The Morning herald., 1877-10-20

selfshly to die; must live, for am ,
mother And then, as she strained he
child to her bosom, would come flood Of
tears, to save her o'ercharged heart from
bursting.
Without heart herself, yet had Mistres.
Calaelford well-known how to test tn,
strength, and to what point would be ca
pahle OF endurance, the heart of poor un
happy Rosalie.
| Months few by, and Rosalie was pro
nounced by Augusta to have almost en-
tirely recovered her strength and spirits.
The weak mind always Of Sir Jonas Rath
borne had been now rendered almost en-.
tirely imbecile by the many serious dis
turbances with which, of late, it had had te
contend; more than ever was he now q
puppet in the hands Of his willy niece.
He was growing so like child again in
mind, that no impression could be very
lasting with him. Ce. tainly he had griev.
ed that his daughters husband was dead
had been terribly af1 icted while Rosalie
had seemed so like to speedily follow her
husband to his grave; but when he saw
that, at last, she was recovering-beieyed
chat her grief was lessening- he, too,
rallied, and fell back again into all his old
ways, such as they had been before SO
many events had crowded upon him to
startle him from his humdrum existence,
Sir Jonas Ratborne-ittle as he would
have believed the fact-was no longer mas
ter Of his own house; the very demestics
scarcely troubled themselves to obey his
orders-while they were very dutifl to
Mistress Cameford, whom they feared,
and would hJ to serve Rosalie, whom they
loved. q,
The Baronet no longer bleakfasted 70
very early, as had been, we know, his Gus
tom formerly. His niece had lately dis
covered-that is, since her control over Sir
Jonas had grown to be complete, and with
out imit-that her health would no long ger
permit her to rise so early, and she sug-
gested that her uncle, now that years were
growing fast upon him, would be better
also for longer rest than it had been his
habit with which to indulge himself,
We now find poor Sir Jonas Rathborne
seated at the breakfast table, very greatly
needing his morning meal, but w,..uing to
commence it for the arrival OF his niece,
who would be with him no sooner than it
should please her, and who was totally
without fear Of scolding from the Barontt,
formerly, as we have seen SO exacting and
so irascible concerning punctuality at his
breakfast-t table.
But Mistress CarneHord had changed all
that!
Rosaie had, for long time, breakfasted
only in her own wing OF the mansion, and
all thought Of rsproof on that subject had
long passed from her fathers mind not
hone because Of Rosalie's suffering state,
but also, and more particularly, because
Augusta had suggested thAt it was neces-
sary her cousin should bs 50 indulgsd.
Mistress Caasfqrd, On entering H.
BREAKFAST room. On trs pastietAsx ne1aiag,
rather later even than now WA aisaa viA
her, found Sir Jonas locking vasaatly aid
hstlessly from one ef its windows that
very window from which .Arthur Gresham
had, escaped when Augusta had been 70 70
yelling in the certainty Of his capture.
But Sir Jonas had not been thinking of
that event, nor indeed Of anything, except
that he wanted his breakfast, and wished
that his niece could be little more pune
tual: and when at length she sailed into
the room, it was with the eager gladness,
the glee which a hungry child would dis.
play, that he received her.
"Forgive me, dear uncle, if I have kept
you waiting" Augusta grandly said, as
she took her uncle's offered hand, and Just
touched his cheek with her cold, thin lips
The Baronet begged to assure her, poor
man, that it was not worth talking about
the delay had given him greater appe-
tite that was all the harm which had re-
suited.
Augusta allowed her uncle to satisfy the
first great cravings of his hunger without |
him with further speech, and |
then she said: |
"You must blame Rosalie that I have |
kept you waiting, uncle, for my visit to
her this morning was made to be longer
one than usual" !
"Oh indeed!' mumbled the Baronet,
eating away-"and how is the poor girl,
this morning ?" he asked, but with no par
ticular interest in his tone.
"Well VERY well indeed-her health
ind spirits improve now every day." Au-
gusta replied, as unblushingly as falsely.
The Baronet was, Of course, glad to hear
jhat, and said that his daughter had fought
,er greatest sorrow much better and faster
;ilan he had believed would be possible to
her.
Next Sir Jonas asked concerning the
title Arthur, Of whom he was very fond,
indeed, and received also good account
If his grandson. Il
A servant brought into the room, and
aid upon the breahast-table, q letter
which had Just arrived for the Baronet,
"From whom comes it? what is it
bout ?-just look, will you, Augusta p
Sir Jonas said; and such Of late, almost
o a word, was his constant speech when