Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-12-18

~ 1iiiiS soohci bIsili lnO>l men, anu
at twenty, having obtained several
months leave of absence, | started for
tour in the East with my old friend
Baynsford, who was then Captain Fell
loves. When we were at Smyrna |
received a letter from my mother, tell
ing me that my uncle was going to be
married. As | had been taught from
childhood TO consider myself his heir,
you may fancy, George, with what feel
ings of disgust l received the intelli-
gence. My mother wrote a very ilIeyi-
bic hand, and moreover always crossed
her pages, consequently deciphering
her letters was no easy task. could
not make out the name of my uncle's
fdncee, although Fellowes and sat up
half the night trying to odiscover it. Ny
mother said Sir Rupert had met her in
Paris, and thought the word we could
not decipher looked like a French name.
London was no place for me now, /
decided, and determined to leave the
Guards and exchange into some regi-
ment going to Canada country was
particularly anxious TO see. We lin
gered good deal of the time on our
way home, and were IA great part of
the time in out-of-the-way places where
we saw no newspapers. Thus | missed
reading the announcement of my uncle's
marriage. When | arrived in town |
heard of nothing but the extraordinary
beauty of Lady Wyville; aud many
were the warnings | received-half in
iest-half in earnest-nOt to fall in love
with my aunt. 1t was very odd, but |
felt no curiosity TO see her. On the
contrary, the idea of making her al
quaintance WAS rather repugnant TO
me.
II left a card for my uncle in GrOs-
venOr square, day or two after re-
turned home at an hour when i knew
she would be out; and | declined, on
the plea of prior engagement, an in
vitation that | received to dine with
them the following evening.
"A few nights afterwards there was
a large ball given at the Russian En-
bassy. heard, directly | entered the
house, that my uncle and his bride
were there; but there was a great
crowd, and l never caught sight of
them. Towards the end of the evening,
just as | was going away, the Duchess
de-came up to me in the conservato-
ry. and told me that my uncle and aunt
were just then on the staircase.
"sYou must come and see her,
George, she said TO me; she is per-
fectly beautiful
II made some commonplace reply,
such as that it was only very pretty
women who ever admitted teauty in
others, and then, with the little duch-
ess on my arm, went to greet my un-
Gle and his bride.
.'She was dressed all in white-not
the faintest trace of color about her
and her lovely face turned as white as
her bridal wreath, as she came face TO
face with me. Ii was Nora-Nora whom
| had last seen in rags, barefooted, ask
ing aims from the passers-by, and now
met again thus-at an ambassadors ball,
and talking to a foreign prince.
oMv uncle introduced me to his bride,
and made profound bow, and with
a face as white as her own, congratula-
ted her on her marriage, and expressed
the qualification | felt at making her
'.she gave me such look, poor girl:
[ knew then that she had never forgot
ten me. passed on with the duchess
into the ballroom, and | felt rather |
than saw that Nora turned to look after |
US.
"a is she not beautiful my conpan-
ion asked me with levity. 'Ah, L was
right. could see you were desperate
lv qDris with her. What is it you Eng
lish call it? Love at first sight. Take |
nv advice. mon ami, and do not see too
much of your lovely aunt
'T shall follow your advice, | said;
81 mean to see as little of her as posi-
ble.'
Something in my voice made my |
glance up; and then, with |
true tact and good breeding, she has
tened 10 change the subject. She was
a kind hearted little women. in spite of
her trifling language. L knew that
never again to me or any living being |
did she recur to what she had noticed |
more than she chose to say / felt GER
.ain.
81 never saw Nora again so as to
sneak to her during uncle's lifetime.
exchanged at once into regiment un-
der orders tor Canada. There | re-
mained three years, until the death of
Sir Rupert recalled me to England.
Nora had no children, so L was nown
Sir George Wyville. she might as
well have waited for me- i thought |
bitterly. met her once at our solicit
tors upon business, just after NV re-
turn home. and that was the last time |
T ever saw her in the world. She lived
entirely in London, doing an immense
deal of good, 1 believe, among fhe lrish
moor. But her career of usefulness was
, short one, She only survived Sir
Rupert four years. To me she died the
tonr when she became his wife. She
wrote to me once after she became a
widow, telling me all the circumstances
of the marriage-how that Sir Rupert
had rescued her from a life of beggary |
N the streets. and sent her to school for
four years, and that then she had felt
herself bound in honor and gratitude
to marry him.
..She concluded her letter by express