The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-05-13

pect OF seeing Laura again I'm few
months time
AS for Mr. Falriie, believe ! am guilty \
OF no injustice II describe him as being 1
unutterbly relieved by having the house 4
clear OF us women. The idea OF his miss
ing his niece Is simply preposterous-he
used TO let months pass I'm the old times
without attempting 10 see her-and IN
my case and Mrs. Vesey's, l take leave
| 10 consider his telling US both that ne
was half heart broken at our departure
! To be equivalent 10 a confession that ne
was secretly rejoiced 10 get rid OF US.
| His last caprice has led him 10 keep TWO
photographers incessantiy employed IN
| producing sun pictures of all the treas
ures and curiosites in his possession.
/ One complete copy OF the collection OF
photographs is TO be presented 10 the Me-
chanics' Institution of Carlisle. mounted
| on the finest card borad. with ostentau-
Gus red letter Inscriptions underneath.
Madonna and Child by Raphael. In the
possession OF Frederick Fairlie. Esquire
Copper coin OF the period OF Tglath-
pileser. In the possession Of Frederick
| Fairlie, Esquire" Unique Rembrant ct
ching Known all over Europe as The
Smudge.' from a printers blot In the cor
ner. which exists in no other copy. val
ued at three hundred guineas. In the
| possession Of Frederick Fairlie. Esquire.
Dozens OF photographs Of this sort ana
all inscribed I'm this manner, were com
pleted before left Cumberland: and nun
dreds more remain To be done WIN
| this new interest 10 occupy him Mr.. Fair
lie will be a happy man for months and
months 10 come and the two unfortunate
| photogra pliers will share the social mar
trydom which he has hitherto inflicted on
his valet alone.
So much for the persons and events
which hold the foremost place I'm my
| Af ha
son who holds the foremost place in my
heart? Laura has been present In my
thoughts all the while 1 have been writ
ing these lines. What can l recall or
her. during the past six months. before
/ close my journal for the night!
have only her letters TO guide me;
and on the most important OF all the
questions which our correspondence can
discuss, every one OF those letters leaves
me in the dark.
Does he treat her kindly? Is she hap
, pier now than she was when parted with
her on the wedding day? All my letters
have contained these two inquiries. put
more or less directly. now in one form,
and now In another; and all. on that
| point only. have renamed without reply,
! or have been answered as II my questions
merely related to the state Of her health.
She inofrms me- over and over again
that she IL perfectly well: that travelling
= |
! through the winter. for the hrst time
I in her life without catching cold-but
3 not word can ! find anywhere which
tells me plainly that she is reconcheo
TO her marriage. and that she can now
look back to the twenty second or De
f, cember without any bitter feelings of re
pentance and regret The name OF her
husband Is only mentioned i'm her letters
as she might mention the name OF a
friend who was travelling with them
and who had undertaken to make all the
, | arrangements for the journey. sr
Percival' has settled that we leave OF
: such a day: "Sir Percivar has decided
that we travel by such a road. Sometimes
she writes "Percival" orly. but ver'
seldom-in nine cases out OF ten she give:
. him his title.
can not find that his habits and opin
;, ions have changed and colored hers IL
: any single particular The usual mora
transformation which Is insensibl!
: wrought in young. fresh. sensitive
z woman nv her marriage. seems never T.
: have taken place in Laura. She writes
Of her own thoughts and Impressions
= amidst all the wonders she has seen
- exactly as she might have written u
!, some one else II l had been travelnl
I, with her instead Of her husband. lie Sc
no betrayal anywhere Of sympathy OF an
kind existing between them. Even whe
she wanders from the subject OF ne
= travels and occupies herself with IN
n prospects that await her In England. he
Is speculations are busted with her futur
u as nv sister. and persistently neglect
's notice her future as Sir Percivars wif'
In ALI this there Is no undertone OF com
es plaint. 10 warn me that she Is absoutel
70 unhappy IN her married life The In
=, nression have derived from our col
>" respondence does not. thank God. lead n
10 any such distressing conclusion
n. that / only see a sad torpor, an vi
ID changeable indifference, when turn n
re mind from her In the old character OF
no sister. and look at her, through u
wv medium Of her letters, in the new cha
Ie- acter OF a wife. In other words. "
a always Laura Fairlie who has been wri
is ing TO me for the last six months. al
a never Lady Clyde.
ny The strange silence which she mai
Up tains on the subject OF her husband
~ chara cter and conduct. she preserves WI
almost equal resolution I'm the few refe
~ ence. which her later letters contain
% the name Of her husbands bosom frien
,se Count Fosco.
~. For some unexpla ined reason.
~ count and his wife appear TO ha
y, changed their plans abruptly, at the e.
nh Of last autumn. and to have gone
l. Vienna instead OF going to Rome.
I'D which latter place Sir PercNal nad
of pected to find them when they left En-
'iI land. They only quilted Vienna IN I
obi spring. and travelled as far as the Iyi
ny 10 meet the bride and bridegroom on tn
ne homeward journey. Laura writes read