The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-09-08

4
| afraid, but it 10 true"
They left the terrace and walked back to the
| house In silence, parting st the hall door.
I tell him Of her failure, aud Ellen vent back 20
her mothers room. She feared abe had aIotnes
| hard task awaiting 5bsr there, bus enc found
| that Pelham had-dSafed her all trouble by ex.
pressing hia gsisd TO return to Esgles Edge 60
deeidedIgthas Mrs. DAILY had no heart left TO
maks6bJections-
Not only was Pelhams will law to her, bnt
the suspicion roused by his manner. that his
pride bad resolved q wound. swoke an answer
ing pride in her heart that stilled every re-
monstrsuce, and steeled her to play her Pars
With the quiet. cold dignity of f'rmer timss
Not for worlds would she allow John Thornley,
or Lesbia TO suspect o shade of reluctance In
her to leave . house whore her son had Possi-
bly, been slighted.
It was announced through the household
that Mr.. and Mics Thornley, had postponed
their journey 10 London indefinitely. and the
carriage that had been bronght ont to carry
them to meet the public car waa remanded for
an hour, and ordered to come round again by
Eagles Edge.
Lesbia wandered vaguely from room to room,
too restless to settle to any occupation, and too
secretly uneasy in her conscience to venture
on the cless cross questioning OF John ana
Bride thas anxiety and curiosity prompted.
II only she had had courage to scQuaiut Bride
with that foolish little incident Of the sham-
rock wreath. and with the still more foolish
birthday visit, and the little notes and love
bad been surreptitiously forcing upon her
during these last days, che would have felt
freer now to sct according to her wishes, and
as mistress of the house resent the summary
dismissal Of her own invited guests. But for
these recolleotions che might even have ven-
tured (was she not q great heirees, and per-
hsps obliged on that ground to take more upon
herself than became other girls y to push open
stood just sjsr, afording her glimpse Of
Pelham DAILY standing in the recess Of the
new bay window and playing the devips
have broken in on his reverie with some
little question that would have led on
to an answer ct least, perhaps to an explana-
tien Of their going away that wonld let her
could tell. There could be no harm in just
that. Why Bride herself had spprovingly read
aloud TO her the history Of an heiress who in
very long verses drew o purple curtain and
disclosed herself TO her poet lover
" With her two white hands extended, as praying
And . icoI Of supplication, gazing earnest in his
Lesbis stood on tiptoe in the middle of the
drawing room, and oraned her neck to catch
glimpse of her own face reflected in the round
convex mirror, which repeated the glories Of
the room in long, lessening vista. Bnt she
had been crying, aod her eyes showed the red
lines round them terribly plainly and she
thought she looked fright, and did not dare
courtship just yet and the moments and the
DEVILS tattoo went on-and on-aud on-till
the opportunity was lost. There was a
noise of carriage wheels on the ground;
John and Bride came out of the study to.
gether Ellen and Mrs. Daily appeared slow
ly descending the stairs; the mnsic on the lib.
the question Of whether to enter or not to
enter the half opened door, was decided for
vaoillating Lesbia without further oonsidera-
ton on her part.
2ouna of ha nuk door aar 70 old friauds of
the Days, whose services Lesbia bad retained,
assembled round the hall door to take last
look at the departing guests, and say "good;;
caused little confusion at the last that was
equally welcome to Ellen and to Bride, 40 it
covered any lack of cordiality in the manner
Of leave-takiDg which might otherwise have
been too apparent. Mrs Daily leaned ont Of
the carriage window as they were driving
away, to take last look at the castle and
wave farewell to their late hosts but Ellen
thing, or anyone, and would not appear to see
that John and Lesbia had followed them to the
end Of the terrace, and were looking after the
carriage with an intentness somewhat moon
sistept with the hurried, cold Rood-byes.
Tnis is my real farewell to the CASTLE"
Mrs. DAILY said, as she sank back into the car
risge when they had passed the gate. "When
we left it last autumn could not think of the
place, and now hardly understsnd why it 10
so hard for me to tear myself away. My love
for Castle Daily has indeed come too late if /
had only felt about it es I do now when oar
ried you all off to England, fve years ago,
should have acted very different part, and
results might have been different. 1 might
not be leaving it q widow to-day it might be
homo STILL"
Ellen took her mothers hand and kissed it,
feeling that she had never loved her half 80
we'll Before 10 she did now that the word of
regret had passed her lips and when sorrow
was no longer D sealed snbjeot bet Ween them.
DorinR the rest OF the silent drive to Eagles
Edge, her mind was full of recolleotions of the
first time they had left the castle. Her mother
blamed herself; but was it all her fault : One
by one the circumstances that led to their first
ban nishment REQUIRED to Ellen's memory. It
was q rash act of Connor's, oonnived at and
oon ncealed by herself, that had been the final
cause Of their departure then-theu, as to-day.
Should she call this strange repetition of
events in her life strange fate Tor was it
true, a. she had read in q philosophical Ger
man novel the other day, that character makes
fate and that lives woven and iLtsrwoven
with each other will still repeat the same
events, and olothe themselves in the same COL
ors, while the characters remain unchanged
CHAPTER XXI.