Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-03-26
CHAPTER XII.

The day had dawned; its hours had drifted
into eternity; it was dead.
In the morning, as he said he would, Clar-
ence Gadbury departed, leaving his guests to
the care of Cecilia and the tender mercies of
his erratic, dotaged old uncle.
Docia was cross and disagreeable. Indeed,
that had been her frame Of mind since the
evening in the library, when she and Cecilia
disputed over Damar. Old Mr.. Gadbury did
not bother himself with anybody or anything
but his cat, and it was sick from overfeeding
Dalaval had not shown his face since the night
of the dispute in the parlor. He had not re-
covered his good humor, and remained under
protest, that Damar might see Cecilia once
more alone. But he kept his room and pre-
tended to be sick, in order to defer, as long as
possible, the moment when he would be COM
PEELED to rejoin the family-old Gadbury
among them-and interchange the c!vilities
that well-bred society exacted with arstocrat-
ic severity, and which he dreaded above all
things.
Cecilia remained with her uncle, when she
was out of her private apartments. She was
resolved to hold no more secret conversations
with Damar. She was endeavoring to do her
duty. 1t is true her effort was reluctantly
made; but it soas made, although this love
occupied every corner Of her woman's heart,
and although it was exacting and strong.
The poet says
s'There is tide in the affairs Of men,
Which, taken at its flood, leads on to fortune.
There is a tide in the affairs of women,
Which, taken at it's flood, leads-God knows
where.''
This was true in regard to Cecilia. She
was aHectionate by nature. AS a girl, she had
loved Mcdonald. She had married Colonel
Vaughn Fessenden to please her aunt. As a
woman and wife, she still loved Mcdonald,
and he knewit. But free and gay, she com.
menced to trife with him her pride was
wounded at what she esteemed inGdelity on
his part; and just then Gadbury caught her
heart in the rebound. Had he endeavored to
be good and kind and attractive to Cecilia,
he could have held her willing and a loving
slave to his will forever. But he did not.
He was jealous, suspicious and cold he re.
pulsed her as he had once won her. Even
before Mcdonald appeared on the scene, she
had become unhappy in her domestic relations
at the Bluffs, and more than once had sighed
for the old gay days of freedom and folly and
frolic, that she could never know again. For
no Turk ever guarded his harem as Gadbury
did his wife And now as recompense for his
espionage all his suspicious respecting the in
fidelity of that wife we're confirmed. She had
corresponded with her lover, and he had been
received by him-hcr injured husband-as
guest under his own roof, and had been roy
ally entertained.
"What an accursed hypocrite she is !" NUT
tered Gadbury between his clenched teeth;
with what consummate cleverness she has
kept her Internal secret And Mcdonald,
also. Ha! ha ha! How they have chuck
led over my blindness! To think that l
should not have seen through their knavery!"
The mans brain was in the widest confu-
sion, and he found it to be All absolute and
utter impossibi!ity to arrange his thoughts in
anything like proper order. His heart beat
violently his head burned swan and throb-
bed, until he felt nearly on the verge of mad
ness. He had been disgraced and wronged;
this he thought-this he knew-and the wife
who had pulled upon his head this cruel
shame, had likewise covered herself with dis
honor, sorrow, guilt and despair She had
fallen from her proud estate to depth from
which he might never raise her. Henceforth
she would be target for public criticism; she
would be scoffed and sneered at by all those
who had once courted her smiles; and those
who had loved her best were in honor bound
to steel their hearts against such regard, and
to pass her by in proud disdain, now that she
was fallen and guilty thing.