Edwards_Archie_Lovell.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']
. in.
290 .
for you, know, but love you from niy lieaxt !
" you have me "
" ^IP ah-, , you are saying this
now out of kindness ! "
" to myself, then. ,
," his voice sinking into a tone oi^ wonderfiil
tenderness, " what hope but you have had in my
lifeP have ever wanted to possess but
youP 't pretend to think it a new thing.
know that as a child loved you, as a
girl "
" a girl found me changed and false and
worthless!" she interrupted, with something of
her old impetuousness. " first day in -
ville, don't you remember how looked in your
face oh. , you won't hate me when
you think of it and told you had never been
in in my life ! was afraid at first you
had recognised me, and were going to tell papa,
and then, when you didn't speak, thought per-
haps if told one great story it might set every-
thing right and told it ! "
" did," said ; " and considering
a
! " 291
ihat had looked deliberately in your face in
and then helped you into the train at
, you would have acted less like a child
perhaps by speaking the truth."
" you knew everything from the first
thenP" she cried. " have known all along
that was acting a false part to you ? "
did not answer; only held her
closer to his side^ and looked down fondly into the
face upheld so close to his.
" have known all along that was deceiving
you " she persisted ; " and yet you tell me that
you care for me still 's pity, pity that makes
you say this, ! are so sorry for
what suffered to-day, and for papa, and the
shame have brought upon him and "
" ask you to be my wife, ?
you refase me "
" thought it wasn't from pity that you ask
me ! " she stammered, trying^ in vain to turn away
from him.
then held her close against his
heart: the heart from which he had never ^no,
v2
292 .
not for one instant succeeded in putting her
away, and their compact was made.
" shall never be quite sure you did not
ask me out of pity!" said , after a long
silence.
" shall never be quite sure that you did
not once like better than you will
ever like me ! " said , quickly. " we
shall each have some kind of misgiving to disturb
our peace. has the most probability, do
you think, for its basis in your glass 'any
morning, , and say if it's likely that ,
, asked you to be my wife out of pity ?
at me and , any time when we are
together, and say which would be the likeliest man
to win a young girl's fancy '*
" didn't know we were talking of fancies now,
; thought we were talking of ^*
'* what, "
" love, then as you make me say it ; and
did take my fancy once ; he takes it still :
and you oh, how badly express everything ! *'
did not seem to think so.
" . ! " 293
lingered on and on, forgetting, mtti flie
sublime selfishness of lovers, that poor . ,
all this time, was patiently waiting for them at the
hall-door; and were only recalled at last to a
consciousness of the external woi:ld by the distant
village clock striking eleven. they rose to go,
stood for a minute or two, silent and
thoughtM; then suddenly she turned, threw up
her arms around 's neck, and, drawing
down his head to her level, pressed his brown
scarred cheek with her lips : the lips whose bloom
was still intact as when she had kissed and dung
to him last, a little child in .
" forgive me utterly, . ? not
noble, or heroic, or any of the fine things you have
called me. was accident, think, that made me
tell the truth at all, and up to the last would
have got out of teUing it if could ; but you for-
give me freely, as you forgave my falsehood about
long ago know that you have not one
scruple in asking me to be your wife?**
find, alter several unsuccessful attempts,
that must give up trying to describe what
294 .
felt and answered. one language ever
adequately reproduce another? dull ink and
paper transcribe what a girl's fresh yoice, what the
touch of a girFs say^ to the world-wearied
heart of a man like , in such a moment as
thisP
" you, my dearest ! " he cried at last,
bending over her with a great reverence in his
tenderness. " , . it is a question
of forgiveness, of unworthiness, between us two,
feel that it is my place to be silent. nie once
more ; put your hands in mine so. , child,
you and will keep perfect faith, whatever comes,
for the future. ' ce que dais, advienne que
pourra/ you remember "
" remember," she answered, between her tears..
*^ * que pmrra*. oh, ! can any-
thing ever happen to part us two again "
.
.
came, the country people, from
miles around, flocked in to church, as
had expected, to look at her ; only, instead of being
an object of contempt, she found herself a heroine !
instead of humiliation, she had her triimiph at last
the preceding , and
(acting, no doubt, from the generous dictates of
their own hearts, but a little, too, under male
domination) had not only made a stately call at the
, but had ostentatiously taken for a
drive through the village in their carriage, thus
showing, publicly, to the country world what view
was held by those high in authority of her conduct.
example was as contagious as royal favour
shown unexpectedly to a half-suspected favourite.
296 .
parson's daughter was one of the right sort
had come fomrard and helped . through
thick and thin ; the parson's daughter was riding
all the afternoon with the ladies of the
leading parishioners came up, forthwith, with their
wives and daughters, to call at flie .
only] herself, but . and ,
clothing-club feuds forgotten, were with the
interest of public characters ; and on , as
have said, crowds of country people flocked in to
church, eager to have a look at the down-
cast girlish face in the parson's pew ^the heroine,
triumph made the girl infinitely sad, infi-
nitely humble. was so wide a difference
between the whom the world called
noble, and the weak, wavering, passion-tossed
whom she knew. things had
shaped themselves differently at this sharp turning-
point of her life ^if had forsaken her; if
the people she lived amongst, instead of crowning her
with laurel, had happened to consider her as lost-
ten chances to one she would have hardened and
. 297
deteriorated down to the level assigned her.
success is the real touchstone of character^ and
's stood the test beautifully. weeks
she was a self-willed child, smoking her
cigarettes, and defying . and the pro-
prieties as she ran wild about the streets :
a chfld suspecting no evil, and caxdess she
incurred its imputation. she walked home on
her father's arm from church to-day, she
was a woman softened by a sense of her own
weakness, brought low and meek by the love which
in her inmost heart she seemed so to have
deserved. her hour of success every baser
element was cast out from that fine nature, and all
that remained, henceforth and for ever, was pure
gold.
don't think need describe a double wedding
that took place one soft morning in
church. opinions varied as to whether the
pensive fair face or the mignonne dark one looked
best beneath its orange blossoms; how ,
afraid really to cry because of her lovely dress and
98 .
bonnei-strings, held her handkerchief to her eyes
in delightful proximity to of
; how . , in his agitation, very
nearly married the wrong people to each other ;
how 'lyor, in returning thanks, as best
man, for the bridesmaids, contrived in twenty in-
coherent words to condense together every em-
barrassing remark that could possibly be made on
the subject of old loves and transferred affections.
is all a thing of the past now. wedding
took place more than a year ago, and the four
people most interested know pretty well whether
the adventure they made then in the great lottery
is likely to turn out a prize or not.
hajs left the army, and at
's with the old people. is a good
deal bored, but not more, he fondly tries to think,
than he would be if he was going through his
former mill-horse life of and dissi-
pation. keeps excellent hunters, has instituted
a chef in. the kitchen, already inclines ever so
slightly to stoutness, and is not very much worried,
save by his wife's occasional fits of jealousy about
. 299
. and the persistency mUx wHcli she
sings long songs^ always in the siyle -of . ,
of an eyening.. years go by, he thinks,
and as -'s baby-daughter grows old enough to
require training, he will probably be less bored
still ; and in the meantime it is a great thing to
have as pleasant a house to go to as , a
woman as charming as . to leaven the
whole dull mass of heavy county society.
the , all have to say is written in
four words four very rare words to be able to
record of any two human beings ^they suit each
other ! . 's time is spent at -
brooke. hangs there there was no good
light for it in the parsonage, the poor fellow sud-
denly discovered, when married and of an
evening he and his daughter stand before it still,
talking in whispers, her hand within his arm, of
the great poet and painter he may yet become,
should fate prove a little kinder to his wishes.
can fancy them talking just as foolishly when
all the roses shall have died on . 's face,
and when the blue eyes have grown dimmed, and
300 .
other aBM!tiQii8y other caies, sanaimd her in the
years to come.
of weaker calibre can finget afier ihejr
are manied that they were daughters once. a
heart as loving and as large as 's, there will
be no dethronements.