San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-01-11
CHAPTER xLIx.-"MY FAIRY QUEEN"

10 assume n brightness not 1elt.
Colonel Beauregard sought Mrs. Lang
ley, who had retired to her boudoir, and
| when he knocked at the door, was sitting
tapping her foot on the floor in a state Of
extreme perturbation.
Valerie's conduct was simply distracting,
Colonel Beauregardr' she exclaimed
| in great surprise as he entered; you wish
to see Elinor, perhaps!"
NO" said he, coolly. 81 wish to see
you for a few minutes, if you can spare me
the time"
"Of course l can, with pleasurer' she
answered, making room for him on the
lounge by her side, and more amazed than
ever.
Thanks" said he, seating himself, land
pardon soldier for going straight to the
point Is Valerie obliged 10 fulfill this en-
gagement at the Morton's9"
Colonel Beauregard, l don't under
standr'
1t was wicked of him, but he could not
resist teasing her.
Mop he said; well, excuses are some
times made in these cases, are they not'
and II Valerie went back to Welfordr'
And who told you," asked Mrs. Lang
ley, leaning back, that Valerie was going
back to Welford'"
''She told me herselfp' returned Beaure-
gard, playing with his moustache.
Mrs. Langley looked at him steadily for
moment before she spoke again; but her
scrutiny was not very satisfactory.
Valerie" she said, coldly, sis impetu-
Gus and capricious. She had taken into
her head to go to Welford but / don't
Hpn rbtya oh haU 70
your
81 don't see why she need goI'
Nor 1: it was her own wishp'
"Wish! hardly. II a man jumped int
the sea, as an alternative to committing
a crime, would you say he wished to be
drOwned?"
"You talk in riddles, =" said Mrs. Langley,
turning pale, yet with flash of hope in
her heart.
"They are very readable riddles You
have done all you could, Mrs. Langley" he
said, laying his hand on hers, and speak
ing with a certain sternness underlying
his gentleness of speech and manner, ito
wreck life that nature too noble-for
give me-for you to understand saved from
moral shipwreck, but could not save from
the shipwreck of happiness. You tried to
force Valerie, first into hateful marriage
with Aston Lawford; next into trying to
win me, when became a more valuable
match and since she would do neither,
you pronounced her a failure and practi
cally gave her the choice of these two al
ternatives, or Punishment from your care
and favor. You were worldly wise-very
worldly wise, and yet you never discovered
what a truer wisdom might have found
out without any worldly knowledge-the
handspring of all Valerie's conduct"
Mrs. Langley had sat gazing stonily at
the speaker, too utterly taken aback to re-
sent the accusation, which, put plainly and
tersely, looked very ugly indeed, and yet
was so true; as he paused and she did not
speak, he added, with half smile-in his
heart he almost pitied the woman-"I sup.
pose you know it nowg"
Colonel Beauregard, do you mean-w
81 mean" he said-and what light
flashed up into his dark eyesl-"that Va
lerie's heart was given to me before she
went to live under your roof, though she
did not know it then; and when she knew
it. all her life was given to the task of hid
ing her secret. She hid it from you, and
she hid it from me until to-day. So, after
all, you have your wish, though not as you
had planned it, but because learned the
truth, that Valerie loved me for myself,
would have given herself to me If had
asked her love-when was only a younger
son, with younger sons allowance and
soldiers payp'
Poor Mrs. Langley! it was bitter pill
to swallow, to find that she had so terribly
Numbered; and to be told pOint-blank by
Max Beauregard, although he spoke gent
ly, that she was a worldly-minded match
maker. But still, there was the cOnsola-
ton that Valerie would, after all, be the
mistress of Abbot's Leigh. 1t was not her
Mrs. Langley's) success, but it was success
triumph
Lady Elinor could hardly be expected to
rejoice very much, but she dared not ex-
press to her brother-in-law any doubt of
Valerie's veracity; nor did she venture to
hint her opinion that Mrs Langley was
improving on the truth when she said Va
lerIe's letter to Aston Lawford was sent
before the girl knew of Gerald BeauTegard's
illness.
"Of course" Lady Elinor said to Angela,
there is no difficulty about falling in love
with Maxi dare say Valerie did that: the
question is, would she have married him
before he became the head of his hOuser
$50" wrote uncle Will to his niece, you
are not coming to Wexford, after all, and
you are going to marry Colonel Beaure-
gard. l am very glad to hear that: he is
splendid fellow, and none the worse for be-
ing the owner of one of the finest proper
ties in England. l am sure you will be
happy; Of course / shall be delighted to see
him, and i have some new kinds of ferns
to show him-but you mustn't ask me to
give you away. Your aunt will do it much
better, and it would distress me to take
part in grand affairs like thatp'
81 dare say he would not know what to
do" said Beauregard, laughing, when Va
lerie showed him this letter, long one for
uncle viii; land those ferns He has new
er forgotten my supposed interest in ferns,
and know nothing about them. How
ever, shall be duly appreciative when the
time comesp'
About writing to Louis, Valerie had at
first hesitated, but finally decided to do so
and explain everything. His answer, when
it came, brought the tears to her eyes.
Some bitterness Of feeling he showed, as
was only to be expected, but he was truly
glad to find that she was not what she had
made herself out to be. Beauregard had
acted nObly throughout; no man better de-
served the happiness he had gained In