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

As Her Money Did. Before Her Last Dollar Was Gone,  She Saw The

Advertisement In The _Pursuivant_ For A Nursery Governess,  And Answered

It,  As Has Been Told.

"This,  My Dear Cora,  Is The Substance Of The Story Told Me By Ann White

On The Day That I Called On Her In Answer To Her Letter. What Do You

Think Of It?" Inquired Mr. Fabian When He Had Finished His Narrative.

"I Think The Cruel Neglect Of Her Step-Parents And The Sufferings Of Her

Childhood Accountable For All Her Faults,  And I Feel Very Sorry For

Her,  Notwithstanding That She Seems To Be A Very Heartless Animal,"

Replied Corona.

"That Is The Secret Of The Wonderful Preservation Of Her Youth And

Beauty Even Up To This Present Time. Nothing Wears A Woman Out As Fast

As Her Own Heart."

"You Engaged Her As You Promised To Do,  But Why Did You Introduce Her At

Rockhold As A Single Girl,  And Why Under An Alias?" Gravely Inquired

Corona.

"I Introduced Her As A Single Girl At Her Own Request Because Of Her

Extreme Youth And Her Timidity. She Naturally Shrank From Being Known As

A Discarded Wife Or A Doubtful Widow. Besides,  I Never Did Say She Was A

Single Girl. I Merely Presented Her As Rose Flowers,  And Left It To Be

Inferred From Her Baby Face That She Was So."

"But Why Rose Flowers When Her Name Was Ann White?"

"What A Cross-Questioner You Are,  Corona! But I Will Answer You. Again

It Was By Her Own Desire That I Presented Her As Rose Flowers,  Which Was

Not An Alias,  As She Explained To Me,  But A Part Of Her True Name. She

Had Been Baptized As Rose Anna Flowers,  Which Was The Maiden Name Of Her

Grandmother,  Her Father's Mother."

Cora Might Have Asked Another Question,  Not So Easily Answered,  If She

Had Known The Circumstances To Which It Related,  Namely: Why Mr. Fabian

Had Fabricated That False Story Of The Young Governess Which He Palmed

Upon His Parents; But,  In Fact,  Cora,  At That Time A Child Seven Years

Old,  Had Never Heard Of It. But She Made Another Inquiry.

"What Became Of Rose Flowers After She Left Us? Did She Really Go To

Another Place? Who Was--Captain Stillwater?"

"Mr. Fabian Drove Slowly And Thoughtfully On Without Answering Her

Question Until She Had Repeated It. Then He Said:

"Cora,  My Dear,  That Is A Story I Cannot Tell You. Let It Be Enough For

Me To Say,  The Stillwater Episode In The Life Of This Lady Is The Ground

Upon Which I Forbid My Wife To Visit Her And Object To My Niece

Associating With Her."

"Does Violet Know The Stillwater Story?"

"No; Not So Much Of It Even As You Have Heard. Now,  Look Here,  Cora,  You

Think It Inconsistent Perhaps That I Should Have Brought This Woman To

Rockhold Years Ago To Become Your Governess,  And Now,  When She Is My

Father's Wife,  Object To Your Intimacy With Her. In The First Instance

She Has Been Far,  Very Far,  'More Sinned Against Than Sinning;' She Had

Been Very Imprudent,  That Was All. She Was Really The Wife,  By Scotch

Law,  Of The Boy She Ran Away With And Then Lost. I Saw Nothing In Her

Case That Ought To Prevent Her Entrance Into A Respectable Family,  And

Heaven Knows I Pitied Her And Tried To Save Her By Bringing Her To

Rockhold. I Saved Her Only For A Few Years. After She Left Us--But

There,  I Cannot Tell You That Story! You Must Not Be Intimate With Her."

"Yet She Is My Grandfather's Wife!"

"An Irreparable Misfortune. I Can't Expose Her Life To Him; Such A Blow

To His Pride Might Be His Death,  At His Age. No! Events Must Take Their

Course; But I Hope He Will Not Take Her To Any Place Where She Is Likely

To Be Recognized. Nor Do I Think He Will. He Is Aging Fast,  And Will Be

Likely To Live Quietly At Rockhold."

"And I Think She Also Would Avoid Such Risks. She Was Terribly

Frightened When She Recognized The Dean Of Olivet. Was He Really Her

Stepfather,  The Once Poor Curate?"

"Yes. You See While They Were Lionizing Him In The Eastern Cities,  His

Portrait,  With A Short Biographical Notice,  Was Published In One Of The

Illustrated Weeklies,  Where I Read Of Him,  And Identified Him By

Comparing Notes With What I Had Heard."

"How Came He To Rise So High?"

"Oh,  He Was A Learned Divine And Eloquent Orator. He Was Well Connected,

Too. It Would Seem That A Very Few Months After His Step-Daughter's

Flight He Was Inducted Into That Rich Living For Which He Had Been

Waiting So Many Years. From That Position His Rise Was Slow Indeed,

Covering A Period Of Twenty Years,  Until A Few Months Ago,  When He Was

Made Dean Of Olivet."

"To Think That A Man Capable Of Quarreling With His Wife And Ill-Using

Their Step-Child Should Fill So Sacred A Position In The Church!"

Exclaimed Cora.

"Yes; But You See,  My Dear,  The Church Is His Profession,  Not His

Vocation. He Is A Brilliant Pulpit Orator,  With Influential Friends; But

Every Brilliant Pulpit Orator Is Not Necessarily A Saint. And As For His

Quarreling With His Wife And Ill-Using Their Step-Daughter,  We Have

Heard But One Side Of That Story."

When They Entered The Rockhold Drawing Room They Found Mrs. Rockharrt

Alone. She Arose And Came Forward And Received Them With A Smile.

"Your Grandfather,  My Dear," She Explained To Cora,  "Came Home Later

Than Usual From North End,  And Very Much More Than Usually Fatigued.

Immediately After Dinner He Lay Down And I Left Him Asleep."

"Where Is Uncle Clarence?" Inquired Corona.

"He Remains At The Works For The Night. Will You Have This Chair,  Love?"

Said Rose,  Pulling Forward A Luxurious "Sleepy Hollow."

"No,  Thank You. I Must Go To My Room And Change My Dress. Will You

Excuse Me For Half An Hour,  Uncle Fabian?" Inquired Cora.

"Most Willingly,  My Dear," Replied Mr. Fabian,  With A Very Pleased

Look. Cora Left The Room.

"I Will Go With You," Exclaimed Rose,  Turning Pale And Starting Up To

Follow The Young Lady.

"No. You Will Not," Said Mr. Fabian,  In A Tone Of Authority,  As He Laid

His Hand Heavily On The Woman's Shoulder. "Sit Down. I Have Something To

Say To You."

"What Do You Mean?"

"I Should Rather Ask What Do You Mean,  Or Rather What Did You Mean,  By

Daring To Marry Any Honest Man,  And Of All Men--Aaron Rockharrt? It Was

The Most Audacious Challenging Of Destruction That The Most Reckless

Desperado Could Venture Upon." Fabian Rockharrt Continued,  Mercilessly:

"Do You Not Know What,  If Mr. Rockharrt Were To Discover The Deception

You Put Upon Him,  He Might Do And Think Himself Justified In Doing To

You?"

Rose Shuddered In Silence.

"The Very Least That He Would Do Would Be To Turn You Out Of His House,

Without A Dollar,  And Shut His Doors On You Forever. Then What Would

Become Of You? Who Would Take You In?"

"Oh,  Fabian!" She Screamed At Last. "Do Not Talk To Me So. You Will

Frighten Me Into Hysterics."

"Now Don't Make A Noise. For If You Do,  You Will Precipitate The

Catastrophe That You Fear. Be Quiet,  I Beg You," Said Mr. Fabian,

Composedly,  Putting His Thumbs In His Vest Pockets And Leaning Back.

"Why Do You Say Such Cruel Things To Me,  Then? Such Inconsistent

Things,  Too. If I Was Good Enough To Marry You,  I Was Good Enough To

Marry Your Father."

"But You Were Never Good Enough To Marry Either Of Us,  My Dear. If You

Will Take A Little Time To Reflect On Your Antecedents,  You Will

Acknowledge That You Were Not Quite Good Enough To Marry Any Honest

Man," Said Mr. Fabian,  Coolly.

"Yet You Asked Me To Marry You," She Said,  Sobbing Softly,  With Her

Handkerchief To Her Eyes.

"Beg Pardon,  My Dear. I Think The Asking Was Rather On The Other Side.

You Were Very Urgent That We Should Be Married,  And That Our Betrothal

Should Be Formally Announced."

"Yes; Because You Led Me To Believe That You Were Going To Marry Me."

"Excuse Me. I Never Led You To Believe So,  Simply Allowed You To Believe

So. What Could A Gentleman Do Under The Circumstances? He Couldn't

Contradict A Lady."

"Oh,  What A Prevarication,  Fabian Rockharrt,  When Every Word,  Every

Deed,  Every Look You Bestowed On Me Went To Assure Me That You Loved Me

And Wished To Marry Me!"

"Softly,  My Dear. Softly. I Was Sorry For You And Generous To You. I

Gave You The Use Of A Pretty Little House And A Sufficient Income During

Good Behavior. But You Were Ungrateful To Me,  Rose. You Were Unkind To

Me."

"I Was Not. I Would Have Married You. I Could Not Have Done More Than

That."

"But,  My Dear,  Your Good Sense Must Have Told You That I Could Not Marry

You. I Have Done The Best I Could By You Always. Twice I Rescued You

From Ruin. Once When You Were But Little More Than A Child,  And Your

Boy-Lover,  Or Husband,  Had Left You Alone,  A Young Stranger In A

Strange Land--A Girl Friendless,  Penniless,  Beautiful,  And So In Deadly

Peril Of Perdition,  I Took You On Your Own Representation,  And

Introduced You Into My Own Family As The Governess Of My Niece. I Became

Responsible For You."

"And Did I Not Try My Best To Please Everybody?" Sobbed The Woman.

"That You Did,"