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

Cured,  And Your Quixotic Expedition Given Up: In Fact,  All Your Plans In

Life Changed--A Splendid Prospect Opened Before You."

Cora Looked Up,  Her Languor All Gone,  Her Interest Aroused. Something

Was Rising In Her Mind; Not A Sun Of Hope Ah! No--But Nebula,  Obscure,

Unformed,  Indistinct,  Yet With Possible Suns Of Hope,  Worlds Of

Happiness,  Within It. What Did Her Grandfather Mean? Had He Heard

Something About--Was Rule Yet--

Swift As Lightning Flashed These Thoughts Through Her Mind While Her

Grandfather Drew His Breath Between His Utterances.

"Listen! This Is What I Had To Tell You: I Had A Letter A Few Days Ago

From An Old Suitor Of Yours," He Said,  Looking Keenly At His

Granddaughter.

Cora's Eyes Fell,  Her Spirits Drooped. The Nebula Of Unknown Hopes And

Joys Had Faded Away,  Leaving Her Prospect Dark Again. She Looked

Depressed And Disappointed. She Could Feel No Shadow Of Interest In Her

Old Suitors.

"I Received This Letter Several Days Since,  And Being At Leisure Just

Then. I Answered It. But In The Pressure Of Some Important Matters I

Forgot To Tell You Of It,  Though It Concerned Yourself Mostly,  I Might

Say Entirely. Shouldn't Have Remembered It Now,  I Suppose,  If It Had Not

Been For Your Foolish Talk About Going Out For A Missionary To The

Savages. Ah! Another Destiny Awaits Your Acceptance."

Cora Sighed In Silence.

"Now,  Then. Of Course You Must Know Who This Correspondent Is."

"Without Offense To You,  Grandfather,  I Neither Know Nor Care,"

Languidly Replied The Lady.

"But It Is Not Without Offense To Me. You Are The Most Eccentric And

Inconsistent Woman I Ever Met In All The Course Of My Life. You Are Not

Constant Even To Your Inconstancy."

Having Uttered This Paradox,  The Old Man Threw Himself Back In His Chair

And Gazed At His Granddaughter.

"I Am Not Yet Clear As To Your Meaning,  Sir," She Said,  Coldly But

Respectfully.

"What! Have You Quite Forgotten The Titled Dandy For Whom You Were Near

Breaking Your Heart Three Years Ago? For Whom You Were Ready To Throw

Over One Of The Best And Truest Men That Ever Lived! For Whom You Really

Did Drive Regulas Rothsay,  On The Proudest And Happiest Day Of His Life,

Into Exile And Death!"

"Oh,  Don't! Don't! Grandfather! Don't!" Wailed Cora,  Sinking On An

Office Stool,  And Dropping Her Hands And Head On The Table.

"Now,  None Of That,  Mistress. No Hysterics,  If You Please. I Won't

Permit Any Woman About Me To Indulge In Such Tantrums. Listen To Me,

Ma'am. My Correspondent Was Young Cumbervale,  The Noodle!"

"Then I Never Wish To See Or Hear Or Think Of Him Again!" Exclaimed

Cora.

"Indeed! But That Is A Woman All Through. She Will Do Or Suffer Anything

To Get Her Own Way. She Will Defy All Her Friends And Relations,  All

Principles Of Truth And Honor; She Will Move Heaven And Earth,  Go

Through Fire And Water,  To Get Her Own Way; And When She Does Get It She

Don't Want It,  And She Won't Have It."

"Grandfather!" Pleaded Cora.

"Silence! Three Years Ago You Would Have Walked Over All Our Dead

Bodies,  If Necessary,  To Marry That Noble Booby. And You Would Have

Married Him If It Had Not Been For Me! I Would Not Permit You To Wed

Him Then,  Because You Were In Honor Bound To Regulas Rothsay. I Shall

Insist On Your Accepting Him Now,  Because Poor Rothsay Is In His Grave,

And This Will Be The Best Thing To Do For You To Help You Out Of Harm's

Way From Redskins And Rattlesnakes And Other Reptiles. I Don't Think

Much Of The Fellow; But He Seems To Be A Harmless Idiot,  And Is Good

Enough For You."

Cora Answered Never A Word,  But She Felt Quite Sure That Not Even The

Iron Will Of The Iron King Could Ever Coerce Her Into Marriage With Any

Man,  Least Of All With The Man Whose Memory Was Identified With Her

Heart's Tragedy. The Old Man Continued His Monologue.

"The Best Thing About The Fellow Is His Constancy. He Was After Your

Imaginary Fortune Once. I Am Sure Of That. And He Was So Dazzled By The

Illumination Of That _Ignis Fatuus_ That He Didn't See You,  Perhaps,  And

Didn't Recognize How Much He Really Cared For You. At All Events,  In His

Letter To Me--And,  By The Way,  It Is Very Strange That He Should Write

To Me After The Snubbing I Gave Him In London," Said The Iron King,

Reflectively.

Cora Did Not Think That Was Strange. She,  At Least,  Felt Sure That It

Was As Impossible For The Young Duke To Take Offense At The Rudeness Of

The Old Iron Man As At The Raging Of A Dog Or The Tearing Of A Bull. But

She Did Not Drop A Hint Of This To The Egotist,  Who Never Imagined

Passive Insolence To Be At The Bottom Of The Duke's Forbearance.

"In His Letter To Me," Resumed Old Aaron Rockharrt,  "The Young Fool

Tells Me That,  Immediately After His Great Disappointment In Being

Rejected By You,  He Left England--And,  Indeed,  Europe--And Traveled

Through Every Accessible Portion Of Asia And Africa,  In The Hope Of

Overcoming His Misplaced Affection,  But In Vain,  For That He Returned

Home At The End Of Two Years With His Heart Unchanged. There He Learned

Through The Newspapers That You Had Been Recently Widowed,  Through The

Murder Of Your Husband In An Indian Mutiny. That's How He Put It. He

Farther Wrote That,  In The Face Of Such A Tragedy As That,  He Felt Bound

To Forbear The Faintest Approach Toward Resuming His Acquaintance With

You Until Some Considerable Time Should Have Elapsed,  Although,  He Was

Careful To Add,  He Always Believed That You Had Given Him Your Heart,

And Would Have Given Him Your Hand Had You Been Permitted To Do So. He

Ended His Letter By Asking Me To Give Him Your Address,  That He Might

Write To You. He Evidently Supposed You To Be Keeping House For

Yourself,  As English Widows Of Condition Usually Do. Well,  My Girl,  What

Do You Think I Did?"

"You Told Me,  Sir,  That,  Being At Leisure Just Then,  You Answered His

Letter Immediately," Coldly Replied Cora.

"Yes; And I Told Him That You Were Living With Me. I Gave Him The Full

Address. And I Told Him That I Was Pleased With His Frankness And

Fidelity,  Qualities Which I Highly Approved; And I Added That If He

Wished To Renew His Suit To You,  He Need Not Waste Time In Writing,  But

That He Might Come Over And Court You In Person Here At Rockhold,  Where

He Should Receive A Hearty,  Old-Fashioned Welcome."

Cora Gazed At The Old Man Aghast.

"Oh,  Grandfather,  You Never Wrote That!" She Exclaimed.

"I Never Wrote That? What Do You Mean,  Mistress? Am I In The Habit Of

Saying What Is Not True?"

"Oh,  No; But I Am So Grieved That You Should Have Written Such A

Letter."

"Why,  Pray?"

"Because I Cannot Bear That Any One Should Think For A Moment That I

Could Ever Marry Again."

"Rubbish!"

"Well,  It Does Not Matter After All. If The Duke Should Come On This

Fool's Errand,  I Shall Be Far Enough Out Of His Reach," Thought Cora;

But She Said No More.

The Breakfast Bell Rang Out With Much Clamor,  And The Old Man Arose

Growling.

"And Now You Have Cheated Me Out Of My Hour With The Newspapers By Your

Foolish Talk. Come,  Come To Breakfast And Let Us Hear No More Nonsense

About Going On That Wild Goose Chase To The Indian Frontier."

At The End Of The Morning Meal He Arose From The Table,  Called His Young

Wife To Fetch Him His Hat,  His Gloves,  His Duster,  And Other Belongings,

And He Got Ready For His Daily Morning Drive To The Works.

"I Shall Remain At North End To Bid You Good-By,  Sylvan. Call At My

Office There On Your Way To The Depot," He Said,  As He Left The House To

Step Into His Carriage Waiting At The Door.

As The Sound Of The Wheels Rolled Off And Died In The Distance,  Rose

Turned To Cora And Inquired:

"My Dear,  Does He Know That You Are Going Out West With Sylvan?"

"He Should Know It. I Have Spoken Freely Of My Plans Before You Both For

Months Past," Said Cora.

"But,  My Dear,  He Never Took The Slightest Notice Of Anything You Said

On That Subject. Why,  He Did Not Even Seem To Hear You."

"He Heard Me Perfectly. Nothing Passes In My Grandfather's Presence That

He Does Not See And Hear And Understand."

"Well,  Then,  I Reckon He Thinks You Have Changed Your Mind; For He Spoke

Of Meeting Sylvan At North End To Bid Him Good-By,  But Said Not A Word

About You."

"He Will Believe That I Am Going When He Sees Me With Sylvan," Said

Cora.

And Then She Touched The Bell And Ordered Her Carriage To Be Brought To

The Door.

"We Must Go And Take Leave Of Mrs. Fabian Rockharrt," She Said To Rose.

Twenty Minutes Later Cora And Sylvan Entered The Pony Carriage. Sylvan

Took The Reins And Started For Violet Banks.

They Soon Reached The Lovely Villa,  Where They Found Violet Seated In A

Quaker Rocking-Chair On The Front Porch,  With A Basket Workstand Beside

Her,  Busily And Happily Engaged In Her Beloved Work--Embroidering An

Infant's White Cashmere Cloak. She Jumped Up,  Dropped Her Work,  And Ran

To Meet Her Visitors As They Alighted From The Carriage. She Kissed Cora

Rapturously,  And Sylvan Kissed Her.

"How Lovely Of You Both To Come! Wait