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

That You Should Not Have Heard

Of The Affair Directly From Grandfather Himself. Has He Really Not

Written And Told You Of His Marriage?"

 

"He Has Never Told Me A Word Of His Marriage,  Though He Has Written A

Dozen Or More Letters To Me Within The Last Few Weeks."

 

"That Is Very Extraordinary. And Did You Not Hear Any Rumor Of It? Did

No One Chance To See The Notice Of It In The Papers?"

 

"No One That I Know Of. No; I Heard No Hint Of My Father's Marriage From

Any Quarter,  Nor Had I,  Nor Any One Else At Rockhold Or At North End,

The Slightest Suspicion Of Such A Thing."

 

"That Is Very Strange. It Must Have Been In The Papers," Said Sylvan.

 

"If It Was I Did Not See It,  But,  Then,  I Never Think Of Looking At The

Marriage List."

 

"I Am Inclined To Think That It Never Got Into The Papers. The Marriage

Was Private,  Though Not Secret. And You,  Sylvan,  Should Have Seen That

The Marriage Was Inserted In All The Daily Papers. It Was Your Special

Duty As Groomsman. But You Must Have Forgotten It,  And I Never

Remembered To Remind You Of It," Said Cora.

 

"Not I. I Never Forgot It,  Because I Never Once Thought Of It. Didn't

Know It Was My Duty To Attend To It. Besides,  I Had So Many Duties. Such

Awful Duties! Think Of My Having To Be My Own Grandmother's Church Papa

Part 2 Chapter 18 (A Crisis At Rockhold) Pg 27

And Give Her Away At The Altar! That Duty Reduced Me To A State Of

Imbecility From Which I Have Not Yet Recovered."

 

"But," Said Mr. Clarence,  With A Look Of Pain On His Fine,  Genial

Countenance,  "It Is So Strange That My Father Never Mentioned His

Marriage In Any Of His Letters To Me."

 

"Perhaps He Did Not Like To Mix Up Sentiment With Business," Kindly

Suggested Sylvan.

 

"I Don't Think It Was A Question Of Sentiment," Sighed Mr. Clarence.

 

"What? Not His Marriage?"

 

"No," Sighed Mr. Clarence.

 

"Well,  Don't Worry About The Matter. Let Us Order Dinner And Engage The

Carriage To Take Us All To Rockhold. How Astonished The Darkies Will Be

To See Us,  And How Much More Astonished To Hear The News We Have To

Tell! I Wonder If They Will Take Kindly To The Rule Of The New

Mistress?" Said Sylvan.

 

"Why Did Not One Of You Have The Kindness,  And Thoughtfulness,  To Write

And Tell Me Of My Father's Marriage?" Sorrowfully Inquired Mr. Clarence,

Utterly Ignoring The Just Spoken Words Of His Nephew.

 

"Dear Uncle Clarence,  I Should Certainly Have Written And Told You All

About It At Once,  If I Had Not Taken For Granted That Grandfather Had

Informed You Of His Intention,  As Was Certainly His Place To Do. And

Even If I Had Written To You On Any Other Occasion,  I Should Assuredly

Have Alluded To The Marriage. But,  You See,  I Never Wrote To Any One

While Away," Cora Explained.

 

"Now,  Uncle Clarence,  Just Take Cora's Explanation And Apology For Both

Of Us,  Will You,  For It Fits Me As Well As It Does Her? And Now You Two

May Keep The Ball Rolling,  While I Go Out And Order Dinner And Engage

The Hack," Said Sylvan,  Starting For The Office.

 

When He Was Gone Clarence Asked Cora To Give Him All The Details Of The

Extraordinary Marriage,  And She Complied With His Request.

 

"It Will Make A Country Talk," Said The Young Man,  With A Sigh,  Which

Cora Echoed.

 

"And You Say They Will Be Home On The First Of July?" He Inquired.

 

"Yes," Said Cora.

 

"I Wish I Had Known In Time. I Would Have Had Old Rockhold Hall Prepared

As It Should Be For The Reception Of My Father's Bride,  Though I Do So

Strongly Disapprove The Marriage. Do You Know,  Cora,  That Old House Has

Never Had Its Furniture Renewed Within My Memory? Some Of The Rooms Are

Positively Mouldy And Musty. And Whoever Heard Of A Wealthy Man Like My

Father Bringing His Wife Home To A Neglected Old Country House Like

Rockhold,  Without First Having It Renovated And Refurnished?"

 

"I Do Not Believe He Ever Once Thought Of The Propriety Or Necessity Of

Repairing And Refitting. His Mind Is Quite Absorbed In His New And Vast

Speculations. He Spent Every Day Down In Wall Street While We Stayed In

New York City."

 

"Well,  Corona,  This Is The Twenty-Eighth Of June,  And We Have Four Days

Before Us; For I Do Not Suppose The Newly Married Pair Will Arrive

Before The Evening Of The First Of July; So We Must Do The Best We Can,

My Dear,  To Make The House Pleasant In This Short Time."

 

"And Uncle Fabian And His Wife Will Be At Rockhold About The Same

Time," Added Cora.

 

"I Knew Fabian Would Be At North End On The First Of July,  But I Did Not

Know That He Would Go On To Rockhold. I Thought He Would Go On To Their

New House. So We Shall Have Two Brides To Welcome,  Instead Of One."

 

"Yes. And Now,  Uncle Clarence,  Will You Please Ring For A Chambermaid? I

Must Go To A Bed Room And Get Some Of This Railroad Dust Out Of My

Eyes," Said Cora.

 

At Nine O'clock In The Very Warm Evening,  The Three Were Sitting Near

The Open Windows,  When They Started At The Sound Of A Hearty,  Genial

Voice In The Adjoining Room,  Inquiring For Accommodations For The Night.

 

"It Is Fabian!" Cried Mr. Clarence,  Springing Up In Joy And Rushing Out

Of The Room To Welcome His Only And Much Beloved Brother.

 

The Glad Voices Of The Two Brothers In Greeting Reached Their Ears,  And

A Moment After The Door Was Thrown Open Again,  And Mr. Clarence Entered,

Conducting Mr. And Mrs. Fabian Rockharrt.

 

As Soon As They Found Themselves Alone,  The Two Brothers Took Convenient

Seats To Have A Talk.

 

"How Goes On The Works,  Clarence?" Inquired Mr. Fabian.

 

"Very Prosperously. You Will Go Through Them To-Morrow And See For

Yourself."

 

"And How Goes On The Great Scheme?"

 

"Even Better Than The Works. Last Reports Shares Selling At One Hundred

And Thirty."

 

"Same Over Yonder. When I Left Amsterdam Shares Selling Like Hot Cakes

At A Hundred And Thirty-One Seventenths. How Is The Governor?" Inquired

Mr. Fabian.

 

"As Flourishing As A Successful Financier And Septuagenarian Bridegroom

Part 2 Chapter 18 (A Crisis At Rockhold) Pg 28

Can Be."

 

"Why!--What Do You Mean?"

 

"Haven't You Heard The News?"

 

"What Is It? You--You Don't Mean--"

 

"Has Our Father Written Nothing To You Of A Very Important And Utterly

Unexpected Act Of His Life?"

 

"No."

 

"I Advised Him To Marry--"

 

"You! You! Fabian! You Advised Our Father To Do Such An Absurd Thing At

His Age?"

 

"I Confess I Don't See The Absurdity Of It," Quietly Replied The Elder

Brother.

 

"Oh,  Why Did You Counsel Him To Such An Act?" Inquired Mr. Clarence,

More In Sorrow Than In Anger.

 

"Out Of Pure Good Nature. I Was Getting Married Myself And Wanted

Everybody To Be As Happy As I Was Myself,  Particularly My Old Father.

Now I Wonder He Did Not Write To Me Of His Happiness; But Perhaps He Has

Done So And The Letter Passed Me On The Sea. When Did This Marriage Take

Place?"

 

"On The Last Day Of May."

 

"Whe-Ew! Then There Was Ample Time In Which To Have Written The News To

Me. And I Have Had At Least Half A Dozen Business Letters Since The Date

Of His Marriage,  In Any Of Which He Might Have Mentioned The Occurrence

Had He So Chosen. The Lady Is No Longer Young. She Must Be Forty-Eight,

And She Is Handsome,  Cultured,  Dignified And Of Very High Rank. A

Queenly Woman!"

 

"Do You Know Whom You Are Talking About,  Fabian?"

 

"Mrs. Bloomingfield,  The Lady I Recommended,  Whom Father Married."

 

"Oh,  Indeed; I Thought You Didn't Know What You Were Talking About Or

Whom You Were Talking Of," Said Mr. Clarence.

 

"What Do You Mean By That?"

 

"Our Father Never Accepted Your Recommendation; Never Proposed To The

Handsome,  High Spirited Mrs. Bloomingfield."

 

"What!" Exclaimed Mr. Fabian. "Whom,  Then?" "Whom? Whom Should He Have

Selected But

 

Part 2 Chapter 18 (A Crisis At Rockhold) Pg 29

    "'The Rose That All Ad-Mi-R-R-?'

 

"Clarence,  What,  In The Fiend's Name,  Do You Mean? Whom Has My Father

Married?" Demanded Mr. Fabian,  Starting Up And Staring At His Younger

Brother.

 

"Mrs. Rose Flowers Stillwater," Replied Mr. Clarence,  Staring Back.

 

Mr. Fabian Dropped Back In His Chair,  While Every Vestige Of Color Left

His Face.

 

"Why,  Fabian! Fabian! Why Should You Care So Much As All This? Speak,

Fabian; What Is The Matter?" Inquired The Younger Brother,  Rising And

Bending Over The Elder.

 

"What Is The Matter?" Cried Mr. Fabian,  Excitedly. "Ruin Is The Matter!

Ruin,  Disgrace,  Dishonor,  Degradation,  An Abyss Of Infamy; That Is The

Matter."

 

"Oh,  Come Now! See Here! That Is All Wild Talk. The Young Woman Was Only

A Nursery Governess,  To Be Sure,  In Our House,  And Then Widow Of Some

Skipper Or Other; But She Was Respectable,  Though Of Humble Position."

 

"Clarence,  Hush! You Know Nothing About It!" Exclaimed Mr. Fabian,

Wiping His Forehead With His Handkerchief,  And Then Getting Up And

Walking The Floor With Rapid Strides.

 

"I Don't Understand All This,  Fabian. We Were All Of Us A Good Deal Cut

Up By The Event,  But Nothing Like This!" Said Mr. Clarence,  Uneasily.

 

"No; You Don't Understand. But Listen To Me: I Was On My Way To Rockhold

To Join In The Family Reunion,  And To Show The Old Homestead To My Wife;

But I Cannot Take Her There Now. I Cannot Introduce Her To The New Mrs.

Rockharrt--The New Mrs. Rockharrt!" He Repeated,  In A Tone And With A

Gesture Of Disgust And Abhorrence. "I Shall Turn Back,  And Take My Wife

To Our New Home; And When I Go To Rockhold,  I Shall Go Alone."

 

"Fabian,  You Make Me Dreadfully Uneasy. What Do You Know Of Rose

Stillwater That Is To Her Discredit?" Demanded Clarence Rockharrt.

 

His Elder Brother Paused In His Excited Walk,  Dropped His Head Upon His

Chest And Reflected For A Few Moments. Then He Seemed To Recover Some

Degree Of Self-Control And Self-Recollection. He Returned To His Chair,

Sat Down,  And Said:

 

"Of My Own Personal Knowledge I Know Nothing Against The Woman But Just

This--That She Is But Half Educated,  Deceitful,  And Unreliable. And That

Knowledge I Gained By Experience After She Had First Left Rockhold,  To

Which I Had First Introduced Her For A Governess To Our Niece. I Had

Nothing To Do With Her Return