Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1889-01-31
that she braveIy trled TO stife.

ana trusted you So
Suddenly she arose, flung aside her tears
and disappointment and stood erect;
naughty, cold and commanding. Any other
but Fairfax would have fiinched under the
keen, contemptuous gaze.
This must cease ~ and as she spoke,
the words fell in hard, unnatural metallic
tones.
Her cheeks flushed with indignation, her
lip curled in scorn and command, her eyes
CLEANED with fire, and she looked every
inch the child Of royal race.
Fairfax forgot every thing totally, and
gazed in wrapt admiration at this glorious
being
'sThis must ceaset You stand confessed
that you are the man through whose arts l
am here. command you to release and re-
turn me-"
"What ~ she continued, as Fairfax stood
silently devonring her as 1t were, with /his
eyes, ''you refuse 10 heed. Know yop not
that the word OF the Princess RadziwiM even
with her peers, is law; and do you, an infe-
rior, dare to hold her prisoner! Col" she
said, imperiously, her face now pallid with
the strong emotion that rent her. Col
Tomorrow you Will provide away for my
return
Fairfax, regaiuiug his cohposure with a
coolness, dispassionateness and gentleman
ly courtesy, by which even Natalie could not
help being affected, replied in those slow,
calculating, colorless, measured tones that
he could adopt at will:
1.-THE Princess Natalie forgets that she is
entirely in my control; that she has given
me her written promise even to mediate no
escape, while freedom is allowed her. / do
not deny that abducted you; stole you from
bNr lad 20 y
life, your happiness, my own happiness and
that of your family; that risked all threw
every thing into the balance, including my
own moral perceptions of right and wrong,
my training as the son of a Christian gen
tleman, overbore my conscientious scruples
all to succeed in my plans. That love
you, you know. But that I have loved YOU
ever since that blessed hour when 1 first
beheld you at the wayside pool in Brittany,
you do not know. 1t was l who found and
returned your lost knife |, too, am the
guilty author and executor of the abduc-
ton. You know how well have succeeded.
Can you deny that you feel an interest ia
met win you say that I am nothing to you
] have never loved you more than do now.
| have never felt your worthiness and my
own unworthiness, villainy and hypocrisy
more than l do now-my wickedness in i'm
posing upon the confidence and innocence Of
one SO far above me In purity and nobleness
of life. You know what I am. make no
excuse, no apology. My offense is too gross
even to allow of an apology. All say is:
loved you and knew well that no plebeian
could dream Of winning your affections;
much loss, your hand. On the eve Of my
departure to America, this plan suggested
itself TO me, hung about me like night
II.
yielded, with this result
But continued he, ''you, yourself, must
acknowledge that you have been treated
kindly; that your time has passed pleasant
~ and that you never were happier How
ever, am no cruel iailer and win prove my
love by giving up all my hopes forever
since that is your wish. Tomorrow you
shall go. You may blame me, but never as
severely as shall myself | leave you and
shall trouble you no more
So saying, before she could prevent him,
he quickly took her hand in his and, bending
forward, touched it lightly TO his lips
Slight as it was, the act sent the blood
tingling through Natalies veins. No man
had ever taken, or ever dared to take,
even that respectful and gallant liberty
with her person.
While Fairfax had been talking with her,
his face lost its expression of shame and,
gradually, assumed look Of dignity with
which was intermingled that refined, sor-
rowiul iock that had attracted her atter,-
tion when she first saw him weary, yet
calm resignation to fate; a sublime endur-
ance. His frankness and every thing about
him was, for the nonce, at least, all spon-
taneitv itself, and, therefore doubly effect
i've.
The girl could not but listen and look AS
he proceeded, her anger began to grow cool
and her hasty resolves to melt. She felt,
yelling up in her breast, the strong love for
this man that unknown to herself, had
been silently but rapidly growing up within
her
When he released her hand, and with a
low bow and barely audible, "Addion
walked away, she would have been weak
enough to run after him or to call him back,
had not sharp ring from the door-bcll pre-
vented her putting the wish into execution
Speedily retreating up the stairway, sho
told Blanche to say to the visitor that Miss
Rochefort was unwell and begged to be OK.
cused.