The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1859-04-07

Surely it is nothing criminal" he
answered, cold|y, "that you should
thus dread the very mention of it; but
lhave been deceived, May;I thought
you loved me; thought you valued
my happiness more than idle gossip.
lhave discovered my mistake, although
tuo late, fear, for my own peace
Mays eyes filed with tears.
"Oh, Louis, how can you be so cru
el," she exclaimed, "when you know
how dearly lprize your love and hap.
piness! But | have been taught to
consider these claudestine proceed.
ings, if not strictly criminal, at least
nearly so, and always attended by
misfortune. Yet. to assure you | do
not care for what you term idle gos-
sip, | only request permission to in
form my mother, and gain her con-
sent"
MAY, have some sense, exclaimed
Louis, lmpatiently; ''your mother with
her high notions of honor, would con-
slider it her duty to Immediately in
form my father of the whole affair;
and believe me, May, if he once dis
covered it all our plans would prove
futile; for, as his ingenuity is mex.
haustiblc, he would find means of not
only preventing our union at present,
but Of preventing it forever"
May was silent. She feared that
what Louis had said was too true;
and yet, to her, the idea Of a cIandes,
tine marriage was ineXpressibly
shocking. Well would it have been
for May Herbert had she paid more
attention to thai silent monitor within.
But love is a powerful advocate; and
ere she arrived at her home, she had
given the required assent.
Then tomorrow, dearest May, you
will be mine!" murmured Louis, as
they arrived at the gate.
"Yes, tomorrow" answered May,
"and God grant lmay never repent it"
she added, gloomily, as she disappear
ed from his view.
On the following day, at the usual
hour, May put on her bonnet and
shawl to 90 to Hall; at the door she
paused.
What is it May, are you ill., asked
her mother, as, looking up from her
work, she noticed Mays agitated
looks. 81 think you had better stay
at home to-day" she added; you do
not seem very well.
"Oh! no" answered May, quickly. |
am only little nervous, and Alice
will expect me; SO good bye, mother,
think the walk will do me good
"Good-bye, my child, and hurry
home; | viii have tea ready when you
return
May was gone 1t was the last
struggle between love and duty
Love had conquered. When she ar
rived at the Hall she found Louis
awaiting her. The lesson was hur-
ried through, and just at its conciu-
sion, a light carriage drove up the av-
cnue. Louis Immediately despatched
his sister upon some trlillng message;
then turning to May, he took her hand
in his.
at is the minister, May. Come to
the library,
He led her from the room, across
the hall, and into the library; as they
entered the minister arose.
At any other time May would have
perceived that, save his black dress,
there was little about him to proclaim
his sacred calling. In the agitation
of the moment, May did not notice,
or at least paid no attention to this
She was one day to recall it with
shame and bitterness. As the ccrc.
mony proceeded, Louis placed a beau
tiful pearl ring upon her finger, and
at its conclusion he clasped her to his
breast in wild. passionate embrace.
mine, mine forever" he murmur-
ed, as again and again he pressed his
lips to hers.
Immediately after their marriage,
a yonug man, named James Gibson,
at the Hall. May had an
indistinct recollection of having seen
this person before, but when or where
she could not bring to mind.
CHAPTER III.