The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1919-09-03
EAST LYNNE
BY MRS. HENRY WOOD
Condensation by Mrs. Ruth II. Frost Worcester Mass

Left a penniless orphan when a tim
i'd and sensitive girl of eighteen, the
beautiful Lady Isabel Vance found
herself at the mercies of an unsympa-
thetic relative. In her innocence she
admired certain frequent visitor at
this home-Captain Francis Levison,
an unprincipled spendthrift Beyond
heartlessly leading her on to care for
him, he made no honorable mention of
marriage. Small wonder was it then
that she accepted Archibald Carlyle,
when that worthy and STRAIGHTFORWARD
country lawyer, the purchaser of her
fathers estate at East Lynne, took
courage because of her distress over
her unpleasant surroundings to ask
her hand in marriage.
Il ought to tell you'll must she
confessed to him in hysterical tears.
Though / have said yes do not
yet-this has come upon me so by
surprise" she stammered. 81 like you
very much; esteem and respect you;
but do not yet love YOU
Il should wonder if you did," Arch
ibald replied. But you will let me
earn your love, Isabel?"
'Oh, yes" she earnestly answered,
Il hope So" Passively she let him
have his first kiss. MY dearest" he
said, 1T is all ask"
Six years passed. Life at East
Lynne was not all that one might
wish for. To be sure, Lady Isabel
had a most devoted husband and
three lovely children But her happi-
ness was marred by two thorns, of
which her husband was quite unaware
Cornelia Carlyle, the domineering half
sister of Archibald had steeled her
heart against Elizabeth from the be-
ginning, and made life at East Lynne
quite miserable for the poor little in
experienced bride. The second dis
turbance was the suspicion that her
| husband had loved and was now re-
newing his love for Barbara Hare, the
daughter of the neighborhood justice.
Inc1ted by the idle gossip of servants,
| this suspicion grew into jealousy.
1t was true that Archibald seemed
| to have many meetings with the pretty
Barbara-but how was poor Lady 1sa-
bel to know that in reality these meet
! ings concerned only private business
of a professional nature? Barbara
Hare had a brother, Richard, who
! years before had been accused of
murder. Her mother was an invalid
and her stubborn, unforgiving father
would hear naught Of a son who had
disgraced him. Barbara's secret meet
ings with her exiled brother had con
, vinced her Of his innocence. Her one
recourse, when implored by Richard
to seek help in finding the real Grim
inal, was to confide in their old fam
lily friend, Archibald Carlyle.
Always delicate in health. and wor
~ 81 !, hlo-
Lady Isabel was finally persuaded by
her physician to go to the French
coast for a change in air and scenery
The autocratic Cornelia forbade her
being accompanied by the children
Lady Isabel was looking forward to a
lonely fortnight before her husband
was to join her, when she chanced to
meet Francis Levison. exiled to the
content because of his debts in
England Bewildered when she began
to realize that she still had that in
definable, Involuntary feeling toward
him, she was completely fascinated, as
in the old days before her marriage
She would have given all she possess.
ed to overcome this attraction
Courage failed her to confide all in
her husband.
Full of sophistries as before, the
interruptions Captain Levison com
PEELED her to listen to him. The past
is gone he said, But if ever two
people were formed to love each other
you and I were, Isabel ! would have
declared myself had l dared. but my
uncertain position-my debts-well,
never knew how passionately I loved
you until you became the wife of an
other. Isabel, | love you passionately
still"
Lady Isabel felt it her duty to repel
his advances, but there still remained
that undercurrent of feeling that she
could not comprehend. Fearful lest
she betray herself, she dismissed him
abruptly sent for her husband to
take her home, and made a pitifu
attempt to drive all thoughts of Fran
els Levison from her mind
1t was well nigh impossible. Hel
plans TO forget him We're completely
frustrated when her generous husband
innocently enough merely thinking tc
repay Captain Levison for his kinC
attentions to Lady Isabel on the
French coast, invited that profligate
to East Lynne as a place of shelter
where he might be safe from his cred
ito,s until something could be ar
ranged.
Like a serpent, Levison boldly tool
every occasion to whisper into Lady
Isabels ears all the meetings that he
espied between her husband and Bar
bara Hare. Under misapprehensior
that her husband was giving his love
to Barbara, and frantic with the jeal
Gus belief that the two were uniting tc
deceive her, Lady Isabel finally yielded
to Levison's pleadings and eloped will
him.
Too proud to accept help from rela
tives, she decided to become gov
erness. When she chanced to hear o
the opportunity to return to Eas
Lynne as the governess to her owl
children, she could not withstand tn,
temptation, so great was her longin.
to see them again 1t was desperate
chance to take, for she might be rec
ognized, though illness and the rail
road accident which had killed he
child, had altered her entirely. He
disguise was complete, as, heartsick
she rode again along the familiar rod,