The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1874-08-27
A favorable turn had taken nlace

snort honeymoon We should join her
In Italy. Lord Rutherford urged me
most earnestly to accede to her wish
and his, and of course I was willing
enough.
| Eustace talked unusually fast !;
there was much to arrange and little
time to do it in, as the wedding would
have to take place early in the ensu-
ing week. His own business at the
park, too, required his presence; and
SO after an hours earnest conversa-
tion he prepared to leave me. I could
scarcely believe, as I walked down
to the gate the second time that
evening, that in such a short space so
much had happened. Guy was al
most forgotten,-the fair quite. All
| remembered was that next Tuesday
the ambition Of my life would be
gratifed, and I should belong to the
British peerage.
We stood at the gate, and for once
Eustace fingered and we talked. I
had nervous habit of twisting my
fingers when excited and was it my
evil fortune or an avenging Nemesis
made me fdget with them then? My
thoughts were SO entirely engrossed,
that I quite started when Lord Ruth
erford suddenly exclaimed, "Mind,
Magdalen; you have dropped 8
ring" He stopped, and, to my hor-
ror, took up the pearl circlet. "Ah,
that reminds me I have forgotten the
case of pearls my mother sent you.
What delicate little affair! I didn't
give you this, did ?'
"No," I replied family; and then
as he still held it admiringly, I added
daringly, "Papa gave it me years
ago."
Perfectly satisfied, he slipped it on
my finger, saying. II wish I had re-
membered my mothers gift. Well,
never mind all will soon be yours.
Good night, dearest"
I had never told Eustace a fiat un-
truth before, though I had not hesi-
tated to deceive him; and I felt any
thing but comfortable as I retired to
bed that night. I was very much ex-
cited; nevertheless I could not help
being haunted by an uncomfortable
dread Of tomorrow, and directly I got
to my room carefully locked up that
fatal ring.
I was not surprised that the whole
Of the next day passed without Eus-
tace making his appearance, for I
knew he was very busy with servants
and tenants; but as the evening drew
on I grew little uneasy.
This uneasiness increased when,
just as we we're going to sit down to
tea, my father suddenly summoned
| Alice out Of the room.
Had anything occurred My heart
beat so that I could hear it above the
ticking Of the clock.
A quarter Of an hour passed, and
then, to my intense relief, the door
opened, and Alice returned. She was
deadly pale, and coming up to me,
she seized my hands, and almost drop
ped down on The stool before me.
"something has happened? I e1-
claimed calmly, for felt desperate,
something has happened, Alice?
do not keep me in suspense. 1t is
about Eustace?"
"It is," she answered family. 20
Magdalen, what have you done?"
Il have been foolish, I know;
but, -"
"Worse, worse!" she exclaimed.
"You have been mad. You have
given room for Guy Deveril's boast
ing"
| l turned pale.
"What do you mean, Alice? tell
me out plainly what has occurred
Il scarcely konw the whole of the
story myself; but it appears that
some chance brought Lord Ruther-
ford and Captain Deverl together
late last night in company, where it
angered Eustace to hear Guy speak
Of you with the freedom he did. He
boasts Magdalen, that he had more
influence over you than your betroth-
ed, and that it was the coronet alone
which made you accept Rutherford.
Finally, as words got higher, he de-
clared that you wore his gage dmour
on the same finger with that of your
engaged ring. Lord Rutherford gave
him fat contradiction, declaring it
was false; and you may guess the
| rest"
"a challenger I whispered family.
| And Alice burst into tears.
1 cannot distinctly remember all
that passed that miserable evening. I
was like one in some terrible dream.
Somehow I found myself out in the
night-air, running between the rose
hedges and I disticly see the scene,
even now, Of summer stars cleaning
here and there through the foliage Of
the trees. And then I stood in the
great library of Rutherford House.
Lord Rutherford was sitting by the
table, with the light falling on his
face, writing; but as I entered he
looked up. What I said I know not,
whether I made a full confession
and besought pardon, or whether I
gasped out few accusing sentences,
and left Eustace to guess the TRUTH
I never distinctly knew. Some words
of his, though stamped themselves on
my heart, and haunted me for years.
"Tell me one thing, Magdalen," he
said sternly,- that ring, was it Cap
tain Deverils gift p
eyes," I answered family.
"Then you told me a falsehood ;
yoat, Magdalen, stopped to the de-
gradation of untruth. I have indeed
been deceived"
There was silence-a deadly 81
lence-during which Eustace Ruther=
ford stood looking down on me from