Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-11-04

y
full! Try to raise your family, my dear,
with an independence of her own. hope
| should be the last person to approve of
mercenary motives in marriage. But yet,
you see, you have many claims upon you,
Wilfrid, and seven thousand year,
though it appears large income, does
not go very far with place like Lambs
cote"
They were almost the same words, and
certainly the same sentiments, which the
lawyer had used to him the day before;
and though Sir Wilfrid had not yet
thought it possible to rectify the error
he had made he was beginning to think
it was a serious error, and one he would
be we'll rid Of.
DO you know Lena st. Blase, Will
frid?' asked his mother, presently, rous-
ing him from reverie.
Yes, slightly-that is, l met her with
her mother, Lady Otto, at Iambscote two
years ago"
Now, that's the sort of wife l should
like you to have" continued Mrs. Ewell;
''weil-born, beautiful, and with little
fortune of her own. l think it is five
hundred year.
give hundred year, echoed the new
baronet, contemptuously. mot enough to
keep her in dresses"
''Oh, my dear boy, your ideas are grow
ing too extrayagant! But, anyway, Miss
st. Blase's fortune would evade the ne
cessity of any great expenditure Oh your
part in settlements. And she is the
granddaughter of the Duke Of Martyr
dom, you know; and her mother comes of
an unexceptionable family"
CHAPTER VI.
Sir Wilfrid did not consider it expedi-
ent to tell his mother that he had done
more than admire Lena st. Blase. But
the fact was that he had met her before
his marriage with Jane Warner, ord she
had raised one of those wild, mad passions
in his breast which most boys feel at some
time or other for women older than them
selves.
Lena st. Blase was beautiful, heart
less tirt of fve-and-twenty. She cared
for nobody in the World-not even her
mother; but she was Unfortunately proud
of her birth and station, and vain to ex-
cess Of her own person. She had CO
quoted and played with the young Gov
eminent clerk, as such women will, until
she had quite turned his brain; and then,
when he could keep silence no longer, and
his passion burst forth in words, she had
struck him dumb with her look of cold
astonishment at his temerity. She had
wounded his pride so bitterly, that he had
rushed away from Lambscote to the shell
ter of Wolsey Cottage, to be made much
of and assiduously waited on by Jane
Warner.
| 1t was from that very episode in his
| life that his marriage had originated.
| When we are most cruelty hurt in the
| battle of life, we are most anxious to for
get it-even to the cutting Of our throat,
or the spelling of the remainder of our
| existence.
Sir Wilfrid had fancied he loved Jane
Warner before that visit to Lambscote
| Hall; and, after it, he persuaded himself
| that he did love her, and the other had
| been but an unholy dream.
| And so perhaps it was. It was GER
| tainly very different sentiment from
any he had ever felt for his wife. 1t
| made him shrink from the remembrance
of Lena st. Blase as we shrink from
| recalling some horrible fraud or act of
| treachery in which we have been worsted
But he could not tell his mother all that.
| SO he only said-what was not true-that
he considered her rude and disagreeable,
| and Mrs. Eweil took umbrage at the
words.
Chambers in the Adelphi proved to be
all that Sir Wilfrid could possibly desire.
| They had just been vacated by a fash
ionable young diplomat ordered off on
foreign service, and furnished according
/ to his fancy. There was nothing for the
| baronet to do but to sign the agreement
| and take possession. He had no sooner
seen the rooms than he decided to engage
| them, and authorized Mr.. Parftt to Sc
cure for him also the services of the valet
! and cook who had been in the employment
of their late owner. Meanwhile he repair
| ed to hotel to keep sundry appointments
with tailors and bootmakers, and to an
| swer his yoluminous correspondence
When Sir Wilfrid looked in his mirror
| on the evening of the Westerleys' dinner
party, he smiled with satisfaction. And
| so far as his appearance went, he had ev-
cry reason to be satisfied. The tailor and
| hosier and bootmaker had done their ut
most to turn him out fashionable gentle
man, and the only ornament he wore, a
| diamond solitaire, which blaZed in his
shirt front, was the perfection of taste.
He had improved, too, personally, since
he had parted with Lena st. Blase. Two
| years had added manliness to set of
rather effeminate features, and covered
the short upper lip with a mustache. In
deed, as he first entered the drawing room
| of the Westerleys' house. the young wom-
an who had scorned his boyish passion
hardly knew him again.
THAT young Ewell?" she whispered to
her mother, as the baronet was announc-
ed. 'Why, how good-looking he has
grown!
Lady Otto and her daughter had had
more than one conversation on the sub
| ject of Sir Roberts successor since they
had heard the news. Gen. Westerley had
extolled Sir Wifrid to the skies, and
IL - 4oh I,