Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-02-26

mNs hhN hlSA chb XIV NhN VI NlAN Nal' /
riage and went straight into the house.
l stayed in the carriage waiting The
river InurImured away. Young men who
had como for few days fishing stroled
about talking Of the river, the weather
and the weight of the salmon. half an
hour passed, and then Lady Margaret
came back with face, the odd excitement
of which she could not conceal.
"Go to your own home, now, Mary. 1t |
is too late for anything else" So ! drove |
to our entrsce gate, when Lady Margaret !
got out, and. walked straight across tho |
park toward the Court, only saying, |
Thank you, dear > goodnight" looked |
after her. / felt as If there was something |
wrorg. l did not like the unnaturally |
strong interest my perfect Lady Margares |
had shown in this beautiful stranger. / |
disliked her whole manner so much--I |
felt it to be SO unaeeountable that kept
all about 1t a secret from my mother
Days and weeks passed, Lady Marga.
ret had sent two medical men, at different
times, to see the sick man, but no entreat-
les OF Mrs. Bond, nor of her husband,
could make him see either Of them. Mrs.
Bond said that he must die. Lady Mar.
garet sent all manner of dainties to tde
inn from the Court, which the sick man
appeared to relish exceedingly.
This man then became the chief interest
of our lives He would sit In his arm
chair by the riverside, refusing to speak to
any one except Lady Margaret. All eyes
and mouths were open to watch and re-
port proceedings. Lady Margaret was with
him daily -once, twice day; and when
he was worse for few days, she remained
and waited on him like servant.
How things grew worse until they as
sumed unpleasant dimensions, need not
say. But Lady Margaret's perfection first
grew dim, and then withered away. At
last my mother cautioned me that it was
matter on which had better not speak
and then l wopt bitter tears.
Down, down, down, in popular opinion,
went Lady Margaret, The whole country
heard, talked, wondered and, for the most
part, condemned. At last my mother
spoke to her.
90 yes" she said, standing up in our
morning room. IL know people dislike
my having taken TO sick nursing" And
she laughed hard laugh, such as we had
never heard from her before. Then she
stopped suddenly and wiped her eyes,
which were full of tears. 81 cannot help
it," she said. "I NEST go there. l cannot
keep away. II would Kill the poor crea
ture if l did"
Indeed, indeed, you ought" pleaded
my mother.
al can't" she repeated, almost sngrily;
"will you believe me if say l cont"
i Then she walked out of the room. But
in another moment she came back again.
She kissed my mother, looking with sad,
entreating eyes into her face. "You will
always stand by me-" she said. "The
Royds have always been faithful to the
Court. You will always make Mary think
we'll of me ?" Then she broke out in great
excitement-"But, in the name of Heaven,
what have doneS Are we never to visit
the sick, or comfort the afllicted." My
mother did not speak. But 1, in an excess
of girlish excitement, cried out 90, Lady
Margaret, that is not the question. 1t is so
love with that horrid mani" and then a
a fit OF crying overcame me, and dropped
upon my face on the sofa cushion, sobbing
: violently.
ais it as bad as thatS" she asked, with q
trembling voice and scared face. "But
: do not cry, my darling. You are good
, brave girl. Thank you for telling me,
Yet do not call that sick man 'horrid,' it is
not true; and 1 cannot cease to care for
him. But, perhaps, l ought to take him
away, if people say such things"
She looked at my mother like one in a
dream.
OlNO IL oil up lIduy MAI BdlCG. COhl
: the man to some consumptive hospital
: Give him what you please,-but not your
good name You can hardly exaggerate
what people say"
She made no answer to this speech of
my mothers, only going out of the house
: quietly. But the next evening as | was
. walking past the Deer Pool, turned home
quickly, for there, in the shade, sat Lady
Margaret, with that mans hand in hers,
} his head on her shoulder, and every now
and then she kissed his broad, white fore
l head, till he looked up at her with face
so bright with thankful love, that fled
: away, and got back to my mothers arms,
and told her all l had seen.
( eve will go away for time," she said
D "Try not to think of it, Mary"
But my idol was broken; and the bur
7 den of funbelief nearly broke my heart.
Things grew so bad, that even good old
; supplemented Mrs Bond spoke to her al
r last, and said that 1t was Jinseemly for one
g in her station to nurse asick man of whom
: she knew nothing, and whose name ever
was unknown. But Lady Margaret only
;; replied that she should never desert the
J. sick lodger, and that she would never lei
r any one take her place by his bedside
+ either by day or night.
It But Immediately after Mrs. Bonds ex
g postulation new thing happened. Thi
Kempton carriage, which was hired for al
g occasions by everybody, arrived at thu
"Crown and Salmon" and took the sicl
: lodger to the railway station. There wai
Lady Margaret she took their places, and
Il unattended, they went away together
Martin, her maid, had gone TO London OF
a previous train.
n / A solemn sort of mourning fell on al
e hearts now. Wefelt shamed in her shame
/. But we loved her still. ---.
!, Lady Margaret never wrote TO any one
i but Martin cofresponded with the house
keeper. Mrs. Bent used to bring us these
It letters to read
v at is all just as it used to be-" sh'
e wrote. "She nurses him like any hire(
). wo%9,ane and he etidsndy loves hel
Martin spoke of the sick man as Mr.
4" Lisle.
Then she wrote again, al am coming
}. home. Lady Margaret sends me back
My lady has scarcely left Mr.. Isles room
II day or night for q week. He Is bette
k now, and they are going to the sea. ex
e pect her attendance on him must have ex
cited some surprise, though people speal
r of them as being related, and / favor thl
1t idea. But, quite Unexpectedly, Capt
2 Granby-Who is the heir-has arrived
% Lady Margaret seems to be on good term
1t with him, though some high words know
they have had He says hewill take par
u of the nursing Of Mr.. Lisle."
d So Martin came back, and In a fort
nights time Lady Margaret wrote to Mrs
10 Bent that her sick friend was dead. Sh
% inclosed note TO Mr. Browning, tn
:. clergyman, saying she would have tn
/ funeral at Kempton, and that the bod
'e was to be placed in the Csryl vault.
Nothing could exceed the anger OF 81
Kempton at this news of the funeral tha
was to be. The vault was opened will
angry words; the once "perfect lady
4 suffered from names too vile for orrepetition
Q, The coffin of good Sir Geoffrey was to en-
lh 1IirA deflement from the neiphhnrhnol