Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-06-25

service, replied West, who, softening
down the first portion Of the scene we
have described, proceeded to recount to
the fair orphan the narrative ofthe great
crisis in his destiny.
Il knew it was so cried the young
lady, almost Historically affected; L
knew he was not so grasping, so hard
hearted as they sald-as he himselfpre-
tended. l knew he had a generous
heart beneath all his seeming avarice {!
Oh, you are not the only one doubtless
whom be has thus servedn
West did not discourage the illusion.
NAY. the enthusiasm Of the charming
woman before him was contagious.
Thanks to your fathers disinterested
liberality,' he resumed, l am now in
comparatively prosperous circumstan-.
ccs. came not merely to discharge a
debt; believe me, it is no common
era .itude feel. Doubtless you inhert
all your fathers wealth. doubtless it is
but little service l can ever h0re to
render you. Yet | will venture to en-
treat you never to forget that You pos"
sess one friend of absolute deeotion,
ready at all times to sacrifice himself
in every way to your wishes and TO
your happiness
west paused abruptly, for the singu-
lar expression of the young lady's fea-
lures filed him with astonishment.
You do not know, then, she be-
gan.
Know what?'
'That-I-am IA natural child?
she completed, with a crimson blush,
turning away her head as she spoke and
covering her face with her hands; that
I am without fortune or relations that
my father died intestate; that the heir
at.law. who lives abroad. and without
whose permission nothing can be done
moreover, who is said 10 be a heart
less spendthrift-will take all my father
leaves; that | have but one more week
Given me TO vacate this house of the
landlord; in short, that l must work If
I would starve; thar, in a word, am a
beggarr And the poor girl sobbed
convulsively, while Bernard West, on
whom this speech acted as some terrible
hurricane upon the trees of a tropical
forest, tearing up, as it were, by the
root. all the terrible stolcism OF his ma
ture. and rousng hopes and dreams
which he had long banished to the deep.
est AID most hopeless abysses Of his
soul-while Bernard, we repeat, ven-
tured to take her hand in his own and
calm her painful agitation by such sug-
cestions as immediately occurred 10 his
mind.
In the first place, he SAID, my dear
Miss Brace. l come to repay to you
your fathers generous gift
1t belongs to his legal heirs; can.
not receive it with honor said the
money-lender's daughter, firmly.
Not So replied West, gravcly; it
was free gift to me. l repay it by a
natural, not legal obligation > and he
laid the two twenty pound notes upon
the table. Next, he resumed, : have
to pay a debt of gratitude. owe my
life 10 your father. Thus in manner
have become his adopted son. Thus,
he continued, impetuously, have a
right to say to you, regard me as a
brother share the produce fmy labor;
render me happy in the thought that l
am scrvieg the child of my benefactor
To disdain my gratitude would be a
cruel insult.
/ cannot disdain itr exclaimed the
daughter of the usurer with a sudden
impulse ofthat sublime confidence which
a noble and generous soul can alone in'
spire. Yes, I accept your assistance.
The face of Bernard frightened up as
if by an electric agent. But how were
the two children Of sorrow contounded
by the discovery that they were no long
or alone. aud that their conversation
had been overheard by an utter stranger
who, leaning against the wall at the
further end of the room near the door,
appeared to survey them with an utter
indifference to the propriety Of such be-
havior!
He was n man of between forty and
fifty wears, a great beard and mustache
concealed the lower part of a swarthy
but handsome countenance OF rare Dig
nity and severity Of outline. His dress
was utterly un,Engllsh. A vast mantle
with hood fell nearly TO the ground,
and he wore huge courier boots, which
were still splashed, as iffrom journey.
His great dark eyes rested with an ex-
preston of royal benevolence upon the
two young people, towards whom he
had advanced with courteous inclina-
ton that, as if magnetically, repressed
Bernard's first indignant impulse.
L am the heir-at.law,' he said, in a
mild voice, as if he had been announc-
ing a most agreeable piece OF mtelll-
gence.
Then, sir, said Bernsrd, l trust
Thrust; absolutely! interrupted
quickly the foreign looking heir. My
children, do you known who am? MOP
[ will tell you. l am monster who IN
his youth preferred beauty TO ambition,
and glory to gold. For ten years after
attaining manhood 1 struggled on an
ou,cast from my family in poverty and
humiliation, without friends and often