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

So That,  At The End Of Five Years' Service,  When My Niece Was To Enter A

Finishing School,  And You Were To Go To Another Situation,  You Took With

You The Best Testimonials From My Father And Mother And From The

Minister Of Our Parish. But You Did Not Keep Your Second Situation

Long."

"How Could I? I Was But Half Taught. The Warrens Would Have Had Me Teach

Their Children French And German,  And Music On The Harp And The Piano. I

Knew No Language But My Own,  And No Music Except That Of The Piano,

Which The Dear,  Gentle Lady,  Your Mother,  Taught Me Out Of The Kindness

Of Her Heart. I Was Told That I Must Leave At The End Of The Term. And

My Term Was Nearly Out When Captain Stillwater Became A Daily Visitor To

The House,  And I Saw Him Every Evening. He Was A Tall,  Handsome Man,

With A Dark Complexion And Black Hair And Beard. And I Always Did Admire

That Sort Of A Man. Indeed,  That Was The Reason Why I Always Admired

You."

"Don't Attempt To Flatter Me."

"I Am Not Flattering Anybody. I Am Telling You Why I Liked Captain

Stillwater. And He Was Always So Good To Me! I Told Him All My Troubles.

And He Sympathized With Me! And When I Told Him That I Should Be Obliged

To Leave My Situation At The End Of The Quarter,  He Bade Me Never Mind.

And He Asked Me To Be His Wife. I Did Consent To Be His Wife. I Was Glad

Of The Chance To Get A Husband,  And A Home. So All Was Arranged. He

Advised Me Not To Tell The Warrens That We Were To Be Married,  However.

So At The End Of My Quarter I Went Away To A Hotel,  Where Captain

Stillwater Came For Me And Took Me Away To The Church Where We Were

Married."

"You Had No Knowledge That Alfred Whyte Was Dead,  And That You Were Free

To Wed!"

"He Had Been Lost Seven Years And Was As Good As Dead To Me! Besides,

When A Man Is Missing And Has; Not Been Heard Of For Seven Years,  His

Wife Is Free To Marry Again,  Is She Not?"

"No. She Has Good Grounds For A Divorce That Is All! To Risk A Second

Marriage Without These Legal Formalities,  Would Be Dangerous! Might Be

Disastrous! The First Husband Might Turn Up And Make Trouble!"

"I Did Not Know That! But,  After All,  As It Turned Out,  It Did Not

Matter!" Sighed Rose.

"Not In The Least!" Assented Mr. Fabian,  Amiably.

"After All,  It Was Not My Fault! I Married Him In Good Faith; I Did,

Indeed!"

"Did You Tell Him Of Your Previous Marriage? That Is What You Have Not

Told Me Yet!"

"N-N-No; I Was Afraid If I Did He Might Break Off With Me."

"Ah!"

"And I Was In Such Extremity For The Want Of A Home!"

"Had Not My Father And Mother Told You That If Ever You Should Find

Yourself Out Of A Situation,  You Should Come To Them? Why Did You Not

Take Them At Their Word? They Had Always Been Very Kind To You,  And They

Would Have Given You A Warm Welcome And A Happy Home. Now,  Why Need You

Have Rushed Into A Reckless Marriage For A Home?"

"Oh,  Fabian!" She Exclaimed,  Impatiently,  "Don't Pretend To Talk Like

An Idiot,  For You Are Not One! Don't Talk To Me As If I Were A Wax Doll

Or A Wooden Woman,  For You Know I Am Not One!"

"I Am Sure I Do Not Know What You Mean!"

"Well,  Then,  I Loved The Man! There,  It Is Out! I Loved Him More Than I

Ever Loved Any One Else In The Whole World! And I Was Afraid Of Losing

Him!"

"And So It Was Because You Loved Him So Well That You Deceived Him So

Much!"

"Didn't He Deceive Me Much More?"

"There Were A Pair Of You--Well Matched! So Well,  It Seems A Pity That

You Were Parted!"

"Oh,  How Very Unkind You Are To Me!"

"Not Yet Unkind! Only Waiting To See How You Are Going To Behave!"

"I Have Never Behaved Badly! I Was Not Wicked; I Was Unhappy! Unhappy

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