Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-04-25
nATHs OF ApvInTls11e.
As An ApYEeTIsIxo MEDIUM
but the Captain has assured nie without

a cause. !"
"Quite SO, [" replied Hilda, coldIy, but
she did not encourage further converse
ton.
One evening shortly after this Mrs,
Primrose addressed Hilda I'm q loud tone
from the further end of the room, say
ing
this afternoon, Miss Maitland, though
hand
"Inever saw you, Mrs. Primrose, /"
she replied. but suppose was walk.
ing quickly, as usually am."
NO, not at all, I" replied the lady.
significantly. ~ mean when you were
IN the Park. But it was quite excusable,
my dear. with such q good-lo0king com,
panion as you had to engross your atten-
ton. ! suppose We shall be losing YOU
soon?n
at is Mt fair Of you to speak out be-
q simper. "Of course Miss Maitland will
tell us all about 1t in good time. But L
must say" she added, trying to look
arch, THAT you are very sly about it, -
Hilda blushed deep crimson, but she
replied, proudly, II really do not unders
stand you, Miss Primrose. /" Then catch
ing Captain Vernon's eye fixed upon her
with an expression of pain and surprise,
she moved " the piano without another
word.
Miss Primrose had evidently effected
her object, more successfully even than
she had dared to expect; for Captain Ver-
non, ungenerous though it might be, was
fully impressed with the notion that
Hilda was meeting some one clandestine-.
ly, and her bushes and proud manner of
disdaining to deny it still more confirm
ed the belief; though really, If he had
reasoned the matter over in his own mind,
he might have discovered that as she had
no one to control her actions, no secrecy
was needed, and il she were really en-
gagged she could be % openly.
To me, in private, she said the whole
was fabrication, as she had never even
been in the Park but she begged me to
say nothing, as she merely told me, be-
cause she thought it duty to herself and
my friendship for her.
A short time after this Captain Vernon
went into the country, but fixed the day
and hour Of his return, and laughingly
said he should expect US TO welcome him
back quite joyfully.
The day of his return arrived, but it
was not till evening that he was to come.
Just as We were sitting down to dinner
Mr.. Jones rushed in late, and informed
us that there had been q fearful accident
to the train by which Captain Vernon
was to come; the news had been tele-
graphed up to London, and every one
was in CONSERVATION, as the number Of
killed and injured was something fearful.
We were oil in a state of excitement and
sorrow at the tidings, though many of US
would not think that our frank, agree
able companion, 80 lately among us in
s,fad a., s,,.o . q ~, 80, n a,t, - S
was supported from the room by her
mother, but she recovered sufficiently to
reappear after dinner and reclining Ian
guidly on the sofa, she alternately applied
asmelling-bottle to her nose and q pocket
handkerchief to her eyes, and seemed to
think herself an object Of interest and
tender compassion.
The poor Captains sad death might ins
deed be a blow to her matrimonial spec
ulations, but If she had heart il certain
ly remained untouched.
/ meant to have slipped away to have
broken these dreadful tidings to Hilda
in the privacy of her own room, for
dreaded the effect upon her: however,
just as was contemplating making my
exit, she entered, and though deadly pale,
seemed calm and collected as usual. She
was Immediately entertained with the
news, but coldly replied she had heard
from the servant, and was exceedingly
sorry.
This remark was so commonplace that
felt quite angry with her; but she alters
wards confessed to me that she was suf-
fering martyrdom, and a sort of super
natural strength alone prevented her
from breaking down beneath her agony;
but cruel eyes were fixed upon her, and
she knew that they would gloat over her
misery, so she hid it deep, deep in the re-
cesses of her constant heart.
Mrs. Stacey hated this kind of dulness,
and asked, as usual, for some music; but
for once her will was resisted, every one
and Lavinia adding that she "could not
bear it," She tried TO enlist Mr.. Jones's
services for herself, first asking him to
draw her sofa little nearer the fire, then
TO fan her burning temples and lastly rub
her hands; and all the while she cast such
tender glances towards him that Miss
Bella White was alarmed. Mr.. Jones was
worth catching, and Lavinia thought he
would do to fill the Captains vacant
place; though it was, after all, rather
amusing to see how she gave us all to un-
stand that there had been something be-
tween herself and Captain Vernon. Not
that we believed it. All her blandish-
ments, however, could not draw Mr.. Jones
from his allegiance to the fair Bella
Perhaps he thought her ten thousand
pounds was more substantial than the
large fortune which was to be Miss Prifn-
roses portion; anyhow, he performed
the offices required of him very much az
a bear might have done, but he would go
no further. We had all relapsed into q
m0urnful silence, only broken by an oc-
casional snore from Mrs. Stacey (who
had grumbled herself into . second nap),
when we were startled by q loud knock
at the street-door, and the same thought
struck us all, that IL was the body Of the
unfortunate man being brought there,
probably through some card or envelope
In his pocket bearing that address Mrs.
Stacey, fully awakened, whispered in .
sharp nervous, audible tone,-
"He must not be brought here. I
would not stay in the house one hour
with corpse"
Mrs. Wilson had always experienced
great liberality from the Captain, as she
herself allowed, and was really sorry for
what had occurred, but she evidently
agreed with Mrs. Stacey, that the Captain
living and the Captain dead WAS not quite
the same thing; 80, giving q reassurins
nod to the old lady, she prepared 10 leave
the room, in order to refuse adinittanes
to the unweleome object. Before she
could reach the door, however, T was
flung open, and In came Captsih Vernon