The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-01-08
THE MANCHESTER MARRIAGE.
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much to stand. He took her hands in his. lie
squeezed them hard, as II, by physical pres
sure, the truth could be wrung out.
| .Norahn This time his tone was calm
| staenant rs despair. "She has married again =
| Norah shook her head sadly. The grasp
slowly relaxed. The man had tainted.
| acme drops into Mr.. Franks mouth, chafed his
| hands, and-when mere animal life returned,
| before the mind poured Ia its food of memo
ries and tnoughts-she lifted him up, and rest
| ed his head against her knees. Then she put
a few crumbs of bread, taken from the supper.
| table, soaked in brandy, into his mouth. Sud.
| denly he sprang to his feet.
"Where is shel Tell me this instant" He
| looked so wild, SO mad, so desperate, that
| Norah felt herself TO be in bodily danger; but
her time Of dread had gone by. she had been
| afraid to tell him the truth, and then she had
| been coward. Now her wits were sharper ed
| by the sense of his desperate state. He mus
leave the house. She would pity him after
ward, but now she must rather command and
| upbraid, for he must leave the house before her
| mistress came home. That one necessity stood
| clear before her.
"She is not here that is enough for you to
| know. Nor can 1 say exactly where she is, :"
| "Cfo away and tell me where to ind you to-
| morrow, and will tell you ALL My master
| and mist may come back at any minut e,
| and then what would become of me, with a
| strange man In the house 20
| Such an argument was too petty to touch his
| excited mind
| 81 don't care for your master and mistress.
If your master is a man, he must feel for me
poor shipwrecked sailor that l am-kept for
| years a pris oner among savages, always,
| always thinking of my wife and my
| home-d 'eaming Of her by night, talking 10
/ her, though she could not hear, by day loved
her more than II heaven and ear tn put toge Their
| Tell me where she is, this instant, you
| wretched woman, who saived over her WICK
! edness to her rs you do to me! -
| The clock struck ten Desperate positions re-
| Quire desperate meas ureS.
| III yon Will leave the house now, / will
| come TO you TO morrow ana tell you all. What
| is more, you shalt see your child now She lies
| sleeping up stairs. o. sir. you have a child
| you do not know that as yet--a little weakly
| girl, with just heart and soul beyond her
! years. We have reared hes up with such care !.
| We watched her, for we thought for many a
year she might die any day, and we tend her,
| and no hard thing has come near her, and no
| rough word has ever been said TO her. And
| no W you come and will take her life in to your
/ hand, and will crush il. Strangers to her
| nave been kind to her; but her own father
Mr.. Frank, am her nurse, and love her, and
| | teGd her, and would do anything for her
| that could Her mo- tner's heart beats hers
beats and, If she suffers a pain, her mo Their
| trembies all oy r. 1T she is happy, il is her
| mother that smiles and Is glad. Ii she is grow
ing stronger, her mother is healthy If she
| dWindies, her Their languishes. If she dies
| well, don't know il is not every one that
| can lie down and die when they wish it,
| Come up stairs, Mr. Frank, and see your
| culiu. Seeing EeT Will 90 gOOu 10 your
| poor heart. Then go away. in Gods name, just
| his one night; to-morrow, II need be, You can
| 10 any thlng-kiIl us ali II you Will, or show
| yourself great, grand man, whom God will
| oless forever ana ever. Come, MI. Frank, The
| look OF a sleeping child is sure give peace"
| She led min up stairs, 1t first almost helping
his steps, I'LL they came near the nursery d JoT
| She had weii-nign forgotten The existence OF
| little Edwin. II struck upon her Wi alright
AS the shaded light tell over the other cot; Du
| she skilituily threw that corner vi the room
| INTO darkness, and let the light fall on the
| sleeping Aisle. The child had thro Wn OWN
| the coverings, and her deformity az she lay
| with her back to them, Was plainly yis,p
| through her slight night gown Her little face,
| deprived OF the lustre of her eyes looked wan
| and punched, aud had pathetic expression in
| IL even as she slept. he poor ia her locked
| aud looked with hungry, wistful eyes, into
| which the big tears came swelling up slowly
| and dropped heavily down, as he stood trem-
| cling and shaking all over. Nurah was angry
| with herself for growing impatient of the
| length of time that long, lingering gaze
las Ted. She thought that he had wal ted for fuI
| half an hour before Frank stirred Aud then ,
instead cf going away, he sank down on his
knees by the bedside, aud buried his face in tn
| clothes. Little Aiisie slrred uneasily. Norah
pulled him up III terror. she could afford no
| more time even for prayer, in her extremity
| of fear, for surely the next moment would
bring her stress home. Sne took him forci-
| ply by the arm out, as he was going, his eye
| lighted on the other ted he stopped Intelii-
| geDce came back into his face. His hands
| cienched.
| His child - he asked.
| "Her chIld," replied Norah. "God watches
! over him. said she, nstinctively for Franks
| looks excited ner fears, aud she needed TO re-
| mind herself OF The Pro tor of the helpless
| "God has not watched over me-" he said, in
| despair, his thoughts apparently recoiling on
| his own desOlate, deserted state. But Norah
| had no time for pity. Tomorrow she would
| be as compassionate as her heart prompted
| AT length she guided him down stairs and
| door. and - 8
| TO keep out facts.
Then she went back into the dining-room
and effaced all traces of his presence as far as
she could. She went ~ stairs to the nursery
and sal there, her head on her hand, thin kin 2
what was 10 come OF all this misery. 1t seemed
to her very long before her mas ter and mistress
returned, yet ii was hardly eleven O'Clock
| She heard the loud hearty Lancashire voices
on the stairs and, for the first time she under
stood the contrast of the desolation of the poor
man who had SO lately gone forth in lonely de-
spair.
1t almost put her out of patience to see Mrs.
| Openshaw come in, calmly smiling, handsome
| iy dressed, happy, easy, to inquire after her
| children.
did Ailsie go to sleep conf ably - she
| whispered TO Norah.
yes
Her mother bent over her, looking at her
| slumbers with the soft eyes of love- HOW lit.
| tie she dreamed who had 10 oked on her last =
Then she went to Edwin, with perhaps less
| wlstful anxiety in her coun tenance, but more
| of pride. She took off her Things TO 60 down
to supper Norah saw her no more that nighf
Besides having door into the passage, The
sleeplng-nnrsery opened out Of MIR. and Mrs.
Openshaw's room, in order that they might
have the children more Immediately under
| their own eyes. Early the next summer morn
| ing Mrs. OpenshaW was awakened by Ailsies
| startled call OF Mother. mother ~ She
| sprang up, put ON her dressing gown and
| went TO her child. Ailsie was only half awake
and in not unusual state of terror.
who was he. mother Tell me-"
Who, my darling7 No one is here. You
have been dreaming, love. Waken mp quite
| See, it is broad day light"
Yes said Aisle, looking round her, then
clinging to her mother, "but a man was here
| ia the night, mother"
"Nonsense, little goose; no man has ever
come near YOU"
"Yes he did. He stood there, just by Norah
"a man with hair and u beard and he knelt
down aud said his prayers. Norah knows he
was here, mother" (half angrily, as Mrs.
Openshaw shook her head In smiling incred u >
| lty)
well, we will ask Norah when she comes, ~
| SAID MRS OpenshaW, soothiDgly. "But we
| won't talk any more about MIN now. 1t not
| five o'clock IL is too early for you TO get up
| Snail tetch you book aud read TO you ~
| DON'T leave me, mo ther," said the child
| clinging 10 her. So Mrs. Open ,haW sat on the
| bedside talking u Aiisie, and telling her what
they had donea Richmond the evening before.
un'il the iittie girls eyes slowly closed, and
she once more Tell asleep.
| Nv hat was the matter % asked Mr. Open
shaw, as bis wife returned TO bed.
| "Aifs1e Weakened up In q fright, with some
| story OF man having been in the room to So g
his prayers-a dream. l suppose" And NO
| more was said AT the line.
| Mrs. Openshiw had almost forqot.en tbs
| whole affair when she got up about seven
O'CLOCK. But ty and by she heard a q harm a h
terea,ion going on In the nursery-Norah