The weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1869-18??, 1869-12-29

er To- return; the lovely creature might be- 1
mar mlcss idiot ali the rest of her days Hel
spe aking English was another puzzle She
mi ght be an English woman-her beauty
Was certainly of the Saxon type-or she
hight only have learned the English Ian
5uage; but if so how came that knowledge
to have been retained when all else seemed
gone? .rHi0H IA 81
], His perplexity was interrupted by the en-
trance of the cause of it, She stood at the
| door wrapped round in one of the bed COW
erings, looking at him with a sweet, child
| ish. vacant expression that, was touching in
/ its lhelplessness. II must call her some
! thing" he thought, as she stood apparently
waiting for him to speak 'her name shall
be Mary : -
''Are you better, Mary, and will you sit in
this chair2n ..I'.... r.. ' 30,
She paid no attention to the inquiry, but
took the offered seat, and began silently
rocking herselfto and fro. 1t had such a
gh9stly effect to see her there by the lamp
light, robed in the long white drapery, with
her beautiful face still PALE no longer death.
ly, rocking herself in silence, that Ashley
feltla sensation very like fear thrill through
him. He must do something, for be could
not bear this. He took up book, the first
that came to hand-it was an English one
and offered it to her, asking if she would
like to read.
4 She took it with a childish smile, and
laying it open upon her knees began to fiut-
ter the leaves backward and forward, play
inglidly with them. s.s ana .,ei,,fsI
Good heavens :" said Ashley to himself,
"she is mad, imbecile at any rate | mast do
something with her." i3srt 49, "f -
But it was impossible to think with her
before him, and taking her by the hand he,
said:
SNOW, Mary, you must go back 10 bed,
and tomorrow SID u 7iioi'H 80 ~
She did not wait for the end of the SEN
\ tenee, but rose at once to do as she was bid
den, threw down the book, and letting tall
the coverlet that had developed her, walked
\ quietly back to the inner room.
| Ashley fastened the door, and felt as if he
were going mad from sheer bewilderment.
She must have clothes the very first thing,
and how were they to be procured without
taking some enc into his confidence? Even
| If he knew where to go for them, he know
| OF what woman's clothes should be. It
was evident then that some one must be
told OF the extraordinary adventure, and it
was evident that it must be woman in
whom he contided, as he required practical
help of kind no man could give him.
The morning dawned before he could ar
range any settled plan, and finally he deci
ded that he could not ii he would rid him
self of the charge of her, therefore she should
remain IN his house, and he would tell all to
the one acting as his housekeeper, who
CHANGED to be absent at the time, but whose
return he was expecting that very day. He
would bind her to secrecy by the most sol.
emn oath he could devise and if she failed
to keep 1t. why-at any rate he was in
terrible scrape, and this seemed the best
thing to be done. The woman returned
early in the day, and Ashley at once told all. /
and lmplored her assistance. To his great
relief she agreed at once to do all that Law
IN her power for the unhappy Young girl
and few arrangements made Ashley left
the house for the day, determined to shake
off the unpleasant impression which the
whole thing had made upon him. ~
Returning at night he found Mary com.
i 10 clothed and looking less pale and
i'll. His housekeeper told him that She had
Deen dressed like child, having apparently
no idea of assisting herself at ali. ~
1t would be impossible to describe min.
uteiy now intelligence dawned and grew
swiftly in the poor girls mind II was mot
q gradual growth from infancy, but came in
nt1ai snatches. The greatest change came
nrst, when her face frightened from its
SWEEP, Diank vacancy of expression at Asst
ley approach, and then she began to wait
upon him like loving child, and he with
lnnnite patience taught her to read and to
write. she also learned to sew, and was
not unskllifui IN such woman's craft; but
what ne taught was Learned quickest, best.
Two years passed, and Mary had deYel-
oped so,srapidly that she was much like
other women IA knowledge and acquire
mepts, Passhe had no memory of ANYTHING,
before Aef1rance. Ashley told her the whole
story, nd urged her to try to recall someso
thlng OF the time before; but it was in vain.
neEL memory was gone And the present
Tune was so happy that they cared little for
tne past. She was something belonging so '
entirely to him, even her life she owed to
ms care, and loved him so intensely. there l
oelng no ONE in the world whom she
knew or loved beside, that he could not Q
1all to be very happy; and the mystery +
OF the bond between them enhanced its
They were married, and still she lived in /
the same PRIVACY as before; her husband a
and his love. sufficed for everything and +
she shrank from entering a world of which
she knew nothing. '' +
Astleys acquaintance had long ago de-
clded that if he was not mad. he Was at 4
least eccshtric enough to make his societv s.
and hadffa!len off one bv one
leaYlng hlMs none but a professbn He h
had the rsphtatisH} of being skilfuI. and s.
his practics was 4 large one :76is snare 4
hours wersdevotst to his home, %hich was "
Two more ysars passed, ysEs of most "
perfect happiness. Mary differed now in
1othing from other wtiien Esye for that s
blank existehce OF more tan twenty Years
a q; Yenory Of that tiAe never returned n
She lived entirely Nitbin doTs: Ashley had v
me evening ts4hf III fora walk, and the :
lnaccustomedI sigbs and sounds of the Sc
treets had tefri3d. 10 much that he b
eTer repeated tie expSsiment. d
. AT Times longing to introduce his beam m
,lu Wite to his old friends and relatives I'M Il
.ngiano wp0Very strong, but the difficult VI
les OF ex aahAtioD, or of deceit, which il A
fcpld involve, combined with her extreme n,
version to the project, always prevailed and u
IMPOSSIBLE was =,
ax years had passed since the eyentful h,
ight when Mary had been brought as dead a,
Astley's door, when walking one day in OF
ne streets of the city, he had met an old ra
lend whom he had not seen since his do N
arturo from England The recopnition,was a
lutual, and Ashley insisted upon his frien5s
turning with him to dinner. The invita-. IT
on was cordially given and WILLINGLY ar er
'pted, and thinking to surprise Mr.. Holt in
y the sudden sight of his wife,s love. iness M
said nothing of his being married MIC ms
ring to himself what his astonishren+ en-
oald be when he saw her. W,
Though he had anticipated some evidence wi
surprise, ne was quite unprepared for the
cess OF emotion displayed by Mr.. Holt til
,on ms introduction to Mrs Ashley. The r
ior lett his face for moment and then be
turning Violently dyed it crimson, and the wi
,rds OF acknowledgement were stammered of
almost unintelligibIy. Recovering his all
nposure by strong effort, he offered his VIII
n to lead Mrs. Ashley to dinner, but she ed
letiy declined it, laying her hand upon tina
husbands. During the whole time of Iwh
ner Mr.. Holt scarcely moved his ewes lie,
a Marys face, who did not seem at an I
!urbed by his intense gaze, and took mo hen
ice OF her guest beyond what hospitality stri
handed. 80 -,
-stley suspicious were excited long be. to /
tue meal was ended, aud his heart 3ooI Wot
'aious leap as he thought it possible tbat And
mend was falling in love with his bean. per.
4 wife. He cursed the impulse that had fere
need him to bring Holt home with him the