The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-08-25
CHAPTER XXvI.
Continued.

AS l progressed along the lonely
road, / mercilessly dissected and criti-
cised my past conduct, resolving with
all the strength Of will / could exert
to be henceforth more sceptical IN all
things, more deliberate in action, and
more secretive. The voluntary and
generous declarations of Constance
Marsh absolved me, 1 thought, from
my former cherished resolve not to
marry unless my resources We're at
least as great as those Of my wife;
and 1 would therefore at once return
to America, claim the hand and heart
l had won, and while endeavoring IN
all things to crafty my youthful wife,
devote large part Of my time and
means to some work for the general
good. Reconciliation with my father
could not fail to come about after
the lapse of little time; and as
friendship is no less contagious than
enmity, might 1t not reasonably be
hoped that the peacemaking would be
yet further extended?
In this mood I arrived at Bury st.
Edmund's, and having walked up
Abbeygate street, turned aside into
the Butter Market, and entered an
inn there, where not many minutes
afterwards I was sitting in q private
room at a table spread with writing
materials.
The letter which poor old Adams had
brought from Chevington on the day
Of his death had not yet been ac-
knowledged. 1t was an inquiry by
Mrs. Butterwell for the address OF
the Rev. MIR. Evan Price. That gen.
tleman," wrote Mrs. Eutterwell. II
once or twice had the pleasure to hear
preach in the little church at Holden
hurst Minor, and his manners i'm
pressed me as everything thai was
right and proper in a clergyman-such
charming calculations Of Scriptural
difficulties! such admirable discrimin-
alton in his bearing toward prop-le-
,ors, tenants and peasantTy. / have
long intended to benefit this very de-
serving young man as soon as the op-
portunity to do should arise, and the
living of Kingsthorpe being vacant
just now in consequence OF the death
/ of the Rev. Mr.. Obadiah Hornblower
poor dear man, he was only seventy
two, and till this year was never
! troubled with bronchitis in summero
I have decided to offer it to Mr.. Price.
The living of Kingsthorpe is worth
nominally f1200 year, but owing to
i the badness of the times the income is
now not much over $500. 1t is a great
depreciation, Of course, but in these
days the living is still regarded as a
good one, and have received hundreds
of letters from unbenefced clergymen
begging for the preferment, some Of
them written as soon as it became
known that Mr.. Hornblower was not
likely to recover. Do pray oblige me
with Mr.. Prices present address, for
1 shall not offer the living to any one
else until he has rejected it."
AS pondered over Mrs. Butterwelrs
letter the bitter things-bitter chiefly
because they were true-which Mr..
Price had said of the Truman family
when conversing with Constance
Marsh at Tarrytown, were wildly re-
produced by my memory. and 1
thought. too, how persistently he had
continued his suit after he had plainly
perceived that was preferred to him.
Though I could not entertain these
recollections without some bitterness,
and in a foolish moment was half
tempted to withhold all knowledge Of
the coveted preferment from my rival.
my better self prevailed. No; I would
not inaugurate my new course Of con-
duct with splenetic freak; I should
be forgiving and charitable, and would
write friendly though brief note to
Mr.. Price. enclosing Herewith Mrs.
Butterwell's letter. This done wrote
another note informing Mrs. Butter
well of my action in the matter.
And now I had to communicate with
uncle Sam. What should say to him?
OF the failure, or worse than failure,
Of the course he had advised, he knew
at present nothing. For long while
| I paused and stared vacantly upon
blank sheet of paper with my pen
grasped ready to record my thoughts;
but, alas! those thoughts were too
painful and too chaotic for me to give
them coherent expression, 80 after
much waste Of time 1 contented myself
with inditing two kilograms. One was
to my uncle. and merely stated that
my mission had failed, and 1 was on
my way to New York; the other, ad-
dressed to Miss Marsh, ran thus: MY
own! No treasure but you. Returning
to claim your promise. Your loving
Ernest"
4 YrrSn VvrTT