News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-03-29

81 confess I thought very little about
her. The only life between me and my
estates was severed by the death, while
% hunting, of my cousin, the young Earl
of Favisham, and | was brought to real
ize my position by my solicitor. could
. give my wife a position which would
seem desirable in English eyes; [ enter
tanned some eXtravagant notions about
the the new life at the hall and the new
Lady Favisham whom l would introduce
to my people. The most dazzling beau
ty on the walls of the old picture gallery
would, l felt, pale beside the charms of
the last Lady Harcourt Countess of
Favisham.
"Yet how shall describe my first
meeting with herr l heard her light
| foot in the corridor, and the rustic of her
sllken gown. The morning sunshine
flooded the room, the odor of roses from
their tall green vases for a moment
turned me faint. Was it o fancy that
the old musty incense of the jungle
where the boa lies coiled entered the
room with her, emitted by her white
garmentsl
"She glided toward me, scarcely max
ing sound, and my senses seemed
bounl by spell.
"There was no forbidding airs of
hauteur. She cOied her arms about me, !
and slid her dusky cheek along until it
lay against mine; yet it was cool. !
81 was very nearly overcome when my
aunt entered the room, bringing q cur
rent OF fresh air with her. is she not !
lovely, your little Indian savagef' point |
ing to Zobeide, who seemed to drift
not walk over the floor to the piano,
from which she evoked such quaint mi
nor chords that | begged her to come
and talk to me insteal of playing.
prom that hour my soul passed out
of my body to the keeping of this girl.
She spoke to me caresslngly, sOothingly, |
rs child. When wearied of my cruv-
ings for her kisses and caresses, she
would shut herself up for hours in her
apartments, or would gallOp away over
the downs on her black horse Selim, an
Arabian [ had given her.
"We We're married in London one day,
and began life in an irresponsible, un-
! English wav, as my aunt had said. But
we Were always together. If we gave
no balls, that was mere matter of
| taste. [ had once had n passion for
such diversions, but it had died in me,
as hnd most passions except for my chill
wife. ZObeide seemed to revel in the
county ball at first and to gloat on the
homage and admiration she reaeiled
| But very soon she tired of that sort of
thing, and even of her rides with Selim.
the great splendid rooms, the library
and the picture gallery, the lakes, the
swans, and the elm shaded avenue, with
snowy statues cleaning ghostly in the
moonlight.
''She had wearied of the homage of
men and the envious amazement of wO-
men, awe struck by her beauty long ago.
She locked herself up more often in her /
own wing, and always laughingly re- f
fused to admit me. [ cannot see whyI n
more strange than that L gave up hunt L
ing, which had been passionate fancy
of mine before. Ny aunt had laid her
hand on my brow, saying:
"'How changed you are, Henryr
Nonsense" L replied. 1T is you c
who are altered. Where is Zobeide!'
"'Always that question: she muir l
INJURED i'll a tone of distress.
"Once she pulled me into her own ,
chamber, saying i'll q way calculated to !
stmrtle me-but it did not i
'My dear boy I want to speak to you.
must speak now with you. Why do ]
allow Lady Favisham to amuse herself
daily with brood of detestable snakes 2"
"'Does e 2 I asked listlessly. 'My c
good soul, why should interfere if the J
child really does amuse herself. Don't
worry about HnbeidA, dear; ] don't! = S
"No, poor boy wish you did ? '
"Strange | passed the conversation +
off US if it had related to the fapnels of
the rheumatic tenants. Yet ordinarily '
l should have been paralyzed with hOr- l
ror at the idea of my wife Juggling with {
snakes. 1t sets my teeth ON edge now
only to think of it, and it would have c
made my hair stand on end had been s
in my right mind. {
al was insane all that horrible summer
when snake charmer ruled at Favis- '
ham Hall, the seat of loyal and hot J
blooded race of which l was the last and S
least worthy.
"Yet any one that knew Lady Har- !
court at that time would not have won
dered at her autOcracy, am sure. Even g,
the servants were tinctured with the !
poisonous atmosphere, and only my =
aunt, who constantly went abroad, was
able to shake off the lealen pail which
hal settled down upon us at the hall. \
"Suddeniy, in obedience to the wishes
of my physician, 1 made ready to run y
over to my shooting box in Scotland I
was stubboruly firm about taking my :
wife with me, although she demurred
and even wept when [ presented hetour
to her. [ carried my point and We were
away just ten days
''Lady HarcOurt stipulated that her
wing of the hall was to remain undis- I
turbed during her absence But she !
expected fully to be back within week. !,
My aunt had gone to Rugby. u
''I will try and describe our coming "
home as intelligently as possible. ,
81 had noticed with wonderful elatiOn Il
that my head was clear and my whole II
mind more coherent during our absence, V
Wanting to sway and blacken my life. IL
"On the contrary, my wife, although
so young and lovely, with all the world
to fall at her feet seemed strangely i'll J
mt case during our trip, and grew so d
nervous nearing home that she actually "
leaped from the carriage rs it drew up l.
bef1re the hall. She had coiled herself r
up in it without ii word, although I i
talked necessarily of the rains and the u
hops. z
"Perkins, the butler, gravely met us, /
saying, Dinner awai s, my lord, like n a. a.
theatrical call, boy. But my wife sprang u
out and rushed off to her own apart @
ments with her wraps on her arm, hum ~
ming IL lutte strain of Hindoo song u
which she knew made me particularly U
unhappy. =
"I threw myself in deep chair and 6;
broke the seals of two or three letters,
over their contents in the q
great banquet room, where the till wax l.
lights tiared in their s'Onces, trying to
he patient till lady Harcourt came. The w
fOwe' wiited i'll their blue and gold @,
vases; the clock ti"kel ominou .ly; still !,
Lady Harcourt did not appear. | think
p sort Of paralysis must have seized me; -
yet | remember that felt satisfied that ;,
the end had come. | knew by some 9,
strange foresight that the curtain had 9,
fallen on the tragic little comedy [ had u
played at the old hall, with the woman a.
who society had declared wonld one day n
shock or startle every one. [ knew that 4,
l should never li'tmy head again to find y
her great black eyes glowing from behind
the tea urn. / had not been unhappy ii
with Zobede, but | question if l was in II
n state to know the quality of happiness n
she gave me. ] had grown to think the W
thoughts she gave me; that was all. ia
II simply told Celeste, my ladys n
maid, that [ would go to her apartments; W
but Celeste, with the desire probably to Il
save me detested sight, ran up the IT