Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-01-01

| W "Vi BoinB 10 meet man who
ne knew had loved her, and perhaps would
Iell her he still loved her. Would she be
IKE tnat II the cases were reversedP Could
ne care for her rs she did for himP In truth
she was right in thinking that she did moi
quite understand Lord Vereker. Even she
mad not got to know the full loyalty of his
love for her. nor the large trust he had in
the woman he had cnshrined in his heart as
the truest and noblest in the world.
arthur" she said, returning the few steps
she had gone, and touching his arm. tell
me go with your leave.n
Go, my darling" he said, and he nrcssed
her hand, Il shall not be out of hearing II
you want me, call"
SO encouraged she went forward into the
darkness OF the wood; reaching more and
more into its stiffness; urged into compliance
with vague threats of tho man she foorod
but moving with unwilling steps, now pn,fs.
ing not quito to lose the fainter-grown sound
oil The music and voices. now again going for.
ward into the deepening shade of hanging
boughs quaint sight, in this English
greenwood, this sight-fgured, lovely young
girl standing forth alone; timid, trembling
SO that ut times she would hold her
hand on branch that crossed the path TO
steady herself, with pale face, looking, in her
straugcly-hshioned, trailing garments ofrich
silken stuff of dim, delicate coloring. like
some fair painted maiden, in picture,
Stephen Goodlako was leaning against the
tree. She raised her eyes to him, she did
not know him for moment. His beard now
hid much of his face, but his eyes she knew
him by almost immcdiately-the great. in
tense, dark eyes which she had once liked to
look into
There was not tho angry, menacing OK
preston in them which she had expected
they would wear mt sight of her, which sho
llad seen once or twice before, and which
was what chiefly she remembered Stephen
Goodlake by, and what in truth had got TO
clothe him in her memory with vague ter
ror. Not, indeed, that the girl was physical
~ II coward; she could raise her eyes boldly
enough to the level of any mere bodily peril
but she dreaded, us women will ALWAYS
dread, the unknown. She had formed some
quite ignorant supposition of the extent of
evil that tho man who stood before her could
work her if he should choose; in plain truth
she feared that he could cross the great love
between Lord Verckcr and herself.
This episode in her past life, of Stephen
Goodlakc and his love for her, had Mt ono
time gone nearly out her of memory. 1t was
more than four years ago that he had come
to Beechwood, the college friend and COM
panion of her brother. She, half child and
half woman, had been for an instant capti-
waited by his handsome face, and believed in
and half responded to the love he had told
her of with such strong sembance of passion.
Then he had gone. Then there had come TO
Beechwood stories of his misconduct; of some
great disgrace that he had incurred, some
stain on his honor that no time would re-
move; so deep stain that even her brother,
his own familiar frined, had spoken of him
with contempt Then it was known that he
had been compelled to leave England, and
after that his name had never been heard mt
Beechwood and neither then. nor at any
time, had it been suspected that between
Stephen Goodlake and Eugenia Sandon any
thing had passed.
After this had como for her the passing in
to the new busy life of society, which our
English grls enter mt step from out tho
narrow round of their childish existence
Then had grown the love between her and
Lord Nerekor, and that love had quito filled
her life; then her only brothers death; and
now year or more had passed, and the
time of her marriage was drawing near.
1t had been lately and for the first time
that the old memory of Stephen Goodlake
had ovcrtakcn her. At moments when the
vision before her seemed at its most golden,
when her enjoyment of her youth and her
great love made existence bright delight
lul dream for her, when her life-pulses were
beating their fullest and quickest, then sud-
denly vague dread would seize and benumb
her senses; for some instinct told hor to sur
mise that the mans nature that had made |
him false to others would make him play |
false to her too. Needy and INSCRIPTIONS |
Us he was, he might, it one day suddenly &C. |
cured to her, see his advantage in torturing |
nto promise on her part that which had |
passed between them, and the redemption of |
Wy '"Nh PipihioNi INV tlltt sHt WIS u great
ielress, might be worth such a mans while |
o hesitate at nothing to bring about
She had told Lord Vereker everything he
10 would listen TO about this event in her
ife; it was indeed but n half confession, for
he would hear of no full details; and what
now this man, driven to desperation,
hould, either in revenge or to gain his ends,
,nrtlv raVnnl ann IN III |
artly invent some such story rs should be n
lur upon her that even her lover could not
Eugena," said Stephen Goodlakc. She
ooked full ut him, and he could not sec in
er face how full of terror was her heart.
l am come here, at no little danger to my
ell to see you once more,
1t was the old voice which she remember
d so well, and which once she thought so
loquent, but now there was ring in it
'hich grated unpleasantly on her ear. an I'M
cal kind of over-emphasis such ms actors in
heaters employ. 1t seemed to herself odd
hat she should notice it now for the first
me.
She made no answer.
" was compelled to write to you rs did,"
G said, " that might be sure that you would
ome. Eugenia, tell mo you have sometimes
It my image cross your memory"
She drew back, for he had stepped forward
om the tree against which he had been
aning, and would have taken her hand
" Mr.. Goodlako, have you anything to say
me?" She spoke in voice that was hard
more than II whisper.
" Yes" no said in tones that seemed to
cmble, or that he made to seem to tremble, ,
yes, have this to tell you, that never once
the four long years that have passed since
q parted ut this tree, never once since the
~ you swore to me you would be mine"
Eugenin shuddereh.