Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-02-18

lived before, and had known you in another
life"
Then Lady st. Lawrence said something
about Sea View, and they left fairy-land for
more commonplace sphere Of existence.
CHAPTER XXXV.
REDEEMED BY LOVE.
IF anything can redeem her, it will be
love" SO Miss Hastings had said of Pau
line long months ago, when she had first seen
her grand nature warped and soured by dis
appointment shadoWed by the fierce desire
OF revenge. Now she was to see the fulfill
mpnt of her words.
With a nature like Pauline'S, love was no
ordinary passion; all the romance the fever,
the poetry of her heart and soul were aroused.
Her love took her out of herself. transform
ed and TRANSPORTED her. sOftened and beauti-
fed her She was not of those who could
love moderately, and if one attachment was
not satisfactory. take refuge in another. For
such as her there was but one love, and it
would make or mar her life.
Had Sir Nane st. Lawrence been merely a
handsome man she would never have cared
for him; but his soul and mind had mastered
her. He was noble gentleman, princc!y in
his tastes and culture, generous, pure, gifted
with an intellect magnificent in itself, and
cultivated to the highest degree of perfec-
ton. The innate nobility of his character at
once influenced her. She acknowledged its
superiority: she bowed her heart and soul
before it. proud of the very chains That
bound her.
How small and insignificant everything
else now appeared! Even the loss of Oar
r,,lI triHi To I EaI
suddenly assumed another aspect. She was
in an unknown land; she was happy beyond
everything that she had ever conceived or
imagined it possible to be. 1t was quiet,
subdued happiness. one that was disS0iving
her pride rapidly as the sunshine diss0lves,
snoW-happiness that was rounding off the
angles of her character, that was taking
away scOrn and defiance, and bringing sweet
and gracious humility, womanly grace and
tenderness in their stead.
While Sir Vane was studying her as the
most difficult problem he had ever met with
he heard from Miss Hastings the story of her
life. He could understand how the innate
strength and truth Of the girls character
had rebelIed against polite inSinCeritieS and
conventional mtluthS: he could understand
that sou SO gifted. pure, and eager, could
find no reSting-place and 10 delight; he
could understand, too, how the stately Old
baronet, the gentleman of the old school,
had been frightened at his niece's originality,
and scared by her uncomprOmiSing love OF
truth
Miss Hastings, whose favOrite theme in
Pauline's absence was praise Of her, had
told both mother and son the story Of Sir OS-
Wald's project and its failure--h0W Pauline
would have been mistress OF Darrell Court
and all her uncle's immense wealth ii she
would but have compromised matters and
have married Aubrey I-augton.
"Langton?' questioned Sir Vane. Il
know him-that is [ have heard Of him; but
| cannot remember anything more than that
he is great TOUe. and man whose word is
never to be believed"
Then my pupil was right in her estimate
of his character" said Hiss Hastings. She
seemed to guess it by instinct. She always
treated him with the utmost contempt and
ScOrn. l have often spoken to her about it. y
'You may rely upon it, Miss Hastings, that
the instinct of good woman, in the opinion
size forms of men, is never wrong" observed
Sir Vane, graveiy; and then he turned tC
Lady St Lawrence with the sweet smile his
face always wore for her.
Mother" he said, gently, latter hearing
of such heroism as that, you must not be an
cry about Lillith Davenant again."
"That is very different matter" opposed
Lady st. Lawrence; but it seemed to her sol
very much the same kind Of thing.
Before he had known Pauline long he wa!
not ashamed to own to himself that he loved
her far better than all the world beside-tha
life for him, unless she would share it, wa
all blank and hopeless She was to him al
part OF his own soul, the center of his exis
tence; he knew she was beautiful beyond
most women, he believed her noble and truer
than most of women had ever been. His
faith in her was implicit; he loved her as
only noble men are capable of loving.
AS time passed on his influence over her
became nbounded. Quite unconsciously to
herself she worshiped him; unconsciOusly tc
herself her thoughts, her ideas, all took theil
coloring from his. She who had delighted
in cyncsm, whose beautiful lips had uttered
such hard and cruel words, now took from
him a broader, clearer, kinder view of man
kind and human nature, If at times the ole
naDlt was too strong IOr her, anu rv,ne .....-7
sarcasm would fall from her some cold Gym
zeal sheer, he would reprove her quite fear
lessly.
You are wrong, Miss Darrell-quite
wrong" he would say. "The noblest men
have not been those who sneered at their fel-
low-men, but those who have done their best
to aid them. There is little nobility in a
deriding spirit"
And then her face would flush, her lips
culver, her eyes take the grieyed expression
of a child who has been hurt
Can help it," she would say, when
hear what is falSe?'
Your ridicule will not remedy it," he
would reply. You must take broader
more kindly view of matters. You think
Mrs. Leigh deceitful Mrs. Vernon worldly;
but my dear Miss Darrell, do you remember
this, that III every woman and man there is
something good, something to be admired
some grand or noble quality? it.nlay be half
hidden by faults, but it is there, and for the
sake of the good we must tolerate the bad
No one is all bad. Men and women are, aft
er all, created by God; and there is some
trace of the Divine image left in every one. ,
This was new and startling theory to The
girl who had looked down with contempt
not unmixed with scorn on her feilow-creat
ures-judging them by a standard to which
few ever attain.
And you really believe there is some
thing good in every one" she asked.
Something not merely good, but noble
My secret conviction Is that in every sou
there is the germ of something noble. ever