Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-07-03


Il ask you because you can tell me best "
"Tben / tell you that you would mar 1t
,,o,nnd all hope of redemption, he answered,
,i9lcnty. "is that enough2 Ten years
AGO. when they warned you against me,
v1ss a paladin compared to what have been
since You did well to marry Inglesby then.
Tr1st me, you will do better still to marry
Deyereux now.
She started
"So-you know that 2"
"Know it! Would not have been blind
and deaf If had seen him standing here,
and moi known it2 But did not need to
discover il for myself. | reached Northorpe
hi. morning, and heard the news from half
I, ,lozrn people before came out here.
YOU credit it, of course ?"
..Yes. why not? We are both ten years
,l,ler, and you are beautiful and poor, while
Deycrcux, thanks to my folly, is rich, and
ready Ia be won.
"You forget yourself" said she, haught-
P"No." answered he, recklessly, 81 only
rorrct my new r0ie-that of being an old
friend of the charming Mrs. lngesby. Alice,
Alice" he went on, suddenly changing his
Tone, and sezing her hands, Fate, as you
say, has brought us together once more-let
liz not throw away our last hope of happl-
ness. Why should we not cast away all these
bitter years, and their bitter memories Why
should we not live our lives out as we once
dreamed of d0ing2"
She left her hands in his clasp, but she
smiled coldly
You forget, she said, 'you forget that
wc are ten years older, and-poor.
~ forget every thing but you, he an
sWercd passionaiely 'eyery thing but the
hone thai is shining for me in your eyes.
'.Slning only TO deceive, then, she said,
bitterly but suddenly she cried out as if in
pain Laurence, let me go. IL cannot
hear this. Let me go--let me think !"
He let her go; and as she sat down on the
same stone where she had been sitting when
nc,creuX glance startled her he turned his
back, and, walking To the extreme verge of
the rock stood looking down at the white
waters of the foaming cascade. After a
while she called his name, and when he
turned, he saw her resolution was taken.
1T would never do, Laurence" she said,
pra,ey when you think 1t all over, you
will STE for yourself that it would never do.
Just now you have been led away by i'm
uul,e. and you forget the gulf that lies be-
tween lis. No, don't mean your life or any
thing connected with it, she said as he was
about to speak. 81 mean the change that
time has wrought in our characters-in our
very selves Ii we had been let alone ten
years ago, the end might have been very diff
ierenl-bnt now it is too late. We have
grown apart, instead of together; you have
lost your Inheritance am entirely without
fortune. We should, in every sense, mar
cuch others lives If we cast them together.
laurence is it not best for us each to go our
own way, and live, in the future as in the
past, apart p
'll is for you to decide, he answered,
striving to repress the emotion which he
could not altogether conceal "You were
always reasonable and prudent in the eX
trcli--eycn ten years ago You mean, then,
that We shall each continue our present game
That YOU will marry my precious cousin,
and that must play the fortune-hunter with
That sirl down yonder y
Laurence" (she turned on him sharply,
"du You mean to say that you do nOt-that
you never have-cared for her? p
II mean to say that ! never cared for but
one woman in the world, and that she threw
my love away, like that"-(he snapped off
twig and tossed il on the whirling waters)-
Il mcan To say, too, that you may judge
whether this love was dead when tell you
that the mere sound of your name was
enough 10 drive me from Northorpe as soon
as You entered it; and came to-day-and
this is the end ~
She pul one mercless question directly to
him What did you come here to-day forl"
He ans wered as briefly ITO ask Miss
lnsrsly 10 marry me.
And yet you have asked me ~
Yes am fool. | have asked you"
"Nell, will not be fool and take you at
your word. We are old friends-that is all.
of Fr,n ,1,t,
you succebs in your wooing. Only promise
me one ihing-lhat you will be kind to her. "
She would thank you for such considera-
ton he said, bitterly ly-adding, with a sud-
den passionate yehemence, land thank you
l"r proving to me, once for all, that ten years
~" or today am equally nothing to you! :"
laurence. she said, startled in spite of
herself. But she spoke too late. He had
already flung himself from the rock and was
gone.
Poor Rose! Ii was hard on her when she
htard-as she did hear before long-that
htnnon had come to the falls with Mrs. Rey-
nolds That he stayed but short time that
~ saw Mrs. lnglesby; and that he had gone
nack 10 Northorpe without seeing her. mo
uo0hl 1t was on account of MIR. Devereux
tlai he went, people said to each other, as
ul'y ate their luncheon, scattered about in
picturesque groups over the rocks But Rose
hnrw better A sudden instinct, an intuition
VI the ruth, enlightened her; and, when she
was told that lie had met her sister-in-aw,
nolIlhS more was needed for its cOnfrma-
unI' 80 She has got him, too, thought the
slA looking with gloomy eyes at Alice, as
Inc sat IN all her brilliant beauty not far off.
4, was very bliter-it was surely very hard
was II not enough that DeYereuX, VINO had
nc'll predesllned her own captive, should fall
UT" lhe strangers tolls, but Kennon, too,
.''Hl ne a victim? Could not Alice be con-
fhl with the rich prize, the desirable cousin,
uuV must she lay hands also on the one whom
't'yhouy cried out upon as undesirable, and
m miUr whom she could have no possible use Z
WI course 1t will be seen that Miss lnglesby
was taking great deal for granted but that
% maS her way, as II is the way of most imagi-
""ur people. And her instinct certainly
pointed very shrewdly TO the truth.
would be difficult to say whether her
ledrs were most relieved or realized when, as
que sat silent and distrait in the drawing
aooh lllal evening, KennOn made his appear
"iGc one knew his step in the hall, and
summation 'a flashed instantly into her languid
@ ,aVG: Allce knew it, too, and her eyes inn
V,lalely sought Rose with strange, intent
1GS1e' OIL which the girl was wholly unaware.
IiJ 1iy' own color did not vary by shade, mol
, heT manner change in the least, even
|Hyn i hennon entered, and when she was
n'nseu 70 explain their former acquaintance
w Mrs lnglesby. Rose heard the explana.
,a' ana when KennOn came over 10 her,
uo was too much disturbed to notice his
IIvo'llg as closely as she had wished to do
m9oa!l, lie was able to notice and to set his
IL.