Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-06-05


die away in whisper.
So now have written all that passed !;
! have done no wrong, and yet | am op-
pressed by feeling of deep uneasiness.
More than ever do | need your presence
and your counsel my dear sister; never
more than now, never more than now!
&c 1t seems as if | dared not write my
thoughts. push them from me.
60 Suppose ran away from this great
hotel this very night, this very moment.
In which direction should | fly? Who
would come forward and help me? Do |
not remember the night upon which Mar
guerite and attempted to escape from our
master? Even Marguerite, strong and
brave as she is, had to give up the attempt
in despair. And l. weak and irresolute as
/ | am, with no one to guide me-could |
expect to succeed where Marguerite failed?
:" 'Of what, then, am | afraid Next to
| Marguerite and my dear dead father, no
man or woman in the world has behaved
so kindly and with so much consideration
as Harold has done. Do | fear his gentle
ness? Would it be better that he should
| beat and starve me than that he should
strive by every means in his power to
| please and amuse me? Then, indeed, if
he were harsh to me, and made me feel
my dependent position, should have cause
for tears but as it is, treated as lady =
Clarice, you are ungrateful.
GO Scattered about the room are the
clothes and the flowers | have worn to-
night. Marguerite, if she were to come in
suddenly, would scarcely believe they were
mine but she would be glad. 1t was
what she always wished for me. Why,
then, should l not be glad | will go to
bed now, and pray. All will be well in
| time-all is well Father, that art in
Heaven, my trust is in Thee Good night,
dear, dear Marguerite
al have been very uneasy in my mind.
Until an hour ago / had not seen Harold
for three days. He did not send me word
| or message. | asked Beatrice if she saw
him, and Beatrice said yes, and that he
always inquired after me. Did he not
wish to see me? / asked; and Beatrice
answered that he did not express the wish
| Every day Beatrice and | have walked out,
and no person has accosted or molested us.
In the hotel | am waited upon by servants
who obey my slightest word. This absolute
| liberty Jared upon me, and Harolds avoid
ance of me made me uneasy. | sent
! Beatrice with a message to him, asking II
he would see me; she returned imme-
diately, and said that Harold was waiting
for me. When / entered his study my
resolution left me l hardly knew what to
say to him. Still / mustered courage to
ask if l had offended him. Child, he
answered, taking my hand sit is l who
feared l had offended you" :" In what
way? l asked. In no way" he an
swered, in tone which seemed to express
that weight was lifted off his mind ''if
| yon cannot tell, have been torturing my
| self unnecessarily. And we are really
friends ?" ''Yes," I replied, but even as
! | spoke my voice deserted me again. Then
! he went on to tell me that he felt it kind
of reproach upon himself that he had
| been unable to obtain news of Marguerite,
and that he feared it would take longer
time to find her than he expected. He
/ spoke of other things, and | listened in 81
! lence he said it was necessary that he
should pay a visit to an estate
hundred miles away. " What will
become OF me?' | thought. 1t was
almost as if he OWNED what was passing
! in my mind, for be said that he had been
1 thin king of me, and considering what was
| best to be done. Near las estate, to attend
| to which would occupy some months OF his
! time, was pretty cottage which, he SAID,
! / could live in if l wished, with Beatrice
| and another servant or two that II l ac-
cepted it would enable him to communicate
to me without delay what news he might
obtain of Marguerite. " 1t might happen,
| he said, "that one of my messengers will
return with Marguerite, and then, knowing
where you were, could bring her to you at
once" The joy OF this possibility caused me
instantly to accept his offer, and | thanked
him with tears in my eyes. What have
| | done to deserve such kindness p l
asked. He held my two hands, and
| looked down into my face. Child, he
said, ''you are never absent from my
thoughts. +"
"'I have been in Harold's pretty cottage
| for week 1t is a most beautiful place,
with a lovely garden around it; if Mar
guerite were with lie could live happily
here all my life.
as Everything was ready when we
arrived Harold must have seen to it
| beforehand. When said as much to him
he smiled, and said he hoped he had been
able to please me. " You are queen here, "
he said. "Will you give me lodgment for
the night? Indeed, / said, Laughing,
and much perplexed, Il know nothing of the
place 1tis yours. Nay, ''he said, 81 assure
you it is your own, to rule in as you please,
and although / do not know where to find
a roof for my head this night, will not
stay unless you bid me stay" "Of course
you may stay" l said "but who will
show me what to do:" "There is a
housekeeper here" he said, and he called
woman by name, an elderly woman, who
showed me over the house, and pointed
out spare rooms, in one of which Harold
could sleep. My bedroom is the sweetest
l have ever slept in ; it has windows on
two sides, and seems to be embosomed in
a very bower of flowers.
"' Harold left me the next morning, but
came again ID the evening to see how was
getting on. | was very excited, l had
made so many discoveries during the day.
! There are stables and little carriage, with
pair of ponies, and two saddle-horses. A
groom explained that the ponies were for
me to drive, and one of the saddle horses
was for me; the other was Harolds. Two
gardeners were busy in the garden. At
the end OF the garden is a streamlet, and
a pretty bridge over it leads into the
woods. 1t is like fairy house. l cannot
believe that it is mine, but Harold assures
me repeatedly that it is so, and that if l
like he will give me what he calls deeds.
| told him | did not want them that
was happy as l was. He caught at my
words. And are you really happy at
length? ?" he asked Then, Marguerite,
thought of you, whom | reproach myself
for forgetting sometimes, and | turned my
head in sadness away.
90 Harold comes daily. Yesterday was
Sunday, and he came early with friend
Within mile of this fairy cottage is a
church, and l was ready dressed for the
morning service when Harold and his
friend rode up. told them / was going
[ Il 70