Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-12-24
LOVES VICTORY,
BY BERTHA NJ. CLAY.
CHAPTER XIV.

a rev days laler the tranquility OF DarrcU
Court was at an end. The invited guests
were expected, and Sir Oswald had deter
mined to do them all honor The st1te-
apartments, which had not been used during
his tenure, were all thrown open: the superb
ballroom. once the pride of the county, WAS
re-decorated; the long, empty corridors and
suites OF apartments reserved Tor visitors,
were once more full of life. Miss Hastings
was the presiding genius; Pauline Darrell
took far less interest in the preparations.
II am glad" she said one morning, shat
am to see your world Sir Oswald. You
despise mine; l shall be anxious to see what
yours is like"
The baronet answered her testify:
II do not quite understand your remarks
about worlds Surely we live under the
same conditions
mot in the same world of people," she OPP
posed; land l am anxious to see what yours
Is like
what do you expect to find in what you
are pleased to call my world, Pauline?' he
asked, angriIy.
Little truth, and plenty of affectaton; lit
tie honor, and plenty of polish; little honesty,
and very high, sounding words; little snceri-
ty, and plenty of deceit"
'By what right do you sit in judgment?'
he demanded.
''None at all" replied Pauline; ''but as
people are always speaking i'll of the dear,
honest world in which | have lived I may
surely be permitted to criticise the world that
Is outside it."
Sir Oswald turned away angrily; and Miss
Hastings sighed over the girls wfllfuncs%.
why do you talk to Sir Oswald in a 1 81
ion that always initiates him?" she rcmon-
stratod.
eve live in a free country, and have each
of us freedom of speech"
81 am afraid the day viii come when yoI
WI! paya sac price for yoars."
Brl Pau. d" Darrell only laughed. Such
fears never atf2r."d her; ST." would sooner
have expected to see the heavens fall at her
feet tir10 tlitt Sir Oswald should not leave
Darrell Cu;.rt to her-his niece, Dalrcu,
with the Darrell face and the Darrell figure,
the true, proud features Of the race. IL
would never dare to do otherwise, she
LnOugnJ, ana she would not cOndeScenu 10
change either her thought or speech to please
him.
''The Darrells do not know fear" she
would say; there never yet was an example
OF a Darrell being frightened into anything"
So the breach between the uncle and the
niece grew wider every day. He could not
understand her; the grand, unframed. undis-
ciplined, pOetical nature was beyond him-
he could neither reach it heights, nor fathom
Its depths. There were times when he thought
that, despite her outward cOl,tneSS and pride,
there was within a soul Of fire, when he dim
ly understood the magniicence of the charac-
ter he could not read, when he suspected
there might be some souls that could not be
narrowed or forced into q common groove.
Nevertheless he feared her; he was afraid to
trust, not the honor, but the fame Of his race
to her
'She is capable of anything" he would re-
peat to himself again and again. "She would
fling the Darrell revenues to the wind; she
would transform Darrell Court into one huge
observatory, ii astronomy pleased her--int0
one huge laboratory, if she gave herself to
chemistry. One thing is perfectly clear to
me-ShC can never be my hcireSs until she is
safely married"
And, after great deliberation-after listen
Ing to all his hearts pleading in favor of her
grace, her beauty, her royal generosity of
character, the claim of her name and her
truth. he came to the decision that if she
would marry Captain Langton, whom he
loved perhaps better than any one else in the
world, he would at once make his will, adopt
her, and leave her heiress of all that he had
In the world
One morning the captain contided in him,
telling him how dearly he loved his beauti-
full niece, and then Sir Oswald revealed his
intentions.
You understand, Aubrey" he said-'the
girl is magniicently beautiful--she is a true
Darrell; but am frightened about her. She
is not like other girls; she is wanting in tact,
In Hra Of 10 hot nc
sental. / hope you will win her. | shall
die content if l leave Darrell Court in your
hands, and if you are her husband. / could
not pass her over to make her my heir; but
II you can persuade her to marry you, you
can take the name of Darrell, and you can
guide and direct her. What do you say,
Aubrey"
what do [ Say?' Stammered the captain.
Il say thiS-that | love her SO dearly that
would marry her if she had not farthing. I
love her so that language cannot express the
depth Of my affection for her."
The captain was for few minutes quite
overcOme-he had been so long dunned for
money, so hardly pressed, SO desperate, that
the chance of twenty thousand year and
Darrell Court was almost too much for him.
His brow grew damp, and his lips pale. All
this might be his own if he could but win
the consent of this girl. Yet he feared her;
the proud, noble face, the grand, dark eyes
rose before him, and seemed to rebuke him
for his presumptuous hope. How was he to
win herp Flattery, sweet, soft words would
never do it. One scornful look from her sent
his ideas flying right and left"
IF she were only like other girls" he
thought, II could make her my wife in few
weeks"
Then he took heart of grace. Had he not
been celebrated for his good fortune among
the fair sex? Had he not always found his
handsome person, his low, tender voice, his
pleasing manner irresistible? Who was this
proud, dark-eyed girl that she should meas
ure the depths of his heart and soul, and find
them wanting? Surely he must be superior
to the artists in shabby coats by whom she
had been surrounded. And yet he feared as
much as he hoped.
''She has such way of making me feel
SMALL" he said to himself; land if that kind
of feeling comes over me when am making
her an offer, it will be of no use to plead my
suit"
But what a prOSpect-maSter Of Darrell
Court and twenty thousand per annum! He
would endure almost any humiliation to OBJ
tain that position.
'She must have me" he said to himself
''she shall have me! will force her to be
my wife!''
Why, if he could but announce his engage
ment to Miss Darrell, he could borrow as
much money as would clear off all his liabili-
ties! And how much he needed money no
one knew better than himself. He had paid
this visit to the Court because there were two
writS out against him in London, and, unless