For Woman's Love Part- 2 by Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth (i love reading books txt) 📕

Covered By Creeping Roses,  Clematis,  Wisteria,  And All That.

"I Went In,  And Was Received By The Beautiful Being That You Have Known

As Rose Flowers. She Was Dressed In Some Misty,  Cloud-Like Pale Blue

Fabric That Set Off Her Blonde Beauty To Perfection. After We Were

Seated And Had Talked Some Time,  I Telling Her What Light Duties Would

Be Required Of Her--Only The Care Of One Good Little Girl Of Seven Years

Old,  And Of A Very Mild Old Lady Who Was The Only Lady In The House,  And

Of The Old Gentleman Who Was The Head Of The Family,  Strict But Just In

All His Dealings; And Of Our Country House In The Mountains And Our Town

House In The State Capital--And She Expressing The Greatest And Frankest

Anxiety To Become A Member Of Such A Happy,  Amiable,  Prosperous Family,

And Declaring With Childish Boasting That She Was Quite Competent To

Perform All The Duties Expected Of Her And Would Perform Them

Conscientiously,  I Suddenly Asked Her For Her References.

"'I--I Have Not A Friend In This World,' She Said; And Then In A Timid

Voice,  She Asked: 'Are References Indispensable?'

"'Of Course,' I Answered

"'Then The Lord Help Me! Nothing Is Left But The River. The River Won't

Require References;' And With That She Buried Her Little Golden-Haired

Head In The Cushions Of The Sofa And Burst Into A Perfect Storm Of Sobs

And Tears. Now,  Cora,  What In The Deuce Was A Man To Do? I Had Never

Seen Anything Like That In All My Life Before. I Had Never Seen A Woman

In Such A Fit Before. All This Was Strange And Horrible To Me.

"I Am A Middling Strong Old Fellow,  But That Beautiful Girl's Despair

Upset Me,  And I Never Could Hear Any One Hint Suicide,  And She Talked Of

The River. The River Would Receive Her Without References. The River Was

Kinder Than Her Own Fellow Creatures! The River Would Give Her A Home

And Rest And Peace! She Only Wanted To Do Honest Work For Her Living,

But Human Beings Would Not Even Let Her Work For Them Without

References! And I Declare To You,  Cora,  She Was Not Acting,  As You Might

Suspect. She Was In Deadly Earnest. Her Sobs Shook Her Whole Frame.

"At Last I Myself Behaved Like An Ass. I Went And Knelt Down Beside Her

So As To Get Quite Close To Her,  And I Began To Comfort Her. I Told Her

Not To Mind About The References; That She Might Have Me For A Reference

All The Days Of Her Life; That She Should Have The Situation At

Rockhold,  Where I Would Convey Her And Introduce Her On My Own

Responsibility.

"While I Spoke To Her I Laid My Hand On The Little Golden-Haired Head

And Smoothed It All The Time. Out Of Pity,  Cora,  I Assure You On My

Honor,  Out Of Pity. After A While Her Sobs Seemed To Subside Slowly. I

Told Her That Her Face Was To Me A Sufficient Recommendation In Her

Favor,  And All-Sufficient Testimonial Of Character; But That I Must Have

Her Confidence In Exchange For My Own.

"You See,  Cora,  I Was Very Sorry For The Poor,  Pretty Creature,  And Was

Really Anxious To Befriend Her; But Also My Curiosity Was Keenly Piqued.

I Wished To Know Her Private History,  And So I Assured Her That She

Should Have The Position She Wanted On The Condition Of Telling Me Her

Antecedents.

"At Last She Yielded,  And Told Me The Story Of Her Short,  Willful Life.

This,  Then,  Was Her Poor,  Little,  Pathetic Story.

"Her Name Was Ann White. She Was The Daughter Of Amos White,  An English

Curate,  Living In A Remote Village In Northumberland,  And Of His First

Wife,  Who Had Died During The Infancy Of Her Youngest Child,  Ann,  A Year

After Which Her Father Had Married Again. Ann's Step-Mother Was One Of

The Most Beautiful Women In England,  And--One Of The Most Discontented,

As The Wife Of A Widowed Clergyman Who Was Old Enough To Be Her Father,

Who Had Three Sons And Two Daughters By A Former Marriage,  And Who Was

Trying To Support His Family On A Hundred Pounds A Year. Yet,  So Long As

Her Father Lived,  Ann's Childhood Was Happy. But Her Father,  Who Had

Been A Consumptive,  Also Died When Ann Was About Seven Years Old. Then

The Family Was Broken Up. The Three Step-Sons Went To Seek Their

Fortunes In New Zealand. The Eldest Step-Daughter Had Been Married And

Had Gone To London A Few Months Before Her Father's Death; The Younger

Step-Daughter Went To Live With That Married Sister. Ann And Her

Step-Mother Were Permitted To Remain At The Parsonage Until The

Successor Of Amos White Could Be Appointed. At Last The New Curate

Came--A Handsome And Accomplished Man--Rev. Raphael Rosslynn. He Was A

Bachelor,  Without Near Relatives. He Called On The Widow White And At

Once Set Her Heart At Ease By Begging Her Not To Trouble Herself To

Leave The Parsonage,  But To Remain There For The Present At Least,  And

Take Him As A Boarder. He Was Perfectly Frank With The Lovely Widow,  And

Told Her That He Was Engaged To His Own Cousin,  And That As Soon As He

Should Get A Living Promised Him On The Death Of The Present Incumbent,

And Which Was Worth Twelve Hundred Pounds A Year,  He Should Marry,  But

That He Could Not Allow Himself To Anticipate Happiness That Must Rise

On A Grave. But In The Course Of The Year That Which Might Have Been

Expected Happened,  The Young Widow,  Who Had Never Cared For Her Elderly

First Husband,  Fell Desperately In Love With Her Lodger,  Who Was Not

Very Slow To Respond,  For Her Grace,  Beauty And Allurements Attracted,

Bewildered,  And Bedeviled Him,  So That He Forgot Or Deplored His

Plighted Vows To His Good Little Cousin. To Shorten The Story,  The

Cousin Released Him. In A Few Days The Curate And The Widow Were

Married. Ann Was Utterly Neglected,  Ignored,  And Forgotten. Her Lessons,

Which,  Before The Advent Of The Handsome Curate,  Had Been The Widow's

Care,  Were Now Suspended. Time Went On,  And These Ardent Lovers Cooled

Off. Not That Their Youth Or Health Or Beauty Waned; Not At All; But

That Their Illusions Were Fading. Yet,  As Often Happens,  As Love Cooled,

Jealousy Warmed To Life--Each One Conscious Of Indifference Toward The

Other,  Yet Resented A Corresponding Indifference In The Other. As Years

Went On,  Six Children Were Born To This Unhappy Pair,  Whom Not The Lord

But The Devil Had Joined Together,  And With Their Increasing Family Came

Increasing Poverty. It Was Hard To Support A Growing Household On One

Hundred Pounds A Year.

"In The Seventh Year Of Their Marriage,  In Desperation,  The Reverend

Raphael Advertised His Ability And Readiness To 'Prepare Young Men For

College.' He Obtained But One Pupil One Alfred Whyte,  The Son Of A

Retired Brewer. You Perceive That He Had The Same Surname With The Young

Ann,  But It Was Spelled Differently--With A _Y_,  Instead Of An _I_,  As

Her Name Was. He Seems To Have Been A Fine,  Hearty,  Good Natured Young

Fellow,  About Twenty Years Of Age,  With A Short,  Stout Form,  A Round,

Red Face,  And Dark Eyes And Hair. He Hated Study,  But Loved Children,

Animals,  And Out-Door Sports. It Was In The Course Of Nature That He

Should Fall In Love With The Fair Fifteen-Year-Old Beauty Ann White.

"She Returned His Affection Because Since Her Father's Death He Was The

Only Human Being Who Had Ever Been Kind To Her. The First Year That He

Spent At The Parsonage Was The Happiest Year Ann Had Ever Known. Before

It Drew To An End,  However,  Their Happiness Was Clouded. The Young Man

Had Over And Over Again Assured The Girl Of His Love For Her,  And At

Last He Asked Her To Marry Him. She Consented. Then He Wrote And Asked

Permission Of His Father To Wed The Curate's Step-Daughter.

"The Answer Might Have Been Anticipated. The Purse-Proud Retired Brewer,

Who Had Dreams Of His Only Son And Heir Going Into Parliament And

Marrying Some Impoverished Nobleman's Daughter,  Wrote Two Furious

Letters,  One To His Son,  Commanding His Immediate Return Home,  And

Another To The Rev. Raphael Rosslynn,  Reproaching Him With Having

Entrapped His Pupil Into An Engagement With His Pauper Step-Daughter.

"We Can Judge The Effect Of These Letters Upon The Peace Of The

Parsonage.

"The Reverend Raphael Commanded His Pupil Into His Presence,  And After

Severely Censuring Him For His Conduct In 'Betraying The Confidence Of

The Family Who Had Received Him Into Its Bosom,' He Requested That

Master Whyte Should Leave The House With All Convenient Speed.

"The Youth Urged That He Had Meant No Harm And Had Done No Harm,  That He

Was Honestly In Love With The Young Lady,  And Had Honestly Asked Leave

To Marry Her,  And That He Certainly Would Marry Her--

    "'Though Mammy And Daddy And All Gang Mad.'

Mr. Rosslynn Referred Him To His Father's Letter And Ordered Him To

Depart. And Then The Reverend Gentleman Went To His Wife's Room And

Bitterly Reproached Her That Her Forward Girl Had Been The Cause Of His

Losing His Pupil And Eighty Pounds A Year.

"She Told Him That The Fault Was His Own; That He Should Never Have

Received A Young Man As A Resident Pupil In The House Where There Was A

Young Girl.

"A Fierce Quarrel Ensued,  Which Was Ended At Last By The Reverend

Gentleman Going Out And Banging The Door Behind Him With A Force That

Shook The House,  And In A State Of Mind That Rendered Him Singularly

Unfit To Read The Prayers For The Sick Beside The Bed Of A Dying

Parishioner To Whom He Was Urgently Summoned.

"Mrs. Rosslynn Immediately Hastened To Wreak Her Vengeance On Her

Step-Daughter. She Set Her Teeth As She Seized The Unlucky Girl,  Whom

She Found At Work In The Kitchen,  Pushed Her Roughly On Into The Narrow

Passage Up The Steep Stairs And Into The Little Back Loft That The Child

Called Her Own Bedroom.

"Here She Took A Firmer Grip Upon The Girl,  And With A Dog Whip That She

Had Hastily Snatched From The Hat Rack In Passing,  She Lashed The

Hapless Creature Over Back And Shoulder.

"Ann Never Struggled Or Cried Out,  But Held Her Tongue In Fierce Wrath

And Stubborn Endurance. Could That Woman,  The Victim Of All Ungovernable

Passions,  Have But Known What She Did,  Or Foreseen Its Results!

"At Last She Ceased,  Pushed The Bruised And Wounded Child Away From Her,

Sank Panting To A Chair,  And As Soon As She Recovered Her Breath,  Began

To Insult And Abuse The Orphan Child Of Her Deceased Husband,  Charging

Her With Disgracing The House By Improper Conduct,  Of Which The Girl Had

Never Even Dreamed; Accusing Her Of Causing The Loss Of Their Pupil And

The Income Derived From Him,  And Reproaching Her For Making Discord

Between Herself (Mrs. Rosslynn) And Her Husband.

"Ann Replied By Not One Word.

"At Length The Maddened Woman,  Having Talked Herself Out Of Breath,  Got

Up,  Left The Room,  And Locked The Door,  Not