CHAPTER LII. (Continued.)

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2087, 21 November 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTER LII. (Continued.)

"Yt°, Aih>, it is bo; and that brings mo to the nl'jfct I bad in asking you to coma hero. I wank to &<>k you, i! I can obtain by :\ry rnerins a lojftlfloparfttion, a legal dissolution (if our rnairiap?, wi 1l1 l yon consent ? " V/i.h a wild cry fhe fled from him, and Uunc I.crfe'.f, with hrr face down, on the soft, "Vy C-idl my God!" he beard her cry. (To cnnld not *«? in the darkness, bnt be listened to the npot whence the sound came. ll'j went to her ; ho wor.ld fain have raised hrr from the Rronnd and have shielded the frfmbluig figure in hh «rraf. He did not love hi r, bnt he would fain have kissed the tr-\r« from h*r face ; ho did not love b.pr, bat tl'i» found of those terribta cobs pierced his ))' *rt with pain sharper than that of a twocV'pil sword. "Do not touch me 1 " ehe cned, *a in too darkne°s he laid his hand on her ; "do not touch n,9, or I shall die f " Tho most terrible hoar of his life was the hour he epfnt in listening to the passionate v.'eef.'wfi of tho women who loved him, and who^p Lr&rt he wo<» breaking. The terrible fobs dipd away at laet, and his own eyes were dim with tews. Up felt alraott like ft munlcTrr, ao he stood there, not daring to touch her ; hut as hpr wpppin^ grew fainter, t.tifl the piwiontile fobs died away, he went to J cr. Up mi^fid hor from tho ground, and thh lim" *he did not rcsi=t. "Ailp," he said Rfntly, '-I am so very grie^ eJ. I had hoped you would not feel it fo keenly." " I c.n listen to you row again," she laid. " Yea were asking me — >vhat w«s it ? Say it once more ? " Shp stood before him, b«r hands clasped, hor wLite face raised to hin, and he thought (o him-elf that he h«d never seen puoh * perfect picture of desolate Borrow. It required some courage to repeat lha words which bad brdught her to tl/ip. " I want jour eon«ppt, Ailie, to the legal dtd'olr.tion of our minia^," be *aid. ' " Can 'if; ba obtained ? " she anked. "la such a thing not only possible, bat feasible ?" "I do not know ; I cannot tell. It may, or it may not be. I havo made ao inquiry at pre?pni." " Tbfn why do you mention it to me ? " sbo » a k( J. " Btcausfl I will not take any itfps in the matter until I kuow what your opinion if. I hava told you the whole tiulh; now the dtcihii n rests with you, and you alono." " If I refuse my onu-nt, you will cot even (;■> through the preliminary of §«ikinß advice — you will not ask about it ?" 6he gaid. '">'). I', on thinking it over, Ailie. you deci'io B?ainst it, I will not— indeed I will not mention it apain." " 15ut, as you said, Lord Carfd&le, the happinp&» of your life and of Lady Ethel's is at BtftK^." " It n it,," be replied, warily. Hhe looked up at him with a certain grandeur of t-oul chining in her face, which did not escape him. "I will try to think of it," eho eaid, "as ihouKh it wero not my own ca y e, but the case of jonjfi other fjirl — some very tender hearted, loving k\il in whom 1 tbko a interest; I will tliink it all over. I wi«li — ob, my God, bow I wish that I could die to free you 1" " I do not wish it, Ailie," ho said. ■' To dio would be ho easy. Ob, my love I my lovel have you thought of it 7 Have you thought well ol it ? Wo were lpgallymarried, Btfore the eyes of the Rreat God I am your wife. Do you believe, lord Carsdale, that mm have power to disunite us?" "I mast bflievo what others do," be replied. She came nearer to him, And laid her cold band on bis ; it was so cold that be started Jrom thfl contact. '■ Love, think well of it ; if I bad been a b»d wife to you— if I had deceived you, •badowed the beautiful name you have given me— perhaps then men would have the power to sty to both of us, • You are free,' but before God, the only reason that you can give for leaving mo is that you do not love mo. Oh, think, my lovo, before you ask me to do that which is vtrong- I would die for you — I cannot sin for you ; but if I must sin, my husband, my love, let the sin bo that I kill myself— rather that than the other ten thousand times 1"