Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-07-09

sided at the early breakfast, had a soothing in
fiuence over me, which accepted as yet an
other advantage in the meditated bargain.
When we were married the constant presence
of that quiet face would affect beuefcially my
daily lite-make my head clear, keep my
nerves cool.
left the Datons that morning, and proceed
ed on my journey. My business in the north
was accomplished; and two days after l ar
rived at Sir Hercules Lowther's, Just in time
to join him at his solitary dinner. He was
dull and silent; the house had mournful, de-
serted aspect; the servants moved about with
mute lips and noseless feet. All brought
Daisy to my mind but this time not so much
IN connection with my own feelings as in the
character of my friends dead wife. | pitied
him for his loss. As we sat by the fire over
our wine, he began to talk about his wife,
speaking with rough, simple pathos of how
good she had been, and what a blessing to
him.
"Poor Daisy ' I said using the tender d.
minutiye inyoluntarily. CAN you say of her is
true, know. You were happy in marrying
her. It's something to have had her to lose"
eyes" he answered, looking at me medita-
lively. "But only those who knew her can
Judge my loss feel that you sympathize
with me, old friend, and thank you for it but
you did not know her"
'Not know her Do you think have for
gotten the old Isle of Wight days? Why,
Lowther, too once loved this little Daisy of
yours. may say 50 now. You will not be
jealous of me-"
''Knew my wife loved my wife p he gasp
ed out syllable by syllable, and with a slow
horror and establishment.
eyes, you must know it then" | said. 81
was wild when you married her. But all that
nd ni,ar hot clo
was, L only feel for you the more"
Loved my wife p he still muttered, in
stolid sort of wonder. "Loyed my wife
Daisy? What There is mistake" he
said and his face frightened slowly into intel
ligence. There is mistake. You surely
know whom l married 2"
EYES," / cried, certainly l do. Daisy
Manwaring."
''Never. You are wrong"
stared at him agast, and pointed to the
ring he wore. "Whose hair is that %
"My poor wi5e's 2" 1 married my cousin,
Margaret Lowther; not Daisy Mainwaring, as
you call her. That was mere boyish fancy
l would have married her at one time, but she
would not marry me; and thank Heaven for
it. My wife only, in all the world, could have
made me so happy as | have BEEN" He sigh.
ed and went on; GLOW did you ever come by
this false notion E? "Where did you hear it!
How on earth did it enter your head 2"
BY slow degrees | recalled and explained
how had heard of his marriage. 1t was not
easy for me, having held the event for so long
as established fact, to bring to my mind the
precise manner in which the news had reached
me-however, l succeeded, at length, in re-
calling the letter from my friend, and also the
confirmation of the former tdings, in my
mothers letter. received in Italy. | learned
tbut not wholly them what had been the true
state of the case. When my friend wrote of
Lowther's approaching marriage to Daisy,
Lowther had been willing to make that asser-
ton true. 1t was at that time that she had re-
fused to marry him and consequent upon his
refusal seemed to me to have been his mar
riage with his cousin so soon after-Whether
in pique, or whether in the way of consolation,
did not clearly appear; but, at all events, the
marriage had turned out happily My moth
er's notification to me was substantially true
Lowther was married at that time.
DAISY, then, was not dead; but the phan-
tom of that night-how it to no explain
ed? l asked for news about her, and Lowther
told me that he had lost sight of her for some
time, that after her fathers death she had gone
out as a governess that he had offered help
to her in vain; and that she was too proud to
accept help from an old lover
X
On my way back 1 called again at the Dal-
tons, AS walked by the side of Amy, in the
winter garden, | asked abruptly: "Have you
governess here 2"
eyes," she answered, a little surprised.
"What is her name %
Miss Mainwaring, here she is, coming with
the Children"
"Shal go on any more, little wife Shall
| tell them how Ihard | found it to win you
back to me? how |, the Grand Feigneur, did
not get my wife by mere throwing of a hand
kerchief, but was obliged to outrage all fore
gone conclusions and determinations about
my matrimonial needs, and about the proper
view and bearings of matrimony Shall tell
them Of all your troubles in those long years
of separation; and how you are changed
thereby, and yet the same grave, soberer,
wiser-equable and quiet, but Daisy still No,
do you say have written enough? Then /
will write no more"