For Woman's Love Part- 2 - Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth (robert munsch read aloud .TXT) 📗
- Author: Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
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Cured, And Your Quixotic Expedition Given Up: In Fact, All Your Plans In
Life Changed--A Splendid Prospect Opened Before You."
Cora Looked Up, Her Languor All Gone, Her Interest Aroused. Something
Was Rising In Her Mind; Not A Sun Of Hope Ah! No--But Nebula, Obscure,
Unformed, Indistinct, Yet With Possible Suns Of Hope, Worlds Of
Happiness, Within It. What Did Her Grandfather Mean? Had He Heard
Something About--Was Rule Yet--
Swift As Lightning Flashed These Thoughts Through Her Mind While Her
Grandfather Drew His Breath Between His Utterances.
"Listen! This Is What I Had To Tell You: I Had A Letter A Few Days Ago
From An Old Suitor Of Yours," He Said, Looking Keenly At His
Part 2 Chapter 27 (Something Unexpected) Pg 97Granddaughter.
Cora's Eyes Fell, Her Spirits Drooped. The Nebula Of Unknown Hopes And
Joys Had Faded Away, Leaving Her Prospect Dark Again. She Looked
Depressed And Disappointed. She Could Feel No Shadow Of Interest In Her
Old Suitors.
"I Received This Letter Several Days Since, And Being At Leisure Just
Then. I Answered It. But In The Pressure Of Some Important Matters I
Forgot To Tell You Of It, Though It Concerned Yourself Mostly, I Might
Say Entirely. Shouldn't Have Remembered It Now, I Suppose, If It Had Not
Been For Your Foolish Talk About Going Out For A Missionary To The
Savages. Ah! Another Destiny Awaits Your Acceptance."
Cora Sighed In Silence.
"Now, Then. Of Course You Must Know Who This Correspondent Is."
"Without Offense To You, Grandfather, I Neither Know Nor Care,"
Languidly Replied The Lady.
"But It Is Not Without Offense To Me. You Are The Most Eccentric And
Inconsistent Woman I Ever Met In All The Course Of My Life. You Are Not
Constant Even To Your Inconstancy."
Having Uttered This Paradox, The Old Man Threw Himself Back In His Chair
And Gazed At His Granddaughter.
"I Am Not Yet Clear As To Your Meaning, Sir," She Said, Coldly But
Respectfully.
"What! Have You Quite Forgotten The Titled Dandy For Whom You Were Near
Breaking Your Heart Three Years Ago? For Whom You Were Ready To Throw
Over One Of The Best And Truest Men That Ever Lived! For Whom You Really
Did Drive Regulas Rothsay, On The Proudest And Happiest Day Of His Life,
Into Exile And Death!"
"Oh, Don't! Don't! Grandfather! Don't!" Wailed Cora, Sinking On An
Office Stool, And Dropping Her Hands And Head On The Table.
"Now, None Of That, Mistress. No Hysterics, If You Please. I Won't
Permit Any Woman About Me To Indulge In Such Tantrums. Listen To Me,
Ma'am. My Correspondent Was Young Cumbervale, The Noodle!"
"Then I Never Wish To See Or Hear Or Think Of Him Again!" Exclaimed
Cora.
"Indeed! But That Is A Woman All Through. She Will Do Or Suffer Anything
To Get Her Own Way. She Will Defy All Her Friends And Relations, All
Principles Of Truth And Honor; She Will Move Heaven And Earth, Go
Through Fire And Water, To Get Her Own Way; And When She Does Get It She
Don't Want It, And She Won't Have It."
Part 2 Chapter 27 (Something Unexpected) Pg 98
"Grandfather!" Pleaded Cora.
"Silence! Three Years Ago You Would Have Walked Over All Our Dead
Bodies, If Necessary, To Marry That Noble Booby. And You Would Have
Married Him If It Had Not Been For Me! I Would Not Permit You To Wed
Him Then, Because You Were In Honor Bound To Regulas Rothsay. I Shall
Insist On Your Accepting Him Now, Because Poor Rothsay Is In His Grave,
And This Will Be The Best Thing To Do For You To Help You Out Of Harm's
Way From Redskins And Rattlesnakes And Other Reptiles. I Don't Think
Much Of The Fellow; But He Seems To Be A Harmless Idiot, And Is Good
Enough For You."
Cora Answered Never A Word, But She Felt Quite Sure That Not Even The
Iron Will Of The Iron King Could Ever Coerce Her Into Marriage With Any
Man, Least Of All With The Man Whose Memory Was Identified With Her
Heart's Tragedy. The Old Man Continued His Monologue.
"The Best Thing About The Fellow Is His Constancy. He Was After Your
Imaginary Fortune Once. I Am Sure Of That. And He Was So Dazzled By The
Illumination Of That _Ignis Fatuus_ That He Didn't See You, Perhaps, And
Didn't Recognize How Much He Really Cared For You. At All Events, In His
Letter To Me--And, By The Way, It Is Very Strange That He Should Write
To Me After The Snubbing I Gave Him In London," Said The Iron King,
Reflectively.
Cora Did Not Think That Was Strange. She, At Least, Felt Sure That It
Was As Impossible For The Young Duke To Take Offense At The Rudeness Of
The Old Iron Man As At The Raging Of A Dog Or The Tearing Of A Bull. But
She Did Not Drop A Hint Of This To The Egotist, Who Never Imagined
Passive Insolence To Be At The Bottom Of The Duke's Forbearance.
"In His Letter To Me," Resumed Old Aaron Rockharrt, "The Young Fool
Tells Me That, Immediately After His Great Disappointment In Being
Rejected By You, He Left England--And, Indeed, Europe--And Traveled
Through Every Accessible Portion Of Asia And Africa, In The Hope Of
Overcoming His Misplaced Affection, But In Vain, For That He Returned
Home At The End Of Two Years With His Heart Unchanged. There He Learned
Through The Newspapers That You Had Been Recently Widowed, Through The
Murder Of Your Husband In An Indian Mutiny. That's How He Put It. He
Farther Wrote That, In The Face Of Such A Tragedy As That, He Felt Bound
To Forbear The Faintest Approach Toward Resuming His Acquaintance With
You Until Some Considerable Time Should Have Elapsed, Although, He Was
Careful To Add, He Always Believed That You Had Given Him Your Heart,
And Would Have Given Him Your Hand Had You Been Permitted To Do So. He
Ended His Letter By Asking Me To Give Him Your Address, That He Might
Write To You. He Evidently Supposed You To Be Keeping House For
Yourself, As English Widows Of Condition Usually Do. Well, My Girl, What
Do You Think I Did?"
"You Told Me, Sir, That, Being At Leisure Just Then, You Answered His
Letter Immediately," Coldly Replied Cora.
Part 2 Chapter 27 (Something Unexpected) Pg 99
"Yes; And I Told Him That You Were Living With Me. I Gave Him The Full
Address. And I Told Him That I Was Pleased With His Frankness And
Fidelity, Qualities Which I Highly Approved; And I Added That If He
Wished To Renew His Suit To You, He Need Not Waste Time In Writing, But
That He Might Come Over And Court You In Person Here At Rockhold, Where
He Should Receive A Hearty, Old-Fashioned Welcome."
Cora Gazed At The Old Man Aghast.
"Oh, Grandfather, You Never Wrote That!" She Exclaimed.
"I Never Wrote That? What Do You Mean, Mistress? Am I In The Habit Of
Saying What Is Not True?"
"Oh, No; But I Am So Grieved That You Should Have Written Such A
Letter."
"Why, Pray?"
"Because I Cannot Bear That Any One Should Think For A Moment That I
Could Ever Marry Again."
"Rubbish!"
"Well, It Does Not Matter After All. If The Duke Should Come On This
Fool's Errand, I Shall Be Far Enough Out Of His Reach," Thought Cora;
But She Said No More.
The Breakfast Bell Rang Out With Much Clamor, And The Old Man Arose
Growling.
"And Now You Have Cheated Me Out Of My Hour With The Newspapers By Your
Foolish Talk. Come, Come To Breakfast And Let Us Hear No More Nonsense
About Going On That Wild Goose Chase To The Indian Frontier."
At The End Of The Morning Meal He Arose From The Table, Called His Young
Wife To Fetch Him His Hat, His Gloves, His Duster, And Other Belongings,
And He Got Ready For His Daily Morning Drive To The Works.
"I Shall Remain At North End To Bid You Good-By, Sylvan. Call At My
Office There On Your Way To The Depot," He Said, As He Left The House To
Step Into His Carriage Waiting At The Door.
As The Sound Of The Wheels Rolled Off And Died In The Distance, Rose
Turned To Cora And Inquired:
"My Dear, Does He Know That You Are Going Out West With Sylvan?"
"He Should Know It. I Have Spoken Freely Of My Plans Before You Both For
Months Past," Said Cora.
"But, My Dear, He Never Took The Slightest Notice Of Anything You Said
Part 2 Chapter 27 (Something Unexpected) Pg 100On That Subject. Why, He Did Not Even Seem To Hear You."
"He Heard Me Perfectly. Nothing Passes In My Grandfather's Presence That
He Does Not See And Hear And Understand."
"Well, Then, I Reckon He Thinks You Have Changed Your Mind; For He Spoke
Of Meeting Sylvan At North End To Bid Him Good-By, But Said Not A Word
About You."
"He Will Believe That I Am Going When He Sees Me With Sylvan," Said
Cora.
And Then She Touched The Bell And Ordered Her Carriage To Be Brought To
The Door.
"We Must Go And Take Leave Of Mrs. Fabian Rockharrt," She Said To Rose.
Twenty Minutes Later Cora And Sylvan Entered The Pony Carriage. Sylvan
Took The Reins And Started For Violet Banks.
They Soon Reached The Lovely Villa, Where They Found Violet Seated In A
Quaker Rocking-Chair On The Front Porch, With A Basket Workstand Beside
Her, Busily And Happily Engaged In Her Beloved Work--Embroidering An
Infant's White Cashmere Cloak. She Jumped Up, Dropped Her Work, And Ran
To Meet Her Visitors As They Alighted From The Carriage. She Kissed Cora
Rapturously, And Sylvan Kissed Her.
"How Lovely Of You Both To Come! Wait
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