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

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

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