Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1898-03-17
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CHAPTER XIX.

murmured sounds, as OF intense pity ana
compassion, followed by the tramp of
many footsteps, and then all was still.
The ground was covered with dead and
dying leaves. Lady CaraVen flung her
self down upon them, and as she lay there
the old words came to her, Let me dle!'
Death would have been mercy.
The golden stars came out III the sky.
Was it really herself or was she dream
ing? Was she Hildred, the beautiful,
popular Countess Of Caraven, lying there
in all the abandonment of her misery,
her husbands angry voice in her ears,
the marks of his angry grasp on her arm
Outcast, Wretched, despairing, there was
only one friend for her in the world, and
that was Sir Raoul; if she could but see
him, if she could but tell him! The pitt
less night hid her from all eyes. Surely
there had never been night so full or
pain.
How long she had been lying there she
never knew. Time was all ended for her.
She was conscious only of infinite misery.
She did not even feel the chill breath Of
the wind as it passed over her.
Then, after what seemed to her an age
of suspense and agony, she heard foot
steps amid the brushwood, and Lord Car
ayen calling her by name.
81 am here" she said.
In the thick growing darkness it was
with difficulty that he discovered her.
He saw her at length lying with her face
hidden among the dead leaves.
you may rise and thank heaven" he
said, in stern voice, that you have not
succeeded; the evil is not so great as it
might have been"
She rose and stood before him, the
same dazed look on her face.
II do not understand say such
hard, cruel things" she moaned.
Hard and cruel" repeated her hus-
band, with bitter contempt, did ever
woman live so cruel as you"
81 am not cruel she replied. Il have
been driven mad"
There was such infinite sadness in the
young voice, such dreary despair in the
young face, that he was touched in spite
of his anger and contempt.
Tell me-" he said, what made you do
this thing-this cruel, ungenerous, I'M
womanly deed.'
She thought he referred to her conduct
in following him, and they seemed to her
hard words.
"What made me do it? You will only
YOU" she replied.
FRANKLY speaking, Hildred, nothing
that you can say to me will make the
matter worse, but it may certainly be
made better Tell me the plain truth
YES, l will tell you," she replied. Il
see that all good understanding is at an
end between U.s."
THAT is certain" he said, with empha-
Al ,I,H
enter my doors again"
"Haye l acted so very wrong?" she
asked, sadly.
Wrong" he exclaimed, contemptuous-
~. 'We will waive that, Hildred. You
have done that which will never pardon.
Now tell me why you did it. You may
speak the truth to me; you bear my name.
/ will shield you from all harm. No one
knows but myself"
'"Then she did not see me?" said Hill
dred, drearily.
"No-and you may be thankful for it,
answered the Earl, severely. 'She did
not see you. You may speak quite frank
ly-no one knows anything about it ex-
cept myself. Now tell me-
What have l to tell you?" she said.
'I-I did it; l followed you here because
oh. how hard it is to tell!-because l
was jealous of her. l thought that you
were both ridiculing me, that you would
tell her that you had been obliged to mar
nv me to save yourself from ruin but
that you did not love me-, you did not care
for me, YOU disliked me, you hated me,
Won longed to be free from me-my ac
cursed money was all you Wanted-that
YOU would never like me. And [ fancied
she would pity you, in that soft, caressing
voice of hers-pity you for being burden
ed with q wife you did not love. | be-
Ieyed that you would tell her that | was
Jealous of her, that then both of you
would laugh at me-
The passion Of her words had deadened
NIL sense of shame. She had forgo en-
that which her jealousy had prompted her
to do, and remembered only her great,
bitter wrongs. She was no longer hero
ine-only a passionate. injured, deeply
loving woman. She rose to the OCCASION
The iIarl was impressed more than he
would have cared to own.
81 could not bear it, she continued pas
eionately. Il should have done worse
than this, am sure, if it could have been
done. | was mad. | will tell you all. |
was mad, because I had learned to love
YOU with all the strength of my heart and
soul. / could not bear that you should
Jest about me with careless words: it was
rs though you stabbed me for pleasure"
s.You love me?' he interrogated, in
credulously.
The dark shawl fell from her, and she
stood erect before him in all the dignity
of her pale, passionate beauty. Her am
Der dress and her rubies cleaned in the
starlight; the queenly head was held
aloft; she no longer pleaded and wept;
the memory of her passionate love and
her bitter wrongs filed her with angry
pride.
YES, love you,' she continued, proud
". whose is the sin? Is it mine. be-
cause 4, your wife, have to tell you this.
and you feel surprised? love you: and
NOW that have to leave you l tell Won
mat woman never loved man. wife never
aoSed husband, more dearly, more deeplv