For Woman's Love Part- 2 - Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth (robert munsch read aloud .TXT) 📗

You Dare To Call Me Grandfather,  Either Now Or Ever Again! I

Disclaim Forever That Relationship,  And All Relationship With The False,

Flirting,  Coquettish,  Unprincipled Creature That You Are! Your Late

Suitor May Forgive Your Treachery To Him,  Beguiling Him By Your Once

Pretended Preference To Pass By All Eligible Matches And Cross The Ocean

For Your Sake! Yes; He May Forgive You,  Because He Is A Fool (Being A

Duke)! But As For Me--I Will Never Pardon The Outrageous Affront You

Have Put Upon Me,  In Rejecting The Man Of My Choice! Never,  As Long As I

Live,  So Help Me--"

 

"Oh!--Oh,  Grandfather!" Cried Corona,  Arresting His Half-Sworn Oath,

"Don't Say That! I Am Sorry To Have Crossed Your Will In This Matter,  Or

In Any Way; But,  Oh,  My Dear Grandfather--"

 

"Stop There!" Vociferated The Iron King,  With A Stamp. "I Am No

Grandfather Of Yours! How Dare You Insult Me With The Name When I Have

Forbidden You To Do So?"

 

"I Beg Your Pardon,  Sir. It Was A Mere Slip Of The Tongue. I Spoke

Impulsively. I Had Forgotten Your Prohibition. I Shall Not Certainly

Offend In That Way Again," Said Corona,  Quietly.

 

"You Had Better Not!"

 

"I Was About To Say,  When You Interrupted Me," Resumed Cora,  Earnestly,

"That I Am Grieved To Have Been Compelled To Disappoint You By

Rejecting The Duke Of Cumbervale; But,  Sir,  I Could Not Do Otherwise. I

Could Not Accept A Man Whom I Could Not Love. To Have Done So Would Have

Been A Great Sin. Surely,  Sir,  You Must Know It Would Have Been A Sin,"

Pleaded Corona.

 

"Stuff And Nonsense!" Roared The Iron King. "Don't Dare To Talk Such

Sentimental Rubbish To Me! You Can't Love Him,  Can't You? Tell That To

An Idiot,  Not To Me! When We Were In London,  Two Or Three Years Ago,  You

Loved Him So Well That You Were Ready To Break Your Engagement With Your

Betrothed Husband,  Regulas Rothsay,  In Order To Marry This Duke. Yes;

And You Would Certainly Have Done So If I Had Not Put A Stop To The

Affair By Having An Explanation With The Suitor,  Telling Him Of Your

Prior Engagement,  And Also Of Your Want Of Fortune,  And Bringing You

Back Home To Your Forgotten Duties."

 

"Oh,  Sir,  I Deserve All Your Reproaches For That Forgetfulness. I Was

Very Wrong Then," Said Cora,  With A Sigh.

 

"Bosh! You Are Always Wrong!" Sneered Old Aaron Rockharrt. "And You

Always Will Be Wrong! You Were Wrong When You Wished To Break Your

Engagement With Regulas Rothsay To Marry The Duke Of Cumbervale,  And You

Are Wrong,  Now That You Are Free,  To Reject The Man. Why,  Look At It:

Now That You Have Been A Widow For More Than Two Years,  And Cumbervale

Has Proved His Constancy By Remaining A Bachelor Two Years For Your

Sake,  And Crossing The Ocean And Coming Down Here To Propose For You

Again,  And Even After I--I Myself--Have Positively Promised Him Your

Hand,  And Have Given A Family Dinner In Honor Of The Occasion,  And Have

Announced The Engagement,  And After Speeches Have Been Made And Toasts

Have Been Drank To The Happiness And Prosperity Of Your Married Life,

And All Due Formalities Of Betrothal Had Been Observed,  Then,  Mistress,

What Do You Do?" Severely Demanded Old Aaron Rockharrt.

 

"Only My Duty Under The Circumstances. I Was Not In The Least Bound Or

Compromised By Or Responsible For Anything That Was Said Or Done At That

Dinner Table," Replied Corona.

 

"This Is What You Do: You Dare To Set Me At Defiance! You Dare To 

Part 2 Chapter 32 (Corona's Opportunity) Pg 145

Your Will Against Mine! You Dare To Reject The Man Whom I Chose For Your

Husband,  Whom I Announced As Your Betrothed Husband! You Dare To Drive

Him Away From My House,  Grieved,  Disappointed,  Humiliated,  To Become A

Wanderer Over The Face Of The Earth For Your Sake,  Even As You Drove

Regulas Rothsay From The Goal Of His Ambition Into Exile,  And--"

 

A Sharp Cry From Corona Suddenly Stopped Him In Full Career.

 

"Do Not,  Oh! Do Not Speak Of That! I--I Would Have Given My Life To Have

Prevented Rule's Loss,  If I Could! As For This Man--This Duke--He Is

Nothing Whatever To Me,  And Never Can Be!"

 

"And Yet You Were Ready To Fall Down And Worship Him Three Years Ago!"

 

"It Was A Brief Insanity--A Self-Delusion. That Is Past. Cumbervale

Never Was And Never Can Be Anything To Me. No Man Can Ever Be Anything

To Me! I Could Not Live Rule's Wife,  But I Will Die Rule's Widow; And I

Do Not Care How Soon--The Sooner The Better,  If It Were The Lord's

Will!" Moaned Corona.

 

"Drivel!" Angrily Exclaimed Old Aaron Rockharrt. "I Am Tired Of Your

Idiotic,  Imbecile Hypocrisies! Here Are Two Men Driven Away By Your

Unprincipled Vacillation--To Call Your Conduct By The Lightest Name. One

Driven To His Death; One Driven,  It May Be,  To His Ruin. It Is Quite

Time You Were Sent To Follow Your Victims. Look You! I Am Just About To

Start For North End. I Shall Return Home At My Usual Time This Evening.

Do Not Let Me Find You Here When I Arrive,  For I Never Wish To See Your

False Face Again!" Said The Iron King,  Rising From His Arm Chair And

Striding From The Room.

 

Corona Started Up And Ran After Him,  Pleading,  Imploring--

 

"Grandfather! Dear Grandfather! Oh,  I Beg Pardon! I Forgot! Sir! Sir!

Oh,  Do Not Part From Me In This Way!"

 

He Turned Sharply,  Stared At Her Mockingly,  And Then Demanded:

 

"Come! Shall I Call Cumbervale Back? Tell Him That You Have Changed Your

Whirligig Mind,  And Are Ready To Marry Him,  If He Will Only Take Time By

The Forelock And Return Before You Shift Around Again? I Can Easily Do

That. I Can Send A Telegram That Will Over-Take Him And Turn Him Back So

Promptly That He May Be Here In Twenty-Four Hours! Come! Shall I Do

That?"

 

Corona,  Who Had Been Gazing At The Mocking Speaker Scarcely Knowing

Whether He Spoke In Earnest Or In Irony,  Now Answered Despairingly:

 

"Oh,  No,  No! Not For The World! I Have Not Changed My Mind. I Could Not

Do So For Any Cause."

 

"Then Don't Stop Me. I'm In Haste. I Am Going To North End. Don't Let Me

Find You Here When I Come Back. Don't Let Me Ever See Or Hear From You

Part 2 Chapter 32 (Corona's Opportunity) Pg 146

Again,  Without Your Consent To Marry The Man I Have Chosen For You.

John!"

 

"Oh,  Sir,  Consider--" Began Corona,  Pleadingly.

 

"John!" Vociferated The Iron King,  Pushing Rudely Past Her.

 

The Old Servant Came Hurrying Up,  Helped His Master On With His Overcoat

And With His Rubber Coat,  Then Gave Him His Hat And Gloves,  And Finally

Hoisted A Large Umbrella To Hold Over His Master's Head As He Passed

From The House To The Carriage In Front.

 

Corona Stood Watching Until The Carriage Rolled Away And Old John Came

Back Into The Hall And Closed The Door. Then She Returned To The Library

And Sank Sobbing Into The Big Leathern Chair. She Now Realized For The

First Time What The Parting With Her Grandfather Would Be--The Parting

With The Gray Old Man Who Had Been The Ogre Of Her Childhood,  The Terror

Of Her Youth,  And The Autocrat Of Her Maturity,  And Yet Whom,  By All The

Laws Of Nature,  She Tenderly Loved,  And Whom By The Commandment Of God

She Was Bound To Honor.

 

She Glanced Mechanically Toward The Card Rack,  And Saw There Another

Letter In The Handwriting Of Her Brother--A Letter That Had Come In The

Morning's Mail And Had Been Stuck Up There,  And In The Excitement Of The

Hour Had Been Neglected Or Forgotten.

 

She Seized It Eagerly And Tore It Open,  Wondering What Could Have Urged

Sylvan To Write So Soon After His Last Letter.

 

It Was Dated Three Weeks Later Than The One She Had Received Only The

Day Previous,  The First One Having,  No Doubt,  Been Delayed Somewhere

Along The Uncertain Route.

 

In This Letter Sylvan Complained That He Had Not Received A Word From

His Dear Sister Since Leaving Governor's Island,  And Mentioned That He

Himself Had Written All Along The Line Of March And Three Times Since

The Arrival Of His Regiment At Fort Farthermost.

 

But He Admitted,  Also,  That The Mails Beyond The Regular United States

Mail Roads Were Very Uncertain And Irregular. Then He Came To The Object

Of This Particular Epistle.

 

"It Is,  My Dear Cora,  To Tell You," He Wrote,  "That If You Should Still

Be Resolved To Come Out And Join Me Here,  An Opportunity For Your Safe

Conduct Will Be Offered You This Autumn Which May Never Occur Again. Our

Senior Captain--Captain Neville,  Company A--Has Been Absent On Leave For

Several Months. So He Did Not Come Out Here With The Regiment. His Leave

Expires On The 30th Of November. He Will Be Obliged To Start In The

Latter Part Of October In Order To Have Time Enough To Accomplish The

Tedious Journey By Wagon From Leavenworth To Fort Farthermost,  Which Is,

As I Believe I Told You,  In The Southern Part Of The Indian Reserve,

Bordering On Texas. He Is To Bring His Wife With Him.

 

"But Our Colonel Thinks It Is I Who Want You,  And,  Moreover,  I Who Need

You; For He Says That,  Next To A Wife,  A Sister Is The Best Safeguard A

Young Officer Can Have Out In These Frontier Forts,  And He Gave Me The

Address Of Captain Neville And Advised Me To Write To Him And Ask Him

And His Wife To Take Charge Of My Sister On The Route.

 

"And Then,  Dear,  He Went Further Than That. He Took My Letter After I

Had Written It,  And Inclosed It In One From Himself. So Now,  My Dear,

All You Have To Do Is To Go To Washington,  Call On Mrs. Neville,  At

Brown's Hotel,  Pennsylvania Avenue,  And Send Up Your Card. She Will

Expect You. Then You Must Hold Yourself In Readiness To Start When The

Captain And His Wife Do."

 

Cora Had No Time To Indulge In Reverie. She Must Be Up And Doing.

 

Her Luggage Had Long Been Stored In The Freight House Of The North End

Railway Station,  And Her Traveling Bags Had Been Packed The Day Before.

The Servants Knew She Was Going Out To Join Her Brother,  Though They Did

Not Know That Her Grandfather Had Discarded Her. She Had Very Little To

Do For Herself On That Day,  But She Resolved To Do All That She Could

For The Comfort Of Her Grandfather Before She Should Leave The House

Forever.

 

So She Went And Ordered The Dinner--Just Such A Dinner As She Knew He

Would Like. Then She Called Old John To Her Presence And Directed Him To

Have The Parlor Prepared For His Master Just As Carefully As If She

Herself Were On The Spot To See It Done; To Have The Fire Bright; The

Hearth Clean; The Lamps Trimmed And Lighted; The Shutters Closed And The

Curtains Drawn; The Easy Chair,  With Dressing Gown And Slippers,  Before

The Fire,  And,  Lastly,  A Jug Of Hot Punch On The Hearth.

 

Old John Promised Faithfully To Perform All These Duties. Then Cora Went

And Wrote Two