CHAPTER IV.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2036, 25 July 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTER IV.

DECIDING HIB FATE. Doctor Wallia had ohosen for his habitation a tall, r«quare house, standing just at fie en trance of Ladywell. It was all gloom and darkness as the two stood before it. Tucio was not the faintest glimmer of light cither from window or door ; it was all dark and silent. As they stood there, from the church tower near them the hour of eleven ran;/ out — slow, solemn strokes, each one a death- knell to Alice. " Eleven," she said in a low voice. "13 it really eleven o'clock, Lord Carsdale ? " •• lam afraid so. lam very sorry ; I have never been so sorry for anything before." " They are all gone to bed there," ehe said ; " and if I ring it will be the doctor himself who comes; he will not let me enter that house again ; he will send me home and tell my father ; my father will kill me. I can ccc it.all." She sank kneeling on the pavement, her face buried in her hands, weeping as he had never heard anyone weep before. " Alice, I cannot bear that ; lam so eorry. How foolish I was to persuade you to do this ; but, indeed, I only thought of giving you pleasure. Can you ever forgive me? " She looked up at him with weeping cyon, nil wet with tears. "I havo nothing to forgive," phe replied, " They will kill me for it ; but I would riUher have had it and die than havo lived without it ; and knowing you — — " "But, Alice, -they cannot kill you; you have done no wrong." "No," phe sobbed; "you do not understand. My father is very particular, and there aro threo of us girls ; ho always says that his ia a danperous profession, one that obliges him to be very careful with his daughters, more careful than other people. My sister, Rosa, is very pretty and a great flirt. Ho says to as sometimes : ' Mind I in spite of all I do, you may one of you go wrong ; but you shall never live wrong. 1 " " You have not gone wrong, Alice." "No," she replied ; " but he will hardly believe me. Of the two, believe me, Lord Caradale, I had far rather that he did kill me." A sudden feoling of despair came over her ; she wrung her hands with passionate tears. "What shall I do?" she ciied. "Ob, heaven I what shall I do ? You cannot realize it, Lord Carsdale, you cannot understand it. My uncle will not, perhaps, trouble himself a1?a 1 ? to whether I am innocent or guilty ; he will simply clone bis door in my face, scorn me, and forbid me to intrude on h»m again. My father, even if he doen no wor j o, "will do the aatno. lam only seventeen, and I shall be homeless— l shall bo alone in the world." She bowed her head until it touched the cold stones. He rtood watching her a^ she stifled her passionate cri°n. Poor children ! it was a hard price for a dny's pleasure. Lord Carsdale spoke at last. •'Alice," hd said, "do you really believe that all will happen aa you say— that you will bo thrown alone and desolate on the world ? " " I am sure of it," ebo replied, " as though it had already happened." " Then," he said, slowly, " there is but one way out of the difficulty. lam a gentleman ; I cannot leave you in distress brought on by myself. I cannot leave you to expiate my imprudences. If it is indeed an you .my, there is but one way out of the diffiuuky— l muat marry )ou." She was co suvpri'i^d that blic raised her eyes to look at him. " Marry me 1 " she repeated naively. " Why that would make matters » thousand times worFe." He looked down in a superb fashion of his own. " No ; that would never be, Alice — it couldn't be. The men of my raco are rot accustomed to draw ladies into difficulties and leave them there. It seems to me, Alice," he continued, raising his head with a proud gebturo that was at once touching and amusing, " it seems to me that I hold your life, as it were, in my handß. To epeak plainly — pray do not misunderstand mo — you aro in my power. There is but one thing a gentleman can do." 11 But," said she, "how oould it be — how could you marry me ? " " I will find tho way and the means," he replied. "Do not be afraid — trust to me." It was tho second time he had used these worda to her. If the result of the eecond trusting was as fatal as the first, it would be woe to Alice. " It seeing so very dreadful to me," sobbed Alice. " Do you sea any other way out of it ? " he asked, gravely. " I must confess that Ido not. I have been thinking of it for the last hour." " No," sobbed Alioe. " I am afraid, Lord Carwlalo. I think it ia the most terrible thing that ever happened to any one in this world." " Are you sorry that you came? " he asked briefly. " No," she replied, looking up at him with wet eyes. " I will never say that." He lovod her for her stanch fidelity. She would not, indeed, she could not. regret the only gleam of happiness she had ever known. " 1 am not proud," said the young lordling; "and as for boasting, a gentleman never docn it ; but I come of a race that has ever held tho fair name and honor of a woman in higheHt reverence. I should think myself branded as a coward, and no man, u I could go away and leave you to pay the penalty of my faults. I could not do it, Ahce." There was something grand and noblo abcut him. He had acted with great recklessness, but thero was something almost heroic in his way of redeeming his error ; his handsome young face waa pale with emotion under the light of the stare. "Do not cry so bitterly," he said, his henest, kindly young heart aching at the si,?ht of the tears; "do not cry, Alioo, but listen to me ; it is tho only way out of tlie difficulty. Of course," he continued, in a more dignifled tone, "if you do not liko me, or have any objection of that kind, I must do whatever I can for you." " Oh, no," cried Alioe, naively : " I cun have )-'» objection — it would be very nioe ; the only thing is, how can it be ? " "Leavo that to mo ; the Carsdales ride over difficulties— they do not lie down before them. Indeed, I think a difficulty enhance*" the vnluo of whnt one wishes to obtain. I heard my father pay onco, Alice — and it wan tho proudest bonst he ever made — that no Carfadalo had ever betrayed a woman. I will, not bo the firet, dear, to brand mypclf with the name of traitor." " You are not a traitor," nho replied, think ing to herself that in his heroi«ra ho looked liko a young god, uuoh as the Greeks tv» shipped. " I should bo a traitor and coward both if I left you in this dilemma, Alioe. I oannot and will not ; but, my dear, I mint not spend my tune in making fine speeches to jm. about my love and my honor. By my own thoughtless aot I have placed you in a fali>e position, Alice. Let me make the onlj

efrine^iH" j oi.w.Mj— ltt no w.)v>i you my wsf. ? " lUr h. nit lln.Uu' viih t'->o wqu]s ; a ruddpnp- 1 " 1 ' ' i«»".iiT'fioi atoikli£,bt ti'.Z'-dhfr. His vji' 1 ' Why f'nti v cni/'i !iio"t hx\o b"fn hi \.v.-. Hi .vifi- ! U ir< su-il to her apn .> i «!i|T.ity. u i.i- her Unr.oi, than to bo crewt . ijpcui id t\ c '•• i » I '• t. It wjib fcuch a tttun,.!, q.-nt, picturesque i-ccrie, not v. it Lout o utlbin beauty of its o^.n. Tho tnll, dark trivs standing rouvrl li'w rii'ti i-natinc!.*, th<i pludov of ui/Mi i>/i Mil' • r.U around, tl.o pr.le ltyht of the "tfiiß fi» l! :n;; on the t ; nrkened honso— the tr/n iuiirfH, the hnncts-orro you^K lordling anrl the beautiful, pik 1 , tc. rififd fir). Suddenly he bent down nna toulc lur bands in hi?. He lililti hrcv or f.o-\ t " ! P(l the keen rapture that Efemrd ahnr.H lo Ptnp her heart from befttiuf'— her wlnU 1 , downcust face betrnyed none of it. " Do you trurt me, A'r" ?'' he i\ t l.e i l. It vras new to 1 mi, ;hv tv i ninj; of wnmrn ; he hnd never p«-i»»rd ie l» fi re, und a now score of liia own dignity riiu hi porlanca as u man came over him. " Yra," pI or< p'if'd. "crtairi'y I do. I trust you »s I Iriib!; I3ca\"n." " That is quite right. You know if I wif-hcd to dcccnc you it would he ccpy to do ro. I should profeta tho most violent love for you, and prrtrnd thntleould not livp without you — «11 th<' kind f>f L ; ;,'i flown rotnanco that lovira in books* talk ; but I fay none of thoso thinps — I make no yowp, no pro f potations. I could live without you, nnd tbou»h I hkp you vpry much indeed, I do not prpt' nd to have any pa?siorjatp rnpti-rrfi of love. lam an En^libhinan, straightforward, and one whft speaks to the point. I have carelessly placed you in euch a position that there is only one way out of it. I cannot leave you exponed to angry would ami )jl ufnrn — to be homeless, ponmlcc Groat Jt'nvml I phould be a monster if I thought of Mich a thinp;. I offer you the only reparation in my powar — mnrriaee. Will you accept it, Alice ? Think for a few minutca before you answer me ; all your future and mine depend on the word yon apeak." Ah he bent over her. waiting her reply, the clock tolldd out the hour of twelve— midnight; and Ahcy hearo* it with a fainting heart. They had Rpent one whole hour before the doctor'^ closed- up house. " Your an^wpr, Alice ?" he whispered. What could phe answer? She gave one despairing thought all round ber life, an it were, and she ?aw no hop". After being abrent for a day and a night, without permission, she knew that the doctor would nevrr permit hei to crosa his sacred threshold njjnn. She knciv that h°r parents would be annoyed v.ith her for loping the doctor'a favor — they had hoped such {Trent thines from it that they would never epeak to her again ; tliero no hf-lp for it, no other way out of the difficulty. Nothing clßoto he done but to obey his wish. She looked up to the pale, golden stars, a haaty, passionate glance, hi; though praying from the high Hoiwen help to think clearly. If in that one moment she could have neen clenrly all that shn had to RiiiT r, heiuttful Alice Derwent would have laid her head ou the ground and prayed God in Ilia m^rcy to let her dip. But she was your:;! and hopeful; it Fcemed to her that a {frf\?ti h r ro wpoc'l iVr. Riic looked up at him wi-tft:lly with faith and love. " My answer i? • yes,' Loid Carsdale," she paid, solpmniy. He looked pleased. "I am glad you have trusted rce, Alice," ho Bti\d. " 1 uad begun to imagine thnt you did not." " I tm--t you. all in all," Phe answered. Tisen Lnr4 Car^lalo Fiid : " We'iß,ve no (im^ to lose, Alice. You must follow my direeticna implicitly. While you Hv*> b^cn deciding your fute I have been thinking it all over."