Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-06-15
RUPERT'S RETURN.

girandoles. Below lay the orchard Of
Vernon Garth, rich in heavily lowered
fruit trees-yonder n medlar, here n
pear, next q ounce. AS my eyes unac-
customed to the day, blinked rapidly,
the rec elleci;on came Of u scene forty
five years past, and once more beneath
the oldest tree stood the girl 1 loved,
mischievously plucking yarrow, and,
despite It's evil omen, twining the
snowy clusters in her black hair Again
her cOquettish words rang in my ears:
MAKE me thy ladyl Make me the
richest woman in England, and prom
Use thee, Rupert, we shall be the hap
pieSt of Gods creatures" And / re-
mcmbered how the mad thirst for gold
filled me; how / trusted in her fidelity,
and without reasoning or even telling
her that j would conquer fortune for
her sake, kissed her sadly and passed
into the world
Then followed complete silence I'M
til the Star Of Europe. the greatest
diamond discovered in modern times,
lay in my hand-a rough, unpublished
stone, not unlike the Jumps Of spar l
had often seen lying on the sandy lanes
of my native country. This should be
Roses own, and all the others that
clanked so melodiously In their leather
bulse should go toward fulfilling her
ambition. Rich and happy | should be
soon. and should | not marry an I'M
titled gentlewoman, sweet In her
prime? The twenty years interval of
work and sleep was like fading
dream, for l was going home. The
knowledge thrilled me so tlat my
nerves We're strung tight as iron ropes
and l laughed like Il young boy. And
it was all because my home was to be
in Rose Pascals arms.
crossed the sea and posted straight
for Halllton village. The old hostelry
was crowded. Jane HOpgarth, whom
l remembered rs n ruddy-faced child,
stood on the bOX-edged terrace, cOurte-
sying in matronly fashion to the de-
parting mail coach. An alteration in
the signboard attracted my attention;
the white lilies had been painted over
with Il mitre. and the name changed
from the Pascal Arms 10 the Lord
Bishop Angrily, aghast ut this dis
loyalty, / cross-questioned the 'ostlcrs,
who hurried to and fro, but failing 10
obtain any coherent replies | was iain
to content myself with Il mental denun-
citation OF the times
Twilight had fallen before ! reached
the cottage ut the entrance of the park.
This was in n ruinous condition; here
and there shcaves Of the matched roof
had parted and formed crevices through
which smoke filtered. Some of the tiny
windows had been walled up, and even
where the glass remained snake-like
ivy hindered any light falling into their
thick recesses.
The door stood open, although the
! evening was chilly. AS l approached,
the heavy autumnal dew shook down
from the frs and fell upon my Shout
ders. 4 bat, swOOpng i'm an undulatiOn,
| struck between my eyes and fell TO
the grass, moaning querllously. l en-
tered. A withered woman sat beside
the peat fire She held 4 pair of steel
bnitting-needles. which sac moved with
out cessation. There was no thread
upon them. and when they clicked her
lips twitched as if she had counted.
Some time passed before | recognized
Roses foster-mother, Elizabeth Car
less. The russell cOlors of her checks
had faded and left Il sicbly gray; these
sunken, dimmed eyes were utterly un-
like the bright. black Orbs that had
danced so mirthfully. Her stature. too.
had shrunk. l was struck with wondcr
Elizabeth could not be more than fifty
six years old. l had been away twenty
years; Rose was fifteen when 1 left
her, and l had heard Elizabeth say
that she was only twenty-one at the
time of her darliag's weaving. But
what change. Hfe had such ar
Of weary grief that my heart :
sick.
Advancing to her side, I touched her
arm. She turned. but neither spoke
nor seemed aware OF my presence.
Soon, however, she rose, and, helping
herself along by grasping the scanty
furniture, tottered to a window and
peered out. Her right hand crept to
her throat she united the string Of her
gown and took from her bosom a po-
mander set in n battered silver case.
l cried out: Rose had loved that toy in
her childhood; thousands Of times had
We played ball with It, Eliza
beth held it to her mouth and mumbled
It, as If IL were baby's hand. Mad
dened with Impotence, l caught her
shoulder and roughly babe her say
where / should find Rose But some
thing awoke In her eyes, and she
shrank away 10 the other side of the
houseplace. / followed; she covered
on the floor, looking at me with Il
strange horror Her lips began to
move, but no sound issued. Only when
l crossed 10 the threshold did she rise;
and then her head moved wildly from
side to side, and her hands pressed
close to her breast as If the pain there
were too great to endure.
/ ran from the place, not daring TO
look back. In a few minutes reached
the balustraded wall Of the hall garden.
The house looked as If no careful hand
had touched 1t for years. The elements
had played havoc with its oTiels, and
many Of the latticed frames hung on
single hinges. The curtain Of the blue
parlor hung outside, draggled and
faded, and half-hidden by a thick
growth of bindweed.
With an almost savage force I raised
my arm high above my head and
brought my fist down upon the central
panel Of the door. There was no need
for such violence, for the decayed
= fastenings made no resistance. and
some of the rotten boards fell to the
ground. AS ] entered the hall and saw