CHAPTER XLVIII.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 229, 19 November 1887, Page 7

CHAPTER XLVIII.

SOME BRIGHT DAYS POIi GERTRUDE. Scarcely she knew that she was good or fair, Oi" wise beyond wha, other women are, Or (which is better) knew but ne\ or durst compare. Dryden. If seriously I m iy convey my thoughts In this my light dehvetanoe, I have spoke With one that in her sex, her yean, profession, Wisdom and con tanoy, hath amazed me more Than I dare blame weakness. Siiaksi'i:re. The mutual explanation, that had been to Gerald Fitzgerald only a painful discovery of Geraldine's selfishness, and a compassionate recognition of Gertrude's devotion, was to the young 1 wife as the opening of the gates of heaven. Her husband had told her that he loved her, and she believed in him utterly, and was happier than words could express. He told the truth : but there are various manifestations ot love, though only one love. Gerald Fitzgerald pitied, admired, and lovei Gertrude with a tender, appreciative, paternal affection. Gertrude loved, honoured,ancl worshipped Gerald with her whole being, giving her entire self to him. That was the difference in their love. "Well, now, dear," said Colonel Fitzgerald, after they had talked some time longer, "I think we will ha\e breakfast. It mu&t be near eleven o'clock. These are not like our wholesome country hours. What can we have been thinking of?" " I told the waiter to set the table, but not to sei've the breakfast until your return," answered Gertrude. " You were so sure I should be back. You did not think I had gone to swell the number of mysterious disappearances, Gertrude?' said Colonel Fitzgeiald, smiling, as he arose and pulled the bell-rope. "I know you would return," quietly answered the young wife. A waiter answered the bell. "Breakfast immediately/ said Colonel Fitzgerald. "I mean to take you out to show you something of the city, my dear child," he said to Gertrude. She smiled her thanks. After breakfast they went down and entered an open carriage that was awaiting them. Certainly the edifices on each side were not, as compared witli those of other cities, very imposing ; but to the inexperienced child from Western Virginia, who had never seen any town larger than Wildeville, Washington was a wonderful city and Pennsylvania Avenue a stately boulevard. Colonel Fitzgerald took her to the capitol, and through its grounds and its principal rooms, and he admired the grave admiration with which she gazed upon what were, to her untrained mind, wonders of architectural grandeur and artistic beauty. " You think all this so grand and beautiful, my little Gertrude ? Ah ! art with us is but in its infancy, my child. You should see the churches, palaces and galleries of the Old World. It will be a rare delight for me to take you over Europe," said Colonel i Fitzgerald, kindly, as they stood together in the rotunda. "Shall we go to Europe?" inquired Gevtrude. " Yes, if you say so. lam at your orders for twelve months, my little lady. I have been a very hard- worked man in the army, my little Gertrude, for the last fifteen years. I have earned a year of holiday, and I mean to take it with you. Where shall we go, little girl ? Shall we go back to the 'Summit' and dream away the winter among our native mountains ? Shall we stay here in Washington and attend the sessions of Congress and of the Supreme Court, and show at the President's receptions and at the Cabinet Ministers' parties? or shall we sail for Europe, and spend the cold months in France and Italy, and the next summer in Switzerland and North Germany ? Come ; you shall decide. What do you say ? " Gertrude raised her brown eyes in delight, surprise, and some perplexity, to his face. He had given her such a choice ! Either plan would be pleasant to her, since each promised the constant company of her husband. But how could she venture to take the responsibility of deciding? Yet she knew he wished her to make the choice, and she thought that ho preferred to spend his well-earned year of idlenejs in Europe. So, at length, she answered : " If you pleaso, Gerald, I would like to go to Europe." And as soon as she had uttered these words, she felt that they 'really expressed her true preference, " You are sure ?*' askod Gerald. "Oh, quite sure, indeed," she replied. " Very well ; we will go, I shall write to New York and secure our passage in the noxb steamer." . " It is- strange," said Gertrude, musingly.

" What is strange,; little 'girl ?" ' " This is. For do you know, Gerald, that) I should have been in . Europe now, and should never have seen you, ' il dear grandfather hacLnot passed away so soon as he* 5 did ?" " Indeed !" exclaimed Gerald Fitzgerald, turning and looking at her in some surprise. "Oh. yes. I meant to have told you all about it, and I tried to do so several times, but always something prevented." "Sit down here, Gertrude, and tell me now," he said. They both seated themselves on a bench opposite the "Baptism of Pocahontas," and Gertrude told him the wholo story about Gabriel Haddon's lost daughter. "Good heavens, Gertrude!" exclaimed Colonel Fitzgerald, ay she finished, " I donot think you can estimate the greatness, the magnitude of the interests involved in what you tell me. Was it to go in search of this lost daughter that you and your grandfather were going to Euiope, my child V" "Yes," murmured Gertrude, a little abashed at the earne&tne&& of Gerald's words. "And so the child was utterly abandoned V" " Yes." " And yet. that child (that middle-aged woman, rather), if living, is the direct) heiress, through her mother's family, of ItaliaFitzgerald and Al van Vale, who, in their day, owned between them three-fourths of the manor land in Wilde county. She is the direct heiress, also, of Hiram Slaughter, and, lastly, oi Gabriel Haddon, whose little ferry estate is de&tined to be worth as much, orrnoie, than either of the single manors. G hod Heaven, Gertrude! the discovery of this heiress would cause a social and financial cai thquakc in Wilde county. PoorGeraldine ! - poor, proud Geraldine !" ho murmured to himself ; then, raising his voice a little, ho inquired: "Did your grandfather depute to anyone the duty of leeking out this woman '/" "No, dear Gerald. It was only a few days before his sudden death that lie heard of her existence ; then he lesolved to go himself to England in quebt of bib daughter and to take me with him. He had no time. But the day after the funeral I found the memoranda of which he had told me, and Avhich I afterwards gave to my guardian, Dr. Goodwin. You know Dr Goodwin's parish is sending him to Europe this autumn for the benefit of his health, and he intends to go directly to London to prosecute the search for the missing woman, and to do this on his own responsibility, and for the love and honour ho felt for his old friend, Gabriel Haddon. Did Ido right, Gerald ? : ' " Perfectly right, little girl. You always do, I think. But poor Geraldine ! poor, proud Geraldine ! How little she suspects what may be before her ! Come, Gei trade, have you had enough of the capitol fur one day ?" he inquired. She put her arm in his and they arose and lett the building. They afterwards visited the several government departments, and returned in the evening Lo a late dinner. The next morning, after an early breakfast, he took Gertrude down to the City Hall to the office of an eminent lawyer ami conveyancer, and there he executed a deed settling on his little wife an annual income that he thought only sufficient for all her feminine needs, but that she considered about ten times as much as she could possibly spend. Gerald laughed at her modest estimate, and predicted that when &he knew a little more of the feminine world she might think her " pin money " not one-tenth as much as she wanted. They went to their hotel to luncheon. Afterwards, Colonel Fitzgerald sat down at a table to write letters — one to the Cunard shipping agent in New York, to secure berths in the Jh'ot outward-bound steamer, and one to his j> toward at the Summit Manor. " Geitrude, I am about to send to the Summit for my valet. You will also require a maid, my dear. Now, you spent a week at the Summit, and saw the young coloured girls of the place. Let 7iie know if you have any choice among them." Gertrude paused, with her needle in her hand, and reflected. She had nc-er been used to a maid in her lite ; a maid w mid be an embarrassment and inconvenience to her ; and, besides, a girl possessing all the strong local attachments common to the coloured people, and taken from theSummit Manor, would probably be homesick and miserable ; yet if Gera'd thought conventional propriety required his wife to ha\e a personal attendant, why, a maid she must have. But she would take the maid as she would take a dose of physic. "Well, my child, well?" impatiently inquired Colonol Fitzgereld, pen poked in hand. "Gerald! please will you leave it to the young house-girls themselves ? I have really no choice. I mean I would rather not choose, because I do not know how they feel. There may be some girl who would be delighted to go abroad, and others whose hearts would be almost) broken by leaving home and friends," she answered, Colonel Fitzgerald looked at her wistfully for a few moments, and then said : <% Gertrude, do you always consider others —the humblest of others — before yourself ? Well, I suppose it is your nature to do so. I think, however, I can meeb i your views in this matter and. provide you. | with a bright, handy little maid, who will ibe { delighted ' to attend you abroad. Do you remember Meta ?" "The erirlwho waited on Miss Su© and myself at the Summit ? Oh, yes. " " She is .the sister of my valet, JubaL They have no other ties, and are all- in-all to each other. They would both suffer in being separated. They will both rejoice in being taken abroad together. So jour phoenix of a happy little maid is found, my child." Gertrude's sympathetic face lighted up with pleasure ; her brown eyes sparkled. " Oh, thanks, Gerald. I shall really like to have Meta. I know her, and like her !" she exclaimed. . "Quite right, then; Jubal shall bring Meta up with him," said Colonel Fitzgerald. He wrote and sealed his letters, and rang for a servant to take them to the post-office. "And now, my child," paid Gerald Fitzgerald, gravely, "I must leave youfoithe rest of the day, and perhaps, Geitrude, for the night also. You will not be afraid to stay here ?" "Oh, no, Gerald," she answered, though her heart sank under the pain of parting; with him, even for a half day and night. " You know, Gertrude, there is a,housekeoper at the head of this establishment j^ so, if you should need any attendance that the waiter or the chamber-maid cannob. give you, you have only to send for they : housekeeper, and she will supply yo,ur'^ ! wants and make you comfortable." ' "Yes, Gerald." / ' '•And mind, keep your door bolted afy well as locked." , • . u "Yes, i win." „,;.',.,. o ,; r " Now I am sure that yo\\ can' trust ijag^ Gertrude, although I donot^plaui/to ysi\f the cause of my departure,, ,j to g.j 4 .r ■ :uhdo "Oh, Gerald how co ul<Lry6>n doubj;.[i& £ fl -Tiust you ? I trust vqu /as J jii^s^'roy Lpjjl^j said Gertrude, earnestly,- "

"Very well, my confiding libtlo darling, be sure that I shall never abuse that trust," lio answered, as he stooped and kissed her. "If I am nob here by twelve o'clock tonight, dear child, you may know that I ihave been detained, and cannot get here before morning, in which case I shall return io breakfast with you between nine and ien." So saying, he took leave of her and departed. Gertrude sab where he had left her, and quietly went on m ith her ncedlo-work, hem-stitching a rufile. She felt lonely and de^olat^, although &he was buro her husband loved her, and that ho would keep his word and return to her the- next morning at latest ; but her soul was so bound up in him that his presence seemed more than life to her, and his absence almost death. She sat and sewed patiently all the afternoon and evening, with only the interlude of her solitary tea. Gertrude had told her husband the simple truth vihen she had said that she trusted in him as she trusted in her Lord. And this perfect trust was not inconsistent with the questions that came to her in the solitude of her chamber on this nigho — "the second occasion of his unaccountable absence. Wlvit was tho cause of these absences ? Was it the same, or connected with the cause, chat detained him from the side of Geraldim on the day first appointed for their marriage ? Was it in any way connected with that dark secret claimed by Magdala, whose threatened revelation had been tho immediate occasion of Maurice JFit7gei\ild's death, and who3o publication to the world, it had been said, would bring the gieat hon-se of fitzgerald to ruin, the pioud name of Fitzgerald to shame ? But no. That question was put away at once as an impious doubt. No shame or ruin could come to the house of Fitzgerald by anyone bearing the name of Fitzgerald. Oi that she was sure. Such questions were nob for her to entertain. It was for her to endure, and love, and trust.

{To be Continued.)