Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-03-13

broad granite rampartS, AMI the lovely
view of the busy bay and country beyond
it; but all the same I'VE agreed that Ca1iz
bore no comparison to our beautiful Seville,
and the sooner we returned to that gay city
the better.
Now that I had gained my desire, was
happy? After all that had passed, could
have been happy during those early days of
our welded life? AS 1 look back upon them
L sit and muse, trying in vain to answer the
question to my own satisfaction Phlippa
loved me-5he was my wife; come good, como
evil, she was mine forever. In so much
was happy, thrice happy. Could l have
lived but for the present my bliss would
have known no alloy.
But there was the past! coull not alto
gether forget the path which had led to such
happiness as now was mine. | could be
thankful that l alone knew all the horrors
and dangers with which that path was
studded alone knew the secret of that
one night Although I could keep it for
ever, would it be always secret?
Yes, and there was the future. Behind
the happiness which was mine at present
ur6ed a dread as to what the future had in
store for me-for us. 1t was a dread w;!ich
day by day grew stronger. The greater my
happiness the more dreadful the thought of
its being wrecked. The feeling that my
house of joy was built upon sand was always
obtruding on my most blissful hours, and
not, knew, without good reasons.
Philippa's very avoidance of speaking of
her past life lent some justification to my
gloomy forebodings Not once did Sir Mar
vyn Ferran Is name pass between my wife
and me- Not once did she ask me for any
further particulars concerning the events of
that night upon which, in the height OF her
short lived mania, she reached my cottage
True that upon becoming my wife, and be-
Ginning a new and happier stage of life, it
might be but natural for her to wish to con
sign to oblivion the wrong, the shame, the
suffering wrought by villains craft; yet
was so mixed up in the catastrophe that
silence on the bject seemed strange. Her
reticence alarmed me- fancied it must be
caused by some vague uneasiness connected
with that night-some doubt which she dared
not seek to set at rest. 1t is, know, not I'M
usual for women, after their recovery from
that mysterious disease which had for awhils
driven my poor girl distraught, to be able to
recall and accurately describe the delusions
which had afflicted them during those wau-
dering hours. myself had in one or two
cases motto d this popularity, and the author
tiles which l had studied during Philippa's
illness mention it as an indisputable fact.
My great dread was that at some moment,
perhaps when our happiness was as perfect
as it could be, some simple chance, some
allusion to certain events, even the bare men,
ton of a name, might supply the missing
link, and the fearful truth would bereveaed
to my wife.
Our return journey to Seville was made
by water. Although the Granddaughter is
not a very interesting river, we thought
travelling by steamer would be a pleasant
change from the journeys in the hot, stuffy,
slow trains, full from end to end with the
odor of garlic and tobacco; so early one
morning we left Ca ill., and were soon
steaming up the dull, sluggish, turbid river,
with the great fiat stretches of swamp land
on either hand
There were not many passengers on board
the steamer. The boat itself was wretched
affair, and before an hour was over we
wished we had chosen the train as mode of
transit. Mile after mile of the level deserted
land through which the river flows passed
by, and presented no objects of interest
greater than herds of cattle Or flights of
aquatic birds. Save that Pnilippa was by
my side, it was the dullest journey I ever
made.
Of course there were English tourists on
board; no spot is complete without them.
Two of them, young men, and apparently
gentlemen, had seated themselves near us;
and after the usual admiring glances at my
beautiful Philippe. commenced desultory
talk with each other.
From the unrestrained way in which they
spoke, and from the strength of soma of
their unfavorabe1 comments on the scenery,
or lack of scenery, it was clear that they
took us for natives, before whom they could
speak without being understood. Philippa
of course looked thorough Spaniard, and
my own face had become SO tanned by the
sun that might have been of any nation
ality.
The young fellows chatted on, quite ob!iv-
ious to the fact that two of their neighbors
understood every word they spoke. For
some time listened with great amusement;
then the lulling motion of the steamer, the
sluggish muddy flow of the stream, the mo-
notonous banks past which we stole, exercised
soporific effect npon me, and l began to
doze and dream.
Through my dreams l heard a name, a
hated name spoken clearly and distinctly
l started and opened my eyes. Philippa's
head was stretched forward as if she was in
tent upon catching some expected words
spoken by another.
Sir Mervyn Ferrand," Heard one of our
feIlow-voyagers repeat. eyes, remember
him-tall. good-looking mar Where is he
aows He YES as bed II Iot ard anont itr cold
his companion in a tone of surprise
touched my wife's arm Come away,
P-ilippa," said.