CHAPTER LIII.

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

CHAPTER LIII.

A bM'AItWION illbLCn^EO. " Think again, love," continued the gentle voice, " because you ask me to do this. There are laws which ineu cannot break with impunity, and the lav that bid* * man cherish bit wile and b« faithful to her, ii one ol the

most solemn. If this world wero the end o* all, it would not matter co much, but there i< another." ! " I have no wish to do wrong, Ailio," said j Lord Carsdale, "as yon can see. I am so distressed, so grieved, that I cnnnot litorally | tell what to do. On whichever «ido I look, I see nothing but misery, deipair, and unending sorrow " His voice died aw^y in a low murmur, and for eoraa few minutes there was silenco, broken only by the eigbins of the wind in the trees, and the rustling of the green leaves. Then Ailie carao nearer to him ; her pale, beautiful face glowed in the darkness like a olear star. "Lord Carsdale," she said, gently, "we [ have talked oi the convenience oi the mitter, of its right and wrong; tell me one fchirg more, and I will bo quito content. Whioh will make you the happier, to be parted from me and live with Lady I3tfaol all the rest of your life, or to wait until yon can say that I am your wife?" 11 There is little need to ask that quastioD, Ailie," ho replied, gravely. ."But I do ask it, and I want you to answer me, Lord Caradale. I want you to epeak the words that I may hear them for myself ; in which care woald yon be happ.'er." " Tbreo can be but one answer to that, Ailie ; I lore L»dy Ethel, and I should bo more happy with her." She turned away with a long, deep sij?h, forming a kind of desperate reeolve to make the lust appeal to him that she could — a desperate feeling iuoh as comes at times orer a man condemned to death. "Lord Caradale," she said, " could you never love me ? I have strong claims on your love. lam your wife, and by virtue, of that name alone, I should stand first ih all the would to you — flan jou nevar love me ? lam not so beautiful aa Lady Ethel, but I am not displeasing in the sight it men. I have no money, no rank, no influence, but I have 1 We ; 1 can lore you as no one else in the wide world ever could. Yon are life of my life, heart of my heart, ioul of my soul. I wonld serve you as woman never served man yet. Oh, my love 1 can yon never love me?" " My dear Ailio," he said, sadly, " love does sot depend on ourselves ; we cannot love and unlove at will. If I asked you to-morrow to love Borne one else, oould you do it ?" 11 No ; but then lam your wife," she said, with mournful dignity. " Even that will not oall love into existence. Oh, Ailie 1 I wish you oared less for me ; but j for that it would all be bo easy. I cannot ' think why it is that you love me so." "Then you are very short-sighted, Lord Caredale," she replied, quickly. " That you have not learned to love me I can easily understand ; there sure women in the world ten thousand times fairer than I; but who is there like yon ? How could I see you, heat you, listen to your voice, look at your face, say to myself that I was your wife, and not love you ? To suppose that I could do that wonld be to suppose that I had no human j heart, no reason, no sense. How could I help loving you ?— gallant young hero who married me rathor than let one shadow rest on j my fair name ? You shonld have made yourself lees brave, less noble, less fair to see, lees generous, if you desired to avoid my love." " Oh, Ailio," he repeated, with a low moan, "it you could care less for me, think less of me; indeed, my dear, you mistake— l am not 00 noble or bo generous aa 70a think me." "It matters little what you are," she repeatod, "it makes little difference. I would rather a thousand times have death from your dear bands than love from another. I can say no more. Tell me, have you taken •my steps at all toward this separation ?" " No, not one— not yet. It may be that •uch a separation could not be granted ; I know no more than yourself of the marriage laws. I may be quite wroDg in thinking that such a thing can ever be, but I thought of trying— it seems the only method of cutting a Qordian knot ; still I would not take even the preliminary steps without first asking you and obtaining your consent. Ailie, the time is flying*; it is dangerous for you to stop out so ifttQ — tell me, have I your consent ?" " No," she replied, " I cannot give it to you — yot let me think it over, let me say somo prayers over it. I cannot decide such a question all at once. Give me twenty-four hours at least— that is not long in which to decide a destiny ; and tell me, Lord Caradale, if I cannot say • yet,' what then?" " What then, Ailie ? Why, I see nothing for it but to go abroad again. You know that if my mother only guGssed at our marriage, she would never speak to me again; come what might, I should be compelled to go abroad, and remain there until I had no parents to make me miserable." "And Lady Ethel ! " she said, gently, " what would become of her ? " " How can I tell ? I can only hope, that in the years to come she would marry i,nd be happy." " Then, if I consent, and it can be legally arranged, what then, Lord Carsdale ? " His manner brightened visibly ; his voice grew olear and brisk. " In that case, I should busy myself over you first ; I should make you happy as you conld be, with every luxury and indulgence that money oould purohase for you." She laughed the saddest and the dreariest laugh that ever came from human lips. "And after that? " she said. " Afterward I suppose that I should marry Lndy Ethel, and make my parents perfectly and completely happy." Yet, as he spoke, his heart almost yearned to her — he would have given anything to have comforted her; the sight and tho knowledge of her pain were growing unendurable to him. " I »cc," she said, gently — " now I understand it all clearly. Patient Gsisolda would not have hesitated one moment — she would have said at once, • you are free ; ' but I have not reaobed that point of heroism yet — I would fain keep you if I could ; i would fain win your love if I could; if I cannot, then I mnat do my bert. I will think it all over, and in twenty-four hours you shall have my answer." "Thank you, Ailio." But, even as ho spoke, he was half oonsoious of a strange kind of wonder whether the would nay yes or no, and if it would be co perfectly impossible for him to love her as he had once believed. There is a wonderful charm in a great love, after all— it must win some return. She had gathered together all her powers of self-control before he had recovered himself. She knew that no prayers, no pleading, no wild outbursts of sorrow could avail her now, and a sweet, woman!/ dignity came to her. " I have twenty four hours more," sho said, quietly ; " I will pans them in thinking— l will not sleep ; that would be to watte precious momeutp. By this time to morrow night we shall both know our fate, and then " " You are very good, Ailie," he said, " and I wish with all my heart that everything bad been different." " I think we must go," she flsitl ; '• it is growing late, and I may have some difficulty in wetting to my room." He found himself, as he walked home, so gentle, so tender, so kind to her — he found himself saying, over and over again, " She loves me so dearly— she loves me co well I " He did not hurry through that walk as he bad dona through others ; and, whenever he routed bimsill, be found himself thinking,

not of beautiful Lvly Ethel, bat of how dearly hJB wife Invert him. They reached tlip little pido door through which he always entered ; it opened nt once, and ho saw that the house lay in silence and darknes*. " You will be quito safe, Ailic," be said ; " if any one meets you in (he houhn, it will not matter, you are supposed to go about aa you will; I was only afi aid that you might be seen coming in— good nitfht." H* did not bvo her, aud ho w»t trying to get a leeal separation from her. lie honeßtly believed that he loved Lidy Ethel with all bis heart, yet when he «aid " good-night," almost unconsciously he beatb c at hia handsome head down to her, and her white, tender arms elolo around his neck. " (r^od flight, my behoved," sbo Bfti<3, gently, and then be kissed her whito, beautiful face. " How cold you are, Ailie," he said; "how deathly cold ; your face is like marble, and your hands aro even woibo. Let me hold them in mine a minute ; it is standing out in tho cold, dewy darkness that has chilled yon." "No," Bbc replied, and then the next minute hi 3 arms were olaspsd around her, and her face was hidden on his breast. I wish that I could die here," she said, and then ho recovered hirapelf. He asked himself, if bo had gone mad. This was the wife he did not love, the wife from whom ho was going to separate himself, whore heart he was breaking. " Good-night, Ailie," he said. " I wish you were not so tired and odd." I Good-night, beloved. I wish that I were colder etill," she replied. He stood at the outer door, waiting until she had disappeared in the shadowy darkness, then he went out again, with heart and goal so rent and torn it was useless for him to think of sleep. Ailie went quietly up the long, wide staircase ; even if any one should see her now it mattered very little— it conld not matter less. Any one meeting her would think that she had been to ftod something, or to give some messages for the countess. Yet though she had Baid this to herself, it was some shock to her to meet Lsdy Gertrude face to face, Lady Gertrude looking very angry and annoyed. II Miss Derwent," cried the earl's daughter, "it is pjwt midnight. Why are you up ? " : - " I have been busy," faltered Alice. " Busy at this hour of the night I Pray, may 1 ask on whose business have you been engaged? If Lady Waldrove b«s kept you until this hoar, she has done it uncomcioualy, I am sure." " It is not Lady Waldrove," said the terrified girl ; •' it is myself— l have been doing something for myself ." Lady Gertrude looked slightly contemptous. " J f that be really the case," she said, " it is no matter of mine ; but I should advise you to keep earlier hours. It doos not look quite the correct thing for & young girl to bo wandering round a house like this after midnight. Good-night, Miss Darwent." >• Good-night, Lidy Gertrude," was tho answer. " 1 will ramember what you have I said."