Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-07-23


me moodily, gnawing his long NOUS
tache.
''Reika," he said, s.why are you go
ing to marry that old man? You don't
love him and you do love me- Why
ruin your own life-and mine?n
''He has trusted me, | replied;
show can tell him | am unworthy of
his esteem?"
you would make any sacrifice for
my sake If you loved me-" said Cuth-
bert. MY father is not a hot-headed
boy"--sneeringly; ''he would soon get
over his disappointment"
Probably" returned; .but l can
not break my word"
You would rather break my heart
resentfully.
II would rather do what think is
right, | said, looking away from his
panied, handsome face.
just then we heard rustling in the
ferns, and Lord Airline grew pale.
Someone has overheard our CONVEX
sation," he said.
"Oi. no. it is only Rover" l said,
STOPPING to stroke the great mastiff.
Don't you know that you have no
business here. old fellow?'i
but my father must be somewhere
| ABOUT, cried Cuthbert. Rover is
always at his heels
AT this moment we saw Lord Standi-
land advancing towards us with a
smile on his face.
Would he have looked like that if he
had overheard our conversations OF
course not, | told myself with sigh of
relief as slipped my hand through his
arm.
If Cuthbert had been poor man l
might have yielded to the dictations of
my heart; but he was rich, and would
| some day inherit Lord Standilands
title and estate, and it seemed to me a
mean trick to give up the earl because
he was old and grey and marry his son,
even though | did love Cuthbert with
all my heart.
you look pale, little GIRL" said
Lord Standiland, glancing at my face.
which instantly became suffused with
scarlet; and without glancing at his
son he led me out of the conservatory.
"My dear" he said that evening.
Il should like if you had no objection.
| to hasten our marriage, and as am
not very well l should like it to take
place in my own drawing-room."
As L had no objection to offer, every
thing was arranged as he wished, and
mother came over to be present at the
| ceremony.
Lord airline had left the house, and
was glad of it.
| did not want to meet him again be-
fore our marriage.
If was IN hn nt,ifo n ,1,;va+o
with Grace as my only bridesmaids; and
mother grumbled at the absence of dis
play; but | was all the better pleased,
for felt sick at my heart, and did not
want to be stared at by gaping
crowd.
Grace was very kind and affectionate:
two or three times | caught her in the
act of looking at me, and she hastily
averted her eyes.
Mother, too, seemed to have some
thing on her mind but was too mis-
cradle to be curious on this or any
other subject.
My heart was very heavy on the night
before my wedding. | meant to do
what was right, but it was cruelty hard
to fight against my love for Cuthbert.
As | sat alone in my dressing-room,
my thoughts went back to my first
meeting with Lord Standiland.
Mother and | had been for n walk,
and mother had sprained her ankle.
The pain was so intense that she faint
ed. and | was bending over her anx-
iously. when 4 carriage came along the
road with gentleman in it.
1t was Lord Standiland, who ordered
the coachman to bring the horses to a
standstill, and handed me a flask of
wine. This speedily restored mother
to consciousness, and then he offered
her seat in the carriage with the
greatest kindness imaginable, and
drove us right up to the door of our
cottage, to the intense wonderment of
the neighbors.
From that day he was always call
ing to inquire after mothers health,
and | soon began to see that was the
attraction.
This pleased my vanity of course,
and raised ambitious hopes. All, was
! not suffering for my ambition now.
should be Lady Standiland indeed, but
what pleasure could my title and high
position give to meP
looked at myself in the mirror on
my dressing-table, and beheld fair,
girlish face, framed in masses of chest
nut hair. How pretty l was, even
when grave and sad. This thought
gave me no pleasure. however. was
too wretched to feel grateful at my
beauty as reflected in the mirror, with
its two wax candles, that also reflected
the luxurious room in which sat.
I'm tho r11orravx 7 sIOu11 ha ,picfrocc
of the Hall, the most envicd, the most
unhappy, woman in the country.
''What, not in bed yet?" cried
mother, peering in upon me. "Do you
forget what tomorrow lisp"
Her words made mo smile bitterly.
As if could forget!
| scarcely slept that night, but the
want of rest did not spoil my beauty.
had never looked better than when |
went down to the drawing-room where
the clergyman was waiting to perform
| the ceremony which would make me
Lord Standiland's wife.
There was little hustle as | en-
tered the room with mother and Grace,
and, looking neither to the right or
left, walked up to where the clergy
man stood, my heart beating painfully,
and my throat so dry that | wondered
how ! should ever be able to say Il
| will ~
did not lift my eyes to look at my
bridegroom, but listened as one in
| dream, until the time came for the
clergyman to ask who gave me away.
Il do" said the voice of Lord Stan
| diland, and looking up in bewilderment
saw, to my boundless surprise, it was
not the earl who stood facing me, but
his son.
My heart gave sudden leap, for l
was only human, and loved Cuthbert
with all my heart.
| did not ask myself how it came
about that | was to be married 10 Lord
| Airline; but | knew afterwards that
Lord Standiland had overheard our
conversation in the conservatory, and
had planned this generous revenge, and
all present but myself had been pre-
pared for the change of bridegrooms.
Cuthbert had been recalled fromLon-
don by his father, who had made up
his mind not to marry me seeing had
no love to give him.
He did not wish to make me misera-
bic, he told me kindly, As he placed his
wedding gift-a beautiful diamond
necklace-round my neck.
II hope you will be very happy,
Reika,n he said as he kissed my rosy
! cheeks; and never liked and esteemed
| him so much as at that moment.