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

Subservient You Must Seem. Make Yourself So Perfectly Complying In All

His Moods That He Shall Believe You To Be The Very 'Perfect Rose Of

Womanhood,' More Excellent Even Than He Thought When He Married You,  And

So As He Grows Older And Weaker In Mind As Well As Body You Will Gain

Not Only Influence But Ascendency Over Him,  And These You Must Use In My

Interest."

"But How? I Don't Understand."

"Pay Attention,  Then,  And You Will Understand Mr. Rockharrt Is Aged. In

The Course Of Nature He Must Soon Pass Away. Fie Has Made No Will.

Should He Die Intestate,  The Whole Property,  By The Laws Of This

Commonwealth,  Would Fall To Pieces; That Is To Say,  It Would Be Divided

Into Three Parts--One-Third Would Go To You--"

Rose Started,  Caught Her Breath,  And Stared At The Speaker; The Greed Of

Gain Dilating Her Great Blue Eyes. The Third Of The Rockharrt's Fabulous

Wealth To Be Hers At Her Husband's Death! Amazing! How Many Millions Or

Tens Of Millions Would That Be? Incredible! And All For Her,  And She

With,  Perhaps,  Half A Century Of Life To Live And Enjoy It! What A

Vista!

"Why Do You Stare At Me So?" Demanded Mr. Fabian.

"Because I Was So Surprised. That Is Not The Law In England. In England

There Are Usually What Are Called Marriage Settlements,  Which Make A

Suitable Provision For The Wife,  But Leave The Bulk Of The Property To

Go To The Children--Generally To The Oldest Son."

"And Such Should Be The Law Here,  But It Isn't; And So If My Father

Should Die Without Having Made A Will,  The Great Estate Would Break,  As

I Said,  Into Three Parts--One Part Would Be Yours,  The Other Two Parts

Would Be Divided Into Three Shares,  To Me,  To My Brother,  And To The

Heirs Of My Sister. The Business At North End Would Probably Be Carried

On By Aaron Rockharrt's Sons."

"But Would Not That Be Equitable?" Inquired Rose,  Who Had No Mind To

Have Her Third Interfered With.

"It Would Not Be Expedient,  Nor Is Such A Disposition Of His Property

The Intention Of Aaron Rockharrt. I Know,  From What He Has Occasionally

Hinted,  That He Means To Bequeath The Great North End Works To Me And My

Brother Clarence,  Share And Share Alike; But He Puts Off Making This

Will,  Which Indeed Must Never Be Made. The North End Works Should Not Be

A Monster With Two Heads,  But A Colossus With One Head With My Head. So

That I Wish My Father To Make A Will Leaving The North End Works To Me

Exclusively--To Me Alone As The One Head."

"I Think If I Dared To Suggest Such A Thing To Him,  He Would Take Off My

Head!" Said Rose,  With Grim Humor.

"I Think He Would If You Should Do So Suddenly Or Clumsily. But You Must

Insinuate The Idea Very Slowly And Subtlely. Clarence Is Not For The

Works; Clarence Is Too Good For This World--At Least For The Business Of

This World. I Think Him Half An Imbecile! My Father Does Not Hesitate To

Call Him A Perfect Idiot. Do You Begin To See Your Way Now? Clarence Can

Be Moderately Provided For,  But Should Have No Share In The North End

Works."

"The North End Works To Be Left To You Solely; Clarence To Be Moderately

Provided For; And What Of The Two Children Of The Late Mrs. Haught?"

"Oh! My Father Never Intends To Leave Them More Than A Modest Legacy.

They Have Each Inherited Money From Their Father. No; Understand Me

Once For All,  Rose. I Must Be The Sole Heir Of All My Father's Wealth,

With The Exceptions I Have Named,  And The Sole Successor To His

Business,  Without Any Exception Whatever. You Must Live,  Serve Him And

Bear With Him Only To Obtain Such An Ascendency Over Him As To Induce

Him To Make Such A Will As I Have Dictated To You. You Can Do This. You

Can Insinuate It So Subtlely That He Will Never Suspect The Suggestion

Came From You. I Say You Can Do This,  And You Must Do It. The Woman Who

Could Deceive And Entrap Old Aaron Rockharrt,  The Iron King,  Into

Matrimony,  Can Do Anything Else In The World That She Pleases To Do With

Him If Only She Will Be As Subtle,  As Patient,  And As Complacent To Him

After Marriage As She Had Been Before Marriage."

"If Clarence Is To Be So Provided For,  Cora And Sylvan To Have Modest

Legacies,  And You To Have The Huge Bulk Of The Estate--Where Is My Third

To Come From?"

"Why,  My Dear,  I Could Never Let You Have So Vast A Slice Out Of The

Mammoth Fortune! Your Third Of The Estate Must Follow Clarence's Share

Of The Business--Into Nothingness. You Must Play Magnanimity,  Sacrifice

Your Third,  And Content Yourself With A Suitable Provision," Said

Fabian,  Equably.

"I Will Never Do That! I Would Not Do It To Save Your Life,  Fabian

Rockharrt!"

"Oh,  Yes,  You Will,  My Darling. Not To Save My Life,  But To Save

Yourself From Being Denounced To Mr. Rockharrt,  And Turned Out Of This

House,  Destitute And Degraded."

"I Don't Care If I Should Be! Do You Think Me Quite A Baby In Your

Hands? I Have Been Reflecting Since You Have Been Talking To Me. I Have

Been Remembering That You Told Me That The Law Gives The Widow One Third

Of Her Late Husband's Property When He Dies Intestate,  And Entitles Her

To It,  No Matter What Sort Of A Will He Makes."

"Unless There Has Been A Settlement,  My Angel," Said Mr. Fabian,

Composedly.

"Well,  There Has Been No Settlement In My Case. So Whether Aaron

Rockharrt Should Die Intestate,  Or Whether He Should Make A Will,  I Am

Sure Of My Lawful Third. So I Defy You,  Mr. Fabian Rockharrt. You May

Denounce Me To Your Father He May Turn Me Out Of Doors Without A Penny,

And 'Without A Character,' As The Servants Say,  But He Cannot Divorce

Me,  Because I Have Been Faithful To Him Ever Since Our Marriage. I Could

Compel Him By Law To Support Me,  Even Though He Might Not Let Me Share

His Home. He Would Be Obliged By Law To Give Me Alimony In Proportion To

His Income,  And,  Oh! What A Magnificent Revenue That Would Be For

Me--With Freedom From His Tyranny Into The Bargain! And At His Death,

Which Could Not Be Long Coming At His Age,  And After Such A Shock As His

Dutiful Son Proposes To Give Him,  I Should Come In For My Third. And,

Oh,  Where So Rich A Widow As I Should Be! With Forty Or Fifty Years Of

Life Before Me In Which To Enjoy My Fortune! Ah,  You See,  My Clever Mr.

Fabian Rockharrt,  Though You Frightened Me Out Of Self-Possession At

First,  When I Come To Think Over The Situation,  I Find That You Can Do

Me No Great Harm. If You Should Put Your Threats In Execution And Bring

About A Violent Separation Between Myself And My Husband,  You Would Do

Me A Signal Favor,  For I Should Gain My Personal Freedom,  With A

Handsome Alimony During His Life,  And At His Death A Third Of His Vast

Estate," She Concluded,  Snapping Her Fingers In His Face.

"I Think Not."

"Yes; I Would."

"No; You Would Not."

"Indeed! Why Would I Not,  Pray?" She Inquired,  With Mocking

Incredulity.

"Oh,  Because Of A Mere Trifle In Your Code Of Morals--An Insignificant

Impediment."

"Tchut!" She Exclaimed,  Contemptuously. "Do You Think Me Quite An

Idiot?"

"I Think You Would Be Much Worse Than An Idiot If,  In Case Of My

Father's Discarding You,  You Should Move An Inch Toward Obtaining

Alimony Or In The Case Of The Coveted 'Third.'"

"Pshaw! Why,  Pray?"

"Because You Have Not,  And Never Can Have,  The Shadow Of A Right To

Either."

"Bah! Why Not?"

"Because--Alfred Whyte Is Living!"

She Caught Her Breath And Gazed At The Speaker With Great Dilating Blue

Eyes.

"What--Do--You--Mean?" She Faltered.

"Alfred Whyte,  Your Husband Of Twenty Years Ago,  Is Still Living And

Likely To Live--A Very Handsome Man Of Forty Years Old,  Residing At His

Magnificent Country Seat,  Whyte Hall,  Dulwich,  Near London."

"Married Again?" She Whispered,  Hoarsely.

"Certainly Not; An English Gentleman Does Not Commit Bigamy."

"How Did You--Become Acquainted--With These Facts?"

"I Was Sufficiently Interested In You To Seek Him Out,  When I Was In

England. I Discovered Where He Lived; Also That He Was Looking Out For

The Best Investment Of His Idle Capital. I Called On Him Personally In

The Interests Of Our Great Enterprise. He Is Now A Member Of The London

Syndicate."

"Did You Speak--Of Me?"

"Never Mentioned Your Name. How Could I,  Knowing As I Did Of The

Stillwater Episode In Your Story?"

"And He Lives! Alfred Whyte Lives! Oh,  Misery,  Misery,  Misery! Evil Fate

Has Followed Me All The Days Of My Life," Moaned Rose,  Wringing Her

Hands.

"Now,  Why Should You Take On So,  Because Whyte Is Living? Would You Have

Had That Fine,  Vigorous Man,  In The Prime Of His Life,  Die For Your

Benefit?"

"But I Thought He Was Dead Long Ago."

"You Were Too Ready To Believe That,  And To Console Yourself. He Was

More Faithful To Your Memory."

"How Do You Know? You Said My Name Was Never Mentioned Between You."

"Not From Him,  But From A Mutual Acquaintance,  Of Whom I Asked How It

Was That Mr. Whyte Had Never Married,  I Heard That He Had Grieved For

Her Out Of All Reason And Had Ever Remained Faithful To The Memory Of

His First And Only Love. My Own Inference Was,  And Is,  That The Report

Of Your Death Was Got Up By His Friends To Break Off The Connection."

"And You Never Told This 'Mutual Friend' That I Still Lived?"

"How Could I,  My Dear,  With My Knowledge Of Your Stillwater Affair? No,

No; I Was Not Going To Disturb The Peace Of A Good Man By Telling Him

That His Child-Wife Of Twenty Years Ago Was Still Living,  But Lost To

Him By A Fall Far Worse Than Death. No--I Let You Remain Dead To Him."

"Oh,  Misery! Misery! Misery! I Would To Heaven I Were Dead To Everybody!

Dead,  Dead Indeed!" She Cried,  Wringing Her Hands In Anguish.

"Come,  Come,  Don't Be A