Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-10-12
CHAPTER XVI.

Weeks passed, and August followed
sultry July and sunny June. Heat and
dust made the atmosphere oppressive,
and binding sun baked the pave
ments and glared upon the houses. The
London season was over, and all who
had the means began to hurry away to
the seaside, to the Rhine. to SwitZer-
land - whithersoever their fancy led
them, or their convenience allowed
them to go.
The death of Douglass old aunt-the
relative from whom he had expecta-
tions happened toward the end of
July; and Douglas, contrary to the gen.
eral run of human affairs. found his
hopes more than realized. The old lady
had been misanthr0pe and miser-
no one had known anything as to the
state of her finances. Dim rumors
were afioat that she was rich, but these
again seemed contradicted by the penu-
ry in which she lived. She died unla-
mented, and as she left no will, Charles
Douglas, her only near relative, found
himself in possession of fortune ex-
ceeding ten thousand pounds. He at
tended the funeral, as in duty bound,
but was absent only two days, and then
he came back radiant. It would have
been sheer hypocrisy on his part to
pretend to any feelings of regret for
kinsWoman he scarcely knew, and one
who had never made herself respected.
A pleasant intimacy had sprung up
between the Dalton family and the two
young artists. Finding that both the
Misses Dalton had practiced sketching
from nature before they came to reside
in London, the young men tempted
Mrs. Dalton to accompany them with
her daughters in various country excur-
siOns, under pretense of giving Lena
and Bertha instructions in sketching,
these excursions being always planned
for such afternoons as Bertha chanced
to be at liberty. Rowing on the river
above Richmond, wandering amongst
the glades of Windsor Forest, or the
pleasant country scenes about Ethan.
Chigwell. and other places at an easy
railway distance from London, free in
terchange of thought and feeling natu-
rally followed; and thus it came about
that Douglass fancy for Bertha ripen-
ed into warm attachment, and that
her sweet, unspoiled, truthful character
revealed itself more and more fully to
both her self-constituted instructors.
st. Lawrence still considered Lena
Dalton the most beautiful woman he
had ever seen, but her faults were just
those that were to him most unlovable.
Perhaps the rural background in which
he SO often saw her was not suited to |
her, perhaps the struggle going ON in
her own mind made her increasingly |
petulant and disobliging; whatever it |
was, st. Lawrence did not find himself
drawn toward her. Her smiles failed
to cause any acceleration of pulse, nor
did her coldness, when that seized her,
throw him into .despondency. For
Bertha, on the contrary, he felt the |
most sincere regard. "Brotherly affec-
tion" was the name he gave his feel
ings for her-for what else could he
allow himself to entertain without turn
ing traitor to his friendp
Fancourt was also frequent visitor
at Ivy Cottage; nor could the object Of /
his visits be now mistaken indeed he
made no secret of his intentiOns,I
though he had not as yet declared HIM
self. 1t so happened that he had never
met st. Lawrence and Douglas. His
visits We're always made in the day
time, his evenings being otherwise and
too frequently less reputably employed,
while st. Lawrence, at any rate, worked
hard. at. his easal during the nanrnjnr J