Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1848-04-06


him, as she is aware that at her death you will
b, unprovided for"
S,phy b,clm, very pale, but she answered
wah 81 sadness -" is this a surmise Of your
owa, ally, or d, you know it to be fact -
81 know il to be a fact"
"Th,a," replied Sophy, with an effort at
comoosir,, can assure you that 1t Is en-
tirsy without my knowledge or appreciation. 1"
~ thought So" replied Mrs. Gaythorn,
carelcssly, "or should not have mentioaed
tn, Subject. Mamma, you know, has not
mach dalcacy but know you had ton much
s,f-respect TO profit by the compassons OF
mn whose affections you had no assurance of
pos' ,ssing;" ani Emily glanced quick, III
.qairing look at her sister.
Shocked, mortified, wounded TO the very
quick by what she had heard, Sophy was no
longer capable of reply. She sat motlon!ess,
completely overwhelmed, her sensitive We
m,alypride, her secret tenderness aroused aud
stung beyond her control. One thought alone
aros, in the wild tumult OF her Ceilings be-
yond all-Ashleigh himself must have been
h,r sisters authority. lie il WAS who had
spoken 0f her TO Emily as the obstacle in his
path. To him her mother had compron!s ID
her dslicacy, and humbled her to tac dust
lie had been repeatedly urged" were En-
liz : words and the poor, tortured glrl sank
her head upor. her hands in an agony Of
grief
This distressing scene was interrupted by
thc sound Of approaching footsteps. They
ba;h 1859 to leave the room--Enlly retrcailng
through door leading 10 the piazza. while
SJphv approachcd that nearest hcr own room /;
but ere her trembling limbs could carry her thus
lar. Asheigh entered the parlor. Pale, agi-
tatcd and faint she endcayorrd to pass on, hui
her sigh, failed her, and she sunk powerless
upon sofa.
I" Good Heaven, Sophv, wha, is the mat
ter 80 he exclaimed. Has anything happen
ed, Is my aunt worse Are you i'll ~
Sophy could no, speak, bat sh. shook hni
head in the negative.
"Wha' can BE- the matter, thcn' Some
thing dreadful must have happened TO agtato
you thus"
Sophy spoke not, bu, she turncd her palil
face away.
AshlciIh stood gazing at her in silence for
few mo onents, then sitting down beside her,
he slil, tenderly-" Dear Sophy, you know
h., how painful II is 10 me to stand by in gno-
rLace, and see you suffering thus. Conhdc in
me, d3ares, S!Phy you have no truer friend
OF c,rth than ! am"
Wounded and humbled by al that she had
Just l,arned. the cpithot friend fell upon
her ear Wit, peculiar irritation; and rising
from her sat, she said, coldly-"l do not
f,el VIII: | am able to go now, and shall feel
better in my own room.
Ashleich walked up and down the floor for
few moments after sie le'. the room then
tag UP his hat he left the house.
When The dinner hour arrived tbs day. So
phy did not appear. On inquiry, it was asccr-
tanned that she had gone out and was not ~.
returned 4 servant was dispatched to seek
her. AM The iIm;ly sat down to dinner. After
aonr tin, tls servant returned. saying that
h, had not been able 10 find Miss Solhy. AS
vas an unusual thing for Sophy 10 absent
herself in this way without notice, Mrs. Ellis
cxorasseI sITn; uneaslness, and orIsrcd the
man to inouni horse AMI go to the nearest
n.ighbors, to ascertain if she had remained 10
d,ne with any of them.
Alter an absence of some time. the man re-
turned without any intelligence. lie had been
to eycyy place where there was any probability
oi her having gone, but to no purpose neither
had she been seen by any of her acquaintance,
nor by the country people on the road-s!des, Of
whom he had inquired.
Mrs Ellis uneasiness was now shared ny
3
searched tyr AMI wide, and every haunt that
Sophy was in the habit Of visiting IN her walks
bet tn re were no traces of her. The proba
bll:ty Of her having walked into town and been
6a;alned there, suggested itself TO Ashleigh,
who immediately set out To seek for her.
Twilight was setting in, when Ashleigh re-
t.rn.d from an unsuccessful search, the hope
TIA, err this she had been found, alone enabling
ls lsa mn nd .r Al pr,tSA-
inr result. No tidings, however, had been
received Of her; and with painful remem-
hr tuce of her mysterious agitation in the mcru-
ing, which he now feared was in some way
connected with her disappearance, he shared
III their fullest extent the dreadful apprahcn-
s,o1s of his aunt. Mrs. Gayihorn evidently
experienced the deepest aIX!;ty, but she was
U,V,ousiv struggling against her alarm. and
eaialYorng, with a sort OF nervous trepldatlon,
q persuade herself and others thai there was
no cIoss for alarm.
Nheu night came on, and Ashleich return
ed from his unsuccessful search, Mrs. Ellis,
who's nervous system had long been complete
l. shattered, was seized with an attack so VIC
i:ni, that they were Obliged to SUMMON her
physician 10 her aid. The instant she was
hat restored, Asllcgh again rode into
town TO Z, INSULT with legal gen,lcmln--wI o
wls also friend Of the funily-as to what
STEPS II was now proper 10 take to discover
S'lhy.
L. was nearly midnight, when, wcar!od, anx-
ioas and dsheartened, Ashleigh again returned
hrmc. His eager INJURY at the door answer
~ ., sonowtul negative, he proceeded to
the parlor, where I've found Mrs. Gayihorn in
mach nervous excitement. After exchanging
a few desponding words. she turned TO Ash
laga. and with her hauds convulsively clasped,
a. If striving to suppress what she endured,
81, sid, in ahusky voice Have you search
~ tho cre.kP'
" rao creek" exclaimed Asalcigh, start
inr. What can you IN ,an ~
II mean the worst. She was a child, YOU
know, Of a wiful, violent disposition beneath
her acquired calmness, thosJ strong and pow
erful feelings still lay concealed. ftar-I
i..ar--I canno, tell you what far
" Good God! exclaimed Ashlcigh, terror
struck. "What reason have you for 50 fear
fol. so appalling an insinualion -
Mrs. Glgihoru groaned aloud, in the agony
Of hir wr'ihcring conscience, as she repli ID
-. .5he wgs dieadiuly exci,cd this morning
when we parted, and ! kno. not what effect
our cDDyersatlon' have had 1oVn hcr 1t
il filtz thai alarms u Sp "