The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-11-25

guardian, was sensible man, and witbaI
, gentleman, and although he disliked the i'd
OF the marriage as much as his wife cou
4 90, yet he did not refuse to meet MIR, Rec
| upon equal terms, and was willing to wal,
the breach af confidence on which his wi
insisted so strongly. in consideration of the
own Imprudence in having allowed M:Idre
} to be so much with her brothers tutor. B.
he represented frankly 10 Mr.. Il ,eve thar
ne renamed IN the house long enough TO SC
MIS-. Carlton again he would not be free fro,
insult, and appealed to him a man of hor
o.-insistlng at the same time on the fact
Miidreds being great neiress-to give hi
Pro!H'se Lot TO attempt to see or communic;,,
IA any way with her until she should be {
age appealed TO in this way Mr.. Reeve fe
that he couli not do otherwise than Assem-
Perhaps. he had some faint hope of an oppc
sition violent and unreasonable enough t
justify him in refusing all terms rs it was
however. he gave the required promise with
heavy heart, subjoining 10 it the words "afte
tomorrow" though he scarcely hoped to b
allowed to take leave of Mildred
The d"g.cart was at the door at sia o'clocl
next morning to convey him to the station
and he was passing through the hall. when a
soft whisper reached him through the green
talzed door of the schoolroCm, " Mr. Reeve!'
he turned back. and Mildred slipped into hi.
hand bit of that gold. He took her in hi:
arms for a moment and kissed her, as ne die
so she whispered . In four ears "Ir fou,
years, my darling, on yoar birthday, YOU
, SAL hear from me. God bless and keep
| you. aud he was gone before she had time
to answer. How Mildred loved that man!
In spite of what he had sald, when Edward
Reeve readced Loudon ii was to repare for
sharp struggle with poverty. During the
few years that had elapsed since he left the
University, he had been charged with the
maintenance o. his mother and IN part with
that of his sister, and although he had been
recently rslIeved oi that burden by the death
OF the one and the marriage of the other. vet
he had Very lille cash wherewith to fill Mill
dred parse. He arrived at the Kings Cross
station at noon, thoroughly tired, for he had
been mp nearly all night. The first thing he
did after securing a very small lodging tOh,
Mildred. If you could have seen it y was to
20 to bed, and TO sleep, and when lie awoke,
to his great as topishmeni it was six o'clock in
the afternoon. His landlady. having satis>
he'd herself by various peeps, that ne had not
her lodgings by hiring them for
suicidal purposes, had pre- pared some mutton
.hoDs. to which @e sat down with good appe-
iie- Alter That he opened his g.. 'esk and looked
'ver 4 n..-..".,,script NJ. volume hidden iherei no,
lie would not take another situatro. AS tutyr'
lie would give lessons if he could fnL pup'l';
md, if necessary, he would dine upon 'ienu
md cheese bu, he would devote himseI. ~
lis literary work. and strive to arm for hun
elf "a name that even Milared's friends :
should not be ashamed to have her bear. lie |
/ al
actually awoSe faithful 10 1t the next morn
ns, :. great thing to say for any human reso-
utiou.
Four years had nearly passed. 1t was
October, and the following Christmas eve
would be Mlldred'. t..eniy first birthday. Mr..
Reeve sat By the fire in the iden ic.l lodging
le had taken on first arriving ii l. 'ndon As
e expected he lad seen nothing of the Carl
Oh family They did not come TO town, and
le was de5arred by his promise from seek ne
Intercourse wi'h Mildred. Now and then ne
cad Miss Grants name as having been pres
. t at such and such country ball or arch
.ry meeting, and his trust in her WAS SO i'm
,t,,t, hat these announcements Simply
,,,..raste6 hin. without costing him pant'.
- s;ci..-:,e Midred's youth, such confidence
nav seem strau.,e, but Edward Reeve was so
title used to the ways OF ne "orIa ana 'he
yays of women. as To be ,t!Ii, - sue" '''''ei''
Is uusoph; .ticated as a boy. He hau grown
parer and gra,er in these years. How hard
rad b. EN- the struggle with pover;y he aio
Knew, bat lie had fought bravely, and his
uck seemed now Just Oh the turn. In ;he
irst place the book was actually published,
and, although as vet it me. with no special
welcome from the public, it had been very |
lavorably reviewe by syveral leading neriodi- |
calls. Ono of these critiques he was now
a bout. nine ~ mouth, to read. lie felt very |
proud and glad. and he took he paper in
his hand he fanciei how Hired Mis-. ne
reading it, with tears of pie l.ure in her !
bright ewes, perhaps at that very time. lie |
toyed tor minute or .wo with his impatieEce, |
glancing up and down the paper suddenly |
he changed color, a marriage announcement |
caught his aye
"On the 18th instant, at the Parish Church,
Charley Bridge, Yorkshire, Sir Eiward
Liford, Baronet, to Mildred, only daughter
# the late Richard Grant, Esq. of Charley
Hall"
\ mist passed across Edward Reeves sight;
his face was very white. and he sat quite
motio..less Presently he quietly laid aside
The paper. and shielded his eyes with his
hand low God help mel escaped from
his lips hal it been shrek it would not
have told more plainly of acute pain. lie
,ar so, in thought or prayer, or perhaps only
in Suffering, for about half an hour then he
-ose and fetched bis desk. He took out first
little paper packet, opened IT, and let Nil.
irtd's bright hair curl round his hnger. III
he hai put his thoughts into words he would
have said that she who LaG been the star of
his life wns indeed too bright for him, that it
=. kar hot h..h bod
untrue He raised the hair for an instant 10
his lips. and then dropped il gently into the
fire where the flames sprung up cracking to |
meet it ; next he burnt the few scraps he had
Of her writing, ard la>iIy op ned his blotting
book aud wrote as follows:
DEAR SIK-I have recoDsidered my dec s. /
ion, and if you viii allow me to change my !
mind, shall be happy 20 ac- mpany your
son 20 Pau Tor the winter. and prepare him
for Oxford. | can be ready to starrany day |
next week that may suit you.
lam, dear sir, yours truly,
EDWARD REEVE.
The roe was finished and Edward Reeve |
went out and posted it. Returning, he |
smoked for an hour or two so energeticallv |
hat the room was III a cloud, and then he
went to bed. ana drew the clothes over his
,s,, and cried like child.
CHAPTER II.
well, Mr. Reeve. I've found out who
those people are, and what's more, I've seen
them
The speaker. lad of seventeen, with
frank Ergl'sh face, delicate Skin, Eow
sutfused with color. and curly hair. met aud
Joined his tutor. Edward Reeve, as he turned
into the Place ROYAL. Pau, cn his way % the
Hotel de Frame. They did not live there.
but came every day from their lodgings to
dine at the table d'note for the sake OF socia-
biliy. Gilbert Blake's curiosity had been
aroused by "a telegram received by Monsieur
Gardere, ordering rooms for an English tam
,Iy who would arrive at Pau in the afternoon,