CHAPTER XIII

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 211, 16 July 1887, Page 6 (Supplement)

CHAPTER XIII

"TlinoiHJH M(.IIT TO LltillT," OK hearts Hint x ever coasc to % e.u n ! Oil bnininiu-T tears that nc'or arc driod ! Tin 1 dead, thouyli thoj dupait, uniini, A , though they ne'or had died. The In w'X are the only dead : 'Did dead h\ c - nover more to die : An.l oiten when \.e mouiii them iled, I'l.ej ne\ cr wine bO nijrh. Anonymous. "Tin m\i few we^k-weie a pei feet- blank to me -a temporal yannihilat ion of memory thought and fooling, until one daik lioui, wfTether vi the day, I know not., 01 of the night. I know not. v. hen I leturncd to a Aa\:ue, ob-euie .-en.-c ot mi-eiy, which could not be called con-ctou-ne--, for I kiiu. not what had happened to mo, or c\ vi w hoie 1 w;b, 01 v. ho 1 w a--, or w liether I hod e\ er Ihcd before, w liether licJly li\ v.d now , 01 w oula e\ cr In t; at all. " M) mothei «. iron bent o\ei me in tendo -o'heitudo : but her sweet old face seemed only a pub of mv being' and my su^eiing, no moie, noi le--. '•Isext 1 begvn to dieam that I \v;b tomcihiny left of a man who had bevn el*. ft in tw o. and had hi- heai t, torn O'U, which ,-euui.d to aocoiuif for all the wo'ikne—, n.i-ei) and l\olpU* — .n \-s ot the (onditionm which I found in) .-elf. ('.iaduaH\ my brain ck i'td and m\ nei\e-> strengthened — -o g> idu.dl) thai iheie va> i>o shock ot -uddedy ieeo\cied ic.ison, lemem'vred beicr.A ement, or u\n«'d \engeuiee. I grew eon-eiou- that 1 was (Jab.iel Haddon, ih indu--mitten by ihe death of hi- wife — th..i wa- all, a:i<l lh.it. was enough. " 11) coinale-eeiic' v was so -low ,my mind and bod\ weie .-> w e'di, that 1 .-uPeied no acute aoct.— ion of mitow or angot, o\en v, lv n 1 eleaily kneu how much cau^e 1 had foi both. >\\ -!;dev,a- anight ot luvny, dill and daik de-p m, ti.v\ci-ed by the foik d liuhtniug ot i burning r>nd coiwimiu, i.'th onl\ w lien I >i a ii < 111 1 >* icealled the bk-ods jKM-t t i\.»mi h\ Hiicim in the ti i'_;ely('i mv >!iort nia 'lied b'te. '" i biouded o\e: i he wrong-, uuony and (.;. 1\ dea'hofmj l/d), until the .^puit of dni" u \ engo to(>k Midi po-M^-ion of my he'U r that 1 wi-hed to li\e onl) i"i> wieak a le'tib!.. \engeancc upon her dotioyer, but 1 ktpi the-r !ue- ot the a'>\ -s deqth covt.u'l in m\ soul until 1 should lie .-tiong enough to -end them lorth o i th ur mi— ion c.i w lath and dc-ti notion. 11 A- -non -i- I wa- able to -peal: of the -a' i'> t, lacked my mother ro tell mo all 1-: knew about Lil}"- illne-s .Mid de ith. .^ti' cnuld ti.ll m.> \ei) little tii it I did not k'iow .iluiilj. lal,\, '.lie -lid, had died \ i\ -Middenly at t 1 o HeiiMco Hotel in Richmond, on .he iiHeenth of 11113. and her U'uii'i- had bet.:i b, ought home and de- |. i-itrd in the family \ault at IL'll Top hail. jiiimediat(.!\ a<"tei the funesal, (.."'•ml Slaughte: '"id hi- hoi e!i<<ld h.id . 1 to Liv 01 c fora: 1 ab-e'ice of indefinite k 1. A\ ■•Jto 1!'1 !' m\ mot! il'i 1 ' thm of t'.e oole-tial \i- ; 'i 1 had -een 1.1 m^ j> i-o 1 c.ll of Lily i>, ht.i- an, el L.\ ut,\ ou the ■ oiy morning\uu uf t'.e \ei\ h uu of liei ilei'th. "M^ mi'tK'i wa- -truck b\ the ooiiiLidfiv.-; but .-he f«— nod ,-ie that it aO'il\ a dream. J knew better; but f did not" aiiru" the p »!nt. 1 ou\y J-ecretl> v i-iiLd, v. i'h all m\ -uiil, t'»..l [could -<>l a \ hea\ufly aniiv'l again. Ah, \ain apiLation ! liov. to dd 1 -<_c hci whenm) -0n1v..,- fullotdiie hate and longing- for M.;i!,t aijc*. '' A gulf wide a- thai which ."■ i'at'd Di'v-'and i.a'a'i:- dnided mo L-:m Lil;, Jien. " L,>: m in the .- 1 ii'mei, when I v, it- ]u-t able to i :vop out, ! vent up t> Hill Fo\> He II -mi a pilgrimage to (he \aul'j that cont iini.il t'.e lcm.un.s of my Lil>. J kntw v, ! ,ti ' \') tind it, ii' Ml c '"M'pt, under the lift 1«- hall-mined chapel belonging to the ffd! Tnp -Mann,, l^i.t the iiou dooi of the ,'nilt w.'-moitaied up a- if i)'\ei to be yeO['Cne 1 auain. ''Iwtni on to the hall to nuke in'Miiiiea li cur Li!) , but fh" hou-e wa- -'iut up, U--j.Lt.d and de-ol'.te. 1 ki>e\v it would be u- ■'le-s- to go to -co Ovton, (Jencial >Si mghii 1 - o'\ cj .-'-ci , for he v. a^ hi^ ma-tei's 1 )01, but f went to the negioe-' quarter-, 'ii^d -ucivcded 1.1 finding old Iler-chtl, LiU- gie t \ -haiied grooni. The ancient 111 ,11 deemed too in< nn for ftuther .sui'\ice, hal been, like a u-ele-- old Imi.-e, ' turned cit t,> ua--,' or, m othei w oul-, he was left ; loi 1 in hi- Hide .-tone hut, to -uppoiL hini-<-lli b> iaj-ing a few \ eg( tabL s ii: hi- little g-a.clcn, and keepiiig a tew fo\.ls and a jug. "The old ntgio wept like a child at Au .-i^ht of nif, foi that io\ i\ed all hj -ono>\fi 1 mtuioiie^ of his lo\el) .>oua 0 uii-Lie--, and foi some little auv> te ii - and sob-, wo.c the only giecting he, could yno me. '• T a !ci d him u he knew the c ii'-.e of hi-, V.iii lad) '-> death. Ye-, ' c kne\. it, he - u !. but Mi-- Lily iUi out uc hci mind, or h' )ie\ei would h >\e done wh it .-he did. " .Shuddtting with the- appie'nen-ion of .-~>nu; new hf/iioi tasked him what Lily di!. " A'j(i .t- w i>ll ■>- lie could, for '•he sw elbng' o) hi- clit >i ana the ( lioking of hi-» voice, he if lat' f] all lie kii"w 01 nuclei -coed coiicemin^, my Lily's .igony and death Ipeicehed tli 1 L he did not know, 01 e\eii -u-peei, half (lv h(;'tible truth a- ' kneu it, a, hen 1 Awls ( na!)led to put together hi'- niuuthe and Lil; - o»\n .stoiy of the practices against bci h'nlih and io.idOu which had dii\en her in u -er 1. t .light ft on. Hill Top Hall alone, t^iouj'h the t^ rroi- of a mountain pas-, in ,1 midnight ,-tonn. '•The »toiy told by the biokcn-heai ted ('l'l c (;n anl , ami'! choking .sobh and blinding" tea 11 .-, w.u this, winch I n.u&c give 111 my ow n w 01 ds. " When Geue-ial S' aightci. had icgaiiied po--e--ion of hi-> v/aid, Lily Vale, he bioutrhi her f-tuughb to Hiil To[) flail, whoie .-he airhod oo ill that .she hud to be put to bod and pl-vcd undei the caieofa p!i}-ician. Bhe had a long and tenible ijlue-s, as we ha v o already heatd. " A- -oon ih i-he :ecoveied fjiiflficiently to be able to tiuol, howe\er, (rcneral tSlaugher took hei away on an extended tour. He cook al-o Hoi ->eh'jl, the old groom, Jed, hi- vilot, and Lett^ , the )oung lady.i old m.tid. '"The jiart.y went fii'.sb to the Virginia iSpiing-, taking one place after another, until they had viiited all Hie most eelebiated jnedicmal v/.') ( ,ers in the mountains cind vallejn of the Old Dominion. But Lily did not imp) ove in health. Her beautiful bloom wa 4 gone forever; .she remained as paL as her flower namef-ako. "hi October, when the season at the Mimiau reports was over, the party went to New Yoik, wheie, a few weok.s later, tliey v. oie joi/ied by Captain Dulany. He r;newed his ad(iies,e.-> to Miss Vale, who icceived t'lem as a statue or on idiot might have done, without 1 epelling, without accepting, without even noticing' them by w 01 d or glance. " The. ,-uitor w«n ani'ized, perj)lexed, dis-g-ufcted. and finally withdrew' hw .suit, and counselled fho young lady's guaidian tv call in medical advice

" General Slaughter gave vent to his rage and mortification in a torrent of profanity, and then sent for a physician. "After the doctor had scon his patient, ho came out of her room with a look of dismay which even professional self-control could not conceal, and he called for General Slaughter, w ith whom he was closeted in a pi halo interview for a good hour. "After the doctor had gone, an earthquake fairly shook the- house. Old Slaughter stormed up and down the wholelength of his suit of apartments from Miss LilyV bo.lroom, which was> at one end, to his own smoking den, which was at the other, euwng and blasting and burning everybody in it in all their member.-, from Lily.--' blue 'o)e-' to !ii\ ow n ' lights' and liver. ' But as this happened to be a Now York hotel, in the mid.-t of the metropolis and not Hill Top 1 Tall in (he Wilderness, the old fury was soon intoiruptod in his huouiite pa-time by a friendly \it,\l fiom thecleik, «lioc;imo to warn him of the danger of an wffiic-ndly \i-it from the police if this noi^o should continue. Under the.so circumstance^ the ari-Locratie mllian was amenable to reason, and quieted himself down to .1 .succession of deep giowln like the muUeiing tliunder with which a btorin goes oil. "The ne\l da) he engaged psi^nuo For himself and part} on boaul the Poland ocean -leamoi, horn Kew York to Liver pool. And in ten da)> thet caller the) soiled. Old Slaughter, by way of asking a blessing on the unage, cm sing him.-elf and his household, and hoping that tin 1 .ship might blow up or toundei befoieit reached mid-ocean. "The ht earner, how cut, witli all on Im.ikl, leached Lherpoolin safet). Fiom Liverpool General Slaughtoi, with his waid and theii at lendants, hunud up to London. The} reached thi> gieatt>t city of the w oild about the middle ol December, the dieaiiesi time oi tlio )c,\r. " Hiie the old di spot took apaitment- in a fh-t-clas-, hotel, and lett Lil) in the solitude of hei own room, attended onh b) her ohl maid Letty, while he enjoyed himself in going aumnd and seeing all the wondt i.s of antiquity, ait, and science, in which the gieat cit\ it so liuh. But he onl) went to public place-. He nc\ei made or leeched a call, c\en although he was well acquainted \ ith the American minister, and w llli -i \eial Englishmen ot i.mk. whom he had m<_t in diplomatic click's in Washington. "He kept hi.s pally in London until after Ciuistmas, letting the gieat holiday (it the year pass -without notice and then early In -January he took Lil) and h.oi old maid Letty away in a cab, siting he valuing to place them in a px i\ ate boaiding-hou-e. And the next da) he set out tor Palis, taking hi< men--ei\ant- with him. He .spent a tew w eek-, eomtoi ta'>l> in the Flench capital, and then letuined to London in February to witness the opening of Pailiament b; the qiuen. " Hi> took lodgings in auothoi ho' el n.ile-awa) fiom the tii -t one he had occupied coming to London ; and then he did not bring Lily luck ; but his coui.se of lire wa^ei) difleient fiom what it had boon wlien he had Lil) with him. He made c.ills and leeehul the .'. He ga\e dinnei.-, and he dined out. lie went to thcities, and e\en to ball-, and led, as fai as in him la), the lire of an old be'iu and a nnn ol lashion. lint wheic was Lily all this tune "' " Her f.iithful old sen ant did not know , and if he \entuied to inquire his ruliian ma-tci l)lasted him in all hi- membeis, up and down, hum feet to crown, and <-ent him aw ij in dam!) disina). "About tho- tir.st of ApiU, General Slaughter oidcieil hi .sen ants to pack up logo back io Aimika, and on the night ; before they left Londun he biought Lily back— the white t ph intom, <-o the old \ant said, that e\ei w <is .seen. The old | maid, Lett}, was m attendance upon her ; but Letty was absolutely dumb in i elation to the in uinei of life they ha<l been loading |in lhat pii\ ite boaidiiig-hou-e. The} went down to Liverpool and embaiked in the rli in, which sailed on the -eve-nth of April, and icachcd New Yoik on the twenty-lu -t\ In New Voiktlve) v\eie met and ioined b} Captain Duhui), who ac onipaniod them to fliehn (>nd. "The whole paity took rooms at the Jlemico House, w htic they lemained fiom i}m tv -t of I\lay until the fatal iifteoulh ol June. " And heie com mi need tho ,-tiange conduct <;n the part of Lily, which her old .sei \ant a-ci ibed to . t di-orde: ed mind, but. which 1 knew to bj the etkets of t-hc deadly drug admini-te-ied to stupefy her sen-es. "Captain Dulany for the thiul time lenewed hi- addie.— e- to her, and on this ocea-ion .-he .-übmittud to them. Her old scsi \ an* , who wa- in tlie secrets of hei former marriage, could only look on in amazement, until he came to the conclusion th.it her mind wan deranged. "The fifteenth of July, Lily's tv.ont} second biith- I. iv, wa-.-cttor the wedding, \.hich wa- 16 be ]>ri\ately solemni-ed in the biidc'ft apaitmcnts at the fleniico House, " As Lily was utteily incapable of supeii'ltending her own wedding outfit, a fashionable modiste v, as called in l>y General Slaughter to take cluuge of the trou.s-scau, which wa.- to be veiy cleg.mt and abundant, a^ it had been decided between General Slaughter and Captain DuLan) that, immcdiatel} after the ceicnion}', the newl)-manicd pair should sot out on a tour thiough the vaiiou.s fashionable re-oils of the North "Dining all these airangements the visits of the biidegioom-elect, tlie discussions about travels, settlements, and future i evidence ; choosing of goods, patterns and ]cw cilery, and the tiying on of dresses, mantles, and hat.s, Lily remained as wliitc, still and unconscious of all that was going on as if she had been a coipsu. " You will wonder that Captain Dulany, or any man, should have wished, or even consented, to many such an apathetic bi ide ; but the old servant thought that tlie captain was talked into it by the general, and ako influenced by the gieat foitune of the young lady. Howevei that might be, the marrngc was a settled put pose that was to bo fulfilled on the nioming oi Lily's twentysecond bii thday. " On the evening of the fourteenth of July everything was in readme--, for the wedding, the bieakfast and the journey, ea en to the packing up of all the bride's waidrobc, with the exception of her wed-ding-dress and tiavelling-dress ; as Letty, who had been hard at work all day completing the task, told her fcllow-s-eivants- that night at tea. "After tea, howevei, ai rived the fashionable modiste w ith the bridal veil and wreath. She expiesse-d her deshe then to be .shown to ' Miss Lily's ' room. The old servant llerbchcl conducted her to tho door. She went in, and after greeting tho bride and displaying the veil and the wreath, she expre-sed a wish that ' Mis,-^ Lily " .should tiy on her wedding diess for the last time, fco see whether it was really a perfect fit, or whether it needed any slight alteration that could be made then. "Lily, fair and still as an alabasterimage, suffered herself to bo arrayed in all hot bridal robes — the rich white satin trained dress, with its Brussels lace overdress and Brustseh lace veil and oiangc-

flower wreath, and to bo led to the glass to bee the efl'ect, " She surveyed her reflected image im the mirror, and for the first time a wani emile, 1 flitted iiko a moonbeam over her whitafaoe Then Letty took up the casket of jewels tho bridal present of Captain Dulauy, and 1 selected from the set a splendid neckte^e of large opals set in diamonds, which she- attempted to clasp around her young\la«ly.'.s> nock ; but with a shudder and suppressed shriek Lily pushed it away, and dropped, half fainting into her dre&sing-chaiv. "Then they would have taken off her dress, but she waved them all away, with, her hands. Lutty stooped and whiopoietl to. her that it wus ele\ en o'clock, ar-tl the dre-iMiiakcr wanted to go home. Bnfe LiLy took no notice. She seemed too faint, to. answer, much too faint to stand up nml be undressed, Then Letty whispeied to the (iios-niakei th.io she need not wait, that Id r-vlj - Letty — could undiObM her ndstreso piescntly. " The modiste, w ith a caution to tho maid to be aOl y [>articular in handling ihe rich and delicate lobe, laces and iloweis, took loiue and went away. Letty, left alone in attendance upon her miotiess, waioxl for some .sign from Lily to commence her .service-.. The lady gave no si^n, but sat like a oiled t.tauie. Letty appi cached at length, and a^ked MKs Lily it siio might not help hei 1 todi-iobo ; but tho phantom like white hand ilew up in deputation of being di-tiubed and then fell helpless by hor side. " Lcttj lecoiled, and, being vovy tired with lid cla\\ packing, sat down in alow seat in the iaithust coiner of the loom {-0 wait (ho summons of liur inistre.-Sw "Theie, atter a while, she toll asleep, with her back in the corner oi (.he wall.-. She .slept, as iu\>ioei sIolj), very roundly, oi,as|iiev e\pre-s it, like the dead. She ..•.lopt until she wasaiouscd l)y a loud knocking at tlio door, and the voice ot an hotel waitu bawling that it v. as h\uii o'clock (that being the hour at which ho had been dnected to lou-u the whole paity on this df-lined wedding day). Lctty sprang up, fetched herself, eollechd her faculties, and hastened to her \ou.ng im\t>e— , wondering, as ->he altfiw.wd -aid, whether 31i--s Ldy liad fallen ;»-leep in her chair and slept all ni'Jit, as -kv her-elf had dono >l Yes, apj) t acnll\ Lily had slept bheie all nnjht. She sac in the same attitude in wliidi Letts had left her, motionless as a \ eiled statue. "Lett} called her ,-nftly. " Thcic wa-> no an-wei. "She ca.11". 1 luudl\. " Still no answer. t( l.ci r y I'Ciit foiv.ard, and jice^d into her face, and took her hand, but instantly diop|)id that hand again with a shuck, and a succession of shiieks, that (piickly bi ought <dl within Inaiing to the loom, (ieneial Slaughter, who came among the lest, and caught a glimp-e of the biidal iiguic m the eliaii, pushed e\cijonc cl-e aside with much moie ludcne.— than considei.ition,'and hunied to his ward. " Thcic sat llu beautiful outward foim of fiily, clotlied iii magnificent biidal au ay, 'but empty, dead and cold. Lily hew'lt had pa-.>cd out l;our& befoio. (" She had \i-itod me in my cell at one o'clock that nunniny, as 1 lu^e told you ) " rhcic wcic wild lamentations among her negio -ci\anN. That i.ilc do not su|>[)ie^s thtii '4 net for anybody oi anytliiny on any i>i ic\ ous occasion. There was lion or andwocc\cn in tho sa^age bosom ot HiiamSlaut-htoi. They could see it on his i, tet , th(/Ugh he o})enetl not hi> mouth except t > <^i\e an ouler that a phj>ician should be called. "The j)ii).-ici'\n, who anived in haste, made an examination of the body, and pronounced that it had 1 sen dead foi h'\e or six houi-. After a -hoit con\ creation with (Jencial Slauuhtei. he decided that death had ensued f lorn softening of the brain, of -.ome month;-' continuance, and he g.i've a ccitiiieatc accoidmgly. Tins pio\tntcd what (iencial .Slaughtei" termed the u?eless distie--- of a eoionei'^ inquc-t. •' The wedding w.i- turned to a funeral. And as .oon as the proper ariaugemonts ould be made, the lemains of Lily Vale weic cnn\e\ed to Hill Top Manor, and laid in the fannlv \auh under the chapel. "(iencial Slaughter had only waited to -co the iion ilooi moitaied up, and then attended only by his \<\\vt, he had again left. Hill Top Hall for New York, >.n rouft K>i Ijvuopt 1 . •' Such '..as the stoi) tcld to me by old llciselul. 1 thanked him, and I knew that Lil\ had bet n tine to m^ through tho change called death, ond waited mo in the higher hfo."