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

From My Birth,  Almost! I Had No Evil Designs Against Anybody. I Only

Wanted To Be Happy And To See People Happy. I Honestly Believed I Was

Lawfully Married To Captain Stillwater. He Took Me To The Wirt House And

Registered Our Names As Mr. And Mrs. Stillwater. And We Were Very Happy

Until His Ship Sailed. He Gave Me Plenty Of Money Before He Went Away;

But I Was Heartbroken To Part With Him,  And Could Take No Pleasure In

Anything Until I Got A Little Used To His Absence."

"I Think You Told Me That You Met Him Once More Before Your Final

Separation. When Was That Meeting? Eh?"

"Fabian Rockharrt,  Are You Trying To Catch Me In A Falsehood? You Know

Very Well That I Never Told You Anything Of The Sort I Told You That I

Never Saw Him Again After He Sailed Away That Autumn Day! I Waited All

The Autumn And Heard Nothing From Him,  I Wrote To Him Often,  But None

Of My Letters Were Answered. At Length I Longed So Much To See Him That

I Grew Wild And Reckless And Resolved To Follow Him. I Took Passage In

The Second Cabin Of The Africa And Sailed For Liverpool,  Where I Arrived

About The Middle Of December. I Went To The Agency Of The Blue Star

Line,  To Which His Ship Belonged,  And Inquired Where He Was To Be Found.

They Told Me He Had Sailed For Calcutta And Had Taken His Wife With Him!

It Turned Me To Stone--To Stone,  Fabian--Almost! I Remember I Sat Down

On A Bench And Felt Numb And Cold. And Then I Asked How Long He Had Been

Married--Hoping,  If It Was True,  That My Own Was The First And The

Lawful Union. They Told Me,  For Ten Years,  But As They Had No Family,

His Wife Usually Accompanied Him On All His Voyages. So She Had Now Gone

With Him To Calcutta."

"I Suspect The People In That Office Were Pretty Well Acquainted With

The Handsome Skipper's 'Ways And Manners,' And That They Understood Your

Case At Once."

"I Do Really Believe They Did," Said Rose; "For They Looked At Me So

Strangely,  And One Man,  Who Seemed To Be A Porter Or A Messenger,  Or

Something Of That Sort,  Said Something About A Sailor Having A Wife At

Every Port."

"So After That You Came Back To New York,  And Did,  At Last,  What You

Should Have Done At First--You Wrote To Me."

"There Was No One On Earth To Whom,  Under The Peculiar Circumstances,  I

Could Have Written But To You. Oh,  Fabian! To Whom Else Could I Appeal?"

"And Did I Not Respond Promptly To Your Call?"

"Indeed You Did,  Like A True Knight,  As You Were. And I Did Not Deceive

You By Any False Story,  Fabian. I Told You All--Even Thing--How Basely I

Had Been Deceived--And You Soothed And Consoled Me,  And Told Me That,

As I Had Not Sinned Intentionally,  I Had Not Sinned At All; And You

Brought Me With You To The State Capital,  And Established Me Comfortably

There."

"But You Were Very Ungrateful,  My Dear. You Took Everything; Gave

Nothing."

"I Would Have Given You Myself In Marriage,  But You Would Not Have Me.

You Did Not Think Me Good Enough For You."

"But,  Bless My Wig,  Child! For Your Age You Had Been Too Much Married

Already--A Great Deal Too Much Married! You Got Into The Habit Of

Getting Married."

"Oh! How Merciless You Are To Me!" Rose Said,  Beginning To Weep.

"No; I Am Not. I Have Never Been Unkind To You--As Yet. I Don't Know

What I May Be! My Course Toward You Will Depend Very Much Upon Yourself.

Have I Not Always Hitherto Been Your Best Friend? Ungrateful,

Unresponsive Though You Were At That Time,  Did I Not Procure For You An

Invitation From My Mother To Accompany Her Party On That Long,

Delightful Summer Trip?"

"I Had An Impression At The Time That I Owed The Invitation To Your

Father,  Who Suggested To Your Mother To Write And Ask Me To Accompany

Them."

Mr. Fabian Looked Surprised,  And Said--For He Never Hesitated To Tell A

Fib:

"Oh! That Was Quite A Mistake. It Was I Myself Who Suggested The

Invitation. I Thought It Would Be Agreeable To You. Was It Not I Myself

Who Sent You Forward In Advance To The Wirt House,  Baltimore,  There To

Await The Arrival Of Our Party,  And Join Us In Our Summer Travel? And

Didn't You Have A Long,  Delightful Tour With Us Through The Most Sublime

Scenery In The Most Salubrious Climates On Earth? Didn't You Return A

Perfect Hebe In Health And Bloom?"

"I Acknowledge All That. I Acknowledge All My Obligations To Your

Family; But At The Same Time I Declare That I Also Did My Part. I Was As

A White Slave To Your Parents. I Was Lady's Maid To Your Mother,  Foot

Boy To Your Father. I Don't Know,  Indeed,  What The Old People Would Have

Done Without Me,  For No Hired Servant Could Have Served Them As

Faithfully As I Did."

"Oh,  Yes; You Were Grateful And Devoted To All The Family Except To Me,

Your Best Friend--To Me,  Who Gave You The Use Of A Lovely Home,  And A

Liberal Income,  And A Faithful Friendship; And Then Trusted In Your

Sense Of Justice For My Reward."

"I Would Have Given You All I Possessed In The World--My Own Poor Self

In Marriage--And You Led Me On To Believe That You Wished To Marry Me,

But,  Finally,  You Would Not Have Me. You Went Off And Married Another

Woman."

"Bah! We Are Talking Around In A Circle,  And Getting Back To Where We

Began. Let Us Come To The Point."

"Very Well; Come To The Point," Said Rose,  Sulkily.

"Listen,  Then: It Is Not For Your Reckless Elopement With Your

Step-Father's Pupil,  When You Were Driven From Home By Cruelty; It Is

Not For Your False Marriage With Stillwater,  When You Yourself Were

Deceived; But Because With All These Antecedents Against

You--Antecedents Which Constituted You,  However Unjustly,  A Pariah,  Who

Should Have Lived Quietly And Obscurely,  But Who,  Instead Of Doing So,

Took Advantage Of Kindness Shown Her,  And Betrayed The Family Who

Sheltered Her By Luring Into A Disgraceful Marriage Its Revered Father,

And Bringing To Deep Dishonor The Gray Head Of Aaron Rockharrt,  A Man Of

Stern Integrity And Unblemished Reputation--You Should Be Denounced And

Punished."

"Oh,  Fabian,  Have Mercy! Have Mercy! You Would Not Now,  After Years Of

Friendship,  You Would Not Now Ruin Me?"

"Listen To Me! You Checkmated Me In That Matter Of The Cottage And The

Income. Yes,  Simple As You Seem,  And Sharp As I May Appear,  You

Certainly Managed To Take All And Give Nothing. And When You Found But

That You Could Not Take My Hand And My Name,  You Waylaid Me At The

Railway Station,  When I Was On My Wedding Tour,  And You Swore To Be

Revenged. I Laughed At You. I Advised You To Be Anything Rather Than

Dramatic. I Never Imagined The Possibility Of Your Threatened Revenge

Taking The Form Of Your Marriage. Well,  My Dear,  You Have Your Revenge,

I Admit; But In Your Blindness,  You Could Not See That Revenge Itself

Might Be Met By Retribution! One Man Kills Another For Revenge,  And Does

Not,  In His Blind Fury,  See The Gallows Looming In The Distance."

"What Do You Mean? You Cannot Hang Me For Marrying Your Father,"

Exclaimed Rose.

"No; Don't Raise Your Voice,  Or You May Be Heard. No,  Rose,  I Cannot

Hang You For Treachery; But,  My Dear,  There Are Worse Fates Than Neat

And Tidy Hanging,  Which Is Over In A Few Minutes. I Could Expose Your

Past Life To My Father. You Know Him,  And You Know That He Would Show No

Ruth,  No Mercy To Deception And Treachery Such As Yours. You Know That

He Would Turn You Out Of The House Without Money Or Character,  Destitute

And Degraded. What Then Would Be Your Fate At Your Age--A Fading Rose

Past Thirty-Seven Years Old? Sooner Or Later,  And Very Little Later,  The

Poor-House Or The Hospital. Better A Sweet,  Tidy Little Hanging And Be

Done With It,  If Possible."

"You Are A Fiend To Talk To Me So! A Fiend! Fabian Rockharrt," Exclaimed

Rose,  Bursting Into Hysterical Sobs And Tears.

"Now,  Be Quiet,  My Child; You'll Raise The House,  And Then There Will Be

An Explosion."

"I Don't Care If There Will Be. You Are Cruel,  Savage,  Barbarous! I

Never Meant To Do Any Harm By Marrying Mr. Rockharrt. I Never Meant To

Be Revenged On You Or Anybody. I Only Said So Because I Was So Excited

By Your Desertion Of Me. I Married The Old Gentleman For A Refuge From

The World. I Meant To Do My Duty By Him,  Though He Is As Cross As A Bear

With A Bruised Head. But Do Your Worst; I Don't Care. I Would Just As

Lief Die As Live. I Am Tired Of Trying To Be Good; Tired Of Trying To

Please People; Tired,  Oh,  Very Tired Of Living!"

"Come,  Come," Said Soft-Hearted Mr. Fabian; "None Of That Nonsense.

Place Yourself In My Hands,  To Be Guided By Me And To Work For My

Interests,  And None Of These Evils Shall Happen To You. You Shall Live

And Die In Wealth And Luxury,  My Father's Honored Wife,  The Mistress Of

Rockhold."

He Spoke Slowly,  Tenderly,  Caressingly,  And As She Listened To Him Her

Sobs And Tears Subsided And She Grew Calmer.

"What Is It You Want Me To Do For You? What Can I Do For You,  Indeed,

Powerless As I Am?" She Inquired At Last.

"You Must Use All Your Influence With My Father In My Interests,  And Use

It Discreetly And Perseveringly," He Whispered.

"But I Have No Influence. Never Was The Young Wife Of An Old Man--And I

Am Young In Comparison To Him--Treated So Harshly. I Am Not His Pet; I

Am His Slave!" She Complained.

"But You Must Obtain Influence Over Him. You Can Do That. You Are With

Him Night And Day When He Is Not At His Business. You Are His

Shadow--Beg Pardon,  I Ought To Have Said His Sunshine."

"I Am His Slave,  I Tell You."

"Then Be His Humble,  Submissive,  Obedient Slave; Betray No

Disappointment,  Discontent,  Or Impatience At Your Lot. The Harsher He

Is,  The Humbler Must You Be; The More Despotic He Becomes,  The More