Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-08-05

gone. have one object before me at present.
revenge; and to accomplish that, all idle
scruples must be set aside. 1 would be fool,
indeed, to neglect the opportunity l have
vainly waited for, all this long time-an op-
portunity which, now if cast aside, may never
return.
"Ah! Hugh Thornton-honorable Hugh
Neutrality-suspicious. Hugh Thornton! You
did a noble deed when you revealed your
knowledge of my little peccadilloes to your
princely friend, and deprived me, thereby, of
the situation that would have made my for
tune. Even that 1 might pardon, were it not
for the destruction of another hope which was
bound up with that one-the ful6llment OF
which would, I think, have made me better
man. You blasted my eputation--you
turned against me the friends had made
you destroyed my one chance of recovering
the ground I had lost-you blighted the affec.
tion that would have softened my bad heart,
and won me, perhaps, to the consideration Of
higher things than have engrossed me since !;
all this at the dictates of honor, which would
not allow you to see your friend imposed upon
By an 'unprincpled adventurer.' All! hal
The adventurer has you in his clutches now
and may he prove wise enough, and fortunate
enough, never to let you escape from them
again.
Mr.. Holdweg then sought his couch, but
not to sleep. Projects and plans revolved
increasingly in his busy brain, assuming now
one shape and now another; until, at length,
they settled themselves into tolerably dis
tinct form, and his plan of action was mapped
out, of course, with the proviso that no unex-
pected contingencies should arise to interfere
with its accomplishment.
The day following was one on which his
class assembled, and in the afternoon, at the
usual hour, his pupils presented themselves at
his house.
"Remain few moments if you please" he
said, in his broken English, to Virgilia, when
the others were taking leave of him, after the
termination of their lesson. Accordingly, she
sat down, with beating heart, and made a
feint of busying herself with one of her books,
until her companions were out of sight and
hearing.
"Now, then," he said, with a smile, when
they were alone, "what have you to tell
me"
"Nothing new," she replied. "It is always
the same old story"
at was not the same old story the last time,
for then you had quite an important piece of
news"
"Oh! about their engagement. Well, that
was not unexpected to me. imagined that
it would end in that way"
"But it will not end in that way"
81 fear there is little chance Of preventing
it now"
"Why, mow? There is as much chance Of
it as before. My pupil, did you not assure
me that you would place your trust in me?"
"Yes"
"And have you lost your fath-or arc you
beginning to lose it?'
II believe have lost my faith in every
thing" she replied, gloomily."
"Not in me, rejoined her teacher, in low,
persuasive Tone "Lift up your eyes, Virgil
ia-look me in the face"
Surprised, she obeyed him. He had never
before called her by her Christian name.
Something in his gaze fascinated her. She
could not remove her eyes from his, but re-
mained looking fixedly at him, and offered no
resistance when he bent forward and took her
hand.
"Virgilia all distance, all reserve, must be
at an end between us, now and hencetorth,
he said, softly. "Dear one, there is a subtle
force which draws us to each other, which
neither of us can resist. You cannot resist
it, would not, if could. Does it give you
pain to yield to it?"
She breathed sigh, and sank back in her
chair, still looking into his face.
"Must we not yield to fate ?" she asked, in
a dreamy tone.
eve must-it is an inexorable law. But
we may yield joyfully, readily-or we may
struggle uselessy against the destiny we can
not escape. Your destiny and mine are fixed.
They are one and the same. Do you fear to
accept it?'
mo. With you, I cannot feel fear.'
"That is we'll Our lives, then, are bound
indissolubly together, but this bond must be
made efectual in the eyes Of the world-the
practical, coldly-reasonng world, which would
frown even on our pure affection, were it un-
hallowed by the tie which it deems necessary
to sanction it,"
"What tie?"
"That of marriage Virglia, you must be-
come my wife"
"Your wife," she echoed, in startled tone ;
her cheek grew paler, and for moment the
dreamy look vanished from her eyes. 1t soon
returned, however, as he continued to stroke
her hand, and still fixed her with his penetra-
ting gaze.
eyes In the record of the book it is so
written, he replied, solemnly. "There, could
you read those characters as do, you would
see how our two pathways hitherto separate,
meet and unite, never to diverge from one
another again until the inevitable end comes,
which each must meet alone"
"And will that be soon?"
81 cannot tell-it is not given to me to
penetrate so deeply into the future. But
meanwhile we walk hand in hand, and work
together as we 60. Virgilia, there must be no
delay in this matter. When shall our mar
riage take place."
~ ~.