The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-01-07
HE KNEW HE WAS RIGHT
BY ANTHONY TRoLLoPE.
CHAPTER XVII.
Continued

She did not answer him a word, but
stood looking away from him with her
hands clasped together. Had he asked
her whether she would be his wife, 1T is
possible that the answer which she mad
nrepared would have been spoken.
But he had put the question IN another
form. Did she love him? If she could
ONLY bring herself to say that she could
love him, she might be lady of Monk.
hams before the next summer had come
round.
Nora" he said, edo yea think that
YOU can love mel"
"No," she said, and there was some.
thing almost of tierceness in the tone OF
her voice as she answered him.
"And must that be your final answer
TO me
"Mr. Glascock, what can l say?" she
replied. al will telliyou the honest
TRUTH will tell you everything. l
came into this room determined 20 &C
cept you. But you are 50 good, and so
kind, and so upright that | cannot tell
YOU a falsehood. do not love you. l
ought not to take what you offer me.
III did, it would be because you are
rich, and a lord, and not because | love
you. l love some one else. There
pray, pray, do not TIL of ne, but L do.
Then she flung away from him, and hid
her face in corner Of the sofa out Of the
light.
Her lover stood silent, not knowing
how to go on with the conversation, not
knowing how 10 bring it 20 an end.
After what she had now said to him 1t
was impossible that he should press her
further. 1t was almost impossible that
he should wish to do 50. When lady
is frank enough to declare that her
heart is not her own to give, a man can
hardly wish to make further prayer for
the gift. "Ifs So" lie said, "of course |
have nothing to hope
She was sobLing, and could not an
swer him. She was half repentant,
partly proud of what she had DONE
half repentant in that she had lost what
had seemed to her to be so good, and
full of remOrse in that she had 80 I'M
necessarily tod her secret.
Perhaps" said he, IL ought to as
sure you that what you have told me
shall never be repeated by my lips"
She thanked him for this by motion
of her head aud hand, not by words,-
ed to bid adieu to Mrs. Stanbnry and
her sister, or whether he saw them, rs
he left the house, she never knew. In
her corner of the sofa, weeping in the
dark, partly proud and partly repent
ant, she remained till her sister came to
her. Emily" she said, jumping up,
"say nothing about 1t; not word. 1t
is of no use The thing is done and over,
and let it altogether be forgotten"
at is done and over certainly, said
Mrs. Trevelyan.
"Exactly;-and l suppose q girl may
do what she likes with herself In that
way. If i choose to decline to take
any thing that is pleasant, and nice,
and comfortable, nobody has a right to
scold me. And won't be scolded."
But, my child, who is scolding yOuf"
"You mean to scold me. But it is of
mouse The man has gone, aud there is
an end of it. Nothing that you can say
or | can think will bring him back
again. don't want anybody TO tell
me that it would be better to be Lady
Peterborough, with everything that the
world has to give, than to live here
without q soul TO speak TO, and to have
TO 90 back to those horrible islands
next year. You can't think that | am
very comfortable"
"But what did you say TO him, NoraT
"What did say to him What could
saw to himi Why didn't he ask me to
be his wife. without saying anything
about lover He asked me if loved
him. OF course / don't love him. /
would have said did, but it stuck in
nv throat. am willing enough, be-
lieve, to sell myself to the devil, but |
don't know how TO do it. Never
mind. It's done, and now I'll go to
bed"
She did go to bed, and Mrs. Trevelyan
explained II the two ladies as much as
was necessary OF what had occurred.
When Mrs. Stanbury CANA IN under-
stand that the gentleman VIII, had beeu
closeted with her would probable in a
few months be a lord himself. tIo+ he
was very rich man, member of PR.
lament, and one of those who ara do
cidedly born with gold spoons in their
mouths, and understood also that Nora
Rowley had refused him, she was lost in
amazement. Mr. Gllscock was about
forty years of age, and appeared to
Nora Rswley, who was nearly twenty
years his junior, to he almost an old
man. But t. Mrs. Stanbury, who was
over sixty, Mr.. Glascock seemed TO be
quite in tho flower of his age. The
bald place at the top of his head simply
showed that he had passed his boyhood,
and the gray hairs at the back of his
whiskers were no more than outward
signs of manly discretion. She could
not understand why any girl should re-
fuse such an offer unless the man were
himself bad in morals or in temper