Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-11-27
Lady Dutton'e Ward

her height of pride Lady Bayneham
would scorn her. and Barbara Earle
would look on with sorrow and won
der. Yet all that was far easier to
bear than the consciousness Of her
secret. The knowledge that she was
the child of one who had broken the
law suffered the fate of a convict
the knowledge that she, although
Lady Hutton's heiress and adopted
daughter, was after all an imposter;-
there was something even harder
than that, and 1t was the necessity OF
keeping a secret from her husband
the noble upright man who had
trusted her SO deeply and loved her
so we'll.
Life had been all sorrow for Lady
Hilda since this barrier had arisen
between them-since she lost the
power of looking nth clear truthful
eyes into his face; and she would
have suffered anything willingly IL
she might have told him.
AS she sat there, white and still as
marble statue, the impulse was
strong upon her to go after him and
tell him all; but three things pre-
vented her.-three reasons held her
bound in chains of iron. The first
was his words, that such one
should be sent back to her own
friends. If she confided her secret
to her husband he would send her to
live with the terrible father whose
conduct had so fatally blighted her
life. The second was the oath her
dying mother had asked her to take;
and an oath was sacred and solemn
matter to Lady Hilda not a promise
that could be lightly broken. The
third, and perhaps the most binding,
was her fathers determination, If the
secret became known, to kill himself
He would do it, she knew.-that vain,
proud nature would never withstand
the shock; he woull kin himself, and
she would be answerable for his life.
There was no ALTERNATIVES; she must
bear her husbands anger as best she
could endure his mothers pruod dis
like. and Barbara Earle's sweet look
of wondering sorrow. She cid not
fear that Lord Bayneham would dis
cover the fact of her presence in the
Lady's Walk that night. II he did
so, and knew she had been there with
Mr.. Fulton, there was no help for her,
she must then tell him all.
Hour after hour passed, and Lady
Hilda still sat where her husband had
left her. From the confused mist OF
her thoughts one idea gradually grew
upon her. 1t was that she must keep
her secret, and learn 20 endure in sill
ence all that it brought upon her.
The fair young child. for she was
little else, wondered why this lot had
fallen upon her. Only few months
since and her happiness was perfect,
without a flaw; now her trouble seem
ed greater than sic could bear.
What had she done that she should
be thus punished? No great or griev-
Gus sin marred or stained the course
of that fair, tranquil life. She had
both to God and man. She had never
wronged another, and the poor and
the sorrowing rose up to bless her.
Why was she punished so heavily
all her sorrow came from the sins
and follies Of others. The weight fell
upon her. crushing the brightness
from her life. bending the golden
head low in humble shame.
why was I?"-reason gave nc
answer. She remembered her mo hers
words, that all would be clear in
another world she would know and
understand why she had suffered in
this. Then over the fair. sad face
threr stole look of sweet, humble re-
signation. The wild tempest Of sor-
row became calm, and the beating re-
bellious heart grew still
Il must bear it." said Lady Hilda
to herself; and many others, by the
bare utterance of those words, have
learned to endure heavy sorrows in
silence.
Lord Beyneham was i'll at ease. He
loved his beautiful young wife with a
devotion that knew no limits. He
could not, in his widest dreams, i'm.
agine her capable even of an impu-
dence; and he wondered, until wonder
beca ne pain, what she was keeping
from him. He did not see how it was
possible for Lady Hilda to nave any
secrets; the simple story of her life
was an open book, in which he had
read every charming innocent page.
AS for any love nonsense, he would
sooner have suspected a bright winged
angel of mercy than his pure, loving
gentle wife. He would have DIS
missed the whole affair as nonsense
but for her own words-her own ad
mission, that she had a secret which
she could not share with him.
He stood in the library; a mass OF
papers lay In a confused heap upon
the table, all awaiting his attention
| but he had none to spare for them
1t was seldom the young lord of Bay
neham wore so disturbed an expression
If for a none 1t he felt angry with
on his comely face He was at a
standstill, and knew not what to do.
his wife, the remembrance of her
words-her pale, wistful face lying
on his breast came over him, and
all anger melted away.