The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-03-05
Miste..s.aueuns.
A FORGOTTEN VALENTINE.
CHATTER I,


THE MESSENGER WHO BORE IT, AND WHO
NEVER DELIVERED 1T. ...
Perhaps Il would have been too much
to expect of him that he should do so; too
much TO expect that the littlepacket. care
lessly taken and thrust away amongst
others, would ever enter his head again.
At any rate II did not. He was young
man still, though he had been for some
years widower; and he had fallen In
love, and was on the way TO learn his
fate. 90
IL cannot be flattcrlng n young lady, II
she knows it, that her suitor should be ca
pable OF taking thought for any one be-
sides herself: but certainly Sir Hugh
Rainhain tried to believe that he was not
making his own happiness altogether the
first consideration. There was the we'll
being of his little girl to be thought of;
and what did he know about bringing mp
little girls? He had heard sensible people
say, and he was ready enough now TO ac-
cept the dictun, that the wisest thing q
man In his position could do would be to
marry again; wisest both for his own fii-
ture and his chld's. He said this to him
self as he stood In Evelyn Neville's draw
ing-room, hat In hand, waiting, looking
out upon the bare branches which were
soon TO be green again, and wondering In
n desultory fashion, h this February day
would bring him another spring-time. or
only the desolate branches, the dead
leaves whlrling about, and the cold sky
beyond. He had not long to walt. When
she came into the room, and that thrill
went through his heart which the pres
ence ofone we love alone can bring, II
must have LETT some mark upon his face
for she knew why he had come, and I'm a
few rapid arguments had decided upon
her answer. He was rich; but she did
not care SO much about that, not knowing
what Is was to be anything else; he was
Sir'IIugh Rainham; but she didn't care
for that either, her pride being Of another
sort; he was good, generous, and dcvot-
ed; these things she did care for. He
loved her; and he came on day when
that same pride of hers was smarting un-
der a sense of neglect. In the few seconds
allowed her before he spoke, Evelyn Ne
vile made her decision. She had thought
that he knew, and was jealous of, her
friendship with that Cousin Frank, whom
she had iancicd might one day be nearer
than u cousin. But that was over. The
cousin had kept up childish habit of cX-
changing valentines; and to-day there was
nothing from him. while her own had
gone as usual. That was the humiliat-
ing dart oft. II she had broken through
the custom, il would have been well; but
that he shold be the first! and when, too,
he had given her cause to expect that this
would be no ordinary valintine! Here,
within her reach, was the means of pun
ishing him; ut any rate, OF letting him
know that she did care.
Evelyn listened to Sir Hugh with fore
ed attention; but he knew nothing of that.
When he spoke OF his little girl, faltering,
she reused up anu saw the strong earn
estness and anxiety In the mans face /;
and, strange to say, this touched her more
just then than any passionate lovers
pleading from her lips would have done.
She turned towards him suddenly, and
put her hand into his, and said, speaking
OF the small Cecilia
.'She shall be very dear to me, and
precious | will care for her, rs much rs
yon could desire" .--.-. .,.....r..
And when Sir Hugh had LEFT her, she
did not repent. 1t Is true there came up
OH her certain sense of being bound; Of
having done what could not be undone ;
and that half-rebellious desire to be free,
which Is almost always inscparable frem
an act that seals ones own fate. And then
the drawing-room was rather lonely; the
trees outside the windows got u ghostly
look, and seemed To wrap themselves up
tighter as the fog gathered round them !:
and-altogether, she thought she would
20 and tell her brother, by way Of con-
vincing herself that the thing was finally
settled.
When she told him.he lifted up his eye
brows and stared ut her.
"Is IL true!-You look as IL Il were.
Rather scared, and that sort OF thing.
Not that there Is anything to be scared
about; only 1 suppose Its proper. Hem
might have thought of Frank Neville ;
but this Is WISER"
She bit her lip, but never answered him.
She wished he had not said that about
Frank, and she didn't like the word
WISER What had wisdom to do with
1t?
She started from her sleep that night,
with mist before her eyes and great
throbblng Mt her heart, for Franks voice
was In her ears. What would he care!
But what use to ask, now that it was
too late9 And that II was too late no one
knew better than herself; for to her, hav-
ing once decided publically as II were,
change would have been impossible.
And on her wedding-lay she was to Sir
Hugh radient princess, far away above
him, STOPPING to crown him with the
blessing Of her love. Any one who had
seen him that day might have doubted
about Its being altogether, or even very
much for his daughters sake that he took
this step.
II have reason to be grateful" he said
to this new brother-in-law, when the
speechifying was over, and the bride was
going away To change her dress.
George Neville looked at her and nod
dcd.
..She's good girl enough; sclf-willed,
perhaps; but then she has always had her
own way"
..And will have It still, hope" said
Sir Hugh. "IfI don't make her happy, i
shall deserve to be miserable man all
my llfe."
In years to come he recalled the speech
and wondered whether some strange mis-
giving had moved him to utter Ii.
Just then Frank Neville was saying to
Evelyn, $50 you did not think me worth
an answerw
She was passing through the throng to-
wards the door. and she never faltered or
raised her head. No one knew that the
words fell upon her with u sudden chill,
like cold hand grasping her heart. She
had seen her cousin amongst the guests.
and knew that he was looking miserably
III. but she had been too much occupied To
think about that.
"what do you mean, FrankY
''oh; not much Valentines don't re-
quire answers In a general way; but l
think you might have given me q few
words last February. However, you'll
Keep my secret. No one knows Il but
you, unless IL Is your husband. What's
the matter. EvelynS You look rs II you
didn't undcrstand.'
Il DON'T
You must have had Il. missed the
post over night, and gave Il to Rainham.
there, as l knew he would see you the
next day.
Tony husbands
Yes; I'll ask him
Prank she said, with heavy hand on
his arm, forget all this. Never speak of
it-for my saker
He looked at her with pcrplexeJ cx-
preston OF inquiry, but he saw that she
was white and Hurried, and gave up The
point.
Well, we have always been friends.
have we noty l would ask you yet for
your good wishes, rs you have mine; but
the doctors say there's something amiss
here touching his chest; and may not
live to-nevcr mind! God bless you, Ey.
elynr