The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-04-22
NUMBER II.
THE LADY
N EVILLE COURT,
4 TALE OF THE TINES.
CHAPTER I,

one hne summer morning. somewhere abont
| the year OF grace ls4l, q very grand wedding
took place in Dublin The bridsgroem on the
| Irish baronet, possessed of o large estate; the
bride. young lady ofsgentle birth, though
Sn1 oa
girls In Dublin. Very grand were the festivi-
| ties, very elaborate the toilettes, very proud
newly IN ade bride stepped from her husbandS
handsome carriage into Protestant church.
there to repeat the vows already registered be-
law)-s very heavy shadow fell npon the scesse
| In the eyes OF the angels, and that was the
shadow cast BY that dreariest and darkest Of
Sr Morcar Neville was o Protestant, MSrRa-
ret Delaney . Catholic; and ia some way s6ia
inoongruity seemed to fniuse itself into every
circumstance and detail of the day; for, NOT
outstanding its parade, the wedding wss any
thing but pleasant one. The greater part OF
the guest. were strangers to each other, and
such 40 Sir Morcers, relatives az honored the
breakfast with their presence showed only too
plainly OF their manners that they saw little in
their eyes two very grove disadvantages in
deed. Prejudioed, therefore, as they were
against her, we need not inquire into the truth
OF whisper that oiroled round In the immo-
date neighborhood of these worthless. What
ever bnsiness it may have been of theirs it il :.
certainly none OF oErs, to question to what y
extent the broad lands Of Ballycross had In y
ID uencsd Marga Delaney in her choice. True
It waa that more than one Irish gentleman Of
her own faith, younger and bsDdsomer than
the Baronet, bad laid bis fortune at her feet:
but doubtle she had weighed we'll the merits
OF each ere rejecting him for her weslthier
soitor, and had only given her hand whore abe
Margaret Delaney, not to give her the title
still 80 new and unfamiliar TO her ear Vas
and bad been almost from her infancy, an
orphan. The years generally passed by other
children ut their mothers knee had been spent
~ her In convent. Still, SO tenderly had the
FOOD Sisters supplied her mothers place, thse
hardly n hail nna
he had gone forth from the ssyl0m of her
childhood to find herself . barely tolerated in
elAtiVe, who regarded her . burden, and
Eested her accordingly. But this unhappy
ono was not destined to be bers for long In
he convent, Margaret had formed a strong
Election for one OF her conpen ions, Helen
'ourke. Helen as srdently returned it, and
he Intimacy thus contracted proved the be-
inning of lifelong friendship. Itpassed ont
lto The world with them, grew with their
TO with and strengthened with their siren 9Th
nd when. while both were still in their teens,
Ielen gave her hand, with her heart in it, to .
ertAin DR. OMearR, this very circumstances.
1stead of severing this friendship, proved the
SFy 'WsS OF oSmsnslnE It more closely 70
as, feeling that his 'cbild-wifs' was too
'uug and inexperienced to be suffered to pass
Dig hours, sometimes days, alone, during bia
1sence on his professional duties, encouraged
arGaret's visits to his house by every means
his power; and when his domestic happiness
az crowned by the birth of o son, he declared
lat her compani0pship had now become SbSO-
tely Indispensable to her friend, and i'm
ored her TO come to them altogether.
Margaret accepted the invitation 30 cordially
ven, and beneath DIR. OMearA's hospitoblo
of spent some of the haPpiest yeaEs Of her
"a. Nor had the doctor ever cause TO regret
70 step he had taken for in her solieitude for
. wife and devotedpeSs to biS child, Margaret
npiy repaid him for his kindness. HELEN
nBidered herself more than happy In the
ciety of her beloved friend, while to the son
i'd heir, Master Richard O'MearA, he posi-
Vely seemed to possess two mothers, equally
lotions for bis comforts, aud equally patient
gratifying his whiHs. Aud . ruthless little
rant he WIS; bat whether be hSmmered
en- with his coTals or scratched their faces,
would have been difficult to decide which Of
Q two submitted most cheeFfoIly to the tor
re, or which rewarded the tOrtGrer with she
eetest kiss.
Bat, as time went Oh, measure of worldly
sdOm tinged even Helen 0Mesr8's uneo-
herself that, pleasant rs this stats Of things
ought to be for Margaret. Possessing, her.
10 in no way constituted Mrs. O'Meara's fdes.
happiness; and from the moment that tha
e dRIned upon her that Margaret wac no
lger in the first dusb of her yontb, the csc
Sire of her heart began 20 be TO see her we'll
4 happily married. The FIRST thing 90 ho
ne, however, was TO discover sh0 lndy'a
70 ia the matter. In the most q1tet NsnnaE
lsikles therefore, this Htsio uasaIaah wogld-
Na,aainlkeE ts9k aig tisds-eFe eleaee