The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-11-25

when | thought of Nora, with her ex
traordinary beauty, thrown upon tht
wide world with no other protection
than that drunken old mother.
"Well, time passed on, and when
was eigteen I left Eton and weut into
the Guards. My mother took &
house in Hertford street, and lived
with her. I went everywhere, and
was made much of. I was heir tc
Wyville castle and fifteen thousand O
year-to say nothing of the baronet.
cy; and I could have married-as my
uncle and mother was always telling
me-almost anybody I chose but
did not choose. 20
"Strange as it may appear, I never
met girl I could care for-never met
anyone who could make me forget fol
one moment my childish love. ]
grew tired Of everything sooner than
most men, and at twenty, having OBJ
tanned several months leave Of alb
sence, / started for a tour in the cast
with my old friend Baynsford, who
was then Captain Fellowes. When
we were at Smyrna I received a let
ter. from my mother, telling me that
my mother was going to be married.
A I had been taught from childhood
to consider myself his heir, you may
fancy, George, with what feelings OF
disgust I received the intelligence.
My mother wrote very illegible
hand, and, moreover, always crossed
the pages, consequently decyphering
her letters was no easy task. l could
not mako out the name of my uncle's
fiance, although Fellowes and sat
up half the night trying to discover
it. My mother said Sir Rupert had
met her in Paris, and thought the
name we could not decipher looked
like French name.
HLondou was no place for me now,
I decided, and determined to leave
the Guards and exchange into some
regiment going to Canada-a country
+ was particularly anxious to see,
We fingered good deal on our way
heme, and were q great part of the
time in out .ofthc-way. places, where
wo saw no news papers. .Thut l
missed reading the announcement OF
my uncle's marriage. When / arriv-
ed in town I heard Of nothing but tho
extraordinary beauty oflady Wyville;
and many were the warnings 1 re
|ceived-half in jest, half in earnest
not to fall in love with my aunt. 1t
was very odd, but I paid no attention
thereto, until, at q ball, which I rove
after attended, the Duchess said to
me, sShe is perfectly beautiful
sfI made some commonplace reply,
such as that it was only very pretty
women who ever admitted beauty in
others, and then, with the little Ouch
ess on my arm, l went to gIeet my
uucle and his bride.
,"She was dressed all in white-not
the faintest trace Of color about her,
and her lovely face turned as white as
her bridal wreath, as she came face to
face with me-. It was Nora-Nora,
whom had last seen in rags, bare
footed, asking aims from the passen-
gers, and now met again thus-at on
ambassadors ball and talking to o
foreign prince ;.
"My uncle introduced me TO his
bride, and 1 made, a profound bow,
and with a face as white as her own,
congratulated her on. her marriage,
and expressed the qualification felt
at making her acquaiutance.
"Shd gave mo such a 1ook, poor
grill; I knew then that she had never
forgotten; me-. I,passed on into the
bali room, and I felt rather than saw
that Nora turned to look after US.
"'Is she not beautiful ? my com
panion asked with levity. 'Ah, l was
right. 1 could see you wero desper
ately epris with her. What is it you
English call it? Love at first sight
Take my advice, mon ami, and do no1
see too much of your lovely aunt
"I shall follow your advice, l said
~ mean to soc as little Of her as pos
sible.' ''r'1 .egggss
somethingsin oice made my
companion glancenp; and then WllI
true tact and good breeding, she hast
ened to change the subject. She wal
a kind.hearted little woman in spite
of her triflipg language. l know thai
never again to me or any living ocins
did she recur to what she had noticed
that evening; and that she had no
ticed more than she chose to say
felt certain. ~
II never saw Nora again so as t.
speak to her during my uncle's lie
] time. I exchanged at once into
! regiment under orders for Canada
i There I remained three years, unit
the deatq of Sir Rupert recalled M
!, to England. Nora had no children
so I was now Sir George Wyville
She might rs we'll havo waited TO
. me- l thought bitterly. 1 met he
once at our solicitors: on business
lust efter my return home, and tha
was the last time ever saw her il
: the word. She lived entirely in Lon
i don, doing an immense deal of gooe
i l believe, among the Irish poor.
II "But her career of usefulness was
j short one. She only survived 81
i Rupert four years. TO me she die
r when she, became his wife. She wrot
q to me once after she was o widow
/ tclIiu" me the circumstances OF he