The Morning herald., 1877-10-22

information which Mistress Camelford
must acquire.
"Haye you heard lately from your friend
the artist p Augusta, with little show of
interest, inquired. ....
"Poor Greshaln--yes" replied Hartley;
che has written to me from Florence that
probably he shall for long time remain
in,Italy. He is fast acquiring wealth and re-.
nown, for which, as he tells me, Door fel-
low, all his longings have ceased since
heavy calamity and sorrow have fallen up
on him."
"And he has not said," Mistress Camel
ford remarked, very pityingly, "what are
the woes he has ,,eeil made to suffer ?" u
Augusta knew chat Arthur had not been
explicit to his friend, concerning what she
herself had wroug t; or Clarence Hartley
had not now been where he was to ask the
hand OF Rosalie.
= "No; he has written to me nothing more
than have stated to you madam" Hart
ley answered, to Augusta's last question j;
except, indeed, that, perhaps, some day
in the far future-if such for him there
should be-he might give me those par
ticulars Of which now the mere thought
was almost madness to him p
And Arthur Gresham was no more men
toned then, nor between these two, till
long years had elapsed.
"Was Ros,le in perfect health, and
would he be permitted now to see her ?"
Hartley presently asked; and Mistress
Camelford responded that her dear cousin
had been suffering long and painful i'll
ness; but Hartley should certainly, on the
next day, h. received by her-Augusta
could safely promise that!
Hartley was, Of course, greatly ..grieved
to learn that Rosaiiu had SO suffered, and
was now more than ever anxious to behold
her, and to learn from Ler own lips that he
was not distasefu TO Iler and for that day
took his leave Of MI 5tr ,ss Cameford.
Almost before he could have quilted the
house, Augusta had r'aoiI3a t,>at snug
apartment Of the almost les tied wing of
the mansion in which we wee first intro
duced to both the cousins.
Rosalie was seated there sadly and dis
consolately now, tie little Arthur playing
at her feet, AMI onl~ he, since her husbands
supposed death, Possessed the power to ex-
tract from her a smile; yet very family
and sad, and very rare, were the smiles
which her child, for whom alone she had
consented to live, could, by the infantine
gambols, win from her.
The child 50 doated on by its mother, was
detested by. Mistress Camelford, and her
hatred for the boy was increased by that
which fed his mothers love for him--Au-
gusta had also perceived how very Like to
his father the child was growing.
The noisy little Arthur, now, as Mistress
Camelford entered her cousins apartment,
crept hastily closer to his mother, and then
was still and silent; his large eyes fixed
with an ahrighted look, and as if irresisti-
bly, facinated by the cold, glittering, steel
like orbs, which were gazing down upon
him. ~
Little children will not be deceived by
hollow smiles, and love that is but seeming;
quick are they to detect and expose hypoc-
risy-pretenaed love deludes not children,
however credulous they may become when
older grown.
Rosaie lifted little Arthur to her lap,
and threw her arms around, and held him
closely; but still his head was turned
towards Mistress Camelford, and still were
his large, and now widely opened eyes
fixed with the same aHrighted expression
upon her face
"Certainly he is charming little fellow"
Augusta said, with pretended admiration,
still looking iixedly in the face OF Rosalie's
boy.
:'Oh, how I love him." the poor mother
exclaimed, her arms Tightening aronDd the
little Arthur, with a convulsive pressure,
which the young gentleman appeared to
consider somewhat inconvenient.
Very strange was now the expression on
Mistress Camelforl, features.
Eyes, I can understand that" dropped
murmuringly from Ier lips, "he must be a
great comfort to you now?"
MY only one on oarth," was family ut
tered by Rosalie, and tears, always so ready
to flow, sprang into her eyes.
Mistress Camelford bit her thin lip until
it nearly bled-she WAS thinking Of how
she herself had been deluded into the
treacherous hope that one day all mothers
pride and happiness would be hers, and
that she, and not Rosaie, would hold to her
heart a baby-boy that should resemble Ar
thur Gresham.
cit would be to promise nothing, should
1 say that I would give my life to save my
darling boy pang," very earnestly ex-
claimed Rosalic; "for now, save for this
dear childs sake, how utterly worthless
has my life become. I live but for him,
prepared always for any sacrifice that may
be asked of me, if only heaven will not
rend him from my arms.
She bowed her head, and gazed as if en-
trarced into i.er little Arthur's face, and
Mistress Cal oiford paced the room, as was
her custom when unwontedly excited, and
her face was glowing with the smile Of an
intense satisfaction.
Soon. however, Augusta advanced again