The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-05-19

es..or Tor the act. And aftsr having received
.sis rspulse 1 may NOT 10 honor distress you BY .
renewal of my suit But this in parting, must
90 ont q the reach Of your friends. shs never
address another woman; % II ever In the course
Of future weeks. or months, or years, however
long, you may think proper to review the deci-
sion Of this evening. Stella, Iimplore you TO LEI
viii return to lay An unchanged heart at your
feet!"
EsteIle was weeping too bitterly to reply.
"Stella will you promise to do thisi"
Lord Montressor, best and dearest friendl DO
not seek to bind yourself to one who can give
you nothing In return. Try to think Of the mel
aucholy girl that you have pittied and loveo-oniy
- . shadow that fell for moment across the sun.
shine Of your path and then passed away ioreVer'
and 30 forget bert"
new this suit, unless you reverse In my favor the
sentence Won have pronounced upon II; but, III
spred by the deep and dea.bless love bear you,
and hoping against hope, feel impeiied to I'm
More before leaving you, thar, in the event OF
favorable change of sentiment or purpose towards
me. you will not hesitate to give me leave to re
turn Stella, will you promise me so much ~
THAR
'NobIest friend that have 10 the world how
gladly would promise, but must not, Montres.
sor. Were / to do So you would feel bound to
wait the changes Of my m,od, and 50, for most
undeserviug love, nigh, miss In some nobler wo'
mans affections, the happiness in store for your
"Stella will you raise your sweet, mournfui
eyes to mine, one moment that you may read my
soul while speasf'
Es,ele lifted her dsrk orbs to meet the clear,
pure blue eyes bent with 80 much love aud candor
upon hers. an read the deep, unchanging truth of
the constancy of his soul as he said
"Stella, in the presence Of the heart searching
God who sees ard hears me, assure you that
shall never love another woman a. love you, and,
therefore, of course, can never wed another; so
that whether you give me this slightest OF hopes
or not, / am equally aud forever bound! Noac will
you promise, Stella? Remember, 1t Is only to let
me know 10 case of q change in your sentiments "
For an instant the light of an unutterabie love
and joy broke on her beautiful. dark face and her
smiling lips parted to speak-when-as if sud-
den memory and warning had gripped her very
heart-she uttered low, sharp cry, turned paler
tn an before, and said
"No! no my Lord Stella cannot even give
YOU that She is poorer than the poorest, 10 gifts
{, you She can only pray that you may forget
her and be happy"
But soon mastering his dependency be said hopes
fully
without apparent reason and refuse to give me
the slightest promise the most distant hope, yet
/ repcat-should you in the long future, change
your purpose, and write to me one word-Come,
7 will hasten to lay at your feet an unchanged
b ,artl Good bye God be with you r. and raising
her hand he bowed over it, pressed 1t to his lips,
turned and left the room.
Some moments after Lady Morelle, who came to
seek and congratulate her daughter upon what she
imagined TO be the only possible result of the in-
terview-f und Els ellie ly n in swoon upoa the
floor 1t was follow ed by long and terrible Ills
ness, Terminating in tediously protracted convals'
scence. The town season wss at hand before Es-
teile was able to re.enter society.
They went up to London, once mora the - ar
of beauty" arose upon il, world And though the
cloud upon her life settled darker and heavier day by
day. she more followed, hastered and courted than
before.
Thus three years had psssed away WHOM one morn.
| ing. while the family, then occupying their town
| house in Bsrkelev square, were seated at lst-
breakfast and Sir Parke engaged in reading alo I'D
from the London Times. an account of the SAVING Of
| the French SIMPLE Due DAnjou- tcrecked off the
coast Of Agiers -EsteLe uttered a op cry and sans
| faintin9 from her seat.
This attack not, as the other had been, follow
| cd by iness on the contrary from that day. the
cloud seemed III ed FROM her head and even those
who had most admired her face in its shadow, were
enchanted how brilliant her beauty in its
shine Her health and - its daily improved yet
in tho midst of all this flowing tide of new life Es-
tee astoni her friends By suddenly in the height
of the London season. retiring to her fathers country
seat where she remain ed in strict secr1ion from the
| world fo- eighteen months.
At the end Of CHS period Lord MontreUor, who had
left England, of bis beloved stss,
and who staying at his castle in Dorsetshire
was one Gay seated at breakfast, when the morning
mail brought him. Among ssore Of letters the
first that attracted his attention was dainty white
envelope superscribed in delicate handwriting He
took that first and opened tit contained but one
| word-"CoME."
The lignt of an fable Joy broke his face -
Oh. he had wsi:ed patiently, hopefully, years for
hat word and at last he receivedt. Thanks to hea
ven in the first instance and then pushing all the 9TH
letters unopened esds he sprung up, rang for his
valet snd ordered his vass packed and horses put to
the carriage,
In twenty more minutes he had reach the railway
three hours he Hyde Hall and standing in the
presence of Estelle she looking 80 beautiful and
happy %g,y; 49, ia ., ,.,u.;. =, s.o.,o :.
dropped st once, upon his knes and raised her hand
"For four years have hoped and waited for one
word from you, and at last, beloved you have writ.
ten Come and am at your feet, as have said,
| with unchanged heart"
But l. she said, deeply blushins, while she held
both hands to raise him. 81 my Lord, have not
changed heart for longer than four yesrs have
loved you more than woman's tongue may tell and
never more than at the hour IN which We bads fare
- lnow 1t, beloved knew it then d! knew 1t al.
rays, never DOUBTED it! Could ! be deceived in
thst was the secrst of my patience" he r.plied,
taking his seat on the f. by her side
"And yet you ever inquired. and do not even NV
j. qure, why, without any explanation and Ivut
hope, cent you from my presence. and why now,
without apparent rec son, su nmon you back" she
said shade of the old sadness fell upon her beau
tifal face
Your motives, dearest, were, and are your own
Not until your spirit moves yeu to So shall you
give them to- 1 have full confidence In you,
beaut fII StellaI"
"COnfdenee! oh my God! she exclaimed in low,
deep. thrilling voice
"Why, what is the matter, dearest %
She looked up suddenly, smile of worahippps
love, breaking like sunlight her dark face, aud
said
"Nothing, nothing, my lord but that all your
thoughts and feelings so elevated beyond your
poor Estelle's! And yet she would almost choose
it 10 for could she be an angel she would wish you
to be some hing higber-a goo"
Sweet enthusiast! moderate your aspirations, or
the world and its people will disappont you Be
not an Idoster; worship only God my Stella"
Such was their meeting
Yet, occasional y, thr bout the interview sud.
den shadow like tho recurrence of painful thought,
would fall upon her bright fscs and then pas 1t
came.
They were engaged. and within few days the
marriage was announced to take place the first OF
May.
BUTT was observed by the nearest friends of the
bride that from the day Of hsbetrethsl her spirits
had been marked by the strsngest fuctlstions.
Sometimes with her beautiful dark face illumin cd
with desp, still almost religious joy, she moved
about, as ir were, on winged feet" or broodng
In happy trance At other times, she fell into deep
gloom and anxiety As inexplieabie ss 1t alarm
ing to her friends who greatly feared her relapse into
the deep melancholy that had 90 long ovefshadowed
her, and that they had grown to dread as serious
constitu ionsl malsdy Buc they hoped everything
from her approaching marriage with the man she
Ioved Moutreaaor oh NIT tl,al aap