Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-07-25
n,tJm the s.. J4idjs' s,ataaIne.l
/. UE love Il.
IN THREE cHAPrER1
CHAPTER II
"oy WITH THE NEW"

nluffU1fHI
nWrl YOU be my wife, Nelyy"
Sweet eyes. sorrowful and grateful, and
t.1f.ritying. turned up TO him; with none of
,,, .m,l'en light, face flushed with none of
,he sly rapture that more than any speech
ii'nniy answers such prayer; little hand
i,ipr calm and cold in his, its light pressure
Hnir Keeping him back, lips that answer
nIantive hut untrembllng
"Wait. Let me tell you something first"
shnflo ElphinstOne (fOr 1t is he who asks
mi, momentous question: draws a long breath,
and mods his underip fast with his strong
,,lite teeth. ReliCent, undemOnstrative as
be is those words, the pause that follows
,hcn,. are hard TO bear. But in the stiffness
he hears a long quivering sigh; the face
uIrnrl away from him, looking dreamiy
aver the distance pales and changes, and
l.hs with trembling smile, foolish and
tender. such as he knows -whatevtr he does
moi know-he never brought there. And
pain aud pity make him patient
il is divine Sunday evening in spring,
with Il ldcn cluuded sky-all the happy
earth lies balhrd in II great still glow of pro-
mise. all The air Is sweet with the breath of
flowers and trees, a thrush gurges out psalms
pf prlisc from II cedar on the lawn and the
stream at the bottom of the garden answers
mumuringly, glstcning and sliding over its
cleaning pebbles
Thi, place-thcse wide meadows the stream,
ihc cedars, the big rcd house with thirty win
,lnWs flashing back the sun, are ShaftO's.
lie has another estate elsewhere, and moor
in scotland, and revenues large enough to
uaintnin them all. Ilc has been much fcted
Since his return, asked to all the best houses
apl drawn into intimacy with all the incest
peoples but his sober head is not the least
turned. lie only sghs little over the mer-
cHnnrncss Of the world, which cared so little
for him when he was Just the same, except
the money" as he says; and laughs at the
warnings Of his friends against being taken
ia, and is as good natured and true and mod
c,l u, when he was an unsought detrimental.
lie has had neither fanCies nor tlrtatOns,
ill, five months ago, he met ElinOr Western
She was staying al Brighton for change of
air he for amusement, and ON the one prone
made of that pOpulOus town he met her daily:
until that face, which was not pretty now,
whatever il might once have been--but pa
tuclic even in Its mirth, which went To his
heart when, smiling at him, II showed how
il must once have smiled-toOk entire pOsses-
sion there. He loved her, and he had a rich
mans right To please himself: he paid her
due court, not so clumsily as he did other
things, for true love, even with FOOLS has Il
tact and wisdom of its own. She WAS kind
amused, interested sometimes she did not
snul him as she had been used to snub her
lovers when she was seventeen and happy:
lul it was only because she had no heart for
II uuW-hecausr ShaltU was wonderfully kind
and reslful. The world used to be full of
kind people, but il was different now lie
cNaclcd nothing In return at first, and when,
b., degrees, he began to do so, the very little
lr asked ceased to seem hard TO give Poor
Nelly had passionate nature, and her graft
ulc was passionate tOO-tOo much so for
t.npl .- Itfl hmm n.,I
v0u made up her home circle, urged her to
accept his attentions, so did her greatest
hi.d, Mrs. Wroughton, who knew all her
story, and had a greater influence through
MI having shown herself, al the time Of its
arllIn. quite dead 10 romance, us Nclly's re-
lHIuus had.
Nrwhcn Shalto asked Mr. Western to bring
Lii daughter to Wollingsley, Nelly went, and
when her friend said kindly and sadly, "Oh,
Nelly, don't waste your life and spoil his
sl yes when he asks you" Nelly, with tive
tears -ualling in her eyes, from the sense Of
The bitter contrast of past and prcsent-of
the suuhulst, the inspiration, the angel music
then, Which everybody tIicd to drag her away
from, and the cold and moderate and delib-
crate h,ia, they cOurted for her now, said
YEARLY, Il will ty'" and then went away
aud Wcpt the bride apparent of three estates
and many thousands IA year, and kissed with
burning lips silky ring of chestnut hair,
that Cung round hur finger like living re-
rruIchluI thing
AND, o dearest, wouldn't if | could help
IT, ! wouldn't if you'd only been true, o
darling, ! Owed you 50 dearly!" But the
great moment had come. Shafto, aIsurdly
transparent IN his strategy, had walked boldly
INTO The drawing-room ut Woldingsley, and
N the presence of seven ladies there assem-
bc had asked Miss Western to come and
look at the sunset
Miss Western had inquired family whether
II wasn't cold? hui was so assured TO the con-
ifary by matchmaking chorus that she had
Irurlanly yielded, and gone with her host.
Ahl There She stood now, pale, sick at heart,
i'lNs to he true, hall-hoping that when she
h"l spoken he would not ask that question
again. And yet, he was so good, 50 safe to
irin upon what would she do without him
men do not understand how hard il is for
woman, especially while she is still young, to
,'"k forward to eternal self-dependenCe and
loneliness.
She ncryed herself at last, looked up with
n'I WuMn eyes, solemn, yet with n CLEAN Of
Uais hidden somewhere in their depths.
Captain Ephinstonc," said she, faltering
very much, IL only want to tell you--l think
ll-hl you should know before-I-I loved
some one rlse-yery, Gory much. Oh, 50
m"'h mat can never love anybody else in
l4r same way"
ahallo started and paled but listened pa
u.h} to the words that dropped out one by
one llNc hcarl-broken tears
'ilc-lovcd me once He does not now.
And mat, of course, makes me feel differently
about him. But, you see, can never forget
l.'n On, never, never." said she, her voice
,S'ne passionately. And it would not be
lair tor yUu---"
,,to"" anything happen to bring you-and
h'm iogrthcr?' asked Shaito, huskily.
NO, lie Goes moi love me now, =" answered
s4'' hanging her head, and with painful
.O'h. Loyalty to that bitter but still painful
memory pity for ShaftO, whose sufferings
Shr understood through her own; pity for
.Nrsrll, TO whom such kind and true love, 81
,"'ly approved by all, came loo late for per-
'''' appreciation, fought within her. She
wanted 10 do right; but the right was hard
To discover
Inrlc was long pause, lie spoke at last
Ii"urles OF principle did not much trouble
nM t taking her two quivering hands project
''-y III ms broad palms, and looking straight
"'Nl at her with his honest blue eyes.
Foor little girl" said he, with tender
'"himSsion, You don't know what to do,
No, Nelly answered, with faint smile.
10 you think you could 6UeP love me