The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-01-07

But Mrs. Trevelyan had told ner, while
Nora and Mr.. Glascoek were cioseted
togetber. that be was believed by them
sis to he good and gentle. Neverthe-
80 Che feit a considerable increase of
,eS1 e for q young lady who had re-
foepd the eldest son of lord. Priscilla,
when she heard what had occurred, ex-
nressed to her mother moderated ap-
prevail. According to her views girl
| would much more often be right to re-
fuse an offer of marriage than to accept
it, let him who made the offer be who
he might. And the fact of the man
having been sent away with refusal
somewhat softened Priscillas anger at
his coming there at all.
II suppose he is goose" said she to
her mother; "and / hope there won't be
any more of this kind running after
them while they are with u.s."
Nora, when she was alone, wcpt till
her heart was almost broken. 1t was
done, and the man was gone, and the
thing was over. She had quite sutti-
cient knowledge Of the world to realize
perfectly the difference between such
q position as that which bad been offer
ed to her and the position which IN all
probability she would now be called
upon to fill. She had her chance and
Fortune had placed great things at her
disposal 1t must be said of her also
that the great things which Fortune
had offered to her were treasures very
valuable in her eyes. Whether it be
right and wise to covet or to despise
wealth and rank, there was no doubt
but that she coveted them. She had
been instructed to believe in them, and
she did believe in them. In some mys-
FERROUS manner of which she herself
knew nothing, taught by some precep-
tor the nobility of whose lessons she had
not recognized though she had accept
ed them, she had learned other things
also,-to revere truth and love, and to
be ambitious as regarded herself of con-
feIring the gift of her whole heart upon
some one whom she could worship as a
hero. She had spoken the simple truth
when she had told her sister that she
had been willing to sell herself to the
devil, but that she had failed IN her
attempt to execute the contract. But
now as she lay weeping on her bed tear
ing herself with remorse, picturing to
herself in the most vivid colors allithat
she had thrown away, telling herself of
all that she,might have done and all She
might have been, had she not allowed
the insane folly of a moment to get the
better of her, sac received little or no
comfort from the reflection that she had
been true to her better instincts. She
had told the man that she had refused
him because she loved Hugh Stanbury,
at least, as far as she could remember
what had passed, she had so told him.
And how mean it was of her to allow
herself To be actuated by an insane
passion for a man who had never spoken
to her of love, and how silly of her af-
forwards to confess il! Ofwhat service
could such passion be to her life I
Even were it returned she could not
marry such a one as Hugh Stanbury.
She knew enough of herself to be quito
sure that, were he to ask her to do so
tomorrow, she would refuse him.
Better 60 and be scorched, and bored to
death and buried at the Mandarins,
than to attempt to regulate q poor
household which, as soon as she made
one Gifts number, would be on the sure
road to ruin'
For moment there came upon her,
not thought, hardly an idea,-some
thing of waking dream that she would
write to Mr.. Glascock and withdraw all
that she had said. Were she to do so
he would probably despise her, and tell
her that he despised her,-but there
might be chance. 1t was possible that
such declaration would bring him
back to her,-and, did it not bring him
back To her she would only be where
she was, q poor lost, shipwrecked crea-
ture, who had flung herself upon the
rocks and thrown away her only chance
of prosperous voyage across the ocean
of life her only chance, for she was net
like other girls, who at any rate remain
on the scene of action, and may rent
their spars and Still win their way.
For there were to be no more seasons
in London, no more living in Curzon
Street, no renewed power of entering
the bathrooms and crowded staircases in
which high-born wealthy lovers can be
conquered. A great prospect had been
given to her, and,she had flung itIaside
The letter of retraCtiOn was, however,
quite ont of the question. The reader
must not suppose that size had ever
thought that she could write it. She
thought of nothing but of coming mis-
cry and remOrse. In her wretchedness
she fancied that she had absolutely dis
closed TO the man who loved her the
name of him whom she had been mad
enough to say that she loved. But
what did it matterl Let it be as it
might, she was destroyed.
The next morning she came down to
breakfast pale as ghost; and they who
saw her knew at once that she had done
that which had made her wretched
woman.