The New Orleans crescent., 1868-09-06


secret once known, her family would cut out hei
name from its records and discard her at once anC
| forever.
She loved Der father, and her father loved
her; but in this one respect his heart would have
become marble towards her and she knew il
She loved her mother. but she knew on this one
topic her mother would have been merciless. He
sisters, brothers, relations. frends-every one she
knew in the w0rld-would have inveighed agains
such match, and still she stood there in the fire
| light, and her eyes told me more eioquently thai
any words that she lay
| "In nv ha-ds as tame
| As pear hate bsskng over wall.
| Just touca to W, and off il came:
'Tis niel Can let it iaifn
Marriage between Lillian and myself was Sc
| crety considered so outrageous and out of the
question at Craven Court, that We we're left alone
TO do just as we pleased In addition to the exGni
site pleasure both felt the secresy of our love
lent an additional charm TO the romance. We
we're never watched. never suspected, never
thought of anything but pair of cousins and old
and well tried friends.
Indeed, so daring and heterodox was our ex.
plot, that we hardly dared even TO breathe 10 one
another what we really felt.
One evening II all came out, in spite of our
selves.
1t was after dinner in the long low DRAWING
room. We had been together nearly all day
| riding side by side among the flowers of delicious
| spring. Still nothing unusual had occurred. A
thousand times | had been on the point of ven
| II.
checked myself. .-.
had had the strength to reflect. One IN.
| lucky word, and banshmsnt from Craven Court
would have been inevitable.
1t would have required the strongest love that
ever wonsn possessed TO bring matters just then
TO successful issue and though felt that Lillian
| loved, was not by any means certain that her
love was allpoveriu against the strong. pitiless
world that would have lrampled on Us both.
IL was natural that should pause As we
Were-Wltl KOrd said W uar afa far
years, perhaps, of dreaming. With that one word
said. We should both inevitably have TO wake, and
grspple with serious and overpowering difficulty
"And so we went on still dreaming dreaming
dreaming. The one word was not said the ewes
OF The authorities were still lmy and dull and we
were allowed TO sit 10 cosy corner of the long
low drawing room, she at the piano. and in am.
bush by her side, where she could see me and
could not be seen.
4" he music. ss usual sent me off nv head.
. She was playing a sonata of Chopin's which
VIII ring IN my ears till | die. The sonata opens
with music Of the widest description which
used to liken TO lover riding at night through a
dark and gloomy forest, seeking in despair for the
castle in which bis lady is concealed. All kinds
of danger surround him he is lost. and then sud
denly he strikes into the right path again,
and the moon shines out. In al instant
tie wild and troubled music ceases, aud
Is succeeded by melody of SURPRISING
loneliness. This melody, / used TO say, burst
out from the castle and ed the lover on through
the moonlight to rescue his beloved. And
then, when the ear is sOftening and softennO 10
the melody, and one can imagine the horsemsp
getting nearer and nearer to the CASTLE the sweet
soft air dies away, and the ftful troubled music
comes back again. He Is destined never to find
bis love. The moon is hidden again. and again
the wood gets darker and more dangerous But
with the last burst of the storm, amidst its wild
raVlngs, and between the flashes Of the lightning
comes faint recollection Of the melody, Just
suggestion Of what might have been to tantalize
~ loVa and lnfa 70 ba - A.
and the despair at his heart. This was the poem
she played NE, and | read the poem to her in
whispers as she played.
" IL was our own story exactly, and we both
knew II. They made her play il again, the ilmy.
eyed authorities their whist in the other room
"Sbe looked towards me piteousy. Ihad never
seen her look like that before. But she nerved
herself for the struggle and dashed into the first
storm scene. She fingered lovingly over the
mtlody. playing it with softness and tenderness
which was only too terrible to me. But the last
storm scene, which contained the recollection of
the air was too painful, and hardly kno wing what
said, or why | said 1t, these words were whis
pered in the ear
Lillian love -
& And then the hot scsding tears burst at once
from her eyes, falling over the keys and her
hands and my hand, which trembled lovingly over |
hers.
She broke down utterly. and one hand of hers |
fell from the notes into mine There was a slight
room, and in an instant upset the mCsc. book |
aud put out the candles. was only just in time,
but we were saved.
The next morning had 10 leave for London,
but before left had heard from her lips the !
sseetest words that man can hear and received
from them the gentest touch that mao can feel
~~e loved ey her, aad in sDite Of all aud re.
"a hero.
We parted, bound, as bad imagined, with in.
1lssoluble ties. l prepared to tight for her With
all my mans strength, she willing to support me
with all her woman's co operation and sweet
And how long do you think we kept ur com
% In six weeks from the dreary wet morning on
which lett Craven Court our secret was discoy-
ered, and 10 less than seven weeks from that day
lad received letter, cold as ice AMI short as an
spigram, telling me that must awake from nv /
iIesm, as she had done, and signed Lilian.'
ferhaps 10 such cases men are apt to iudze |
somen someshst too harshly. certainly own
nat ny Veroct was a harsh and bitter one. |
air light would have been all very well. bat she
lad laid down her arms without a shadow of
truggle.
"Iknow perfectly well what miseries she had
o endure. They were all against her. She was
. the camp of the enemy. with every sword at her
hrost; but she denied her country for the sake Of
Ter life. IL is easy 10 realize such position and
o guess how many women would have Welded.
man would have been worse than traitor and
! coward to have given in without q fight
or il, but vomsn-well, poor women, we
must not be be too hard on them. And
Jet, when | thought over it, / counted
IN my fingers many brave women who
would have endured more suffering than that for
man they loved, and had thought that Lillian
lee loved me.
II was hard case for her; Town il. But in
ny heart could find no excuse for her then.
uppose rated woman too highly-I trust not !
sui after what had happened at the piano, heart
soul bad believed in Lillian as the best, and
1rsvest, and truest woman had ever known, and
[ was little hard in six veeks' time TO see NV
dol dashed to pieces.
But there was no use In crying over split milk.
was stabbed, and to the heart. The wound
eened deeper and more to be regretted because