Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-07-26
CHAPTER \

There came an evening when Paul Wal
dron sat in the beautiful flower garden,
a prey to most anxious thoughts The sun
was setting, the birds were singing in the
green depths of the shady trees. He had
returned home early that evening, and
had found his wife, with sad, pale face
standing Gstlessly at the cottage window
No tea was prepared for him, and the smile
that usually greeted him was absent from
her beautiful lips He loved her too dearly
to offer any remonstrance-he went up to
her and kissed her.
You are not looking well to-day, Is
may" he said, gently.
He was almost startled when she flung
her arms round his neck with a low pas
sionate cry, and hid her face on his breast.
you are not well, Ismay," he repeated
Never mind tea for me. Come out, and
l will try to cheer you. The room is warm;
come into the fresh air, and-oh, my dar-
ling, give me one bright look, or all the
world will be dark to me-"
AS they walked along he said to her:
II cannot understand you, Lsmay. You
are so changed, you are so variable, my
darling so unlike your sweet, bright self.
One moment you are here, with your arms
clasped round my neck-loving, tender,
all that my heart desires; the next you are
cool and naughty, as though you were a
princess, and your slave. At times YOU
seem to love me, and then again you seem
to hate me. One day | think you are per-
fectly happy-you smile and sing, and
your face is more beautiful than ever in
its sweet content; the next you are silent,
sad, engrossed with melancholy thoughts
l cannot understand you. Are you with
holding any secret from me, Ismayi"
She clasped her arms round his neck,
and drew his face down to hers. She said
that he was the truest, the dearest, the
best of husbands, and that she loved him,
and ended with passionate tears
He sighed deeply as he soothed her.
What had come to this lovely young wife
of his2 He little dreamed of the terrible
struggle going on in the heart he believed
to be all his own.
1t seemed to her that her very soul was
rent in twain; she longed with an intensity
of longing for the wealth, the rank, the
position, the grandeur that had been de-
scribed to her. She was lot surprised at
what she had heard; there had always
been in her mind a kind of intuitive
knowledge that her mother was lady,
and that she herself was not in her right
place. 1t seemed so cruel that she should
be deprived of all the glorious advantages
she had longed for, because she loved her
husband and would not leave him.
How happy shs would have been, in
stalled at Bralyn, mistress of that grand
mansionl How the great people of the
great world would have admired her!
What jewels, what dresses she would have
hadi No wonder that when she thought
of all she had lost she grew sad, silent and
unhappy; the little cottage became I'M
bearable then, the needful little econo-
mics most hateful, the husband for whom
she had sacrificed SO much a source of
aversion.
Then a sudden fit of remorse would
seize her; she would prove her love for
him by the most loving words, the most
tender caresseS; she would laugh and sing,
ali to show him that she was happy; she
would utter thousand extravagances
about their little home and her affection
for 1t. And then would follow the reac-
ton, and she would be intensely wretched
again. And so matters went on for three
long weeks until her health began to fail.
A noble woman, having once made the
sacrifice, would have abided by it. She
wavered even while she believed herself to
be most firm. She looked i'll, her face was
always either flushed or white, her hands
trembled; she was nervous, hysterical, I'M
like herself In vain her husband tried
everything to please her; he was, if posi-
BILE, more unhappy than herself.
1t had been such glimpse of Paradise
to her; now the gates were shut, and she
was debarred from entering. She had not
said one word to Paul; he was still in ut
ter ignorance. So the fourth week dawned
and she knew that before it had ended she
must be either rich without her husband
or poor with him.
In the meantime Mr.. Ford had told the
old lord all; he had painted the girls
beauty in vivid colors; he had described
her anger, her Indignation; her resolve
never to leave her husband, never to break
his heart; he had delivered the message
word for word. Lord Carlswood smiled
Grimly.
Il like that" he said: sit is the true
Carlswood spirit. But she will give in.
She seemed to waver at the last, you say,
She will give in. l have thought of a
PLAN" he added. "You shall wait a month.
so as to give her time to think over all she
has lost, and then yod shall go again, and
this time you shall invite her to Bralyn,
boy too for a months visit-not the hus-
band, mind. He cannot refuse my grand
child permission to visit me; and if she
comes l will undertake to say that she
will never go back. Let her once taste
such a life as she will lead here, and she
is mine"
SOrely against his will Mr.. Ford con-
sented. He went once more to Ashburn-
ham, and found his way to the pretty cot
tage in the wood. Ismay's face flushed
deepest crimson when she saw him She
held out her hands with gesture almost
sublime in its despair
You must not come to tempt me again.
she cried 81 am not strong. Pray leave
me-"
II am here only TO invite you and your
son to Bralyn.' he returned. Lord Carls-
wood Will let the question of adoption rest
for time, but he wants to see you and
your little Lionel"
Not my husbands" she asked, with
whitening lips.
mo, he will not receive Mr.. Waldron.
You can please yourself, of course, as to
accepting the invitation or not"
II should like to go" she said. eagerly.
Il have longed TO see little of the beauti-
full, great world must go, and take my
buN WIN liz 1SAA ulS--tSAI me al ABOUT
Bralyn"
He described the place to her; he hid
from her no details of her grandfather's
wealth, position, and grandeur.
Il must 60" she crisd again Paul
will not object to my going there when he
knows"
You have not told your husband9" Mr..
Ford asked.
Not one word" she replied. DO you
think he will be unwilling for me to go9''
Il cannot tell You must be the better
judge. You will have to ask his permis-
sion"
She sat for some minutes in thoughtful
silence, and then with a grave, pale face,
looked at the lawyer.
II should like to go to Bralyn,' she said,
Il should like to see just once what the
grand world Is like. OF course l shall
come back again Considering the great
sacrifice l have TO make, think may al
low myself this pleasure; but am afraid.
II Paul knew what my grandfather has
proposed, he would never let me go. L
have been thinking that you might tell
him the story-inform him who my moth
er was, and of Lord Carlswood's invita-
ton without saying anything about his
conditions for adopting my boy and my
sehf'
As she spoke her lips grew white Yes,
she was sure to come back, she repeated to
herself She wanted only one glimpse Of