CHAPTER XLV.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2078, 31 October 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTER XLV.

DRESSING A UIVAL. 11 Do 70a heir ma, Ailie ?" he repeated, for ■ho had mad* him no answer. Then the raised her head and spoke with irresiitible sweetneia nad dignity. " Yen, I hear -you, and t thank yon. Ton are tery good to me— and I have no right to oomplain. Yoa will smile «ometimes when your look meets inino. And lomotimes, when I meet you unseen by others, you will give me a kind word ?" " Yes, I promise," he said. It was hardly in human nature to see a beautiful, loving woman plead for a little kindneii without giving it. " I will be content," she s&id, but the voioe in which she spoke was. surely the saddest voice ever heard. Then ho rose. "We must go home, Ailie; it i« growing lato. I cannot leave you to walk through the park alone ; I will go with you." " But your horse," she .said. " Will you not be afraid to leave Bkck Charlie?" 11 No. I would rather leave my horse than leave you, Ailie," he replied, laughingly. " Why, how you tremble, poor child ; how you suffer 1 Now, draw your oloak round you— see, it is quite damp with dew 1 How much you have wished for thin one interview with me ; it eeems to be our fate to see each other by starlight." He saw that her hauda trembled so she conld not fasten the clasp of her oloak. Ho did it for her. . " Now, Ailie, let us hasten home," he said. " Take my »rm, for tho ground is very unequal, and you may (stumble." Bat Ailie caught hia band and clung to that ; he would not hurt her mind by withdrawing it, so they walked through the sweet, dewy moonlight home. He could not utter a word of warning when he stopped to bid her good-night. She had almost forgotten her sorrow and despair, her unhappy love, in tbc delight of that moonlight walk with him ; and when they Btopped before the little side-door, the face so raised to his wore such an expression of passionate happiness, he oould not find it in his haart to shadow it again, " Good-night, Ailie," he oaid, kindly, " Take this oloak oil at once ; it is quite damp. Good night 1" Still, with the same look of brosthlecs, rapturous happiness on her sweet face, she looked up at him with tho guileless innocence of a child. " You did not bid me good-byo before you went to India," she said ; " you would have kieeed mo then, because you weie goiDg away for years. You owe me that one kiss; will you give it to me now ?" His faoo flushed ; hers, in the moonlight, ehnne pure and pale as a star. He would rathei not have done it, but the &\vcet, wistful eyes were fixed on bis. Well, if one kiss could make her happy — it was not much — it would bo absurd to refuse it ; and. after all, she was his wife, llu bent dov,n und kissed hot. She looked at him again with a Bweet, grave dignity, that touched him very much. " Do not think I am profane," she said ; " but that eeoms to me almoßt a sacrament. Do you think there is anything in the wide world more beautiful and more ennobling than the kiss of the man you love ? " He laughed uneasily.

"Yon are an enthusiaat, Ailie ; goodnight." " Good night," she replied. She stopped for one moment to wa\ch him as he hastened back to Blaok Charlie. " The time shall oome," she aaid. " God helping me, when you shall give me a kiss withyourheartinit." While Lord Carsdale, as he hastened baok to Black Charlie, said to himself : " This must not happen again. I did not like to make her miserable by saying bo, but it mast be the last time that she follows me. I shall have to leave home throngh it." Yet, though he was vexed and annoyed, he could not help feeling half flattered by her persistent, devoted love. " I wish she did not care so muoh about me," he thought. "I shall nover care for her." So he said, find so he thought ; but as he rode homo through the sweet, dewy twilight, he thought, more than oncfe, of the passionate loveliness of that fair face, of the mueio of the sad voice. He thought of her after that night. There is something very pleasant in being loved, even though we do not love in return. Lady Waldrovo sent for him as soon as he re-entered the house. " Come and imuso ua, Vivian," she said. " Your father and all the gentlemen have gone to the election dinner — we are quite alone, and I am quite afraid that wo are rather tired of each other — come and amuse us." lie took hfa usual seat by his mother's side. Floes was almost delirious with joy. Castor and Pollux were most demonstrative in their welcome ; Lady Gertrude had pleasant smiles and pleasant words for him ; Lady Ethel, in her evening dress of amber and white, looked bewitohingly beautiful ; he could not have been more cordially welcomed. He told them the incidents of th» day, whom he had seen at AihdalePftrk; than, suddenly, he seemed to lose himself, and he heard his mother's voice, ■aying : " How distrait you are, Vivian. Do you not hear Lady Ethel speaking to you ? What are you thinking of? " What, indeed I 'Ho was startled to find that just then bis thoughts had strayed back to that evoning's interview— that he was onoe more out in the starlight, undor the shade of the elm trees — a beautiful, pale, passionsto face looking into his, a sweet voice pleading to him for a little love, a little kindnees 1 He waß positively surprised to find that he hid forgotten everything around him, thinking only of his wife. He was startled and surprised. That same evening, as fortune would have it, Ailie, after ahe entered the house, went to the library in searoh of a book, and there what should she find but the story of " Patient Griselda," surely one of the most beautiful poems in our annalt— Patient Griselda, who bore every kind of indignity, yet never oomplained— who thought the world well lost if she oould only win her huiband'i love— who bore the loss of everything, friends, fair fame, obildren, home, all that a woman's heart holds most dear — yet never onoe murmured against the will of her sovereign lord and matter I—Patient1 — Patient Griselda' whoic name has been handed down from all posterity as the pattern of moct loving and devoted of wives." " That was love," thought Ailie, with a long sigh ; " that was love indeed ! And Grigelda won her husband's love at last ; and how dearly he must have loved her, after all that she had infferedl" What woman had onoe done woman could do again— the patienoe and penoverance that had triumphed once should triumph again — that which Patient Griselda had done, she would do. The dignity of a noble purpose oamo to her, and made her beautiful womanhood more noble still. She could not have chosen a more noble purpose than that of winning her husband's love. The light of earnest enthusiasm oame into her face — her eyes shone with clear, holy light. " I will lire for it, and die for it," she said ; " I will have no other purpose in life than this one of winning my husband's love. I will be patient, even as Griselda was ; I will, endure all things— jealousy, pain, calumny, neglect, everything and anything, with this one hope in view of making him love me in the end." It seemed to her that from this moment ft high and holy mission was hers, that her life from this time was consecrated to a good and noble purpose. She lay down to- sleep that night happier than she had been for months ; to her innocent heart oame innooent dreams of the time when he should give her a "kisa with his whole heart in it;" to her innocent lips rose prayers simple as the prayers of a ohild that God would give to her her husband's lore ; her last thought that •vening was of the one bright, beautiful moment when she had stood looking up into her husband's face and did not read displeasure there. A grand event was coming of! at Roseneath; the countess had deoided on giving a ball, to which she intended to invite the ditc of the county. "It was only due t& Lady Ethel," the countess said, " that they should have some festivities." Lord Garsdalo laughed at the bare mention of it. " I thought you would not ba happy long I without something of the kind, mother. A ball— let it be by all means." So it was arranged; and again, as five years before, an idea seemed to have entered Lady Wnldrove'a mind, that, in all probability, a ball would bring matters to a crisis, and Lord Carndale would, in all probability, make the beautiful heiress an offer that night. Why she should think so— what reason she bad for tho idea was not even known to herself. The event caused some little commotion even in that magnificent mansion where everything wtit in such exquisite order. Ailie had some sharp struggles with herself before she oould bring herself to discuss with Lady Ethel what toilet would suit her best, for Lady Ethel had made a little plot of her own. It was just five years since she had stood with him on the shore of that sweet southern cea, and he had told her ho should never aeo the sea without thinking of her, and that he called her — his dream by the sea. On the ball night she would remind him of it, and she would ask him wheihor he liked her more or less than he did then. She said to herself that she would throw the whole cast of her life on this one night. She would speak to him of the past, and, if he maintained the same reserve she would know then that some reason, some tangible diflioulty, stood between thorn. "I will not woo him by so much as a word,' said the beautiful woman to herself, " but I will try if ha cares for me ; at present I am puzzled, and cannot understand it." She was anxious about her drees, not that her beauty depended on it in tho least, but she liked to look artistic. s Ailie rebelled at first when Lady Ethel came to conault her. Why should she help this woman, whom she know now to bo her rival —why should sho help her to win her husband'd love? Then she remembered Patient (triselda, and her resolve. " I ehall conquer yet by forte of patience," shoaaid. Sho was very gentle and very kind. She suggested and advised, until between them the loveliest costume of white lace and red roses had been invented. Lady Ethel was charmed, and Ailie had her reward ; for one morning

L»dy Ethel, laughingly, gave Lord Carsdal* a description of her drra, adding: " I hnve to thank Mies Derwent for it. I should never hava thought of anything oneh&lf so pretty myself." Then her husband turned to her with a kindly smile. Ailie said to herself that she was more than repaid.