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

The Brother And Sister Shook Hands And Parted For The Night,  Each Going

To His Or Her Respective Apartment. Early The Next Morning The Little

Party Met At Breakfast. The Iron King Looked Sullen And Defiant,  As If

He Were Challenging The Whole World To Find Any Objection To His

Remarkable Marriage At Their Peril. Mrs. Stillwater,  In A Pretty Morning

Robe Of Pale Blue Sarcenet,  Made Very Plainly,  Looked Shy,  Humble,  And

Deprecating,  As If Begging From All Present A Charitable Construction Of

Her Motives And Actions. Cora Rothsay Looked Calm And Cold In Her Usual

Widow's Dress And Cap.

Sylvan Seemed The Only Cheerful Member Of The Party,  And Tried To Make

Conversation Out Of Such Trifles As The Bill Of Fare Furnished. All Were

Relieved When The Party Separated And Went To Their Rooms To Dress For

Church. At Eleven O'clock They Reassembled In The Parlor. Mr. Rockharrt

Wore A New Morning Suit. He Might Have Been Going Down To Wall Street

Instead Of To His Own Wedding. Rose Stillwater Wore A Navy Blue,

Lusterless Silk Traveling Dress,  With Hat,  Veil And Gloves To Match,  All

Very Plain,  But Extremely Becoming To Her Fresh Complexion And Ruddy

Hair. Cora Wore Her Widow's Dress Of Lusterless Black Silk With Mantle,

Bonnet,  Veil And Gloves To Match. Sylvan,  Like His Grandfather,  Wore A

Plain Morning Suit.

"Well,  Are You All Ready?" Demanded Old Aaron,  Looking Critically Upon

The Party.

"All Ready,  Sir," Chirped Sylvan For The Others.

"Come,  Then."

And The Aged Bridegroom Drew The Arm Of His Bride-Elect Within His Own

And Led The Way Down Stairs And Out To The Handsome Carriage That Stood

Waiting.

He Handed Her In,  Put Her On The Back Seat And Placed Himself Beside

Her.

Sylvan Helped His Sister Into The Carriage And Followed Her. They Seated

Themselves On The Front Seat Opposite The Bridal Pair.

And The Carriage Drove Off.

"Oh!" Suddenly Exclaimed Old Aaron Rockharrt,  Rummaging In The Breast

Pocket Of His Coat And Drawing Thence A White Envelope And Handing It To

Sylvan; "Here,  Take This And Give It To The Minister As Soon As We Come

Before Him."

The Young Man Received The Packet And Looked Inquiringly At The Elder.

It Was Really The Marriage Fee For The Officiating Clergyman,  And A Very

Ostentatious One Also; But The Iron King Did Not Condescend To Explain

Anything. He Had Given It To His Grandson With His Orders,  Which He

Expected To Be Implicitly Obeyed Without Question. They Reached The

Church,  The Same Church In Which They Had Heard The Dean Preach On The

Previous Sunday. They Alighted From The Carriage And Entered The

Building,  Old Aaron Rockharrt Leading The Way With His Bride-Elect On

His Arm,  Sylvan And Cora Following. The Church Was Vacant Of All Except

The Minister,  Who Stood In His Surplice Behind The Chancel Railing,  And

The Sexton Who Had Opened The Door For The Party,  And Was Now Walking

Before Them Up The Aisle.

The Church Was Empty,  Because This,  Though The Wedding Of A Millionaire,

Was One Of Which It Might Be Said That There Was "No Feast,  No Cake,  No

Cards,  No Nothing."

The Party Reached The Altar Railing,  Bowed Silently To The Minister,  Who

Nodded Gravely In Return,  And Then Formed Before The Altar--The

Venerable Bridegroom And Beautiful Bride In The Center,  Sylvan On The

Right Of The Groom,  Cora On The Left Of The Bride. The Young Man

Performed The Mission With Which He Had Been Intrusted,  And Then The

Ceremony Was Commenced. It Went On Smoothly Enough Until The Minister In

Its Proper Place Asked The Question:

"Who Giveth This Woman To Be Married To This Man?"

There Was An Awful Pause.

No One Had Thought Of The Necessity Of Having A "Church Father" To Give

Away The Bride.

The Officiating Clergyman Saw The Dilemma At A Glance,  And Quietly

Beckoned The Gray-Haired Sexton To Come Up And Act As A Substitute. But

Sylvan Haught,  With A Twinkle Of Fun In His Eyes,  Turned His Head And

Whispered To The New Comer:

"'After Me Is Manners Of You.'"

Then He Took The Bride's Hand And Said Mightily:--

"I Do."

The Marriage Ceremony Went On To Its End And Was Over. Congratulations

Were Offered. The Register Was Signed And Witnessed.

And Old Aaron Rockharrt Led His Newly Married Wife Out Of The Church And

Put Her Into The Carriage. Then Turning Around To His Grandchildren He

Said:

"You Can Walk Back To The Hotel. See That The Porters Send Off Our

Luggage By Express To The Cataract House,  Niagara Falls. They Have Their

Orders From Me,  But Do You See That These Orders Are Promptly Obeyed.

Now,  Good-By."

He Shook Hands With Sylvan And Cora,  And Entered The Carriage,  Which

Immediately Rolled Off In The Direction Of The Railway Station.

The Brother And Sister Walked Back To The Hotel Together.

"It Will Be A Curious Study,  Cora,  To See Who Will Rule In This New

Firm. I Believe It Is Universally Conceded That When An Old Man Marries

A Pretty Young Wife,  He Becomes Her Slave. But Our Honored Grandfather

Has Been Absolute Monarch So Long That I Doubt If He Can Be Reduced To

Servitude."

"I Have No Doubts On The Subject," Replied His Sister.

"I Have Been Watching Them. He Is Not Subjugated By Rose. He Is Not

Foolishly In Love With Her,  At His Age. He Likes Her As He Likes Other

Agreeable Accessories For His Own Sake. I Have Neither Respect Nor

Affection For Rose,  Yet I Feel Some Compassion For Her Now. Whatever The

Drudgery Of Her Life As Governess May Have Been Since She Left Us,  Long

Ago,  It Has Been Nothing,  Nothing To The Penal Servitude Of The Life

Upon Which She Has Now Entered. The Hardest-Worked Governess,

Seamstress,  Or Servant Has Some Hours In The Twenty-Four,  And Some Nook

In The House That She Can Call Her Own Where She Can Rest And Be Quiet.

But Rose Rockharrt Will Have No Such Relief! Do I Not Remember My Dear

Grandmother's Life? And My Grandfather Really Did Love Her,  If He Ever

Loved Any One On Earth. This Misguided Young Woman Fondly Hopes To Be

The Ideal Old Man's Darling. She Deceives Herself. She Will Be His

Slave,  By Day And Night Seldom Out Of His Sight,  Never Out Of His

Service And Surveillance. Possibly--For She Is Not A Woman Of

Principle--She May End By Running Away From Her Master,  And That Before

Long."

Cora's Last Words Brought Them To The "Ladies' Entrance" Of Their Hotel.

"Go Up Stairs,  Cora,  And I Will Step Into The Office And See If There

Are Any Letters," Said Sylvan.

Mrs. Rothsay Went Up Into Their Private Sitting Room,  Dropped Into A

Chair,  Took Off Her Bonnet And Began To Fan Herself,  For Her Midday Walk

Had Been A Very Warm One.

Presently Sylvan Came Up With A Letter In His Hand.

"For You,  Cora,  From Uncle Fabian! There Is A Foreign Mail Just In."

"Give It To Me."

Sylvan Handed Her The Letter,  Cora Opened It,  Glanced Over It,  And

Exclaimed:

"Uncle Fabian Says That He Will Be Home The Last Of This Month."

Brother And Sister Went To Newport And Spent A Month. The Dean Of Olivet

Was In The Town,  But They Never Met Him Because They Never Went Into

Society. Toward The Last Of June,  Corona Proposed That They Should Go At

Once To Rockhold.

The Next Morning Brother And Sister Took The Early Train For New York.

On The Morning Of The Second Day They Took The Express Train For

Baltimore,  Where They Stopped For Another Night. And On The Morning Of

The Third Day They Took The Early Train For North End,  Where They

Arrived At Sunset. They Went To The Hotel To Get Dinner And To Engage

The One Hack Of The Establishment To Take Them To Rockhold.

Almost The First Man They Met On The Hotel Porch Was Mr. Clarence,  Who

Rushed To Meet Them.

"Hurrah,  Sylvan! Hurrah,  Old Boy! Back Again! Why Didn't You Write Or

Telegraph? How Do You Do,  Cora! Ah! When Will You Get Your Roses Back,

My Dear? And How Is His Majesty? Why Is He Not With You? Where Did You

Leave Him?" Demanded Mr. Clarence In A Gale Of High Spirits At Greeting

His Nephew And Niece Again.

"He Is Among The Thousand Islands Somewhere With His Bride," Answered

Cora.

"His--What?" Inquired Mr. Clarence,  With A Puzzled Air.

"His Wife," Said Cora.

"His Wife? What On Earth Are You Talking About,  Cora? You Could Not Have

Understood My Question. I Asked You Where My Father Was!" Said The

Bewildered Mr. Clarence.

"And I Told You That He Is On His Wedding Trip With His Bride,  Among The

Thousand Islands," Replied Cora.

Mr. Clarence Turned In A Helpless Manner.

"Sylvan," He Said,  "Tell Me What She Means,  Will You?"

"Why,  Just What She Says. Our Grandfather And Grandmother Are On The

St. Lawrence,  But Will Be Home On The First Of July," Sylvan Explained.

But Mr. Clarence Looked From The Brother To The Sister And Back Again In

The Utmost Perplexity.

"What Sort Of A Stupid Joke Are You Two Trying To Get Off?" He Inquired.

They Had By This Time Reached The Public Parlor Of The Hotel And Found

Seats.

"Is It Possible,  Uncle Clarence,  That You Do Not Know Mr. Rockharrt Was

Married On The Thirty-First Of Last Month,  In New York,  To Mrs.

Stillwater?" Inquired Cora.

"What! My Father!"

"Why Should You Be Amazed Or Incredulous,  Uncle Clarence? The

Incomprehensible Feature,  To My Mind,  Is