Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1921-05-21


and / were. Isabel. l would have de-
clared myself, had 1 dared, hut my
| uncertain position-my debts-well, ]
never knew how passionately / loved
you until you became the wife of an
other. Isabel, 1 love you passionately
still"
Lady Isabel felt it her duty to repel
his advances, but there still remained
| that undercurrent of feeling for him
| that she could not comprehend. Fear
full lest she betray herself, she dis
missed him abruptly, sent for her hus-
band to take her home, and made a
| pitiful attempt to drive all thoughts Of
| Francis Levison from her mind.
1t was well-nigh impossible Her
plans to forget him were completely
| frustrated when her generous husband,
| innocently enough, merely thinking to
repay Captain Levison for his kind at
tentions 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 creditors until
something could be arranged.
| Like serpent Levison boldly took
every occasion to whisper into Lady
Isabel's ears all the meetings that he
spied between her husband and Bar
bara Hare. Under misapprehension
that her husband was giving his love
to Barbara and frantic with the jeal-
Gus belief that the two were uniting
to deceive her, Lady Isabel finally
yielded to Levisons pleadings and
eloped with him.
| No sooner had she taken the fatal
| step than she was filled with remorse.
| Almost Immediately she discovered the
| true character of this insincere rake
for whom she had given up her all. In
year he deserted her, leaving her un-
born child nameless.
Too proud to accept help from rela-
tives, she decided to become a COVER
ness. When she CHANGED to hear Of
the opportunity to return to East
| Lynne as the governess to her own
| children she could not withstand the
temptation, so great was her longing
to see them again. 1t was a desperate
chance to take, for she might be rec
ognized, though Illness and the rail-
road accident which had killed her
child had altered her entirely. Her
| disguise was complete, as, heartsick,
she rode again along the familiar road
toward East Lynne. When the dear
old house doomed up before her, it's
gay and cheerily lighted windows a
contrast to her own downcast spirits,
| xf.l, III L., \
taken the project. But for the sake
of seeing her own children again she
would have turned back. Her fears Of
| being recognized were allayed when
she saw that no one suspected for a
moment that the gray, saddened and
disfgured Madame Vine" was Lady
| Isabel.
| East Lynne had new mistress now
none other than her fancied rival Of
old Barbara Hare. Not until she real
lied for the first time that Archibald's
| love could not longer be hers did Isa-
! bel feel an intensity of love for him
| that she had never experienced as his
wife. And yet she. became almost
| happy again in winning the affection Of
1 ltI CIllQISll, lllOuSu iiCi Jcy AL pCih5
| with them was tempered with sorrow
In caring for delicate little William,
her second born, knowing as she did
that he could not long be with them.
Events moved along fast. There
came the time when Francis LevisOn,
returning to West Lynne to seek cleo
| ton to parliament, only to be defeated
l. of hn inn
which had overshadowed Richard
Hare for SO many years. At East
Lynne after the death of little Will
| liam, sudden illness came upon Lady
Isabel. When she realized that she
| was failing rapidly she begged upon
her deathbed to be allowed to see Ar
chibald Carlyle.
II could not die without your for
giveness," she murmured. "Do not turn
from me! Bear with me one little
minute! Only say you forgive me, and
l shall die in peace"
Isabel! Are you--were you-Mad-
anne Vine?"
"Oh, forgive me for disgraclng your
home! And forgive me for coming
l.
you and my children! The longing for
you was killing me- I never knew
moments peace after the mad act I
was guilty of in quitting you. Not an
hour had I departed when my repent
ance set in. Oh, forgive me! My sin
was great, but my punishment was
greater"
"Why did you go?"
did you not know? I grew suspi.
cious of you. I thought you were de-
ceitful, and in my sore jealousy I lis
tened to the tempting of him who whis
pered to me of revenge. 1t was not
true, was It'll" she feverishly asked.
"Can you suggest such thing, know
ing me as you did then, as you must
have since? Isabel l never was false
to you in thought, word or deed. Yes
I forgive you, fully, freely. May God