Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-03-15

! Then her eyes ODeBed-thOse Won
derful eyes, that were then almost
startling IN their blackness. She look
4 ed wildly round her for a single sec
Ond, and, catching sight of me. was
/ herself agaiR-haughtY, self-sustained
! as before, even though lying helpless
as a child on Anne Richmond's arms
And, after all, pride is better for a
/ fainting woman than all the sal-vola-
tile in the world, thought I, receiving
her languidly uttered thanks, and re
treating.
We saw no more of Mrs. RadnOr
I that day. Her husband talked loudly
of the extreme heat; and no one but
1 the two who had observed the express
/ ion of her face when the perfume OF
[ the liIlies first met her senses, knew
anything to the contrary. As for me,
l was restless and unquiet. There had
/ been from the first a nameless some
I thing about Mrs. Radnor which had
excited my deepest interest, and now
my imagination was busy. One thing
the painful scene of the morning had
convinced me of, and that was, that
some time in the past she had been
quickened into life by the breath Of
love, and the flowers had played a ter
rIble part In overwhelming her with
memories possibly long buried In the
deepest recesses Of her heart; for-T
acknowledged it-Mrs. Radnor had a
heart. / never doubted it from the
moment Ia which her face changed
from its quiet repose into that tOrtur-
ing expression Of fear that it wore
when she tainted.
Anne, I said that evening to Miss
Richmond, as / drew her into nv
chamber after the party had separated
for the night, tell me something Of
Mrs. RadnOr. / am sure you are In
some way concerned in her past.
Yes, she answered, with a little,
futteriDg sigh; there Is one page of
her life that no one living has ever
read but myself. Perhaps I do wrong
IN cOnsentiBg to turn it for you; but it
may be warning to you, child. To-
morrow we will 20 down to the lake
together, and | viii tell you what has
changed Mrs, Radnor from the bright
est, sunniest girl that ever lived, to the
breathing statue that she has been for
ten years.
She sighed again, as she kissed my
cheek, and then I heard her footsteps
die away In the long corridor.
My room was In the second story,
and directly over those occupied bv
the RadnOrs, which opened on a bal
cony leading down by little flight of
steps to the lawn.
The night was sultrY aud still. Alt
the usual hustle and stir of retiring
had ceased, and, extineuishing nv
candle, curled myself On the broad
window seat, watching the stars that
seemed to smile in the hazy atmos-
phere 1t was late-nearly midnight.
[ think; and [ drank with delight the
heavy fragrance which that hour al
ways seems to draw from the helio-
trope, great masses of which grew un-
der my windows. I do not know how
long I sat there Waking dreams.
such as fit lightly in the tender still
ness OF summer nights, WOOed me with
delicious Tepose. l fancied myself be-
meath Eastern skies, and the faint stir
of bird in a neighboring tree seem
ed to me the pluming of a bulbul's
wing; and through the gilded lattice
Of the harem two starry eyes-and
they were Mrs RadnoT -glittered
aud cleaned The soft running of a
brook through the grounds was the
tapping of waves against Venice stones.
/ heard the twinkle of a guitar and,
framed by carved, gray stone work,
her ripping golden hair stirred IN the
night breeze.
Then everything faded, and slept
a moment or an hour-I cannot say
which, so softly had the hours passed
in softest sandals-and it was with a
start that I sat upright and heard, with
a keen thrill of fear. faint click, as
of a drawn bolt, and Immediately the
distant bell Of St. Michael's pealed
out.
Ooe-two; and with the dying of the
second stroke there was a rustling
sound beneath my window, and then
shuddering whisper, - My God my
God have mercy upon me u
Shrouded by half-closed blind,
peered out, and, kneeling on the bal
cOny below, I saw a white figure IL
Illuminated by the strange, weird light
of a waning moon. The face was up
lifted, and the expression might have
been that worn By Maria Therese in
the solitude of her chamber when the
ATchduchess j JOsepha died.
I drew back-it seemed like profan-
ity for any but the God to whom she
appealed to witness her despair-for
it was Mrs. RadnOr [ heard a long,
deep drawn sigh, foOtstep, and then
the sulky tones of her husband.
My lOve-Why will you ? The dew
is very heavy" Then a stir and the
sound of a closing door.
/ shiyered in the ghOstly light that
had into my window, and, softly clos
ing my blinds, | laid down to sleep if
l could.
The first person 1 saw, on entering
the breakfast room the next morning,
was Mrs. RadnoF, as pale az the mus
lin wrapper she wore, but as coldly
self-contained as usual. l felt the
passionate sympathy, which had taken
firm hold on me since the scenes of
the previous night, almost vanish be-
fore her langUidly uttered replies to
enquiries for her health. lit was only in
watching the dropping corners of her
rarely beautiful mouth and the violet
circles beneath fhe wonderful eyes,
tnat l could connect the naughty be-
ing before me with the utterer of the
despairing cry of the night before.
The day wore on slowly enough to
me, and It was only when the length
ened shadows on the terrace, aud Miss
l1LGlAAAVANF GA4uAkp1t4- .1uA .llGl " al A
greeted my eyes, that my impatienee
subsidized.
The path led us through shady
grove Of pines, thatsighed mournful-
" as one passed through them, then
across a sloping interval made green
by recent rains, and so down through
fringe of alders to little seat close
by the margin of a charming lake on
which myriads of water lilies were
closing their cups of incense.
Sit here, said Anne, pointing to a
place by her side. G
'It is not always pleasant to think
or speak of the past she began, after
few moments's silence, although
day by day its SCIENCES and actors ap-
pear to us. There are some memories
in every heart that thrill rs with grief
unutterable, and when you know that
one person in the story which I shall
tell you was dear TO me as my oWn.soul,
you viii not wonder if my lip falters
or fail to dwell on the more painful
portions of It.
Then for the FIRST time / was aware
Of another unwritten heart rt-history,