The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-01


I briel GOldspang"
My dear young lady I eNpostulated.
/ you altogether Overrate my influence.
/ You are unWell-overwrOught. The first
first thing to do is to get you in sound
took out my pencil and pocketbook
and wrote out a prescription Tor a com
/ posing draught on the back of one of my
professional cards. This handed to her,
There. VIII You get that made up? I
want you to take It three times a day
! Since you bid me. yes" she replied
/ quietly. Then she turned the card over
and looked at my name and description
/ on the other side
"Hamo Wakefield. NJ. D."
! M. D., she murmured, rather to her
| self than to me, m. ID. Those are my in
! itials. Hame Wakefield, VI. d. Margaret
/ D Strange-strange, is it not2'
WELL DR.. Wakefield" the marchiOness
/ asked me anXlously, as We went down
/ stairs, what do you think of her? Is IL
"a serious attack?'
My lady i answered. speaking very
decidedly, lin matter like this / have no
I option but to be candid. You must not
| suppose that desire to exercise any inn
pertinent Interference. in your family
matters. l speak simply as Lady Mar
garets medical adviser. AS such, tell
] you frankly that to raise the subject or
| this engagement with her at present will
inevitably result in her losing her reason.
How long this may have to be so | cannot
at this early stage tell you. 1 hope, how
ever that with rest and quiet her excited
.
ton"
When babe Lady Margaret good-by. at
the end of my six weeks attendance upon
her, she seemed more grave and anxious
than she had done since the first few days
of her attack.
"Good-by Dr. WakeheldW she said taxi
ing my hand, and looking earnestly into
my face with those violet eyes of hers.
THANK you so much for all that you have
done. and now, before you leave me. j
want you TO make me "A solemn promise. /
asked you to make il the first day that you
saw me. You then gave me no answer.
PrOmise-prOmise." she said, entreatingly,
that you will never-never-wiu my mar
riage with Sir Gabriel Goldspangr'
Lady Margaret" l answered, touched
and also embarrassed by her words las /
told you then, my willing, or not willing,
can make no earthly difference"
1t can't WILT does"' she cried, with
peculiar energy. Il can feel 1t here-now."
Qaying her hand upon her forehead)
You are-yes, something here declares it
utterly averse to that marriage. And YOU
are so strong-sO controlingi You bend
me to your wishes. / am safe under your
influence. J. shall never marry Sir Gabriel
GOldspang."
My dear young lady" l said, affecting
TO treat the matter lightly, as l considered
il my duty to do, even if it were possible
It is not for me to have any voice in your
future life You need only follow the die
tates of your own true nature, and you win
never do wrong Good-by."
was in my library one evening. A hard
and anxious days work had thoroughly
ragged me. l threw myself into an arm
chair and fell asleep. When l woke up
as / remember, the fire had gone odt. and
felt cold and wretched. 1 looked at the
clock; IL was close upon a. m. A pecu-
liar sensation came over me-a thrilling
my life felt. Before 1 had time to ana
lyze tito wonder by what 1t was caused
"a rap came at the street door. 1 went
to open II. My sensation was explained
There stood Lady Margaret on the step.
The light of the door lamp fell upon her
! saw that she wore a ball dress and
h faNra
her shoulders. In her eyes shown a wild
eager, pleading look, such as l had seen
there when she asked me to make that
promise.
LADY Margaret / stammered in be-
wilderment.
She caught one of my hands in both of
hers.
"Oh. let me come inlet me come in"
she entreated earnestly. Il shall be safe
safe and happy with you"
l led her into the library, too much
amazed, too much startled to ask her any
questions just then.
We We're together in the room
front of me. looking me through
let eyes. Neither of us spoke a word.
There seemed no need to speak. No need
TO ask question; to await an answer.
II was all so clear, so plain-such a mu-
tual revelation. Words would utterly have
spoiled that rapturous minute. our very
souls were uniting themselves in happy,
unimpeded intercourse.
In that supreme moment / opened my
arms With a happy, loving cry, she came
to me, she. chung around my neck, she
nestled against my shoulder. I kissed her
hair, her forehead, her lips. She answer
ed my embraces with her own.
BY and by l saw her lips part; l heard
her murmur softly:
Il understand That is what it meant.
We shall never part now, shall We2 AL
ways-always together-Hamo Wakefield
l held her close in my enclrcling arms.
I had no words to speak. Silence was
sweeter-more entranCing-mor eloquent
Time, place, circumstances, We're alike
forgotten. We were in a dreamy atmos-
phere Of all-pervading love. Our corpor-
ate senses grew less and less distinct; we
seemed to fade and faint deliciOusly away,
like happy spirits swooning to their eter-
nal rest.
Clang, clang, clangl The strident tones
of my night bell. l reused myself with
a start. l loked about me. Lady Marga-
ret was gone. -Four O'Clock now-an hour
since she had come. And the night bell
! changed again.
/ hurried to the door. 1t was the Mar
| quis of X. He was in dress clothes. His
/ face looked as white as the bosom of his
shirt.
"Dr. Wakefield he cried ooh, thank
o6ee sfu oS sP " aG ebd reSSed cb G1m
/ l believe managed to ask mechanically
! Cfor l was too supplied to realize any
MY child-my Marcy" he grasped.
! hoarsely. ing-dying-perhaps even
dead Come-comer
/ 1 caught up my hat. I went with him.
| We ran together through the deserted
| streets. He said not a word to me nor [
! to him. We had no breath to waste i'm
/ words, even if either of us had been in the
mood for conversation.
] At Berkeley square the marchioness met
/ us IN the hall. She was dissolved in tears
! a grotesque IL pitiable object; for the salt
/ drops, trickling down her faded cheeks.
had made a dozen tell-tale channels in
/ the paint and powder which bedizened
/ them.
TOO late-too late" she sobbed ssNIv
poor child has already passed away But
/ come--come and see her Dr. Wakefield"
/ Like man in a dream, conscious of
/ everything, yet realizing nothing | fol-
! lowed her up stairs We entered Lady
/ Margarets room. My love was lying dead
/ before us. looked 81 her My eyes We're
/ riveted on the still, soft beauty Of thai
\ sleeping face.
I The marchioness was talking to me.
I heard what she said but / did not take ii
I in then ! was engrossed with my dead
I love However, her words stamped Them
4 selves upon my physical hearing. and
/ they have since come back 10 me thus: