Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-10-14
"No, madam. It is subject we will

mo, madam. It is a subject we will
not discuss"
'"Then you refuse to listen to anything
that can suggesty' she said, proudly
and the ring of passionate scorn in her
voice struck him as being somewhat ga
miliar.
''You can suggest nothing PRACTICAL
he replied. ''Such marriage would be
most advantageous to you and your son;
but it can never take place-of that you
may rest assured"
Hitherto she had been standing where
her face was in the shade and half hidden
from him. She went now to the window
and touched the blinds; they sprang apart
and admitted flood of sunshine. She
turned and confronted him, her black vel
vet dress trailing on the ground, her hands
raised half in denunciation, her keen, bril-
liant, passionate face flushing, her lips
curling half scornfully.
'Peter Lennox," she said slowly, "look
at me; do you know who amp
He looked at her quite indifferently.
''Yes," he replied, you are the schem-
ing mother of a scheming son."
'Look again." she said-''not at the
ceiling over my head, not at the wall be-
hind me, but at my face-look, Peter Len
nox, and tell me who | am"
He looked indifferently at first, stand
ing just opposite to the graceful, brilliant
woman whose face had such strange re-
pressed passion in it. Then gradually,
slowly, surely, the Indifference died away.
Something of wonder, of incredulity, CT
surprise, of fear, came in it's place; his
lips grew white and trembled, the dawn
of new and great emotion came into his
eyes, the calmness of his face departed
he tried to speak, but the sound died
away on his lips.
"Who am I?'' she repeated.
He raised his trembling hands as though
to ward off blow; all power Of speech
had gone from him.
Il will tell you," she said. 81 am Grace
Carew-Grace Lennox, your wife; and
you have disinherited your niece because
you were hard, stern, cold of heart, cruel
ly unkind; because you did not know what
human love meant; because you trampled
my girlish heart under your feet; because
you could not and would not understand
what a sensitive, warm-hearted, loving
nature required; because you wanted to
reduce me into mere machine for regu-
lating your house and saving your money!
What was it to you?" she continued, in
a passion of scorn, "that l had a quick,
changing, sensitive soul, that / had a
warm, tender nature, that / was blithe
Of heart and gay by nature? Less than
nothing!'
He held up his hands in depreciation.
'You did not understand me-" he said.
Il loved you all the time"
A slight, scornful laugh was her an
swer, and then her face flushed.
"You loved me, yet you suspected that
| had run away with a clerk in your Of
fee. | was but child when / ran away,
but-understand me clearly, Peter Len
noX-I ran away because did not love
you, and because you made my life mis-
cradle. Understand that, since l left you,
my life has been filed with hard work;
but it has been spotless, and you may
trace every movement Of it. There is an
other thing, Peter Lennox. My son Bel
tran is your son, the lawful heir of Ercel-
dean. He was born five months after l
left you. | have every necessary proof
to place in your hands. Mind what say.
/ did wrong in keeping him from you; |
should have given you your son. But
loved him too well; l could not part with
him. He is like your brother, it appears,
the Lennox who was called Prince Char
lie,' and not like you."
He made no answer, but a strange
gray pallor came over his face which
touched her as words could not have done.
II am very sorry for the past" she said,
quietly; Il have been sorry ever since l
fed from my home. l was very young
and thOuphtless
But Peter Lennox made no answer. The
tall, stern figure swayed to and fro, and
then he fell with low cry at his wifes
feet. She bent over him. II am truly
sorry, Peter" she said, but he was I'M
conscious, and, seeing the gray tint deep
en- on his face, she began to fear that he
was dead.