The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1873-03-02


! would forgive him everything this once nt hht
many n new life of gladness was begun that
day many O burthen lost its weight; many
| record went up to the Eternal memory 10 'hee'
| that man at the inevitable hour.
Little Mary was tho loyeliest bridesmaid the
| world ever saw standing alone like an anger
| by her dark sisters side. She was the only
thing that Claudia grieved to loaye, S'0 hs Shs
| dreaded lest those sweet wistful eyes should
| read her heart one day; and she conid not
help rejoicing to get away from tine Inc nOnes. srsnI
| ed, shrunken hcart--her withered life, could
| not bear the contrast with his free, kind boun-
| teous spirit, that gave such measure OF love,
! pressed down and running over, to All VINO
wanted it. Her old husband, Sir Godfrey, re-
| sembled that great good heart in whose love
she had learnt to think all men true, more
than did her young lover Horace Erskiuem
she could be humble and thankful to Sir Geof-
rey o well-placed approval was better
thing than au ill-placed love. So with that
little vision of beauty, Minnie Lorimer. by
| her side, Claudia became Sir Geoffrey's wife.
| Four months past, the bride and bridegroom
wero en- tertaining grand party at their fine
ancestral home, and Mr.. Brewer was tho to,
! ther of n son and heir. Horace Erskine read
both announcements in the paper one morning
| and ground his teeth with vexation. He went
| to his desk and took out three letters, q long
| lock of silky hair, small miniature-these
had argued that he was almost relation: His
| uncle had married "Mother- Mary's" sister.
She had had no strength to debate with him.
She had chosen to to wear tho mask Of indif ,Si.
things into q parcel and sent them to
Sir Godfrey Greystock without Quo word
of explanation: When they were gone
he wrote to his uncle, begged for some
money, got it, and started for Vienna. The
money met him in London, and he crossed to
France the same day.
heart of good Sir Godfrey stood still. His wife
| sought him. She found him in his chair in q
fit. On q little table by his side was tho par
eel just received. Claudia knew all. She
her dressing room, rung for help, but in an
hour Sir Godfrey was dead and Claudia had
burnt the letters and the lock of silky hair.
The business of parliament, the excitement
attendant on his marriage with that beautiful
| girl, the entertainment of that great house
full of fcompany-these reasons the world rock
oued up, and found sufficient to answer the
questions and the wonderings on Sir Geoffrey's
er knew their master, Claudia, into whose
new life the new things held but an unsteady
place, grew ill. First of all, sleepless nights :
how coGid she sleep with tho sound of those
waters by the deer pond in her earsf How
could She help gazing perpetually at the pic,
ture on tue ponds still surface; Horace and
Sir Geotfrey, and herself not able to turn aside
the death-stroko, but standing, fettered by she
knew not what, in powerless misery, only
obliged to SEQ the changing face of her hus-
baud till the dead seemed to be before her, and
| Horace melted ont of light and she woke
dreading fever and praying against delirium.
! She was overcome at last. Terrible hours
came, and Mother-Mary's' sweet face ming
ling with some strong, subduing, life-endan-
| gering dream, was the FIST thing that seemed
to bring her back to better things and to re-
| store her to herself
In fact, Claudia had had brain fever, and
whether or not she was to know real health
again was problem to be worked ont by time.
Would she come back to her fathers house
No! The very name of Beremouth was to bo
avoided. Would she go abroadH Oh, no;
there was q dread of separation upon her.
Some ewhere where you can easily here Of me-
and of you where you can come and SEQ me-
for shal! never see Bercmouth again." 1t was
Beremonth, in the house of DR.. Rankin,
who took ladies out of health into his family
Claudia determined to 60 1t was every way
the best thing that could be done, for every
day showed more strongly than the last that
Claudia would never be what is emphatcally
called " herself again. Sp people said.
Dr. Hankn Ii was kind, learned, and wise
Other patients beside Lady Greystock were
there. 1t was not private asylum, aud Clau
dia was not mad; it was really what it called
itself, home which the sick might share,
with medical ATTENDANCE cheerful company
and outdoor recreations in q we'll kept garden
and extensive grounds of considerable beauty
Claudia had known DR.. and Mrs. Rankin, and
they lived And there her father and " Mo
ther Mary" took her three months after he,
husbands death, looking really aged, feeble
and strangely sad.
After q time-it was long time-Claudis
was said to be well. " Perhaps perfectly re-
covered said DIR. Rankin, and in really sat
istactory health" So she when Mimi,
} Lorimer stood in the inn at Hull, talking tc
r that very Horace Erskine who was bringing
her home from her aunt's in Scotland to hel
mother at Beremouth.
Sweet seventeen Very sweet and beau
) tifnl, pleasing the eye, gratifying the mind
filling the heart with hope, and setting imag
} ination ut play-Miunie Lorimer was beauti
full, and witk all that peculiar beauty about
her that belongs to " spoilt child " who ha
not been spoilt after all.
Claudia-how old she looked. Claudia
with that one only shadow on her once bright
) face, was still living with DR.. and Mrs. Ran
: kin 1t was Lady Greystock's pleasure to live
with them. She said she had grown out o
the position of patient, and into their hearts
rs friend. "Was it not :" she asked. 1
was impossible to deny that which really
brought happiness to everybody. Well, then
| shall build on few rooms to tho house ant
l shall call them mine, and shall add to til,
coach:housr. and hire a cottage for my groom
aud his wife-1 shall live here. Why not
1ou will take care of me, and feed mc, and
scold me, and find me good guidable Great
ure. You know shall be i'll il you refuse"
1t all happened as she chose. Hers was tn,
prettiest carriage in the county, the bes
horses, the most perfectly appointed littl,
household for She had her own servant. Among