The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-02-11 00:00:00


BARRIER BETWEEN;

REPENTED UNTO DEATH.

.1...m4mk0ff.•

CHAPTER Vll.—(Continued.)
STA..XDING in the embrasure of a window were two
adies, who seemed to be viewing the scene with
?interest, while they as evidently were watching for
appearance of some person in whom they were
Interested.
The younger was a girl of eighteen, fresh, fair, and
!QV, with an expression of refinement and grace
oreathing around her, which imparted an ineffable
charm to all her movements, to every word that fell
!rein her ruby lips. She wore a dress of white tulle,
°°Ped with white japonicas, and a single flower of
Lee same species lay upon the braids of silky brown
hair that were folded around her graceful head. No
jewels, not even a bracelet, marred the pure simplicity
Of her toilette,
The lady who stood beside her was more mature in
..411Pearance, though she was yet under thirty. Her
'igure was tall and superb in carriage and proportions.
A dress of black velvet set off the fairness of her neck
find rounded arms, on which glittered bands of
ez?leralds, whose sheen almost rivalled that of the
diamonds which were so profusely scattered among
the crowd. The noble head, the expressive face of
this lady possessed an attraction superior to mere
beauty, though there was enough of that to charm
"en those who most deprecated her superior intellect,
and the graceful serenity of a manner which never
lost its repose—that mute evidence of powerful self-
coi?trol which is denounced as coldness by the super-
ficial and impulsive; yet how often are those who
Possess it capable of a depth of passionate emotion in-
toniprehensible to natures of a lighter calibre.
"Dear mamma, do you not see him yet," asked the
Young girl, impatiently. "Cousin Harold is so much
taller than most other men that when he enters the

...--
t°olll his head will tower above the crowd."
"I have watched the door and he has not passed
hrough it yet, Rose; Be assured I shall discover him
immediately; for I am as curious to see the wife he
has chosen as you can be."
"And is it possible that you have not seen Mrs.
Danvers ?" asked Mrs. Pierre, who had drawn near
the two, unobserved. "I presumed, of course, that
rnadame la tante and the fair cousin had been ad-
rn,itted, though all the rest of the world was ex.

"Mrs. Danvers has been seriously indisposed, and
declined receiving even her husband's connections,"
Was the composed reply. "I can understand her
nervous fear of us, for she is a stranger, and probably
tshy.,2
" Shy ! Really, if that is so, she has chosen a
singular ordeal. In making her first appearance in
society in a crowd like this, she must be aware that
She runs the gauntlet of criticism; for many jealous
sYes are anxious to discover the charm that won the
fastidious Danvers."
"I fancy few men can tell what won them. Mar-
riages seem to be controlled by Fate."
"And this seems likely to prove a fatal one to the
husband," said the widow. "I could not have
believed that the brilliant, fascinating Harold Danvers
Gould have so wretchedly changed—that he could
have been entrapped into marriage by such 11,_

She paused as if seeking a comparison sufficiently
expressive, and Rose impatiently said:
"You have seen her then? What is Mrs. Danvers
like ? flow does she look ?"

" Yes, I have seen her, for she has been in the next
room half an hour. I have been introduced to her,
have talked to her, and my opinion is-"
"What ?" asked Rose impulsively, as the speaker
Paused. "She must be charming, I know, interesting,
lovable."
" Shall I tell you what I really think of your cousin's
Rife, Miss Chard ?" _ _ _ . _

, .
"Certainly. I know that you seldom flatter, but I
can hear your true opinion of my Italian cousin."
"Wall, it is this—that the much talked-of Mrs.
Danvers is a small parcel of nothing, poorly put up."
"Ha, ha! excellent, by Jove ! laughed Gauche
1/30sey, who had drawn near the trio unperceived.
'A small parcel of nothing, poorly put up I' Spicy,
that. I'll spread this neat saying among those who
can appreciate it, Mrs. Pierre."
'Be sure that you do not take the credit of it your-
self," was the sarcastic rejoinder.
"Pon honaw, now, that is an insinuation that
affects me nearly. It does, 'pon honaw, my fair belle
American."

" Ah !well, you who sacrifice so much for effect,
need not care about that." _ - _

As the iic;;;. -Mi.. Boos ey did not at all comprehend this
reply, he thought it best to retreat; and the lady in
black velvet spoke, in her most stately manner:
"I am surprised, Mrs. Pierre, that you should
speak so freely, before my daughter and myself, of so
near a connection as Mrs. Harold Danvers. I must
assure you that her letters have given us a high
Opinion of her heart and mind. Benevolence,
refinement, and cultivation of a high order breathe
through them, and I confess to a desire to become
Well acquainted with their writer. First impressions
are often deceptive, and I think you must view Mrs.
Danvers, through a prejudiced medium."
"She will soon appear to speak for herself," said
h. Irs. Pierre, significantly. "The victimised husband
interests me just now. Really now, do you not think
Harold Danvers is greatly altered, Mrs. Chard ?"
There was a flitting expression of pain upon the
calm face of Mrs. Chard, as she reluctantly replied:

"Seven years must change any one, and Harold
has suffered from bad health during most of them.
He returned home for change of air." _

• " That will do him no good, and you will see it. It
18 his mind that is diseased; I see what passes before
Ine, and my judgments are generally pretty accurate.
Harold Danvers is either dying of weariness, or he is
fretting over some secret cause of sorrow the world
knows nothing of."
"I did not give you credit for being so sentimental,"
replied Mrs. Chard, with a half smile. "Harold suffers
from an affection of the liver, and not of the heart.
He is not a romantic hero who wishes to force the
World into the belief that he has a silent sorrow that
consumes his life."

" No—l am not sentimental; but I use my eyes to
some purpose, and you will find out that I am right
some of these days. Ah ! there they come at last !"
The eyes of the three were turned toward the door,
the crowd momentarily parted, and the two who had
been so freely commented on by the widow, were
distinctly visible to Mrs. Chard and her daughter. A
Painful revulsion of feeling caused them to shrink
back, and glance with an expression of pained surprise
into each other's eyes. The next moment the emotion
was controlled, and they calmly waited the approach
of Danvers and his wife.
Harold moved through the crowd with graceful
ease, though there was an expression of lassitude
"Pon his strikingly handsome face, which spoke of ill-
health, and that gradual wasting of both mental and
Physical strength, for which medicine has as yet
found no remedy. His complexion, naturally fair,
Was now blanched to the hue of marble, and his
broad brow showed the blue tracery of the veins
nPon the thin temples. The hand, also, which lay
Upon the breast of his black coat, was of a deadly
Pallid hue, with little appearance of life in the long,
nerveless fingers, which looked as if they had not
sufficient energy to grasp an object with such
tenacity as would enable him to hold it firmly. He
Paused every moment to reply courteously to the
greetings that were offered him, and to present the
lady who leaned upon his arm.
A greater contrast to her stately husband could
scarcely have been imagined. Her dumpy figure,
her coarse and inelegant features, could not be
disguised by the arts of the toilette, even if these had
been attempted; but Mrs. Danvers seemed to be too
Well aware of her personal deficiences to seek to con-
ceal them by the exercise of taste in dress. She wore
a crimson moire, with flounces of black lace.
Diamonds were used in profusion on her arms, neck,
and head-dress. .

With th-e- air of a person who imagines she is con-
ferring an honour, Mrs. Danvers -eplied to the
courtesies addressed to her by her husband's friends,
in as few words as possible. As they drew near Mrs.
Chard, Rose whispered:
"Never mind, mamma; Madame de Stael was as
brown and as ugly as Adelina is. She may prove as
Witty and fascinating as Neckar's daughter. Let us
hope so, at all events."
"Does my face betray that I need such consolation,
Rogo ? Nay, I must put on a different expression,"
replied Mrs. Chard, in the same tone.
At that moment a voice, whose lightest tone had
once the power to thrill her inmost heart, spoke
calmly beside her, and she looked up to meet the
Ineffably sad eyes of Harold Danvers, as she said:
"Permit me, Amy—pardon me, Mrs. Chard—
Permit me to present to you Mrs. Danvers; and from
both yourself and my cousin Rose, to bespeak your kind
regards for her; for she is a stranger in a strange
land."
"That last claim would be sufficient in itself; but
when to it is added the interest inspired by your wife,
Mrs. Danvers may feel assured of the warmest
Welcome, both from Rose and myself."
Mrs. Danvers nodded her head carelessly, and volubly
Said:

"One of the inducements held out to me to come to
England with Mr. Danvers, was the acquaintance of
his accoMplished aunt and her lovely step-daughter.
Can't you kiss me, Miss Rose? or is it not the fashion
in this country? for I am told nobody ventures here
to do anything that is not fashionable."
Blushing vividly, Rose stooped forward and touched
her lips to the brown cheek of her new relative ; which
action, Mr. Alsop declared, reminded him of a stately
rose veiling her queenly head to the common earth;
for which poetic comparison, he was indebted to a
bottle of champagne, which he had surreptitiously
imbibed.
"A warm welcome to our kindred is usually the
fashion in all lands," replied Miss Chard, recovering
from her momentary embarrassment. "I trust you
Will find much to love and appreciate in your adopted
country."
"I doubt it, Cousin Rose. England can never be
Italy."
" was scarcely prepared to flnd von /so much

attached to your native land,— said Mrs. Chard, "for
I had the impression that you preferred living in
Fiance." • r
• Interest took my father to that soil; but I always
wished-to go back to Italy, the land of sunshine."
"Then I hope you will find something to love
here."

I think that people should act out their own in-
dividuality, without regard to the restraints of society
I always do exactly as I please, and I think everybody
else should do the same."

"It would be a singular world, and very difficult to
live in, if we did," replied Mrs. Chard, with a smile. "I
have found that by forbearance, and mutual con-
cession, we can alone get through life in peace."
"But if I don't care for peace—if I would rather be
roused up by a stiff breeze, and rouse others up in my
turn—what then? Life stagnates when there is too
much quiet; and by doing my own way I gain two
ends—stir up others, and have a brisk north-wester."
Mrs. Chard glanced at the fastidious and refined
husband, to see how he bore these remarks. A crimson
spot glowed deeply in the centre of either cheek, but in
other respects his self-command was perfect. He spoke
with those who pressed around the group; and his
tones were as even as if quite unconscious of the un-
favourable impression his wife was producing. But ths
tension of his nerves at last proved too strong for his
physical frame. The conversation continued pretty
much in the same strain, until Danvers grew suddenly
pale; and pressing his hand upon his heart, ex
claimed:
"Air ;—air ! I am suffocating !"