The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-11-20
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difficult when the Miro fs pfeoccn. ILL.,
Dowa stairs Sir Charles lay .alte. ...s., j.
croaning and growing. Tor whas NAL saio y
natieny under pressure OF ceegeless Pm Ysica,
nain Rntler looked on with his cyn1cai
snfIe. and SAID to himself ssettitiE cay y
There we're long arrears OF good lNing anu
-yyo,wan,s smiles and idle toIlies TO be paio
for IN those dark days. At times poor oir
Charles would cry out ia q voice 1aat SEEM
cd h, have beea thinued apd attenuated Dy
naa,. like his face, g / wash were out OF II,
Rrnier- dead and dosse with it all. ~But
there's my poor wife. Poor Emma! VINO
weuld comfort herr"
I ~sThat would be easy enough. thousus
Butler; "send her to the seaside OF 10 Iss
cantineur in good company" But ne dlo
rot sneak his thought. Instead, he answer,
ea IN the most sympathetic tene ne cou' :;
command, "Who, indeed, poor thing -.
and then added, more chees1ui,y, p ~
you aren't going to die yet, you Know ny
exlanv long year. G.. c,ar,as
"Ah, you realty tank So: Or Sna, .tts
,vould say, something comiorteo !ol INC
moment: for he wanted TO 'He, '"o"s
sa,natimcs he tho.ght--wken the gont
s'.roushad and tortured him and the cruel
sayor Consumed him with thirst and parched
S;s sr;n It'll it was Ike dried hay-that ne
-van,ed nothing but 10 be done with pain.
what he really wanted Yves TO get well. ne
r,as rich and he Yves intensely in love WIN
.a, 10 wife life had indeed lost It's Zest TOT
him before he married her,. but she had
i,rouobt back to him warmth and nope ana
desire. These were reasons why ne ioVeu
Nc. thare was one, equally strong, why he
Sreaded death. He bad been brousht up
with strictly orthodox views in regard 10 q
s,,,u,.e life. Dnring his gay years he seemed
70 have escaped from them, but they naI
came back now and quietly inslnuatea
themselves again into the very texture OF
his miud, or perhaps they had always lufh-
ed there. s.,o
Ne had, indeed, not stolen nor done
murder nor borne false Witness OUT tnete
were other commandments OF when ne
could not affirm that he had Kept them from
his youth up. He had been Always iooking
forward, no doubt, in some vague way 10
time of repentance. He had not thouguI
about it consciously, but he had shadowy
expectation of Some future ime .Wheh ne
would take stock Of bis transefessionS, anu
say few prayers and set his house IN oraer
before going on his travels INTO an un-
rnown world. And now he was IN TOO
much min for the proper performance OF
these last arrangements, and he bad tor
tnr,nu dopbt rs to the nature OF his recep-
tion in the next world. About dying Itself,
too. there was something horribly uncot-
Portable. After a life OF social pleasure, ne
sbrank from the awful unsociabillty OF
death. Its darkness and its mystery
troubled him. He bad always had horror
Of death-bed scenes, and he shu:ldered al the
Thought of the worm for neighbor to his
delicate and weILcared-for flesh.
Lewsou was absolutely invaluable as
nurse: he brought cheerfulness into the
sick-room. He was also an indispensable
comfort aud support to Lady Godfrey. On
leaving Sir Charles:s room, when be mad
|bcen watching there all night, be would go
straight out to my lifsle lady's sitting-room
to give her the latest Eding ; and so anxious
was she to hear them, poor dear! that sue
used to be up at least two hours before GUS
tomary time. Those must have been
straase mornings when they sat alone to-
gether-she fresh from sleep and blooming
from her bath, he with the moil and wear
of night waiting upon bim. They talked
little at these times and that little was
chiefly OF Sir Charles.
One morning Lewson said. I shan't sec
so much Of you when Sir Charles gets we'll,
shall If"~
II suppose not" she answered, fdgeting
with her wa:ch-chain.
There had been q thunderstorm in the
night, from which the air had gathered
strength and keenness.
"You are cold" Lewson said seeing that
she shivercd; and rising, he closed the win
dow. "Why your hands are like ice," he
went on, taking them in his hands as he
spoke" poor, pretty, cold hand!"
She did not take them away. They were
cold. and bis were warm and comforting.
She looked up in his face with her chidl'ke,
beseeching eyes.
"Do YOU KNOW he asked, after a few
moments of dangerous silence, "that it is
lust q year to-day since saw you first? 1t
was at Lady Osborne'S. You wore pale
green dress and pearls" -.
"Wby, what memory you must have -
she'cried.
Yes" he answered, quietly, II have
for some things"
Before he could say any more she inter
posed with, You really think Sir Charles
suffered less through the night ?"
81 am sure OF it,"
sand do you think he will get better: "
81 do"
"Thanks. You are so much more reAs-
suring than Mr.. Butler"
Dear reader-I mean dear masculine
reoder-if your friend lay sick and it was
part Of your duty to try to comfort and sup
mort his afflicted wife, and if, moreover, she
were both young and pretty, and you anc
she were left alone together for hours at 1
time. would YOU, or would you not, now and
| then. take possession Of her hands? Oh
course YOU would-sympathy would de-
mend as much. And having thus captured
them. would you KISS them from time &c
time? All, yes-I thought you would say
ves-and you would find 1t most natural tc
lavish little endearments upon them. AND
YOU, dear madam, if you were that afflicted
wife and had for your support and com
forter man young and handsome, over six
feet in height and broad-chested in proper
ton, would you, or would You not. when
he took your hand, press his in grateful
Acknowledgements or lean your cheek
against it for moment? For the sweet
sake OF womanly gratitude | think you
would.
| Sir Charles had Frightened for q day or
two, but just at the end OF May he grew
worse. The doctor came twice, and some.
times three times, day, and shook his
head more thar ever. Lady Godfrey look
cd half dead with suspense, and Lewson had
grown very solemn at last.
One afternoon, when the air was strangely
Isultry and all outside nature seemed wait
ing for something, my lady sat alone IN he1
sitting-room. She was lost in thought
| when InwSon cama in looking yery male.