The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1880-08-07
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her that he turned for answer. Whilst Ell
vira, whenever she liked, might come in
and out OF the dim, west chamber, wains-
ctated with oak, and lined to the ceiling
with dark volumes, and huge folios, in
strange characters, where Roland passed his
days. but whittier, If Alice stole sometimes
from her dreary self, she must needs feel the
weight of lonliness more awful than else
where, in the presence of the great dead.
who, through her husbands forbidden cour-
tesy, seemed to frown her back as an intru-
der in their august circle Hence her visits
became rarer and rarer, till at last she went
no more; though sometimes standing on the
outside, in the dark, she would press her
pale face against the panes, and gaze in,
with consuming eagerness not unmingled
with a sort Of fearful, shuddering curiosity.
On such occasions she never failed to see
Roland and Elvira, side by side, bending
over some mysterious volumej and once
pale halo playing around, above whose
lambent flame their twin heads seemed
bursting into resplendent flowers, rare and
dazzling beyond anything even in a tropi
cal fora But delrious fires probably shed
their fantastic light on such visions; for Al.
ice was frail woman, at best, and the COW
cred heart had made sad havoc with her
health.
1t could have been only fever that gave
her courage, at length to cry:
"Roland, take away the hand and let me
see your hearL!"
The tones were full of pathetic entreaty.
Nevertheless, Roland only replied to it by
stroking her brown hair mechanically, and
smiling down upon her, as one on a child
asking precooious question, the answer to
which would be neither judcous nor com
prehensible; still it soothed her for the timej
like an anodyne chronic pain, and she
sobbed herself to sleep on his bosom.
But this could not last, and, again casting
herself at his feet, and clinging to him with
passionate embraces, she pleaded, pteously;
"Roland! Roland! take away the hand
from your heart! 1t will drive me mad!"
1t was prayer to reach heart of mar
BILE, and accordingly there was rustling and
stir under Roand's immaculate linen, as if
the hand struggled to release ITSELF
But Elviras voice calling from the garden,
"Roland!" he pressed it down close again,
like stone moved by some cdnvulsion from
beneath; and as a frown gathered upon his
brow, uttered the stern command:
"Never speak of it again."
The whisper Of the tragic voice, sounding
like thunder to her terror stricken ears, so
paralyzed her twining arms, that they fell
away from him like the arms of dead wo-
man, and trailed upon the ground, never
more to clasp him through all her injured
life again.
From that day the brightness went out oi
her eye, and the rose, the last lingering rose
of her brief summer faded in her cheek
More heavily her step fell upon the garden
walk, and more lingering every day, as she
came down the broad staircase from her brl-
dal chamber, where Eolands measured
kindness struck more fatally than anger
could have done.
The house, in the meanwhile, assumed q
strange aspect, everything changing its cha
racter to her gloom haunted gaze. The lace
draperies floating over the windows in sun
ny heeces had a funeral air; the glaucing
marbles seemed like family of sisters fro
zen into stone by her speechless grief; the
fountains were fountains Of tears flowing in
mute sympathy with her passonj whilst
the spacious chambers, illuminated with
mellow pictures, seemed haunted with shad
ows, and rustling with unearthly sounds
Now it was gliding feet; then a futter, as o
soft garments; and again sad swelling signs
accompanied with floating melodies, plain
tive in their dying sweetness, as the deatl
song of the swami
a bird singing in the elm branches, on {
summers day, seemed at a distance as in
, conceivable as her own youth; and when {
stray CLEAN of sunshine CHANGED to Sian
, through the shaded panes of flint glass, j
showed her chamber a great grave; Wills
in its light she beheld herself the ghost-sh,
was haunting her own inanimate remains
, But, perhaps, the strangest hallucnaton o
all was, that Roland Home, the accomplish
! ed scholar and gentleman, was no more hu
/ man, but man Of marble, petrfed by hi
own right hand.
t OF course such a notion could only pro
j oesded from the hectic with which Alic
, was slowly consuming; despite sagaciou
, doctors recommending iron, when the irol
S already entered her soul
What careful nurses they placed arounC
7 her! What vials and what delicaeies load
ed the table at her bedside! And, above all
= how tenderly they shielded her from tn
autumn winds! she who had lived in Arc
t tic coldness SO long. She said they wer
o preparing to bury her before DEATH and
? probably impelled by some such fancy, sh
. contn7ed one night 20 eyade her nurses
l and steal away, in her night robe, and will
? slipperless feet, to the dim, oaken chamber
WlltIG lNblullh llooat' ~ AAlANAl NllANs A%lANlA
: the latch softly, she saw him within, sittinI
alone, asleep, in his great velvet cushioae'
! chair, as nsensible to the gliding ghost be
I side him as to the gusty winds outside ring
l ing such wild and mournful music from th
solemn harp strings attached to the ease
ments Of the chamber.
J How, indeed like marble he looledl no
a hair stirring on his sculptured brow no
a shadow, not a motion, except as the deeI
chest hea 7ed with Irregular breaihingi heav
ed and fell again with its burden Of inexpli
cable life.
Then it came into Alice's heart, as sh
] bent toward him in overwhelming return 0
r the old passonate love, to lit the hand un
; knowingly, and see into the covered heart
moment. It was a thought no sooner bon
s than acted upon. And the terrible cnerg.
the energy Of despair-witb which sh
? clasped his arm must have inevitably ac
? complishsd its purpose, had notch! fata