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

Coachman's Room.

"Put The Horses To The Carriage Again,  And Return To Violet Banks To

Bring Your Mistress Here. Give Her This Note. It Will Explain All," Said

Mr. Fabian,  Handing The Note To The Servant.

He Found The Same Group Around The Death Bed. Clarence And The Doctor

Standing On The Left Side,  Cora Kneeling By The Right Side,  Still

Holding The Hand Of The Dying Man,  Whose Fingers Were Closed Upon Hers

And Whose Face Was Turned Toward Hers,  But With "No Speculation" In It.

Two Hours Passed Away Without Any Change. The Sound Of Wheels Without

Could Be Heard Through The Profound Stillness Of The Death Chamber. Mr.

Fabian Again Left The Room To Receive His Wife.

He Met Violet In The Hall,  Just As Old John Had Admitted Her. She Was

Closely Followed By The Nurse And The Child.

"How Is Father?" She Inquired.

"He Is Very Ill,  My Dear,  But Resting Quietly Just At Present. Here Is

Martha; She Will Take You To Your Room And Make You And The Baby

Comfortable. Then,  As Soon As You Can,  Come To The Father's Chamber; You

Know Where To Find It," Said Mr. Fabian,  Who Feared To Shock His

Sensitive Wife By Telling Her That He Was Sinking Fast,  And Thought That

It Would Be Safer To Let Her Come Into The Room And Join The Group

Around The Bed,  And Gradually Learn The Sad Truth By Her Own

Observation.

"Yes; I Can Find My Way Very Well," Answered Violet,  As She Handed Her

Bag,  Shawl,  And Umbrella To Martha,  And Followed The Housekeeper Up

Stairs,  With The Nurse And Baby.

Mr. Fabian Returned To The Chamber Of The Dying Man,  Around Whose Bed

The Group Remained As He Had Left It,  And Where In A Very Few Minutes He

Was Joined By Violet. She Entered The Room Very Softly,  So That Her

Approach Was Not Heard Until She Reached The Bedside. Then She Took And

Silently Pressed The Hands That Were Silently Held Out By Cora,  And

Finally She Knelt Down Beside Her.

More Hours Passed; No One Left The Sick Room,  For No One Knew How Soon

The End Might Come. Old John Thoughtfully Brought In A Waiter Of

Refreshments And Set It Down On A Side Table For Any One Who Might

Require It.

Day Declined. Through The Front Windows Of The Death Room The Western

Sky Could Be Seen,  Dark,  Lowering,  And Stormy. A Long Range Of Heavy

Clouds Lay Massed Above The Horizon,  Obscuring The Light Of The Sinking

Sun,  But Leaving A Narrow Line Of Clear Sky Just Along The Top Of The

Western Ridge.

Presently A Singularly Beautiful Effect Was Produced. The Sun,  Sinking

Below The Dark Cloud Into The Clear Gold Line Of Sky,  Sent Forth A Blaze

Of Light From The Mountain Heights,  Across The River,  And Into The

Chamber Of Death! Was It This Sudden Illumination That Kindled The Fire

Of Life In The Dying Man Into A Last Expiring Flame,  Or Was It Indeed

The Presence Of A Spiritual Visitant,  Visible Only To The Vanishing

Spirit? Who Can Tell?

Suddenly Old Aaron Rockharrt Opened His Eyes--Those Great,  Strong Black

Eyes That Had Ever Been A Terror To The Evil Doer--And The Well Doer

Also--And Stared Before Him,  Held Up His Hands And Exclaimed:

"Deborah! Deborah!"

And Then He Dropped His Arms By His Side,  And With A Long,  Deep-Drawn

Sigh Fell Asleep. The Name Of His Old Wife Was The Last Word Upon His

Dying Lips.

No One But The Doctor Knew What Had Happened. He Bent Over The Lifeless

Shell,  Gazed On The Face,  Felt The Pulse,  Felt The Heart,  And Then Stood

Up And Said:

"All Is Over,  My Dear Friends. His Passage Has Been Quite Painless. I

Never Saw An Easier Death."

And He Drew Up The Sheet Over The Face Of The Dead.

Although All Day They Had Hourly Expected This End,  Yet Now They Could

Not Quite Believe That It Had Indeed Come.

The Huge,  Strong Man,  The Rugged Iron King--Dead? He Who,  If Not As

Indestructible As He Seemed,  Was At Least Constituted Of That Stern

Stuff Of Which Centenarians Are Made,  And Whom All Expected Should Live

Far Up Into The Eighties Or Nineties--Dead? The Father Who Had Lived

Over Them Like Some Mighty Governing And Protecting Power All Their

Lives,  Necessary,  Inevitable,  Inseparable From Their Lives--Dead?

"Come,  My Dear," Said Mr. Clarence,  Gently Raising Corona And Leading

Her Away. "You Have This To Console You: He Died Reconciled To You,

Holding Your Hand In His To The Last."

"Ah,  Dear Uncle Clarence,  You Have Much More To Console You,  For You

Never Failed Even Once In Your Duty To Him,  And Never Gave Him One

Moment Of Uneasiness In All Your Life," Replied Corona,  As She Left Him

In Front Of Her Old Room.

She Entered And Shut The Door And Gave Way To The Natural Grief That

Overwhelmed Her For A Time.

When She Was Sufficiently Composed She Sat Down And Wrote To Her

Brother,  Informing Him Of What Had Occurred,  And Telling Him That She

Still Held Her Purpose Of Going Out To Him With The Nevilles.

If Old Aaron Rockharrt,  The Iron King,  Had Never Been Generally Loved,

He Was Certainly Very Highly Respected By The Whole Community. The News

Of His Sudden Death Fell Like A Shock Upon The Public. Preparations For

The Obsequies Were On The Grandest Scale.

They Occupied Two Days. On The First Day There Were Funeral Services At

Rockhold,  Performed By The Rev. Luke Melville,  Pastor Of The North End

Mission Church,  And Attended By All The Neighboring Families,  As Well As

By All The Operatives Of The Works. After These Were Over,  The Whole

Assembly,  Many In Carriages And Many More On Foot,  Followed The Hearse

That Carried The Remains To The North End Railway Depot,  Where The

Coffin Was Placed In A Special Car Prepared For Its Reception,  And,

Attended By The Whole Family,  It Was Conveyed To The State Capital And

Deposited In The Long Drawing Room Of The Rockharrt Mansion,  Where It

Remained Until The Next Day. On The Second Day Funeral Services Were

Held At The Town House By The Bishop Of The Diocese,  Assisted By The

Rector Of The Church Of The Lord's Peace,  And Attended By A Host Of The

City Friends Of The Family.

After These Services The Long Funeral Procession Moved From The House To

The Cemetery Of The Lord's Peace,  Where The Body Was Laid In The

Rockharrt Vault Beside That Of His Old Wife.

On The Return Of The Family To The House They Assembled In The Library

To Hear The Reading Of The Will Of Aaron Rockharrt,  Which Had Been

Brought In By His Solicitor,  Mr. Benjamin Norris.

There Were Present,  Seated Around The Table,  Fabian,  Violet,  And

Clarence Rockharrt,  Cora Rothsay,  The Doctor And The Lawyer. Standing

Behind These Were Gathered The Servants Of The Family.

Mr. Norris Blew His Nose,  Cleared His Throat,  Put On His Spectacles,

Opened The Will And Proceeded To Read It.

The Testament May Be Briefly Summed Up As Follows:

First There Were Handsome Legacies Left To Each Of The Old Servants. One

Full Half Of The Testator's Vast Estate Was Left To His Elder Son,

Fabian; One Quarter To His Younger Son,  Clarence; And One Quarter To Be

Divided Equally Between His Grandson,  Sylvan Haught,  And His

Granddaughter,  Corona Rothsay.

Fabian Was Appointed Sole Executor.

The Lawyer Folded Up The Document And Handed It To Fabian Rockharrt.

"Clarence,  Old Boy,  I Hardly Think This Is Altogether Fair To You," Said

Fabian,  Good Naturedly,  And Ready To Deceive Him Into The Delusion That

He Had Not Schemed For This Unequal Division Of The Enormous Wealth.

"It Is All Right,  Fabian. Altogether Right. You Are The Eldest Son,  And

Now The Head Of The Firm,  And You Have Ten Times Over The Business

Brains That I Have. I Am Perfectly Satisfied,  And Even If I Were Not,  I

Would Not Dream Of Criticising My Father's Will," Replied Clarence,  With

Perfect Good Humor And Sincerity.

The Legacies Were Promptly Paid By Fabian Rockharrt. Mr. Clarence

Decided To Remain As His Brother's Junior Partner In The Firm That Was

Henceforth To Be Known As "Aaron Rockharrt's Sons," And To Leave All His

Share Of The Money Invested In The Works.

When Corona Was Asked When And How She Would Receive Her Own,  She Also

Declared That She Would Leave It For The Present Where It Was Invested

In The Works,  And The Firm Might Pay Her Legal Interest For Its Use,  Or

Make Her A Small Silent Partner In The Business. Sylvan Had Yet To Be

Consulted In Regard To The Disposal Of His Capital.

The Month Of October Was In Its Third Week. It Was High Time For Corona

To Go To Washington And Make The Acquaintance Of The Nevilles,  If She

Wished To Go To Travel West Under Their Protection. She Had Several

Times Spoken Of This Purpose In The Presence Of Violet,  So As To

Accustom That Emotional Young Woman To The Idea Of Their Separation. But

Violet,  Absorbed In Her Grief For The Dead,  Paid But Little Attention To

Corona's Casual Remarks.

At The End Of A Few Days Fabian Rockharrt Began To Talk About Going Back

To Violet Banks,  And Invited Corona To Accompany His Wife And Himself To

Their,  Pleasant Country Home.

It Was Then That Corona Spoke Decisively. She Thanked Him For His

Invitation And Reminded Him Of Her Unalterable Resolution To Go Out To

Fort Farthermost To Join Her Brother.

When Fabian Rockharrt Tried To Combat Her Determination,  She Informed

Him That She Had During The Funeral Week Received A Joint Letter From

Captain And Mrs. Neville,  Inviting Her To Join Their Party To The

Frontier. This Letter Had Been Written At The Suggestion Of The Colonel

Of Captain Neville's Regiment,  And Had Not Been Mentioned Or Even

Answered Until After The Funeral. She Said That She Had Accepted This

Kind Invitation,  And Had Forwarded All Her Baggage,  Which Had Been So

Long Stored At North End,  To Washington To Wait Her Arrival In That

City.

"Very Well,  Then," Said Fabian. "If You Are Set Upon This Expedition,  I

Cannot Hinder You,  And Shall Not Try To Do So. But I Tell You What I

Will Do. I Will Take Violet To Washington