Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-09-22
Continued.

WDdL mao ne uOI uOuS La 4OFC Va
her? He had rescued the name she
bore from shame and disgrace-he
had saved her father from something
more than ruin-he had restored their
family fortunes with the greatest
spIendor-he had taken her name, and
had added a new lustre to it-he had
devoted himself to her service and to
her fathers and he had crowned his
gifts by the lavish one of his whole
fortune. Had there ever been love
Like his?
Plebeian! She blushed to think how
often the word had been applied to
him. He might be lowly born, but
his was the soul of prince. Lady
Tanthe, with all her pride, was too
noble, too grand in character, not to
recognize the true nobility he had dis
played.
He was gone She would have
liked to see him once more-to hold
out her hands to him in all frankness,
and say:
81 have misjudged you-misprized
you. have learned to recognize in
you, at last, a nobility greater far
than the mere accident of birth con-
fers."
She would have said it, but words
were useless now. She took the deed
to her father, who read it through,
and then said, sadly:
II do not like this, Ianthe-it seems
to me that he never expects to return.
My daughter, am an old man, and
my experience of this world has been
a large one. 1 tell you that nobler
man than this husband of yours has
never lived"
She added, in a low voice, II balieve
it." Come what might, she could
despise him no more-he had proved
himself infinitely her superior,
He was gone. His rooms were
closed there. were few traces at
Croombe abbey of the man who had
rescued it from ruin. But he lived in
tie hearts of the tenants. The servants
spoke of him in whispers to each
other, saying that their beautiful
young mistress had been very proud,
but that she would repent her pride
now that it had driven him away.
When Lady Ianthe went amongst the
tenantry, she wondered to find how
greatly he was loved. There was
nothing but lamentation about him.
He had been gone three years. Dur
ing that time he wrote often to the
earl, but rarely to Lady Ianthe. From
every land through which he travelled
he sent presents to Lord Care. He
seemed never to forget him; but his
letters to Lady Ianthe breathed only
one idea, and that was an apology that
he still lived.
Slowly, but surely, she Logan to
miss him-to miss his devotion, the
constant protection Of his presence,
his assiduous attention. When she
went out now she had no loving es-
cort; no strong loving hands were
near; no one was present to consult
her every whim and caprice. If she
felt tired, there was no one to per-
suade her to rest, to insist that she |
should take care of herself, to shield !
her from every little passing care! She |
missed the strong, tender, never-fail- |
ing love, although she was unwilling to |
own it.
It touched her, too, to the very heart |
to see how the earl missed him-he |
had become so dependent on hllu for
much of the comfort of MS ne. Her
man was so prompt in answering his |
letters, so slzilIful in experimenting
his business affairs, so kind IN select |
ing the newspaper articles he thought
would best please him, aud rcaIing
them to him. The earl had often told |
him laughingly that he was eyes and
ears to him Now all that '. as miss
iTg. When ord Carrie had cared to
walk, HermaD's strong arm had been
ready to guide his feeble steps; he had
been devoted as son-and all be-
cause he loved Lady Ianthe. Moreover,
he had detected that all was not quite
as it should be- The property of the
estate had never been so we'll cared
for as when he had the management
of it.
Slowly but surely all these things
came nome to Lady lantne, and were
as the beginning of the end. She had
learned to miss him more than she
had learned to despise him. She
learned that nobility of character be-
longs to no estate. but is admirable in
all-that to be nobly born is not to
have a monopoly of every good gift
Under heaven-that vice can be-
hereditary as we'll as virtue-that
virtue can exist without either rank or
wealth. All these lessons she learned
slowly, and learned too late.
In the long gallery hung a portrait
Of Herman. The earl had insisted on
having it there; and more than once
a day Lady Ianthe would go to look
1t ito look in silence at the face
tfat for love of her had grown so thin
and wOrn-tO look at that pictured
semblance of the man whom her pride
and contempt had driven into exile