
hat is her other nacos--I er sur-
name 7'
'It is Valerie ---that is her our -
name,' said Ethel.
Madame Woleneki looked sur.
risod, 'Mostly,' ebe sada, 'Ah 1
hat is very odd, 1 never heard of
now, for oho knew that her mother
would never have wished her to
marry Major Dennis after old Lord
Frothingham was married again.
'1 will write and tell my mother,' p
she said presently—'the sooner elle t
'No ?' a euepicion of the truth be-
gan to dawn upon her—'but—tell
me, my dear, .don't 'break' it to me,'
'I am Lord Rosstrevor,' said Jack-
bluntly.
ackbluntly.
Lady Gascoigne uttered a little I
scream--'Jack--my boy, my own ,
dear boy—Why, how was it none of
(Continued on Page 8 )
1
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