LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2286, 30 July 1881, Page 4

LITERATURE.

RUTH DARNEL'S REVENGE. Part I. As Ruth Darnel sat under a magnificent sycamore tree on the little lawn in front of her mother's cottage, she formed a picture which Mr Leslie would have delighted to paint, and which might have inspired a poet. A woman may look very striking as queen of the ballroom or holding a kind of levee in a box at the Opera, but real loveliness never Shows to such effect as amid the surroundingß of Nature. Nothing could have framed Ruth so well as the dark leaves of the sweeping sycamore which drooped nearly to the ground behind ner, and 1 threw sofc shadows which suited her face to peifection. That face was pale, ■with classic outline, dark hair low on her brows, and eyes of velvet fringed with long lashes. It wa3 a ?aco which could be calm enough in repose, but which had within it po-eibilitios of fierce aneer and enduring emotion. It was a face that could suffer patiently enough, but had little forgiveness in it. Moreover the broad white brow and lastrr.ua eyes told a true tale of a cultivated intelligence and power of thought. Such was Kuth Darnel as we firjt see her sitting idly beneath the sycamore tree on the lawn. It had been well for Ruth Darnel that her mind had been carefully cultivated, for Bhe had comparatively early in life to go out as a govorness ; Mra Darnel, the widow of a clergyman, being left nearly penniless when her"h.u>ibacd died. At the time of which we ar« writing, however, she had come into a email annuity, and was enabled to have Ruth at home with her in a little cottage in Surrey, only a short distance from London. Ruth Darnel had not known very pleasant experiences when a governess. No doubt governesses are very much better treated nowadays than of old; Jthey are seldom the persecuted beings they have been represented in fiction ; but at the same time a gove mass's is not the happiest life in the •world, and the rosea, if any, which strew such a path have, we sußpect, more than their fair share of thorns. Occasionally a governess gets the upper hand in a family of ■nvuveaiix riches (after the manner of the immortal Miss Wirt) by a command of the aspirate, and an avoidance of her knife as a means for the consumption of peas—both high and unattainable accomplishments to certain people. But Ruth Darnel had found her romance even in the hard and monotonous toil of a governess's life, and in It she was supremely happy. She had met In one of the families in ■which she had taught a young subaltern in the army, a certain Reginald Tremaine, who, struck by her charms, and completely subjugated by the wonderful eyes, had made fierce love to her, which Ruth returned with all the intensity of her nature. And she did so after many warnings. Tremaine, as :the saying runs, was not. a bad young fellow, but he waß fond of pleasure, and his was a shallow nature, wholly unable to respond to suoh love as Ruth's. Moreover ho was extra vagant, and seldom could keep within the allowance made him by his father. It was the old story. Tremaine was handsome, and fancied himself very much in love with his beautiful Ruth ; and ■he, only looking to the sunshine of the present, never dreamt of shadows in the future, and was supremely happy.

This arrangement annoyed no one so muoh as a certain John Morton, Ruth's cousin, older than herself, but devotedly attached to her ever since she was a child. The time had been when John had hinted at his hopes; but the peal of merry laughter which greeted him, and the sisterly frankness with whioh he was answered, had caused him to dismiss those hope 3 for ever, and to put up with the cold and pale lilies of friendship instead of the roses of lovo.

Of coarse, even when he had not the slightest hope for himself, he was Insanely jealous of every other man. He was furious at Ruth's engagement to Tremaine, and had made a prediction about Reginald whioh caused Ruth to flash out at him in impetuous anger. He had warned her, not politely, it must be admitted, that Reginald would one day run through his money, and then desert her for an heiress. But he did cot say it again, for the fierce glance of Ruth's eyes and her bitter words haunted him for many a day after. And In Ruth it seemed a very unkind remark, for the young lover was mo't devoted and attentive; and whatever might be the attractions of London, near which he wbb quartered, he seemed to find greater ones in the little garden at the Darnels' ooitage. So one summer followed another, until Mrs Darnel, gentle soul as she was, began to get uneasy. Her health was not good, and she would fain have seen Ruth happily married before she slept beside her husband ' amid the cold Hiejacets of the dead.' Not that Ruth had any suoh thoughts—the dream of love was sufficient ; but they were quite natural in the mother. Moreover Mra Darnel fancied that while Reginald Tremaine did not come quite so often, he seemed to be in a very feverish and excited state when he did come, as if something he did not like to reveal brought a flush into his cheek and a strange light to his eyes. Gentle Mrs Darnel made up her mind to interrogate Ruth as judiciously as possible, and one day said, ' Ruth dear, have you noticed lately that Mr Tremaine has not been quite himself when he has been here—that he was very strange and excited V Ruth mentally noted the ' Mr Tremaine ' instead of ' Reginald,' and determined to atiok to her guns. ' No, mother,' she said, ' I have noticed nothing'—that was the truth, her affection b'inded her— * except that he is a dearer fellow than eve'.' That was unnecessary, but it was a return shot for the ' Mr Tremaine.' ' Well,' said Mrs Darnel, ' I must say I have noticed a change, and I don't think he comes quite so often as he used to do.' The shot told. Ruth had noticed that herself, but it was very unkind of her mother, she thought, to rave found it out tco. What did it matter to mamma ? Reginald was not her lover. But she answered quietly, ' I suppose he has been detained in town,' ' Mrs Darnel sighed, and said, ' Ab, my dear. I wish I could see you happily married before—before I have to leave you.' « O mamma, don't Bay any suoh horrid things !' cried Ruth ; ' and how unkind of you to want to be rid of me ?' and then aha fell to petting and consoling her mother. But the minds of both were full of the conversation. Part of what Mra Darnel had said was true- Reginald did not come down to the cottage so often. Kuth was obliged to own that to herself with intense vexation of spirit; but was there anything in the other accusation ? for so she named it In her heart. What did mamma mean ? How was Reginald changed ? He had been rather restless and uneasy, but there was nothing in that. And yet when she asked herself deliberately whether some of the recent Interviews with him had been as sweet as of old, she was forced to oonfeßs that there was an Indefinable something—she could give it ao name—which waß not quite satisfactory. Having settled that in her own mind she went upstairs and indulged in what she would have called 'a good cry,'and then, after studying one or two of Reginald's nicest letters —she kept them marked in a particular way—she dried her eyes, and decided that it was all nonsense, and that Bhe was a very fortunate gil; that her mother was far too auspicious, and Reginald was perfect, and so forth. But the little rift had come, let her bear herself as bravely as aha might, and the music of life was not quite ao full-toned as before. Several days passed, and Reginald never appeared, nntil he had been absant longer than ever she had remembered during her engagement. And then, just as her heart was becoming numb with sorrow and with hope deferred, there came the following letter: ' Aldershot, June Ist, 18—. ' My darling Ruth, —It cuts me to the heart to have to write this to you ; but the fact is, dearest, I have got to the eni of my tether, and I shall be forced to give you up Unless, as people say, I " marry money," I ahall have to cut the country. It is hard upon me, and I am afraid it will be hard upon you; but whataver happens, I shall always be your loving ' Begot*.'

Surely a more heartless and utterly unmanly letter was never penned. Nor one more insulting ; for while he told her indirectly he was going to marry a rich wife, ha otill continued his oaressing epithets, and assured her he should always lovo her, Buth's horo was showing hlmaelf in his true colours, and, terrible as the blow wai to her, she was stung by this letter into hot indignation against the writer. It was perhaps as well for her that this was the case, or the suffering mi;;ht havo been greater. As it was, she hardly felt the blow in the burning desire to retort upon her false lover. She had heard and read of other girls being treated in this way, but it had nevor occurred to hor that she, Ruth barnel. could bo so lightly regarded and cast off. It seemed to banish all the years of love, and she swore within herself to be rovenged upon him To do this sho must, in the first instance, have an interview with Tremaine, and she made up her mind to write to him. 5-he waited, however, until next day, in order to write c»lmly and coolly ; and then sent him a short note, studioasly avoiding any tenderness, and merely saying that she desired an interview as soon as it was convenient to him.

Never was letter more unwelcome to anyone than that note to Tremaine. He had intended to cut himself loose from her by letter, not daring to face her ; and now he had to see her with that letter written, and without the power cf breaking the matter to her as gently as he might have done if he had seen her in the first instance. He knew there was no getting out of it. He would have to see her sooner or later, and the sooner perhaps the better ; but it was very disagreeable, and he compassionated himself, just as all men do when they have committed discreditable actions and have to suffer for them.

So, after having fidgeted about all the morning, and imbibed more ' pegs ' at the club than were good for him, this gallant young soldier went down to explain to the eirl who loved him that he was going to throw her over basely and heartlessly, and marry a woman who would supply the money for his extravagant pleasures. Had he confided his errand to any of his friends, they would have thought it a good joke, and offered him all sorts of comic advioe on the position. If, on the other hand, he had declared his inability to pay his bets on the last Goodwood, they would have cut him. As it was, he was only going to break a woman's heart, and that in no way Infringes the code of honour of to-day. On the way down, as beoame a man who had been brought up as a semi-scientific soldier, he resolved upon a line of tactics. He would treat the letter lightly, as dealing with something that might one day happen, but of which there was no immediate danger. Ho would temporise, In short, and wnile endeavouring to familiarise her mind with the idea, wonld soothe and calm her. They met in the garden under the syoamore where we first saw Ruth, and Tremaine went forward to take her in his arms as of old. She drew back, however, and gravely held out her hand, which he took, with a very bad grace. ' How are you, Ruth ;' he said uneasily. * You don't look very well to-day.' ' No; I am not very well,' she said coldly. It wai evident that she was determined he should begin; so he made the plunge. Feeling very hot and uncomfortable, he said, • You received my letter V ' I did,' she returned, looking straight into his eyes. ' Here it is. Do you wish to withdraw it ?'

Here was a loophole of escape, and he eagerly availed himself of it. • Well,' he said, trying to force a laugh, ' perhaps you'd better give it me. It may never come to that, darling ; but I thought it better to be fair and open with you.' ' Fair and open with me ! 13 that your version of your conduct?' • Come, Ruth,' he said, growing still more uneasy nnder her scorn, ' pray be reasonable. There is nothing to fear at present; and you know how much I love you.' She rose and faced him, and his eyes sank beneath the stern look in hers ; soft as they were, they oonld light up with a gleam he had never seen there before. {To if continued )