For Woman's Love Part- 2 - Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth (robert munsch read aloud .TXT) 📗
- Author: Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
Book online «For Woman's Love Part- 2 - Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth (robert munsch read aloud .TXT) 📗». Author Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
Family Talisman Was Missing, And Could Nowhere Be Found. And As The
Family's Prosperity, And Even Continuity, Was Supposed To Depend Upon
The Possession Of That Ring, Its Loss Was Considered Only A Less
Misfortune Than My Uncle's Death. Later, My Uncle's Remains Were Brought
Home From New Orleans And Deposited In The Family Vault At Cumbervale
Castle.
"The Ring Was Never Again Heard Of. On The Death Of My Grandfather, The
Seventh Duke, My Father, Who Was The Second Son, Succeeded To The Title.
But Fortune Seemed To Have Deserted Us. By A Series Of Unlucky Land
Speculations My Father Lost Nearly All His Riches, Which Calamities
Preyed Upon His Mind So That His Health Broke Down And He Sank Into
Premature Old Age And Died. I Came Into The Title With But Little To
Support It. So That When I Honestly Loved A Lady Believed To Be Wealthy,
My Motives Were Supposed To Be Mercenary."
The Iron King Might Have Felt This Thrust, But He Gave No Sign. The Duke
Continued:
"My After Life Does Not Concern The Story Of The Ring. On Learning,
Since My Return From Long Travel In The East, That Your Fair
Granddaughter Was Widowed Nearly Two Years Before, You Know I Wrote To
You Asking Her Address, With A View Of Renewing My Old Suit. You Replied
By Telling Me That Mrs. Rothsay Made Her Home With You, And Inviting Me
To Visit You. I Refer To This Only To Keep The Sequence Of Events In
Order. I Came. Yesterday Morning I Went To Scythia's Roost, Climbed From
That Shelf To The Top Of The Mountain And Viewed The Scene From It.
After I Came Down Again To Scythia's Roost I Sat Down To Rest. The Sun
Was Sinking Behind The Ridge, But Through A Crevice In The Rocks A
Ray--'A Line Of Golden Light'--Pierced And Seemed To Strike Fire And
Bring Out An Answering Ray From Some Living Light Left In The Ashes. I
Went To See What It Was, And Picked Up The Magic Ring, The Family
Talisman. There It Was, The Wonderful Stone For Which No Other Could
Possibly Be Mistaken, The Gem Of Intolerable Light And Fire That Had To
Be Shaded Before It Could Be Steadily Looked At And Before The Delicate
Part 2 Chapter 30 (Unrequited Love) Pg 135Lines Of Its Flaws Delineating The Human Eye Could Be Discerned. Here Is
The Ring, Mr. Rockharrt. Examine It For Yourself."
Mr. Rockharrt Took The Ring, Examined It Curiously, Turned It Toward The
Clouded Window, Then Toward The Blazing Sea Coal Fire; In Both Positions
It Burned And Sparkled Just Like Any Other Diamond. Then He Shaded It
And Looked At It Through His Eye-Glasses; Finally He Shook His Head And
Returned It To Its Owner, Saying:
"It Is A Fine Gem, Barring A Flaw, And I Congratulate You On Its
Recovery, But I See No Human Eye In It. I See Some Indistinct Lines,
Fine As The Thread Of A Spider's Web, That Is All. There Is The
Breakfast Bell, Duke. We Will Go Into The Drawing Room And Find Cora.
She Must Be Down By This Time."
Cora Was Standing At One Of The Front Windows, Looking Out Upon The
Driving Rain. She Turned As The Two Gentlemen Entered The Room, And
Responded To Their Greeting.
"Well, Now We Will Go In To Breakfast. Did The Fresh Venison Come In
Time, Cora?"
"I Think So, Sir."
"We Cook It On The Breakfast Table, Duke, Each One For Himself. Put A
Slice On A China Plate Over A Chafing Dish. The Only Way To Eat A
Venison Cutlet," Said Old Aaron Rockharrt, As He Led The Way Into The
Breakfast Room, Where His Eyes Were Immediately Rejoiced By The Sight Of
Three Chafing Dishes Filled With Ignited Charcoal Ready For Use, And A
Covered China Dish, Which He Knew Must Contain The Delicate Venison
Cutlets.
When Breakfast Was Over And They Had All Left The Table, The Iron King,
Addressing His Guest, Said:
"Well, Sir, I Must Be Off To North End. I Hope You Will Find Some Way
Of Entertaining Yourself Within Doors, For Certainly This Is Not A Day
To Tempt A Man To Seek Recreation Abroad. Nothing But Business Of
Importance Could Take Me Out In Such Weather."
"I Regret That Any Cause Should Take You Out, Sir," Replied The Guest.
As Soon As The Noise Of The Wheels Had Died Away, The Duke, Who Had
Lingered In The Hall To See His Host Depart, Turned And Entered The
Drawing Room, Where He Found Cora As Before, Standing At A Window
Looking Out Upon The Dull November Day.
"Will You Permit Me Now To Speak On The Subject Nearest My Heart?" He
Pleaded, Taking The Hand Which Had Dropped Down By Her Side.
"I Had Rather That The Subject Had Never Been Started, But Under The
Circumstances, After What Was Said Last Night At Dinner, I Feel That The
Part 2 Chapter 30 (Unrequited Love) Pg 136Sooner We Come To A Perfect Understanding The Better It Will Be," Said
Cora, Leading The Way To A Group Of Chairs And By A Gesture Inviting Him
To Be Seated. Then, To Prevent Him Further Committing Himself And
Incurring A Humiliating Refusal, She Herself Took The Initiative And
Said:
"If Any Other Person Than Mr. Rockharrt Had Made The Public Announcement
That He Did Yesterday, I Should Have Denounced The Act As An
Unpardonable Outrage; But Of Him I Must Say That He Must Have Labored
Under Some Strange Hallucination To Have Made Such Reckless Assertions
Without One Shadow Of Foundation. You Yourself Must Have Known That
There Was Not One Syllable Of Truth In His Announcement."
"My Dearest Mrs. Rothsay, I Supposed That Mr. Rockharrt Thought, Even As
I Hoped, That Our Betrothal Was But The Question Of A Few Days, Or Even
Of A Few Hours, And That He Took The Occasion Of The Family Gathering To
Announce The Fact. He Had Already Given His Consent To My Suit For The
Blessing Of Your Hand, And If He Committed An Indiscretion In That
Premature Announcement, I Did Not Know It. I Thought Such Announcement
Might Be A Local Custom, And I Blessed Him In My Heart For Observing It.
Cora!" He Said, Taking Her Hand And Dropping His Voice To A Pleading
Tone, "Dear Cora, It Was Only Premature."
"Duke Of Cumbervale," She Answered, Coldly And Gravely, Withdrawing Her
Hand, "It Is Not Premature. It Was Utterly False And Groundless; It Was
The Declaration Of An Engagement That Not Only Had Never Taken Place,
But Could Never Take Place--An Engagement Forever Impossible!"
"Oh, Do Not Say That! I Have Kept My Faith. After Your Grandfather's
Rejection Of Me In Your Name I Could Rest Nowhere In England. I Went To
The Continent, And Thence To The East; But Still Could Rest Nowhere,
Because I Was Pursued By Your Image. When I Came Back To England, I
Learned That You Had Been Widowed From Your Wedding Day And Almost As
Long As I Had Been Absent. I Determined To Renew My Suit, For I
Remembered That It Was Not You, But Your Grandfather In Your Name, Who
Rejected My Proposal. I Remembered That You Had Once Given Me Hope."
"You Refer To A Time Of Sad Self-Deception On My Part, Which Led Me Even
To Unconsciously Deceiving You. My Imaginary Preference For You Was A
Brief Hallucination. Let It Be Forgotten. The Memory To Me Is
Humiliating. You Must Think Of Me Only As The Wife Of Regulas Rothsay."
"As The Widow, You Would Say. Surely That Widowhood Can Be No Bar To My
Suit."
"I Do Not Call Myself The Widow Of Rule Rothsay, But His Wife," Said
Cora, Solemnly.
"But, My Dear Lady, Surely Death Has--"
"Death Has Not," Said Cora, Fervently Interrupting Him--"Death Cannot
Sever Two Souls As United As Ours. I Mean To Spend The Years I Have To
Live On Earth, Temporarily And Partially Separated From My Husband, In
Part 2 Chapter 30 (Unrequited Love) Pg 137Good Works Of Which He Would Approve; With Which He Would Sympathize And
Which Would Draw His Spirit Into Closer Communion With Mine; And I Hope
At That Ascension To The Higher Life Which We Miscall Death To Meet Him
Face To Face, To Be Able To Tell Him, 'I Have Finished My Work, I Have
Kept The Faith,' And To Be With Him Forever In One Of The Many Mansions
Of The Father's Kingdom."
"I See," Said The Suitor, With A Deep Sigh, "That My Suit Would Be
Utterly Useless At Present. But I Will Not Give Up The Hope That Is My
Life--The Hope That You May Yet Look With Favor On My Love. I Will Merit
That You Should Do So. Cora Rothsay, I Will No Longer Vex You With My
Presence In This House. I Will Take Leave Of You Even Now, And Only Ask
Of Your Courtesy The Use Of A Dog Cart To Take Me To The North End
Hotel."
"You Are Good, You Are Very Good To Me, And I Pray With All My Heart
That You May Meet Some Woman Much More Worthy Of Your Grace Than Am I,
And That You May Be Very Happy. God Bless You, Duke Of Cumbervale," Said
Cora, Earnestly.
He Lifted Her Hand To His Lips, Kissed It, Bowed Over It And Silently
Left The Room.
Cora Stepped After Him And Shut The Door; Then She Hastened Across The
Floor, Threw Herself Down On The Sofa, Buried Her Face In The Cushions
And Gave Way To The Flood Of Tears That Flowed In Sympathy With The Pain
She Had Given. Meantime The Duke Went Up To His Room And Rang For His
Valet.
That Grave And Accomplished Gentleman Came At Once.
"Dubois, Go Down And Order The Dogcart To Be At The Door In Half An
Hour; Then Return Here To Assist Me."
The Frenchman Bowed Profoundly And Withdrew.
"I Have Come A Long Way For A Disappointment," Murmured The Rejected
Lover, As He Threw Himself Languidly Upon The Outside Of The Bed And
Clasped His Hands Above His Head. "A Fanatic She Certainly Is. A Lunatic
Also Most Probably. Yet I Cannot Get Her Out Of My Head. I Would Go To
Canada--To Quebec--If It Was Not So Abominably Cold. Vane Is There With
The 110th. But The Climate Is Too Severe. I Must Move Southward, Not
Northward--Southward, Through California, And Thence To The Sandwich
Islands, New Zealand, And
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