LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1430, 14 September 1878, Page 3

LITERATURE.

MR. ASLATT’S WARD.

[“ Chambers’ Journal,”]

(Continued.)

* How can it be for the best, Rose,’ I exclaimed indignantly, ‘ that you should deceive and pain your kind guardian, for the sake of an unprincipled man? But you have not reflected on what you were about to do. 'i hank God, I was led here in time to prevent your taking a step which would entail lifelong misery i’ So saying, I took her hand, to lead her back to the house. Seeing that I was resolute, she made no opposition. We went at once to h»r room, which was not far from my own It was in great dis rder, various articles lying scattered about on the floor and chairs. On the dre-sing-table lay various articles of jewellery and ether presents from Mr Aslatt. and a note directed in him in Bose’s handwriting. 4 And so, you thought by returning these, you could e capo from some of your obligations to Mr Aslatt,’ I remarked, somewhat scornfully, as I pointed to the pile of gifts ‘ I am surprised at you, Rose !’ Overpowered by shame and vexation, she could make no reply, but throwing herself as she was upon the bed, gave vent to her mortification in passionate sobs. I sat down by her side aud let her weep unchecked, hoping that no more words would be needed to move her to contrition. After a while she grew calmer, and ceasing to sob, lay still, with her eyes shut. Occasionally her eyelids moved, and I knew that she was not asleep ; but I would not be the first to break silence. About an hour passed thus, and then she opened her eyes, and raising herself on her elbow, and shaking back the fair hair that was hanging loose over her face, t imed towards me. ‘ Shall you tell cousin ?’ she asked in a faint voice.

* I fear it will be my duty to do so,’ I replied ; ‘ though I shnuk irom the thought of the pain I shall inflict,’ Rose’s lip quivered, and tears again gathered in her eyes. * i know you must consider me very wicked,’ she sail; 'but indeed lam not so bad as you think lam fully conscious how much I am indebted to Mr Atlatt, and I am grateful to him for the kindness he has always shown me.’ * How can you say so,’ I interrupted, ' when you have deliberately planned what would cause him the nitterest sorrow !’

‘I know, I know!’ exclaimed Bose passionately. ‘Do you suppose I have ignored the sorrow my flight would cau»e my dear guardian, or that I would willingly appear so ungrateful ? But; I had to consider the happiness of another.’ ‘ What other can have stronger claims upon you than Mr A latt ?’ I asked. Rose colored, and hesitated for an answer. ‘lf I had a husbaud,’ she said in a low voice with downcast eyes, ‘he would have a higher claim upon me than any one else.’ *Of course,’ I returned. ‘ But you are not married, so 1 do not see what that has to do with it,’

‘ This much,’ said Rose —‘ that I have promised to marry Mr Hammond, and would have been married to-morrow if you had not stopped me ; therefore he is more to me than any one else.’ ‘ I am very thank'ul that I did stop you,’ I said, ‘How could you expect, Bose, to find any happiness in a union so hastily and wilfully'contracted ? How could you think of fleeing by night from the home where you have been sheltered since your childhood, where y<mr every wash has been gratified, and ample provision made for your happiness, by one whose noble love you are incapable of appreciating ? You have been strangely deluded to think of trusting your life to one who could propose so base a scheme.’

‘ But what else could we do ?’ said Rose, trying to defend her lover. * All things are fair in love and war. We knew that Mr Aslatt would never consent to our marriage. But if he heard that wo were ac ually married, so that it was out of his power to separate ua, he must then have forgiven ua. ’

‘So I have no doubt Mr Hammond thought,’ I remarked. ‘ But Rose, do you positively think that Mr Aslatt would withho d his consent to your marriage if he were convinced that it would promote your happiness 1 ’ ‘No, not if he believed,’ replied Bose ‘ But nothing would persuade him that Fritz Hammond could make me a good hu-.band ; ho.is dreadfully prejudiced against him. And he would never overlook Mr Hammond s inferior position or forgive him for being poor, although he comes of a good family, and no one can s»y anythiug against him.’ ‘ It is strange,’ I remarked, ‘that being of good family he should be in his present pjsition ’ ‘ There now ; you are going to find fault with him!’exclaimed Rose pettishly. ‘He is not to be bl»med for his position, for great misfortunes have reduced him to it.’

* How long is it since you promised to marry Mr Hammond ?’ I inquired, after a pause. ‘ A little while before you came here,’ was the reply. *At first we meant to tell Mr Aslatt all. and aak his consent ; but he teemed so much opposed to Mr Hammond, that he—l mean we—feared to do so. We thought that if we settled the matter ourselves, it would cause cousin less pain in the end.’

‘Less pain to find that you had been deceiving him, and putting more confidence in a comparative stranger, than in one who has befriended you all your life ! It was by strange reasoning you arrived at such a conclusion, ll 'se !’ She made no reply. ‘ I suppose you have been iu the habit oi meeting Mr Hammond clandestinely in the garden,’ I continued; ‘yen gaining access to it unobserved by means oi the so called haunted gooms, against which you were so careful to warn me. I could not have believed you so skillet in subterfuge.’ Hose coloured deeply, and her head drooped in shame • 1 am very sorry, Miss Bygrave,’ she said penitently, after a long pau e : ‘ I see now that I have acted I have felt very unhappy all along at the thought of deceiving my good cousin, for indeed i love him truly j but 1

could not bear to think of giving up Mr Hammond. I have often longed to confess all to you, and I asked Fritz once if I might, but he said it would be most imprudent, and would lead to his being parted from mo for ever And now that will come to pass I suppose. O dear me! what shall Id > ? I am the most miserable girl in the world ! ( ,So saying, Hose again buried her face in the pillow and sobbed aloud. ‘ Do you know what I should advise you to do ?’ I said, when her emotion had somewhat exhausted itself.

‘ What?’ she asked in a smothered voice, without raising her head. ‘I think the best^thing—the right thing for you to do is to confess all to Mr Aslatt, and beg his forgiveness, He will accord it, I have no doubt. It will give him great pain to hear of your folly ; but it will grieve him less tc learn it from your lips than from mine. 1 eo-icws) 4 Oh, I cannot, Miss Bygrave! I cannot tell him ! I don’t know what he would do or say. He would be so angry with Mr Hammond!’

4 And ho has just cause to be,’ I could not help saying. 4 But surely, Bose, your past experience of Mr Aslatt’s goodness should lead you to put more trust in his kindness of heart. You must know that he seeks your happiness in everything. Ho will undoubtedly feel indignant with the schoolmaster on account of the underhand manner in which he has acted. But if he is convinced that you are sincerely attached to each other, he will not, I believe, oppose your union ; unless he has grave reasons for thinking Mr Hammond unworthy of the place he holds in your heart. You cannot expect that he will all at once consent to your marrying a man who may be a mere adventurer, for all that he knows to the contrary, and who has certainly acted towards Mr Aslatt in a dishonourable manner, which the hopelessness of his suit does not seem to mo to excuse.

Bose made no reply; and I trusted my words would have their influence, She lay still for some time, evidently engaged in deep and painful thought. Gradually, however, the cloud passed from her brow, and as morning was beginning to dawn, she fell into a sound sleep. I watched her for a while ; but by degrees weariness overcame my mental excitement, and I also fell asleep. Chapter 111. It was a strange day that followed. After much deliberation and a hard struggle with her shrinking from such a proceeding, Bose resolved to follow my advice, and make her confession to Mr Aslatt, trusting to obtain his forbearance towards the chief delinquent. She went to him in his library soon after breakfast, from which meal she had absented herself on the plea of a headache, which was no mere excuse, but the natural result ,of her violent weeping during the preceding night. What passed at that interview I never knew. They were together for more than an hour. At the end of that time I heard Rose come out of the library and go slowly up-stairs. I followed her after a few minutes, thinking she might need me ; but as 1 ascended the stairs I heard her hastily lock her door, as a security against intrusion. Shortly afterwards, as I stood at the window, I saw Mr Aslatt leave the house and cross the park in the direction in which the schoolhouse lay. Several hours passed. Mr Aslatt did not return, and Bose’s duor continued closed against me. I was beginning to feel anxious, when I received a note from Mr Aslatt, brought to the house by one of the school children, in which he briefly informed me that he was obliged to make a hasty journey to London, and would not be home till night. I saw nottiing of Bose until the dinner hour arrived, when we sat down to tab'e together. She strove hard to appear as usual during the meal. Her dress manifested careful arrangement, and though her cheeks were almost as pale as the wbi e robe she wore, she looked strikingly beautiful. As long as the servant remained in the room, she talked incessantly, and even laughed; but when there was no longer need to keep up an appearance of cheerfulness, her manner changed. The troubled look returned, and she grew painfully restless. The evening was passed by her in wandering from room, to room, unable to settle to any occupation. Sometimes she took up a bo -k, but only to throw it aside in impatience the next moment and go to a window, to watch with growing anxiety for Mr Aslatt’s return. At last, when her endurance had been trisd to the utmost, he came I was grieved to ree the weary saddened look his face wore when he came into the room where we both were, He seemed to have grown ten years older in one day. Rose became paler than ever as he entered, the did move to meet him, but stood still, gazing at him with an eager, questioning glance. As he approached her, I slipped out of the room, for I was sure they would wish to be alone. The next day Mr Aslatt took me into his confidence, and freely discussed with me the difficult position in which he found himielf placed in regard to Bose. Knowing her vehement attachment to Mr Hammond, and having had a proof of the strength of her determination to cling to him, ha shrank from pa ning her, and perhaps driving her to an undesirable course of action by refusing his consent to their marriage; the more so that he had made inquiries, and discovered that the assertion, whi -h Rose so repeatedly made, namely that her lover was by birth a gentleman, was quite correct. Mr Aslatt had tad some conversation with a solicit' r, an elderly man, who was acquainted with Mr Hammond’s family history, aud who spoke of him as a singularly unfortunate young man. His father had been a spendthiift man of pleasure, who had squandered away all his property, aud been forced to sell the family estate whilst his son—whoso mother had died in g.ving him birth was yet a child. The self-ruined man had then pursued a dis graceful career of gambling, which had terminated in a premature deadv Neglected and uucaied (or during his father’s lifetime, the boy was in a still more deplorable situation after bis decease, and would have fared ill, if the solicitor who had managed his father’s affairs, hearing of his desolate condition, had not exerted himself to procure the lad’s admission into an orphan a.-ylum. Here he had received a tolerable education ; and at the close of his term of schooling a place had been found for him as clerk m a merchant’s office. But the occupation had not been to his taste, and at the end of a twelvemonth ho took offence at some trivial occurrence, aud threw up his situation.

( To hr continue,d.)