The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1854-01-18

worlds great sea Of pleasures; and with
out this galety, she would We, she would
say. Charles grew IL, and certainly ex-
cesslveIy strange aud disagreeable in his
behaviour. For hours together he would
SIT without speaking, his lips pressed a.
9alnSt each other, and his dull ewes fixed
on the ground. Then came fits of passion
which were like the throes Of madness
Its that terrified Eveline, and made her
lear for herself To these Il violent reac-
lon succeeded period, generally very
bnef, Of frantic gaety and restless plcas-
ure->ceking, binding HIM to her side with
out release; and under the appearance
OF compialsancc, giving her gaoler and
aSpy. Often at such times, struck to the
heart with something he had seen, chilled
by something he had heard, Fitzgerald
would fall back again into his mournful
stuPor, and drag out his weary life with
the llStIe>s, hopeless expression in his face,
and in his whole manner of Il condemned
criminal
The world began to talk. 1t talked. al
though gently, of Ev.line's open Irritation
with Horace Graham; gently, because it
talked also OF Charles FitzgeraId's jealousy
and strange irritabiIity; Of his violence
and his fearful temper. On the other
hand, ii spoke Of his evident unhappiucss,
and Of the contempt showed on him bv
wife and his adopted family: it darkly
adu'nbratcd u Iunacy commission on one
side, and doctors Commons on the other.
At last the whisper grew SO long and loud,
that it spread down TO Ormsby Green. and
penetrated to Mrs. Fitzgerald. The echo
of this dread whisper had sounded long
ago in her own heart; she had looked
Tor its coming; and, when it found her.
she started without an hours delay for
London; and, not caring for the cold re-
ceplion she would probably meet with,
She presented herself ut once at the house
OF her son. Evcine WIS from homc.-
She WAS riding in the park with Horace,
TO try horse he had that dav bought for
h-". ch"'l~S -""s a.. slv library ,itu:u-
III one Of those dumb, dull sorrows that
are far more painful to witness than
themost turbulent passion.
He looked up With his glazed fiery
eyes As his mother entered, ard stared
wildly, rising and retrcatng as ii he did
not know her, but trying with all his
-might 10 recognize her. She came for
ward, speaking chceriIy and kindly.
Well, Charles, my love, have taken
YOU by surprise" she said. Bat hor voice
tai.cd-he w"s SO wild ana altered. lie
kept hi, eyes upon her for some time, and
then with cry that came straight from
the sad heart, almost breaking it, with
sobS wild and fast, and tears which fell
like b!ightny rain, Fitzgerald exclaimed
Mother! mother. you have come to see
me die"
The line of ice was thawcd the band OF
iron was broken, the stncd heart cried
"uI aloud and the love that had been
thrust back into the darkness came forth
aSam. lie was no longer alone, with
nothing but indifference or enmitv to bear
hlm company. lie Lad now his own
best friend, the companion OF his youth,
his friend and guide: he might count now
on one heart ut least, and believe that it
loved him. lie poured out his gricvan-
ces to her. They were all very vague
and indefinite; simply wounded feelings
or affections misunderstood; no startling
facts, no gIarng wickcdncss, no patent
actions. But she understood and sym
PathiScd with his suiicrings impalpable
rs they were. She soothcd and comfort
ed him, GAINED his irrtated nerves and
weaved bright dreams OF hope for the fu-
ture. Dreams i'll which she believed
nothing herself, and which smote her con-
science rs talsehoods when she told them.
Next morning she spoke to Eyeline, in
IN i
CAV" her serious council, swectening her
censure with assurances Of her trust in the
glddy wIic's good Intentions" but then
you are young, my child, and youth is
often, curousIy needless ~ Bus Evelinc
gave herself unnumbered airs, and was
very i'll used, and said " that indeed she
waSja better wife than most girls would
have been to any one so cross and dissa-
greabe as Charles; and that Mrs. Fitz-
gerald had better speak to him abou. his
temper than to her about hers"
However Mrs. Fitzgerald's mere pres
cnce was comfort to her son; and he
got calmer and miIder now that he could
speak OF his sufierings, and that some one
cared to soothe them away. At first Eve
line being awed in spite of herself by Mrs.
Fitzgerald, behaved with some small at
tentIon to appearances, so that the young
household sat in the sunshine again. Hor.
ace Graham, too, happened to 90 away
just at this mement; consequently a con.
junction Of favorable stars seemed to shed
rays ofdomestic happiness over the gaudy,
meretficious household.
But Horace came back one Thursday
afternoon, and Eyeline invited him 10 din
ner. She pressed him to come, when, rs
usual he refused, for the childish pleasure
J of being entreated. Charles had nerv-
Gus attack when he heard this, and then
gave way to so terrible fit of passion in
Eveline's dressing room, that he showed
at last how obnoxious the young guards
man was to him. Eveline now and then
looked at him with flashes of scorn and
contempt which may be called deadly.
. A losf c....x. L =.