Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-06-06
Continued.

IL was DIT f1OlI CdSLle LlaL Lady
RIVERS opened her heart to me that
her dearest wish was that should be
mistress of Ryversdale, that she was
sure Randolph loved me. She was
equally sure that, when he was of age
he would ask me to be his wife. She
told me that he had peculiar ideas OF
marriage; but have discovered since
then that they were of a very different
kind from what l expected.
Lady RIVERS was very cruel in
talking to me after this fashion. She
would speak of the time when !
should be mistress of Ryversdale as
though it was certainty. One day ]
ventured to say to her:
You speak as though were en-
gagged to your son, Lady RIVERS
whereas he has never said one word
4 of love to me-never one
He will do So she said, smiling,
when the right time comes
Then l asked her shyly why she
was so anxious that should marry
him, and she told me frankly that
even since she had heard of and seen
me, she had wished me to be her sons
wife.
Not for your money, DEAR, she
said, although a fortune like yours
gives influence and has great adj
vantages-it will help Randolph 70
make position for himself second to
none in the land. 1t is because you
are in every way fitted for him.
You have every one of the gifts and
advantages that | desire for him;
you have not one of the drawbacks
that would have grieved me-
1T was very consoling; but should
have valued one word of love from
the son more than all these overtures
from the mother. We were together
three weeks at Holt Castle; adding
those to the seven weeks at RIVERS
dale, count my life ten happy weeks.
Some have ten happy years, some
have whole happy life; have had
ten perfect weeks"
But you may be happy yet" said
Violet; you will not spend the whole
of your life in lamenting for one who
did not love you"
at sounds like lunacy," said Miss
Mari; but what am | to do? l have
given my love; cannot recall it. 1t
is not my fault. There are some
things irresistible, and this is one.
would free myself from this bondage
of terrible love if could Do you
know what this love will do for me?"
NO." answered Violet, wondering
ly.
ut will kill me, sooner or later. No
one can live long with a broken
heart; and mine is surely broken
Then Violet wondered more and
more. This is how Monica had spOk-
en-. She asked herself If Randolph
had left her, had gone away from
st. Byno's without telling her he loved
her, would her heart have broker?
Would she have felt as though all
life were ended? And this time
there was thrill both of pain and
pleasure in her heart as the answer
came. She was beginning to think
differently of her husband, viewing
him in the light of another woman's
love.
"The strangest part of the story is
yet to come" said Miss Mari. Lady
RIVERS wrote to me in the month of
April, and told me that her son had
asked, as a special favor before he
settled in life, that he might have one
year for a sketching-tour. He had
promised her that, if she would con-
tinue her administration of his
estates, and extend her reign until
the expiration of that time, he would
willingly attend to the duties she was
most anxious to urge upon him.
That was in April. In June l went TO
Ryversdale. OF course he was alb
sent, and the difference was as great
as between night and day. Still
Lady RIVERS talked to me in the
same fashion-of what l should do
when l went to reign over the grand
old house where she had been mis-
tress so long, what plan of life she
wished Randolph to pursue.
Again came the mingled sense of
pain and pleasure, so new to Violet,
at the sound of her husbands name
on her rivals lips.
This autumn" continued the heir
ess, 81 was staying with some friends
near Ryversdale, and l heard strange
runners about the young heir. At
last | saw Lady RIVERS, and she pray
ed of me 80 urgently to go to her at
Ryyersdale that l could not refuse.
But, ah me, what different place it
was A blight seemed to have fallen
over it. Lady RIVERS looked like a
woman pressed down by some terrible
sorrow, and after awhile, she told it
TO me. It was strange story, but,
knowing her sons romantic nature,
cannot say that it surprised me-"
II was by a supreme effort that
Violet refrained from speaking; she
felt that IT. was her own story she was
about to hear, and, for some mex
plicable reason, she dreaded hearing
1t.
at seems" continued Miss Mari,
"that Lord RIVERS always had a
dread of being married for money or
title, that the great wish of his heart
was to marry for love. That was his
90