Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-01-25
THE SPECTRE OF THE REAL.
By THOMAS HARDY.
Copyright 1891, by Bachelor, Johnson 4
Bacheller.l
Continued from yesterday.
CHAPTER v.

CHAPTER v.
Seven years and some months had
passed since Rosalys spoke as above
written, and never sound of Jim.
AS she had mentally matured under
the touch of the gliding seasons. Miss
Ambrose had determined to act upon
the hint Jim had thrown ont to her as
to the practical nullity of their mar
riage contract, if they simply kept in
different hemispheres without word.
She had never written to him line:
and he had never written a line to her.
He might be dead for all that she
knew; he possibly was dead. She had
taken no steps to ascertain anything
about him, though she had been aware
for years that he was no longer in the
army list Dead or alive he was
completely cut off from the country in
which he and she had lived, for his fa'
ther had died a long time before this,
and his house and properties had been
sold, and not scion of the house OF
Durrant remained in that part of Eng,
land.
Rosalys had readily imbibed his
ideas of their mutual independence;
and now, after 9the lapse of all these
years, had acted upon them with the
surprising literalness of her sex when
they act upon advice at all
Mrs. Ambrose, who had distinguished
herself in 10 whit during her fifty
years of life save by the fact of having
brought singularly beautiful girl
into the world, had passed quietly out
OF it. Rosalys' uncle had succeeded
his sister-in-law in the possession of
the old house with its red tower, and
the broad paths and garden lands; he
had been followed by an unsatisfactory
son of his, last in the entail, and thus
unexpectedly Rosalys Ambrose found
herself sole mistress of the spot of her
birth.
People marveled somewhat that she
called herself Miss Ambrose still.
Though q woman now getting IN for
thirty she was distinctly attractive both
in face and in figure, and could con,
front the sunlight as well as the moon
beams still. In the manner of women
who are still sure of their charms, she
WAS lOliti VI lltlSC
much older than she really was. Per.
haps she would have been disappointed
If her friends had not laughed and con.
tradicted her, and told her that she
was still lovely and looked like n girl.
Lord ParlShurst, anyhow, was firmly OF
that contradictory opinion; and per-
haps she cared more for his views than
for anyone else's at the present time.
That distinguished sailor had been
but one of many suitors; but he had
stirred her heart as none of the others
could do. 1t was not merely thav he
was brave and pleasing, and had re-
turned from campaign in Egypt with
a hero's reputation; but that his chiv-
alrous feelings towards women, origi-
mating perhaps in the fact that he
knew very little about them, were
sufficient to crafty the most exacting
of the sex.
His rigid notions of duty and honor,
both towards them and from them,
made the blood of Rosalys run cold
when she thought of certain little
episode of her past life, notwithstand-
ing, that or perhaps because, she loved
him dearly.
He is not the least bit of fiirt, like
most sailors" said Miss Ambrose to her
cousin and companion, Miss Jennings,
on a particular afternoon in this eighth
year of Jim Durrant's obliteration
from her life. 1t was an afternoon
with an immense event Immediately
ahead of it; no less an event than
Rosalys' marriage with Lord Park
hurst, which was to take place on the
very next day.
The local newspaper had duly an
nounced the coming wedding in proper
terms as the approaching nuptials of
the beautiful and wealthy Miss AM
brose, of Ambrose Towers, with a dis
tinguished naval officer, Lord Park
hurst" There followed an ornamental
account of the future bridegroom's
heroic conduct during the late war.
.'The handsome face and figure of
Lord parkhurst,' wound up the honest
paragraphist, ARE not altogether I'M
known to us in this vicinity, as he has
recently been visiting bis uncle, Col.
Lacy. high sheriff of the county. We
wish all prosperity to the happy couple,
who have doubtless a brilliant and
cloudloss future before them"
This was the way in which her ac-
ccpt2nce Of DurT2:t's views had
worked themselves out. He had said:
after aevcn years of mutual oblivion
we can marry agcin if we choose
An, she had chosen.
Eccclys almost wished that Lord
Par,lhurst he'd been Z lirt, or at least
had Won experience rs the victim OF
&C. OF rleng, OF these precious crea.