Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1880-04-10

temperament and character were strong
er than her own.
That she loved him with her whole
heart-that she felt toward him that al
most worship with which fervid imagi-
nation will inspire it's object of devotion
was clear enough. But I own that my
greater anxiety was to learn, if l could,
who was this man, what was he, and how
he came here? 1t was not difficult to be-
| lieve that even man of culture and re-
| finement might have fallen in love with
this girl. She was, with certain traits of
delicate health and palor, of great beau
ty; her large lustrous eyes, more express
| i've from the dark color of the orbits round
them, could change from melting soft
ness to glance of wild defiance; and her
mouth, Of which the teeth inclined slight
| ly inward, had character of winning
sweetness there was no resisting. Her
! figure might be called faultless; all had
ever seen of statuesque in symmetry was
realized in that 1.-THE and graceful form,
which even under the coarse drapery she
wore, betrayed in every pose and move
ment the perfection of form. And Just
as the conscious grace of the beautiful
woman blended with the bounding elas-
ITCHY of the happy girl, SO in tempera-
ment she united all the thoughtful moods
of reflective mind with the fresh, wild
impulses of the child.
Il know,'' said she to me one day,
! GO see it; you are puzzled about William
Hope
8. / own it, said I. half sorrowfully.
"And you cannot imagine how this
man of refinement-thisc creature of gifts
and graces, this eminent gentleman, for
/ know your comprehensive phrase
| opI1l6 have loved cuoh mo -
'Far from it, Marion; my wonder is
how he could tear himself away from
you, even for season."
''That was duty
s'But what kind of duty? He had no
ties-no cares of any calling; you say he
had no relatives to dictate to him; how
could he explain necessity where there
was no pressure?'
''What he said was enough for me.
And,' added she, after pause, sit would
have been bolder than either you or me
would have dared to question him.
This chance speech explained in full
the ascendancy that his more powerful
nature had gained over her, and how it
was easier to her to believe than to dis
trust him.
docs he write to you?''
"No."
''Nor you to him?"
s'No; he did not ask it!''
''And still you know he will come
back?''
Il know it, and she nodded twice with
a little smile that seemed to say how sure
she felt in the avowal
/ If there seems scant delicacy in the
way l dared to question her, let me hasten
to say that our intimacy warranted the
L i
vited; for have not given here the de:
tails of those conversations that occurred
between us, nor told how we were led or
from word to word to closest confessions
Strange girl in every way! she would
suffer me to walk with my arm around
her waist, and yet would fire Indignantly
if dared to call her Marion mou,' az
in Greek phrase Hope had called her.
Anything more hopeless than the at
tempt to gain her affections could mo-
imagine; but the conviction, strong as i
was, did not save me from feeling des
perately in love with her. In homes
fact. the glimpses had caught of hel
nature, when revealing to me her love
for another, had completely enraptureo
me; her warm fidelity, her answering
faith, and her sustaining pride in the
man she loved, needed less lovelines.
than hers to make prize to be striven for
And so it was, 1 did love her, dreamed
of her by night, and canvassed in my
mind by day what way to win her. There
was not living man who had less coun
to render to his fellows than myself;
was actually without kith or kin or be
longings of any kind. That I shoule
marry a girl in the humblest condition
was purely my own affair. There wa
not one to question me; but, above al
this and beyond it, I owned the on,
great difficulty, how should I gain he
. 1ovep The very mode in which my in
timacy with her had been effected woul6
make it sort of treason were I to tr,
to win her affections; and I could fame,
that scornful banter in which she woul(
meet my addresses, and ask me wha
sort of memory was mine? l could pict
ure her raillery too on the nature tina
could deliberately raise its hopes on tn
foundation of affection laid by another
and make what, to an honest mind, woult
T be jealousy, minister to his own passion
I 1t was all true, and except some ad
, vantages of purely worldly kind, ant
, for which knew she would have littl
value, had nothing in my favor. Th
, only question then that remained was
should / better break the spell that wa
on me by incurring distinct refusal; o
y should fly at once and leave the plac
forever?
e The latter seemed the wiser resolve
and / came to it as / slowly wake,
f homeward to my inn at night. Instea'
$ of going to bed I sent for the landlord
/ and engaged with him to furnish m
t horses and guide to anywhere ON tn
, coast by which I might take shipping fo
s Italy or the shores of the Adriatic
e There was return caravan with stron,
n armed party bound for Salonica to star
/ at midnight. I made my bargain an
within two hours afterward was ON tn
: road.
1 have little more to add. We wer
t nearly three weeks ON the way, and
e was thoroughly exhausted, weather-wo
n and very ragged, when I entered q
v nightfan that dirty seaport which l al
: now told is to become the greatest CON
r mercial mart of the Levant. One of tn
d first sights that struck me as I came i
o word " Marmion - on their glazed habits
: The Marmion was the crack yacht {
o Cowes-the fastest cutter it was SUP
d posed, ever built, and lately bought b
e the Duke of R, whom | had know
}, intimately at All Souls. Having learne
that he was bound for the Pireus, ser
off few lines, asking, if not utterly il
d convenient, that he would give me
}; passage to Greece.
h A letter from the Duke with mo-
It cordial invitation, answered me with
s an hour. He was ON his wedding -tou
|. and had a small party of friends, bl
IS ample room and a hearty welcome for nj
e If l were painting picture de genre,
it might fnger to sketch some of the scene
and one or two of the characters of tn:
# yacht party; but though there was ve1
pretty and attractive bride, and MOI
It than one bridesmaid of striking beaut,
l. and some half-dozen very assiduol
" young men of great fascination and faul
less costume, / was too much under tt
d shadow of my late discontinue to emere
1t into the broad sunlight of their gay col
l. verse.
e "What is the matter with you?" sa
e R to me one night, as we walked tt
deck alone; 81 never saw you before
/, such low spirits.
made some pretext of health, al
:, changed the theme, when he asked n
| T hoI T hod