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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1890-12-26, Page 22 ST iA t•T-iY 11 1 HE, ti;ttL`a5JL:3 1-10S1.' Dro 2th i 49O 1) T) !` D wouldn't. She ,said if you would 1 1 1' 1 send up when you felt inclined to see anyone she wonld come down any time.' "flat was kind of her, wasn't it Jack ? That will do, Judge. Thank you.' Ethel,' Jack said at last. 'I'm going down to Norfolk iu the morn- ing, • 'For very long 2' elle asked. 'No, ouly a few days. How long is your mother going to stay ?' 'She is going home to•morrow.' I my advice -1 don't moan to give 'Oh, really ; you are not going I you any more -and leave fine hor- with her, I suppose ?' I rible place. Take another fiat if 'No -I would not go to Blank. I you will or a suite of rooms In au Bampton for anything just now. Hotel, but pray don't remain here Besides, I dont want to leave Lon- ' If you do, I beg you will not expect don till the enquiry is settled ; in• me to visit you here, because noth- deed if I did they would probably ing, nothing would induce me to do send for me and -and -it would it.' not look well.' 'You forget this is only a furnish - That awful doubt fiaehed into ed Hat. mother,' said Ethel. 'We Roestrevor's mind again. Oh, only took it for six months, and we could it be possible that she was have been here three already. So calculating on the chances of the I shall only have it for abont three effect of her demeanour to the pub• months, unless Mrs. Ackroyd will lie ? consent to lengthen my time.' 'You are better Ethel' be remark 'Consent,' echoed Mrs. Mordaunt ed abruptly. , shrilly -'why I should think the She looked up in surprise at the woman would almost pay you to A tiBILLI'att "Ton (rl' ROMANCE AND ADVENTURE. CHAPTER XX.V. A 0ZEAT srertti.+E. "Verily, money in every luibi :,'tin in. restetdi siasa. hitt isntheltonguelof lulu ,, awl L ,mell. ould be eloquent, and the weapon tor',.a, who would fight." Major Dennis was tines d " '01 lowing day, A good turna, pie attended the funs -r.', t,t ,ndin� Major Pottinger, a t' `"m _ t 1 'muse of wishing to be ou lobi a i' , and with the new Lord Ras. haw, ,i li•n• there was present also a R haired lady of striliinr, apps nee, who cried quietly la hiu,l a thick mope veil during ilia whale a he impressive service. Then they .vent back to the Fate and in the presence of Lord Frith ingham and those who had been in. diced to attend the funeral, the dead man's will was read. It was a very simple one. He left everything of which he died pis• sassed to his wife, e•ith the excep tion of a certain diamond cross whioh he wished to puna an an heir- loom with the Frothingham title. Then there came a very odd statement, perhaps the oddest ever pat down as any man's last will add statement. I believe' -it said -'from various causes that 1 shall not live till I am fifty years old. And as my wife would then be but a young woman, and is not a woman well calculated to live a lonely life, and also has been an exceedingly good wife to me in every way, I. wish it to be clearly understood by all whom it may oonoern that itis my express wish that she should please herself in the matter of marrying again. If she chooses to remain a widow, well and good : if she chooses to marry again, it is with my full ap- proval and consent: When the lawyer came to an end tbere was a dead silence wbich last- ed for some minutes. Then Lord Frotbingham spoke. 'Did you make that will. Mr.- Mr.-?' 'Hervey,' said the man of law. 'Yes, my lord, I did.' 'And in whose possession has it been up to this time ?' 'It has been in my possession and mine only. It has not been out of my private keeping for an hour.' I see.' And then the old lord got up and went aeroee the room to Ethel, who was sitting speechless beside her mother. 'My dear Mrs. Dennis,' he said, 'I consider that poor Cosmo has made a just and generous will. I suppose it is as great a surprise to you as to all of us ?' never knew a word of it,' she answered. 'I did not even know that Ooemo had made a will.' 'It was made within a week of my marriage,' the old lord said grimly. 'And although it is not a will to further my interasis, I am Lonna to say dist Cosmo, poor fel- low, was qnite within his rights iu making it, And no .v I will wialt yon heel bye, Inn bare my !lest wish.>• r the future, my dear. I -1 eaut leave your father alone any longer,' which, remembering as Libel lila that nor moiler was thea lueliit'g !ireparatiuue Inc a two months' slay itt Monte Carlo, was en exons which would out hold water. '13eeidee,' Mrs. Mlorilaunt went on 'that youugman, Lord Roestrevor, took upon himself to insult me in a disgraceful way, and I have no iu• tendon of quarreling with him over it, for I daresay bis head is pretty well turned by his new dignities. But at the same time, I cannot lower myself by remaining here to meet him. By and by I shall make a poiut of forgetting it, and I tbiuk if you had any regard for your mother's position -after the devot• ed mother I have boeu to you too - you would be only too glad to mark your disapproval of his conduct by not receiving him juet at present.' Fur a moment Etbel was unable to speak -then, with her tongue fairly cleaving to the roof of her mouth, wish her heart thumpiug like a steam engine, she spoke out her mind to Mre. Mordaunt for the first time in her life. 'Listen to me, mother,' she said, speaking out bravely in spite of the tell-tale quiver in her voice. 'I see that i must speak very plainly to yon. Before I was married you controlled my life, my body, nay, my very. soul,.with.a rod of iron. And you sold me just as you pleased, as if 1 had' been a puppie or an old gown that, you had grown tired of, 'Weil; that'd over and done, now, and oaa neverbe undone -bot after this I will,arrange my own life if you please. If I go right it will be my own business ; if I go wrong, then you need not blame yourself for it. From today I take the re- sponsibility of my life upon myself, if you please, mother.' 'And this,' cried Mrs. Mordaunt indignantly, 'ie all the thanks you give me for being the means of making you your own mistress, free and unfettered at twenty-three with a fortune of seven thousand a year, your own to do what you like with !' The young widow made a gesture of weariness and disgust. 'Oh ! Mother, cant you under- stand, wont you eee that I would give my money over and over again to buy back my loot youth, my lost nerve, my happy childhood before you had begun your work of pre. partition for the marriage -market. I was such a happy child, but I was so crushed as a girl and I am snob a wretched woman to.day,' hire. Mordaunt rose from her chair. '1 ooneider. Ethel,' she said severely, 'that you are a thoroughly ungrateful daughter. For the first time in my lite I realize what it is to agree with Xing Lear— 'Tis sharper than a serpent's tooth, To have a thankless child. Aud mark toy words, your 'grail. tulle will euuie home to yon, liow• ever I am not plug to quarrel !mile you "ill soon be able to shako i about it. I shall go home to -mor - oaf the ei2ecte. of poor Cosmo': i row moaning, nail till that time dreadful end.' copies we will cease these herniae, Ethel had ris:ni to bar feet. 'Ion if you please. I have to go to are very kind. Lord Frothingh'i'n,' Bond street -you will not go out she said 'very hied. I r•!eh-' stud to any.' then she beaten to cry again, and 'No, I shall not go out. Tile with her ba.udiirrcliief to her eyes, brougham is at your tlispo+al.' she rushed mit 'f the room. ''1'uaulc von, Ethel, I wilt. Par CIIAJ?TFR XXVI. loon swim." "friendship consists not in saving - '1Vltnt'e the best news ? " By noon the following day, Mrs.. Mordaunt had departed sbakiug the dust of the Flats from off her feet, she hoped -so ebe put it—for ever. '1 do hope when you have got settled down after this dreadful and disgraceful occuiaence, Ethel,' eho said at parting, 'that you will take A Holiday Hit• "THE POST" BOOKSTORE, The Realms of the Rich and Rare ransacked for the Beautiful and Useful. THE PICK OF SANTA'S PACK Of Presents aro here Presented to the Public. bard tone. 'Yes, 1 nen better -at stop bere-I know I would. But least I'm better in the daytime- surely, Ethel, you will never, be so but at night -oh 1-' and she broke mad tie to try to keep the place off shuddering as if the re collas• longer.' tion of the past few nights was too 'I don't know yet. It suite me awful for words to expressvery well,' she replied quietly -'we I am bound to say that poor shall see.' Jack shivered also, but he went on .You will never get a servant to talking partly because the thought stay with you.' which would twist itself into . his 'Ch ! yes -I shall keep Judge mind was so unwelcome that he with me ander any circumstances - felt he must do anything to try to and Zelle ie a very etrongminded break the spell which seemed to sensible woman, quite too sensible have come over him. to have any fancies about poor 'How is it that Mrs. Mordaunt is Cosmo.' • going back so soon 2' he asked.: 'Is 'And you also, it seems,' Mrs. she in 2 I suppose she wont speak Mordpupt snapped. 'Well -go your to me.' own way -only; don't come to me `Well, you did offend her,' Mre. for sympathy if you find it doesn't Dennis replied. 'Mother bas just answer, that is all.' told me that she cannot remain to 'I shall not trouble you about it, meet you until a little time has Mother, Ethel said, a smile onrling gone by. She does not mean to her lips involuntarily. quarrel with you though.' And at last she was alone, quite 'No, I daresay not,' said Jack in alone with no chance of Lord Rose- a dry tone. trevor coming in to keep her com- 'Etbel looked up again. She dill p an nob understand this new Jack, this For an hour or two she did not cynical, hard, unsympathetic Jack, mind -she wont out in the broug- and if the truth be told she did not ham and changed her books at the much like him. library which she patronized, bought 'Jack,' she said suddenly, getting some sweets and some trifling odds up from her chair and going close and ende which she required, hair. to him as be•stood leaning against pine and such things, and by seven the end of the chimney shelf -go o'clock was back at The Flats again. anything troubling you ?' The boudoir looked very bright 'My dear girl, a great deal is and cosy, and Judge had made the troubling me,' he answered vague- table in the dining -room look very ly pretty and dainty, Inc she had din• 'But have I done anything to ner there as she had done ever since vex you 2' wistfully. her husband's death -not of course, 'To vex me -no,' touched by hor oaring to appear at all in the publio tone. dining•room. 'Because, you know.' she said, And then after dinner, when she 'if I have seemed to be not the had settled down to her book by the same. you must not think anything boudoir fire again, she began to feel of it, Jack I Remember how much that she had never been quite so has happened to mo during the lonely in all her life before. First pact week -the terrible shock I she found that her thoughts would have had. I dont think that I quite wander away from her book, then it knew what I was doing or saying occurred to her that the room was for several days -but that is past very badly lighted, so she stirred the now or partly so, and I am myself fire into a brillient blaze and put again. At least I am tolerably some more coals on so as to keep it rational, and if I did or said any at a good height. Then she began thing to offend you whin 1 was 'out to think about Major, her dead hue of my mind,' I hope you wont visit band, and eo intolerable was the 11 00 ma, Jack.' thought that she got up and rang The effect of tliii was to make the bell twice, that is to say for him believe more tbau ever that Zane, the maid. she had duo that to which the 1 'Is my fire lighted, zone 2' finger of su.pieion pointed -but in 'yes, Vadum.' spite of it, hie love for her was 'I think 1 shall go to bed -shall stronger than ever at that inn• you be staying up much longer 2' went. 'No, itladam-I shall go to bed in 'Ethel,' he cried, cocling her a few minutes.' hands iu his and holding them Bard ,Yeo have had supper 2' Tlie old lord's departure was a haps you will be kind enough to against his 11 art- 'who am I that signal for ell the company assembl• order it.' I should set myself up as your Mordannt, w1n had taken upon llrs. Mordaunt bad scarcely been I you, and -scud -you know if you ed to go also, sed very soon lira. I will,' said Ethel. judge 2 You know all that I feel for herself the drily of hostess, was lett gone ton minutes, when Judge are the sauce Ethel or not, and as to lier.eltanti Ger dignity. showed in Lord Rosstrevor, who for offending me-' Theo she betook herself to the told her that he had been up five I '1 dout think I quite follow you, Jack,' site said w+th a patient wist- fulness, He dropped her hand instantly - am not fit to talk to you just now,' he said in a tone of apology and yet it ,vas a oold tone too -'let us talk about commonplace things. I wonder if you could give mo a cup of tea 2' 'Of course 1 will.' She was puzzled and bewildered by this soli• den change in Jack. She ring for Judge and ordered the tea and then went back to her chair and sat down, shading her face from the little boudoir where she fauud Ethel :clone. 'I want to speak to you, Ethel,' she -aid, '1 want to tell you that now the funeral is over and such a sa.tiefaetery will has beau real, it is most unttdvleeblo for yon to remain in Town --to ro• tuaiu here at all. Y ,u had mach !letter come (loan to the Cliffe with or six floors paying it visit 10 some other occupants of the building. 'J)id they say anything about me 2' she asked eagerly. 'I assure you, Jack, I quite dread to meet anyone. I dont think anyone has scut to ask after me all the week,' 'But airs. seat toll me she had sent down twice,' be answered. 'I me ' daresay Judge did not want to Eat Ethel :.boob her bead. '0h, bodies you with all the °arcle and no, 1 wouldn't go to Iilanl,hamptou so on. Why dont you ask him for the world.' about it 2' 'Arid why not 2' Eventually sue rang the bell and 'Oh I they would tial: re tuauy melted Judge what cards of enquiry lao.tions and stare at me so dread', had been left and who had asked fully. .Besides, there is n groat for liar 2' Goin to do in Leielan and -and -1 'I'll bring them, b1um,' said dont aunt to I,ii a.vlty lust now.' .fudge, and going away returned in 'Wel!, I am nos ably to ),ity with a minute with is large blue and ion any lunger,' said lire. Mar. white bowl, three matte full of visit - "I should have thought ing•cards, taut you ,would he glad to get away 'Not all those,' Ethel exclaimed, :•tout the place where your husband • 'yes, Mum --and Madame -the Wit s•tnu-rdored.' lady with the white hair--' `two•I shall be, but I dont want to . 'Madame Wolenelti. Oh t did run away,' Ethel cried, ' site send 2" 'Ali t well, as you please—1 dare- 'She did, Mune-came or sent say you know lunch better than 1 every day, and was very kited and what is good for yop. All the young considerate, I wanted her to come 991,ple dos now•a days. Only 1 , in one day, she seemed so ansicua lilac. 0 home to morrow morning to hear haw you were, bile she I am just now making soon chocolate for myself and Mr. Judge,' Zelle replied -'but if Madam wishes to retire, Mr. Judge can keep it from burning.' 'Yoe -tell Judge to look after it ; I want to go to boil at once -I am tired. I think I shall sleep to. night.' So Zelle wont back to the kitchen. 'Do you think you can keep the chocolate from burning 2' she asked of Judge. 'Tho Mistress wishes to go to bed,' 'Wiry, bless me, its only just nine o'clock,' he remarked ; 'however, the mistress can, Happily for her, now got up and go to bed at whet- hour- she pleaeee. hurry away, my Rose of Sharon -I will stir the pat till you bring your swept blushes back i Every Pu rse. Every Person, --SOMTEHING POR -- THE PENNY, THE DIME, THE QUARTER, THE HALF, AND TIM BIG tit. heat of the fire with a large Indian' 'Geta along yon impudent oaf,' fan and wouri eying all lite time, 1 cried Mlle highly flattered noverthe• what could by come to .Jack to make 1i11n so odd and so milil:o him. self. 13ut though he stayed for half an hour longer, the real Jack never came back again, 'l'hey talked about all manner of things, and when at last he went away with a reminder that lie was going to Trevor Hall for a few days, site telt as if her old friend had gone forever, and she eat down again after the door had closed behind less. Yet when morning carne and Zone when into her mietrese's room well a cup of toa, lite. Dennis had slept no bettor than on the proced- fog nights, 'Madam has a head, ache,' remarked Zell° after ono glebe() at her mistress. 'Yes, such a headaehe, Zeno' cried poor Ethel wearily. 'Will not Madam stop in bed this morning and rest a little 2' the maid asked ; she alwaye adreesed her Lim and cried as if her heart would mietross in the third portion and al - break. (Continued on Page ea S0METIIING —F011— SOU. THE MOTHER, THE FATHER, THE LOVER, THE GIRL, THE BOY, AND THE BABY. Something to Suit Everyone's Stocking, Our Store is Stacked with Big _Hearted Bar- gains at Bi}a -Hearted Prices. PRIZES - AND - SURPRISES - FOR - EVERYBODY, DOLLS in Bisque, Wax, China &c., Drums, Work Boxes, Magic Lanterns, Money Banks, Writing Desks, Cups & Saucers. Children's Toy Sets, - Washboards, Pails, &e. GAMES OF VARIOUS SORTS. Sleighs, Carts, Whips, Horses, Trains, And Toys of atmos t Every Description. 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