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

Family Talisman Was Missing,  And Could Nowhere Be Found. And As The

Family's Prosperity,  And Even Continuity,  Was Supposed To Depend Upon

The Possession Of That Ring,  Its Loss Was Considered Only A Less

Misfortune Than My Uncle's Death. Later,  My Uncle's Remains Were Brought

Home From New Orleans And Deposited In The Family Vault At Cumbervale

Castle.

"The Ring Was Never Again Heard Of. On The Death Of My Grandfather,  The

Seventh Duke,  My Father,  Who Was The Second Son,  Succeeded To The Title.

But Fortune Seemed To Have Deserted Us. By A Series Of Unlucky Land

Speculations My Father Lost Nearly All His Riches,  Which Calamities

Preyed Upon His Mind So That His Health Broke Down And He Sank Into

Premature Old Age And Died. I Came Into The Title With But Little To

Support It. So That When I Honestly Loved A Lady Believed To Be Wealthy,

My Motives Were Supposed To Be Mercenary."

The Iron King Might Have Felt This Thrust,  But He Gave No Sign. The Duke

Continued:

"My After Life Does Not Concern The Story Of The Ring. On Learning,

Since My Return From Long Travel In The East,  That Your Fair

Granddaughter Was Widowed Nearly Two Years Before,  You Know I Wrote To

You Asking Her Address,  With A View Of Renewing My Old Suit. You Replied

By Telling Me That Mrs. Rothsay Made Her Home With You,  And Inviting Me

To Visit You. I Refer To This Only To Keep The Sequence Of Events In

Order. I Came. Yesterday Morning I Went To Scythia's Roost,  Climbed From

That Shelf To The Top Of The Mountain And Viewed The Scene From It.

After I Came Down Again To Scythia's Roost I Sat Down To Rest. The Sun

Was Sinking Behind The Ridge,  But Through A Crevice In The Rocks A

Ray--'A Line Of Golden Light'--Pierced And Seemed To Strike Fire And

Bring Out An Answering Ray From Some Living Light Left In The Ashes. I

Went To See What It Was,  And Picked Up The Magic Ring,  The Family

Talisman. There It Was,  The Wonderful Stone For Which No Other Could

Possibly Be Mistaken,  The Gem Of Intolerable Light And Fire That Had To

Be Shaded Before It Could Be Steadily Looked At And Before The Delicate

Lines Of Its Flaws Delineating The Human Eye Could Be Discerned. Here Is

The Ring,  Mr. Rockharrt. Examine It For Yourself."

Mr. Rockharrt Took The Ring,  Examined It Curiously,  Turned It Toward The

Clouded Window,  Then Toward The Blazing Sea Coal Fire; In Both Positions

It Burned And Sparkled Just Like Any Other Diamond. Then He Shaded It

And Looked At It Through His Eye-Glasses; Finally He Shook His Head And

Returned It To Its Owner,  Saying:

"It Is A Fine Gem,  Barring A Flaw,  And I Congratulate You On Its

Recovery,  But I See No Human Eye In It. I See Some Indistinct Lines,

Fine As The Thread Of A Spider's Web,  That Is All. There Is The

Breakfast Bell,  Duke. We Will Go Into The Drawing Room And Find Cora.

She Must Be Down By This Time."

Cora Was Standing At One Of The Front Windows,  Looking Out Upon The

Driving Rain. She Turned As The Two Gentlemen Entered The Room,  And

Responded To Their Greeting.

"Well,  Now We Will Go In To Breakfast. Did The Fresh Venison Come In

Time,  Cora?"

"I Think So,  Sir."

"We Cook It On The Breakfast Table,  Duke,  Each One For Himself. Put A

Slice On A China Plate Over A Chafing Dish. The Only Way To Eat A

Venison Cutlet," Said Old Aaron Rockharrt,  As He Led The Way Into The

Breakfast Room,  Where His Eyes Were Immediately Rejoiced By The Sight Of

Three Chafing Dishes Filled With Ignited Charcoal Ready For Use,  And A

Covered China Dish,  Which He Knew Must Contain The Delicate Venison

Cutlets.

When Breakfast Was Over And They Had All Left The Table,  The Iron King,

Addressing His Guest,  Said:

"Well,  Sir,  I Must Be Off To North End. I Hope You Will Find Some Way

Of Entertaining Yourself Within Doors,  For Certainly This Is Not A Day

To Tempt A Man To Seek Recreation Abroad. Nothing But Business Of

Importance Could Take Me Out In Such Weather."

"I Regret That Any Cause Should Take You Out,  Sir," Replied The Guest.

As Soon As The Noise Of The Wheels Had Died Away,  The Duke,  Who Had

Lingered In The Hall To See His Host Depart,  Turned And Entered The

Drawing Room,  Where He Found Cora As Before,  Standing At A Window

Looking Out Upon The Dull November Day.

"Will You Permit Me Now To Speak On The Subject Nearest My Heart?" He

Pleaded,  Taking The Hand Which Had Dropped Down By Her Side.

"I Had Rather That The Subject Had Never Been Started,  But Under The

Circumstances,  After What Was Said Last Night At Dinner,  I Feel That The

Sooner We Come To A Perfect Understanding The Better It Will Be," Said

Cora,  Leading The Way To A Group Of Chairs And By A Gesture Inviting Him

To Be Seated. Then,  To Prevent Him Further Committing Himself And

Incurring A Humiliating Refusal,  She Herself Took The Initiative And

Said:

"If Any Other Person Than Mr. Rockharrt Had Made The Public Announcement

That He Did Yesterday,  I Should Have Denounced The Act As An

Unpardonable Outrage; But Of Him I Must Say That He Must Have Labored

Under Some Strange Hallucination To Have Made Such Reckless Assertions

Without One Shadow Of Foundation. You Yourself Must Have Known That

There Was Not One Syllable Of Truth In His Announcement."

"My Dearest Mrs. Rothsay,  I Supposed That Mr. Rockharrt Thought,  Even As

I Hoped,  That Our Betrothal Was But The Question Of A Few Days,  Or Even

Of A Few Hours,  And That He Took The Occasion Of The Family Gathering To

Announce The Fact. He Had Already Given His Consent To My Suit For The

Blessing Of Your Hand,  And If He Committed An Indiscretion In That

Premature Announcement,  I Did Not Know It. I Thought Such Announcement

Might Be A Local Custom,  And I Blessed Him In My Heart For Observing It.

Cora!" He Said,  Taking Her Hand And Dropping His Voice To A Pleading

Tone,  "Dear Cora,  It Was Only Premature."

"Duke Of Cumbervale," She Answered,  Coldly And Gravely,  Withdrawing Her

Hand,  "It Is Not Premature. It Was Utterly False And Groundless; It Was

The Declaration Of An Engagement That Not Only Had Never Taken Place,

But Could Never Take Place--An Engagement Forever Impossible!"

"Oh,  Do Not Say That! I Have Kept My Faith. After Your Grandfather's

Rejection Of Me In Your Name I Could Rest Nowhere In England. I Went To

The Continent,  And Thence To The East; But Still Could Rest Nowhere,

Because I Was Pursued By Your Image. When I Came Back To England,  I

Learned That You Had Been Widowed From Your Wedding Day And Almost As

Long As I Had Been Absent. I Determined To Renew My Suit,  For I

Remembered That It Was Not You,  But Your Grandfather In Your Name,  Who

Rejected My Proposal. I Remembered That You Had Once Given Me Hope."

"You Refer To A Time Of Sad Self-Deception On My Part,  Which Led Me Even

To Unconsciously Deceiving You. My Imaginary Preference For You Was A

Brief Hallucination. Let It Be Forgotten. The Memory To Me Is

Humiliating. You Must Think Of Me Only As The Wife Of Regulas Rothsay."

"As The Widow,  You Would Say. Surely That Widowhood Can Be No Bar To My

Suit."

"I Do Not Call Myself The Widow Of Rule Rothsay,  But His Wife," Said

Cora,  Solemnly.

"But,  My Dear Lady,  Surely Death Has--"

"Death Has Not," Said Cora,  Fervently Interrupting Him--"Death Cannot

Sever Two Souls As United As Ours. I Mean To Spend The Years I Have To

Live On Earth,  Temporarily And Partially Separated From My Husband,  In

Good Works Of Which He Would Approve; With Which He Would Sympathize And

Which Would Draw His Spirit Into Closer Communion With Mine; And I Hope

At That Ascension To The Higher Life Which We Miscall Death To Meet Him

Face To Face,  To Be Able To Tell Him,  'I Have Finished My Work,  I Have

Kept The Faith,' And To Be With Him Forever In One Of The Many Mansions

Of The Father's Kingdom."

"I See," Said The Suitor,  With A Deep Sigh,  "That My Suit Would Be

Utterly Useless At Present. But I Will Not Give Up The Hope That Is My

Life--The Hope That You May Yet Look With Favor On My Love. I Will Merit

That You Should Do So. Cora Rothsay,  I Will No Longer Vex You With My

Presence In This House. I Will Take Leave Of You Even Now,  And Only Ask

Of Your Courtesy The Use Of A Dog Cart To Take Me To The North End

Hotel."

"You Are Good,  You Are Very Good To Me,  And I Pray With All My Heart

That You May Meet Some Woman Much More Worthy Of Your Grace Than Am I,

And That You May Be Very Happy. God Bless You,  Duke Of Cumbervale," Said

Cora,  Earnestly.

He Lifted Her Hand To His Lips,  Kissed It,  Bowed Over It And Silently

Left The Room.

Cora Stepped After Him And Shut The Door; Then She Hastened Across The

Floor,  Threw Herself Down On The Sofa,  Buried Her Face In The Cushions

And Gave Way To The Flood Of Tears That Flowed In Sympathy With The Pain

She Had Given. Meantime The Duke Went Up To His Room And Rang For His

Valet.

That Grave And Accomplished Gentleman Came At Once.

"Dubois,  Go Down And Order The Dogcart To Be At The Door In Half An

Hour; Then Return Here To Assist Me."

The Frenchman Bowed Profoundly And Withdrew.

"I Have Come A Long Way For A Disappointment," Murmured The Rejected

Lover,  As He Threw Himself Languidly Upon The Outside Of The Bed And

Clasped His Hands Above His Head. "A Fanatic She Certainly Is. A Lunatic

Also Most Probably. Yet I Cannot Get Her Out Of My Head. I Would Go To

Canada--To Quebec--If It Was Not So Abominably Cold. Vane Is There With

The 110th. But The Climate Is Too Severe. I Must Move Southward,  Not

Northward--Southward,  Through California,  And Thence To The Sandwich

Islands,  New Zealand,  And