The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1880-06-24

During the ten minutes interval Mr..
Furnival found his way to our little green
room. When he handed her bouquet
sent by Lady Mordun and assured her
of his fathers delight you ought to have
seen how she -melted-sparkled.
l don't think he ever saw her face lit
up like that before. He almost stared at
her in his surprise at her rich beauty
Her song in the second part was the mad
scene from "Lucia." Under the strong
influence of the familiar beloved music,
she forgot herself for the time; she was
the desperate, maddened, faithful woman
singing her dying song.
She clasped her hands together fever
ishly, and sang, OH how she sang!
After that Dick Furnival came few
times to our home in the garden and said
to Rosamond, she would come oftener if
he dared, but Maurice dubbed him re-
morselessly. He would not be so ungrac-
ious, he said if he only knew what relief
it was to exchange the stiff society up
yonder for a friendly chat here"
Several months after the concert we had
been to some rehearsal, and coming home
found pretty cottage piano. 1t could
have come from but one person, and /
did not wish Rosamond to accept, SO the
next day she asked me to go with her to
the Chace, and upon being ushered into
Mr.. Furnival's presence she handed him
the key and said: 81 ask you to take this
back and tell my cousin that l know
nothing of your gift and am not to blame"
Mr.. Dick flushed up hotly.
"Look here, Maurice, it is rather hard
when q fellow is breaking his heart for
the sake of doing right, that he should
be suspected of having some cursed
scheme or other hidden under a matter
as simple as this. I don't deserve it of
you my boy. For the sake Of old days,
and knowing there is no danger in the
gift, as [ am going away and may never
see her exquisite cold face again, let her
play on the piano sometimes, will you?"
II will not say no, - / repeated stupid
ly. "And now think sir, we had better
60"
''You will give me your hand, Rosa
mond2" he said. "We shall never meet
again, remember, after tonight"
Slowly she put her hand in his, and
raising her head, looked into his pleading
passionate eyes with long, grave gaze,
steadily.
And then-I wish that ! had died be-
fore L saw it-her face changed-melted;
it dropped and flushed; her eyes grew
tender.
"Come, Rosamond-come, my DEAR"
L said, and she followed me out of the
room.
Seven months passed and we had heard
nothing of Dick Furnivals movements.
VIII Gray had gone to London to hear
cantata which he had heard was just the
thing for our little society.
Upon coming home almost the first
thing he said was, "Dick Furnival is in
England again. 1 saw him yesterday
He is going to marry that Miss Chelroynd;
and he looks the most miserable dog in
the world"
That evening while we were all singing
viii tried to tell the news carelessly.
White to the very lips she tried to con-
tinue to sing, but she stopped suddenly,
catching at her throat.
"Rosamond!" 1 cried.
Stretching out her hand to me with
dreadful cry at the sound of which Will
turned pale, she fell into my arms in a
dead faint Her voice had broken again.
1t was late in June before she was well
enough to be N the garden again. One
day seated on her favorite bench under
the labornum she sat sewing in the shade.
Suddenly heard hurried steps, and Dick
Furnival stood in a moment before her,
eager, splendid, impetuous.
"Dick! Dick! Dick" she screamed,
and rushed into his arms.
''You love me, Rosamond2 he whisper
ed.
''Yes, I love you, my proud, splendid,
fair haired darling"
''Rosamond"
"Yes, ever since that night gave you
the key to the piano"
And thus 1 learned that she could
never be my darling, but would go away
from us to live IL a world so widely diff
ferent from ours that she might as we'll
have been dead.