The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-03-23

ing SO; but This can never be true.
You would not have come among US =:
you would not have let me introduce
Amy to your society, if you had had
s. dreadful a secret on your mind
Speak, Eugenia ! speak, darling! tell
mamma that it is false and that if you
have any thing to conceal from US it is
nothing which need raise blush for
jou or for ourselves.
"Eugenia, Eugenia !" exclaimed Ma
rion as she darted afte. her and barred
her egress "where are you going ? why
do you not speak? We are waiting
for your answer. Good God is it pos
sible that you cannot give il ?"
"What am I expected to sayw at
last, she hoarsely whisped.
"Suy! say that it is false; that
Captain Oswald did not mect you at
the station! That ycu went to town
to see the Turner's, and stayed with
them during your absence and that
you do not correspond with any man
under feigned uame! Say that you
are true, Eugenia; that you are what
We believe you to be ; that you have
not deceived u.s."
cannot"
The words were said IN so low voice
as to be scarcely audible; yet they sp-
peared to ring through the chamber
walls, far out into the distance, aod to
become patent to the world. With
that "cannot" Eagenia Archer seemed
to herself to have told the history of
her life.
"You cannot?'
The exclamation came from both
mother and daughter at the same mo-
ment, and in accents Of equal surprise,
for, Notwithstanding Mrs. Beals's
Wanted conf ]ence in her dear Auto,-
nette, she had never really thought
that the fault lay with Mrs. Archer.
The inlonation of these voicss-the
mixture Of sstonishment, incredulity,
and contempt, which it conveyed-rais-
ed Eugepia from the state of death.
like despair into which she had been
sinking, and with her old spirit Of pride
in the ascendant, she raised herself
from the bedpost against which she
was leaning, and advanced toward he'
mother.
Il see Of what you both suspect
me-" she said, with a curling lip
which formed strange contrast to be'
late humility, "and perhaps I am moi
io position to rcfute your suspicious
But ask me what questions you choose
before I go hence, and I will answer
them. can say no more"
~ only wish to be satisfied on the
points mentioned in dear Antoinette'
letter." replied Mrs. Beale; "and
may repeat, assured that she"
"Mrs. Lennox's authority may be
better than her motive-I hope it is,'
interrupted Mrs. Archer; and thct
she added, hauzhtily, "o1t pray pro
ceed with your catechising ; the day i
getting on, and time now is precious.
! II should like 10 know with whom
you stayed 10 town, Eugenia. I thin
it is only due to me as a mother tha
} l should know. Was it with the Tu,
ners ?"
"Now
"Did you not go up to London wit
the intention of staying with them ?"
"I did not"
, "Oh, Eugeniaw burst in sobs fro1
) Mrs. Elliut, and the sound caused MIR
' Archer's next words to be less 6rml
spoken.
with whom did you stay then
inquired Mrs. Besle, ov:r her spect'
cles.
8 "Wlth no one. l remained at a b,
+ tel by myself"
et "Whom did you go to see"
Z. "That I cannot tell you"
u "Surely, it was not this Mr.. Carde,
Eugenia 2"
y 81 refuse to say" She gave tn
i answer partly out of bravado, aud part
!, because she saw that the mystery
o her proceeding must entail suspicion
o on her in any way. But it con6rme
I tho truth of Antolnette's report IN Ii
a minds of both her hearers.
i "Eugeuia," exclaimed Mrs. Beal
y augrily, ~ am amazed that you c.
0 stand there and give the mother wi
d bore you such an answer! Oh tn
>. should have lived to see this dal
is could never have believed it Of 20
;. It is we'll your poor dear father
It safe under the sod. And you can
}. up to town to this mao, with who
b name your own was evidently link
n iu Calcutta, and write letters to bi
}, under teigued initials! Have "
g written such letters, Eugenia?"
O II have," she answered, with an o
o situate kind of pleasure, since matte
o had come to a crisis, Of making the
y out as bad as they could be.
VI "Well, after that, cau believe a,
y thing" said the old lady, letting f
o her spectacles and elaspiug her hant
d "You-a'married woman, and the mot
# er of children! What woald po
I dear Henry say, if it ever came to I
n ears ?"
g "Perhaps he would absolve me 800
l. er than yourself" she answered prou
",