Lady Trebor's Secret, OR THE MYSTERY OF CECIL ROSSE.

Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 212, 21 April 1877, Page 4

Lady Trebor's Secret, OR THE MYSTERY OF CECIL ROSSE.

[By Mrs. Harriet Lewis.] CHAPTER ll.— continued. It was plain to Grafton that the young earl, with Ids blonde beauty, was the favored lover of Cecil, but this conviction by no means dampened the ardour of his love, or caused him to desist from Ids suit. 11 1 shall win her !” he said to himself, grimly. “ I can work and wait. In spite of any obstacle in my path, in spite of Gleuham’s beauty, rank, and wealth, in spite of the fact even that the girl loves him and dislikes me, I will win her ! I devote myself, mind and body, heart and soul, to the task—but if I should fail—as I shall not—l would utterly destroy the girl before any other should possess her !” The hard, evil look in Ids eyes attested to the truth fulness of this declaration.

It was now the last week in August. One morning, as the two young men wandered together in the forest, rifles on shoulder, Grafton said, carelessly : “ We’ve been here nearly throe mouths, Clcnham. How time flies! 11 ave yon thought of your engagements for September ? 'Yon remember that yon invited a dozen guests to spend the month at your box in the Scottish Highlands ?”

“ I remember, Grafton, although I had nearly forgotten it.” We must go homo at once,” said Grafton, “ if you would not insult your invited guests, and mortally offend the most magnificent and wealthiest woman In England. I mean Lady Trevor, of course. The charming widow is to spend September on her own Highland estate, adjoining your own, and her castle is to be /llled with guests. You’re a lueky fellow, Ghmliam. I fancy that Lady Trevor would not objet to changing her name to Lady Glcnham.” “ That Is your fancy, Grafton, nothingmore,” replied the carl, reddening. u I admire Lady Trevor ; every one admires her; but, as you well know, t have never dreamed of love or marriage until now. Perhaps you are jealous?” ho added, smiling. “ I remember that you always admired Lady Trevor.” “But more particularly her colossal fortune. 1 am reputed to be very wealthy, but she has the veritable dross, Glenham, and if I hud the ghost of a chance with her I might—l might—”

Grafton did not finish his sentence. The leading characteristic of his nature was Ids avarice. For wealth and a brilliant marriage with one like Lady Trevor he felt, at that instant, that he might bo willing to relinquish love. He put the thought from him, however, as he recalled the imago of the gloriously beautiful girl he loved. “ I Biink,” said Lord Glcnham, “that 'i will go on to the village, and leave my rifle, and change my hunting-suit, and then visit the parsonage.” His look declared his purpose.

. “You will go ‘on matrimonial thoughts intent?’ Well, good luck go with yon, Glcnham, You’ll succeed. An English carl, with a pedigree tracingback beyond the days of the Conqueror, with a rent-roll of twenty thousand ayear, handsome, and all that sort of thing, don’t stand much chance of refusal from a little half-Gorman girl, poor as poverty, and only a Lutheran pastor’s niece !” There was a bitterness in this assertion that Lord Glcnham scarcely per- • ceived in his annoyance. “ If Miss Posse should accept me as her future husband, Grafton,” he said, gravely, “she will do so through no consideration of my possessions—that I know.” ' Ho moved on with a rapid step, vanishing down a path leading to the Tillage. Grafton wheeled about abruptly, and made his way by a short cut to the parsonage. Leaving his rifle outside, ho sought the Herr Pastor in his study. Herr Brocken arose wearily, betraying a physical weakness that a more observant person must have noticed. “ Alone, sir ?” asked the pastor. “Yes, alone,” replied Grafton, smiling. “ My friend will be here presently upon a most important errand. Yon can guess it, perhaps ?” “ Not I,” said the scholar, lookingpuzzled. “An important errand ?” “ Yes, Mein Herr,” said Crofton. “ Ho will not like me to betray him, yet you must have noticed his admiration for your beautiful niece. Lord Grlcnbam desires to marry Miss Posse—” “ To.marry 'flier ? ; Why, she is but a child !” “ She seems a child to yon, no doubt, but Glcnham loves her, and believes that she loves him.” The old scholar - looked bewildered. He passed his hand over his forehaad, and repeated Grafton’s words without appearing to understand them. “ Lord Glenham comes of an ancient family, noted for its wealth and its pride,” remarked Grafton, with the air of a mediator. “He will be a grand match for your niece, Herr Pastor. The Glenhams have all wedded rank and wealth, and my friend will be the first of his name who has wedded beneath him. For, of course, Herr Brocken, good as vour family undoubtedly is, it is no match for Glenham’s, With his

lordship’s intense pride, 1 hope lie will never regret a marriage beneath him.” The pastor pnslied his scanty and long locks -away from his forehead with a trembling hand.

t: [ thank yon for your warning, Mr Grafton,” lie said. “ This takes mo quite by surprise. I know not what to say. If yon will seek Cecil for a little while I will try to compose my thoughts.” Grafton bowed assent, and sought Cecil in her own pretty sitting-room, winch opened upon the garden. A little later he took his leave. He had scarcely departed when Lord Ulenham made his appearance, and was shown by old Gretclien, in obedience to his request, into the pastor’s study. The. young carl, in a manly and straightforward fashion, declared to her guardian his love for Cecil ilos.se, and asked permission to address her as her suitor.

“My lord,” said the old scholar, “ Cecil is not your equal in rank. The marriage is not suitable. She is but a child—far too young to marry.” “ Blie is my equal, Herr Pastor —more than my equal,” exclaimed Lord denham. What are the idle distinctions of rank in a case like this? Blie is a lady born and bred. Your family, Herr Brocken, as I have hoard you say, is good and honorable. What more can I ask than that my wife should come from such a family ? As to her age, that fault will remedy itself with time. I love her. Herr Pastor—” “ Pardon,” said the old pastor, raising his shaking hand. “ 1 had not thought to confess it, but you must know Cecil is not my niece—” “ Not your niece ?” Shu is of English parentage.' Can you not guess the truth ? She was sent here to be hidden from the ■world.” There was a brief silence. Then Lord denliam asked in a low, pained voice ; “ Who were her parents ?” i do not know 1” “ Is Cecil Rosso her real name ?”

“ No, my lord. Liston. My wife had been a governess, and bail had the care of children, whom she dearly loved. But after our marriage, after we had settled here, no children came to us, and the good wife pined for the sound of baby voices, the clinging of baby arms. And thou it was that Providence sent Cecil to us. One rainy night in autumn, fourteen years ago, a travelling carriage drew up before the lighted window of our parsonage, and a man came in bringing a little child in his arms. The man was English, evidently of the rank of gentleman. The child was three years old, a beautiful little angel, who put out her arms to my wife and nestled in her bosom. Then the man told us that the child had no name, nor relatives, no place in the world, and that ho wanted her brought up a simple peasant, and that he would pay a certain sum every year for her support if we would keep her. The good wife begged my consent, and the man went away and left tl.ic little one.” “ What was the man’s name ?”

“ He did not give it,” said the pastor, simply. “He did not stop in the village.. No one saw him come or go. He was not in my house ten minutes.” “ And the child’s name !”

“ She called herself ‘ Pet.’ She knew no other name—and wether that was a term of caressing, or the diminutive of some English name, wo did not know. So my wife named her Cecil Posse, after the first pupil the good frau taught. The history is simple, my lord. You know it all.” “ Has that man ever visited you since ?” “ Never. But once a year comes a little packet of money from the London post-office, without any word. My poor, proud Cecil ! For she is very proud, my lord, this little, nameless girl.” “ Does Cecil know her history ?” “No ; I have not dared yet to tell her ” “ Then keep it a secret still from her. She must never know it. And give her to me, Mein Herr, if she will marry mo, and let me guard and protect her—” “ You are generous, my lord, but this cannot yet be. You shall not marry her on a generous impulse. Besides, she is too young. Go back to your own country for one year, leave her to me, and if, another summer, you still love Cecil, come and claim her. But now you must not speak to her of love.' She is but a child—she is only seventeen,”

Lord Glenham argued the point with all the energy and ardour of a passionate lover, but the gentle old bookworm was inflexible. The good pastor felt that ho liacl. rig-ht, on his side. Cecil was too young .to many. The earl should have time to consider the wisdom of his purpose, and Lord Glenham was forced to acquiesce in his decision. . Cecil was called in, and the earl took leave of her in her guardian’s presence. His lordship’s tongue was silenced upon the subject of love, but his eyes told the tale his lips had been forbidden to utter, and the girl’s soul thrilled under his worshipping gake. “I am going away, Cecil,” said his lordship, with a tenderness he could not repress. “ I am going home to England, but I shall return next summer. Goodby, Cecil —good-by, my darling !” The sorrow in her sweet eyes robbed him of his self-control. He caught her to his breast and showered kisses on her pure young face in an irrepressible agitation. ' Then, gently putting her from

him, lie wrung the pastor’s hand and dashed Irom the house. An hour later Lord Glenham and Maid red Grafton left Zorlitz on their way to England, the latter promising to himself a speedy and secret return. That evening, as the good old pastor sat alone in his study, meditating upon the great event of the day, a sudden misgiving came to him, and he asked himself if he had indeed done wisely in sending away Cecil’s lover, “ If I were to die, what would become of her ?” lie asked himself. “ And yet, how could I take advantage of his lordship’s generous love and permit him to many a girl of unknown origin without having had time to consider the matter soberly, and removed from the glamour of her presence. A year will soon pass. K then be still wishes to marry her, I will be willing. But yet, my mind misgives me—what may not happen in a year?” The door opened and old Gretclien came in, bearing in one hand a lighted candle, in the other a small packet upon which was impressed the Loudon postmark. The animal sum of money sent for Cecil’s support by her unknown guardian had arrived. The pastor tore open the packet as soon as Gretclien had retired. Two English banknotes fell upon bis knee, and a folded sheet of paper, upon which he saw handwriting, followed them. The old scholar started, recoiling, his gentle face growing troubled and perplexed. “ A letter ?” he muttered. “ The first letter I ever received from Cecil’s former guardian. What has he to say to me ? Does lie intend to take the child from me ? Is the long mystery of fourteen years to be cleaiod away at last ?” pro re continued,]