POPULAR NOVELS

BY

BERT HA M CLAY .
.

TH ROWN ON TH E WO RLD
A B ITTER AT ONE MENT

LOVE WO R! S WONDE RS
E VE LYN S FO LLY
’

A
L DY DAME R S SE CRE T
’

A WO M AN S ’
TE M PT A T IO N

All p ub li shed o
uni f rm t
wi h thi s v olum e , an d se n t

FR EE b y m ail, on recei p t of p ri ce .

BY

G. W . C AR LE I O N
' ‘
Pub li s her s ,
NEW Y OR ! .
 A

W OMAN S TEMP TATION ’

A NOVEL .

BY BER T H A M . CLA Y,
m woa or

H W AM E R S SE C R E T
"

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'
R O W N on
T A DY
“ T HE O R L D, “
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rr r E R rO N E M E N r oL LY “
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W W ”

J
u O VE
‘ O R! S O N DE R S ET C . .

(Um a fl o He Nawr 1
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Ah , Z elica ! there was a ti m e , when b liss

Shone o er thy heart from e v ery look of his
’

Whe n but to see him , hear him , breathe the air

In which he dwelt, was thy o

s ul s
’
fond est p ray er !
”

NEW YOR !

Ca r let on 86 ’
Co Pub/zk/zer r
. .

STREET SMIT H , NEW YOR! WEE! LY .

MDc c Lx
'

x x
 Entered accordi ng to Act of Cong ress , i n the y ear 1 8 8 0,
B Y ST REET I
S M TH ,

in the Ofii ce of the Li b rarian of Cong ress at Washi ng ton

.

TWP NEW YO ?
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.

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P J L) LIC Li
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Ff Ai ix t C Is s A
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£
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o p r ic torc and
F R A N C IS S . S M IT H ,

or TH E

NEW YO R! W EE! LY ,

THE LEADING STORY AND S! ETC H PAP ER or m

 To

T HE REA DERS OF T HE

NE W YOR ! LY, W E E!
WHO FOR NEA RLY TW EN TY YEARS HAVE STOO D FA IT HFULLY BY Us
, ,

CHEERINC US IN OUR LA BO RS , AND B IDDIN G US GO D-S PEED ;

To W HO M OUR PET J O U RN AL HAS BECO M E A H OUSE

L
H O D W ORD, AND W ITH OUT W HO S E AID W E
U LD HAVE ACC OMPLI SHED N OT H
CO

ING , TH I S VO LU ME 15 RE

G A TED
BY T HE P UB L IS HERS ,

STREET 8: SMITH .
 CO NT ENT S

C HAPTER
I
. COULD
LY DIE AND END IT ALL
IF I ON .

II. I BRI N G MY L I TTLE D AU G HTER .

”

III T HE C HA RGE ACCEP TED

.
-

IV —A T ERRIB LE MISTA! E
.

V —MEET ING H IS FATE

. .

VI —T HE SC H OO L FETE
. .

VII . T oo GOO D T o BE LO ST .

V III . W HAT C AN I T BE ? ”

IX —V A N QU ISH ED BY T EARS
.

X . T IM E PRO VES ALL T H I NG S .

X I —T HE PASS IN G C LO UD
.

XII —T HE UN C LE S REPLY
.
’

X III — WHAT SHALL HE Do

X IV — I SHALL DIE I F I LOS E YOU
.
“ .
”

XV . I WI LL BE T EN DER AND T RUE T o YO U .

XVI I W I LL T RUST YO U AN YW H ERE

. .
”

XVII . I SHALL ALW AYS REM EM BER YO U .

”

XVIII — SH E Is A NO BLE WO M A N
.
“
.
”

XIX . T H I S WI LL NO T BE D ENI ED ME .

XX —A H US B A N D S SECRET
.
’

XXL— W HAT IS T HERE IN STO RE FO R ME ?

“

XX II I DID IT FO R T HE
.

XX III I HAVE GR I EVOUSLY SINN ED

. .

XXIV SH E W O UL D MA ! E A G RA N D LA DY ARNC O U RT .

XXV I LI! E WO RDS T HAT ARE T o T HE PO IN T

. .
”

XXVI H AS S HE A H EART ?
.
”
 C ON T E N T S .

“
WHY S HOULD I N EVER T OUC H ANY H EA RT P ”
.

LOVE Rs QUARRELS B UT REN EW AL O F

’
ARE THE

XXIX . Dc NOT LOVE H IM .

”

XXX WOE T o A N YTH IN G THAT O PPO S ES MY LO VE ! ”

.

XXX I . I LO VE YOU, ERIC

XXX II . H AVE U N D SU C H A ONE P

YO U FO ”
.

XXX III .I DID NOT FIN D MY IDEAL A MO N G TH EM .

XXX IV W HAT H AD SHE T o D READ P

.
”

XXXV .YOU A BO VE ALL O TH ER MEN !

,
”

XXXVI —. YOU HA VE NOT DI S PLEAS ED ME

“
.

XXXVII — .W HY Is I T NO T ALL DI FFEREN T P

“

XXXVIII — .HOW LO N G HAS HE LOVED HER P

“ ”

XXX IX . I LOVE H IM B ETT ER THA N MY O W N L I FE . .

XL — I M UST BE G EN ERO US T o FO RG I V E THAT

.
“
.
”

X L I.
—“ C O ULD YO U EVER HA VE LOVE D ME P ”

XLII —A LI FE O F T O RTU RE
.

XLIII . I W I SH SHE W ERE D EAD .

”

X LIV .
—“ IT WI LL NEVER BE

XLV . T H E MI DNI G HT SU RPRIS E

- . .

X LV I. WH O CAN BE GU ILT Y O F SUC H C RU ELTY

XLVII — WHO A M I T o W ATC H P
.
“ ”

XLVIII . HO W W AS H E T O FIN D O UT BELLE S EN EMY P ’

X LIX — HE WI LL N EVER C A RE FO R ME
.
“
.
”

L —
. DISCO VERED .

LI —C O N FES S IN G HER C RIME

. .

LII. T HAT W AS T H E H O U R OF MY T EM PTAT I O N .

LIII — YOU WI LL NOT FO RG IVE ME P

.
“ ”

LIV . YOU D ESERVE ALL T H E ! IN DN ES S IN T HE

WO RLD .
”

LV — J UST W HAT L I FE HAS MA DE ME

.
“ .
”
 A W OMAN S ’
TEMP TAT ION .

CHA PT ER I .

IF I COULD ONLY DIE AND END IT ALL .

M ad am e de St Lance sat al on e in her own room an

. ,

apart m en t th at l ong years ag o had b een the b oud oi r of

the m ost beauti ful and m ost nobl e the D uch ess of Val

len tin ois

. Ev en in i ts wreck the room was won d erful .

It was of an octagon sh ape con tai n i ng e ight fl ower,

wreath ed wi n d ows an d eac h wi nd ow had on ce b e en

,

d rap ed i n th e rich es t ro se b rocad e— it h ung there still ,

tattered and worn T he pai nted c e ili ng had l ost its vi v id

.

col ori ng ; the gorgeously d ecorated panel s were chipped

and b rok en . Th ere was an E ngli sh grat e with a m agnifi ,

cen t m arbl e m an t el pi ece a m ass of elaborate and beauti

-
,

ful sculpt ure al m ost d estroyed by wreck and d ecay ; a

,

,
sm all fire b urn ed th ere n ow an d a light ed l am p st ood on
,

the tabl e ; y et neith er d rove away the l ook of d esol ati on

and g ran d eu r i n d ecay .

M adam e de St Lan ce had been readi ng b ut the book

.
, ,
m A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA n ow:

Lam artine s
’ “
Genevi eve had l ost all ch arm She l aid , .

it d own an d walk ed to one of the W i nd ows ; she un fas

tened it an d the rose scented even i ng b reez e cam e in It
,
-
.

refresh ed her ; it b rok e u th d d c l m of m o o t o y d

p e ea a n n a n

d espai r th at seem ed to h ave settl ed upon her .

H ow fai r it was th at beauti ful fruit fu l l and of Fran ce !

, ,

HOW fai r thi s fl owery l an d of Proven ce W h ere the very air ,

seem ed freight ed with p erfum e an d m usic l—th at c al m ,

sweet Proven cal n ight with its m y ri ad s of g old en stars its

, ,

b right shi n i ng m oon its flower l ad en b reez e its roses

-
,
-
, ,

—
lili es an d vi n es l surel y one of the fai rest sp ots on the
,

fac e of the b eauti ful earth .

T he ti red ey es gaz ed over the fai r sweepi ng l and whil e , ,

som ethi n g of the cal m of the m oon light cam e over the

weari ed h eart .

If I c ould on ly die an d en d it all ! said M adam e de

“

St Lan ce
. . Die an d b e b uried in som e q ui et c orn er
wh ere the rose l eaves m ig ht fall on m y grave Die and .

e n d the st ruggl e th at is worse th an d eath .

T o die 1 Th ere are p eopl e Who d oubt the i m m ortality

of the soul and y et in deep est g ri ef i n sorrow in ang ui sh
, , , ,

a n d d e sp a i r o u r th ou ght
,
s t u r n to d ea th th a t k ey to an o th er ,

an d b right er li fe .

“
So few m urm ure d the l ady
,
“
live b ut for one h ope ,
.

I h a v e b ut o n e— m y littl e R e i n e W ea lth p os iti on h o

. n or , , ,

l and titl e h usband an d frien d s are all l ost even the royal
, , , ,

cause for which we suffered so severely is l ost an d n othi ng ,

re m a i n s t o m e b u t m y d a ug ht e r I h a v e h ear d w o n d e r
.ful
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TI OJ V .
11

stori es wh ere a frail d eli ca te girl has restored the fall en

,

h onors of a good race ; is it for that R ei ne has been spared

”
to m e ?

T he id ea even wh il e it aroused ch eered and sooth ed

, ,

her . She cl osed the wi n d ow an d returned to her seat by

the fi res id e .

Now that the l am p-light fall s fil ll upon her one m ay see ,

th at th ere is som e fai n t si m ilarity between the lady an d

the room She al so l ook s lik e the wreck O f som e great
.

and b eauti ful q ueen She is a th orough ari stoc rat ( She
. .
“

has the un m istakabl e air of the g r a nder n oblesse that m an ,

n er which n o m on ey Oan p urch ase n o art i m itat e ; it onl

y ,

c om es from the refi n em en t of l ong generati ons? ! Looki ng

at M adam e d e St Lan ce on e c ou ld tell th at she was b orn
.

of a n obl e race th at she had lived in the at m osph ere of a

,

court t hat she had associated with the nobl e the gall an t
, , ,

and the g y
a .

Her figure tall dignifi ed ,

d evel op ed full of
, ,
an d well -
,

regal g rac e an d dig n ity is cl oth ed in a d ress of dee pest ,

m ourn i ng a fitti ng d ress for one who m ourn s a d ead hus

,

ban d and a l ost cause No q ueen ever carri ed her stat e .

robes w ith m ore d ig n ity or l ook e d m ore royal i n th e m , .

T he l am p light fall s up on a grand fac e one th at in its

-
,

youth m ust h ave been sparkli ng and l ovely ; a p ure Nor

m an face oval in sh ape d e li cate in con tour an d exq ui sit e
, , ,

in c ol ori ng But the d ark ey es once so starry b right are

.
, ,

sh ad owe d and m ourn fu l ; the lips on wh ose s m il e the n o

bl est of the l and once h ung en rapt ured are pal e an d h av e ,

 A W OM AN S TEMP TA TIOIV
’
12 .

roun d them li nes th at tell of d eep care and woe T he .

dark h ai r is b rushe d b ack from the white b row an d care ,

l ess y fastened b ut the face d espite its beauty has a l ook

’
, ,

th at in rep ose is al m ost terribl e—the l ook of a restl ess soul ,

of a soul weari ng itsel f away with bitter repi n i ng wit h d is ,

c onsol ate weari ness and un en d urabl e enn ui ; the soul of

,

a b rilli an t b eauti ful wom an born to shi n e to ex act hom

, , ,

ag e to rul e an d to sway y et d oom ed to d eath in li fe

, , .

T he white h an d s th at h old the b ook are pe rfect in sh ape

and in c ol or Th ey sparkl ed on ce with gem s fit for a
.

q ueen Now on e pl ai n gold en ri ng shi nes on th em and

.
,

th at seem s in d anger of d roppi ng off .

M ad am e de St Lan ce resum es her book and the littl e

.
,

cl ock chi m es e ight She l ook ed up and the weari n ess on

.

her face d eepen ed .

“
O nl y eight ; an d each hour Of thi s day has seem ed to
m e lik e an ag e Wh at am I to do till e l even or twelve ?
.

It seem ed al m ost lik e an answer to her q uesti on when a

rap cam e to the d oor .

C om e in said m adam e in her cl ear ri ch voice ; an d

, , ,

th ere entered the old servant Janette carrying a t ray in , ,

her hands .

“
I t rust m adam e wi ll not be angry said the wom an , ,

as she pl ac ed the tray up on the tab l e ; th en one q uick ,

k een gl ance round sh owed her the d esolate state Of the

room . She gave the fire a touch th at p rovok ed a m erry
blaz e ; she trim m ed the lam p and so nearly doub l ed the ,

figh t
 A WOMAN ’
S TE M P TA TIOZV .
13

I noti ced that madam e h ardly touch ed her di nner an d ,

I have tak en a liberty I m ad e a cup of c offee and h ave

.
,

b rought a bit of white roll wi th a b unc h of our finest

,

”
grapes an d I p ray m adam e to eat .

—
It had c om e to thi s l she who had sm il ed whil e p rinces
an d n obl es waited up on her with the d ai n ti es t of lux u x ies ,

was th an k ful for the caré an d att en ti on of thi s old servan t .

M ad am e thank ed the old wom an in her grat eful d ign i ,

fied m an n er and the servan t withd rew

, .

O nce m ore Madam e de St Lance was al one ; b ut the

.

ch eerl ess gl oom and d esol ati on had van i sh ed the fire
b urn ed b rightly the lam p cast a full b rilli an t light on the ,

pai nted ce ili ng and the old fashi oned tapestry ; the coffee
-

yi eld ed a fragran t arom a an d th ere was a fine p urpl e bl oom

,

on the grapes .

It was but an h um bl e m eal y et m adam e seem ed to en

,

i Sh h whit roll an d the g ra pes readi ng the

j y
o t
. e ate t e e ,

whil e ; th en she d ran k the coffee Its warm th an d st reng th

.

seem e d to rev ive her .

“
If I am to live an d work for R ei ne she said
“
I , ,
‘

m ust n ot starve m ysel f as I have b een d oi ng H ow littl e .

”
I k n ew of the weak ness p rod uced by m ere physi cal want 1
Th en m adame sat with the fire light pl ayi ng on her bl ack
-

silk d ress and her white h and s T he sweet southern wi n d

.

see m ed to have di ed away an d th ere cam e the soun d of a

,

stronger b reez e from the pi n ewoods — a wi nd th at had

som ethi ng m ourn ful in its soun d .

She shi vered as she h eard it .

14 W OMAN ’
S TEMP TA n o” .

It is a l onely pl ace this O ld ch ateau she said th en

, , ,

sudd e n ly paused for the soun d of carri age wh ee l s fe ll on

,

her ear and she started up i n wond e r n ot un m ix ed with

, ,

al arm.
 A WOMAN ’
S TE MP TA TIOIV .

CH A PT ER II .

I BRING MY LIT T L E DAU G HT E R .

M adam e de St Lan ce h eard the soun d as of som e im

.

p ortan t arri val Inclifia tion p rom pted her to run d own
.

‘
an d see wh at it was d ig ri ity t old her to stan d q uite still
h .

Sudd en ly the d oor open ed an d Janette w ith l ess cerem ony

, ,

th an u s ual en te red the room

,

Ma dam e she c ri ed a g en tl e m an —
,
a n Engli sh

m il or I am su re—as k s the h on or of seei ng y ou

”
.
,

M ad am e took the card an d read the n am e .

’
L ord Cl an cey T he nam e was q uit e u nk n own to
.

her b ut som ethi n g of the old c ourtly grace th at had once

m ad e her so fam ous ca m e ove r her as she read .

“
Ask the gen tl em an to walk up stai rs J an ette , ,

said . I will receive him here .

She saw J anette s ey es wan d er from the fad e d ce ili ng to

’

the worn tapestry She sm i led

. .

It is of n o conseq uen ce she said , thi s room is not

”
so cold as the oth ers .

“
Th e g en tl e m an ha s a l i ttl e child w i th h i m —a littl e

gi rl O ne would tak e he r to b e ab out four y ears of ag e .

Good said m ad am e
“
DO n ot k ee p the gen tl e
.

m an waiti ng .
16 A W OM AN ’
S

She was too p roud to g o, as som e w om en would h ave

gon e to the g lass She did n ot appear to b est ow on e
,
.

n f—
th ought u po h ersel how she l ook ed or any thi ng of the ,

ki n d ; b u t she stood stil l wi th a p uz z l ed l ook upon her,

fac e .

Cl an c ey ! s he sai d to h erself ; it see m s to me th at

I hav e h eard the n am e .

She was l ooki n g back i n to the an nal s of that b rillian t

past wh en she
,
had rec e ived p rin ces an d peers in her g or

geons sal oon s .

Cl an cey
“
! H ave I h eard the n am e , or h ave I on ly

d ream ed it ?
As she tood th e re i n the gran d e ur of her fad ed beauty
s ,

the wi n d waili n g roun d the ch ate au th ere cam e to her n o ,

warn in g of the g reat an d t e rrib le t ra g e dy th at was to b e

work ed ou t i n her life .

l
She oo e k d u p w h e n he r v i s i t or e n t e re d — a y ou n g h an d ,

som e m an d ressed i n d ee p m ourn i n g an d l eadi n g a l i ttl e

, ,

child by the h an d He b owe d low before the statel y dig

.
,

n i hed l ady .

M ad am e de St Lance he said in a .
, ,
low, we ll

m od ul ate d voic e I can h ardly h ope that y ou

, rem e m ber
my n am e .

She sm il ed .

I see m to h av e som e vag ue recoll ection O f i t, she sa id ,

q ui etly .

I v
n e er had the pl easure of m eeti n g y ou m y se l f ; b ut
18 A worm /V '
s TEM P TA TION .

Cath eri n e the G reat E m p ress of R ussi a Th ere was a

,
.

n eckl ac e of som e val ue given by an E m p ress of Austria

, .

I saved th ose b ut n oth ing e l se We escaped to Engl an d

,
.
,

an d s old th em th e re But for th ose j ewel s Lord Cl an cey

.
, ,

”
w e m ust h av e p eri sh ed of h unger .

”
“
It is t erribl e to thi n k of he said with a sh udd er ; , ,

b ut why did y ou n ot appeal to y ou r fri en d s ?

“
The St Lan ces could n eve r acce pt al m s
. she said , ,

q ui et ly Y our gray Engli sh ski es an d l ead en air h el p ed

.

to kill m y h usban d H e c ou ld n ot b ear the fogs the

.
,

c old the rain ; he was pi n i ng for our b right sun ny F rance

, ,

so wh en all d anger was over we cam e h ere to Proven c e i n ,

d isgui se We had m on ey l eft an d thi s old ch ateau was

.
,

to le t T he ren t was v ery littl e for it is a l one l y i s ol ated

.
, ,

pl ac e We t ook it an d h ere m y h usban d di ed—wore his

.
,

n ob ie h eart away in exil e sorrow p ove rty an d d esol ati on

, , , .

T he St Lan ces h ave served F ranc e well y et the l ast of

.
,

th em di ed h ere in exil e and al one

, .

She paused for on e m i n ute un abl e to say m ore ; b ut n o ,

tears di m m ed th ose p roud eyes—she had sh ed too m any .

My h usban d di ed j ust two y ears si n ce m y littl e

R ei n e is n ow n early fiv e y ears old T he m oney th at I .

had for m y di am on d s l ast ed un til l ast year ; wh en it was

all gon e I advert ise d for p upil s
, .

“
An d y ou h ave pl en ty I h ope ? he said , .

NO ; I h ave b ut few I m ak e suffici en t to m eet m y

.

wan ts an d expenses b ut n o m ore

”
, .

“
I was in Pari s l ast week said Lord Cl ancey and , ,
“
 A WOMAN ’
S TEM P TA n ozv .
19

th ere I h eard th at y ou were livi ng at the Chateau Rosi ere ,

in Proven ce W h ere y ou t ook ch arge of a fe w p upil s ; and

,

h eari ng that m ad am e has b rought m e h ere to y ou

, ,
.

Then th ere was S il e nce for som e m i n utes d uri ng which ,

the m oum ful wail of the W i n d was pl ain ly h eard Lord .

Clan cey l ook ed at the littl e child then at the l ady ; b ut ,

her white h an d s were fold ed on her b l ack d ress an d her ,

th oughts were far away .

“
I m us t pl ace a c on fid ence in y ou m adam e said , ,

Lord Cl an cey th at I h ave pl aced in no one e lse and

,
“
,

it rel ates to m y littl e daugh ter h ere

“
Your daughter ! she said ”
Ah th en y ou are .
,

m arri ed Lord Cl an c ey
,
.

“
It is of th at I wan ted to speak to y ou m ad am e I , .

m ust tell y ou m y st ory an d th en y ou will und erstan d

, .

”
“
I was al way s b rought up he c on ti n ued “
in h abits
, ,

No exp ense was spared

’
of l ux ury an d as m y un cl e s h ei r
,
.

over m e ; I was all owed to d o j ust as I lik ed ; som e day

O r oth e r I was to b e Lord C lanc ev an d wh at I did m at ,

te red l i ttl e I was e n tirely d ep en d en t on m y uncl e an d

.
,

he was very ki n d very ge n erou s to m e with on e ex cep

, ,

ti on —he would i n si st th at I was to m arry to pl ease him ,

an d n ot to pl ease m y se l f I fell in l ove m ad am e ; b ut ,

the gi rl I l oved was p oor an d obsc ure Her nam e was .

Al ice Lutt re ll an d she was the d aughter of a sch ool

,

m aster li vi ng i n a sm all t ow n n ear Nev ersleig h I told .

m y u ncl e th at I l oved he r an d his fury k n ew n o b oun ds

,

it was som e thi ng terribl e .

20 A WOMAN as YEM P TA TION .

Ii m agi ne it said m ad am e with a sad sm il e

can , , .

H e t old m e v erv pl ai n ly th at if I m arri ed her he ,

would di si n h erit m e B rought up to consid er m y sel f his

.

h e ir k n owi ng n othi ng of any p rofessi on not h avi ng on e

, ,

shilli ng i n the world i n d ep en d en t of him th ere was b ut ,

”
on e resourc e for m e A c oward s resource y ou will say
.
, ,

m ad am e It m ay be so ; be tter to b e a coward th an
.

b reak a wom an s h eart I m arri ed Alice p rivat ely an d

’
.
,

b rought he r over to F ran ce She b ecam e m y wi fe ; m y .

un cl e th ought s he had m e t with a worse fate I lived very .

h appily with her for one y ear ; th en thi s littl e on e was

b orn an d to avert m y uncl e s suspici ons I was obliged to
, ,
’

re t urn to E ngl an d .

“
M adam e I do n ot seek to exc use m ysel f from bl am e ;
,

I h ave b een W rong all th rough I was wrong to m arry .

in a sec ret und erh an d m an n er ; an d I did wrong aft er

,

ward by n ot p erh aps n egl ecti ng b ut from m y l ong ah ,

sen ces from m y wi fe She pi n ed away an d I c ould n ot -

.
,

l eave m y un cl e Six m on th s si n ce m y un cl e di ed and

.
,

I was engaged i nc essan tly for som e week s in arrangi ng

affai rs .

I had resol ved th en upon bri ngi ng my wi fe an d child

h om e ack n owl edgi ng m y m arri age an d m aki ng all
, ,

am en d s to Alice That was m y i n ten ti on ; b ut wh en I

.

reach ed the p retty littl e v ill age w h ere I had l eft m y wi fe ,

I fou n d her dyi ng No efforts c ould save her She had

. .

pi ned and sorrowed un ti l th ere was n ot the l east hOp e

of her rec overy an d the thi rd day afte r m y arrival she
,
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA n o” .
2

di e d . I was l eft with m y littl e Ni na

I n eed n ot tell .

y o u o f m y g ri ef, o f the bitte r n ess of the bl ow th at ov er

wh el m ed m e I b uri ed my W i fe in the pretty cem etery

.

of the vill age an d th ere m y l ove story en ded

,
I th ought-
.

it usel ess to avow my m arriage It c oul d do no good ; .

it would on ly rai se a storm an d tem pest of gossip and

scan d al d et establ e to m e If Alice had li ved I would
, .
,

have b ra ved it all ; b ut Alice was d ead and th ere was ,

n othi ng to b e gai n ed so th at I d e term i ned to k eep th at

,

which had b een sec ret so l ong sec re t s till No on e k n ows .

anythi n g of i t I l eft m y littl e Ni na un d er the care of a

.

very faith ful and affecti onate n urse I h eard last week .

th at the n urse was ill I h asten ed over ; the n urse is

.

”
d ead and madam e I bri ng my littl e d aughter to y ou
, , , .
 2 7, A WOMAN S '
TE M P TA TION .

CHAPT ER III .

T HE A
C H RGE A CCEPTED .

Lord Clancey rai sed the littl e on e in his arm s .

She is a p retty l ovi ng gen tl e child q uite French

“
, , , .

She d oes n ot seem to re m em b er one word of E ngli sh ,

if ever she has sp ok en any She is a g rac eful and re fin ed

.

child with wh om y ou m ay safely all ow your own d aughter

,

to associ ate ; an d m ad am e the great wi sh of m y h eart is

, ,

to pl ace her un d er y our ch arge .

M ad am e de St Lance b owed ; th ere was n o em oti on

.

e ith er of pl easure or di spl easure in her fac e .

”
I accept the ch arge Lord Clancey she said
, ,
.

I am d eeply g ratefu l to y ou m ad am e Now will , .

,

o u a ll ow m e to e n ter i n to e xpl an ati on s an d to di sc uss

y
term s ? The Nev ersleig h estates are en tail ed th ey can ,

on ly pass to a m al e h ei r c on seq uen tly littl e Ni n a h ere is

,

n ot an d never would be m y h ei ress

, ,
The d aughters of .

the H ouse of Cl ancey are al ways p rovid ed for by m on ey

sav ed from the i n c om e ; i n th at sam e way I i n ten d to p ro

v id e for m y d aught er Ni n a She sh all b e am ply d owered ;

.

‘
b u t m ad am e thi s is wh ere I req ui re h elp
, ,
I h ave n ever .

ack n owl edged m y m arri age an d it s too l at e n ow ; b esid es

’

w hich I h ave fran kly t old y ou m adam e I am averse

, , ,

to it .I am p roud and sensitive I sh ould n ot care to .

 A WOMAN ’
S TE MP TA TIOA’ .
23

hear all the rem ar s an d sn ee rs,

k c d l c om m en t the s an a an d .

I wi sh i ndeed it is n ow m y firm d eterm i nati on to k eep

, ,

m y m arriage a p rofoun d sec ret ; b ut th at sec ret sh all n ot

b e to the d e t ri m en t of m y child M adam e will y ou .

,

ad opt he r ? Will y ou b ri ng her u p as y our own child ?

Will y ou le t her b ear y our nam e ? And will y ou p rom i se
th at she shall n ever h ear from y ou thi s the true story of ,

”
her paren tage ?
M ad am e was silent for a few m i nutes an d th en she ,

said q ui etl y
,

“
I do n ot q uite lik e it Lord Clancey ; it d oes n ot ,

”
seem to m e quite fai r .

I am sure m adam e be i n terrupted eagerly

, ,
th at , ,

y o u w ill a ll ow m e to b e the b est j udge of th at My .

m arri age as I h ave t old y ou frankly was a g reat m i stak e

, , .

My p oor Alice was all un fit to be Ladv Clan cey I did .

her n o wrong I m arri ed her and suffered for m y fol ly

.
, .

I am a j ust m an m ad am e ; and it see m s to m e th at if I

,

give to her d aughter a good ed ucati on and a lib eral p or

”
ti on I sh all b e d oi ng ful l j ustice
,
.

M adam e l ook ed th oughtful .

You are p erh ap s the b est j udge she said sl owly

, , , ,
.

Pray p roc eed Lord Cl an c ey

,
.

“
I sh al l sec ure the sum of fiv e h und red poun d s p er an
n u m to m y d aughte r th ree h un d red to b e paid to y ou for
,

her b oard an d ed ucati on two h un dre d for he r exp en ses ;

,

an d thi s arrangem en t I S h ould wi sh to c on ti n ue i n forc e

”
ti ll she is e ight een t hen I sh al l arrang e for ne r d owry .
24 A WOM AN ’
S TEM P TA TION .

M ad am e m urm u red somethi ng Lord Cl an cey c ould

n ot te ll w hat Th ree h und red p oun d s a y ear I It was nu
.

t old rich es to her It m ean t freed om from cares from p ri

.
,

v ati on s from p overt it m e a n t ease an d freed om all th at

, y ,

R e in e req ui red an d all that she wan ted h erse l f ; it m eant

,

good food an d gene rous wi ne Why n ot tak e it ? If she .

refused the O ffer w ould si m ply b e m ad e to som e on e e l se

, .

I S hall req ui re from y ou m ad am e a faith ful p rom i se

, ,

,
—
th at y ou will n ever un d er any ci rc um stan ces except of ,

c ou rse with m y free perm i ssi on— div ulge one word of thi s
,

st ory to m y d aught e r She is too y oung n ow to retai n any

.

rec oll ecti on ev e n the fai n t est

,
of he r m oth er or m ysel f,

The m em ory of the pas t will all die away from her ; she need
never k n ow b ut th at she is i nd eed an d in t ruth y our own

child Y our daughter is too y oung to rem em ber an d th ey

.
,

DO y ou ag ree m adam e ?
”
will grow up si sters .
,

Th ere was a few m i n utes sore s truggl e be tween the prid e

’

O f the ari st oc rat an d the n eed of the wom an M ore than .

onc e she was t e pted to say

m —
N o that such a ch arge
was unworthy of a St Lanc e But th ree hund red a year
. .

r h
n o t oubl e over t e e t day
r n —
pl en ty of peace prid e m ust
sub m it .After all she rem e m bered a ki ng had on ce
, ,

t urn ed sch ool m aster Lord Clancey watched her k een ly

.

as she held the sil en t d eb at e in her m i nd .

”
“
I accept the ch arge she said sl owly ; and I will
,
“
,

b e q uit e t rue to m y t rust Your d aughter shall b e b roug ht

.

”
up as m y chil ,
d
I th ank y ou he said I could not ask better fort une
,
26 A WOMAN s YE MP TA TION ’
.

I u n ers an d t d ,
sa id the cl ear rich voice , Of m adam e .

Next wee k I will

h ave forward ed to y ou all n ee d ful
doc um ents . You can S ign th em k eep som e , ,
and ret urn

”
oth ers .

Th en L d Cl ancey took out his pocket book

or - .

I did care to i n cum ber m ysel f with l uggage he

n ot ,

said , so th at I have n ot b rough t any cl oth es for the child .

H ere is a n ote for fi fty p oun d s m adam e will y ou provid e ,

for he r what she req ui res ? H ere al so is the firs t h al f year s

’
-

paym en t m aki ng two h und red poun ds alt ogeth er

, .

’
M ad am e s white fi ngers trem bl ed over the m on ey ; it
see m ed so littl e to him it m ean t so m uch to her , .

I will g ive y ou a re e c ipt Lord, Cl an cey,

”
she sa id .

But he sm il ed .

Th ere is no need togi ve yourself the troubl e madam e ,

— that will do for the lawy ers I th an k y ou v ery m uch .

for y our k ind ness and pat ience ; I thank y ou stil l more
for granti ng m y request .

May I offer y ou som e reficshm ent ?

'

ask ed M adam e
de St Lance
. .

He thank ed her but dec lined , .

I m ust E be in n l
g d thi rty si x hours, if possible,
an i n -

he sai d eve ry m om ent is preci ous to m e . I h ave k ept

my carriage waiting at the chateau gates .

Th en Lord C lancey raised the ch il d in his arms and ,

ga ve her to m ad am e T he littl e on e look ed up i nto

. the

p roud stately face with som ethi ng O f fear in her own

,
.
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA n o” .
37

The young fath er bent down and kissed her ; som ethi ng
d i mm e d his eyes an d a sob di ed away on his lips
, .

“
You wil l be very ki nd to her madam e my poor little
, ,

”
N i na ? he said gen tly , .

”
She shal l be to m e as my own chil d said the lady ; ,

and the littl e one seem ed to und erstand som ethi ng of the

word s for she n estled her littl e head in the l ady s neck
’

, .

”
Good by said the fath er as he k issed the child
-
, , .

Farewel l madam e y ou have made m e y our deb tor for

,

”
li fe
.

T he next m om en t he was gone an d b ut for the c hild, ,

on her k n ee an d the m oney on the ta ble she m igh t have ,

thought i t all a dream .

 53 A WOMAN ’
S TEM P 7 A Ti oN .
’

C HA PT ER IV .

A T ERRIBLE MIST ! E A .

Ti m e had b een wh en H ub ert R uthven had found him

sel f m ore sought after th an any m an in Lon d on H e was .

k n own to be the h ei r of Lord Arncourt of Nev ersleigh , ,

th an wh om E ngl an d k new n o wealthier or m ore p O ten t

peer .

H ubert R uthven was a pri z e Th ere was not a fai r face .

in Lon d on that had n ot b righten ed for him M oth ers .

c on cl ud ed l ong el oq uen t l ect ures by sayi n g

,

If m y d ear Ethelri da I c ould live to se e y ou Lady

, ,

Arn court I sh ould die c on ten ted

, .

Brunette and bl ond e h oid en and bl ue st ocki n g had all

,
-

b een p laced before him in th eir best aspect b eauti ful bell es ,

had sm il e d sung and d an ced for him

, ,
b ut th ough Mr , .

R uthven had the m ost profoun d veneration for all the fai r
sex ,
n ot one had t ouch ed his h eart .

Perhaps he had been too early d az z l ed by all the gen i us

an d charm s the b eauty an d g rac e that had b een b rought
, ,

to bear up on him He e vi n ced n o particular i n terest in

.

a ny on e And Lord Am court began to g row anxi ous

.

ab out the fut ure of his n eph ew .

“ ”
“
I h ave rem ai ned si ngl e he would say ,
because I ,
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TION .
39

am —1 f e ly c onfs s it
r e
e — a se lfish Sy barite You m ust not .

d o the sa m e, H ubert . I dec i ded long ago, in m y own

m i nd , th at wom en were
very charm i ng for a sh ort space
of ti m e b ut th at a h ouse was d ecid edly mor e com fortabl e
,

with out th em I c ould n ot e ndure the th ough t of all the

.

pa ti en ce the f
,
uss the n on se n se req ui red to
, k ee p a w i fe

in good tem per ; b ut emp hatically H ubert m ind your , , , ,

”
id eas m ust be difierent to m i ne
'

“
difierent, pli ed Mr R uthven
'

Th ey are unc e, l re .
,
with
a sm il e .

I knew ti nued Lord Arncourt

, con that y ou woul d ,
“

be m y h eir Th ere was no need for m e to wear wh at I

.

consid er the v ery h eavy ch ai n s of Hy m en Y our case is .

d ifieren t You succeed m e ; b ut reme m be r if y ou sh ould

'

.
, ,

die c hildl ess everythi ng goes to E ri c Chilvers and that

, ,

”
would preven t m e from res ti ng q ui etly even i n m y grave .

“
I assure y ou uncl e said H ubert R uthven gravely
, , , ,

that I h ave not the l east obj ecti on to m arri age ; the
only difii c ulty that I can see is am ong so m any b eauti ful ,

and gracefu l wom en which to ch oose , .

What do y ou find in Bl anch e Carri ngton to which

any reasona ble m an cohld obj ect ? ask ed Lord Arnc ourt
”
.

A man s li fe would be
’

T oo m uch daz z l e and gli tter .

worn awa y in no ti me .
”

“
Th ere is Evelyn Rainfen ; no one c oul d say the sam e

thi ng of her .

has the same

“
T oo sweet, was the brief reply ; she
30 A WOMAN ‘
S TEM P TA n o” .

agreea ble smile for every on e and agrees wi th everything ,

’

said I shoul d die of i nan iti on

. .

Lady Ethel Langham suggested Lord Arncourt ,

"
.

A wom an of one id ea an d th at idea how many m il es

,

”
of waltz in g she can ge t th rough in one n ight .

H ubert said his unc le solem n ly l ook i ng an xi ously

, , ,

“
at him are you se eki n fo r an id eal wom an ? B
, g ecause

if y ou are let m e assure y ou y ou will not fin d one What

m ak es woman so charm in g —
.
, ,

the fact that she is a m ass .

of c on tradicti ons a m ixture of vi rtues an d faul ts ; webb ed

,

"
the faults she would be s i m ply unen d urabl e
, .

”
“
I never th oug ht of an id eal woman rep li ed H ubert ; ,

b ut I h ave an old fashi oned id ea th at I should lik e to be

-

l oved for my own sake and as m y life would h ave to be

spen t with the wom an I m arri ed I shoul d m os t c ertainly ,

”
lik e to m ak e a W i se and pruden t ch oice .

Lord Arncourt sigh ed pityingly .

“
You m ust hear on e thi ng in m i nd H ubert if y ou , ,

were my own son I c oul d n ot l ove y ou m ore d early ; b ut

if y ou sh ould m arry so as to di sappoi nt m e—th rough any
q uix otic nonsense—I sh ould consid er it my sol em n d uty
to disi n h erit y ou and adopt E ri c Chilvers m uch as I d is
, ,

lik e him in y our pl ace

,
.

H ave no fear uncl e I will n ot d isappoi nt y ou You

, .

have been very ki nd to m e .

You m ust increase your im portance by m arri age .

En gl and boasts no p roud er titl e th an Lord Arncourt ,

of Neversleigh ; b ut if you c ou ld add to the im portance

 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TIOM
3 1

of the by a good m arri age i t woul d be a most ex

nam e ,

c ellen t thi ng Lady Eth el Langh am the D uk e of Lang

.
,

'

m uirstied s da ghte u r— who c ould b e better than she ?

We th erefore see that it was with a perfec t understand i ng
of his fate i n all its b ranch es that H ubert R uthven mad e ,

that t erribl e m is ta ke in his li fe .

Th ere c ould n ot h ave b een any positi on m ore enviable

than th at of H ubert R uthven Lord Arnc ourt m ade him
.

w hat was in reali ty a m agn i ficen t all owan ce b ut with his

s trang e q uai nt l ove of freed om from all rest rai n t he woul d

, ,

n ot have his h ei r to live with him

I p re fer b e i ng q ui te a l one he woul d say wh en , ,

H ub ert sug es ted e ven a l ong v isit

g
Li fe w ould be .

n othin g to m e with out freed om ; the restrai n t of a visitor

”
would n ot sui t m e .

Althoug h he a l ways i ns i sted u pon this one id ea of li ving

q u ite a l on e H ub e rt ,
had the opti on of livi ng a t an
y pl ace

wh ere his u nc l e was n ot If Lord Arncourt was i n Scot

.

land H ube rt resided at Nev ersleigh when his uncle used

,

to g o there Mr Ruthven wen t to Lon don

,
. .

Every poss i b le sourc e of p l easure was open to the y oung

man ; rich free y oun g han dsom e with one of the fines t
, , , ,

p o ss m i o ns in E ngl an d be fore hi m and n othi n

g to d o in ,

return for i t all b u t to many to please his un cl e .

“
Nev er m i nd m oney Lord Arncourt woul d say at
,
”
,

ti mes v e n ot to t hin k of that

“
, y o u h a ; n obl e b i rth is what
”
o u w an t in a wi fe T o t ll ou t H u b t h e
y e y . a secr e er , ,

co nti nued,
“
I have never spent m ore th an hal f my ia
 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TIOIV
3 2 .

com e the rem ai nd er has been a ccum ul ati ng until it form s

a c ol ossal fort un e by itse l f It sh all b e all y ours i f y ou
pl ease m e so that y ou can di sp ense with m on ey i n a wi fe
, ,

b ut y ou cannot di spense with hig h bi rth an d nobl e bl ood .

That t ruth was repeated an d re peat ed un til it becam e

d uly i m p ressed on H ub ert s m in d ; y et for all that it did
’

, ,

n ot p reven t the catastroph e .

Lord Arncourt who had p robably gratified every whi m

,

th at it was possibl e for the h eart of m an to conceive sud ,

d enly t ook a fancv for m aki ng a c oll ecti on of R om an

c arn eos . He i m ag i n ed hi m sel f to b e a p erfect j udge of
cam eos an d he was d eterm i n ed that the
,
Arn c ourt
cam eos sh ould b e k n own all over Engl an d .

T o i n d ulge thi s cap rice it was n eed ful th at he s h ould g o

to R om e . Mr R uthven was sen t for
. .

“
I S hall p robably b e away one year perh aps two for I , ,

in ten d m y c oll ecti on to be un rival ed an d I wan t y ou to ,

resid e the wh ol e ti m e at Neve rsleig h At the town Never .

,

stay th ere are several thi ngs on h an d

, T he n ew sc h ool s .

are fi n i sh ed b ut th ey h av e to b e ope n ed ; an d by the way

, , ,

H ubert y ou m ust g et a good m aster for th em Do n ot

, .

Spare m oney ; th ey are m y gi ft to the town an d I like ,

”
thi ngs d on e liberally .

Lord Arncourt wen t on to m enti on several oth er thi ngs

that req ui red atten ti on And all un consci ous of wh at was
.

in store for him H ub e rt li stened atten tive ly prom i si n g to

, ,

carry out his uncl e s wi sh es to the v ery l etter

’
.

R emem be r said Lord Arncourt

,
that y ou are my ,
“
34
A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TAYYoM

of conduc ting a s chool ; he had rece ved a

i fi st class ed uca
r -

tion, and only d esired one thin g — q a i

u et i g place
rest n -

where he could work and live in pea ce .

The l etter pleased Mr R uthven So littl e did he thi nk

. .

it was an inst rum ent of fate he answered it and the result

, ,

was the engagem en t of J ohn Luttrel l as m aster for the

Neverstay sc hool s at a sal ary of two hundred per annum
, ,

house an d garden i ncl ud ed .

Mr Luttrell was to comm ence his duties toward the

.

c lose of J une the school was to be open ed by the rec tor

, ,

and a grand tea party giv en to the p upils by way of in

-

augurati on.

If any one had warned H ubert Ruthven of the result he ,

would have fled in utter d ismay .

 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA T1 0 1V .
35

C HAPTER V .

M E ET ING H IS F AT E .

T he t en ty seven th of
w - J une arrived and when H ubert ,

R uth ven awok e he rem em bered that it was the day of the
sch ool fete and th at d uty req ui red him to be p resent at
,

Nev erstay .

He k n ew that Mr L utt rell had . ived and had ex arr ,

p ressed hi m sel fd elighted with the p retty gabl ed sc h ool h ouse -

an d the large pict uresq ue gard en

, .

All ord ers had been given for the chil dren s feast
'
It .

was to tak e pl ace in a large orch ard b el ongi ng to on e of

the Nev ersleig h farm s still H ub ert fe lt it his d uty to rid e

over to the sch ool m ast er s h ouse and see for hi m se l f that
’

all was well .

He rose early The typical ge ntl em an who lives at

.
“

hom e at ease is n ot al ways to be foun d in a wealthy m an ; ‘

he works h ard er at ti m es and m ore i nd us tri ously th an

'

, ,

th ose wh om he em pl oys .

H ubert rose at S ix took b reak fast at seven and rod e ofi

“
‘

, , ,

whil e the dew was y et On the grass to Nev erstay , .

In the after years how we ll he re m e m b e red every d etail

of th at rid e .The bl ue sk y w ith its whit e pearly cl oud s
, ,

fast van i shi ng b efore the heat of the s um m e r S un the air

3 6 A WOMAN S ’
TEA/[P TA TIOIV .

so fu ll of fragra n ce from the hay and the cl over from the ,

li m e trees in fl ower from the lil acs fas t van i shi ng from the
, ,

h uge white m agn oli as from the wild roses th at fill ed the
,

h edges with such vivid m asses of scarl et bl oom the woods

were fill ed with bl ueb ell s and wi l d l ark spur the bi rd s we re

b esid e th em selves with gl ee on thi s b right J un e m orn i ng .

He saw b ees so b usy th at th ey fill ed the air with th e i r

m usical m urm ur b utterfli es with b ri g h t p urp l e an d gold en
wi n gs H e was n o p oet b ut his h eart g rew warm an d
.
,

ten d er as he l ook ed aroun d him for it is such a fai r , ,

b right world if we have any h eart at all it m ust be t ouch ed

, ,

by its b rightness ,

So he rode on th rough the sun shi ne an d the fl owers un til

he cam e to the sch ool s Th ey were b uilt j ust outsi de the
.

town so that the child ren m ight have all the benefit of the
,

fresh sweet air

,
Th ey were p retty an d picturesq ue with
.
,

large wi n d ows and b right large C h eerful room s

, He did
, , .

n ot wait to e n ter b ut rod e on to the h ouse th at st ood at

, ,

som e littl e di stan c e from the sch ool s A bea uti ful cottage .

— n ot n ew as was evid en t from the ab un dan c e of foli ag e

,
.

th at wreath ed i ts wall s red and white roses fram i n g the

,

wi n dows passi on fl owers twi n i ng roun d the rustic porch

, ,

jessam i n e and fragran t woodbi n es m i x ed with d roopi ng

v i n e l eaves It stood In the m i dst of a m agn ificent gard en
.

th at st re tch ed at the back Of the h ouse far down to the

brook si de th ere the pretty b rook ran between green ban k s
-

away i n t o the cl over m ead ows and lost itsel f in the b road , ,

cl ear river N ever .

 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TIOA ’
.

37

It was a p ic ture of nea n ess and

t bcauty ; the wi nd ows
were all o e n, and p the lace c urtai ns look ed white as snow

drops .

Veri ly an id eal cottage sai d H ub ert to hi m sel f

“
,

T h e d oor w as op e n e d H e w e n t i n t o a s
. m all p retty ,

passage covered with b right c ool m atti ng an d was m et by , ,

a littl e m aid servan t He i n q ui red if Mr Luttrell was at

-
. .

hom e She said he had gone d own to the orchard b ut

.
,

would the gen tl em an wait ?

So Mr R uthven was sh own i n to a p ret ty parl or fill ed

.
,

wi th fl owers an d b ook s .

I c oul d al m ost fancy a lady had arra nged thi s pl ace ,

he said look i ng roun d on the graceful flower stan d s p re tty

,
-
,

bi rd cages an d littl e ornam en ts

-
,
.

O ne sid e O f the room was li ned with a low b ook sh el f -

.

As he read the nam es of the vol um es H ube t sm il ed ,

. .

”
My sch ool m aster will do, he id
sa .

Still the sunny m om en ts flew and Mr L uttrell d id not , .

appear T he wi nd ow was open and the gard en l ook ed

.
,

very tem pti ng He th ought he woul d walk th rough it and

see wh at the fl owers were lik e .

He passed the bed s of lili es great cl uster and roses, the

of cl ove carnati ons the old fashi oned south ern wood with
,
-
,

its sub tl e fragra nce the m ign onette and sweet pansi es ;
,

th en sudd enly he h eard a v oice si n gi ng :

”
Dinna forg et, lad die ; d inna forg et .

A sweet, cl ear voi ce wi th ,

a r ni g of passi on and ten d er
 3 A WOMAN ’
S YEMP TA r7 0 m
3

n ess ; and the sad, sweet words of the old Sc otch s ong
'

cam e to him ove r the

fl owers .

Di n na forget laddi e di nna forget

, He was al mos t .

afra i d to b reak the sp ell by m ovi ng b ut wh en the song ,

c eased he we n t forward Th ere was a large spac e O f green

.

g rass wh ere the appl e trees grew and sitti ng under on e ,

O f th em — the bl ossom s m aki ng a fram e for her falli ng ,

aroun d i n rich s h owers—was a yo ung gi rl d elic at e and ,

lovely as Titan i a h ersel f ; a gi rl with a sweet p ure face ; ,

a whit e b row from which waved cl usteri n g hai r O f a gold en

,

hue ; dark gray eyes fri nged with l ong las hes ; sweet red
,

lips and feat ures wh ose d eli cate loveli n ess was som ethi ng
,

wond erful He caugh t a gli m pse of the pretty foot—one

.

th at m ight h av e bel on ged to a d uch ess ; little white ,

s l en d er h an ds T he g i rlish fig ure was s i m ply clad i n a

.

rob e of bl u e m usl in with white lace at the t h ro

, at .

A pict ure as fai r as p ure an d as bright as the m orni n g

, ,

i tsel f ; full of gl eams of sun l ig ht ; one that from his

m em ory was n ever to die .

H e wen t to her an d she started n ot in al arm b ut

, , ,

with s urprise He took off his hat an d s tood bare h ead ed

.
,
-

before her .

“
I can only t rust that I am not i n tr uding he sa i d , .

I call ed to see Mr Luttrell . .

A li g ht b rok e over her face m aking it so radiantly ,

b eauti ful th at he d rew back hal f In fear , .

”
“
My fath er she said ; and he is gone d own to the
,
“

orch ard thi n ki ng that he m ight see Mr R uthve n th ere

,
. :
 A WOMAN TEMP TA TION
’
’
S .
39

I Mr Ruthv en
am .
,
he r eplied ; and she drew back
wi th som ethin g lik e awe in th ose dark gray eyes .

You are Mr R uth ven P

.
”
she said ; and he could not
h elp n o ic ng t i that there was som e thi ng of reverence in

her v oice .

”
My fath er will be so sorry to have m i ssed she
“
y ou,

said si m ply ; he was so anxi ous to see y ou .

I can id Mr R uthven
wait until he I re urns,t ”
sa . .

am n ot b usy an d i f you will p erm it m e I will wait h ere

, , ,

with y ou Mi ss Luttrell , .

She sm il ed assen t and her face flush ed ,

.

You have c h osen a pretty spot out here am ong the

”
apple bl oss om s
-
he said as he sat down on the rugged
, ,

roots Of a tree .

“
Yes ; m ore beauti ful th an anythi ng I h ave ever
d ream ed of in ,
my li fe It is st range that y ou sh ould
.

c om e j ust now ,
Mr R uthven for I was j ust thi nki ng
.

of y ou .

Thi nk ing of me ? he said in surp ri se I am very , .

m uc h h onored May I ask wh at y ou were thi nking

.

”
ab out m e ?

I was wonderi ng , she sa id , look i ng at him with

g rave, swee t
ci ous eyes
, un ons c , whether y ou were young
or old or what y ou were like ;
, and thin ki ng t hat I shou ld
lik e to see y ou j ust onc e an d , thank y ou for all the g reat

happi ness y ou h ave given m e .

He look ed stil l m ore s ur r sed. pi

 40 A WOMAN ’
S TEM P YA TIOIV .

I am afraid y ou c redit th e w ith too m uch he said ,

.

”
Wh at h appi n ess can I h ave given y ou ?
She sm il ed an d that sm i le m ad e her so wond rously
,

,
b eauti ful th at he was agai n al m ost fright e n ed b efore her
, .

”
“
It th rough your good n ess she said
is th at we , ,
“

cam e h ere and I have never k nown wh at real h appi ness

,

m ean s till n ow All m y li fe I have lived in a narrow

.

st ree t in I sli ngt on ; I n eve r even saw a real gard en lik e

thi s I did n ot k now the world h eld such beauti ful pl aces
.

as Neverstay .

H ave y ou seen N ev ersleig h and the wood s ? he as k ed .

Not y et
”
pli ed
,
My fat her said I m ust c on
she re .

ten t m ysel f with the h ouse and gard en at fi rst l est I sh ould ,

really l ose m sen ses w ith d e light I have on ly seen a real

y .

”
woo d in m y d reams .

“
But did y ou v
n e er g o Out of Isli ngton ? he as k ed .

Som eti m es ; very rarely I h ave been to H am pton .

C ourt to H am pstead and Highgat e b ut th ey do n ot seem

, ,

real c oun try lik e thi s Th ere is n ot one m om en t of the

.

b eauti ful day in which I do n ot th an k y ou .

I am m uch
pl eased ,
he said , “
that m y ch oice was so
’
fort unate b ut I thi n k it is all d ue to y our fath er s m erit ,

”
and n ot tom y good ness .

I was thi n ki n g th at I sh ould lik e to te ll y ou how ex

cee di ngly h appy y our ki n d n ess has m ad e m e she said , ,

m usi ngly “
an d n ow I h ave th an k ed
y ou B ut word s are .

very weak to express wh at I feel .

43 WU MANU I T E MF E NHQM

C HAPTER VI .

T HE S CHOOL P ET E .

Mr Ruthven was pl eased as he had ex pected to be

.
, ,

with the sch ool m aster He was n ot a gen tl em an ; he

.

lack ed th at nam el ess i ntangi b l e som ethi n g th at p rocl ai m s

,

the gen tl em an - the m an of good b i rth of good d esc en t , ,

acc ustom ed to the refinem ents of good soc i ety—he l ack ed

th at ; b ut he was thoughtful com petent i ntelligen t—

,
4 , .

well ed ucated m an
-
.

His m ann er to Mr R uthven was ex cell en t ; th ere was

.

n o c ri ngi ng n o fawn i ng n othi n g subse rvi e n t ; y et he was

, ,

respec t ful and see m ed in everythi ng to ad m it the oth er s

’

sup eriori ty .

Th ey all th en ret urned to the house Alice h oldi ng her ,

fath er s h an d an d a very pl easan t h our was sp ent

’

,
The .

m ast er con firm ed wh at his d aught er had said How de .

lightful the change was from I sli ngton to Nev ers tay
“
It is lik e com i n g to a fresh world he sai d , .

”
thi n k we S h all b e very happy h e re .

Th en he t urn ed to his d aughter with an air of fond ness

an d p rid e th at did n ot escape Mr R uthven . .

”
I did n ot m en ti on in m y l etter he said “
that I had
, ,
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA n o” .
43

a daughter, p resum i ng that the fact was of n o i m portance

"
to any one b ut m ysel f .

Miss Luttrell is a very charm i ng fact was the gallant ,

”

rep ly .
“
I hope she will find Neverstay agreeabl e You .

wil l mak e frien d s and ac q uai n tances in ti m e Som e day .

,

when y ou are d i sengaged I sh al l be p l eased to sh ow y ou

,

all ove r the abbey and the ground s ; we h ave som e very

sp l endid pictures and som e very beauti ful books .

Mr Luttrell express ed than ks Alice spoke no word

. .
,

but the de ligh t that sh one in her h oe surpamed any that

she could p ut i n to word s Th en it was ti m e for H ubert to
.

o
g ; h e co uld fin d n o p re t ext for li n ge ri n g H e arra nged .

to be at the orchard at four and rem ai n for an h our , .

‘
You will find the sch ool fete a grand instituti on he ,

“
All the fine l adi es will be there .

Who are the fine ladi es ask ed Mr Luttrell wi th a .

,

m i le .

“
Lady Ethel Langham Lady Delamaine the Misses
Douglass—
, ,

I could not even rem em ber the nam es .

“
Th en I m ust not go said Alice drawing back with
,
”
, ,

a littl e l ook of d i sappoi n tm en t on her face .

Why not ? Certai nly y ou m ust th at is if y ou will

-
, , ,

said Mr Ruth ven wi th a sm il e You are n ot afra id of

“
.
.
,

”
fine lad i es are y ou P
,

“
I h ave n ever seen any she repli ed , but I thi nk I
should be very m uch fright ened at th em .

Mr Ruthven laugh ed and Mr Luttrel l placed his han d

.
, .

on the gol den head The sam e th ought passe d th rough

.
 A WOMAN S TEMP TA TI ON
’

44 .

the m i n d of b oth —th at she had nothing to fear from bei ng

b rought i n t o c om petiti on with any body .

And th en H ub ert Ru thven l eft Mr Luttrell wen t wi th . .

him to the garden gate and stood whil e he m oun ted H e

, .

rod e back by the sam e way th rough the sam e woods in , ,

the sam e sun light ; b ut what had c om e over th em What

had h app e n ed to hi m ? It seem ed an age since he had
ri sen th at m orn i ng cool cal m an d sel f p ossessed
, , He had -
.

ridd en th rough th ose woods with out a th ought sav e for the

b usi ness he was b en t upon he was return i ng h aun ted by

a l ove ly y oung fac e h aun ted by the sweet g ray eyes and
,

lovely li p s h aunted by the retrai n of a sweet sad song

, , ,

“
Di nna forget l addi e d i nna forget his h eart b eati ng as it
, , ,

had n eve r d on e b efore his p ul se th rilli ng his wh ol e soul

, ,

warm ed by the m em ory of th at fai r y oung face .

What had c om e over him ? H e did n ot k now H e was .

on ly j ust t wen ty b ut he had run the gan tl et of the Lon

,

don ball room s he had seen b eauti ful faces with t rai n ed
-
,

gl an ces and artificial sm il es b ut he had seen n othi nglik e

thi s gi rli sh si m pl e b eauty so free from art so un c onscious
, , , ,

so d evoid of g uil e .

Wh at had c om e over him ? Th ere was anoth er color on

the g rass a b rig hter light in the sk y
,
the m usic of the bi rd s

see m e d sweeter and full er ; li fe seem ed g ayer and b righter .

Sn atch es of song rose to his lips T he sum m er itsel f was .

n ot b righter or warm er than the l ove th at un k nown tohi m , ,

was sp ri ngi n g in his h eart .

T hat m orn i ng as he sat at b reak fast the noti on of a

, ,
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA n ozv .
45

s ch ool fet e had been rath er ti resom e th an not ; now he

t ook out his watch to coun t the h ours and see how l ong it
would be be fore he saw her aga i n .

“
Ah ! if fine l adi es k n ew the ch arm of si m plici ty he ,

we sh ould h ave n o m ore of aflectation

”
said to hi m sel f
“
'

.
,

How he enj oyed his l un ch p rai sed the efforts of the ,

c ook p rai sed the wi ne un til the servants acc ust om e d to

, , ,

his good h umor wond ered at its sunny b rightn ess

, .

He was q uite un consci ous th ough he took grea t pains

,

with his d ressi ng th ough he pl ac ed a wond erful white rose

,

i n his coat it n ever once occ urred to him th at it was all for
,

her ; y et he was thi n ki ng of he r He t old the h ead gar .

d en et to p repare a bouq uet of ch oice fl owers .

”
“
She seem ed so fon d of fl owers he said to hi m se l f ; ,

an d m any of th ese will b e q uit e st range to her .

But he k n ew n o m ore th an a d ream i ng child wh at had

com e over him or the m ean i ng of this strange lig ht th at
,

lay on earth and sk y .

T he fete was a m est d elight ful one ; the orch ard was
the very pl ace ab ove all oth e rs for it ; the g rass was l ong

and thick ,softer th an the fi nest carpet ever woven by

m ortal h ands ; the sh ad e b en eath the great appl e and

pear tree s was pl easan t and fragran t ; th ere was a band
’
of m usic and to the child ren s great d elight h uge swi ngs
, ,

were fasten ed am ong the great t rees There were l arge ‘

tabl es sp read with tem ptin g cak es an d l usci ous fruits—a

tabl e round which the child ren gath ered in k een d elight .

S uc h p reparati ons for tea glad dened the littl e ones even
46 A WOMAN S ’
TE A/ P TA T1 01V .

m ore than the fruit . But i g part perh aps the m ost am us n

of all was the fine ladi es who w ith all the graci ous , ,

patronage i m agi nabl e th ought th em selves , m ost con

descendi ng Th ere was Lady Eth el Langham talki ng
.
”

v ery p retty poetr ab out child ren and fl owers

y e t m os t
y ,

carefu lly avoid ing both an d th ere we re the Mi sses Doug

lass i ndulgi ng in pastoral rapt ures .

T he en trance of Mr Ruthven p rod uced a great sensati on

“
.

am on g th em He pai d his devoi rs with a sm i l e on his

.

han dsom e face and th en l ooked anxi ously aroun d for

,

Alice Luttrell .

He saw her standi ng at her fath er s sid e l ooki ng h al f

’

shyly at the fine l adi es who had b een c riticisi n g her ,

wonderi ng if she th ought h ersel f good l ooki ng etc He -

, .

wen t over to her at once .

“
I h ope y ou are enj oyi ng yourself, M iss Lut trell he ,

said
“
it is a pretty b right an i m ated scene
, , .

”
I am hal f frig htened she said gen tly , , .

What ! at the fine ladi es —they are very harm l ess ,

said Hubert .

B ut th ey look so beauti ful and so stately .

D id y ou ever look in a glass ask ed Mr Ruthven .

,

laughi ngly .

Yes she repli ed wond eri ngly

, , .

Then y ou need not fear on the score of beauty Do .

y ou see t hat state ly l ooki ng l ad y in bl ack

-

“
Yes, sai d the gi rl
”
.

That is Lady Delam aine I w ill i ntroduce your .

 A WOMAN S TEH P TA fi VOM ’
47
g

fathc r an d y ou to her, and y ou will see how little th ere

is to fea r .

T he ch ool m aster k n ew perfectly well n o one better

s , ,

the ex act b ehavi or req ui red T he great l ady s h eart was

’
.

w on by the beauti ful bl ushi n g face the ti m id m anner

, , ,

t he shy swee t em bar

,
rassm en t .

She di sm i ssed Mr Lutt re ll w ith a fe w word s b ut k ept

.
,

his daughter by her s id e and took g reat d elight in her

, .

Mr R uthven st ood for som e ti m e behi nd Lady De la

.
'

mai n e s c h ai r
’
.

that
“
It seem s to m e said Lady Eth el Langham “
,

if we wan t a word from Mr R ut hven we m ust pay atten .

,

ti on to that odi ous g i rl .

Th ey did so and the odi ous girl proved to be so

,

beautiful so m odes t so graceful and so shy they agreed

, , , ,

that
“
for a young p erson of her she

superior ” .
43 A WOMAN S TEM P TA TION
’
.

C H APTER V II .

T OO GOOD TO BE LOS T .

Any on e cau see the end of that sum m er Idy l H ubert

’

—
R uthven just twen ty t ired of fashi onabl e soc i ety an d
'

, ,

what he call ed fin e l ad ies longi ng with a young m an s

’

l ongi ng for l ove and hap pi ness the rom ance of h eart,

and sou l j ust awak ened i n to l i fe— n ot h i ng c ould h ave been

m ore p ropitious for a love story -

.

She h ersel f was so d elici ously nai ve and si m pl e she ,

had n ot one id ea of c oq uet ry ; b ut the m ost dangerous

fli rt who ever pl aye d with the h earts of m en was n ot so
dangerous as thi s si m pl e gi rl Sne sh owed such k een
.

d elight in his soci ety she worshiped him with such

,

un c onsci ous d ev oti on ; she was so fran k so ch arm i n g , ,

that he could n ot h elp l ovi ng her

‘
’

He had n ot th ought of any t hi ng of the ki n d wh en th ei r

acq uai n tan ce fi rs t b egan he was the gen erous patron she ,

the d aughter ofthe pat ron i z ed he was the gran d s ig neur ,

she the sch ool m ast er s d aughter ; he the g reat es t m an in

’

the c oun ty she on e of the h um bl est gi rl s

,
What c ould .

th ere be in com m on between th e m except the rel ati onship

of pat ron an d pat ron i z ed ? He lik ed to sen d bask ets of
fru it and gam e d ow n to the sch ool h ouse it see m e d a -
so A WOMAN fs YEM P TA TIOIV .

m arvel I And the gi rl s si m pl e soul fell d own before him

’

whii e the worship she gave him was i n itsel f a greater m ar

v el th an all .

H ubert R uthven was essen tially a gentl eman he had ,

perhaps tak en his sh are in the folli es of the world b ut n o

, ,

on e c ould lay a dish on orabl e acti on to his d oor As for .

the b et rayal of a wom an he would s oon er h ave th oug ht of

,

pi cki ng a fri end s pock et—it was n ot in him to do such a

’

d eed so th at no th ought of harm to Ali ce ev er c rossed

his m i n d He had b een so skeptical e v er l ove he had seen
.
,

so m uch of wh at was fal se an d unworthy to pass by th at

nam e th at he did n ot k n ow wh at was h appi ness

,
he did
n ot k now th at he was falli n g in l ove with Alic e ; he did
n ot k n ow th at the gl am our falli ng over hi m the light th at ,

m ad e the world so fai r the t end er st range h appi ness th at

, ,

filled h eart and soul was l ove ; he would have been the
,

first to l augh i n c red ul ously at s uch an id ea .

It did n ot occ ur to him th at he was conti n ually fin d ing

som e p retext or oth er for v isiti n g Nev erstay that a day
seld om passed with out his seei n g Alic e It did n ot on ce .

occ ur to hi m as st rang e th at goi ng th rough the w ood s h

sh ou ld m ee t her so ofte n an d th at t hey sh ould si t t ogeth er

,

by the b rook sid e whili ng the l ong b right sum m er day

-
, ,

away . He had his faults b ut he was a gen tl em an an d a

, ,

m an of h onor If he had b eli eve d th at he was fal li n g in

.

l ove with Alice or that Alice was d oi ng the sam e with him
, ,

he would h av e g on e away at once .

H e b roug ht her book s from the l ibrary ; he m ad e her

 A lVOrVAN S ’
TEA/ P TA TIOIV .
5 1

m any i m pl e pretty p resents of eng ravings and rare photo

s ,

graphs ; his word s and t houg hts opened fresh worlds to

he r and p oor gi rl she did wh at was only nat ura l und er
, , ,

h
t e ci t
rc um s an es c — gave him her heart her wh ol e l ove , ,

an d m ad e her world her li fe all b egi n an d en d with him

, , .

How l ong m atters m ight h ave gone on in thi s uncertai n

way can never be told b ut th at Lad y Delam aine happened ,

to i n terfere She was a ki n d h earted good nat ured wom an

.
-
,
-
,

’
an d she had tak en a ki ndl y liki ng to the sc h ool mast er s

l ovely d aughter She h eard the rum ors of H ubert s con

.
'

'
tinual p resen ce at the sch ool m aster s c ottage and from ,

si m pl e good nat ure resolve d to give him a hi n t

-
It was .

n ot l ong before she had an op p ort unity In the m i ddl e of .

Sept em ber a l arge sh ooti ng party assem bl ed at her h ouse -

,

and he was on e of the g uests U nd er p retext of speaki ng .

to him on som e b usi ness c on nected with the sc h ool s she ,

took him i n to her own room .

Mr R uthven she said in her frank and cordial

.
,
”
,

m anner , I wan t to say a few words to vou in good part ;

y o u p r o m i se m e n ot to b e offe n d e d
I could n ever be offended wit h y ou Lady Delam aine , ,

he repli ed .

“
In th at case I sh all b e j ust as fran k with y ou as
th ough y ou we re m y own son .

You c ould n ot do m e greater h onor or give m e ,

”
greater pl easure said H ub ert , t ouch ed by the eld er ,

l ady s tones
’
.

T he sc h ool mas ter at Nev e rstay Mr Luttrell has a , .

,
5 2 A W OMAN S ’
T E AIP 7 A T1 01V .

ve ry p retty d aug hte r con ti n ued Lady Delam aine ; so

,
“

p retty p oor gi rl that she wi ll fin d her b eauty a snare

, , ,

”
I am afraid .

’
H ubert s face fl ush ed b ut his ey es did not fall before ,

the cal m seren e gaz e , .

“
I am told t ha t few days el apse wit hout your h orse
b e i ng seen at her d oor an d th at y ou spen d wh ol e h ours ,

w ith her .

It is perfectl y t rue he repli ed struck hi m se l f by , ,

rem em b eri ng how t rue it was .

“
We ll m y d ear Mr R uthven we h ave agreed that I
, .
,

”
am to speak h ones tly Why do y ou g o th ere ? .

H e p aused agai n rem em beri ng th at he had n ever even ,

ask ed hi m sel f the q uesti on

Wily 2 he repeated I d ec are Lady Delam aine

” '

.
, ,

I do not k now ; because I have foun d it pl easan t I ,

”
suppose .

Ex actly so and I am q ui te sure y ou are too good to

sac rifice the fai r nam e of a y oung g i rl beeause y ou find
”
your visits pl easant .

“
I have n ot d one so he replied p roudly , , .

Pard on m e—n ot int en ti onally perhaps ; but it is

‘

done .Peopl e are begin n i ng to talk s tra ngely about Miss

Luttrel l and to l ook coldly on her because y ou are
, ,

k n own to sp end so m uch ti m e with her .

Peopl e m igh t learn to m i nd th ei r own b usi n ess he ,

rep li ed with a warm er fl ush on his fac e

, .

That th ey will never do said Lady Delam aine “

T he ,
”
.
 A WOMAN S ’
TEM P TA TIOM
53

best thi ng is to give th em no Opport unity for talki ng .

Wh en a y oung m an v isits a gi rl and pays her atten ti on ,

"
it m eans one of two thi ngs .

What are the y he ask ed .

It m eans that he l oves her and i n tends to m ake ,

her his wi fe or it m eans that he is a vil lain and i n t end s ,

to r uin he r
.

H ubert R uth ven stand s silen t before the h onest words

of an h onest wom an .

“
You m ean nei th er of th ese thi ngs she c onti nued , .

You c ould not in your positi on marry such a gi rl

, ,

it would be an i ncong ruous m arri age And I am eq ually .

sure th at y ou are i ncapab l e of the oth er .

You d o m e j ustice
”
“
he said with a fl ush th at
, ,

m ount ed to his b row .

“
It is only natural to supp ose conti nued her lady ,

shi p
,
“
that the young gi rl m ust in the end becom e
attach ed to y ou if y ou persevere in th ese visits
, Will it .

n ot b e b etter to avoid all furth er c hance of wrong or m is

tak e by di sconti nui ng them altogeth er

He was sil en t for a few m i nutes th en he h eld out his
h and to her with a frank sweet sm il e , .

“
I am q uite at a l oss how to th ank y ou he said , .

Lady Delamaine I wi sh every young man had a sensi bl e

,

fri end lik e y ou .

—
I h ave act ed th oughtl essly that I con
fess with sh am e and sorrow ; b ut I h ave done n o worse .

I will tak e y our advice and pretty Al ice shall not c om e

,

to sorrow th roug h m e .
 A WOM AN TEM P TA TION
’
S
54
.

Spok en lik e yoursel f said Lady Delam aine ;

,

i f a p retty gi rl an d a good gi rl —too good to be l os t

, .

Do n ot m en ti on such a thi ng he said with a sh ud

,
”
,

der the gi rl is p ure and si m pl e as a child ; it would

“

b e cruel even to thi n k of her b ei ng l ost Th an k y ou

.
,

Lad y Delam aine y ou shall see that y ou h ave not s pok en

”
to m e i n vai n.

But d uri n g the rem ai nd er of the day he was abst ract ed

an d ill at ease O f course it m ust b e d one
. Scandal .

m ust n ot t ouch Alic e th rough him Yet rath er th an have

.

told her th at th ey m ust give up all th ei r pl easant i n ter

vi ews and pl easant h ours he woul d h ave faced the m ost
,

d ead ly peril
.
 A WOMAN S TEMP TA TION
'
’
.

CH APTER VIII .

“
W H AT C AN i t an ?

H ubert Ruthven was n ever sl ow to act wh en right de

m anded the acti on He h eard enough th at day to con
.

v i n ce hi m th at his vi sits to Nev erstay had caus ed n o littl e

e xcitem en t and gossip T he fri en d s w ith wh om he went

.

out sh ooti ng m ad e m any i ll usi ons th at he perfectly un de r

s tood ; he was tease d h al f laughed at h al f envi ed ; but

, ,

throug h it all he p reserved the m ost grave an d un c onsci ous

d emean or .He would not for her sak e all ow th em to

thi n k th ey were un d erstood .

He m ust g o on c e m ore an d tell her he had uncon

sc ious ly done her this great wrong and t ell he r th at he ,

w ould not g o often to Nev ers tay for the fut ure ; th at she

m ust forgive him .It was a disagreeabl e thi ng to do still ,

he m us t do it ; an d it would teach him a l ess on for the

fut ure b ut all t hat day th ere was a terribl e weight h ang
i ng over him ; all the gl am our an d b rightn ess that had
m ade the world so fai r was gon e the b rightn ess from the
,

s un shi n e the swee tn ess from the fl owers

, He was on ly .

c on sc i ous of a t erribl e unrest and a vag ue b urd en of

,

s orrow.

He wen t th at m orn ing tQ Nev erstay ,

an d , as was his
5 6 A W OMAN S
’
TEMP TA TION .

cus tom took l un ch at the Arn court Arm s th ere he m et

,

several gen tl em en wh om he k n ew th ey had l un ch and a

gam e of billi ard s and he h eard m ore th an en ough to con
,

vi n ce him that he ought to l ose no ti m e in earry ing ou t his

p rom i se .

H e was congratulated e very where on his con q uest and

on his skill in k eepi ng his secre t Wh en he l ook ed un
.

conscious th ey la ugh ed whe n he grew angry th ey teased

, ,

him in m ost un m erc i ful te rm s u ntil Mr R uthven l ost

,
.

patience th en th ey gravely assured him th at th at was the

worst sym ptom he had sh own y et .

Poor Alice 1 So un c onsci ous with her bi rd s an d fl owers ,

so engrossed with he r n ew an d b eau ti ful li fe how l i ttl e ,

she u n d erst ood th at al ready m en had sat in j udg m e n t

up on her an d p ron ounc e d he r sen tenc e

,
.

He said to hi m se lf th at wh at had to b e d on e sh ould be

done at once ; b ut of all the un fortun ate ti m es for d oi ng it ,

he c hose the eveni ng of a beauti ful Septem b er day .

H e would n ot rid e over to Nev erstay ; th en n o m ore

c ould b e said ab ou t his h orse b ei n g seen h our aft e r h our

at the d oor Fate so ord ered it th at he walk ed through

.
,

the wood s wh en the s un b eam s were dy i ng i n the western

sk y wh en the air was fill ed with the rich arom atic od or of

falli n g l eaves and autum n fl owers wh en the he dges were
searlet w ith b erri es an d the g roun d a c arpe t of gold and
,

red wh en t he b i rd s were si ngi n g th e i r vesp e r hy m n an d a

, ,

h oly cal m had fall en over the earth .

It was eq ually unfort unate th at by the b rook sid e he saw -

53 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA

She l ook ed at him a littl e wi stfully .

I h ave been busy he said for th ose cal m gray eyes , ,

seem ed al m ost to d em an d an an swer Th en her face .

c l eared and a sm il e b eauti ful as th at seen on the face of a

, ,

child cam e to her lips

, .

I th ought th ere m ust be som e reason that was not a

c ruel one I h ope ah how m uch I h ope that y ou will
.
, ,

n ot be so b usy agai n It was so stra nge not to see y ou it

.
,

was lik e b ei ng i n an oth er worl d If I did n ot k n ow dif .

feren tly I sh ould thi nk th at y ou m ad e the sunshi n e b right

, ,

an d the fl owers swe et—for e ve rythi ng has seem ed b right er

an d sweet er sin c e I k n ew y ou ,
.

Has it Alice ? ,
I am very gl ad .

Still this was not m aki ng m uch p rogress with the m at

ter th at b rought him th ere If she would on ly l ook away . .

But the l ovely gray eyes an d the swee t fl ower lik e face -

were t urn ed to him .

”
It is strange she conti n ued m usi ngly
“
,
if I am , ,

read in g a b eauti ful b ook it d oes n ot seem to m e that the ,

sense is c om pl ete un l ess y ou read it too I fin d m ysel f .

al ways wond eri ng what v ou thi n k and wh at y ou w ill say .

Now, i f th ose swee t, ros y lip s, with th i child like

e r -

p rattl e ,
would but t urn awa y ! H ow was he to tell her ?

I never k new conti nued the gi rl that li fe could be

, ,

so b right and b eauti ful as I fin d it I have read grand .

thi ngs of h eaven I am afraid I m ust be very wicked for

.
,

”
I do n ot thi nk h eaven can be any better .
 A WOMAN S ’
TEA/P TA 7 1 01v
'

59

O n ly ,
he sa id ,
“
th ere is n o sorrow an d n o parti ng
"
th ere .

He was l ooki ng at her y et he saw the sweet li ps

not ,

turn d ea thly white an d sp ri ng apart .

3
she repli ed with a sh udder of d read , .

Oh ! th at is a terribl e word I eannot endure it . .

T helittl e brook sang on Could y ou not fan cy she .

,

said th at the b rook was si ngi ng a real t une I could

“
.
,

”
al most p ut word s to it .

“
You are fancilul he said , .

It is y ou who h ave taught m e to be so she repli ed , ,

with a sm il e “
I thi nk y ou h ave taught m e every pl eas
.

ant an d beauti ful thi ng th at I h ave k n own i n m y li fe .

He saw an op eni ng h ere ,

an d it was getti ng ti m e th at he
sa id som e thi ng of his erran d .

We h ave spen t a great d eal of ti m e togeth er he sa id , ,

s l owly
“
I was thi n ki ng to day how m uch and it q uite
.
-
,

”
as ton i sh ed m e .

T he sm ile d eepened i n her ey es an d on her lips .

Yes
”
,
she sa id ; “
b ut I am toni sh ed I have
n ot as .

coun e t d eve r y h our , and ean tell y ou all that has happened
in th em .

Alice, he
id h urri edly I h ave som ethi ng not
sa ,
.

very pl easan t to say toy ou I bl am e my sel f—on ly m yse l f ; .

b ut I am afraid th at I have unconsci ously d one y ou a great

wrong .

She bent forward , looki ng ea er g ly in his fac e .

60 A WOMAN S ’
TEM P TA TION .

You have wronged me / cri ed that is q uite im she

possibl e How could such a thi ng be ?

.

He l ook ed as he felt terribly em barrassed How c ould

, .

he t ell her th at evil m e n said evil thi ng s of her ? T he white

wild lili es th at gre w in the wood s were n ot m ore p ure an d
sp otl ess . Th ere seem ed to be a h al o of p urity around her
that it was piti ful to b reak th rough He d evoutly wi sh ed .

every one c on c ern ed i n thi s un pl easan t b usi ness at sea .

”
I h ardly k n ow how to expl ai n to y ou he said b ut ,

idl e peopl e h ave been com m en ti ng on m y com i ng so often

”
to the sch ool h ouse -
.

Is it the fine ladi es ? she ask ed with a fai n t s m il e , .

Not ex actly he repli ed the m em ory of Lady D e l a

, ,

m ai ne ri si ng before him and seem i ng to d em and j ustice , .

She l ook ed at him m ore eagerly .

“
Who is it th en Mr R uthven —what do th ey say ?
, , .

I t seem s to m e that every on e has i n terfered m ore or

l ess with us he repli ed
,
“
ladi es gen tl emen and every , ,

”
on e el se .

“
But will y ou tell m e wh at th ey say ? she cri ed in an ,

agony of s uspen se .

“
What th ey say is I am al most afraid true he said
, , ,

at l eas t it has m ad e m e very un happy for your sakeeven

, ,

m ore th an my own .

“ ”
For my sak e l she repeated with fast pali ng lips , .

Oh I Mr R uthven what can it be

.
,

Th ere was nothi ng for it b ut to t ell her the ex act truth .

Peopl e say Ali ce that I have been doi ng wrong in

, , ,
 A WOMAN S TEMP TA n ozv ’
.
6,

com ing to see y ou so often My child do not t urn so

.
,

—
white do n ot t rem bl e I th ought no evi l Your soci ety .

was very p l easan t to m e ; your b eauty your purity and ,

,
gra ce had a ch arm for m e an d perhaps I h ave been sel fish
, .

I lik ed b ei ng with y ou an d I forgot all that m ight possibl y

,

happen in the way of scan dal and gossi p .

He spok e h um b ly n ot waiti ng for her answer She did

, .

not speak and he wen t on

I am v ery sorry more sorry than I ca n tel l y ou—

,

— . but
I m us t m end the wrong I have d one The gossi p will .

soon d ie away wh en it is foun d th at, the cause for it n o

.
.

longer exi sts . I m ust give up our p l easant i n terviews ,

Alice th ough we shall al ways I h ope be the best of

,
.

, ,

fri ends .

Th ere was no answer but a sudd en sti r and H ubert saw

, ,

th at the poor gi rl had fall en in a dead swoon at his feet .

6z WOMAN ’
S YEMP TA n ozv .

C HAPTER IX .

VANQUISHE D BY T A E RS .

Terrified and a arm e

l d d roopi ng figure in
,
he d
rai se the

his arm s T he sweet face was so white s o d eathly cold

.
, ,

th at at fi rst a t erribl e fear cam e over him that she was

dead .

He h eld her in his arm s he call ed her nam e b ut th ere

, ,

was no sign of li fe H e cl asp ed her to his h eart as he

.
,

m ight h ave d one a littl e child th en he ki ssed the white

lips .

Alice ! Alice m y d arli n g ! he cri ed

, How she .

m ust h ave l oved m e to care so m uch ! Alic e ! do y ou

h ear m e ? Look up my darlin g ; I did not m ean to be so
,

”
c rue l .

D ear H eaven how beauti ful she was I T he white ey e

,

l id s with th ei r d roopi ng lash es—the l ovely i nnocen t face

, , .

And how she m ust h ave loved hi —

m how d early she m ust
love him wh en the v ery th ought of his l eavi ng her would
,

d rive her i n to the arm s of d eath !

If he c ould b ut ki ss som e col or and warm th i n to the
white face—if he c ould b ut win one word from th ose

s weet lips !
 A WOMAN S ’
TEMPTA TION
3

Alice ! he c ried aga n i ;

“
look up , my darli ng . I
”
am frighte n ed l
Th en the l oved voice seem ed to pierce the d ull ed b rai n
she opened her eyes and wh en she found h e r , sel f cl asped

in his arm s a hot fl ush rose even to the white b row

,
.

Alice he said gently

”
,
how y ou frightened m e
, ,

Did I ? she whispered I rem em b er—y ou said .

y ou m u s t l eave m e Lay m e d own an d let m e d ie

. I a m .

n ot angry ; i f y ou were th oughtl ess so was I an d it was ,

so pl easan t Le t m e d ie I do not ca re to live on e h our

.

l onge r I k now y ou m ust go from m e ; but be ki nd to

.

”
m e fi rst and let m e d ie 1
,

Nay Alic e l he cried charm ed by her si m plicity

“ ”
, , ,

“
her l ove he r t end ern ess
,
I will not l eave y ou ; y ou
.

”
sh all h av e l ove an d li fe n ot d eath , .

But she had escaped from the cl asp of his arm s an d ,

had th rown h erse l f on the g round with her face b uri e d ,

in the l ong d eep grass ,

She sobbed as th ough he r h eart
.

would b reak un til the piti ful sound t ouch ed him so

,

deeply he c ou ld bear it n o l onger .

He k n e lt d own by her sid e He was not the fi rst m an .

vanq ui s h ed by a wom an s tears

’
.

“
Alice he said
,
“
I can not bear it the world m ay do
,

and say what it will b ut I cann ot b ear i t , .

Never whil e he lived did he forget the agon iz ed face

she rai sed to his so full of white d es pai r th at n o word s
,

could d esc ri be .

“
I un d erstand she said h oarsely , You marl l eave , .
64 A WOMAN S ‘
TE MP TA TION .

me . I have been so bli n d and so m ad I forgot It was . .

h eaven to be with y ou and I forgot You are a rich , .

seigne ur the l ord of all around and I am a poor obsc ure

,
z
, ,

gi rl I forgot that in m y m ad ness when I dared to thi nk

.
,

of y ou .

Alice, Alice ! id lis ten to m e he sa ,

“
.

No she con ti nued t urn i ng her white face from him ;

”
, ,

I m ust not li sten You m ust go and I m us t die I .

, .

would n ot live with out y ou if I c ould I would n ot g o .

.

back to that old li fe in which y ou had no share I could .

n ot . H eaven h elp m e ! I could n ot If y ou would on ly .

g o a w ay n ow M r R uthven
,
and l eav e m e here lyi ng
.
,

al on e I sh ould be d ead by m orn i ng light

,
.

But Alic e ,
he said agai n,
“
y ou m us t n ot d ie , .

Wh at el se is th ere l eft for m e she said bitterly , , .

I am not reproachi ng y ou I had rath er my lips were .

b urned th an th ey sh ould ev e r utter one word of reproach

agai nst y ou Why sh ould they ? What ean th ey say ?
—
.

Yo were
u ki n d to m e an d I— I the sun light of your
,

p resen ce d az z l ed m e ; I was weak and foolish enough to

thi n k about y ou It is all my fault I am ready to suffer
. .

the pen alty but as for aski ng m e to go back to my old li fe ,

to the q ui et h om e my fath er s l ove m y every day d uties

, ,
-

”
I could n ot do it .

A pass iona te sh udd er sei z ed her ; a pass i onate m urm ur

of unspok en anger passed over her li ps .
.

— —
But Alice Ali ce wh at shall y ou do? he sa id
,
.

”
I shall seek for d eath and find it ! she cried with a ,
66 A WOMAN S ’
TE M P TA TION .

few m i nutes, l ost in s uc h a trance of h appi ness that word s

could n ot exp ress .

Your wi fe Mr R uthven she said agai n

,
. Oh how , .
,

good how n obl e y ou are ! If I live for y ou and d ie f or

, ,

ou s h all I e ver b e abl e to th an k y ou for your l ove ? Whv

y , ,

a q ueen m ight be p roud of it and I am on ly p oor an d ,

h um bl e .

You are every thi ng to m e he said He had n o , . .

th ought of his uncl e s warn i ng He on ly rem e m b ered

’
.

th at the l ove li est the sweetest the m ost l ovi ng of gi rl s had

, ,

given him her h eart .

Th ey saw no l onger the wood s of Neverstay ; the littl e

b rook sang to d eaf ears ; the dy i ng sunbeam s fell on th em
lik e a bl essi ng all the pai n and the sorrow were for
gotten ; all the sense of dispari ty and the world s sn ee rs ’

all Lord Am c o t s c o
u r un se s
’
—
l th ey only rem em b ered that
th ey l oved each oth er and th at nothi ng in this world s h ould
,

divid e th em .

Th ey were not roused from th e i r happy trance un t il the

gl oam i ng fad ed and the wi n d bl ew c old from the pi n e
,

trees ; th e n H ubert said

My d arli ng Al ice I could li nger h ere forever b ut v ou

,

”
m ust g o h om e .

It was with a new sense of protecti on that he offered her

his arm .

You m ust tak e d oubl e care of yoursel f n ow ,

he sa id ,

“
for y ou bel ong to m e .

Wh en th ey reach ed h om e ,
he sa id to he r, su dd en l y :
 A W O IAA
A TE AIP TA
'

f ’
S 67

Alice, h ll
s a y ou m i n d k eepi ng our sec re t un til I have
h eard from m y un cl e
She cl ung a littl e cl oser to his arm .

“
Will y our uncl e be angry —wi ll he try to tak e y ou
”
away from m e ? she ask ed .

My unc l e is such a strange old bachel or I ca n never ,

”
te ll what he is li k ely to do said H ubert with a c on fused
, ,

l gh
au
“
bu y ou
t w ill g t
ra n m y req u es t A lic e— k ee p,

wh at has passed a profoun d sec ret be tween us unti l I tel l

”
y o u wh at m y u n cl e sa ys .

She prom i sed and in the silver light of a south ern m oon
,

he ki ssed her agai n calling her his own p rom i se d wi fe

,
.

Yet d espite the gl am our of l ove s y oung d ream as he

’

, ,

walk ed h om e to Nev erstay he shivered with d oubt as with

cold an d was al m ost afraid to own to hi m sel f th at he had
,

do n e a v e ry fo o li s h t hi ng —o n e t hat he m igh t reg re t to th e

last h our of li fe .
68 A WOMAN S TEMP TA n o” ’
.

?
g a s)

C HAPTE R X .

Tut u n e us ALL Tv H INGS .

Had he done a wise or fooli sh

d eed ? S uch a q uesti on
shoul d not occur to a t ri um ph an t l over b ut it did to him , .

His h eart was heating with t ri um ph his p ulse th rill ed at

the mem ory of her ten d er words and look s his soul
seemed m ov ed to its very d e pth s ; his fac e was fl ush ed .

As he rode th rough the woodl and s he call ed her n am e ,

al oud — “
Alic e R uthven y e t d espit e his rapt ure d
, e s pit e ,

the t ri um ph ant the warm b eati ng of his h eart the h appy ,

love som ethi ng whispered to him th at he had n ot d one

,

a wi se deed .

So m e w r —
o d s n ot the l ove song of a poet n or the fe rvid
-
,

p rose of a novel ist bu t the sensibl e word s of a phil osoph er

,

—came to him He c ould n ot rem em ber th em as thev

.

were written b ut th ey seem ed to b e fl oati ng in his m i n d

, .

Som ethi ng of a young m an s fooli sh fan cy m i stak en for

’

—
l ove somethi ng of the h eart s un di scipli ned desi res and
’

the fever call ed fi rst l ove He drew the rei ns as he rod e

.

und er the li m es S om e on e el se had w ritten that l ove

.

m ad e or m arred a li fe ; was his to be m ad e by thi s wild

fever th at fl ush ed his ch eek s and m ad e his h an d s trem bl e ?
—should he be a n obl er wi ser m an for this hot passion
,
 A WOMAN S ’
r an/ p m n o” .
69

whi ch had so powerfully swayed him - woul d l ife be more

full of bl e ai ms h eaven any nearer ?

no ,

”
Ti me will sh ow he answered hi msel f ; time proves
“
,

all thi ngs .

He fl ung th ose thoughts to the winds i low beaut iful .

she was thi s girl who loved him so ! How b right the
,

bl ue eyes were th at look ed into his own how sweet and ,

sensibl e the t rem b li ng li p ; how natural she was how ,

si m pl e how free from all g ui le ; how different t o the

,

worldly wom en and arti fic ially trai ned girl s he ha d k nown

how dearly she loved him l And after all what was t o , ,

be com pared to a l oving gentl e heart ? ,

He ought to be proud of his c onq uest t obe love d for ,

h im sel f without any reference to his wealth his position,

, ,

his titl e What could he ask better ?

.

“
I have won the sweetest face and the truest heart in
Engl and for my own he sai d
—
.
,

Yet there was a doub t upon him a doubt he could not

solve or understand .

Wh en he reac h ed hom e he found cards on the library ,

"
tabl e .
“
T he D uk e of Ormescombc “
Captain Reid , ,

”
M ajor F ullarton .

You have had visitors during my absence, he laid

to the butler .

“
Yes , sir ; the D uk e of Orm escombe, and some m ili
tary gentlem en . I placed the eards where y ou m ight
"
see th em .

He felt a g reat anx iety to see '

t he duk e , so much had

 70 A W OMAN S ’
TE M P TA TIOA ’
.

b een id
sa p raise of him He was a m an em i nen t for
in .

his s tatesm an lik e q ualiti es for his g reat good sense and
,

m od erati on All parti es l ook ed up to him w ith respect

.

and ad m i rati on H is wi fe too was c on sid ered on e of the

.
, ,
'

m ost a ccom pli sh ed and el egan t of wom en The D uch ess .

of O rm escom be was the pat ron ess of eve ry charity worth

pat ron iz i ng Her very nam e peopl e said carri ed a bl ess

.
, ,

i ng with it There was n o l ady in E ngl and m ore ad m i red

.

or esteem ed .

Th en the d uk e s d aughter Lady Isora Morelton

’

H ubert had n ever m et her b ut he had h eard of her ,

graceful l oveli ness He re m em bered with a sm il e th at

.

one paper had call ed her the fai rest star of Vict ori a s Court
’
.

He had seen a p ortrait of her once wh en she with som e , ,

of the n obl est and fai rest l adi es o f the l and omciated as ,

b rid e m aid to a charm i ng an d l ovely pri ncess But the

-
.

p ortrai t had given n o fai r idea of her He h eard m any .

p eopl e l augh at the noti on of it beari ng even ever so

slight a resem bl anc e to Lad y I sora .

He felt som e littl e c uriosity to see her p ri nc ipally ,

because his un cl e had spok en of her with such enth usi asm
—th at of all E ngl and Lord Arncourt had said she woul d
, ,

m ak e him the b es t and fai rest the m ost suitabl e w fe

i ,

possibl e to find He rem em b ered the words as he stood

.

th ere h oldi ng the card s in his h and .

After all he said to hi msel f

. it is all n onsense No , .

”
m an can t e ll the ki n d of wi fe suitabl e to anoth e r .

tcd hi m self f or it y et he c oul d n ot h elp the

'
,
 A 1 7:11p m n on: 7,

—
th oug ht wou ld i t hav e been better Err him a
s hav e wai ted
u n ti l he ln d seen Lady Is om b efore m ak ing
, an y on e e lse

an offe r of m arri age ? Then he tram p led the i da un der

foot . He sa id to him s elf that i t m d i sloy al . What m

Lady Is ora in c om parison w ith that fair ,
in n oc en t gi rl

w hose whi te arm s had been c lz s ned aroun d his neck ,

wh ose sw eet lips had touche d h s own i

.

That sam e ev en ing be fore he wen t to re st he wrote

, ,

w ha t he ealled a v e ry d i p lom atic le tte r to Lord Am oonrt .

H e on ly s u pposed the u s e an d did not w ri te bold lr

,
~

“
I hav e see n a young gi rl p oor ob sc ure an d nu , ,

k nown b ut l ove ly an d good She l ov es m e an d I l ove

,
.
,

her . May I m an y her ?

He k n e w the dis pos iti on of his u n cl e too we ll to wri te
in such a st ra i n He s i m ply sa id
.

You are anxious for m e to m an y I k n ow S uppose , .

that I m et h ere a gi rl w ith out fort une or birth an d I fell ,

in l ove with her w h at s h ould y ou say to s uch an e n ga ge

,

m e n t as th at ? S uppos i n g that I w rote an d t old y ou th at

the h appi n ess of m y wh ol e li fe d epe n d ed on it Be sure .

ou an swer m e for I w is h to k n ow
y ,
.

Wh en that l etter was written and s en t he fe lt easi er in

his m i n d Th en on the foll owi ng m orn i ng he th ought to
.

hi m sel f th at he was b oun d i n e tiq uette to g o over to Hernely

C ourt an d return the d uk e s v isit
’

As he rod e ag ai n th roug h the sun lit fragran t wood with , ,

the perfum e of wild fl owe rs floati ng roun d him all his ,

d oubts d isap peared T he l oveli est gi rl in E ng land l oved

.
7 2 A WOMAN ’
S TEM P TA TION .

Aim for his own sak e— not b eca use he was som e day or

oth er to b e Lord Arn c ourt—the s weet t rue ten d er h eart , ,

th at was all his own No won d e r the sun sh one and the
.

bi rd s sang ; n o wond e r that the earth seem ed very fai r .

! i ngs had often sigh ed for s uch a t reasure as he had won ,

y e t n e ve r obtai n ed it H ow h e w i sh ed thi s vi s it to Hern el

.
y
C ourt was en d ed th at he m ight g o over to Nev e rstay l She
,

would be sitti ng u nd er the appl e bl ossom s waiti ng for hi m ,

the s un sh i n ing on he r gold en h ead and such l ove in her ,

ev es as m ight w in Peri s from the gat es of Paradi se .

H e forg ot Lady I sora her nam e h ardly occ urred to him

d uri ng th at rid e He reach e d Hernely C ourt at l as t only
.
,

to h ear that the D uk e of O m esc om b e was not at h om e .

.

H e l ook ed slightly di sapp oi n ted thi n ki ng to hi m sel f this ,

w ould n ec ess itate an oth e r l on g j ourn ey T he foot m an told .

him t z at the d uch ess was at h om e an d di sengaged Mr . .

R uthven ente red an d was shown i n t o a m agn ificen t d raw

,

ing room wh ere her g rac e of O rm escom b e was s itti ng

-
,

al on e .

She welc om ed him m ost ki n dly and he felt at h ome w ith ,

he r at on c e H ers was the very p rfecti on of hig h b reed

.
e

ing— the cal m sweet t ran q uil e l egan c e that i nstan tly p u ts
, ,

e very one at ease Mr R uthven felt a g reat adm i rati on

. .

for her . Th en she talk ed to him so sensibly about the

coun t ry and all m atters of i nterest con nected with it about
hi m sel f— his positi on his h opes H ubert foun d hi msel f
, .

talki ng to her confid en tly h appily as he had n ever talked , ,

to a l ady b efore .
 A WOMAN ’
S TEM P TA TION
74 .

I can on ly h ope y ou will n ot thi n k me very t e-

r

m i ss, he id ;
sa
“
the fact is that the word —
to m orrow
”
sen t m e off at a tangent . ly poss ibl e Th en ,
as the on

m eans of atoni ng for his rud e ness he add ed : “

I cannot ,

tell your gra ce with how m uch pl easure I accept your in

”
vita tion .

Th at is well she repli ed and he saw th at she was

, ,

pl eased . The d uk e has gone to sh ow our vi sitors the

ru i n s of G ore Abb ey ; they are said to b e very fin e I for .

g ot t o ask y ou ; d o y o u k n ow Lady I sora m y daught er , ,

Mr R uthven
.

I h ave n ot th at pl easure he rep li ed , .

M ost of our guests are ridi ng with the d uke Lady .

Isora is withth em T o m orrow I will i ntrod uce y ou to her

.
-
.

He add ed a few com pli m en tary words and th en went

away sati sfied w ith his vi sit and l eavi ng the D uchess of
,

Orm escom be eq ually pl eased .

 A WOMAN S TEM P TA TIOIV’
.
75

C HAPTER XI .

T HE PA S SING C L O UD .

It was w i th x lt
an e u an t sen se of freed om th at he gall oped
o to t e s oo h ouse at Nev erstay
ff h ch l -
. He rem em bered the

gossip about his horse standi ng at the d oor bu t he on ly ,

laugh ed at it .

Peopl e w ill soon see what it m ean s he sai d an d ,

“

th en th ey will und erstand why I h ave been so often .

T he sch ool m aster was b usy with his cl asses H ub ert .

l ook ed i n to the sch ool room it was hot an d cl ose th ough

-
,

the frag ran c e of m ign on ette fl oat ed i n the ope n wi n d ows .

Mr Lutt rell l ook ed ti red and the n oi se of the chi ld ren was
.
,

slightl y c on fusi n g .

I nvol un tarily H ubert R uthven th ought to hi m sel f how

di stasteful such a li fe of l ab or m ust be ; how wearisom e ,

how t ryi ng to see the sunshi n e the g reen m ead ows the
, , ,

sh ad y wood s y et to b e ti ed to the d esk aft er th at fashi on

, .

Thank H eaven no work ti es m e he said to hi m se l f ; ,

”
I sh ould bear it ill .

Th en Mr L utt rell said som ethi ng to him and H ubert

.
,

repli ed pl easan tly No m an ever lived who was l ess sus

.

p ic iou s th an th e sch ool m as t er .

“
It is a warm day Mr R uthven he said
,
. an d y ou
, ,
“
76 A WOMAN ’
S TE M P TA TI ON .

look ti re d . Go i n t o the h ouse —Alic e will give y ou som e

l em onad e .

T he very word has a refres hi n g soun d , sa id H ub e rt .

I sh all wan t a l on g talk wit h y ou som e day soon, Mr .

L uttrell .

T he ch ool master th ought he m ean t on

s m atters c on

n ec ted with the sch ool he b owed gravely .

“
I am at y our service any ti m e Mr R uthven he re , .
,

p li ed an d H ub e rt s i ngi n g softly to hi m sel f

, the old Sc otch
song My l ove sh e s b ut a l assi e y et went i n to the ”
’
“
, ,

h ouse .

He k new she would b e i n the gard en T he c ool sh ad y .

,

room s were all em pty the white l ac e c urtai n s m oved in ,

the wi nd the fl owers in the vases were all fresh an d fra

,

gran t He wen t c ut at the l ong F re nch wi nd ow Oh !

. .

how fai r and swee t it was fairer with all th ose old fashi on ed ,
-

fl owers Th ere were the appl e bl ossom s pi nk and white

.
, ,

an d fragra n t an d u nd ern eath th em the l ovely sm ili ng fac e

, ,

th at had beguil ed his h eart from him .

She s prang up , w ith a glad c ry of welom e .

“
I th ought y ou would com e 1 she sa id .

C om e m y d arli ng ? why of c ourse I sh ould com e

, , .

Whe re el se sh ould I g o? You m ay rely upon it th at

wh erever y ou are I shall com e .

“
T he m orn i ng is beauti ful 1 It was bright before ;
so

it seem s d oubl y b right now Th ere m ust b e som e m agi c .

abou t y ou Mr R uthven ; the m om en t y ou com e i n sight

,

,
.
 A W OMAN S TEMP TA TI ON ’
.

77

the sunshi n e is full of gold , an d the air of m us ic ,

ch
su a
”
su b tl e ch ange com es over the wh ol e earth .

He sm il ed th ough his h eart was m oved to its very

,

depth s .

Th ose are your fanci es swee t , .

You l ook ti red sit d own h ere and I will get som e
thi ng for y ou It seem s to m e al m ost a sin to spend th ese
.

gold en day s i ndoors .

He never forgot the graceful littl e figure trippi ng

ab out him the sum pt uous repast that she had p repared for
,

him und er the appl e bl ossom s Th ere were large g reen .

leaves i nstead of gold en pl ate fill ed with ripe and j uicy ,

strawberri es ripe peach es and n ec tari nes a b un ch of p urpl e

, ,

g ra p e s,
a gl ass of cl ear sparkli ng l em onad e ripe ch er
, ,

ri es full o f j uice He l ook ed i n am az e at the white sl end er

.
,

fingers arrangi ng the beauti ful fruit .

Why Alice he said

,
thi s is fit for a ki ng
, ,
“
.

It is for a ki ng she said — “ ”

for my ki ng ; and wh en
,

he c om es to visit m e surely he m ust h ave the best I can

,

offer him .

She watch ed him whil e he d ra n k the cl ear cool ,

lem

ouad e .

Do y ou lik e it ? k ed
she as .

I sh ould be di ffic ult to p lease if I did not . Certai n ly

I m ad e it she said shyly the b l ue eyes l ooki ng in

, , ,

tensely at him “
I sh all l earn to m ak e every thi ng y ou
.

lik e Mr R uthven
, .
73 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TION .

He laugh ed ; id ea of
a h l oud
is w i fe the fthe
ut ure ,

m istress of Nev ersleig h m aki ng l em onad e am used him

, ,

greatly S udd enly he stopped and his l aughter di ed away

.
,
.

It was j ust p ossibl e th at if he m ad e this gi rl his wi fe the

abb ey m ight n ev er be his at all She l ook ed at him . .

Why do y ou laugh th en l ook

,
so grave she as k ed .

I was won d eri ng, Alice, wh eth er y ou would l ove m e

as well if I were a poor m an—poor enough to be obliged
to work —as y ou l ove m e n ow that y ou beli eve m e h ei r of
Nev ersleig h
“
Certai n ly she repli ed very p rom ptly
, What di ffer ,
.

ence would th at m ak e to l ove ? It would m ak e a great

di ffe rence to com fort th ough ,
.

”
In what way ? he as k ed ,
som ew a h t p i d
s ur r se .

I sh ould b e frightened to d eath at that big h ouse .

Why the very servan ts th ere

,
are g ran d er th an the fin es t
”
p eopl e I h ave ever k n own .

“
Oh Alice l
,
”
he cri ed i n vol un tarily
, .

"
It true T he h ousek ee per l ooks lik e a d uch ess
is .
,

an d the m aid s lik e

My d arli ng did y ou ever see a d uch a s he ask ed i n

, ,

a ton e of g rave rem on stra n c e with the m em ory of th at ,

s tat ely l ady he had j ust l e ft up on him .

No I do not
k now th at I ever did was the candid ,

reply . But I h ave an id ea th at all d uch esses are very

grand and stately som ethi ng lik e Mrs Seld on She alwqy r
, .

wears a bl ack sati n d ress and a gold en ch ai n .

 A WOMAN S TEM P TA TION ’
.

79

The h ousek ee per ! Ah well Alice y ou have notic ed , , ,

m ore than I have d on e .

She l augh ed an d poured out an oth er glass of l em onade

, .

He c ould not tell how it was b ut her words had j arred ,

upon He was 10 th to adm it it even to himse l f In ,

s pit e of the i r ad ora bl e si m plicity th ere seem ed to hi m ,

som ethi n g vu lgar ab out th em n ot to understan d the dif ,

ferenc e b etween the dign ity of a d uch ess and the starch ed
“

”
estat e of a h ousekee per to find the acm e of spl en dor in
,

a blac k sati n d ress and a g old c hain He sh udd ered a .

little th oug h she was so l ovely and so l ovi ng

, .

You wi ll see what a d uch ess is li k e som e day Ali ce , ,

”
he said th en y ou ca n j ud ge better .

She was l ooki ng at him with earn est eyes—so earn es t ,

he wond ered a litt le .

I vex ed y ou j us t now she said gen tly , I do not , .

k now what it is but I feel sure th at I have said som ethi ng

,

”
th at has n ot p l eased y ou .

He was abou t to d eny it b ut she laid her whi te h an d

,

on his lip .

I k now it d ear ; I k now every li n e on your face ; if

,

a b right th ought fl as h es th rough y our m i n d I read it ; ,

i f it is a gl oomy on e I read it ; an d a few m i n utes s i nce

,

a cl oud j us t a l i ttl e c l oud passed ove r y our fac e an d I

, , ,

k new s om e carel ess word had brought it th ere Do y ou .

”
k now th at I would rath er d ie t han v ex y ou P
T he sweet red lips q uivered and the bl ue ey es fill ed ,

with tears .
 A WOAIAN S YE AIP TA TIOIV ’
.

My d arli ng he c ri ed cl aspi ng her in his arm s ; ,

”
i f y ou d o th at I sh all n ev er forgive m y sel f
, .

“
But y ou were j ust a l ittl e di sapp oi n ted or vex ed at
”
som ethi ng I said ?

He ki ssed her over and over agai n .

You c ould not v ex m e d arli ng he said an d at that

”
, ,

m om en t she l ook ed so b eauti ful he reall y b eli eved wh at

he said . You c ould n ot v ex m e for y our word s are
“
,

”
sweet an d g rac eful as y oursel f

He forgot the passi n g cl oud She was very q ui e t for .

a few m i n ut es after an d cl ung to him with a wi st ful

,

ten d ern ess th at t ouch ed his h eart i n exp ressibly .

“ ”
I sh all b egi n from n ow
. she said an d l earn eve ry
, ,

thi ng th at will pl ease y ou Sh al l I eve r be as cl ever as a .

”
fin e l ady I wond er ?
,

Alice d arli ng d o n ot say fin e l ady th ere is a s oun d

, ,

ab out it th at I do n ot lik e A l ady is al way s a l ady and ,

can n ever be
’
fin e

She i n t errupt ed him .

”
Than k y ou for t eachi ng m e th at she said I shall , .

al ways rem em b er it If y ou w ill on l y te ll m e wh at an n oys

.

y o u
,
I w ill b e so c areful .

Th en he rem em b ered th at i nnate re finem en t was the

on ly t rue teach er an d his c orrecti on s we re after all use
, , ,

l ess H e contented hi m sel f by ki ssi ng the swee t flower

.
,

lik e fac e an d spen di ng the rest of the sunshi ny m orning

,

in talki ng ab out love .

 A WOMAN S TE M P TA TIOM
’
83

is Lady Isora and very beauti ful , , she could not l ove y ou

as I do it wou ld be i m possibl e .

What young m an was ever untouch ed by th ose words ,

whi spered in the sweetest of voices with a face lik e a sum ,

m er fl ower bendi ng over him .

My d arli ng y ou need n ot fear ! I did not wi sh to go

,

at all but I was c om pe ll ed to p rom i se

, All the Lady .

Isoras i n the world are nothi n g to m e com pared to y ou , .

I lov e y ou no one el se , .

T he ti m e was to com e wh en he would rem em ber th ose

word s .

Som e h ours later he st ood one of a brilliant num ber of ,

gu es ts i n th,e Her n e ly d rawi n g room s His th oughts were -

.

still rath er in a m az e still with the sweet face und er the,

appl e bl ossom s he wen t th rough the usual i n troduction s

,

in the usual way .

Soci ety is alway s alik e , g o w h ere ou will ,

y he thought .

The d uk e was exc ee di n gly pl ease d to see h —

im the
future l ord of Neversleigh Abbey was the m ost i m portant
person in the neigh borh ood T he d uch ess was m ost .

affabl e ki nd and graci ous di stributi ng her sm il es and

, , ,

words as a good h ostess sh ould to all i ndi sc ri m i nately

, , .

H ubert was li sten i ng with som e am usem ent to an argu

men t between two officers wh en Lady Isora entered the
room . He was not thi n k ing of her at that m om en t ; but
by the slight sti r and the excited atten ti on on every face
, ,

he saw th at som ethi ng out of the c om m on way had hap

 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TION .
33

pened . H eari ng the rustl e of a d ress he t urned round ,

an d for the fi rs t ti m e in his li fe saw Lady I sora Morelton .

A ta ll beauti ful q ueen ly vi si on with rippli ng h ai r and

, , ,

bright eyes with lips perfect as th ose of a G reci an god dess

, ,

an d a fac e of the rarest pat rici an b eauty He did n ot know .

what her d ress was b ut th at it was som ethi ng white and

,

s hi n i ng an d fe ll lik e a l um i nous cl oud ab out her ; an d

,

the whit e pearls she wore were no whit er th an the graceful

n ec k and roun d ed arm s ; she had the p retti est sh oes her ,

l o v w re a m arve l of art her j ewel ed fan was pe rfec ti on;

g es e ,

and as she m oved t hrough the room it seem ed as th ough ,

a rippl e of light an d s ubtl e p erfum e foll owed her .

He had seen b eauti ul wom ef n — pretty gi rl s h and som e ,

a u —
m tro s but no on e lik e her She was un iq ue
. Th en .

i t seem ed to him the sunshi ne was daz z li ng him ; he felt

g id d y a n d fai n t a
,s th ough som e st rong p erfum e had p assed
over him — it was Lady I sora s m ili ng as the duch ess i n tro
d ce
u d h i m — but he was al m ost too b ewild ered to kn ow
what to say .

For a m an of the world it was strange Perh aps Lady .

Isora was accust om ed to produce thi s effect upon peopl e ,

for she did n ot rem ark i t .She talk ed to him un til the
daz z l e of her b eauty we re away and th en he answered
,

back .

But he sm il ed to hi m sel f afterward wh en she seated

h ersel f in a cri mson velvet f aufeuzl an d on e by one all
’

, ,

the
“
best m en in the room gath ered round her She .

was so lik e som e gorgeous young q ueen surroun d ed by

34 A WOMAN S TE M P TA TION’
.

her court that he sm il ed to hi msel f as he rem e m b ered

,

his uncl e s word s

’
.

“
As th ough I c ould win her he said to hi m se l f , .

Why a ki ng m ight woo such a wom an and woo in

, ,

vai n . Win her a gi rl so peerl ess so gi fted wh ose sm il es

, , ,

No it was n ot p ossibl e
”
seem ed to m ak e Ed en ! .

—
She was n ot worldly n ot a m ere soci ety m od el T he .

d uch ess by a m ost graceful gesture and hal f a word

, ,

srg m fied to Mr R uthve n th at he was to tak e he r d aught e r

.
,

d own to di n ner She l aid her h an d on his arm and he

.
,

th ought of the littl e h and s th at had cl ung th ere so sh ort a

i
t me s i n c e—th ought of sweet Alice L utt rell and sighed , .

Lady I sora look ed up at him with a s m il e .

”
G oi ng down to di nn er with a sigh 1 she said .

Mr R uthven th at is un usual
.
, .

She was l aughi ng so fran kly th at he fe lt q uit e at ease ,

with her .

T he cause of the s igh is un usual I can didl y ad m it ,

he repli ed .

“
I m ust n ot ask wh at it is she said , .

No ; I m ust p ray y ou n ot for if y ou told m e to do ,

anythi ng Lady I sora, I sh ould be c om p ell ed to do it ;

,

an d in thi s case it would not b e j udici ous

, .

Th en I will b e gen erous an d n ot ask she said , , .

It was no ex aggerati on to say th at she charm ed him .

H ow could he h ave b een so fooli sh as to thi nk all wom en

art ifici al an d i n an e ? Why she was b righte r th an any on e,

he had ever m et ; she rem i nd ed him of the g i rl in the

L
i
“
 A WOMAN S ’
TE M P TA n ow .
35

fai ry tale wh ose

lips on ly opened to d rop di am ond s and
,

pearls ; she was el oq uen t witty b rilliant an d d e lightful

, , , .

He foun d hi msel f wond eri n g wh om she would m arry ,

what d esti ny would be high en ough for her Again he .

,

foun d hi m sel f won d eri ng wiz a/ she would have said an d ,

how he sh ould h ave fared if Ire bad 6am f r ee towoo 1m “

.

”
She would n ot h ave cared for m e he th ought It , .

would n ot have b een p ossibl e she is a b rilli an t star and ,

I am not worthy of her .

He hardly rem em bered how the n ight passed ; it seemed

to him th at he wok e up from a t ra nce w h en he reach ed

h om e and found hi m sel f on ce m ore am id the fam iliar

,

scen es of Neversleig h Abb ey .

It was anoth er day before the answer from Lord Arn

court eam e and th en the cool cyn ical wick ed word s
, , ,

m ad e the young m an s face fl ush with anger an d his

’

heart b eat with pai n .

I wond er my d ear neph ew that y ou sh ould waste

, ,

g oo d i n k an d p ap e r i n aski n g m e such a q uesti on I .

an swer it If y ou were ever so far to for e t wh at is d ue

,
‘
g

to m e an d to y oursel f as to c ontem pl ate suc h a m arri age ,

I would disi nh erit y ou at once I sh ould not wait an .

h our ; th ere is no d oubt about it Anoth er thi ng is th at .

,

a p oor obsc ure gi rl wou ld n ot e x pect m arri age

, I n eed .

say n o m ore I h ear won d ers of the Lady I sora an d

.
,

sh all be gl ad to k n ow th at y ou ad m i re her N 0 m ore .

A wi se m an l ooks before he l eaps

”
folly H ubert
, . .
86 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TION .

C H APTER XIII .

wi ta r S H ALL us
'
Do ?

H ubert R uth ven read his uncl e s letter with a feel ing of
’

som ethi ng like di strac ti on he c ould n ot h elp feeli ng a

d i slik e a rep ul si on for the m an who c oul d so c oolly sug
, ,

g es t i nj us t
. ic e

Not exp ect m arri age ! he cried “

Why I would not
.
,

s tai n m y soul with the b light of a fai r li fe lik e tha t for all
”
the wealth of the world .

H e fel t in dignan t . V ice is n ot al ways welcom e to the

o u n g the h ope ful the sang ui ne ; any am oun t of rom anc e
y , , ,

of poetry eve o
,
n f n n —
onse se b ut vice it sh oc k s and j ars , .

B ri ng cl ouds of sorrow and s ham e to that l ove ly face ?

No n ot o f r a h un d red e ar ld om s l—n ot for ki ngd om s l
”

Wh atever else h appens he said to hi m se l f I am a

, ,

m an of h on or and it will n ot b e I
,

T he m att er lay very cl early b efore him He k new per .

fectly well th at if he did m arry Alic e L uttre ll he wou l d

n ever succeed his u n cl e he would l ose N ev ersleig h Ab bey
an d the fort une that he had be en ta ught to c onsid er his

own ; he would h ave n o p ros p ect be fore him b ut bare ,

b l eak poverty Lord Arn court would neve r pardon such a

m arriage .
 A WOMAN S TEMP TA TI ON ’
.
37

He m us t ch oose between the two did

,
an d , though he
n ot k n ow it it was a c ertai n sign th at he was n ot v ery
,

d eeply in l ove or he would n ot h ave h esitated an i nstan t

,

ki ngs h ave th rown away a ki ngd om before n ow for l ove .

On the day foll owi ng he rece ive d an oth er l etter from his
uncl e m ore cyn ical m ore rep ul sive even th an th fi rs t
, , e , .

“
I th ought it better wrote Lord Arn court to sup
,
”
,

pl em ent m y l etter by a few rem arks Peopl e rqy th e re is .

n o m an so fooli sh as a cyn ic I do not thi n k so Th at I

. .

can sneer and sneer we ll at m y fe ll ow c reat ur

, , es is to m e -
,

a m atter of great se l f c ongrat ul ati on -

H owever that is .
,

besi de the m atter Wh at I want to say to y ou is thi s Do

.

n ot b e m i sl ed by an
y ab surd id e a a b o u t l o v e C redit m e .
,

all wom en are alik e six m ont hs after m arri age y ou will
n ot care wh eth er ou m arri e d the wom an o u f n ci d y ou
y y a e r

sel f dyi ng for or on e q u ite i n di fferen t

, What y ou young .

m en eall l ove and thi nk h al f-

, divi ne is b ut a feve r—a ,

fooli sh fretti ng fever

, It al ways wears out Now if thi s
. .
,

—
be the ease and y ou have the word of a phil osoph er for
it—why p ut yourse l f out of the way ? If it cann ot p ossibly
m atter wh at wom an y ou m arry why n ot ch oose on e who
can b ri ng y ou wh at y ou wan t—
,

di s ti ncti on high c onn ec .

ti on p olitieal i n flue nce—who can m ateri ally advan ce y ou r

,

i nterests in li fe ? Why th row yourse l f away upon on e who ,

instead of b ri ngi ng y ou anythi ng l owers y ou soci ally and , ,

mak es y ou ash am e d of yoursel f every h our of y our li fe ,

afte r the fi rs t fooli sh enchan t m en t is over ? I have m et

m any m en i n m y li fe wh om I h ave pit ed b ut n one wh om ,
33 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA 7 1 0 111 .

I piti ed so m u ch as the m an who has m arri ed an ill b red

-

wom an .

O f c ourse , m y
d ear H ubert th ese are b ut littl e hi n ts
,

th at I th rowout for your consid erati on You are at p er .

feet lib e rty to ch oose for y oursel f: You have b een b rought
up to
h d e r y ou rsel f m y h e i r If y ou sh ould p re
. fe r thi s

ki nd of m arri age by all m ean s m arry I do not lik e E ric

, .

Chilvers b ut on thi s sc ore I sh ould fee l perfectly safe with

,

him .

I sh all ll ud e to thi s m atter agai n unl ess I h ear

n ot a ,

from y ou th at y ou p refer m arri age to an i n h eri tance I .

sh all c on sid er th at com m on sense has guid e d y ou an d y ou ,

h ave given up all such absurd id eas .

”

H ub e rt R uthven read thi s l etter with even g reater dis

satifac tion th an the form er one But if he had felt the.

d evoted passi onate l ove for Alice Luttrell that he had

,

i m agi n ed hi m sel f to feel he would n ot have h esitated one

,

m om en t ; b ut over thi s l ove i n his own m i nd th e re was

, ,

al ways a d oubt— a h al f l i n geri ng d oubt he c ould n e ith er

-

expl ai n n or u n d erstan d .

Wh en he was with her her fasci nati on com pl etely con

,

q uered him he rem em berednothing except that he l oved

her and th at she was the fai rest and m ost l ovi ng creat ure
,
.

Away from her, reason had full s way he c ould d oubt and
wond er wh eth er the d ream was a wi se one—wh eth er the
spell would h old .

O n ly a few sh ort week s ag o, an d he was b right h ap py

, ,
90 A WOM 4 ’
. VS
’
TE MPTA TION .

Ah, m e I gi rlsa If the world were b ut l ess

id the .

g rave — if li fe we re m ore lik e thi s sum m er m orn i ng

“
It ough t to b e al ways a sum m er m orni n g to y ou be ,

So it will b e i f m y hi nes she answere d l ooki ng

'

,
s un s , ,

th lov ing
,
y
e es .

charm beginn i ng to work

the old .

Wom en ought n ot to h ave such b eauti ful eyes ,

th ought the poor young fell ow What can a man d o? .

She was p oi n ti n g with her white h an d to a beaut1ful

will ow t ree t hat had d roope d over the b rook .

”
“
Un d er the sh ad e of t hat will ow she said “
th ere is , ,

the p retti est c oz i es t n ook i n the world

,
I h ave been sit .

ti ng th ere un til the water sung m e to sl eep Let us go .

th ere H ow n ice it m ust be to own a real wood lik e thi s

.
,

"
wh e re n o tressp assers ca n c om e 1
H e foll owe d her an d th ey sat un d er the b ran ches of the
,

d roopi ng will ow the lit tl e b rook sang so sweet ly to th em

bright e yed bi rd s sang a few n otes l ook ed at th em fear
-
,

l esl y th en flew away the fl owers b l oom ed aroun d th em

, ,

an d the frag ran t wi n d whi spered of l ove .

H ow b eauti ful 2 said Alice

"
“
Oh H ub ert do not .
, ,

waste th ese sun ny hours talki ng ab out y our c old seri ous ,

m atters do l earn a l esson from the bi rd s an d the

fl owers !
“
And talk to y ou of n othi n g b ut l ove he repli ed , ,

l aughi ngly .

“
What c ould s ui t the m orn i ng better ? she ask ed ;
 A WOMAN S ’
IP TA T1 0 N
TE.I ’
.

9 ,

an d H ubert agreed with her T he spe ll was worki ng

.
,

the d oubts and perpl exiti es rapidly cl eari ng away ; she

was so l ovely an d so l oving S udd en ly his eyes fell upon

.

a b ook b oun d i n bl ue an d g old an d he b en t d own to

,

l ook at it .

H ave y ou been readi ng Alice ? he ask ed

, .

Yes ; I cam e h ere to st udy b ut the b rook an d the ,

bi rds would n ot let m e she answered grave ly

, , .

Wh at book is it he ask ed .

Sudd enly her beauti ful face fl ushed the d eepes t c ri m son ;
s h e l ook ed t e rribly di s t ressed .

“
You m ust not l ook at it she c ri ed ,
I did n ot .

in tend y ou to see it .

She pl aced one h and over the titl e so th at he cou ld

n ot see it .

“
What a little hand ! he said”
an d how white it

is ! He t ook it away and read

, G uid e to Etiq uette ;
R ul es for Beh avi or in the High est Soc i ety .

Th en d espite the gravity of the sit uati on H ubert

, ,

Ruthven l augh ed al oud He could n ot i m agi n e the

.

fut ure Lady Arncourt l earn i ng m ann ers from thi s littl e
b l ue b ook
 3 A W OMAN S ’
TEM P TA TIOA ’
9
.

CH APTER XI V .

“
r SH ALL ma rr r LOS E v ou .

Now, she id h al f tearfully

sa , y ou
-
w ill b e v ex ed ,

with m e agai n I on ly wan t to pl ease y ou I wan t to

. .

b e j ust lik e th ose l adi es y ou saw at Hern ely I wan t to .

talk lik e th em an d do j ust as th ey do

,
.

You will n ot fin d out the m e th od h ere he said , ,

t urn i ng over the pages with great am usem en t N ever .

“

m i nd ab out i m itat in g any on e Alice ; b eli eve m e y ou , ,

are b est an d d earest as v ou are .

She l ook ed d elight ed ; he r face cl eared an d her b eaut ful i

,

ey es g rew b right .

Do I pl ease y ou ? she asked q ui etly l ooki ng so

“
, ,

wi n n i ng as she sp ok e he c ould n ot h elp cl aspi ng his arm s

,

roun d her an d ki ssi ng the swee t flower lik e fac e

, ,
-
.

”
M ost c ertain ly y ou d o he re pli ed ,
I have given .

ou pl en ty of p roof I thi n k
y , .

I a m so gl ad she c ri ed oh so gl ad I sh all not ,

care now ; I sh all not t roubl e m ysel f about the G uid e ‘

to Etiq uette any m ore ; b ut I sh ould lik e al ways to be

’

”
pol ite H ub ert y ou k n ow
,
.

C ertai n ly ; so y ou are Wom en especi ally beau ti ful

.
,

”
w om en are sweet an d g rac i ous by nat ure
,
.
 A WOMAN ’
S TEM P TA TIOIV .

93

She was h appy as a child .

I did n ot thi n k l adi es spok e al ways in the sti ff form al ,

way thi s b ook rep resen ts an d y ou lik e m e be st as I am ,

”
H ubert really an d t ruly ?
,

His answe r was very d e lightful ; b u t was n ot iv

g en
in words .

Now, Alice ,
he sa id ,
“
p ut littl e book
away the ,

d ear ,
an d li sten to m e . I wan t to talk very seri ously to
y ou . All the h appi n ess of our lives is at stak e .

It was a l m ost piti fullight di ed out of

to see how the
her face
< She was b ut a b utterfly p oor child b orn to
.
, ,

bask in sunshi ne an d fragran ce an d to die wh en all b right ,

thi ngs fad ed away Th ere was n one of the stern er gran d er
.
,

e l em en ts of wom an h ood in her She was m ad e to be .

l oved caressed and i n d ulged n ot to be the com pan i on

, , ,

of a m an s li fe in the high er sen se of the word

’

“
You goi ng to tell m e som ethi ng
are v ery sad . I
”
k n ow it by the exp ressi on of your face .

i m ply this Alice I t old y ou th at I sh ould write

It is s ,

to m y uncl e an d see wh at he said about our m arri age I .

have d one so and I wan t to tell y ou ab out his reply

, .

She d rew n earer to him and the littl e white h an ds cl ung

,

to his arm as th ough she woul d h old him agai nst all the
"

world .

“
My unc l e is a very proud m an Alice and not a good , ,

lm an I fear th ough I do not wi sh to sh ock y ou with that

, , .

He d oes not be li eve i n l ove

94
A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA n ozv .

Not
beli eve in l ove ? she i n terrupted in such h orrified ,

tones he could n ot h elp sm ili ng

, .

No n eith er in l ove n or m arri age He has the .

st ranges t id eas He thi n k s it d oes n ot m atter in the l east

.

wh om y ou m arry an d in sh ort m y d arli ng Alic e he will

, , ,

”
n ot h ear one word of o ur m arriage .

H er face turned so d eadly white he th ought she was

goi ng to d ie Her lips l ost all th ei r c ol or and she t rem
.
,

bled lik e a l eaf on a t ree She open ed her lips as th ough .

she were goi n g to speak th en the sound s di ed away up on ,

th em .

“
Alic e Alic e m y d arli ng ! he c ri ed
, ,
Do n ot for .
,

”
H eaven s sak e d o not l ook lik e th at l
’

“
I sh all die if I l ose y ou she said h oarsely All , , .

m y li fe has gone i n to yours If I thought for on e m om e n t .

th at I sh ould l ose y ou do y ou k now wh at I would do ,

”
“
No m y d arli ng
,
.

Iw ou ld th row m y sel f i n t o the b rook th ere before y our ,

fac e I am only a child I k n ow in years ; b ut it is no

.
, ,

child s l ove th at I h ave given to y ou I am poor ignoran t

’
.
, ,

—
i nex pe ri en ced b ut I l ove y o I l ove y ou with a terribl e
u

love I eann ot l ose y ou I would rath er die wi th y ou any

.

d eath any torture rath er th an l ose y ou

, , Oh forgive .
,

me I sh oul d not say all this but I h ardly k now what I ,

”
am sayi ng .

He l ook ed at her in wond er T he very ch aracter of her .

fac e seem ed changed ; the ch i ld lik e s i m plicity had gone -

out of it ; d eep u n dyi ng passi on sh on e th ere now an d

, ,
 A WOMAN S ’
TE A/ P TA
95

fill ed the beauti ful eyes with light He began to u nd er .

s tan d th at ih th at soul he had awak ened th e re were d epth s

he had n ot penetrated She had caught his hand in her

.

own and covered it with ki sses an d tears

, .

From the first she said “

from the fi rst m om en t y ou
, ,

cam e to m e from the fi rs t m om en t th at your eyes sm il ed

,

i n to m i ne it was as th ough som e g reat ki ng som e great

, ,

h ero had stooped from his high estate to l ove one far
,

b eneath him Th oug h y our face an d y our voice h aunted

.

m e all day an d all n ight still I said to m yse l f th at it would

,

b e m ad ness to l ov e y ou b ecause y ou were s o far ab ove m e

, .

Th en wh en I found th at I could n ot h elp l ovi ng y ou I

, ,

th ought I would wors hip y ou all m y li fe as the Pe rsians do ,

the s un I n ever d ream ed of y our l ovi ng m e b ut I used

.
,

to thin k how the greatest pl easure of m y li fe would be

. watchi ng y ou as y ou rod e by and readm g about y ou when ,

o u sh oul d b e a g reat m an I n ever d ream ed of your

y .

lovin g m e ; it woul d have seem ed to m e 1ess w ond erful

had the sun bowed d own to the stars I said t o m yse n 1 .

,
'

m ust be careful th at n o on e in the wid e world sh all even

guess at m y secret and I would have k ept it I would .

have l ov ed y ou from a far off di stance b ut th at y ou said y ou -

,

loved m e Th en I let m y whol e h eart and all m y th o

. ughts

g o o u t t o y o u I ea n not tak e th em bac k

. Y o u h av e b ee n .

heart o f m y h ea rt so u l of m y s o
,u l — I ca n n ot l ose y o u

She b uri ed her fac e i n her hands and fl ung h ersel f wi th ,

p ass i on a t e t ear s o n th e g rou n d ; b u t h e ra i s e d h er a n d ,

ki ssed her tears away .

 6 A WOMAN S ’
TEM P TA TION
9
.

You will v
lik e m e agai n sobb ed she
n e er I k n ow , .

i a —
th at I ought n ot to t alk in th s w y the l adi es of y our
wor ld —
do n ot b ut m y h eart m ust sp eak and it can on ly ,

sp eak th roug h m y lips v ou k n ow , .

“
My dearest Alic e m y d arli ng y ou m i stak e ; i nd eed
, ,

y o u m i st ak e C ould
. I d o an v thin g el se b u t l ove y ou ?

Do n ot weep th ere is n o n eed We will not be parted . .

L1st en to m e .

We m ust n ot be parted n ow she said un l ess y ou , ,

wis h m e to d ie .

She had n ever l ook ed m ore l ovely the p outi ng b eauti ,

ful lips the ey es fi ll ed with t ears t he sweet face all agl ow

, ,

with pass ion an d ten d ern ess .

You h av e n ot h eard all Alice said her l over

,
Lord , .

Arn court can n ot p art us—n o on e in the wid e world ean do

”
that .

“
Th en why did y ou frighten m e so d readfully ? she
as k ed b egi nn i n g to sm i le agai n
. .

Lord Arncourt cannot part us b ut if we are m arried , , ,

he will di si n h erit m e .

You will n ot m i n d that shall y ou ? she ask ed eagerly

, , .

H e c ould n ot h elp sm ili ng agai n at her si m plici ty .

I thi nk I sh ould m i nd it Alice ; for y ou see that I ,

have b een b rought up to be Lord of Nev ersleigh th at has

al ways b ee n the fut ure work e d out for m e I h ave n o for .

tune of m y own—n ot on e shilli ng—an d m y uncl e al ways ,

i n tendi ng m e to be his he i r has n ever had m e ed ucated ,

for any p rofessi on If I were di si n h erited Alice I sh ould

.
, ,
 A WOMAN S YEAIP TA TIOIV ’
.

C H APTER XV .

r WILL BE T END ER AND T RUE TO YOU .

Lord Arncourt sm il ed to hi m sel f as he d ran k his rare

wi ne and l ook ed over his cam eos H is favorite n eph ew .

was a m an of sense after all he had written several ti m es ,

b ut th ere was n o m ore m enti on of a l ove affai r .

He is c ured
”
th ought his l ordship with a cy n i cal
, ,

sm il e ; it is aston i shi ng after all how a m an in l ove

“
, ,

m ay b e b rought to reason I h ave n o d oubt b ut th at wh en

.

I return I sh all h ave som e st ory of the di sappearan ce of

som e vill age b eau ty I shall k n ow wh at it m eans ; there
.

”
is n othi ng l ik e phil osophy after all .

So for a ti m e th ere was a cal m H ubert wen t freq uently .

to the sch ool h ouse an d b u t few d ay s passed with ou t his

-
,

see i n g Alic e Ye t H ube rt R uthven was far from h appy ;

.

he did n ot lik e the c on ceal m en t the cl an d esti n e m eeti ngs

, ,

the secrecy the part he was c om pell ed to pl ay

,
H e was .

an h on orabl e m an an d th ere seem ed to him som ethi ng

,

v ery di sh on orabl e in the wh ol e affai r Yet how to alter .

it he did n ot k now As the d ay s week s and m on ths

.
, ,

passed by he owned to hi msel f th at he had b een fooli sh ;

,

th at he had m i stak en a b oyish i n fat uati on a passi ng ,

 A WOMAJ V ’
S TEMP TA TIOM
99

fancy, for l ove ; y et that his word was pl edged n ow , and,

’
at the price of his li fe s hap pi ness ,
he m ust k eep it .

How the story would have en d ed can n e er v be k nown

fate i n terfered agai n .

One m orn i ng H ubert said to hi m sel f th at on the day

fo ll owi ng he would go over to Nev erstay and tell his
st ory to Mr Luttrell ; it would ease his m i n d an d his
.

consci ence he th ough t That sam e even i ng word was

,
.

b rought to him that the sch ool m aster had fall en d own
d ead in the sch ool .

All the conseq uen ces of thi s even t did n ot at once

presen t th em selves to him O f cou rse he went o ver to
.

Nev erstay an d foun d Alice paralyz ed with gri ef T he

,
.

lovely child lik e sm ili ng gi rl had n ever seen d eath b efore

,
-
, ,

and he r g ri ef was t e rribl e to wi tness He foun d her by .

her fath er s b ed sid e from wh enc e she refused to m ove

’
.
,

She took n o n otice of him ; his p resen ce seem ed of n o

accoun t to her She did n ot e ven h ear him wh en he
.

sp ok e She on ly cri ed for her fat her whowas n ever m ore

'

.
,

to li ste n to her c ri es or to w ip e away her tears

, .

H ub ert did all th at was possibl e He sen t to the .

v ill ag e for som e ki nd h earted wom an to rem ain with

-

he r ; he supe ri n ten d ed all the arrange m e nt s for the funeral .

He was p resen t at the i nq uest an d heard the d ecisi on ,

of the j ury

Di ed of di sease of the h eart .

Th en he wond ered what he was to do ne xt: Alice

mo A WOMAN S TE MP TA 7 7 0 117
’
.

Was not q uite p enn il ess—her fath er had sa e v d a h un d red

pounds .

“
It would b uy her m ourn i ng and set , her up i n the
world said the ki nd h earted neighbors ;
,
”
-
b ut
‘

th ey d id
not k now the st ory of Ali ce s l ove
’
.

Th
’

e first ti m e he m et her after her father s death the ’

in most d epth s of his h eart were m oved She had al ways .

been so bright so sm ili ng so animated she had been so

, ,

radi an t in her l ove and he r h appi ness Now she was pal e .

and sad wi th q uivering lips an d weepi n g ey es

, .

Alice m y d arli ng
,
he c n ed
“
s a h ll y ou n ever sm il e
i
aga n

She cl ung to him as a weepi n g child to i ts m other .

”
“
I was so happy, s he sobb ed , on ly th ree week s
”
since ; an d n ow I h ave l ost all i n the wor ld .

Not q uite all ,

he sa id I am l eft to ou
y .
”

But I m ust lose y ou, too she sa id Oh Hubert

“

—
.
, , ,

I did not thin k of that at first , an d it is j ust as wel l it

woul d have ki lled me .

Why m ust y ou lose m e m y darl ing ? I don t under ,

’

stan d I th ought to l ove y ou all the better so as to make

.
,

”
up to y ou for y our loss .

Th ey hav e been tell ing me that I shall have to leav e

the cottage— the pretty hom e where I h ave been so happy .

Som e one else is com ing There wil l have to be another .

sch oolm aster and I cann ot stay

, .

He said to him se f l how b li nd and s u t p i d he had been

 A WOMAN S TE M PTA TION
’

’
10 3

beat Her very l oneliness her sorrow her d esol ati on

.
, , ,

appeal ed to hi m as n othi ng e l se could h ave d one all his

better ki nder feeli ngs were aroused

,
.

“
I can do on e thi ng for y ou m y d arli ng if y ou will , ,

permit m e he said ,
I will m ak e y ou my wife
. .
”

“
Your wi fe 1 But H ub ert th at would rui n y ou
, , .

No ; we m ust m anage b etter th an that he repli ed ,

.

I h ardly lik e to suggest it to y ou Ali ce now that y ou , ,

are s o l on ely b ut if y ou would consent to a private m ar

,

riage we sh ould h av e n o m ore di fficulty Woul d y ou do

‘

.
,

”
th at ?
“
Yes she whispered fai n tly
,
“
anythi ng rath er than
,

”
be separated from y ou .

J
“
Th en it sh all be so We can be m arri ed in Lond on
.
.

and I will tak e y ou ab road You will not m i nd li vi ng .

ab road

Any thi ng rath er than l eave y ou she repeated , .

Th en it shall be so I could not bear the th ought of

.

ou r g oi ng out i n to the bl eak wid e world to teach strange

y , ,

c hild ren I could not bear to thi nk of th ese littl e white

.

hands worki ng for b read If y ou wi ll be m y wi fe m y dar

.
,

ling I will b e ten d er and t rue to y ou -t ender and t rue

”
.
,

”
“
I can hardly beli eve it she m urm ured ; it seems “
,

”
too good to be true .

“
Tel l every one who speaks to y ou about it t hat y ou are
goi ng to live with fri en d s he said And th en he h astened
, .

away from her to m ak e the necessary arrang ements .

 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TIOA ’.

C H APTER XVI .

“
r WILL T RUST v ou A NYW H E RE .

In after years it was all lik e a d ream to him ; the hur

ried j ourn ey to Lon d on the dark m i sty m orn i ng the ,

old gray ch urch by the rive r si de wh ere on e saw every -

,

thi ng th roug h a fog as it were a d im y ell ow light that

, ,

s eem ed to fl oat th rough the ai sl es an d cli ng to the pill ars ;

the cl e rgy m an who wen t th rough the c erem ony i n an in

d i fferen t ki n d of m an ner as th ough e very thi ng in the way

,

of b irth s d eath s an d m arri ages was so m uch a m atter of

, ,

c ourse to him that it was hardly worth a t hought—a cl ergy

m an with a d rawli ng t unel ess voic e th at seem ed to give

,

n o m ean i n g to the sacre d words he uttere d the two wit

'

n esses o e a p ew op ene
,
n r a n d
- h
t e ot her a sext on
,
— he had
n ot dared to ta k e any fri en d or s ervan t of his own .

Th en cam e a h urri ed d rive th rough Lond on streets ; a

d im h al f feverish d ream of the l ong rail way rid e w ith the
,
-
,

s weet face by his sid e ; th e n of the bl ue C hann el wate rs ,

w ith the sun shi n i n g on the coast of F rance ; of a rapi d

s ail over the sm oot h sea with the waves ch an ti ng the b ur

,

d en of a l ove story i n his ear of l an di ng in the fai r c oun try

of F rance with his y oung wi fe by his s id e an d m aki ng a
, ,

h om e th ere .
104 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TION .

Th ese m em ori es return ed to him in after years j ust as

one h ears the soun d of h al f forgotten m usic in a d ream -
.

A h om e ! T he word m eans so m uch ; b ut in his case

i t was not wh at it is with oth ers A h appy h om e is a .

paradise M arri ed li fe wh ere the m arri age is in every

.
,

respec t eq ual one of true love resem b l es the li fe of Ed en

, , .

But H ubert R uthven did not find the paradi se th at he had

anticipated .

For some few m ont hs whil e the sum m er an d the sun

,

shin e laste d with the m ag ic of fragrant fl owers and the

, ,

si ngi ng b i rd s all was well h al f the charm lay in the l ovely

,

season and h al f in the beauti ful face of his young wi fe ;

,

b ut wh en the gold en light of the sum m er faded and he ,

be gan to k now by h eart every ch an ge on th at m ost fai r

face he grew slightly weari ed of it
,
.

T he t ruth was th at Alic e was not his eq ual Had the .

d i fference lai n sol ely in bi rth and wealth it would n ot h ave ,

m attered it was of far d eepe r i m port .

I ntellect ually she was greatly his in feri or She had a

, .

certai n ki nd of p oetry and passi on ab out her th at had

c harm ed him b ut th ere was n othi ng to sustai n the ch arm .

She was wan ti ng too in the polis h ed refi nem ent in t he

, , ,

exq uisi te good b reedi ng he had been accustom ed to,

admi re .

Li t is a great mistake to im agin that m en can waste any e

m ent aflection on a p retty fi ce

'

great or v eh e un l ess th ere ,

be either a beautiful soul or a beauti ful m i nd w ith it. It

charm s for a sh ort ti m e b ut the ch arm is soon ended ;
,
06 A W OMAN S TE MP TA n ow: ’

zause, young wife He rem ai ned abroad all sum

to his .

mer an d she n ever foun d out th at he was weary of her It

,
.

was i m p ossibl e n ot to be touch ed by her ten d ern ess

,
She .

would cl asp her white arm s roun d his n eck , and te ll him

th at he m ad e all her h appi ness all her sunshi ne that he ,

was a k i ng an d a h ero—sweet es t p rai se from lips we l ove ,

bu t n ot so sweet from lips th at ti re us .

H ubert R uthven h ardly k n ew wh eth er it was a reli ef or a

di sapp oi n tm en t to him wh en he received a sh ort p erem p ,

tory l ett er fro m Lord Arn cou rt, worldly and cyn ical as
us ual .

“
My d ear n eph ew it ran y ou will
,
n ot i n all p rob
, ,
-x

ability than k m e i f I ask wily y ou are l oit eri ng so l ong on

,

the C on ti n en t ? Y outh has i ts sec rets ; I n ever i n q ui re i n t o

th em Youth has its engrossi ng p ursuits I n ever care to

.

in t erfere with th em I h ope s i ncerely that y ou h ave been

.

foll owi ng the light of b right ey es or the wave of a white ,

hand ; th ere is n o di stra c ti on m ore pl eas i ng th an such a

pursuit But—an d h ere I s peak seri ously—at thi s j un c
.
e

t ure Englan d n eed s all her b est and b ravest sons Th ere .

is m uch work to b e d one Th ere is a seat in Parliam en t

.

awaiti ng y ou and y ou m us t support Lord L

,
in
th ose m easures which are really so beneficial to the
country at large Let m e see y ou at Nev ersleigh at the
.

en d of the week .

Long after he read that l etter H ubert Ru thven sat ah

sorb ed in thoug n t He had all his li fe l onged for such an
.

openi ng as thi s He was pon d eri ng d eeply anxi ously

.
, ,
 A WOMAN S ’
TE M P TA TION .
10 7

wh e n the clasp o two soft white d ck

f
arm s roun his ne d is
turb ed him .

H ube rt y ou are t hi n ki ng of s om e very grave

, m atter,
said a s we e t v oic e Tell m e wh at it is . .

And i m ply because he was tak en by surprise he told

,
s ,

he r
. Her b eauti ful face g rew very wi st ful an d sad as she
li sten ed .

You m ust n ot g ive u p your caree r for m y sak e Hu ,

bert she said sl owly

,
You h ave sacrificed m uch ti m e
,

to m e I m ust b e c onten t even th ough y ou sh ould be

.
,

obliged to l eave m e N othi ng can take away the h appy.

c onsci ousness that I am y our wi fe .

He had n ot e xpect ed su ch h e roi sm from her .

H ave b ered, Al ic e th at if I l eave y ou

y ou rem e m , n ow

to d o m y uncl e s biddi ng it is very un ce rtai n wh en I

’

, m ay
b e abl e to j oi n y ou agai n

I m ust n ot thi n k of that I m ust rem em ber n othi n g .

exc ept th at a g ood w i fe n e ver stan d s in he r h usb ands ’

light I can give y ou n othi ng I can d o n othi n g But

. . .

at l east I c an sh ow y ou how m uc h I l ove y ou by l etti ng

y ou g o .

He look ed d own on the s wee t pal e

,
face .

Do y ou rea lly m ean thi s Alice

,
he as k ed aga i n .

Yes ,
she sm il ed fai n tly .
“
You m ust g o H ubert , .

You m ust m ak e a nam e so fam ous that wh e n your un cl e

com es to k n ow who sh ares it he ,
m ay forgive m e for the
”
sak e of the gl ory th at c overs y ou .
l08 A WOMAN S ’
TE M PTA T1 0 1V .

But, Ali ce, d arli ng he will n ever know was the grave
, ,

reply . I sh all never d are to tell him .

“
Then we m ust d o the best we can ; I will not be a
stu m bli ng bl ock to y ou N othi n g can alter the fact that I
‘

-
.

am your wi fe I shal l try to be worthy of y ou - to be ’

”
b rave as y ou .

It was som ethi ng of a reli ef to him th at the offer of the

sacrifice cam e from her .

“
You wil l not m i nd my l eav ing y ou al one Alice un , ,

certai n as to my goi ng an d c om i ng ? You will trust m e in

far-off E nglan d ?
T he light on her face was b eauti ful to see .

I would trust y ou any wh ere H ube rt T he last th i ng

, .

that will di st ress m e will b e a d oubt of y ou I s hall h ave .

n o room in m y h eart for i t—no room for any thi n g save

b l essi ngs an d p rayers and faith ful love

, .

An d as he accepted the sacrifice from her he said to ,

him sel f
N .

Th ere is som ethi ng gran d ab out Ali ce after all .

Ten dav s afterward he was del ighti ng Lord Arn court by

worki ng h ard to se cure his (Hub ert s) el ecti on
’
.
n o A WOMA1V S TEAIP TA TIOJ V
'
.

You l ways d esi rous of d oi ng som ethi ng for

w ere a

yoursel f said Lord Arncourt ;

,
” “
thi s is y our gold en
opp ort un ity Assi st Lord L . in the passi n g of thi s

m easure on which his h eart is fix ed and your career is

, ,

c ertai n I sh ould thi nk th ere can b e n o d oubt of your

.

e l ecti on ?

“
If h ard work can g uarantee m y ret urn it is sure , ,

“
he repli ed ; for I sh all l eave n othi ng und on e that can
”
sec ure it .

You m ust get the D uk e of Ormescom be s i n terest

’
“
.

S ince he p urchased Hern ely Park he l eads the coun ty , .

His i n fl uen c e will carry y ou th rough anythi ng You .

'

’
m ust also try to p ers uad e the d uk e s d aughter Lady I sora , ,
'

to tak e an i n teres t i n y our el ecti on

3)
he c on ti n ue d , .

“
Th ere is n ot a y oung sq ui re or farm er that will say
n ay to her .

I ld fancy th at p oli tical fee li ng was high er than

shou
”
m ere ad m i rati on for fem i n i ne b eau ty said H ub ert , .

Sh ould y ou repli ed Lord Arncourt Ah m y d ear .

“
,

neph ew on th at s ubj ect as on m any oth ers y ou h ave

, , ,

m uch to l earn You are goi ng to Hernely Castl e A

. sk ”
.

Lady I sora to be ki n d en ough to grace your c ol ors by

weari ng th em an d to m ak e y ou som e fav ors—k n ots of
,

ribb on an d rosettes ; th en y ou will see how far what

ou are pl eas ed to call fe m i ni ne b eauty ex ceed s m ere
y
political feeli ng .

On the m orn i ng foll owi ng H ub ert rod e over to Her

n ely,
and was m ost warm ly welc om ed by the d uk e an d
 A IVOAIAN S ’
TE M P TA TIOIV .

d uch ess . He i nq ui red Lady Isora an d was t old she

after ,

was out sketchi ng i n the park Th en he spok e to the .

d uke abou t the obj ect of his com i ng and was d elighted ,

to find t hat all the Hern ely i n fl uenc e would be e x ert ed

in his favor T he d uk e was pl eased to b e m ost c om pli

.

m entary to him .

I am al ways d elighted he said to see y oung m en

, ,
“

of your age anxi ous to serve th e i r c oun t ry You wil l .

m ak e a n am e for y oursel f q uit e i nd epend en tly of the titl e

,

y o u i n h erit.I f I c ould b e y ou n g ov er agai n I sh ou ld ,

”
be m ore ambiti ous than I h ave b een hith ert o .

Before l eavi ng the castl e H ub ert accepted an i nvi tati on

,

to di n e th ere on the foll owi ng day Then he bad e fare .

well to the d uk e an d d uch ess .

As he rod e h om e th rough the park he th ought of ,

Alice—her sweet " pl eadi ng face her wi st ful eyes her

, , ,

gen tl e tend er l ovi ng m anner He t ri ed to m ak e his

, ,
.

h eart warm with pl easan t m em ori es of her ; but d espite ,

hi msel f despite all th at he could do th ere was the t erribl e

, ,

sensati on of a g reat we ig ht of an un pl easan t sec ret th at

, ,

m ust in ti m e d estroy him .

The gold en sun sh one ab ove his h ead the light eame
‘

s l an ti n g th roug h the t rees the fragran t fl owers bl oom ed

,

b eneath his feet the wi n d whispered the bi rd s sang b ut

, , ,

H ubert rode on bli nd to all b eauty b uri ed in his own

, ,

sad th oughts c on cern i ng his sec ret m arriage .

He was roused by the shyi ng of his h orse who was ,

frightened by the hay ing of a h oun d Looki ng th rough .

r1 2 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA 7 1 0 117 .

the t rees wh ence the soun d p roceed ed he saw a pict ure ,

that never died from his m i n d A beauti ful g i rl seated

’

near a stat e ly g roup of oak trees all the m at eri al s for ,

sk etchi ng lyi ng around her an d a m agn ificen t hound ,

stretch ed out at her feet .

She l ook ed up as the deep growl was repeated and ,

wh en she saw Hubert R uthven a d eep flush covered

°

her face . She rose i nstant ly and th en H ubert re cog niz ed

,

Lady I sora .

He sp rang from his h orse and h eld ou t his hand to her .

He could n ot help the sudden d elight that fl ash ed i n to his

eyes and t rem bl ed on his lips .

“
Mr R uthven said Lady Isora I did n ot k now t hat
.
,
”
,

o u h ad ret urn ed W ere y ou g oi ng to rid e over us ? Li on

y .
,

”
for sh am e I y ou ought to k now m y fri end s .

She l aid her whit e h and on the bound s shaggy coat ,

’
whil e she l ooked up i n to H ube rt s face wi th a sm il e th at
d az z l ed and b ewild ered him .

Li on ought to have k nown be tter th an to have barked

”
at y ou , she c on ti n ued I m ust apologiz e for him
. .

”
Perh aps it is his m eth od of bi ddi ng m e we l com e sai d ,
.

Hubert laughi ng
,
“
I h ave b een ov er to the eastle and ,

I have a great favor to ask of y ou Lady I sora , .

“
We will m ak e this a hall of audience th en she re
‘

,
”

M
'

p lie d
, s s itti ng d ow n a gai n u n d er t he trees A n d r .
, .

R uthven pray let m e say it wil l b e difi cult for y ou toask

,

a favor that I sh all not feel great p l easure in grantin g .

She look ed up at him wi th suc h k indl y ey es—with s uch

 r14 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TION .

C H APTER XVIII .

“
s nE rs A NOB LE woman !

Had Lady Isora Mr R uth ven m et in a d rawi ng

and .

room th ey would h ave been pl eased to see each oth er

, ,

c ordi al and unaffected i n th ei r i n tercourse ; b u t m eeti ng

h ere out in the wood s gave a ch arm to the i n tervi e w
, ,

n othi ng el se c ould h av e add ed H ubert found hi m sel f

.

O pen i ng his own m i n d to Lady I sora as he had never d on e

to any on e b efore H e foun d hi m sel f c on fid ing to her the

.

am biti on th at y et was n ot all am biti on s sak e — telli ng

“ ’

her how he had al ways l onge d for a li fe th at sh ould b e

disti ng uish ed and to l eave i ts record b ehi n d it
, .

“
You do n ot thi n k such am biti on is wrong Lady ,

I sora he said .

She rai sed her b eauti ful n obl e fac e to his her eyes
, ,

b right with g ran d th oughts her lips t rem bli ng with the
,

e l oq uen t word s th at r ush ed to th e m .

she re p li ed Wh en a m an s am biti on is n obl e

“ ’
.
,

th en am biti on b ec om es a g ran d passion It is one I .

c an sy m p athi z e so en ti re ly with I can u nd erstan d the .

g rand eur of d evoti ng one s li fe to a great obj ect Wom en

’
.

h ave n o such h appi ness I sh ould lik e to d evote my li fe

.

to a li fe fill ed with n obl e p roj ects .

 A WOMAN S ’
TEM P TA TION .
1 5

Her words were so fran k ti rely d evoid of an d ope n, s o en

all person al reference that he could n ot h elp see i ng th at

,

th ey were spok en with out one th ought of him still th ey .

m ad e hi m t rem bl e as words had n ever d one b efore .

An h our passed and it seem ed to him swi fter th an a

,

m i n ute Lady I sora took out her p retty littl e watch and
.

uttered a c ry of surp ri se as she saw the ti m e .

T he bell will h ave rung for l unch eon she said “

an d , ,

they will thi n k I am l ost You are goi ng to di ne with us

.

to m orrow Mr R uthven ?
-
, .

He m uttered som ethi ng ab ou t hav ing th at p l easure ; ‘

b ut he did n ot k now hi m sel f what he was sayi ng .

We will fini sh our conversati on th en she said and .

” “

i n the m ean ti m e tak e m v p rom ise that I will work h ard

t o h elp y ou and shall rej oice wi th all my heart in your
,

succ ess .

Th en with a few m ore grac eful words she bade hi m

, ,

adi eu an d he stood hat in h an d watchi ng her as she

‘

, , ,

walk ed wi th her proud g raceful step d own the l on g

, , ,

avenue of trees .

Well he had seen her agai n 1 He k new th at he sh ould

,

so see her Wh at need to feel thi s bewild eri ng surprise ?

.

Th ere was nothi ng new to him i n the q ueenly wom an ly ,

b eauty in her magn i ficen t i ntelligence the q uick ness of

, ,

in tell ect her b right p oetical fancy

,
He had m et her
, .

before and had owned to hi m sel f th at she was worthy to

,

be wooed and won by a ki ng Wh at need to stan d there .

lik e on e ent ranced ? He had a wi fe a fai r gentl e l ov ing , , ,

1 16 A WOMAN S ’
I EMP TA TION
'

g i r
,l as u nlik e th is gran d wo m an as a p u rple vi ol et is un lik e

a pass i on flower
-
.

she is a n obl e wom an l

”
H eaven bl ess her 1 he said
Th en be m oun t ed his h orse agai n and rod e h om e th rough ,

the sm ili n g s um m er woods .

Lord Arncourt was m uch pleased with his neph ew s ’

acc oun t of his vi sit to Hernely .

If the d uk e tak es up y our cause in earnest he sai d , ,

your el ec ti on is sure D id y ou se e the Lady Isora

.

T he m aster of Nev ersleig h sm il ed to hi m se l f as he n oted

his neph ew s con fusi on an d heard that he had overtak e n
’

the l ady in the park and had had a long conversati on

,

with her .

I hear no m ore ab out the village love th ought the ,

cyn ical old n obl em an i t m ust have all di ed away .

Lady Isora will win and I sh all live to see H ubert one of
,

the fi rst m en in E ngl an d after all T he nam e of Arncourt .

will live in the annal s of the l an d .

He was wary an d wise en ough n ever to m en ti on the

“
n am e of his village love to H ubert Better to let .

him forget all ab out it he th ought ,

“
an d throw him as ,

’
m uch as p ossibl e i n to Lady Isora s soci ety .

On the day foll owi ng H ub ert wen t to Hem elv Cas tl e

, ,

and th e re foun d th at the d uk e had al ready b een work i n g

h ard for him He had sec ured som e of the best votes and
.

m ost i nfl uenti al m en H is success was certai n

. .

Lady I sora m et him with the fra nk welcom e of an old

fri end and as he saw the d eferenc e paid to her the h omage
, ,
1 18 A WOMAN S ’
TE M P TA TIOM

CHAPT ER XIX .

“
T H IS W ILL NOT BE D E NIE D ME .

T he l ti on thanks to the i n fl uence of the D uke of

e ec ,

Orm escom be and the charm s of his l ovely d aught er was ,

won . H ubert R uthven was d uly returned m em ber for the

anci en t and ti m e h on ored b orough of Nev ersleig h
-
.

Lord Arnc ourt was d elighted T o Lady I sora who was .

,

radi an t with t ri um ph Lord Arn court was c ourtesy and

,

d eferen c e itsel f H is sh rewd ey es saw th at to which H u

.

w n —
b ert as c om pl etel y bli d the fact of the y oung gi rl s real
'

an d g reat liki ng for him .

It w ill perhaps b e b e tter for m e n ot to i nt erfere he

, , ,

said to hi m sel f Let th em tak e th ei r own ti m e g o th ei r

.
“
,

own road ; it will c om e right i n the en d H ubert can n ot .

resi st l ovi ng a wom an so b eauti fu l an d gi fted as Lady

Isora .

If he had k nown th at his n eph ew had m arri ed the

sch ool m ast er s d aught er after all he would m ost c ert ain ly
’

h ave di si n h erit ed him so that it was well for Mr R uthven .

that he k ept his sec ret .

Ti m e passed on and the n ew m em ber from Never

,

sleigh b egan to b e k n own as a p ower i n the l an d His .

m aid en sp eech w as c on sid ered on e of the g ra n d est pi ec es

 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TION .
r 19

of orat ory k n own si nce the d ays of Ch ath am Political .

l ead ers consulted him and were unfeignedly g l ad of his

,

opi n i on and his support H e wrote several pam phl ets

.

on the l ead i ng q uesti on s of the day which were c on ,

sidered i nval uabl e In sh ort Lord Arn c ourt had every

.
,

reason to b e p roud of his n e ph ew an d p roud he was , .

N othi ng is more d elightful to the young th an well

earn ed succ ess such as his b ut th ose who l ook ed d eep er
than the m ere surface foun d in the tal ented y oung m em
,

b er the gi fted orat or the ri si ng young m an of the day

, , ,

a vei n of sad ness an d of m el anch oly th at was di ffic ult to

und erstan d .

Lady I sora was one of the fi rst to ob serve this T rue

'

.
,

he l oved his w i fe after a fashi on She look ed l ovely .

en ough her swee t fac e and g old en h ead fram ed by the

,

p i n k an d whit e appl e bl ossom s -

She had ch arm ed hi m .

by her artl ess t en d ern ess she had q uoted p retty p oem s to
-

him an d he had m i stak en all thi s for gen i us ; b u t of

,

power to sy m patiz e with or even un d erstan d the l ofti er

,
‘

ai m s of his l i fe she had non e

,
It was m uch to be feared .

that in the eyes of p retty si m pl e rusti c Al ice the Par , , ,

liam en t H ouse re e m bl ed a b ear gard en rath er th an any

s -
,

thi ng el se She did n ot un d erstan d s uch dry affai rs as

.

were di sc ussed th ere So wh en Mr R uthve n talk ed to

.
,
.

his wi fe of th ose h op es th at m ad e li fe so pl easan t to him ,

of the pl ans t hat m ade the fut ure so fai r she who sh ould , ,

h ave b een vitally i n terested th ought of a th ousan d oth er ,

thi ngs He l ooki ng i n to her face h opi ng it w ould ki ndl e

.
, ,
1 20 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TION
'

into enthus asm , icould not fail to n oti ce its d reamy ah ,

b
sor ed ex pressi on could n ot fail to see t hat her th ough ts
,

were n ot his .

G rad ually he ceased to speak to her of th ose h opes ;

his th oughts b ecam e m ore c en tered in hi m sel f ; he ceased
to l ook to his wi fe for sy m pathy in his id eas an d a ,

sh ad ow that was at fi rst so sligh t as to be hardly per

,

cep tib le g rew b etween th em and fi nally parted th em

, , .

Now he was in the very fl ush of success—e veryth i ng

had gon e well with him fam e an d fortun e l av i sh ed th ei r
b rightest gi fts upon him b ut he had that to bear which
would dark en his li fe as cl oud s d ark en the sum m e r sk y .

He l earn ed the bitter t ruth in ti m e—the truth that mars

li f n othi ng else can ; the t ruth th at s eared his h eart
a, e as

as wi th an i ron h and He l earn ed that the t rue d ee p

.
,

l ove of his li fe was given not to the p ret ty l ovi ng gen tl e

, , ,

wi fe wh om he had m arri ed out of c om passi on b ut to the ,

n obl e gi rl wh ose sweetest word s and bri ht es t sm il es were

g
all for him .

An h onorabl e m an d espite his one fault he determ i ned

, ,

to fly from dan ger to g o wh ere he would n o m ore see the

,

nobl e face or h ear the v oice wh ose light est ton es th rill ed
,

his h eart He would do as b rave m en had d one b efore

.

him —fly from d anger H e tol d Lord Arncourt th at he

.

sh oul d greatly p refer li vi ng in Lon d on an d his uncl e , ,

al m ost sull en ly c onsen t ed , .

7 7w! d oes n ot l ook as th ough he cared m uch for Lady

Isora ,
th ought the disappoi n ted nobl em an ;
” “
surely -
,
1z z A WOMAN ’
S TE MP TA TION .

I h ave ti m e to rid e over agai n he c on

m ay n ot

an d I had a few l e i sure h ours to day

“
tin ued ,
-
.

Still n o answer Th en he t urn ed to l ook at her an d a .

,

c ry of surpri se escaped him T he b eauti ful face had .

grown white even to the lip s—a d read ful pall or ; the
p roud fran k ey es wore a startl ed l ook of h orror ; the
,

sweet lips were q uiveri ng He l ook ed at her p owerl ess .

,

to sp eak .

You are goi ng she said fai ntly , , .

T he tone of her voi ce so full of pai n an d her k een , ,

ang ui sh wen t st raight to his h eart .

“
I—I am ob liged to g o he cri ed w ith a b urs t of , ,

d espai r Lady I so ra I am the m ost un h appy m an th at

.
“
,

ev er liv ed .

She was sil en t for som e m i n utes ; th en she sai d gen tly ,

“
Th e re are tim es wh en e very one is unh appy I beli eve , .

B rave people bear pai n in s il ence weak on es c ry out .

She grasp ed the wild roses as she sp ok e and t urn ed to ,

him with a sm il e on her face ; b ut he who had seen th at

face with its l o
,
ok of startl ed ang ui sh i ts d eadly pall or , ,
'

its u tter d espai r k new th at the wom an he l oved so d early

,

l oved him .

Soldi ers march up in the very face of the cannon

“

at the word of c om m an d he said B rave m en lie "

.
,

d own to d ie at the call of dutv I m ust not be l ess .

b rave than th ese .

“
Has d uty call ed y ou ? she ask ed gen t ly whil e the , ,

bi rd s sang and the fl owers waved in the w i nd

,
.
 A WOAIAz V ’
S TE AIP TA TIOIV .

Yes ,
pli ed
he n ot on ly d uty b u t h onor
re ,
.

”
Th en y ou m ust g o said Lady I sora ,
Never m i n d .

what it costs y ou or any on e el se—g o

”
.
,

The wi nd whi spered roun d th e m the sweet fai r fl owers , ,

ben t th ei r h ead s as th ough i n sh eer pity

“
You sh all say g ood by to m e h ere she c on ti n ued
-
,

and I sh all al ways h op e for and d ream of y our success

“
.

“
You are very good to m e Lady I sora he repli ed , ,
”
,

si m ply . G ood by
“ -
.

He h eld her h an d one m i n ute in his he con trolled the

passi ons that surged in his h eart .

“
May H eaven bl ess vou he con ti n ued in a falteri ng ,
”
,

”
voice . I m ust n ot trust m y s el f to say m ore .

”
Good by she repeated
-
, .

T he nex t m om en t he had g one and she lay th ere with , ,

her face b uri ed in the sweet crush ed bl oss om s weepi ng as

, ,

wom en wee p for the l ove she had given and given in vai n
, , .
1 34 WOM AN S ’
TE M P T A TION .

C H APTER XX .

A H U S B AN D? SECR ET .

T wo years passed and the fam e of H ubert R uthven

,

was fi rm ly establi sh ed m en l ook ed at him as the great est

p ower of the day Lord Arnc ourt foun d all his h opes
.

an d wi sh es reali z ed b ut one thi ng p uz z l ed him and th at ,

was his n eph e w s aversi on to the m en ti on of m arri age

’
.

Ti m es had so far altered that it was n ow Lord Arn

c ourt who stood i n awe of his n eph ew It was still in .

his p ower to di si nh e rit him b ut n o m an livi n g could

,

rob H ub ert R uthven o f the fam e an d h onor th at were

j ustly his .

The m en t ion of m arri age c eased at l ast Wh en the .

D uk e of O rm escom be cam e to Lond on with his fam ily ,

the young m em b er paid him a h urri ed c all pl ead ed excess,

of work an d l e ft his grac e wond eri ng at his c ool n ess and

,

seem i ng est rang em e n t .

He h eard from ti m e to ti m e of Lad y Isora s t ri um ph s

’
.

R um or gave her m any suit ors and g ossips wond ered

,

why she cared for n on e of th em H ub ert R uthven said

.

to hi m sel f sadly th at he c ould h ave told th em the reason

why . He n ever sought to m eet her H on or had spok en

.
,
1 25 A WOAIAN ’
S TE AIP TA TIOA’

pl easi ng to her ; s he had said to h ersel f th at she did n ot

care for trifles ; the on ly thi ng th at she did care for was ,

th at she sh ould b e H ubert R uthven s wi fe ’

.

But now she foun d th ese tri fles hard to b ear ; the
world l ook ed c old ly u p on he r ; she was l on ely i sol ated , ,

m i sera bl e T he h usban d she l oved so d early seem ed as

.

far from her as th ough she had n eve r b een m arri ed ; an d

the en d of it all was t hat she gri eved ove r it un til he r
,

gri ef kill ed her .

H ubert R uthven was n ot p resen t wh en his wi fe di ed .

He k n ew th at she was d el icat e and aili ng th at she often ,

m en t ioned the fact of her ill n ess ; b ut he had b een

acc ust om ed to th at n ow for m any m on ths an d after the , ,

fashi on of m en th oug ht b ut littl e of it

,
.

T he n ews of her d eath was a sudd en an d t erribl e bl ow ;

n on e the l ess terribl e th at rem orse was l argely i n t erm ix ed

with it . H e bl am ed hi m sel f m ost k een ly for h avi ng

negl ected her for h avi ng all owed l ong m on th s to pass
,

with out seei ng her .

It was too l ate n ow for rem orse for pity or for l ove ;, ,

she wh om it would h ave c om fort ed was d ead He k new .

th at b efore he c ould even reach the pretty vill a by the

l ak e sid e she would b e b uri ed All th at would rem ai n
-
,
.

to him of the b eau ti ful gi rl he had seen un d er the appl e

bl ossom s the l ovi n g wi fe wh ose g reat est fault had been

,

her too g reat l ove for him was the littl e child
, .

He was in the m id st of b usin ess but he wen t at onc e

, ,

an d found his wi fe had b een b uri ed the day b efore his

 A WOM AIV S ’
TE M PTA TION 1 25

an d he had ob ey ed m ore q uickly than m ost m en would

h ave d on e .

He wen t at i n terval s to see his wi fe He was

rare .

ki nd consid erate an d th oug ht ful ; b ut she with the q uick

, , ,

i nsti nct that b el ongs to a l ovi ng sensitive p oetical nat ure

, , ,

divi ned his secret and un d erstood th at his m arri age with
,

her had m arred his li fe .

In ti m e the c erta i n ty of th at k n owl edge kill ed her .

Oth er an d l ess sensitive wom en would h ave m ad e the

b est of such a li fe would h ave enj oyed its l ux uri es and
, ,

have k ept the d ark shad ow in the backgroun d Not so .

with Alice R uthven she b rood ed over it in m el an ch oly

sil enc e .All the gl ory of the Itali an ski es the fl ush of ,

col or th at lay over the l and the hue of the fl owers the
, ,

song of the bi rd s the c al m of the l ak es the grand e ur of

, ,

the m oun tai n s fail ed to i m p ress her

,
She weari ed of .

th em as s he wearied of every thi ng el se except her hus ,

ban d an d the fatal m i stak e she had led high i n t o

,
.

It p rey e d upon her m i nd it sadd en ed her spi rits it

, .

kill ed her as sl ow p oi son would h ave d one The g loom v .

,

s ull en th oug hts n ever l eft her T he id ea up on which she

.

d welt was th at she was an un l oved n eg l ected i e thatw f — ,

’
m arryi ng her had b een her h usban d s rui n .

She was so en ti rely al on e th at she had n o opp ort un ity

of th rowi n g off th ese th oughts Th ere was on ly her l ittl e
.

child to wh om she could speak an d every si ght of th at ,

littl e fai r face fill ed her with new sorrow .

T ue th ought of a p rivat e m arri ag e had not b een fiss

1 28 A W OMA N S ’
TE M P TA TIOZV .

Lord Arnc ou rt was d eligh ted ; he had n ot hi ng l eft to

wi sh for .

“
We shall find the Arn courts tak e th ei r p roper pl ace
n ow he said
,
se c on d to n on e .

A y ear aft d a b
erwar wh en
d k eyed baby was
, eau ti ful , ar -

sh own to him as H ub ert s son t ears fill ed the old m an s

’ ’

e es an d he b en t his h ead h um bly

y , .

I h ave d on e b ut littl e ,
he sad
i , that H eave n sh ould
”
s o richly bl ess m e .

H e di ed a few m on th s th en H ubert
af erwart d ,
an d

R uthven becam e Lord Cl anc ey Arnc ourt H e was h ap py .

an d p rosp e rous ; his b eau ti ful wi fe an d l ov e ly child w ere

id oli z ed by him It was n ot oft en th at the sh adow of the

.

m e m ory of th at fi rst fai r y oung w i fe cam e ove r him He .

had d on e his b est for the l ittl e Ni na he had foun d he r a

c om fortabl e h om e w ith M ad am e d e St Lan ce he had
arrang ed for he r fut u re an d he i m agi n ed hi m se l f in s om e

way e n titl ed to forget the past Th at had been a sad past .

for him .

He v
t old his wi fe on e word of th at first m arriage ;
n e er

he n ever all ud ed to it she re m ai ned al way s in m ost p er

fect ignoran c e of it T he h app in ess of he r m arri ed li fe he
.
,

al way s lik ed to re m em b er was w ith ou t a c loud , .

So e ight y ears passed away b ri ngi n g n othi ng b ut fam e , ,

h onor and h appi n ess to the l ord of Neversleig h N0 oth er

, .

child ren cam e to gl add en the h earts of Lord Arnc ourt an d

his w i fe b ut his son the h ei r of th at an ci en t titl e an d vast
,
1 30 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIOZV .

C H APTER XX I .

“
WH AT rs T HE RE IN ST ORE FOR ME ?

A beauti ful gard en l and of France

c
s ene in the fair ,

bright sunny day the sk y of that d eep b l ue ti nt on ly seen

, ,

in the lan d of poesy an d son g fl ood s of gold en sun light ,

pouri ng down on the fl owers on m yrtl e and vi ne ; bi rd s ,

of b righ t pl um age si ngi n g the sweetest songs ; a day when

li fe seem s one l ong l ux ury and on e l ong song ,A pretty .

vill a call ed the Chateau Beausean t standi ng n ear the forest ,

of St G erm ai n in the m id st of the beauti ful coun try of

.
,

the S e i n e et Oi se .

The d ark green trees of the fores t form ed a back ground ,

the cl ear d eep stream of the Se i n e ran in fron t a l ong ,

white t errace over whi ch the v i n es trai led in lux uriant

ab u n d an ce led to a l arge gard en and the garden sloped
, ,

to the bank s of the b eauti ful river It was an earthly .

paradi se Th ere was every vari ety of col or ev ery l ovely

.
,

li n e of sk y of tree of fl ower ; th ere was every beauty of

, ,

rat ure ; b ut the fai res t part of the pi ct ure was the faces of

the two y oung gi rl s on the t errace who st ood watchi ng ,

the rapid di sap pearan ce of the sm all pleasure boats down

the st ream .

T wo such faces as one only sees in pictures or in

 A WOMAN S TEMP TA TION ’
.
r3 :

d ream s ; be aut iful rich in color full of poet ry of pass ion

, . , ,

of gen i us ; alik e in som e respects di fferen t in oth ers ; ,

rem ark abl e in one t hi n g th at both were y oung b ut the , ,

face of on e was as the face of an ange l fu ll of good ,

ness ; the r ace of the othe r was one that i n di cated

’
stron g fee l ings and was n ot a fac e th at
,
took on e s
th oughts to h eaven .

“
I wi s h , id the y ou n g
gi rl wh om every one call ed
sa ,

R ei n e from her grand q ueen ly h auteur an d b rilli an t

, , ,

b eauty I wi sh that I were in one of th ose boats

, .

“
Perh aps y ou would n ot b e m uch happi er ,
re pli ed a

t v oice H ppi li es w lz zn,

i d
'

swee . a n ess z f n ot aroun us.

T he d ark eyes flash ed un utterabl e scorn the regal ,

h ead was th rown back p roudly a light m ocki ng laugh , ,

cam e from lips beauti ful en ough to h ave wooed and

won a world .

“
Th at is like y ou Bell e ; y ou are a livi n g vol um e of
,

good sayi ngs If th ere i f one thi ng in the world for

.

which I th ank H eaven m ore th an anoth er it is th at I am ,

”
n ot so good as y ou .

You have littl e than k ful

to b e for in th at case ,
was

the q ui etply re .
“
You waste y our em oti ons R e i n e ;, y ou
”
use so m uch over trifles .

Seem i ngly the subject al ready weari ed beauti ful Reine ,

for she sang the fi rst few li nes of one of Bera nger s
’

popular songs and agai n Bell e t urned to her with a

,

slightly sh ock ed exp ressi on .

I3z A WOMAN '
s TEM P TA TIOM

R ei ne , y ou forg e t how m uch m am m a di slik es that

son g .

An oth er littl e m oc k i ng l augh an d the ice

‘

vo
, , g y
a

re pli ed
’
Wh at on e d oes i n m am m a s p resence and in her
ab se n c e are two di ffere n t thi n gs I consol e m y sel f for all .

m isfort un es If m am m a forces m e to assum e a d e m ure

.

n ess in her p resen ce th at I d o n ot feel i n her ab senc e I ,

’
sh all si ng the m ost re p ublican of B erang er s songs Th ere .

m ust b e some c om p en sati on for m e .

B ell e did n ot sm il e ; she was l ooki ng ove r the green

trees of St G erm ai n an d the cl ear d eep river A sig h of
.
, , .

unu tterabl e sati sfacti on cam e from her lips .

“
H ow beauti ful our h om e is R e n e i
H ow d early , .

I l ove it .

“
So is the outs id e of a p ri son b eauti ful if i t b e b uil t ,

after g ran d G othic s ty l e H om e an d p rison m ean the

.

sam e thi ngs to m e .

“
You talk so wildly If ever y ou live to see the i h
.

terior of a p ri s on y ou would reali z e the di fferen ce

, .

R ei ne on ly answered by a carel ess l augh as she parted ,

the t raili n g b ran ch es of the vi n e ; b ut the ti m e was to

com e wh en b oth would rem em ber the lightly spok en word s -

.

You wou ld b e sati sfied an d con t en t ed anywh e re c on ,

“
ti n n ed R e i n e Th an k H eaven I h ave a littl e m ore
.
,

spi rit th an y ou I am ti red to d eath of Beausean t and

.
,

am wick ed en ough to own it I am ti red of wh at m am m a .

calls the pl easures of d om estic li fe

‘
G ood n ess fatig ues .
’
1 34 A PVOAIAN S
’
YE A/ P TA T1 0 1V .

b efore th at vi si on of q ueen ly grace and beauty Th ere .

was on e l etter and it cam e from E ngl an d R eine s face ’

.
,

fe ll as she saw it .

“
I did h ope it was som e kin d of i nvitati on to g o
”
som ewh e re or to d o som et hi ng
, she said d esp ai ri ngl y , ,
.

“
An d it is on ly a l etter from that m ost s t upid of all
coun tri es Englan d,
.

From England ? re peated Bell e I did not k n ow .

m am m a had fri end s th ere .

“
Nor did I If the En gli sh pe opl e are lik e th ei r
.

cli m ate I wi sh m arn m a joy of her fiiends C om e with

,
'

m e Bell e to tak e the l ett e r

, ,
.

T he young gi rl s walk ed sl owly to the l ong open ,

wi n d ow of a p retty sal oon that l ook ed over the fl ower

g a r d e
.n A l ady sat a t the littl e t abl e writi ng b usily so , ,

b usily that she did n ot even h ear the sound of the light
footst eps .

Y ears h ave ch anged M adam e de St Lan ce Her face . .

is still b eauti ful ; b ut over her b eauty th ere has fall en a

careworn h aggard exp ressi on ; th ere are silver th reads in
,

her l ux uri an t h ai r an d a t roubl ed sh adow in her eyes

, .

T he high b orn pat rici an fac e sh owed a m i n d ill at ease

-
, .

Th ere was a n ervous m ovem en t in the white han d a ,

q uiveri ng of the lips all sh owi ng that M adam e de St

, .

Lance had her own gri ef and sorrows to b ear .

”
“
M am m a said Rei ne ,
wh at c ould be the m ost
,
“

welcom e gi ft y ou could receive

A d eep si g h cam e from her lips .
 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA n ay .
1 35

I do k n ow d ear child that eart h h olds a wel

n ot , ,

com e gi ft for m e she said

,
an d the q ui e t m e l an ch oly i n

her voice b rought a d eep er sh ad ow to the two fai r fac es .

H ere is a l etter from E ngl an d I can n ot h ope it will

.

be i n teres ti ng to y ou for I h ave n ever h eard y ou speak of

,

any fri end s i n E ngl an d .

M ad am e s face grew even pal er ; he r lips trem bl ed an l

’

the h and th at eagerly g ras p ed the l e tte r sh ook so th at she

could hardly h old it She did not offer to open the

.

l etter whil e the young gi rl s rem ai ned with her b ut the ,

m om en t th ey had q uitted the sal oon she open ed the eu

v e lop e B efore readi ng it she rai sed her eyes to h eaven
, .

“
What is th ere in store for m e ? she cri ed “
Oh .
,

H eaven l h ave I not suffered enough

 1 36 A WOMAN '
S T EM P TA TION .

C H APTER XX II .

“
1 mn rr FOR T H E
'
BEST .

Mad am e de St Lance walk ed to the wi nd ow N ear the

. .

great be ds of c ri m son roses she saw the two gi rls on e with ,

he r vivid gl owi ng earth ly b eauty the oth e r with the cal m

, , , ,

swe e t fac e th at on e sees i n pict ures of sai n ts .

Long an d m ost earn estly m ad am e l ook ed at t hem .

T hey were b oth d ear to her ; on e from the n at ural affec

ti on eve ry m oth er feels for her child the other from a l ong ,

h abit of l ove an d care .

Th ey are l ovely g i rls ! she m urm ured to h ersel f ;

“
m ore l ovely th an any I ever saw eith er in the gay c ourt ,

of Pari s or any wh e re e l se He ought to b e pl eased with

.

”
her .

Th en ag ai n m ad am e fell i n to a l ong d ee p reveri e her ,

fin e ari st oc ratic face grew pal er a t roubl ed sh ad ow lay in

, ,

the d epth of he r eyes .

“
If I c ou ld b ut b e sure ! she said ; if I c ou ld but
”
h ave one gli m pse i nto the future I
T he wi n d sti rred the vi ne l eaves an d scattered the c ri m
-
,

son p etal s of the rose ; som e m yst eri ou s warn i ng see m ed

to com e to her in its m usic for she grew pal er as she,

li st en ed to it T he white h and cl ench ed the l etter as

. ,
1 33 A WO M AN S ’
zE MP TA TION
‘

Then m adam e aroused hersel £ She was too m uch .

’
acc ust om ed to the gi rl s m od e of sp eech to p ay m uch h eed

to it She l aid her t hin white h and on the gi rl s sh ou ld er

’
.
, .

Wh at I h ave got to say con cerns us all , b ut y ou, Re ine ,

m ore th an any one el se .

“
I am —
very glad nav d evoutly th an k ful —th at
, som e

thi ng c oncerns m e at l ast id R ei ne ; but the grave l ook

, sa

on m adam e s fac e som ewh at di sm ay ed her M adam e

’
.

c onti n ued
I have k ept one secret from y ou my d ear child ren for , ,

seve ra l reasons On e was that I b e li eved i t would add to

.

th e h appi n ess of us all if th at sec ret were k ept ; an oth er

was th at I b eli eved i t would save on e of y ou from the pai n

of un u tterabl e l ongi ng for th at which y ou m ight n ever

attai n .

T he gi rl s l ook ed at her in w on d er She c on ti n ued .

T he seret c on cern s y ou R ei n e I have b rought y ou , .

up lik e si sters I h ave l oved y ou b oth as m y own child ren

, ,

y e t I n ever had b ut on e child R ei n e y ou are n ot my .

,

d aughter; Li sten whil e I tell y ou your own story ; it is

,

n ot a c om m on on e .

R ei ne s b eauti ful
’
face grew d eadly pal e .

Not
your child ! Oh ,
m am m a, I was n ot p repared
”
for anythi ng so cruel as that 1
“
Do y ou l ove m e d early th en R e i ne ?
so , , as k ed
m ad am e, an d her voice was swee t in its tend ern ess .

“
Love y ou, m am m a ? Of course I l ove y ou —whom
 A WOM AN ’
S TEMP TA n ozv .
1 39

l
e se s h ould I l ove ? Not y our child ? Why it seem s as
th ough y ou had passed the sen ten ce of d eath upon m e .

Hot tears rose to her eyes an d her lips t rem bl ed

“

, .

If I h ave d one wrong in n ot t elli ng y ou b efore sai d ,

m adam e “
I beg your pard on I did it for the best I
,
. .

c ould n ot foresee th at even ts would h app en as th ey h ave

d on e R ei ne y ou are not m y child except in affecti on ;

.
,

o u re the d aughter of Lord Arncourt of Nev ersleig h an

y a , ,

E ngli sh nobl em an who ga ve y ou i n to m y charge wh en

,

o u w e re b ut fiv e y ears old
y .

”
“
Lord Arn court ! repeated the gi rl in her p retty ,

F rench accen t Oh m amm a l are y ou j esti ng with m e

.
, ,

or is it really t rue ?
“
True ! Ah Rei ne you m ay see by the pai n it gives
, , ‘

m e in t elli ng th at it is really t rue

,
Li sten m y d ear .
,

child Your fath er wh en q uite youn g con t racted a very

.
, ,

un eq ual m arriage a m arri age th at he was ob liged to c on

,

ceal and y ou his only child at your m oth e r s d eath

, , ,
’

were b rought to m e You k n ow best how I l oved y ou

. .

“
But w —
hy why was m y fa th er s m arri age un eq ual ?
’

How do y ou m ean ask ed R ei n e her h ead th rown ,

proudly back he r face all agl ow with i n dignation

,
“
Un .

eq ual in wh at respec t

“
Un eq ual in ran k Your m oth er as I understood the
.
,

story th ough beauti ful

,
re fin ed and gen tl e was n ot an
, , ,

ari st oc rat—was n ot even what the world call s a l ady She .

’
was a sch ool m as ter s d aughter .

“
She was a l ady or he would never h ave m arri ed her
, ,
 A IVO/ lIAN S TE M P TA TIOZV
’
/
1 40 .

sa id Rei n e q uickly w h i l e Bell e l ook ed on wi th won

, ,

d eri ng ey es .

Mad am e l aid her h an d on the gi rl s fl ush ed ch eek ’

.

My d ear R ei n e she said

”
“
be pati en t
,
I am on ly ,
“
.

re peati n g to y ou wh at was t old to m e by y ou r fath er

hi m sel f Li sten, an d I w i ll tell y ou the story as it was

.

"
told to m e .

So whil e the wi n d s wept the c ri m son l eaves from the

,

roses an d p lay ed with the v i n e whil e the fl ow ers bl oom ed ,

an d the bi rd s san g Mad am e d e St L an c e re p eat ed the

, .

story of th at piti ful l ove an d piti ful m arri age .

“
Did m y fath er l ove m y m oth er or did he n ot ? ask ed ,

the gi rl i m p eri ously I w i sh to k n ow “

. .
,

My d earest Rein e how cap I tell y ou ? and m ad am e s ,

’

face g rew pal er .

”
I am q uite s ure i n t errupted the g i rl th at she was
, ,
“

a l ady ; I fee l as th ough m y m oth e r m ust h av e b een a

l ady Why m am m a wh at h ave y ou t old m e so often

.
, ,

yoursel f ? Look at m y h and s th ey are sm all an d wh ite , ,

an d s l en d er— y ou al way s sa id th a t was the m ark of

”
good race .

“
You cam e of good race R ei n e on y our fath er s
’

, ,

s id e ,
said m ad am e ; th en B e ll e with her g en tl e voice , ,

j oi n ed in
“
R ei ne let m am m a fi n ish her story d arli ng ;
, ,

”
pati en t .

T he angry gl ow di ed from the b eauti ful fac e an d ,

m adam e fi n i sh ed wh at she had to say .

 142 A WOMAN S TE M P TA TION ’
.

the parti ng wit h us very k een ly he h opes th at we will g o ,

to E ngl an d with y ou He ki ndly ask s m e to live at

.

Neversle igh as y our ch aperon ; an d rem em beri ng th at I

,
had a d aughter p rays m e to b ri n g B ell e as a c om pan i on
,

to y ou so th at y ou se e we sh all n
”
, ot b e parted .

B ell e cl asped her white arm s roun d Re i ne s n eck ’

.

” ”
I sh all n ot l ose y ou s he c ri ed “
after all 1
, ,

So I am Lord Am c ourt s d aught er said R ei n e

’

, ,

m usi ngly .

I h ave call ed y ou R ein e sai d m adam e “ b ecause at

, ,

fi rst even y ou struck m e as b ei ng a li ttl e queen j ust as we ,

call ed y ou Bell e because y ou w ere even so beauti ful wh en

ou w e re a child
y .

R e i n e s d ark eyes were all agl ow .

”
Th en I h ave anoth er nam e she said ; som e q uai nt
“
, ,

”
h al f barbarous E ngli sh n am e with out d oub t
-
, .

I do not thi n k it barbarous ; it is N ina—Ni na R uthven

ou r fa th er ca ll ed y ou wh en y ou cam e here
y .

”
“
Oh m am ma said Re i ne
, ,
only an hour since I ,

asserte d all the Engli sh were stupid and n ow I am ,

English m ysel f; th at is what Bell e would call a j ust

ret rib u ti on .

Th ere was so m uch to te ll an d so m uch to talk of; that ,

h ours passed like m i nutes R e i n e was al m ost too excited .

for Spee h c Madam e s face wore the pal e and sorrowful

.
’

look of M ad onna B elle wept with out rest rai n t ; but

.

R e i ne m ad e p i cture after pi cture of the golden future th at

lay b efore her .
 A W OMAN S ’
TEMP TA TI ON .
143

Mam m a she cri ed sudd e nly— ah m e I shall

,
-
,
“
, ,

n ever cal l y ou anythi ng b ut m am m a—t ell m e shall I be

Lord Arnc ourt s h ei ress ?

’

“
No the estates are en tail ed I k now the h ei r is a
.

g en tl em an call ed E ric Chil v e rs he w ill s ucc eed to the

titl e an d estates unl ess your fath er sh ould m arry agai n

, .

Still as his d aughter I m ust be h ei ress tosom ethi ng

, , ,

”
said R ei ne ; he m ust b e ri c h .

He is rich repli ed m ad am e q uietly ; b ut it would

” “
, ,

n ot b e p ossibl e for m e even to g uess wh at p ort i on of his

”
riches wou ld c om e to y ou .

And th en the sum m ons to drn ne r cam e but Re i n e was ,

far too excited by wh at she had h eard t o eat .

 CH APTER XX III .

I H AVE G RIEVOUS LY S INN E D .

L ord Arncourt sat alone in his library Years had .

a —
p ssed si nce he the brilli an t orator the l earned states ,

m an the gi fted l ead er of a great p arty —

,
s ucc eed ed to the f

titl e of Lord Arn court Years th at had stol en the b right

.

n ess from his fac e th at had sh ad owed his eyes th at had l eft
.
,

d ee p li nes roun d the firm l p s H ard work g reat an xi ety

i
, ,

g reat resp onsibiliti es had l eft th e i r t race upon the han d

,

som e fac e b ut n e ith er ti m e n or work had aged hi m as

,

sorro‘ had d on e .

It would be idl e to attem pt to d esc ribe his gri e f it was -

bey on d all com fort it was b eyon d all word s T he b righter

,
.
,

b etter part of his li fe had died with his wife She had been .

the li fe of his l ife the soul of his soul

,
she had been to

him wh at the s un is to the earth the source of all his ,

b right ness the warm th the light the cen ter of his h eart
, , ,

an d li fe
. Wh e n she di ed it seem ed to him th at the
,

world en d ed . He would fai n h ave reti red from public li fe ,

b t th t e
u a h foun oss —
d it i p ibl e th e re was n o one to ta ke
m
—
his pl ace and the ut m ost he could do for h im self was to
’
sec ure a few m on th s q u i et .

He sp ent it in th ough t Th ere were ti m es wh en the wi n d

.
146 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIOIV .

he m ak e up his m i nd to sen d for her . He would n ot

decid e has tily . h e wrote for the

D uk e of O rm esc om be
and for E ri c For the fi rst ti m e he reveal ed the st ory of
.

his m arri age—a story n o one c ould refuse to b eli eve For .

the fi rst ti m e the d uk e un d erst ood why H ubert R uthven

had lived so l ong al on e .

Isora never k new this story ? he ask ed .

No repli ed L ord Arncourt ;

”
, I did not tell her of “

my marri age I n ever l oved any wom an b ut her an d I

.
,

c ould not bear to speak to her of anoth er .

Th en he ask ed th ei r advi ce as to wh at he sh oul d do .

Send for he r by all m eans said the d uk e You , .

“

ought n ever to have parted with her Sen d for her and .
,

”
do y our best to aton e for past n eglige n ce .

”
I h ave gri evously si nn ed repli ed Lord Arn c ourt , ,

with a m el anch oly sm il e ; b ut as far as I can at on e “

, ,

I will .

He told th em the wh ol e story of his m arri ag an d of

e,
how at his wi fe s d eath he had tak en the littl e Ni na to
’

, ,

M adam e de St Lance . .

And y ou h ave n ever seen her si n ce ? ask ed Eri c

Chilvers .

No—I m ust c onfess it with sham e—n ever s i nce .

You d o n ot even k n ow what she is lik e said the

duk e .

No he said again , I h ave not the l east id ea She .

was a pretty child l ovi ng and gentl e ; b ut I saw so littl e

,

of he r .
 A WOMAN S TEMP TA T1 01V ’
.
147

“
It seems s rant ge ,
id
h t thi s child
sa his g race, t a ,

wh om y ou as it were
,
away sh ould be the only on e
, gave ,

l eft to y ou Sen d for her at once H ubert ; l ose no ti me

. , .

And were I in your pl ace I sh oul d sen d for the lady with
-
,

wh om she has been li v i ng—for her and her daught er too , .

Soc iety will be useful for y ou and k eep y ou from growi ng ,

”
too m el anch oly .

Lord Arncourt had scarcely heard the l ast few word s .

His eyes were fix ed on E ric s face A sudd en idea had

’
.

occu e rr d to hi —
m E ric was y oung hand som e and gi fted , ,
.

What if his daughter m arri ed his h ei r ? T he rel ati onship

bet ween th em was so very di stan t that it could n ot m atter .

T he id ea d elighted him his daughter after all would be

—
, ,

m i stress o Ne rs e g h would be L
f v e l i ady Arn court It .

seem s al m os t the sam e thi ng as th ough she were his

hei ress after all

,
Perh aps g randchil d ren of his own
.

m igh t succeed him and he had n ot lik ed the id ea of

,

leavi ng all he had to strangers even th ough th ose ,

s trangers were of his own k ith and k in He found him .

se l f m urm u ri ng the nam e

“
N i na Lady Arnc ourt and
, ,

the two strangers who were wi th him wond ered why his

fac e b rightened so sudd enly .

And Eric y ou need

”
I wi ll send at once he said , .
, ,

n ot hurry back to London Stay with m e a few week s .

help m e to en tertai n m y g uests I shall not feel at hom e .

am ong the y oung and g ay .

Mr Chilvers readily consented He fel t som e curiosity

. .

as to th is y oung d aughter of Lord Arncourt and was ,

 A WOMAN S TE M P TA 77 0m
’
148

pl eased to h ave the Op p ortunitv of seei ng her So it was .

d ec id ed and th at day L ord Arncourt wrote to Madam e

‘

d e St Lanc e i ncl os ing a ch eck for a sum th at startl e d

’

.
,

her. He begged her to use as m uch expediti on as p os

s ibl e for he was an xi ous to see his child
,
M ad am e wrote .

to hi m by ret urn of p ost and p rom i sed to be at Neve r

,

s l eigh by the en d of the we ek .

Th en Lord Arn c ourt Call ed his h ousekeeper and bade ,

her m ak e all n eed ful arrangem en ts for the re c e pti on of

th ree l adi es .

T he n ews soon sp read in the h ouseh old .

My l ord had b een m arri ed before—a m arri age he had

been obliged to k eep secret from the old l ord —and his
daught er was c om i ng h om e .

“
Th ank good ness we sh all have l adi es to the h ouse
,

”
soon ! was the gen eral excl ama ti on ; an d the servant s

were so pleased at the id ea that th ey soon c eased to

won d er over the m arri age .

T he day an d the h our had arrived at l en gth wh en th ey

were exp ected and Lord Arn court sat in the lib rary al one
, .

He had tried to keep up appeara nces he had t ri ed to ,

l ook unc oncern ed and to speak coolly ; b ut the very

dep th s of his soul were sti rred withi n him T he prese n t
‘ ’

seem ed to di sappear an d the past liv ed in his m em ory

,

as vividl y as th ough it were b ut yesterd ay He saw the .

bl ue sk y the b right sun shi ne the pi n k and white app le

, ,

b lossom s with the l ovely face beneath the fac e that al ways ,

b righten ed and softened for him ; he h eard agai n the

r 50 WOMAN ’
TEMP TA TION .

Whil e he th us speaki n g Eric Chilvers stood his

,

eyes fix ed on the l ovely face of the g irl wh om madam e

i ntrod uced as Belle .

 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TION .
1 51

C H APTER XX IV .

s rrE WOULD MA! E A G RAND LADY ARNCOURT .

Of all the n ew arr va s, i l

id Eri c Chilvers to Lord
sa

Arn court ,
m ad am e p uz z l es
m e the m ost .

The two gen tl em en were walki ng on the t errace sm ok

ing a cigar T he ladi es had reti red as was nat ural
.
, ,

p erhaps und er the ci rcum stan ces T he gen tl em en were

,
.

b usi ly engaged in di scussi ng th em The m oon was shi n .

ing fu ll and b right th rough the t rees an d the n ight wi n d ,

was cal m an d still .

Lord Arn court sm il ed as he repli ed

M ad am e p uz z l es y ou ? Why Eric to m e she seem s , ,

very easy to und erstand—a l ady of high bi rth and great

weal th who has l ost eve rythi ng in the world she eve r
,

”
call ed her own .

She has not l ost her d aughte r said E ric q ui ckly

“ ’

, , ,

an d I ven t ure to thi n k m ad em oi sell e is a g reat t reasure

“
.

Lord Arncourt l ook ed t roubl ed for one hal f m i nute ,

th en he an swered q uickly
“
You are right Bell e is a beau. ti ful charm i ng gentl e , ,

i l Th e re is som et hi ng v ery st riki ng in the rep ose of her

g r
.

m an ner an d the grac e of her word s But y ou h ave n ot an .

swered m y q uesti on E ric —w hy d, o es m a d am e p uz z l e y ou

1 52 A WOMAN S YEAIP TA T/ OIV ’
.

I can not ex
'

p lain thi ng so . Th ere seem s to me som e

m el anch oly so sil en t so reserved ab out her—ah atm os

, ,

h re of m ystery th at I can n ot pen et rate

p e .

You m ust h ave been di ng som e of Wilki e Colli ns rea

’

ficti on s E ric ,
l aughed Lord Arncourt
,
Th ere is n o .

se c ret ab out m ad am e exce pt th at I thi n k she has too ,

vivid a recoll ecti on of her early troubl es .

“
It m ay be th at
high b red
. She is very l g
e e an t ,
-
,

graceful courteous in her m anner ; b ut she gives m e the

,
-

i m p ressi on of a p erson who is al way s b roodi ng over one

id ea If I speak to her sudd en ly she l ook s up with a
.
,

startl ed air of one wh ose th oughts are m il es away w h ose ,

m ind is engrossed wh ose h eart is b urd ened I cannot

, .

”
acc oun t for the i m p ressi on b ut th ere it is , .

Lord Arncourt l augh ed aga n i .

“
It would n ot really be wi se to d estroy your d eligh tful
th eory of rom an ce E ric but I d o n ot thi n k m ad am e has
, ,

any m yst ery Her th oughts are m ore in the past th an in

.

the p resen t .

How l ong wi ll she i h ere ? ask ed E ri c And a rem a n .

k een observer would have noticed how his v oice trem bl ed

as he ask ed the q uesti on .

“
I can not tell . Long as I can persuad e her to re m ai n ,

y ou m ay b e sure . In all p robability till R ei ne is m arri ed .

Then Lord Arncourt s voice faltered ’

s lightly , and he
li stened i n ten tly for the next word .

E ric sm il ed .
 A WOMAN S TEM P TA r7 0m
’
1 54

A elic w as a n E ngli sh b eau ty— fai r gentl e with bl ue eyes , , ,

”
and b right fai r h ai r ,
.

M ad em oise ll e R eine has spi ri t enough for all the

Arncourts said Eri c How b right and d efian t and
”
.
, , ,

full of an i m ati on she i s l

T he child has pl en ty of li fe was the pl eased reply , .

Are y ou good fri en d s with her ?

Yes I thi n k so ; alth ough we spend the greater part
,

”
of our ti m e in di sp uti ng .

Lord Arncourt l onged to ask m ore but he did not like , .

Th ere was great dignity about Mr Ch ilvers that did not .

perm it of any liberty bei ng tak en with him He would .

fai n h ave said som ethi ng of the pl an that eng rossed him
his m arri age with Rei n e He had set his wh ol e h eart
.

upon th at ; he had wi sh ed for it wh en he saw his d aughter

—before he knew even what she was like ; but now that
her b rilli ant beau ty had fill ed him with wonder and ad
m iration he was m ore anxi ous th an ever
, .

“
She would m ak e a gran d Lady Arncourt he said to ,

hi m sel f she would b e m ore ad m i red than any wom an

“

I k now .

But n ot to Eri c Chilvers his h ei r and distan t ki ns ,

m an did he say one word

,
He had resolved too that .
, ,

perhaps it woul d be better not to say one word to his

d aughter .

It wil l be better he thought to l eave th em q uite

He m ust love Rei ne—

, ,

al one . nob o dy could help it ; in

terference m ight only spoil all .
 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TION .
1 55

H e had watch ed
th e m an d sa w w ith d e l ight th a.t th e y
spen t a g reat d eal of ti m e t ogeth er R ei ne in her fear .
,

l ess fas hi on was l earn i ng to rid e and she would only

, ,

tak e l essons from him S he d elig hted i n teasi ng him ;.

she foun d out all his p ec uli ariti es an d d e light ed i n t ry i ng ,

how m uch she could tease with out ange ri n g him .

Lord Arncourt would l isten with d elight ; he r wit and

h al f vail ed sat ire am used hi m he r high spi rits he r k een
-
,

e nj oy m ent of li fe her great an i m ati on and vivacity

, ,

charm ed him ; b ut of his heart s d esi re Lord Arncourt ’

lik e a wi se m an said n othi n g , .

T he young gi rl s had at fi rst b een bewild ered by the

c h ange ; the m agn ific en c e of Nev e rs leigh startl ed th em

th ey had seen nothi ng lik e it E ngli sh m anners an d c us . .

t ms
o pl eased th em the c oun t ry—the b eauti ful woodl an d

sc enery t e g a d o d t ees
h r
,
n l r — charm ed th em .

“
I h ought Engl and was so beauti fu l said Be ll e
v
ne er t ,

one day to Lord Arn court I am am used now wh en I .

thi n k how I used to pict ure it .

How was that ? he

”
as k ed .

As
l ways dark d am p and d reary with m ist and fog
a , , , .

I did n ot thi nk the sun ever sh one warm an d bright ; b ut

n ow I lik e it even b etter th an F ranc e I lik e the variati on .

of the cli m ate an d I thi nk that I shall find som ethi ng

,

beauti ful even in a fog .

“
You m us t see a Lond on fog Bell e H ere we have , .

on ly a thi n , s ilvery mi st that rises lik e a c urtai n sh owi ng ,

 6 A WOM AN S TE M P TA TIOIV’
1 5 .

i
the fa r wor ld b eneath th ere it is thick an d ye ll ow dense ,

an d d am p —i r seem s to cli ng to ou ; t I h ave n

y y e se e
”
beaut iful c ol ors in a Lond on fog .

French peopl e as a rul e have n ot a correct idea

, ,

of E ngl an d said Be ll e R ei ne used to di slike it

.
“

very m uch .

That is strange said Lord Arnc ourt , She sh ould .

have l oved it i nsti nctivel y b ecause it was her own , .

“
I thi n k said Be ll e q ui etly
,
th ere is m ore n on
, ,
“

sen se talk ed ab ou t i nsti nct th an ab out any thi n g el se i n

the world It seem s to m e th at what peopl e call i nsti nct

.

is j ust as often wrong as right .

T he gi rl s had been d eligh ted

_ ,
too w ith Lord Arncourt .

H ow
hand som e your fath er is said Bell e to R ei ne , .

Wh at a n obl e fac e—wh at a gran d chival rous m an n er ,

.

I do n ot envy y ou your wealth R ei n e n or y our b rillian t , ,

fut ure n or any of the great gi fts an d bl essi ngs th at are

,

”
yours b ut I do en vy y ou the l ove and care of y our fath er
, .

”
My dear Bell e l was the re ply ,
in a ton e of ineflab le

wond er .

B ell e l ook ed up in pi
sur r se .

All m oral ti m en ts are very beauti ful l augh ed

s en ,

R ei ne ; b ut I sh ou ld n ever thi n k of en vyi ng y ou the

“

l ove an d care of y our m oth er G ive m e solid tangib le .

,

bl essi ngs Love is ve ry well A n ice papa as E ngli sh

. .
‘
,
’

gi rl s say is very delight ful but fo

,
r m y part I would l , ,

freel y give y ou hal f the l ove .

1 53 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA

He ought to feel fl attered , id Rei ne ;

sa b ut m en are
”
proverbi ally ungra teful .

The word s were few but som ethi ng in the tone of the
,

voice st ruck Bell e . She did not resum e the subj ect ,

al th ough Reine often tried her .

 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIOM 1 59

C HAPTER XXV .

worm s T HAT ARE TO r rrrr POINT .

“
r e E

Great p repara ti ons had been m ad e at Neversleigh for the

rece pti on of the l adi es By Lord Arncourt s di recti on a
.
’
,

suit e of room s was arranged exp ress ly for R e i n e As his .

daugh ter he consi dered she ought to b e di fferen tly t reated

to the oth ers th at m ore respec t sh ould be paid to her
,
.

”
“
I m ust m ak e some d isti ncti on he said to hi m sel f ;
,

an d for R e i ne s espec i al ease every l ux ury was p rovid ed

’
.

Her room s were on the sam e fl oor as th ose arranged for

Madam e de St Lance and her daughter ; b ut whil e Re i ne s
.
’

room O pen ed on to a bal cony full of bl oom i ng fl owers ,

those occupi ed by m ad am e led by an i ron stai rcas e to the

terrace bel ow T he young gi rl s were d el igh ted with th ei r

.

apartm en ts Rei n e stood at the d oor of her m agnificent

.

cham ber .

“
This is j ust what I have longed for all m y li fe she ,

“
sa id
, and I c onsid er m ysel f very fort unate that m y long

ings are grati fied at last .

It was som e few days before th ey were q uite at hom e

there was so m uch to be arra nged for th em A pretty .

Pari sienne was found for Rei ne and estab li sh ed as her

,

m ai d Madam e preferred an English one Lord Arncourt

. .
1 60 A WOMAN S ’
TEM P TA TIOIV .

would h ave t hem l earn to rid e an d suitabl e h orses m ust ,

be foun d for th em
’
R ei n e s eyes gl eam ed with d elight as
.

she saw the b eauti ful h abit of bl ue cl oth the h ats the , ,

gloves the ridi ng whi p —everythi ng was as perfect as it

,
-

could b e .

“
I thi n k som e good fai ry m ust have p resid ed at m y
”

bi rth she said b ut Bell e rem em beri ng the l on ely li fe of

, ,

her m oth er sigh ed d eeply

,
.

After th ey had been som e days at Nev ersleig h Lord ,

Arn c ourt m ad e all his arrangem en ts He ask e d m ad am e .

if she would h on or him by rem ai n i ng at the h all un til his

daughter m arri ed H e urged her to do so
.
“
Rei n e was .

so b eauti ful he said an d so y oun g he did n ot lik e to

“
, , ,

”
tak e ch arge of her .

He offered her what in the poor l ady s eyes seem ed a

’

gran d i n com e .

“
For your d aught er he sard “
who has been lik e a
, ,

si st e r to m i n e I m ust b eg y ou to all ow m e to t rea t her as

,

th ough she were m y own Let her share every advan tage
.

with R ein e , You will do m e a real ki n dn ess if y ou con

sen t to thi s .

It was n ot possibl e to refuse Madam e l ooked slightly .

t roubl ed as she sard Yes .

Th en Lord Arn c ourt call ed R ei ne in tm his st udy He .

had n ot ta lk ed m uch to her he felt rath er shy and ill at

ease b e fore thi s beaut iful bri llian t gi rl wh om he had so
,

l ong negl ected .

She l o ok e d at him wi th such proud b right eyes She ,

.
1 62 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TIOIV .

You were happy with M ad am e de St Lan ce were .

,

y o u n o t ? he i n q u i red an xi ou sl y
, .

“
After a very q ui et fashi on I am not c om plai n i ng
. .

M adam e was al ways very good to m e I cann ot h elp .

wi shi ng that she had told m e the truth ab out m y sel f an d

”
m y t rue paren tage .

You would n ot have been h appi er he said ,

”
li fe would have be en one c on ti n ual l ongi ng .

“ ”
It was worse th an th at she repli ed ; b ut we need
,

n ot di sc uss it You wish ed to m ak e som e arrangem en t

.

w ith m e papa
, .

Th ere was at ti m es a certai n l ofty i m peri ousness about

her t hat m ad e Lord Arncourt fee l ill at ease in her
presen ce He felt that she had a will strong as his own
.

st rong er p erh aps

,
He had a vague id ea th at th ere was
.

in her a d epth of sati re an d scorn with which he c ould

n ot c ope .

I sh ould lik e he said ,

“
to g ive y ou so m uch per
,

an n um for your p erson al expenses—for your d ress j ewel s , ,

ornam en ts or anythi ng of that ki n d

,
You m ay sen d for .

wh at y ou will an d sen d in y our bill s to m e

, I wish y ou .

to h ave everythi ng of the very b est You m ust d ress .

acc ordi ng to y our positi on Madam e de St Lance will

. .

”
advi se y ou .

Her id eas would b e too old fashi oned to suit m e -

,

i n terrupted Reine and Lord Arncourt l ook e d up in

,

surpri se.

R ei ne con ti nued
 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA n orv .
1 63

Shek new all th at was requi site twen ty y ears ag o I ,

have n o d oubt ; b ut I sh ould be sorry to accep t her l aws

on d ress n ow .

Rei ne m y dear , , said Lord Arncourt ,

“
y ou have a

v ery t ren ch an t m eth od of express i n g y oursel f

H ave I ? I lik e word s th at are to the poi n t . What

”
are y ou goi n g to d o with Bell e papa ? ,

Th en Lord Arn court told her He had som e noti on .

,

wh en she cam e i n of t reati ng her lik e a child —of ad

,

v i si n g her ; he foun d hi m sel f d eferri ng to her and c on ,

sulting her as th oug h she were a wom an .

”
“
So Be ll e h ere she sai d
is to rem a n
I am veryi , .

glad I am so used to havi ng her ab out m e th at I sh ould

.
,

”
n ot lik e to m i ss her .

Not very sen ti m en tal

a way of l ooki ng at it ; b ut that
was characteri stic of R e i n e .

Th en Lord Arn court and his daughter sat for som e littl e
tim e in sil en ce She was carel ess ly t urn i ng the l eaves of
.

a scrap book whi ch lay on the tabl e

-
.

“
Was th at all y ou wan ted m e for papa ? she said at , ,

l ength .

“
Yes R ei ne ; b ut tel l m e are y ou happy at N ever
, ,

sleigh ? Is th ere anythi ng m ore that I can d o for your

com fort ?
“
If I sh ould thi nk of anythi ng papa I will tell y ou , , .

I am very h appy If I wan t any thi ng I shall not b e afraid

.
,

of aski n g for it .
1 64 A WOMAN S ’
TE M PTA TION .

R ei n e ,
id Lord Arn c ourt s udd en ly as
sa , ,
s he t urn ed
to l eave the room do y ou lik e E ric Chilvers
,

She t urn ed asid e q uickl y b ut n ot b ef ore ,

he had seen the
vivid fl ush on her face It p l ease d hi m . .

I lik e him ve ry well she replied , He is very

ag reeabl e exc e pt w h en he arg ues with m e
,
.

“
I pl eased said Lord Arncourt
am ,
”
He will p rob .

ab ly sp en d a g reat d ea l of ti m e h ere, an d I sh ould n ot fee l

com fortabl e if y ou did n ot lik e him .

She was op en i ng the d oor wh en Lord Arn cou rt sudd en ly

b eth ought hi m sel f
Rei n e ,
he sai d ,
“
h ave y ou n ot one ki ss to give me :

She wen t back an d rai sed her b eauti ful face to his, an d

touch ed him with her soft lips .

“
I m ustki ss y ou an d th an k y ou she said carel essly
, , , .

You m ust n ot frown at the first m il li n er s b i ll y ou see of

'

m ine .

“
I p rom ise that he repli ed R ei ne wh at ever y ou
,
.
,

ord er for y oursel f ord er lik ewi se for B e ll e

, .

She t ook a care ful b usi n ess lik e vi ew of the si t uati on

,
-
.

I will do so with pl easure if y ou wi sh papa ; b ut

, , ,

wh at is q uite s uitabl e for m e would h ardly b e s uitabl e for

B ell e
I wi sh it to b e so said Lord Arncourt ,
.

Th en I will see th at your w i sh es are carri ed out she ,

“
said with a b right care l ess sm il e
, , I am goi ng for m y .

Au r evozr papa
”
ridi ng l ess on
’

. .
,
1 66 WOMAN S
’
TEMP TA TI OIV.

Com e in said Lord Arncourt ; an d th en

, he l ook ed
in surp ri se
.

Th ere b l ushing an d beautiful stood Belle

, , .
 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIOIV .

CH APTER XXV I .

“
uAs s uE A HEART ?

She wen t up to t face cri m son with

him , her swee

b l ush es her dark eyes b right with t ears She h eld out
, .

her littl e white h an d and her lips t rem bl ed as she

,

spok e .

Lord Arn court she said ,

pray forgive m e if I am, ,

in trud in g on y ou I could n ot h elp c om i ng to th an k

.

y o u . M am m a has t old m e ho w g oo d and ki n d y ou are

”
to m e an d I am so g rateful to y ou
,
.

H e t ook the littl e white h an d s h eld out to him and ,

as he h eld th em in his grasp a stra nge th rill went ,

over him .

“
My d ear child he said ,
“
y ou n ee d n ot th a
,n k m e .

I am only too glad to b e ki nd as y ou call it to R ei n e s , ,

’

fri end You have been lik e a sister to her all your li fe
.
,

”
Re i ne t ell s m e .

I l ove her very d early Lord Arncourt You are so , .

n e ou s so g ood th at y ou m ak e m e presum pt uous I

g e r , , .

am goi ng to ask a favor .

“
I am sure it will be gran ted he said wi th a ki n dly , ,

sm il e . What is it ?
T he cri m son deepen ed on her face .
1 68 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TION .

Pray do n ot thi n k m e presum pt uous she said b ut

, ,
“

y o u t e ll m e s o oft en y o u lik e m e for R e i n e s sa k e b eca u s e ,

I have b een Rei n e s si ster will y ou like m e for m y own

’

j ust a littl e ?
H e felt the sm all h and s t re m bl e in his own .

”
My d earest child he said i n exp ressibly t ouch ed
, , ,

I d o l ike y ou very m uch for your own sake as y ou

‘
,
’

eall it an d I h op e y ou will al ways b e R e i n e s s i st er

’
.

You h ave b een so g ood so ki nd to m e she said , .

T he tears stood in m am m a s eyes wh en she t old m e of

all y our g en erosity to us How am I to than k y ou
.

By b ei ng a t rue fri en d to m y d aughter She is b eau .

tiful b rillian t an d high sp i rited b ut she l ack s your q ui et

, ,
-
,

n ess ; she wan ts m ore stability c al m er c learer j udg m en t

, , .

I feel that the ti m e will com e for her wh en she will n eed
”
a fri en d wi ll y ou b e that fri en d ?

She raised her eyes to his face an d th ere was i n th em a ,

d epth of p urp ose a steadi ness a reli ance that st ru ck him

, , ,

forcibly .

“
I promi se y ou she said ,
I will
, .

An d the ti m e came wh en b oth rem em bered the words ,

an d she k ept her faith .

I m ust n ot i ntrud e on y ou c onti nued the young ,

g i rl
,
i n he r cl ea r v oic e ; b u t I c
“
ou ld n o t h e lp c om i n g .

My h eart was q uite full of gratitud e ; som e of it m ust be

told in w ord s .

Long after she had l eft him he sat thi n ki ng of her .

It seem s ungrateful to say so he th ought , but I ,

 1 70 A WOMAN S YEMP TA TION ’
.

th ought an d I cannot , I am s ure . It is n ot in

my li ne .

Has heart ? H e asked hi m sel f the q ues ti on

she a

over an d over agai n as th ey stood before the p retty sc h ool

,

h
,
o use a n d g a rd e n .

Lord Arncourt had dism ounted an d wi th the perm i s , ,

s i on of the resid en ts had tak en his d aught er th rough the

,

h ouse i n to the gard en The appl e t ree was still stan di ng .

-
,

th ough in pl ace of the pi n k and white bl ossom s h ung

beauti ful ripe fruit .

He poi nted to it .

You see th at R e i n e U nd erneath it I saw your

, .

m oth er fi rst with the s un shi n e on her h ai r

, .

R ei n e l ook ed carel essly .

It is very i n teresti ng she said n ot really k n owi ng , ,

wh at to say ; d esi rous of p leasi ng him y et with a h orror ,

of all sen ti m en t .

”
Child he sard h astily
“
, it is of your m other y ou ,

speak i n te resti ng rs h ardly the word

‘
.

But she had al ready turn ed away ; she was l ooki ng at

the littl e h ouse .

Did m y m oth er really live lrere 2 she ask ed an d he

“
,

d etected som ethi ng lik e c on tem p t~in her t on e .

Yes she lived h ere fai r as the bl oom i ng fl owers

“
, , ,

ure as the lili es—sweet a h ! sw eet e r th an word s of

p ,

”
m i ne can tell .

H er sweetn ess did n ot h old y ou captive papa she

“
, ,

repli e d c urtly It is a very sm all p lace ; she c ou ld not

“
.
,
 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TI ON .
71

have been very happy h ere I sh all find it difli c ult to .

m ak e a sh ri n e of a sch ool h ouse - .

He hit his lips and i n wardly vowed n ever agai n whil e

,

he lived to talk se n ti m en tality to his daughter He .

represse d his im pati ence sayi ng that i f she had b een ,

trai ned in a h om e of her own it would have b ee n di fferen t .

“
You v
n e er ask me ab out your m oth er R ein e ,
. H ave
y ou no curi osity about her
“
No papa , . I do n ot rem em ber her ; b esid es ,
it

al way s seem s to m e a pai n ful story . T he soon er it is

forgotten the b ett er .

Had she any h eart ? He re pressed his i m pati ence still .

He sh owed her her m oth er s favorite t rees an d fl owe rs

’
.

“
Would y ou like to gath er som e of th ose roses ? he
”
ask ed I h elped your m oth er to plan t th em
. .

She sat d own pl ck d an d rose

u e one —a dark gl owi ng , ,

frag ran t an d swe et She fasten ed it carel essly i n the b odice

.

o f h e r a —
h bit so care l essly that wh en she rem ounted her
h orse he saw th at it had fall en an d she did n ot even ,

rem em b er it Th ey sat d own for a few m i n utes on a

.

rustic w ood en b en ch th at s t oo d outs id e the p orch Lord ,

Arn c ourt recalli ng with sorrow of h eart the h ours he had

, ,

s pen t in th at s un n y b right gard en , .

”
R eine ,
he sa id , sudd en ly y ou ,
“
are n ot in d i sposi
ti on at all lik e y our m oth er Could ou v l ove any
.
y e er

one very m uch ?

I do not k now papa , . I do n ot l ove m any p eopl e .
1 73 A WOMAN S '
TEMP TA TIOIV .

I care for a few In the way y ou m ean l ov e would

on l y .
,

—
b e a fire w ith m e not a sen ti m en t .

How vividly the wo rd s cam e back to him afterward ,

wh e n her l ove had i nd eed p roved a d evas tati ng fire .

She seem ed to forge t his q uesti on an d l ooked up at the ,

h um bl e littl e h ouse .

’
Papa she ask ed abruptly
“
,
was m y m oth er a l ady ?
, ,

What do y ou m ean R ei ne ? ,

Was she well b red and el egan t lik e m adam e ? I k now

-

she was n ot rich b ut was she ed ucat ed an d refin ed ?

I l oved her he repl i ed b ri efly
,
Th at m ust an , .

swer all .

Th en R ei n e arose an d gath ered the fold of her habit

,

aroun d her .

Shall we g o n ow papa ? T he h orses will be ti red

, .

I am afraid y ou do n ot find m e a congen ial com pan i on

for a sen ti m en tal expediti on .

Lord Arncourt m ad e n o reply ; he open ed the gate for

her She passed and with out on e glan ce one li ngeri ng
.
, ,

l ook wen t on with a brighten i ng face

, .

Has she a h eart ?

”
O nce m ore the q uesti on was
ask ed .

T he answer was No .

She had fire, i mati on gen i us of a ki nd b ut a h eart

an ,

no .An d her fath er woul d n ot own even to hi m sel f how , ,

great was his di sappoi ntm en t .

Whil e R ei ne as she rod e by him resolved that she

,
“

would not rid e out with Lord Arncourt again .

1 74 A WOMAN ’
S TE MP TA TION .

CH APTER XXVU .

“
q s rrouw r N EVER T ouc rr ANY HE ART ?

From that h our Lord Arn court seem ed to tak e anoth er

vi ew of his d aughter s ch aracter He n ever aga i n appealed
’
.

to her affecti on She had no h eart the tend ern ess an d

.

sweetn ess th at form part of wom an 3 ch aract e r seem ed

foreign to her b ut he was p roud of her

, Her g rea t .

beauty pl eased hi m he lik ed to h ear her ad m i red His .

vanity and his am biti on alik e were grati fied by the h om age
paid to her She was b rillian t an d gi fted He enj oyed
. .

li sten i ng to her c onversati on Her sati re was poli shed .

,

k een and occas i onally b itter She had the tal en t of p ai n t

,
.

ing a ch aract er in an epi gram ; a few words fiom her

would say as m uch as a v ol um e from an oth er .

“
You are m ore French th an E ngli sh in character her ,

fath er said to her on e day I could i m agi ne wh en y ou

.

are speaki ng th at I was li sten i ng to on e of the gran d

F rench wom en of the old en em pi re who rul ed hal f the ,

world with sati re an d the oth e r h al f with sm iles

,
.

R ei ne l augh ed .

I am q uite Engli sh in one respec t she said ,

that is m y k een apprec i ati on of the com forts of li fe

,
.
 A W OMAN S ’
TE M PTA TION .
1 75

Lord Arncourt owned to hi m se l f th at he had d one a

w i se d eed in sen di ng for his d aughter His h ouse was
.

n o l ong er the sam e ; it was p resid ed over by a high

b red and e legan t wom an who was fon d of soci ety who
, ,

had a tal en t for it ; who d elighted in seei n g the gran d

old m ans i on fi ll ed with vi sit ors ; who was n eve r so wel l

l d w h n she was arran gi n g for som e g reat en t er

p eas e a s e

tai n m e n t M adam e was esse n ti ally a wom an of the

.

world .

T he two youn g gi rl s seem ed to h av e b rought with th em

an at m os ph ere of youth and gayety T he s ight of fai r
.

fac es the s oun d of fresh s weet voices were pl easan t after

, , ,

the d ee p g l oom tha t had s o l ong overs h ad owed N ever

s l eig h .

Then Lord Ai n court s eem ed as th ough he coul d not

d o e nough to i n d ulge his b eauti ful d aught er No day .

p a s s e d w ith o u t s om e am usem en t H
. e gave gran d di n n er

ti to w hich the elite of the c oun try we re i n vit ed ; he

p a r es ,

g a v e g ra n d b all s w h e
,
re all yout h an d b eauty c o n gre

g a t e d . F e t es arch ery m ee ti ngs

,
c roq ue t parti es
,
w ere ,

held in the g roun ds ; ridi ng parti es were form ed to vi sit

the rui ns of t he neighb orh ood ; p ic n ics were arra n ged ,

wh ere the y ou ng peopl e m igh t e nj oy th em selv es at th ei r

ease . Then he was c onti nually surpri si ng Bell e an d

Re i n e by the m agn ificen c e of his p resen ts Every thi n g
.

that y oung gi rl s h eart could d es rre was th ei rs in ab un

’

d anc e .

M adam e was very anxi ous that th ey s hould g o to Lon

1 76 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TION .

d on for the season, an d presen ted She constan tly

be .

urged thi s up on Lord Arn c ourt he al ways p ut it off .

”
I h ave only j ust recovered m y d aughter he sai d ,
.

Let m e k eep her with m e at l eas t for a ti m e If I let .

”
her g o to Lond on I am sure to l ose her
,
.

His real m otive was the strong d esi re he had to see E ric
and R ei ne l overs He th ought that if th ey rem ai ned
.

tog eth er th ey m ust m ost assuredly fall in l ove with each

,

oth er If R ei n e wen t to Lond on she would soon h ave a

.

hund red l overs at her feet He would rath er she m arri ed

.

Eric th an a royal d uk e even No d oubt that wh e n she

.

onc e m ad e her debut in the great world she wou ld h ave

lovers higher in rank and positi on th an E ric Ch ilve rs b ut
her m arri ag e with him would p l ease her fath er b est He .

did n ot wan t her to be th rown m uch i n to the soci ety of

eligibl e m en un til she was b et roth ed to E ric .

M any peopl e und erst ood it Madame usually so q uick

.
,

at p en etrati on was the l ast to p erceive it

,
.

Lord Arncourt wou ld lik e his d aughter to m arry his

h ei r was a freq uen t rem ark M oth ers warned th ei r sons
,
.

it was usel ess to fall in l ove th ere Men told each oth er .

Q
Lord Arncourt had oth er vi ews for his daughter M any .

as k ed th e m sel v es—would m y l ord s wi sh b e accom pli sh ed ?

’

It was i m possibl e to t ell E ric C hilvers seem ed to h ave

.

a v ery ki n dly li k ing for his b eauti ful ki nswom an He .

l augh ed with her ta lked to her enj oyed her sati re ad

, , ,

m i red her c onstan t an i m ati on for it was i m possibl e to feel

,

d ull wh ere Rei ne was ; b ut it was uncerta i n wh eth er he

1 73 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA n o” .

had ightly nam ed it F rom the first m om en t th at his

r .

p roud h an dsom e h ead was bent before her R ei n e had

, ,

loved him It was n ot a good l ove It was not found ed

. .

on estee m for what were really his g ood q ualiti es his ,

n obl e p ri ncipl es His h andsom e face the wi n n i ng grace

.
,

an d ch i val ry of his m ann er had fi rst arouse d it She , .

loved him for hi m sel f and n ot for any q ualiti es that dis
,
~

ting uished hi m .

At fi rst ,
l ong ti m e she was too p roud to
and for som e ,

own he r l ove e ven to h ersel f , She resol utely d rove from

.

her m i n d all th ough ts of it ; she would n ot ack n owl edge

it Prid e was a m aster passi on with her and p rid e for
.
,

bad e her to own to h ersel f th at she l oved a m an who had

said n othi n g y e t of l ovi n g her .

It c on quered her at last she yi eld ed to it It was lik e .

the i n t oxicati on of rare wi n e of sweet subtl e perfum e , , .

She l aid d own her pride and c old ness at his feet she c on
fessed to h ersel f th at she l oved him ; an d she gl ori e d in
her l ove she was p roud of it
, Th en she gave up her .

wh ol e h eart and soul to the one task of wi n n i ng him .

It was n ot to b e d on e so th at he could perceive it She .

v ow e d to h e rse f h oul h —
l that s e w d win im th at she would
gai n from him l ove such as she gave him ; and it remai ned
to be seen wh eth er with all he r beauty her s kill her
, , ,

gen i us she could accom pli sh her en ds

,
.

“
Th ere could be n o l ove so R ei ne th ought wh ere “
, ,

th ere was such l aughi ng gen ial fri endship as exi sted
,

bet ween h ersel f and E ric She m ust d estroy that then .
,
 A WOMAN S '
TE MP TA TION .
1 79

begi n g i
a a n on a ne w found ati on . It would not be d iffi
c ult She had read in the work of som e cleve r writer that
.
,

given the opp ort unity any woman could m arry the m an
,

she lik ed Now it rem ai ned for her to see i f that were
.

”
t rue .

She consid ered he rse l f a good j udge of ch arac te r but ,

she was p uz z l ed she c ould n ot t ell wh eth er E ric liked he r

or n ot She tri ed to test him

. .

He ask ed her on e even i ng to si ng for him .

You h ave such a gl ori ous voic e Rei ne he said do , ,

si ng for m e Not on e of th ose F rench clz am om that h ave

.
,

n o m sic
u in e —
th m n ot one of the G erm an songs that ,

sen d m e to s l ee p — b ut an old E ngli sh ball ad .

She l ooked up at him with a b rrg ht sm il e .

“
A b all ad ? Yes ; I like b all ad s E ric Shall it be one , .

of m arti al g lory—one th at will t ouch y our soul as with the

m usic of a m ighty c lari on or on e th at will touc h y ou r

-

heart and bid som e swee t fountai n flow

,

He l augh ed .

I do n ot thi nk touchi ng h earts is m uch in y our li ne ,

”
R ei ne he said, .

She fold ed her hand s wit h the air of one d eterm i ned to
argue the q uesti on .

“
Why d o y ou say that Eric ? Now d o not l ook satir
,

ieally at m e I am not in the h um or for sati re Why do .

”
y o u say t ou chi n g on e s h eart is n ot m
’
uch i n m y li ne ?
His eyes li ngered on her fac e with an ex p res s isn that
an n oye d her .
1 80 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TIOM

Why do y ou say it ? she rep eated I i nsi st upon .

ou r t elli n g m e
y .

Eric l augh ed al oud .

You ought to h ave b een an em press R ei ne y ou are , ,

so i m p eri ous You would cl asp th ose pretty white hand s

.

of yours and say Tak e away th at sl ave and b eh ead

,

him
“
My h an ds are not pretty i n terrupt ed Rei ne angrily
, , .

Th ey are beauti ful th en D oes th at pl ease y ou

, .

better ? Th ey are white an d soft with the l east ti nge of ,

pi n k and each bl ue vei n is cl earl y m ark ed I ki ss your

, .

b eauti ful h ands Rei ne after the fashi on of a F renc h

, ,

C h evali er .

“
You are al ways l aughi ng at the F rench E ric I am ,
.

Engli sh it d oes n ot annoy m e Will y ou give m e a pl ai n

.

answer to a v e ry pl ai n q uesti on Why do y ou say lira! of

”
m e ? Why sh ould I n ever touch any h eart ?
”
Bell e l cri ed Eric “
c om e to m y assi stance It is
, .

with m uch dlfi culty th at I am endeavori ng to d efend

n
my selfi
1 82 A WOJ IAN
J
’
S TE AIP TA TIOIV .

A pl eased soften ed expressi on cam e ov er her face her

, ,

dark eyes w ere e l oq uen ce itsel f

I will s i ng anythi ng y ou lik e n ow th at y ou have ,

d on e m e j usti c e You m ust c om e an d t urn over m y

.

v
lea es — n o n o t th ,
at — I si ng from m em ory but y ou m us t
s tan d by m e .

I a m flattered beyond d escripti on said Eric , .

She wen t ac ross the room her white even i ng d ress ,

sweepi n g the rich c ri m son c arpe t She sat d own to the .

piano and Eric took his stati on by her sid e

,
.

“
“
Nearer she said ,
th at I m ay l ook at y our face for
,

inspi rati on whil e I si ng .

He ou c ld n o t h e lp a d m i ri n g the pict u r e— the white

hand s th at gl eam ed on the ivory k eys the beauti ful face , ,

the d ark b right ey es so el oq uen t with passi on the lips

, , ,

s o sweet an d e l oq uen t with son g the g rac eful n eck the

’

, ,

p erfect sy m m et ry of the whi te sh oulders—his ey es had

n e ver rest ed on a fai rer fac e y e t his h eart did n ot soften ,

w ith anythi ng lik e l ov e .

Th en her voice arose so swee t and clear low ri ngi ng , , , ,

an d full of m usic ; s uch a v oic e as the anci en ts of old

g a v e to th e si re n s ; a n d Er i c li s t e n e d ch a rm e d e v e n agai n st ,

his will She sang on e q uai n t ball ad afte r an oth er un ti l

.

his h eart was stra ngely t ouch ed an d the tears s tood in his ,

eyes . She sang of l ove th at n eve r di ed of troth th at was ,

n eve r b rok en of faith th at had n eve r falt ered ; she san g

,

un til the d epth s of his h eart were t ouch ed an d fan cy had ,

ta k en hi m to an oth e r world .
 A WOMAN ’
S TE MP TA TION .
1 33

Th en she ceased an d the spel l was b roken ; it was as

,

th ough som e cel estial h arm ony had sudd en l y ceased She .

turned to E ri c with a sm il e .

You from c on q uered R ei ne I shall never d oubt y our

, .

power of t ouchi ng hearts agai n How am I to than k .

”
y ou l
I am m ore than repaid if I have give n y ou pl easure ,

she repli ed .

And she l ook ed so l ovely wi th th at t rem ul ous sm il e on

her lips th at E ric s gaz e li nge red on her Th en he
’
.
,

caught a gl an ce from Be lle th ere was n o reproach in it ,

on ly som ethi n g of pai ned wond er an d surp ri se—a gl ance

that d rew hi m q uickly from R ei ne s sid e ; for which the ’

beauti ful will ful gi rl could have slai n her gentl e rival
,
.

”
I h ave m ad e him li st en to m e she said “
I h ave ,

pl eased him ; I do n ot thi nk any wom an s v oice ever ’

m ad e his h eart b eat before m i ne did an d his eyes l ook ed

ki ndly at m e Sh all I win him ? If th ere be m agic in
.

beauty and power in ki n d ness I will ,

.

Lord Arn court gave a grand ball in h on or of a cel e

brated statesm an who was visiti ng wi th his wi fe and
,

child ren in the neighborh ood he said to M adam e de St .

Lance
I wish y ou m ad am e personally if y ou will to attend
, , , ,

’
to m y d aught er s toil et Lady Cl e m en ts is a g reat favorite
.

at c ourt an d I sh ould lik e R e i n e to m ak e a m ost fav or

,

ab l e i m press i on Ou her Let n o expen se or t roubl e be

.

spared to m ak e b ot h the gi rl s as beauti ful as possibl e .

1 84 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TI OIV .

Great preparati ons were m ad e for the ball ; the state

room s were th rown open Lord Arncourt sent to Lond on
for m usic ; th ere was an endl ess profusi on of fl owers and

d ecorati ons of all ki nds .

Bell e said E ric the day before the one appoi nted
, ,

“
for the ball vou will g ive m e the firs t d ance
, w ill ,

y ou not ?

T he gi rl s fai r face fl ush ed

’
.

Th at will be the on ly enj oyabl e part of the eveni ng

to m e he con ti n ued
, I do n ot care for balls I am not
.

”
fond of d anci ng but I shall enj oy th at . .

She did not lik e to say “

SO shal l I but he read the ,

word s in the cl ear frank eyes , .

That sam e eveni ng he was standi ng with Reine on the

terrac e wh en Lord Arn court j oi ned th em
, .

”“
“
E ric he said , I have been wishing to see y ou
, .

You m ust open the ball with R ein e remember

”
.
,

”
“
Why papa ? she as k ed
, .

My d ear child it is a matter of eti q uette n ot ln , ,

clination ; alth ough in this case they wil l probably go

toge th er You as my daughter as m istress of the house ;

.
, ,

”
E ric as m y hei r ; it could not be oth erwise
, .

U n fort unatel y said E ric carel essly I am engaged

“
, , , .

I ask ed the favor Of a young l ady s hand for that dance

'

”
and I m us t k eep m y engagem en t .

R ei n e s dark eyes flash ed one glance at him then

’

d rooped sadly Lord Arncourt l ook ed slightly annoyed

.

he wi sh ed the wh ole neigh borh ood to understand that the

1 86
I A WOMAN S ’
TEM P TA TIOM

We un ers an d t d som ethi ng m uch better , repli ed

R ei n e You “
m ust have been in a great h urry to h ave

e ngaged any on e .

She t urned away b ut E ric foll owed her The h urt ton
, .

of he r v oice t ouch ed him .

“ ”
R ei ne he said y ou are angry with m e I am sure
, , ,
.

I do n ot see th at it can m atter to y ou if I am s he ,

repli ed .

He wen t to the flower garden and gath ered a m os t -

beauti ful bl ush rose ; it was a fl ower perfect in shape and

in c ol or b eautiful too in its rich fragrance
, , ,
.

“
Will y ou accept thi s p eace offeri ng he ask ed -
.

She t urned round and her dark eyes l ook ed steadily at ,

him .

No, pli ed
she re Take it to the young lady whom
.

y ou were so an xi ous to d an ce w ith .

“
I k n ew y ou were angry R ei ne, and it is very unj ust ,

of y ou .

Yet as he spoke his face flush ed It l ooked very m u ch .

like jeal ousy thi s st range con d uct of R e i n e s an d y et how

,
’

absurd ; she c ould not p ossibly b e j eal ous of him — th ey

were fri en d s n ot l overs , .

’
Th en R ei ne s m ood ch anged She rai sed her face to .

his an d i ts m arvel ous beauty was d eepened by a radi an t

,

s m il e .

Do y ou want to m ak e fri end s with m e ? she asked .

T he beauty of th at sm il e al m os t startl ed him .

Yes he repli ed ;
,
“
i n d eed I do .
”
 A WOMAN S TE MP TA TION ’
.
1 37

Th en I will con diti on—th at y ou

forg ive y ou on one
tell m e the nam e of the y oun g l ady y ou ask ed to d ance
”
with y ou Will y ou do that E ric ?
.
,

Why d o y ou wi sh to k now he ask ed .

”
Th at I m ay h ate her she tlzoug lrt ; but she said ,

nothi ng of the ki n d .

Si m ply from c uri osity Eri c ; that is all , .

Som e p rud en tial i nsti nct ca used him to h esitate There .

was som ethi ng in it he could n ot un d erstan d .

“
I cann ot t ell y ou th at R ei ne ; seri ously speaki ng I, ,

”
do n ot thi n k it h on orabl e .

“
I th ank y ou for thi n ki ng m e capabl e of aski ng y ou
anythi ng it would n ot b e h on orabl e to t e ll .

She swe pt away w ith the dign ity of an i nsu lted q ueen ,

leavi ng E ric with the rose i n his h an d .

R ei ne he c ri ed b ut R ei n e n ever m oved her h ead .

She was d eaf to his voice She did n ot l ook roun d even
.

as she q uitted the t errac e .

E ric was h al f piqued h al f am used

-
,
-

I will m ak e he r accept thi s rose he said to hi m se l f ,

She is very p roud b ut she sh all n ot h ave it all her own

,

way .

Th ey did n oti m ee t
til th en R ei ne
aga n un d ner t im e
i n -

was l ooki ng un usually b ea ut iful She wore a low d ress of .

rich velvet with p oi n t l ace

,
Eric s p ok e to her two or th ree
.

ti m es She p reten d ed n ot to h ear him

. .

R ei ne said Lord Arn court at l ength

,
Eric is , ,

speaki ng to y ou Do y ou n ot h ear him

.
1 88 WOMAN S YE fifP TA TIOM
’

She l ooked at her fath er wi th the m ost ch arm i ng sm il e

.

We are n ot fri ends she said

,
”
. I am n ot goi ng to
s peak to him aga i n un til he tells m e som ethi ng I wan ted

to k now.

Lord Arncourt sm il ed to hi m sel f thi n ki ng

,

’
Lovers q uarrel s are but the renewal of l ove .
1 90 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TIOIV .

Anythi ng b ut th at R ei ne , . You v would n ot e en care

to be fri en d s a a n g i if y ou th ought I did anythi ng a m an

sh ould n ot do .

She m ad e d esperate eflort to con trol h ersel f

'

You are right

”
she repli ed fran kly and I am
“ “
, , ,

wrong I will n ot as k y ou to te ll m e alth oug h wom an

.
, ,

lik e I sh ould d early l ove to k n ow

, .

Th en he wen t and b rought the rose he had gath ered .

You will tak e thi s from m e n ow he said , .

An d R ei ne h oldi ng out her white h an d took it

, She , .

placed it in the bodice of her d ress .

“
I shall fancy all the even i n g she said that y ou are , ,
“

whisperin g sweet m essages to m e .

Eric th ought of th ose word s He could n ot q uite .

un d erstand i t ; he was n ot q u ite vai n en ough to thi n k

that eve ry gi rl was in l ove with him who sh owed him an

esp eci al regard b ut he did n ot und erstan d R e i ne ; she
,

t reated him q uite di fferently to every one e l se Her face .

took q uite an oth er exp ressi on w h en she look gd at hi m ,

her voice q uite anoth er tone .

H is opi n i on s i n fl uen ced her ; if he ad m i red a c ol or she ,

adopted it ; if he p rai sed a d ress she w ore it Proud , .

th ough she was she d eferred to his j udgm en t his tastes

, , ,

his id eas an d she did n ot c on ceal it

, .

For R e i n e k ept her word Bv di n t of fli rti ng q uarre l

.
,
,

ing argu i ng di sputi ng by on e m eans or an oth e r she

, , , ,

con t rived to k eep h ersel f in his th oughts She c onstan tly .

ask e d him to ex ec ute littl e c om m i ssi ons for her so th at

,
 A WOMAN S ’
TE M P TA TIOIV .
19:

she p
m anaged to k ee th o ught o f h e r al ways b
som e
e fore

his m in d She ne ver all owe d hi m to forget her ; she

.

iden tified h ersel f with every i n terest O f his .

He could n ot un d ers tand it ; if he had been i he va n er

would h ave k nown at on c e the cause of all her piq uan t ,

charm i ng ways and m an ners .

All that even i ng she was i rresi stibl e He l ook ed at .

her b eauti ful face at the fl ower she seem ed to ch eri sh for
,

his sak e an d he could n ot h elp own i ng to hi m se l f t hat

,

she was m ost b ewitchi ng wh e n she ch ose ; th at n o on e

was m ore am i abl e wh en it pl ease d her th an R e in e Arn

, ,

court .

Th at sam e even i ng before th ey parted for th e n ight , ,

M adam e de St Lance wen t to the y oung gi rl

. .

”
R ei n e ,
she sai d ,
if “
y ou are n ot ti red I .
wan t y ou

to walk on the t errace with me .

A p rom enad e with m ad am e O ffered te m ptati on to

no

R ei ne especi ally as E ric was in

,
the d rawi ng room She -
.

l ook ed round h al f i m pati en tly -

.

I do n ot care for walki ng to n ight, -

she sa id .

But m adam e was d et erm i ned she sh ould g o With . her

q uic k i nsti nct she divi ned the cause of th at refusal .

“
I would not ask y ou she said if y ou were en , ,

g ag ed h e re B ell e is readi n
. g L ord Arn c ou rt an d Mr , .

Ch ilvers talki ng ; y ou are q uite di sengaged com e with ,

n
me .

Rei n e ga e v one gl an c e at E ri c . True ,

he was talki ng ,
. , A W OMAN S TEMP TA TION
’

9 .

and th at so busily he did v

not e en seem aware of her

p resence .

It is too m uch t roubl e to argue the m atter, she sa id ,

“
care ess l ly . I will g o if y ou wi sh it .

But m adam e had seen the

q uick gl ance an d k new
one ,

all ab out it Th ey wen t out on to the terrace wh ere the

.
, ,

b eauti ful m oon m ad e light and sh ad ow .

“
We used to have l ong conversati ons said m ad am e ; ,

”
n ow th ere see m s n o ti m e for a word .

”
“
It is a beauti ful li fe repli ed R ei ne q uickly
, j us t ,

”
the li fe I al ways l onge d for .

“
Th en y ou are q uite h appy ? ask ed m ad am e and ,

som ethi ng i n her v oic e m ad e R ei ne won d er .

“
C ertai nly I am How c ould I b e anythi ng else ?
.

1 am glad to h ear rt R ei ne You m ust rem em ber

. .

th at y ou h ave been to m e as m y own child for m any

y ea rs I w a n t to tab : to y ou as th ou gh y o u w ere m y o w n

child still .

You are not goi ng to l ect ure m e ? said the gi rl ,

laughi ngly .

“
No m y d ear ; I am on ly ab out to warn y ou
,
R e i ne .
,

tell m e h onestly do y ou lik e E ric Chilvers

.

T he face fl ush ed cri m son th en grew d eadly pal e , She .

hesitat ed for a few m i n utes in a m an ner q ui te un li k e

hersel f
“
Like him 1 she repeated m ost certai nl y I do .

I m ean a littl e m ore th an that child Y ears ago I , .

learned to rea d h u m a n h earts a n d h u m a n faces — I h ave

r94 A WOMAN S ’
TE M PTA T ION .

th ey had walk ed up and d own in s il ence a few m i nut es

longer .

“
Not j ust y et, she re pli ed ;
“
the n ight is fine, I wil l
t y a littl e l onger
s a .

There was a trem or in her voi ce and m ad am e wi sely ,

left her to h ersel f She re en t ere d the h ouse

. R ei ne wen t
-
.

up to the st on e parapet and s t ood l ean i ng over it .

Lord Arn court l ooked up wh en m adam e cam e in al one .

”
“
Where is R ei ne ? he ask ed .

The n ight is so b eauti ful said m ad am e dipl o , ,

m atieally she p referred rem ai ni ng out a sh ort ti m e

“
.
,

After a few m i nutes had elapsed Lord Arncourt th ought ,

he would d o a very cl ever thi n g .

” “
“
Eric he said in a low voic e
,
will y ou g o and tel l
, ,

R ei ne I thi n k it is ti m e she cam e i n

He wen t At firs t he could see n o one then the gli m
.
,

m er Of the m oon light fe ll upon a velvet d ress ; he saw a

fai r h ead b en t so as to t ouch the cold white stone He , .

went up to her She did n ot h ear him. .

“
R ei ne he said gently , , .

She raised her head q uickly and th en to his distress , , ,

he saw the b eau ti ful face wet with tears .

R ei ne what t roub l es y ou heask ed

,
.

Nothi ng she repli ed “

I think the m oon light has
, .

m ad e m e sad ; it has m ad e m e th ink of my beautiful

France .
”
 WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TION .
1 95

CHAPTE R XXX .

WOE TO ANYT H IN G TrrAT OPPOS ES MY LOVE

The ight of the ball and Neversleigh l ook s as it had

n ,

n ot look ed since the d uk e s d aughter reign ed th ere It is

’
.

full of li fe of gayety of m erri m en t ; the sound of b eauti ful

, ,
'

m usic fall s on the ear ; the air is warm an d fra gran t with
the b reat h of fl owers l ovely faces shi n i ng j ewel s gl eam
—
, ,

ing fo u n t i
a s n all com b i ne to m ak e the old abbey lik e

Fai ry land-
.

T he queen of that gorg eous th rong is undoubted ly

Re i ne Lord Arn court s daughter Her d ress is of vi ol et
’
.
,

an d gold with its ful l folds an d sweepi ng t rai n

, it accord s
well with her rega l styl e of beauty Lord Arncourt has .

presented her with a m agn ific en t set of di am onds Th ey .

glitter on the graceful arch ed n eck on the white b reast in , ,

the c oil s of d ark hai r an d on the round ed arm Th ey add

, .

a sh een an d l us ter to her beauty ; th ey seem to d raw all

the light to th em selves She had never l ook ed m ore

.

beautifirl th an on thi s n ight p erhaps the h appi est of her,

li fe
. The q uarre l w ith E ri c has been q uite m ad e up ; in
fact he has see m ed ki nd er th an ever to her
,
H e had n ot .

given her c redit for so m uch t endern ess of h eart for so ,

sens itive a di spos iti on He reproac hed hi m sel f for h av i ng

.
 1 96 A WOMAN S ’
TE M P TA TIOA
V .

m i sj udged her, b eli evi ng th at he had d one her an

an d

i nj ustice he t ri ed to atone for it

,
.

Thi s she m i sun d erstood wh en she d etected the un usual

gen tl en ess of his voice .

He is begi nn i ng to l ove m e she th ought I shall ,

.

win him y et .

On thi s even i ng of the ball she was in the high est

possibl e spi rits she was diz z y with h appi n ess and success .

She was consci ous of her own beauty of her exceedi ng ,

l oveli ness She was the on ly daughter of thi s rich m an

.
,

wh ose wealth seem ed b oundl ess She was not his h ei ress .
,

b ut the chan c es were a h un d re d to on e th at she would

m arry the h ei r an d sh are thi s grand i nh e ritan c e
, .

Be tter th an all thi s was the fact th at the m an she l oved

so d early was b egi n n i n g to c are for her He had spok en .

so g en tly an d so ki ndly to her T he l aughi n g teasin g

*

.
,

m anner in which he usually add ressed her was ch anged to

'

on e of h al f ten d er d eference He would l ove her in ti m e

‘

-
.
,

an d th at one th ought fill ed her wi th un u tterabl e h appi ness .

‘
Wealth ran k p ositi on were all well in th ei r way were all
, , , ,

to b e envi ed b ut th ey were as n othi n g c om pared to l ove

,
.
.

She sm il ed to h ersel f as she th ought how d earl y she l oved

him
‘

“
I l augh ed at l ove
,
who l ov who th ought and ers —I
,

th ere was nothi ng on earth d esi rabl e b ut m oney —I t old

the t ruth wh en I said l ove would b e a fire with m e Woe .

”
to anythi ng t hat opp oses it l

T he gorgeous com pany had all assem bled ; the room s

 A W OMAN S TEMP TA TION ’
.

Th ere was som ethi ng sign ifican t in m ad am e s voi ce ’

that caused Lord Arncourt to l ook at her .

“ “ ”
She is h ap p y he said she is al ways h appy wi th
,

Eric Do y ou n ot thi n k so m adam e ?

.
,

I do not k now I cannot tell b ut if it rlrould be so ,

I h ope he feel s happy w ith her ; it would not do for the

happi ness to be all on one sid e .

“
Th ere can be no fear of th at m adam e wh ere R ei ne is , ,

concerned ; th ere can be n o m an livi ng who would not

”
be p roud even of a sm il e from her .

If he did n ot l ove som e one el se in terrupted m a ,

d am e q uickly , .

“
And th at E ric d oes n ot he is h eart-wh ol e an d fancy
free I be li eve b ut for Re i ne
, , , .

I h ope it m ay be so Is it your wish Lord Arncourt

.
,

—would such a m arriage pl ease y ou

“
It would d elight m e m ore th an anythi ng else in the
world he repli ed
,
“
an d if y ou can do anythi ng to for

ward it y ou will win m y everlas ti ng gratit ud e

,
.

But m adam e t urned away wi th a sigh ; she evid en tly

felt that all was n ot so sure as he i m agi ned .

”
Troubl e wil l com e of thi s she said to h ersel f ,

R ei ne is not to be opposed and Eric has a strong wi l l ,

”
of his own Troubl e will com e of it
. .

’
Even m ad am e s worst fears gave her no hi n t as to how
d ark and terrible that troubl e wou ld be Strong as she .

was acc ustom ed to end ure she would h ave di ed of the

, ,

h orror such k nowledge would have brought her .

 A W OMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIO/V .
1 99

Q
’
T he fi rst dance was over and Rei ne l ean i ng on E ric s
, ,

walk ed sl owly d own the d rawi ng room Adm in ng

’

arm ,
-
.

glances foll owed her .

How beauti ful she is said on e to anoth er ;

,

bright and graceful

But n e ith er the s h een of the gold on her d ress nor ,

the glitt er of her c ostly j ewel s c ould c om pare Wi th the ,

radi an ce of her fac e and the light i n her p roud d ark ,

eyes .

She was sup rem ely happy ; she saw how great was the
adm i rati on b estowed upon her ; she saw too the sig n i fi , ,

ca n t gl an ces an d she k n ew th at m ost of the p eopl e th ere

,

would thi n k she was bet roth ed to E ric .

”
It is n ot t rue y et she said
, but it sh all b e soon
, .

Wh ere is B ell e ask ed E ric I do not see her . .

Th ey l ook ed am ong the glitteri ng th rong b ut the sweet ,

face was not to be seen J ust th en madame passed them

.
,

l eani ng on Lord Cl em en t s arm ’

.

”
H ave y ou seen B ell e ? ask ed Eric .

No ; I have n ot
”
.

An d R ei ne wond ered at the cold ness of her tone .

You seem very an xi ous over her laugh ed Reine ,

”
.

Th ere is no need for anx i ety ; she is sure to be enj oying

”
hersel f
But Eric th ought di fferent He had seen the sh ade
.

of sad n ess wh en he t old her of Lord Arncourt s d esi re

’

that he sh ould open the bal l with R ei ne y et she had m ost ,

g race fu lly an d g en tly re l eas ed h i m from his p rom i se .

z oo A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIOIV .

Lord Arncou rt is q uite right Bell e had said ,

could n ot be oth erwise we had forgotten that .

“
An d y ou will n ot m in d it B ell e ; i f y ou d o i f it
, ,

b ri ng s ever so slight a sh ad ow to th at swee t face I sh all ,

refuse n o m atter what it c ost s m e

,
.

Th en she had l ook ed u p at him with a sm ile .

Th ere is n o sh ad ow on m y fac e she said ; ,

E ric y ou m ust do as Lord Arnc ourt says

,
.
”

But the sh ad ow was th ere he felt sure of it

, an d Eric

C hi lvers loved Be ll e en ough to h ave ri sk ed even his h ei r

shi p for her sak e It had grown up on him day by day
.
,

thi s great l ove u n til it engrossed his wh ol e th oughts he

,

had b ut on e id ea from m orn i ng until n ight and th at ,

was B ell e .

H e l oved her with all the force of his soul with all the ,

st rength of his m an h ood He l oved her b etter th an his

.

li fe and everythi ng i n it He l oved her with the on e great

.

l ove it is given to each one on ce i n li fe to k n ow—b ut the

l ove that is so seld om succ essful .

It had grown up on him al m ost unk n own to hi m sel f .

From the fi rst m om en t he saw her sweet fac e he l oved

it with a wond erful l ove . He was n ot vai n b ut it cer ,

tain ly seem ed to him th at B ell e shyly ti m idly gave him

, , ,

som e d eg ree of liki n g i n ret urn .

She was n ot b rilli an t lik e R e i ne b ut there was a c ert ai n

,

high bred gen tl e el egance ab out her that seem ed to Eric

-
, ,

far m ore ch arm ing th an R ei n e s b rilli an t b eauty

’
It w as .

n ot l on g b e fore he said to hi m sel f th at the wh ol e 3

W J
20 3 A WOMAN ’
S TEMPTA TIOIV .

C HAPTER XXXI .

“
1 LOV E YO U , Ec !

Eri c saw l ength

her She was talki ng to Lady
at .

Cl em en ts ; b ut to his fancy it seem ed th at the clear lhoe

was still som ewh at overshad owed Bell e l ook ed—as som e .

p e opl e th ought— e v e n m ore bea uti fu l th an he r b rilli an t

ri val . Her d ress of white silk was t ri m m ed with cri m son

fl owers one d eep c ri m son rose lay m the wavi ng m asses
,

of dark h ai r one nestl ed in the white breast

, She had .

no di am on d s b ut Lord Arncourt had p resen ted her wit h

,

a set of pearl s and th ey seem ed to suit her graceful sty le

,

even better th an di am on d s would h ave d one .

E ric has tened to j oi n her b ut Lord Arncourt i nter ,

rup ted him He wan ted to ask somethi ng ab out a guest

.

who had b een in vi ted b ut who was n ot p resen t

,
It was .

m any m i n ut es before Eric c ould fiee h im self ; th en he '

look ed round but Lad y Cl em en ts was al one

,
B ell e had .

di sappeared agai n T he m usic for the secon d dance

.

began and she had p rom ised it to him

,
.

I m ust look for her he th ought How strange

, .

that she sh ould not be waiti ng for m e .

He would n ot h ave consid ered it strange had he k nown

She had
’
th at Bell e s heart was h eavy with a new p ain .
 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TI OIV .
20 3

overh eard so m any of the k

b out Rei ne
rem ar s m ad e a

an d E ric She had. h eard peopl e

say how well suit ed

th ey were to each oth er ; she had h eard oth ers whi sper
th at Lord Arncourt s daughter was sure to m arry his h ei r
’

an d alth ough she did n ot q uite k n ow wh the w ord s ha d

, y ,

s m itt en her with a fresh an d t erribl e pai n Yet she ask ed .

,

e e f ,
h s u —
h rs l w y h o ld it b e so what seem e d m ore feasibl e
th an that Lord Am court s d aught er sh ould m arry his h ei r ?
'

— how suitabl e such a m arri age would b e Why sh oul d .

she feel thi s strang e pai n ?

Yet it was there h eavy at her h eart b ri ngi ng warm

, ,

tears to her ey es She stol e from the b rillian t th rong ;

.

she passed th rough the conservatory ou t i n to the groun ds .

wh ere she c ould try an d m ak e out what was the matter

with h ersel f an d why the id ea of a m arri ag e b etween

,

R ei ne and Eric sh ould give her such pai n .

Th ere was a p retty littl e grotto at one end of the terrace .

Lord Arncourt had given orders that it sh ould be illum i

h at ed . T he soft gl eam i ng of the l am ps attracted her
att en ti on She wen t an d t ook a seat th ere
. .

Th ere cam e to her the di stan t sound of m usic and the ,

n ight sk y was st udd ed with a th ousand gold en stars T he .

fl owers were all fra gran t ; the bi rd s sl ept She could see .

the d eep cl ear water of the l ak e and h ear the h i nt rustl e

, ,

of the wi nd am ong the trees .

How peaceful and cal m thought Bell e Earth is .

very fai r How m uch h i rer wi ll h eaven b e

.

She sat th ere thi nki ng engrossed by the fai r peaceful

, ,
 '

A WOMAN! s TEM P TA TIOJ V .

beauty of the scene S udd en ly she h ea

rd foots t eps n ear . .

Raisi ng her h ead she saw Eric com i ng q uickly toward ,

her .

Bell e ! he said gen tly

“
Ah ! I th ought I could ,
.

n ot b e m i s tak en I saw the gli m m er of scarl et and white

.

in the di stanc e Why did y ou run away ?

.
”

“
I wan ted to b e al on e she said ,
.

Why Bell e th ere is the shad ow on your face agai n

, , .

What is it d oi ng th ere
By the fai n t light of the l am ps that swee t face l ook ed

v ery fai r . He l ook ed ad m i ri ngly at it .

You h ave been thi n ki ng allki n d s of sad th oughts ,

”
he sa id . Te ll th em to m e, Bell e .

H e d rew n eare r, an d her face fl ush ed cri m son .

Nay ,
id Why sh ou ld I tell y ou m y th oughts
”
she sa .
,

Mr Chilvers ? I can h ardly un d erstan d th em m y sel f

.

Why sh ould I t ell th em to y ou

B ecause ,
my d arli ng
beauti ful Bell e I l ove y ou l , my ,

Nay d o n ot t urn away from m e

,
I l ove y ou with all m y .

h eart an d I pray y ou to be m y wi fe
, .

She t ri ed to answer, b ut the words di ed awa y on her

lips .

Speak to m e B ell e ! Oh m y d arli ng I h ave fright

“
, , ,

ened y ou ! Your sweet face has grown white and your ,

o hand s t rem bl e B ell e I l oved y ou the fi rst m om en t I saw

.
,

y ou .I h av e l ov ed y ou ev e r s i n c e an d it seem s to m e th at ,

I shall love y ou till I die I p ray y ou to be m i ne sweet .

, .
206 A WOMAN S YE MP TA TION ’
.

his fac e, and they were fil l] of half won d eri ng, hal f wi stful - -

reproach .

What is it Bell e ? ,
he as k ed . What are y ou thi n k
ing of Tell m e .

I am wond eri ng, she sa id , s l owly ,

“
if it is ight
r for
m e to l ove y ou at all .

You c onfess th en y ou d o l ove m e ?

, ,

Ah, Eric, y ou k now that ; b ut I wond er if it is

”

(3
111 1 2
M ost d ecid edl y not on ly right , very proper and
b ut
—
pl easant nothi ng could be m ore so . Why do y ou d oubt
it Be ll e
,

She h esitated .

I h ardly k now she repli ed , , wheth er I ought to

”
tell y ou or not .

“
Agai n
I say m ost decid edly I have a right to k n ow .

every th ought that passes th rough your m i nd above all ,

th ose that troubl e y ou Why are y ou not sur e if it be .

right to love m e

You will laugh I do not lik e bei ng laughed

at m e, and

at I fear because I h eard so m any people say i ng that

.
,

R ei ne and y ou sh ould m arry .

He laughed a l oud , an d his careless, happy laugh re

assure d her .

Were peopl e ki nd enough to in terest them selves so

deeply he said Oh Bell e y ou know it is not true !
.
, ,

R ei ne an d I have never th ought of such a thi ng .

 A WOMAN ’
S TE MP TA TI ON .
20 7

H er white fingers p lay ed ner vously wi th the little gold

lock et she we re
—
.

But, E ric , do y ou think are y ou q uite sure t at h

Rei ne d oes n ot l ik e y ou r
H e laugh ed agai n .

She lik es m e darl ing I h ope and beli eve , , , but n ot in

the way y ou m ean we are the b est of fri en ds . Why do

y ou ask me
“
So m any peopl e seem ed to thi n k it a settl ed thi n g .

Th en I fanci ed Lord Arncourt l ook ed as th ough he would

”
lik e it .

“
I do not su ppose
v t d his
su ch an id ea has e er en ere

m i nd , said E ric As for Re i ne we are fri end s n othi ng

.
,

m ore and as y ou k n ow we are n ot al ways th at

, , .

Did it n ever occur to y ou that m arryin g R ei ne would

be as I h eard it call ed to n ight
, a v ery suitab l e arrange -
,

m en t ?
“
No ; it ne er v did occur to m e ,
pli ed
he re .

”
only id ea th at has occ urred to m e is m arryi ng y ou .

”
Oh Eric the ball ! I had forgotten all about it
, , ,

“
cri ed Be ll e I only cam e for a few m i nu tes but I have
.
,

been h ere m ore than hal f an hour .

I shall tell Lord Arncourt to night what a treasure I -

have won he sai d ; b ut Bell e clung im pl oringly to

,

his arm .

Not y et , she
id not y et E ric
sa
“
, . Let m e be
happy in m y
”
l ove for a sh ort time y et .
20 8 WOMAN ’
S TEMPTATIOM

It shall be as y ou wi sh d arli ng he said ki ssi ng

, , , the

white h an d .
“
I will n ot nam e it un til y ou gi ve me
”
rm i ssi on
pe .

Th en th ey returned to the bal l room togeth er

-
.
 A W OMAN S TE M P TA TIOJ V
l

’
2 10 .

It see m s th at whil e m y l ove is a secret it is safe

to me ,

bu t th at if it ever gets k n own it is all over , .

—
”
What gives y ou that foreb odi ng ? he ask ed .

I can n ot tell b ut it is h ere It never l eaves m e a .

d ull cold forebodi ng My h eart seems at tim es to ach e

, .

”
with it .

But Bell e d arli ng th at is not reasonabl e

, , Why , .

sh ould y ou fee l even d ull ? No on e can oppose us .

.

Alth ough I am Lord Arn court s h ei r I am m y own

’

master N eith er he n or any on e else can say m e nay on

.
,

the subj ect of m y m arri age It concerns m e alone ; and .

y ou — w ho w ou ld b e lik ely to refuse y ou ? Not m adam e

”
she l oves y ou too well .

I can not tell exactly wh at I fear said Bell e ; but I ,

do thi n k E ric th ese foreb odi n gs com e as a warn i ng to

, ,

us. Oh Eric why sh ould y ou be in so great a hurry ?

, ,

We cannot be h appi er than we are .

”

”
I beg l eave to difler he cri ed I wan t my wife
'

.
, .

I have never k nown the happi ness of h avi ng a h om e of

m y own ; b ut wh en y ou are m y wi fe B e ll e I sh al l have
, , ,

a h om e th at will be h eaven Why m y darli ng y ou .

, ,

sh udd er y ou l ook ill

,
surely y ou do n ot let th at ti resom e
”
foreb odi ng really troubl e y ou ?
I cann ot h elp it she said sadly I would grve the
, , .

world to l ose it b ut it seem s to h aun t m e Can th ere be

, .

evil in s tore for us E ric ,

No he answered b oldly ;
”
as far as I can see it is
“
, ,

im p ossibl e What have we to d read ? We have fai th in

.
 A WOMAN S ’
TEM PTA TION .
211

ea ch oth er . I am n ot afra id th at y ou will el ope with any

one e sel ; I am quite sure th at I sh all not W hat can .

th ere be to fear ?

One of us m ight die, she sa id l owly

, s .

His voice h
c an e g d; his face assum ed a v
re eren t ex

We are all in the hands of God he said our lives ,

belong to Him H ave better faith Bell e Why sh ould

.
, .

y o u thi n k of d ea th ? Y ou are y oung an d stron g as I am .

T he young an d the d early l oved have di ed before

, ,

now , she sai d .

Peopl e h ave lived l oved an d b een h appy for m any ,

y ear s ,
h e re t or t ed I sh a ll .b egi n to fan cy th a t y o u

are ill Bell e if y ou gi ve way in th at fashi on

, , Who .

ever h eard of a beauti ful y oung lady g ivi ng way to a

p res e n ti m en t
Th ough he tri ed to cheer her an d l augh away her ,

fears Still he felt anxi ous over her

, He c ould not und er
.

stand why she shou ld h ave thi s d ull vague foreb odi ng , .

“
This ought to be the h appi est ti m e of m y darli ng s ’

li fe he said to hi m sel f ;
,
but it is m ad e wretch ed by this
presenti m en t of evil in which she causes m e to share
, .

At her d esi re he said n othi ng to L ord Arncourt and no ,

one guessed at the l ove be tween th em Well m ight Rei ne .

wond er why he was so h ard to win ; why her b eaut y and

g r a c e m ad e n o i m p ressi on u p o n h im w hy h e n ev er w e n t
beyond sim pl e ki nd ness
’
Bell e s words had p ut him on
.

his g uard It was bad enough for peopl e to talk of the

.
213 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TIOZV .

p robability of a m arri age that c ould never tak e pl ace .

H e did n ot b eli eve th at Lord Arnc ourt d esi red such a

—
thi ng why sh ould he ? R ei n e was b eautiful en ough to
win the h eart of a ki ng ; she m ight aspi re to any ran k
"

He bli nd ed by l ove c ould n ot see as others saw the

, , , ,

suitab illty of s uch a m arri age It did n ot seem to him .

particul arly appropri ate that Lord Arnc ourt s d aughter ’

sh ould m arry his h e i r He was bli n d al so to the

.
, ,

passi onate l ove of R ei ne the preferen c e she gave him

,

over every on e e lse—in fact he was bli n d to e v erythi ng ,

save the on e great t ru th th at he l oved B e ll e an d B ell e ,

l oved him .

Th ere was no art n o ch arm th at R ei n e did n ot em pl oy

,

to b ri n g him to her feet She would ask him to g o out

.

sk etchi ng wi th her an d th ey w ould spen d l ong m orn i n s

, g
in the b eauti ful woodl and s She wou ld ask him to read
.

to her such p oet ry th at the e l oq ue n t words seem ed as

th ough th ey m ust win l ove from him who uttered th em .

She wou ld si ng to hi m in the q u i e t gl oam i n g such songs

, ,

as wou ld h ave m ove d any m an s h eart ; b u t n e ith er her

’

b eauty her grace her gen i us n or her gi ft of song c ould

, , , ,

win him from his all egi an ce or m ak e him l ove B ell e l ess
, .

H e was true to her as the n eedl e to the p ol e .

”
“
Eric said R ei n e one m orn i ng as th ey sat und er a
, , ,

—
la ge ced ar t ree Bell e was walki ng with Lord Arncourt
r

at som e littl e di stan ce an d m ad am e sat with som e i n t ricat e

.

pi ece of fan cy work in the grotto Eric y ou read p oetry ,

very beauti fully .

z 14 A WOM AN S ’
TEMP TA TION .

H er face gl owed li stened to him her eyes flash ed

as she

with a light th at was beauti ful to see .

What ki nd of wom an would y ou l ove Eric ? she ,

ask ed gen tly

,
.

She m ust be gentl e y et proud pure of h eart sweet

, , ,

an d s tai n l ess of sou l ; she m ust b e capabl e of g ivi ng m e

in ret urn such l ov e as I give to her she m ust b e t rue ; she

m ust b e n obl e gen erous unselfish she m us t be wom an
, , ,

child and angel

, .

H ave y ou found such a one ? she asked .

T he b reath cam e in hot thick gasps from her lips ; her ,

h eart b eat fast .

He did not seem to h ear her ; his eyes were fixed in tently
on B ell e .

E ric h ave y ou found such a on e ? she repeate d

,
.

H e sm il ed a grave gentl e sm il e , .

I thi n k—I h ope I h ave R ei ne he replied , , .

She was sil ent for som e littl e ti m e .

I m ust not ask wh om she said gently , .

No he repl ied
,
” “
You shal l k now som e day
.

u
soon .

No thought of Bell e crossed her m ind .

“
He loves m e , she th ough t . I am his id eal , and he
will tell m e soon .

He l ooki ng at her wond ere d at the light that overspread

, ,

her face .

H ow m istak en Bell e was ! he th ought R eine is .

even pl eased th at I hav e found som e one to l ov e .

 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA r7 0 m 2 1 5

So th ey pl ay ed at cross p urp oses with each oth er and ,

each m i stak e each littl e m i sun d ers tandi ng

, seem ed to ,

b rin g the tragedy n earer .

E ri c j oi n ed Lord Arn court and Bell e seei ng R ei ne , ,

al one wen t to her

, She was struck by the softened happy
.
,

ten d erness of the beauti ful face .

How h appy y ou l ook R ei n e l she said , .

I am h appy she repli ed, I h ave j ust learned ‘

”
som ethi ng th at will m ak e m e h appy till I die .

B ell e l ook ed at her Th ere was n o m i sund erstandi ng

.

wh at she m eant y et the young gi rl wond ered

, Had she .

rece ived a l ove l etter ? Had E ric been d eliveri ng a m es

sage from s om e on e ? That m ust be it an d y et it seem ed ,

st ran e th at he sh ould h ave said n othi ng to her

g .

Ih ope y ou will be h appy R ei ne she said sud denly

, , , .

I thi n k y ou ought to be—beauti ful b right beings such , ,

”
as y ou do n ot seem to b e born to sufier
'

.
,

I do n ot i nt end to suffer m ore than I can h el p ,

laugh ed R ei ne “
But wh at of beauti ful b rig ht bei ngs ,

lik e yoursel f Bell e ?

,

I am neith er b right n or beautiful sa id Bell e , ,

h um bly ; b ut Rei ne h al f pat roniz ingly assured her that

,
-
,

the day would com e wh en som e one would consider

her both .

"
It is wond erful that she d oes not suspect th ought ,

b ut n o id ea was furth er from Rei ne s m i nd th an

’
the gi rl

—
th is that E ric Chil vers loved and was be trothed to the
gi rl she l ook ed upon as her own si ster .
2 16
‘

WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIOIV .

C H APTER XXXIII .

“
I DID NOT FIN D MY I D EAL AM O NG TH EM .

The p i g cam e roun d agai n an d thi s season it was

s r n ,

im perative m ad am e d ecl ared th at Mi ss Arn c ourt sh ould

, ,

mak e her deé ut She told Lord Arn c ourt so

. .

“
Wh atever pl an y ou m ay h ave form ed for R e i n e, she
”
said that m ust not b e d el ayed any l onger
“
.
,

An d the m aster of Nev ersleig h Abb ey avowed very

fran kl y th at she was right .

Th ere was one thi ng upon which he was d eterm i n ed .

Belle sh ould g o with her ; Bell e sh ould sh are every ad

van tage M ad am e too m u
. st if she would ch ap eron
, , ,

b oth y oung l adi es .

A l ook of great
ti sfacti on cam e over m ad am e s face ’
sa .

She rn urm ured som ethi ng about the di fferen c e of p osi ti on .

Lord Arncourt would n ot li sten to it .

T hey h ave b een lik e si sters all th ei r lives ,

he id ;
sa
”
why sh ould any di fferenc e be m ad e n ow ?

Madam e said th ere m ust al way s be a great di ffere nce

between the on ly child of Lord Arn c ourt and her daughter ,

who had n o fort un e .

m 1 wat er : m z z m

q u i et g ra c e they fil m e d :he re was m ore of the ni g h u

-

repose abou t her tha n wi t h Miss Arnc ourt .

T he tw o at ris creat ed a nerfiac t fix rore . Im hrz e c s

was bes ie g ed with Vi si tors . Pec pi e ta lk ed in d of

the beaut ful i

MW ,
1 1 the a ir
: of Lond on hamm er!

to do homag e to them ; and, as a ma tter of c ourse, then

cam e hosts of lov e tst

Som e ad m ired their beauty ; othe rs p

res e cted the i r fc r

tun e, b u t m a ny l ov ed them fist thei r own s ak es, q u ite

ap art from an y other m od v e .

Soon the youn g Earl of Bra n d on d isti ng uished himself

by his d ev oti on to Lord Arnc ourt s da u hter He fol~ g
.

lowed her l ike a shad ow w herev er she wen t he was sure

to g o He was y oun g han dsom e c l ev er ; pom ed of
, ,

on e of the old es t na m es an d fin est fortun es in Eng lan d .

You ng as he was pe op le had beg un to look u pon him as

,

a ri sing m an th ere were few m ore h ighly spoken of and ,

he had b ut one am biti on i n life an d that was to win the ,

beauti ful R ei ne Arncourt for his wi fe .

Lord B rand on was one of the m ost eligibl e m en in

England. He had b een for the last twoyears l ook ed upon
as on e of the g reatest m atch es M oth ers and d aughters .

alik e had d one th ei r b est to win him T he D uch ess of .

Q u a tre tem p s w h ose

,
d aughters were all fai r an d h igh b red -
,

had l ong d esi red th at one of her d aughte rs sh ould m arry

the young earl .

Ti me had been when he had paid some little attention

 A WOMAN S TEMP TA TIOIV
’
.
2 19

to the ladi es youngest Cecili a was fai r with gold en

. T he , , ,

hai r and of all the d uch ess s d aughters she was the m ost
’

b eau ti ful Lord Brand on had see m ed to ad m i re her very

.

m uch ; he had fli rted with her duri ng the Ch ri st m as

holid ays and the d uch ess had entertai ned great h opes
,

th at wh en th ey m et i n Lond on for the season the c on ,

q uest would be com pl eted and her daughter becom e

,

the Coun tess of B ran d on It woul d p robably have been

.

so b ut for the deéut of M i ss Arn court

, T he young earl
fell in l ove with her at once He had been so much
.

sou ht after th at the fact of his havi ng fall en in l ove was

g

soon k nown .

Peopl e won de red why Lord Arncourt looked so d is

pl eased wh en the fact of Lord Bra nd on s great admi ration
’

for his daug hter was m en tioned .

Wh at could he expect for her ? they asked each other .

Was he waiti ng for a royal prin ce ?

It was q uite ev id en t that he had n o desire to see his
daughter Countess of B ran don He gave no encourage
.

m en t to the young earl he never i nvi ted him to Laubrae

s

H ouse except wh en his n ot d oi ng so would have caused

,

s ome com men t All the attem p ts that Lord Brandon

mad e to j oi n the ridi ng parties were sure in some q ui et
way to be frust rated He would not speak disparagingly
.

of him b ut it was n oticed th at he never praised him or

,

j oi ned in the universal ad m i rati on expressed for him .

Peop l e wond ered Lord Brandon hi mself! accustomed as

.

he was to admiration, wond ered at i t .

2 20 A WOMAN S ’
TEM P TA TIOIV .

He wond ered th er thi ng

R e i ne seem ed bli nd to
at an o .

his m erits as her fath er was

,
In vai n he wooed her by .

look s word s an d every chival rous acti on he could thi n k

, ,

of. Som eti m es she l augh ed at him wh enever she was in

one of her h appi est m ood s s he t eased and ban t ered him
b ut li sten to him seri ously or sh ow the l east sign of liki ng ,

for him was wh at R ei ne never did

, .

Lord Brand on and E ric were fast fri ends th ey ad m i red

each oth er T he young earl with the sure i nsti n ct of
.
,

love felt th at in Lord Arnc ourt s h ei r he had n o ri val

’

, .

He had watch ed E ric n arrowl y and cam e to the c on ,

c lusion th at he would n ever l ove R ei n e He would .

h ave given all he had for one sm il e from her for one ,

ki nd word .

He had been so m uch c ourted so fl attered that to find , ,

hi m sel f laugh ed at by thi s y oung gi rl wh om he wor ,

shiped was al m ost m ore than his prid e c ou ld b ear

, .

Why can she n ot care for m e ? he wond ered

“
I l ove .

her—I would m ak e her h appy ; she sh ou ld do in all

respects j ust as she would I wond er why she cannot .

care for m e ?
Lond on wond ered in the sam e m anner
All fashi onabl e .

Lord Brand on at l ast took courage an d l aid his h eart , ,

his fortune his coron et and his l ove at R ei n e s feet

’

, She , .

refused him with a eareless consc i ousness th at al m ost be

,

wild ered him .

Ref used to become C ountess of B rand on ; t old him

—
,

i w
laughi ngly th at t as no use teasing her that she really
,
 A WOMAN ’
S TE MP TA TYOZV .

But, to her great m ortification and annoyance E ric ,

had see m ed pl eased Wh en she was ki nd er th an usual

.
,

’
he see m ed to sh are Lord B rand on s pl eas ure If he we re .

sit ti ng by he r s id e an d the y oung earl en tered the room ,

E ric al ways rose and m ad e way for him That al one .

irri tated R ei n e .

“
It seem s as t hough he wi sh ed m e to lik e him ,

sh e th oug ht “
And y et th
. a t ca n not b e—he is on ly try
,

”
ing m e .

St range th at alth ough she k ept a strict and j eal ous

,

look out for all rival s she n ever th ought of fi n di n g on e

,

in Bell e She was pl eased with the result of her

.

sc ruti ny .

E ri c was a Lord Arncourt s h ei r

pop ul ar favorit e, as
’

was sure to be ; b ut am on g all the b eauti es and bell es ,

she c ould not see th at he di sti ngui sh ed on e .

Do y ou thi n k
E ngli sh l adi es very fai r and
n ot the
”
beauti ful ? she ask ed
him on e even i ng as th ey sat , ,

t ogeth er at the opera Look around how refined and

.

”
well b red how beauti ful m any of the faces are 1
-
,

He did l ook roun d with a sm il e .

I agree with y ou, he sa id l augh i ngly

, .

You g a ree in th at carel ess fashi on of yours that

al ways annoys me so greatly ; b ut y ou d o n ot seem en
”
thusiastic .

-
I did not fin d my id eal among th em ,
he said.

An d her h eart beat with t ri ump h she fanc ed i he had

 A WOMAN ’
S 3 23

found it in France
,
and that s he h ersel f was the id eal of
his d ream s .

I sh all never envy the Engli sh wom en th ei r

”
b l on d e beauty agai n she said to h ersel f ; m i ne
, has
”
won him l
2 24 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TION

C H APTER XXX IV .

WHAT HAD SHE TO D RE AD ?

.

T he son was over and for R ei ne it had b een a most

sea ,

b rilli an t success Beauti ful gen tl e B ell e had refused

.
,

som e excell en t ofiers g reatly to Lord Arn court s won d er

'
’

, .

T he m ost eligi b l e of her l overs was Sir H arry Bellairs ,

a h an d som e y oung baron e t who had fall en d eeply in ,

l ove with her .

Lord Arncourt had pl ead ed his cause b ut Bell e rai sed ,

her swee t ey es to his .

I do n ot love him m y l ord she said and after th at

, ,

the m aster of Neversleig h said n o m ore .

—
S om eth i ng in the g i rl s face in the p ure earnest
’

, ,

—
gen tl e ex p ressi o touch ed him d eeply
n

“
You sh all pl ease y oursel f B ell e he said ; n o one“
, ,

sh all p e rsuad e y ou agai n st y our w ill I would n ot have .

sp ok e n b ut I lik e Sir H arry

,
an d thi n k he will m ak e on e
,

”
of the ki n d est h usb an d s I sh all say n o m ore ab out it
. .

An d l ong afte r she had l e ft him m y l ord sat won d eri ng ,

w h at i t was i n the gi rl s fac e that t ouch ed him so d eeply

’

why the soun d of her voice seem ed to m ove the very

d epths of his h eart .

2 26 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIOIV .

But Belle sh ran k sen s iti vely from mak i ng her secret

k n own .

Wait E ric , ,
she pl ead ed ,
“
just a lit tl e l onger
.

You will j oin us at Nev e rsleig h, an d we can thi n k ab out

it then .

H e ob eyed her Lord Arnc ourt went to Cowes

and ,

wond eri ng why E ri c did n ot care m ore about accom pany

i ng th e m He had n ot given up his d arl ing proj ect of

.

m arry i ng his d aught er to his h ei r Ci rc um stances had .

n ot up to the p resen t t im e b een p ropitious

, ,But he had .

great fait h in tim e and op p ortun ity .

T he b eauti ful sea b reez e at Cowes b rought fresh h ealth

an d vig or to the two young gi rl s Th ere with the m usic .
,
.

of the waves soun di ng eVer in her ears R ei n e gav e herse l f ,

up to the passi onate d ream of her h eart .

She had ti m e th en to thi n k of E ric ; even am id the

h urry and excitem ent of a London season she n ev er for
on e m om ent forgot him No m atter how m uch she was
.

occ upi ed deep d own in her h eart his i mage was al ways
,
‘

prese nt But he re she had n othi ng to tak e her thoughts

.

from him ; m ornin g n oon an d night they we re of

, ,

him al one .

Li sten i ng to the gra nd musi c of the sea she all owed the ,

p ass io nat e lov e of he r heart to s ha pe itse lf in to th ough ts ,

and the th oughts to form words She gav e hersel f up to .

this engrossing l ove Earth h eld no other charm for her

.
,

no oth er h ope .

Sh ould she win him ? If there be ought in resolution ,

 A W OMAN S TE MP TA n ’
o” .
227

force of will , int gth p pose es she would at

s ren of ur —y , ,

any ri sk Why sh ould she fear ? She had everythi ng on

.

her sid e—youth b eauty tal en t and she l oved him Ah

, , , .
,

heaven ! how d early she l oved him l

”
It would be bett er for m e to d ie than to fail 1 she
said to h ersel f T he fire m ust d est roy m e if it falls back
”
on m e l

Yet she ith er di scouraged n or d espai ri ng True

was ne .
,

Eric had not said in so m any word s th at he l oved her b ut

she c ould n ot d oub t it She ad m i red him all the m ore for
.

his sil ence she th ought it arose from his great c onsid era
ti on for her th at he wan ted her to see pl en ty of the world
before he ask ed her to pl edge her faith to him .

As th ough th at were
”
id to h ersel f wi th
nee d ful , she sa ,

a sweet l augh If ki ngs and em perors c am e to m e and

.

”
ask ed m e to wear a c rown I would refuse for his sak e , .

It ne erv occurred to her

th at Eri c had passed her by ,

’
and had l aid his l ove at Bell e s feet ; she would hav e

laugh ed such an id ea to scorn Bell e win wh ere she had .

fail ed l—it would be too absurd

.

Bell e the penn il ess .

,

—
daughter of a ruine d race Belle who had neith er ,

”
“
h ouses land nor m oney to outri val her !
, , ,

Then Lord Arncourt left them Cowes whil e

at he wen t
over to Pari s, an d th ere he m et Lord B ran d on .

How the young earl managed will nev er k nown but

be ,

by di nt of cons an t t attenti on and di p l omati c cond uc t he

contrived to win from Lord Arncourt an invitation to
2 28 A WOMAN S ’
TEMPTA TI ON

Nev ersleig h . H ow h ard he work ed for it coul d be fai ntly

guessed from the d eep sigh of reli ef with w hich he
h eard it .

I sh all see her agai n he th ought , ,

“
and it will be
”
som ethi ng st range if I fail thi s ti m e .

’
R ei n e sm i l ed wh en she read in her fath er s l etter th at
the earl would j oi n th em at Nev ersleig h M ad am e l ook ed .

pl eased an d Bell e d ecl ared h ersel f to be d elighted but

, ,

R ei n e was i ndi fferen t She read the rem ai nd er of the

.

letter th en s udd enly her fac e fl ush ed c ri m son

, .

”
E ric is c om i ng 1 she cri ed . Papa sa sy that we h ll
s a
”
be q uite a l arge party .

If she had l ook ed atten tively at Bell e she would h ave

s een th at thi s i nt elligenc e was n othi ng new to he r so the

tragedy d rew n earer whil e th ose who were to b e actors in

,

it were all un consci ous .

Th ey reach ed Nev ersleigh on the cl ose of a beauti ful

Aug ust even i ng and Lord Arn c ourt said th ere was n o ti m e
,

to l ose — i m m ediate p reparati ons m ust be m ad e for the

rec epti on of th ei r vi sit ors .

Papa, sa id R ei ne th at , sam e n ight ,

wh en is E ric
”
com i ng ?
H e w ill be h ere with Lord Brand on on Wed nesday,
was the re ply .

I won d er why he did n ot j oi n us at Cowes ? said the

gi rl m usi ngly
,
.

Lord Arn court sm il ed .

3 30 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TI ON

in her own l ove l ess absorbed in h ersel f l ess vai n

affairs, , ,

l ess selfish she would have seen th at Bell e was un lik e her
,

sel f T he ti m e for the revel ati on of her sec ret was com i ng ,

an d Be ll e was al m ost ill with fear .

Fear of wh at she as k ed h erse l f a h und red ti mes

each day .

Wh at had she to dread It was not probab l e that any

one woul d in terfe re with E ric s m arri age
’

She b lam ed h ersel f for her weak ness in givin g way to

p resen ti m ents She took h ersel f to task b ut the fore
.

b odi ng grew u pon her and she c ould not h elp it

, .

Wed nesday eam e at last, and it seem ed to R ei ne that

the sun had v
ne e r s h one so b rightly that , the wor ld had
v
n e er been so fa i r .

“
He will b e Here before sunse t , she sa id and she

blesse d the day .

Her maid had n ev er found her so d ifi c ult to p l ease .

Her d ress was of pal est gold He ad m i red

vi o et and
l .

b efore and
th ose col ors , she wanted to sh ow hi m how she

rem em bered his tast es .

Finn, the gard ener, was m ade qui te an x i ous by the

sudd en deman d for b l ush roses
- .

No m att er whether he had Miss Arncourt

any or not,

must have som e ; an d he lbok ed round in di sm ay By .

Rei ne s stren g th of will was too we ll k nown for

’
that ti m e

any on e to Op pose her .

T he gardener found the roses, and she wore them in

 WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIOIV .
23!

her d ark h ai r on he white b reast thi nki ng that th ey

,
; ,

would pl ease hi m.

But wh en he cam e E ri c did not even notice th em ;

,

he had q ui te forgotten the littl e ep i sod e of the b lush

rose.
232 A WOMAN ’
S TE MP TA TION .

C H APTER XXXV .

. rov , B VE
A O ALL OT HE R MEN !

The i itors had been at Neversleigh for two d ays

v s .

Th ere had b een such a constant succ essi on of n ew ar

ri val s th at n o on e had form ed any pl an s as y et n eith er ,

had th ere b een ti m e for the ex change of m any con

n ec ted words .

Madam e was to all i ntents and p urposes m i st ress of

, ,

the h ouse ; b ut R ei ne as Lord Arn c ou rt s d aught er had

’

, ,

to receive all g uests and p rovid e for th ei r am usem en t .

Th ey were a l arge an d m erry party .

Lord Arncourt lik ed to see young fades around him ;

he lik ed the fresh sweet sound of y oung voices an d happy
,

laught er .

T he even i ng cam e at l ength wh en R ei n e foun d h ersel f

, ,

for the fi rst ti m e at l eis ure

,
The di nner had b ee n a g reat
.

succ ess. Lord Arn court had l ook ed d elighted and the ,

gentl em en had not li ngered over th ei r wi ne .

Now every on e seem ed h appily di sp osed of som e were

at the pi an o ; on e g roup li ngered ov er an al b um ; th ere

were Oth ers i n t en t upon ch ess .

Looki ng aroun d R ei n e saw none but happy and in

,
2 34 A W OMAN S TEM P TA TION ’
.

It had come at ha pp y bli l ast

ssfu l b-l ethe
sse d m o , ,

men t for which she had l onged It had come —he wanted .

her to t ell her th at he l oved her to ask he r to b e his

, ,

wi fe .The very sh ock of the h appi ness mad e her g row

cold and whit e even her lips t urn ed pal e

H ave I frightened y ou R ei ne he ask ed I , .

am so ab rupt ! Never mi n d I can wait for anoth er ,

opp ort unity .

She i d
ra se her dark y
e es to his, an d the xpressi on
e

t tl ed him
s ar .

I will go with y ou she said ,

.

But R ei ne wh at m ad e y ou t urn so pal e ? You

, ,

frighten ed m e .

She m ad e him n o answer but the n ext m i n ute he saw ,

'

her out i n th e m oonlight the m oon beam s falli ng on her

,

d ress of vi ol et and gold and on the bl ush roses Never

,
.

did m oon beam s fall on a fai rer picture .

Th ey walk ed in sil en ce to the st one parapet Roses .

and passi on fl owers all swee t cli m bi ng bl ossom s seem ed

, , ,

en twi n ed aroun d the sl en d er pill ars .

I wan t to sp eak seri ously R ei ne began Eric ; not , ,

in that h al f l aughi ng fashi on we seem to h ave ad opted b ut

-
,

as one who has y our d eares t i n t eres t at h eart .

i t was n ot m uch lik e the c om m en cem en t of a d ec lara

ti on of l ove b ut n o d oubt c hill ed R ei n e .

“
I am very h appy to b eli eve it she said s oftly , ,
.

It so h appen s th at y oung p eopl e un derstand each

oth er ,
he con ti nued You and I do that I beli eve
.
, ,
 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA z 35

alth ough we have Spe n t the g reater part of our ti m e in

badi n age Still we have a t rue regard for each oth er ,

Re i n e h ave we n ot ?
,

Yes she said m ore fain tly

, , .

How l ong it was c om i ng y et how i n tensely she l onged

,

to h ear it .

“
If y ou t hought yth in g would con d uce to my
an hap

p i n ess, y ou would p oi nt it ou t to m e would y ou , n ot,

R e i ne
Yes
”
“
,
she re pli ed i
aga n .

I see som ethi ng th at I thi n k w ill m ak e y ou very

happy—will m ak e you r future all b right an d gold en I .

wan t y ou to c onsen t to it You are n ot q u ite li k e oth er

.

gi rl s R ei n e ; y ou are v ery beauti ful an d on lliant out y ou

, ,

are p ec u li ar Oth er gi rl s would n ot requ i re thi s litt le

.

lect u re th at I am ab out to give y ou ii y ou W i ll let m e

”
.
,

You m ay say wh at y ou will , she sa id .

It must becom i ng it m ust be that he m ean t He had .

brought her out th ere to tell her that he l oved her and ,

n ot for any oth e r p urp ose It must be so; y et her h eart

.

b egan to beat wi th a wild st range fear , .

“
T he ti m e will com e whe n y ou m ust m arry R eine , .

Now I wan t y ou to all ow m e to talk to y ou j ust as

,

th ough I were y our own b roth er Lord Brand on l oves .

y ou v e r
y dea rly ; will y ou t ell m e w hy y ou cann ot
love him ?

He saw her face droop to the col d s t one ; he fanci ed a

2 36 A W OMAN S ’
TE M P TA TION .

low, m uffled cam e from her lips ; but i t was only

c ry

fancy ,
he said to hi m se l f and he wen t on ,

“
He is a n obl e m an R ei n e i f y ou would b ut thi nk , ,

se ri ously of hi m G ive him a pati en t h eari ng ; do n ot

.

laugh at him al ways I d o n ot k n ow anywh ere a m an.

wh om I respect an d estee m m ore h ighly than I do him .

Still from the gi rl at his s id e cam e n o wor d .

I sh ould lik e to see y ou h appy R ei ne and I am sure , ,

that he would m ak e y ou so He is nobl e generous true .

, , ,

all th at a m an sh ould b e ; an d R e i n e s uch m en are not , ,

c om m on H e l oves y ou so very d early I wi sh y ou would

.
,

try to care for him .

Th en i d
s he ra se her fac e, g h astly i n the all
m oon light .

Do y ou m ean th at y ou wi sh m e to marry him she

ask e d .

“
Yes : th at is what I m ean R ei ne ,
. An d no p erson
”
livi ng c ould g ive y ou b etter c ounsel th an th at .

H er face fe ll forward g i
a a n, an d he h eard her, in a

t
s ran g e , low vo ice , c ry out

G reat H eaven H ave I d eserved thi s ?

R ei ne ,
he sai d ,
“
y ou are not an gry with m e, I
”
h ope ?
Th ere was a m i nut e s pe rfect sil enc e ; th en ’
she ra sed i
her white fac e agai n .

A ng ry — why sh ould I be ? You k n ow b etter .

She l augh ed re ckl essly ; the very e vil sp i rit of pride

seem e d aroused in her .
z 38 A WOMAN '
S TEMP TA TIOIV .

But th ough she controlled her words the white face

,

told i ts own story

.

He d rew back in sudd en startl ed al arm for it flash ed

, ,

ac ross him th at she l oved him .

 CHAPTE R x x x vr .

“
vou HA VE nor nrsp nm san ms .
"

The th ought that all unconsci ous in all ignorance he

, , ,

had won th at p roud h eart was terribl e to him he woul d

,

a t that m om e n t h ave giv en world s n ever to have seen

Nev ersleigh .

Thi s proud b rilliant beauti ful girl loved mm and he

, , , ,

in his t urn l oved som e one e ls e

, .

Still he was too t rue a gen tleman too nobl e a m an

, , ,

to all ow his di scove ry to be perceived He was q ui te .

sil en t for som e m om en ts ; th en he said to her very ,

g e n tly
I beg your pard on R ei ne ; perhaps I h ave d one
,

wrong in attem pti ng to i nterfere Each of us k nows b est .

”
wh at is pl easi ng to us .

Th ere was i n fini te pity or com passi on in his voi ce but ,

she did n ot n ot ic e it S om ethi ng lik e a m ist of tears

.

ga th e red i n his eyes as he l ook ed at her H is c onsid erate .

k i n d ness for her was greate r n ow that he k new what her ,

love m ust cost her .

Th ey had been standing in silence for some m inutes ,

wh en Rei ne t urned to him sudd en ly .

Donot wai t for me ,

"
she sai d; “
I am not g oing in
2 40 A WOMAN S ’
TEM P TA TION .

g i
a a n I am ti red of p eopl e and th ei r voices altogeth er
. ,

”
ti red I would far rath er s tay h ere in the starl ight
. .

He could q uite un d erstan d why she did n ot care to

re t urn .

You are right

"
“
he said ; I thi n k nothi ng rests
,

on e so m uch as be i ng al on e on a b eau ti ful n ight lik e

”
thi s .

He t ook one of her h an ds in his ; it was c old as

d eath .

“
Sh all I fetch y ou a sh awl R ei ne ? he asked , ,

”
seem c old an d chill ed .

No ,
she rep l ied . T he g reat est ki n d n ess y ou can

do for m e is to l eave m e a l one .

In the ton f
o he r v oice he d etected th at she had
en d ured as m uch as was p ossi b l e ; it was b est perhaps , ,

to g o .

G ood n ight Reine ; an d if I h ave said

-
,
an ythi ng th at
has di spl eased y ou I p ray y ou to forgive m e
,
.

You have di spl ease d

n ot m e, she re pli ed ,
m ech an ic

ally . G ood n ight 1

-

He turn ed away , sad at h eart ,

an d l eft her a l one .

Ah well ! ,
M oon l ight and starlight h ave l ooked upon
st range sc en es b efore n ow b u t th ey n ev er saw a fac e m ore ,

c onvul sed with passi on th ey n ever saw s uch a t em pest of ,

p rid e scorn of out raged l ove of anger an d d espai r as

, , , ,

raged withi n the soul of th at b eauti ful gi rl .

T he wihd s igh ed around her, the pal e starlight fell on

243 A WOAIAN S TE MP TA n
’
ozv .

You tell m e wh at about she repli ed

can ,

”
perhaps I can h elp y ou .

E ric assum ed the l ofty air that a man generall y tak es

when he fanc i es he is cl everly paci fyi ng a wom an .

“
It is n othi ng that y ou would und erstan d my d ear
.

Bell e I am goi ng to ask Sir J oh n Pierrep ointe to si ng

.

h ave y ou ever h eard him ?

Bell e was one of the subm i ssive ord er ; she und erstood
p e rfe ctly w e ll th at the q ues ti on ab ou t Sir J oh n was si m ply
a ruse to divert her atten ti on She was ob edi en t e nough
.

to thi n k to h erse l f th at E ric did n ot wi sh to tell her his

th oughts th erefore she woul d not tease hi m

,
.

I sh all be m uch pl ea sed to h ear Sir J oh n she repli ed ,

al so to see y our fac e cl eared and to see y ou sm il e

“
.

H e did sm il e as he l ooked at her so fai r so ge n tl e so , , ,

sweet ; th en he sigh e d as he rem em bered the p roud b eau ,

ti ful face i n its angu i sh of d espai r .

”
I thank H eaven Bell e he said ,
“
th at y ou l ove
, ,

me 1
He tri ed to p ut all m em ory of that scene far from him

j ust th en tood once m ore al one in his own

b ut wh en he s

room he was obli ged to l ook the fact pai nfu l as it m ight
, ,

b e in the face
,
.

Wh at was he to do ? He bl am ed hi msel f that he had

yi elded to Bell e s wi sh and had k ept his engagem ent
’
,

sec ret .

If she had k nown th at I cared for Bell e he thought

“
, ,

it m g/rt h ave p revented all thi s

r .
 WOMAN S TE M PI A ? YOIV ’
A
’ '

.
243

S he m ust k now it at once ; com m on honor com m on ,

h on esty d em and that He had com e to Nev ersleigh p ur

.

p o se ly to sp eak to L ord A rn c ourt ab out Be ll e an d he m ust ,

d o it at once he would d e l ay n o l onger On the m orrow .

he would t ell him and th en all would b e end ed ; y et

,

e ven as he d ecid ed on d oi ng so th ere cam e to hi m a dim

,

sense of the te rribl e pai n she would suffer Well true .

, ,

th ere was n o h elp for it he l oved Bell e and it was most ,

certai nly not his fault if Rei n e had m isund erstood him .

Th ere cam e to him a vague idea that after all th ere m ight
’
b e som e t ruth in B ell e s foreb od i ng Thi s cl oud that had
.

al ready ri sen in som e m easure obsc ured his happi ness

, ,

an d sh ad owed the b rightn ess of his l ove .

He would see Lord Arncourt and tell him all ; it ,

would be h ard to see R ei ne s white face an d k now the

’

g ri ef of that proud h eart ; but it m ust be d one He woul d .

gladly h ave hom e the pai n for her if he could b ut it could ,

n ot be
.

T he m orrow b right warm sweet and fragrant ;

rose , , ,

the m orn ing s un fe ll up on on e fac e white an d worn with ,

most bitter weepi ng as th ough l ong years had passed

,

over it an d R ei n e start ed back with h orror as she l ook ed

,

at h ersel f .

“
If on e n ight has ch anged m e so she th ough t what , ,

sh all I b e when a y ear has passed over m y h ead

E ric awok e wi th a sense of pai n q uite n ew to him .

He saw Bell e in the b reak fas t room as he d escend ed -

the s tai rs .
 Bell e he sai d
,
wi sh m e all ki n d s of good fort un e
,

I am goi ng to speak to Lord Arn c ourt to day -

.
”

Be ll e s face g rew pal e as d eath

’
.

"
“
I am afraid she said n or could E ric thi s ti m e laugh
, ,

at her fears .

You want to s ea p k to m e E ric said Lord Arncourt

, , ,

later on I am
“
at l ei sure n ow Will y ou com e i n t o the
.

lib rary with m e

For on c e i n his li fe E ric Ch ilvers l ost his sel f possessi on -

y et wh a t h a d he to fea r? T h e m o rn i n g sun fell b right

an d warm the s un b eam s fell sl an ti n g on the d ark oak en

fl oor with i ts rich c ri m son carpet Lord Arncou rt t ook .

his acc ustom ed seat and l ooki ng at his y oung h e i r said

, ,

”
What is it Erlc ? what do y ou wan t ?
,

E ric was play i ng nervously with a carved ivory paper

k n i fe that lay on the tabl e He l oo k ed up sudd en ly . .

”
My l ord he said y ou h ave al ways been ki nd to
,
“
,

m e and I do n ot fear any l ack of ki n d n ess n ow

,

Lord Arncourt sm il ed .

“
That soun d s as th ough y ou were goi ng to ask some
favor E ri c
,
What is it ? You n eed n ot fear m y refusi ng
.

y o u a n ythi ng y ou w an t .

I h ave fall en in l ove m y l ord an d I wan t y ou to con , ,

”
sen t to my m arri age .

Lord Arncourt s fac e b rig htened as th ough a sunbeam

’

had fa ll en on it .

Th at I am su re y ou will have he repli ed , .

n o b etter gi ft from H eaven th an your l ove for R e i ne .

34 A WOMAN S TEMP TA ’

CHAPTER XXXVI I .

“
m rs i t nor ALL nrrn nnrvr
'
?

The pai ned h umbl ed m orti fied look on Eri c s face

, ,
’

seemed al m ost to t ouch Lord Arncourt s h eart

’
.

“
It is al ways fool ish for peopl e to m ak e pl ans for
oth ers
, he sai d H owever fortunately in thi s case
.
, ,

th ere is no harm done I have n ot m en ti oned m y wish

.

to any one A.h ! y es—I rem em b e r n ow th at I hi n t ed

th em to m ad am e ; b ut she is di screet I had th ought .

of thi s marriage before I ever saw R ei n e even Wh en .

I found her so b eauti ful and b rilli an t m y h op es in ,

creased .

She is ythi ng th at is ad m i rabl e said E ric

ever , .

O nly y ou have not fall en in l ove with her said Lord ,

Arncourt l aughi ngly

, Well as I said b efore th ere is
.
, ,

n o h arm d on e ; and M i ss de St Lan ce is a m ost charm .

— t
ing gi rl gentl e well bred and beauti ful
, ,You c ould .

n ot h av e ch osen m ore wi sely Eri c You will b e very

, .

h appy with her I am sure , .

Th en I h ave your perm i ssi on ? said E ric grav ely ,

.

You have my full consen t and best wish es It is .

rath er a matter of form than oth erwi se y our ask rg m e

'

u , ,
 A WOMAN S TE M P TA n ’
ozv
.
247

Eri c . I have no authority over y ou and m adam e is ,

”
Bell e s s ol e g uardi an
’
.

But E ric with a grac e all his own b en t d own and

, ,

k i ssed Lord Arncourt s han d

’
.

I owe y ou the d eepest h onor and d eepest respect ,

he said I would do noth ing without consulti ng y ou

.

”
first
—h
.

You m ust g o to m adam e now, an d a , me l E ric ,

I env y h appi ness of calli ng y ou her son in law

he r the - -
.

I am b usy now and can not di sc uss detail s with y ou

, .

Later on we will m ak e all arrangem en ts for y our m ar

riag e and wha t i n com e as hei r of Nev ers le ig h will m eet
, , ,

the req ui rem en ts of your position G o to m ad am e n ow ; .

it is her consen t that is of such vital i m portance not ,

m i ne .

Eric saw that Lord Arncourt wi shed to be alone ,

a n d h avi ng exp ressed his m o st g rateful than ks he went ,

a way .

“
I seem to have disappoi nted every body he thought , ,

as he wen t to mad am e s room ;

’
but I c ould n ot h elp
”
lovi ng Belle .

He found M adam e de St Lance sitti ng q uite al one .

,

with the sam e sad c onst rai n ed worn out l ook on her face
, ,
-

that had al way s s t ruck him She g lan ced at him in alarm
.
,

a n d her face grew e ven paler .

You want to speak to me Mr Chi l vers ! What can , .

y o u p oss i b ly w an t with m eP

I wi ll tel l y ou madam e . .
243 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA T1 0 1V .

And t di ng before her his graceful figure q uite

s an ,

erect ,
his h an d resti ng on the tabl e he t old the st ory ,

of his l ove .

T o his i n tense surp ri se wh en she had h eard it she , ,

b uri ed her fac e in her h and s and wept after a d reary , ,

h opel ess fas hi on that fill ed him with di sm ay

,
.

”
“
M adam e he c ri ed I p ray y ou do n ot do th at !
, ,
“

You are n ot angry with m e surely th at I love your , ,

”
beauti ful Bell e ?
Bell e she repeated Oh Mr Chilve rs w hy is it
.
, .
,

n ot al d iflere t
l n —why do y ou n ot l ov e R ei ne
'

He l ooked at her in bewild ered surp ri se .

You speak as th ough l ove were withi n one s cont rol

'

m ad am e It is n ot I l ove B e ll e an d no oth er
. .
, .

But m ad am e paid littl e att en ti on to hi m she was weep

ing bitt e rly .

“
Rei n e poor R ei ne !
,

Why sh ou ld y ou pity R ei ne ? he ask ed .

Arnc ourt s d aughter can n ot surely n eed pity

’ '

She seem ed to m ak e a d esperate effort to recover

h ersel f .

I did not as k y ou to pi ty her she said Oh E ric ,

.
,

Chilvers what m i schi ef y ou h ave m ad e l—what sorrow

,

y ou h av e w rought ! Why did w e ever c om e to thi s

”
fatal pl ace ?
He l ook ed at her in utter wond er .

”
My d ear m ad am e he said are we not som ewhat
“
, ,

besid e the m ark ? I ask your p erm i ssi on to m arry your

2 50 A WOMAN S TE MP TA n ’
o” .

how it wi ll I give m y full c onsent because I see

en d ! ,

”
th at y ou will l ove Be ll e an d n o one el se
,
.

”
“
I can tell y ou how it will end he sai d l aughi ngly , , .

You will see Be ll e the happi est wi fe i n the world ,

bel oved and beauti ful hon ored and esteem ed h eld in
, ,

high est reveren ce Th en y ou will say I d id wel l to

.
,
‘

give her to Eric after all You will regret exceedi ngly
, .
’

th at y ou ever m ad e e i ther yourse lf or m e sad wit h di sm al

forebodi ngs .

She t ri ed to l ook m ore cheerful but fail ed i n the effort .

“
I can on ly h ope it will be so she sai d H ave y ou , .

”
sp ok en to Be ll e ?

He l augh ed .

I am very happy m adam e Belle l oves m e and has

,
.
,

”
prom ised if y ou are willi ng to be m y wi fe
, , .

I h ope y ou will be happy said m ad am e gravely , , .

Th en E ric went away .

”
My darli ng will surely b e brighter than her m other ,

he th ought . I have n ot m et wi th a very cheerful recog

”
n ition of m y l ov e at p resen t .

Wh en he had l eft her m adam e rose from her seat ; she

,

clasp ed her h ands as th ough in wild appeal It wil l

“

”
c om e l she cri ed I can see it in the distance .

Th en Eric havi ng won such consent as he cons idered

,

n eed ful wen t i n search of Bell e

, He found her sta n di ng .

by the l ak e watchi ng the white swans

,

“
I could not rem ai n in the h ouse she said ,
.

”
so unc om fortabl e So an xi ous , .
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA n o” .
s sr

I h ave nothi ng b ut g ood news my darli ng he said , , .

Lord Arncourt gives his unq uali fied c onsent with the ,

”
k i nd est of wi shes M ad am e d oes the sam e
. .

He had no i n tenti on of d ecei vi ng her b ut he would not ,

c l oud her h appi n ess by telli ng her of the s t range recepti on

he had m et from bot h .

Now th ere remai ns b ut one thi ng to be d one Bel le ,

that is for y ou to t ell m e wh en y ou are willi ng to b e m y

,

wi fe . I h ave waited a l ong ti m e I have d on e my b est to

p l ease y ou You m ust please m e now Bell e ; it is on ly
.

—
,

fa .i r Thi s is t he en d of A g
u us t wil l y ou p rom ise to be

my wi fe wh en Oct ob er com es ?
I do n ot supp ose y ou h ave given m e the alternative of
”
sayi ng n o she repli ed with a blus h It sh all be so if
“
.
, , ,

y o u w i sh E ri,c .

So it was d ecid ed th ey were to be marri ed in Oct ob er ,

and E ric be li eved t hat at l ength th ere was an end to his

troubl es .

Be ll e he sai d,
“
I have an espec ial and m ost parti e
,

ul ar reason for wishing our engagem en t to be m ad e as

public as possibl e You will allow me now to speak

.

of it
“
Will y ou tell m e your reason Eri c ? she ask ed wi th
. , ,

fem i ni ne curi osity .

I woul d m uch rath er not my darli ng Do not as k , .

me .

Lik e the sub missive gentl e gi rl she was , , she did not ask ,

and E ric was reli eved by her sil enc e .

 A WOMAN S ’
TEM P TA T/ ON .

“
Im goi ng to tell Lord B rand on m ysel f at once and
’
,

Be ll e m y d arli ng am ong all y our l ady fri ends who has

, ,

the rep utati on of bei ng the g reatest goss ip

”
Mi ss Bradern iss she repli ed with a p rom pt si m plicity
, ,

that ch arm ed him .

“
Th en t ell it to her as a great sec ret and y ou m ay be ,

”
sure th at the n ews will soon sp read said E ric for which , ,

cyn ical senti m en t Bell e reproved him severely and was ,

most p rope rly i n dig nan t .

Eric h owever had his own speci al reasons Th ey had

, ,
.

on e h our of un t old h appi n ess out am ong the sunshi n e and

flowers—one h our wh en th ey forgot that earth had its cares ,

and rem em b ered on ly th at the gat es of Paradi se were op e n

for th em Th en E ric wen t away an d sought Lord Bran

.
'

d on . H e told him his news an d the young earl cong rat ,

u lated him m est warm lv .

”
I am afraid E ric he said
,
th at I s h all n ever h ave
, ,

such good n ews for y ou Mi ss Arncourt d oes n ot as y et

.

give m e a graci ous l ook .

T he sunshi n e of his own h appi ness was in E ric s h eart ;

’ ’

he saw all th i ngs th rough i ts m edi um .

“
I sh ould p ersevere he said “
Such l ove as yours
, .

”
deserves i ts reward .

“
Do y ou thi n k p erseverance in thi s case will win the
”
p ri ze? ask e d L ord B ran d on an xi ously ,
.

“
I do Miss Arncou rt is a very n obl e gi rl ; she can
.

appreci ate fine q ualiti es and th ere is n othi n g so fine as ,

”
v eraflt e an d fid e lity
p e rse .
 A WOMAN S '
TEMPTA TION .

C H APTE R XXXVIII .

“
HOW LON G HAS rm LOVE D n an ?

Lord B rand on h astened to j oi n Miss Arncourt He .

saw the bl oom i n g fl owers as he p assed by b ut n one th ere ,

seem ed to hi m so fai r as the b eauti ful gi rl he l oved so p er

severi ngly .

“
Who so fai r he ask ed hi msel f as she ? Who so
,
“
,

g ra c efu l ?
If he c ould on ly win her for hi m sel f—win her and k eep
her i n his h eart he would b e h appy for everm ore
, .

H e wen t up to her She was s tan di ng by the rose

.

g a rd e n h
,
e r whit e h an d s t oy i ng care l ess ly with a b eau ti ful
rose . She k n ew th at he was c om i ng y et her eyes n ever ,

gl anced at him ; th ei r exp ressi on was one of p roud c ol d , ,

weari ed i n di fferen ce .

Wh en Lord Band on d rew n ear enough to l ook in her

face he was startl ed by the te rribl e ch ange in it
, T he .

o u th t h e b eau ty the e xq ui si t e bl oom the radi ance—all

y , , ,

seem ed to h ave di ed out of it and given pl ace to a hag ,

gard care and gl oom .

Mi ss Arn court he cri ed in won d er ,

.

Sl owly she turn ed her d ark b eauti ful ey es on him

, .

Do y ou wan t m e she ask ed .

 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA n orv .
2 55

I saw y ou,
an d thought I should lik e to ask y ou how
ou w r b ut y ou pi me s ur r sed
y e e,
.

“
T o be easi ly surprised s h ows a weak m i nd , she

said wi th a m i serabl e attempt at her old gay ety

,
of

m anner .

I am q ui te id d weak m i nd ed if
con en t t to b e c ons ere -
,

y ou ch o ose to call m e so h e sa id w ith a b o w an d a , ,

sm i l e But M i ss Arncourt do p ray assure m e th at y ou

.
, ,

are not ill .

“
Th ere is littl e need to assure y ou of the fact wh en
”
y ou fi n d m e s t
a n di ng b ef ore y o u i n p erfect h ealth s he ,

repli e d .

“ —
But y ou look so changed do not frown y ou k n ow
the l eas t sh ad ow of a frown from y ou m ak es m e m i ser
.

abl e I will not say th at y ou l ook ill if it displ eases y ou

.

I wi l l keep my th oughts to mysel f .

Perhaps th at will be the wi sest thi ng for y ou to d o ,

she said d ryly , .

She was an noyed that the pall or of her face sh ould be

n oticed .

I wonder Mi ss Arncourt said the y oung earl

, wh at , ,
“

I could do to win one s m il e from y ou

”
I can n ot tell she repli ed n or do I see w h
, y y o u
”
sh ould t roubl e y oursel f ab ou t m y sm il es .

“
You k n ow how d early an d how d esp erately I l ove
y ou ,
h e r et ort e d an d y ou m ight b e,j u st a littl e k in d e r

to m e .

She l augh ed wearily .

3 55 A WOMAN S ’
TE M PTAT ION .

You k now how littl e I beli eve in l ove at all , she

”
sa id . It is on ly a p oet s fallacy a poe t s d ream
’

,
’
.

Yet v as she spok e the word s a sharp pai n in

,
e en , her
own d espai ri ng h eart told her how un true th ey were .

I ought n ot to give way to envy on such a beautiful

m orn i ng as thi s said Lord B ran d on ;
,
“
b ut I feel ter
”
rib ly i n cli n ed to envy E ric Chilvers .

H er h eart heat at the soun d th at n am e ; a hot

of ,

c ri m son fl am e seem ed to b urn her fac e her eyes flash ed

fire th en d rooped
,
.

“
Eric Chilvers ! she repeated Why sh ould y ou .

envy hi m

Because he is so h appy His face was all sunshi ne .

,

his ey es all b righ tn ess He is happy for he has won wh at

.
,

he loves best .

“
What do y ou m ean Lord B rand on ? she ask ed , ,

q uickly .

She had turned roun d so that she could l ook di rectly

at him In her fi erce i m pati en ce it seem ed to her th at
.

she could h ave tak en the word s from his lips .

“
Wh at d oy ou m ean she re ea e p t d .

H ave y ou not h eard ? Now I rem em ber Eric told ,

m e it was on ly j ust settl ed But s urely y ou k now all .

ab out it it can be n o secre t n o news to y ou , .

H e was l ook i ng at her with a h al f wond eri ng

-
air that
added to her i m pati en ce . She t ri ed to con trol it .

“
I do n ot in the l east d
un ers an t d y ou . I k now of no
2 58 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TION .

to her eas er i to die than to say the words — “

Wh en are
”
th ey to b e m arri ed ?
October he repli ed Now h ave I
’
In the m onth of ,
.

n ot som e reason to en vy E ri c ?

No
”
she repli ed with a st range sm i le ;
“
, , y ou h ave
"
none .

I I could agree with y ou He has won his l ove

wish . .

I am willi ng to work to serve and to wai t for my l ove , , ,

as Jacob did of old ; b ut I fear m e th at m y l ove will never

”
sm il e on m e .

’
She did not seem to h ave h eard his word s She was .

looking with a st range far ofl gaz e in her dark eyes at

’

-
, , ,

the di stant t rees .

Had y ou really no suspi ci on of the state of affai rs ?

he c on ti n ued “
Did it n ever strike y ou th at E ric lik ed
.

Mi ss de St Lan ce
“
N 0 she repli ed sl owly ; I can safely aver that I
, ,

”
never did .

“
I al way s fanci ed it after I had once seen th em ,

togeth er he said , Are y ou goi ng Mi ss Arn c ourt ?

.
,

. He n ever forgot the stran ge l ook she gave him the ,

s trange s m il e she b en t upon him .

“
I m ust g o and c ongratul ate the b rid e th at is to be ,

she repl ie d Bell e and I were always lik e si sters y ou

.
,

k now .

With out anoth er word of ap ol ogy she t urn ed away ,

l eavi ng the young earl m ore surpri sed and bewild ered th an
he had ever b een in his li fe before .
 A WOMAN S TE MP TA 7 10 m
’
2
59

What an incc m p rehensible gi rl that is he said to ,

“
hi m sel f I l ove her I worship the very ground she ,

stands u pon y e t I d o n ot b e li eve she will e ve r care for

me . Oh i f ,
n —
I k ew if I on ly k new how to win her .

She walk ed on regardl ess of every thi ng ,

Lord Arn .

court saw her as she passed the lib rary wi n d ow and ,

call ed her nam e She did not even h ear him

. Madam e .

sent word th at she wi sh ed to see her She never even .

heard the message Her bra i n and her heart were on fire
. .

She wen t i n t o the house and her m aid who was c rossi n g , ,

the h all l ooked up i n won d er at her white wild face

, , .

“
Wh ere is Mi ss St Lance ask ed R ei ne ; and the .

answer was “
In her own room .

Sl owly, t t ly step s she went up the b road

and with s a e ,

marbl e stai rcase She rapped at the d oor of Bell e s room

’
. .

Com e in said a low h appy voice

, , .

G ravely coldly w i th h aughty step Re i ne walked up to

, . ,

the y oung gi rl She l ook ed i n to the swee t face

. .

“
We have lived lik e sisters she said “
Tell m e the ,
”
.

truth are y ou g oing to m arry E ric Chilvers ?

And Bell e bendi ng her h ead th at s he m ight n ot m eet

,

th at c old p roud gl an ce said si m pl y

, , ,

“
He has asked me to do so Rei ne and my m othe r is , ,

willi ng.
 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIOM

C H APTER XXXIX .

“
r LOVE HIM ~
BETT E R T H AN MY OWN LIFE .

It was c
th at would h ave d elighted an arti st T he
a s en e .

two gi rl s were s o beauti ful so di fferen t to each oth er , .

Be ll e so sweet so shy sh ri n ki ng from her fri en d ; y et

, ,

with a face full of l ove an d h ope R ei n e lik e a t ragic .

,

m use st ern of as pect grave of face the pall or of som e

, , ,

thi ng lik e desnair vaili ng its b eauty Th ey m ight h ave .

been tak en in th at m om en t for the godd ess of l ove an d

the godd ess of revenge It was well for Bell e th at she
.

could n ot see the gl anc e ben t upon her .

“
Your m oth er willi ng ! she said contem ptuously ; ”
,

”
as th ough th at had any thi ng to do with it .

“
It has everythi ng to do with it R eine I shoul d , .

n ever m arry w ith out m y m oth e r s fu ll and free c on sen t

’
.

An expressi on of ang ry scorn cam e over the b eauti ful

fac e .

“
It is y our good ness I suppose that has won E ric
, , ,

she said .Do y ou l ove him Be ll e ? ,

T he fai r fac e fl ushed an d d rooped it was h ard to own

that s he l oved any one wh en ask ed in such cold hard
, ,

t ones .

You n eed n ot h ave any affectati on with m e ,

2 63 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TIOIV .

g ift in ich es t p rofusi on

r ,
to g ive him up , would y ou do

it
She pok e very gently and Bell e did not see the fire th at
s ,

fl ash ed in the d ark l um i nous eyes ; she did n ot see the

,

t rem bli ng of the proud lip the cl enchi ng of the white ,

hand s
“
Would I ? she repeated Ah R ei ne y ou k now I
.
, ,

would n ot I would rath er be poor with him th an be a

.

”
q ueen .

T he b eauti ful face g rew d eadly pal e .

W ould y ou ? I do not thi nk Eric shares such senti

m en ts . Your l over as a rul e d oes n ot forget the m ai n
, ,

chance You will n ot fin d him so sen ti m en tal

. .

Bu t he r word s did n ot anger Be ll e ; she l ook ed up at

R ei n e s face with a sm il e
'

“
You are t ryi ng to t ease m e R ei ne, she said “
b ut I , ,

”
am too h appy to b e teased .

T he gl oom of the d ark eyes deepe n ed Bell e rose from .

he r seat ; she wen t up to R e i ne and cl asped her white arm ,

roun d he r n e ck she l aid he r sweet fac e agai n st the c old

fac e th at was to k n ow light and warm th n ever m ore she

ki ssed the b eau ti ful b row .

I un d erstand y ou Rei ne she said,

You are try
, .

ing to se em hard an d cold to m e y ou are p retendi ng th at

y ou are n ot gl ad y ou a,
re wi s hi n g to m ak e m e b e li ev e th at
m y h appi n ess is a m atter of indiflerence to y ou Ah
'

.
,

R ei ne ! y ou will n ot succeed I k now how d early y ou .

l ove m e I k now th at in the depth of your h eart y ou are

 A WOMAN S TE MP TA TION ’
.
3 63

we llpl eased at m y happi ness I und erstand my R ei n e .

,

m y b eauti ful p roud stat ely si ster

,
No one k n ows her
, .

better And I und ers tand how m uch l ove and t rue ten
.

d erness li es un d erneath th at proud m anne r .

For one m om ent the touch of th ose warm sweet lips ,

softene d her . She l aid her hand on the gen tl e h ead .

Poor Bell e 1 she m urm ured . Poor, gentl e Bell e !

Why do y ou call m e p oor ? ask ed Bell e with a ,

b right sm il e I am rich er—at l east I thi n k so—than

.
,

”
any on e el se in the wh ol e w id e world .

Th ose word s were q uite sufli c ien t T he gl eam of ten .

’
d erness di ed out of R e i n e s h eart n eve r to shi n e th ere
,

agai n She d rew

. back from the soft caress of th ose ten
d er arm s.

How sen ti m en tal y ouBell e

are, , she sa id . Senti
m en t a l ways seem s to m e so absurd .

’
Bell e l augh ed She was ac c ustom ed to R ei ne s
m erely .

ch anges of m ood ; th ey never troubl ed her or affected ,

the swee t con ten t ed di sp ositi on

, .

How m uch , after all, R ei ne I owe to y ou

,
If I had
n ot c om e to England with y ou I sh ould ,
ne e r v hav e
seen E ri c .

E ric is all the world to y ou now, I su ppose ? said

R ein e with , a sneer .

But the sn eer was l ost on the h appy g i rl . She th ought

on ly of the words .

He is m ore than all the worl d, indeed, she re pli ed .

2 64 A WOM AN S ’
TE M P TA TION .

But, R ei ne did y ou n ever suspect th at he l oved m e ?

,

Did it n ever occ ur to y ou

Do y ou suppose I i nt erested m y sel f to such an exten t
in Mr Chilvers as to thi n k of his p ro babl e l ove aflairs ?
'

Had I d on e so I sh ould n ever h ave th ought he was fall

,

i ng in l ove wi t h y ou .

M am m a was surp ri sed ; and R ei ne the on ly l ittl e , ,

cl oud i n m y sk y is this : I am afraid she d oes not ap

prove of it .

“
Wh at m akes y ou thi n k so ? ask ed R ei ne with sud ,

den i n t erest .

“
She see m ed so c old an d so un i n te rested ; she n ever
even ki ssed m e or wi sh ed m e h app i n ess
, All th at she .

said was : I h ave n othi ng to say ab out it child ; b e

‘
,

’
h appy in your own way Th at was n ot very encourag i ng
.
,

”
was it R ei n e ?
,

M ad am e is n ot d em onst rative repli ed R ei ne coldly , ,

.

I m ust go So y ou l ove him Bell e with all your h eart ?

.
, ,

”
Say the word s over agai n .

I do l ove him with all m y h eart repeated Bell e ;

, ,

and th en R ei n e with ou t an oth er word s wept away

, , .

She did not k now how to m eet him T he hell would .

soon ri ng for l u n ch an d th e n she m ust b e h ersel f or he

, ,

would k n ow how the n ews affected her .

H e sh ou ld n ever h ave th at t ri um ph she said to her ,

se l f—n ever ! He sh ould n ot k now th at he had had power

to d rive the c ol or from her face the light from her eyes , ,

an d all t race of happi ness from he r h eart He sh ould .

2 66 A WOMAN S ’
TE M PTA TION

n ot prepared for the effect Rei ne l ooked around quickly

.
,

with a fl ushed fac e .

Do n ot m enti on them to m e agai n she cri ed , .

”
detest th em I will never wear th em agai n
. .

Well th ere is n o accoun ti ng for eap rice said the

, ,

m aid to h ersel f ; and in that she was right .

Rei n e was sati sfied at last she seem ed by m agic to

h
have recovered er b ri lli an t bl oom her exq ui site col ori ng, .

There was no pall or no whit e gh astly despai r in the

,

beauti ful face upon which she gaz ed .

He will n ot thi n k th at I am dyi ng for l ove of him ,

she said to h ersel f I shall conq uer y et Th ey shall .

.

never k now what I have sufler

'

So R ei ne radian t and beautiful as ev er cam e out

, ,

from her room She m et Belle; an d sm iled in the gi rl s

’
.

sweet fac e .

“
Th ere is one question m ore I wish ed to ask y ou she ,

”
When are y ou goi ng to be m arri ed ?
In October I thi n k R ei ne ; but the tim e is not
, ,

”
arranged y et It will be th en I thi nk
.
, .

“
There is tim e for m uch to happen before October ,

thought R ein e Time does wonders ; it may be

.

fiiend m e
'
.
 A WOMAN S TEMP TA TION ’
.
3 67

C H APTER XL .

I M UST B E s ens uous T O FO RGIVE T HAT .

Eric had felt some littl e dread of meetin g Rei ne .

I cannot bear to m eet th at pai ned l ook in her beauti

”
ful face ,
he th ought “
Th ere never was anythi ng so
.

unfort unat e in thi s world If she had only tak en a fancy

.

to Bran don how h appy we m ig ht all have b een

,

T he bell rang for l unch eon at last and he k new they ,

m ust m eet He had d one nothi ng wrong but he sh ran k

.
,

lik e a coward from see ing her .

It was a reli ef greater th an he coul d d escri be to find her

in the di ni ng room l ooki ng more b rillian t m ore beauti
-
, ,

ful than ever She was talki ng gayly to Lord Bran don
.
,

’
an d E ric s h eart rose at the sight .

Could I be mistak en he th ough t It is n ot p os . ,

sibl e that she c ould l ove m e and y et be so happy I m ust .

”
have been m i stak en .

Yet he felt sure th ere had been no m istak e .

”
She i n tends m e to forg et all ab out i t he th oug ht ,

and I sh all only be to

“ ”
agai n o gl ad .

She d id not appear to noti ce him wh en he entered the

room . She went on laughi ng and tal k ing incoh erently
, ,

en ough i f the t ru th b e k n own b ut n o one k new how he ;

, ,
2 68 A WOMAN S ’
TEMPTA TION .

heart beat an d her b rai n whi rl ed . O utwardly she was

calm gh en ou .

I h ave been so anxi ous over y ou Lord B rand on was ,

“ ”
sayi ng and n ow I b l am e m ysel f for it
, .

”
Why were y ou anxi ous ? she ask ed laughi ngly , .

Because I th ought y ou l ooked so ill but I do not

n a r w u r r an —
k o th t I eve sa y o m o e b illi t I d are n ot say
w

beauti ful y ou would be cross with m e .

“
Certai n ly I sh ould .

Th en she took her pl ace at the tabl e an d Lord Bran ,

d on m ore en chanted th an ever foll owed her

,
Th en for , .
,

the fi rst ti m e she appeare d to see E ric She sm il ed at .

him i n the m o st carel ess an d uncon c ern ed fashi on .

“
I am right about the weath er she said gayly , , .

You th ought it would rai n I k n ew it would not You .

are wrong and I am r ight ,

.

“
You are al ways right said Lord B ran d on with a , ,

bow ; an d to his aston i sh m ent she foun d no fault with

, ,

the c om pli m en t .

After l unch eon was over th ey wen t out each in te n t on ,

’

his ot h er partic ul ar am usem en t E ric was talk in g to Lord .

Arnc ourt an d R ei n e wen t up to him

,
.

I am behi nd the rest of the world w ith m y con g ratu ~

latio
” ”
she said let m e ofler th em n ow “
'

ns ,
.

It was E ric who l ook ed confused n ot Rei ne , .

You are very ki nd he said ; an d Lord Arncourt

‘

, ,

thi nki ng th ey m ig ht speak m ore at th ei r ease in his

:

ab sen c e we n t away
"
.
,
2 70 A W OMAN S TEMP TA TION ’

so ghastly , so d espai ring sure ly I cann o t have d reame d

”
it all .

H e watched her d uring the day for it seem ed to him ,

that his senses m ust h ave d eceiv ed him As though she .

had g uesse d that he would do so she played her part to ,

perfecti on She was the graceful m istress of the gay reve ls

. .

She talk ed to others of the e ngagem en t and m arri age th at

was to b e The g ossip p ar ex cellen ce Miss Brade rn iss
.
, , ,

cam e to her with a face full of won d er .

D ear Miss Arncourt is thi s story ab out the marri age ,

true she ask ed Mr Chilvers and M iss de St Lance

. . .
,

I m ean
“
Pe rfectly t rue replie d R e ine whose wel l tutored face
, ,
-

bet raye d n o surpri se .

“
I am so ast on i s hed Do y ou k n ow that I—all of us.
,

in fa —
ct th ought it was to y ou that Mr Chilvers was .

e ngaged .

She b ore it an d sm il ed T he word s sm ote her h eart

, .

with the m ost terri bl e pai n b ut s he gave no sign , . .

You and all of y ou she repea ted m i m i cki ng Miss

, , ,

“ ’ ”
Bradern iss accent were m i stak en y ou see, ,
.

Still it would have been very appropri ate—Lord Arn

“

court s daughter an d his h ei r You would not h ave been

'

obliged to ch ang e y our nam e Besid es to m y m i n d y ou .

, ,

are so m uch m ore beauti ful th an Mi ss de St Lance .

,

I can not thi n k how it was he did not fall in l ove wi th

R ei n e ra sed i her head proudly . It was one thi ng to h ear

 A WOMAN S ’
TEM P TA n o” .
2 71

su ch lightly di scussed an d another top onder them

m atters ,

i n her own h eart .

I do not see th at y ou have any right to discuss the

,
”
q uesti on she repli ed haughtily Mr Chilvers and
, . .

Mi ss de St Lance have pl eased th em selves I shall do the

.

sam e Th ere n eed be n o com m ent upon it

. .

“
n —
Oh o c ertai n ly not repli ed the obsequi ous g os ,
”

s ip . At the sam e ti m e it does seeem stran ge d oes it, ,

n ot ?
What seem s stra nge ? ask ed Rei ne i m pati ent ly It , .

was t ort ure to her to h ear thi s gi rl di sc uss th at which to

“
hersel f she could hardly ad m it Wh at seem s strange ? .

“
Th at Mr Chilvers sh ould not h ave liked y ou best
. .

We all th ought he did .

That m erely sh ows y ou are all wan ti ng in penet ra ti on .

Pray Mi ss Bradem iss do not let us di sc uss the m atter ; it

, ,

”
d oes not i nteres t m e .

She k new the sh arp sh rewd eyes were fix ed upon her

,

face she k new th at the in sati abl e gossip woul d b e on ly

too d elighte d to note any ch ange th ere and to tell after ,

ward how poor d ear Miss Arncourt looked No one ”

.

sh ould h ave th at t ri um ph over her .

”
To tell the t ruth she contin ued laughi ngly
,
I am , ,

glad we are g oi ng to have a weddi ng I have not seen a .

reg ul ar Engli sh wed d i ng

y et B u t p ray d o n ot t el l any .

one I sai d that M i ss Braderniss p eopl e will thi nk I am

,

so childi sh .

She k new perfec tly wel l th at the l ady goss i p would re

2 72 A WO MAN ’
S TEMP TA TION
‘
.

p eat to a ci rcl e of ad m i ri ng fri ends how gl ad Miss Arn

w —
court as the v ery i m p ressi on she wi sh ed to g o ab road ,

and she had tak en the surest m eth od of sp readi ng it .

All that day th ough each h our seem ed to her an age

, ,

she was b rilli an t g y

a an d b e a uti
,
fu l ; she was the li fe of
the wh ol e party Each hour E ric won d ered m ore and
.

m ore w hil e Lord B ran d on fell m ore d eeply an d h ope l ess

,

ly in l ove .

But wh en the n ight cam e she was exhausted ; the strai n

up on her n erv es had b ee n too g reat ; she had overtax ed

he r strength Al one in he r own room the m ask she had

.

worn fe ll from her even as the rouge wash ed from her

,

fac e .

H ow l ong is it to l as t an d how am I to bear it ? she

,

as k ed h erse l f Could I spen d years in such a m an ner ?

C ould I pass m y wh ol e li fe so ?
No was the answer of her own h eart
, .

T he ti m e would soon c om e wh en she would ti re of

pl ay i n g a part wh en the passi onate n ature and d espai ri ng
l ov e would ri se in hot rebelli on and what —she ask ed her
s l
e f is d sp i
e a r— wh at was to b ec om e of her th en

She did n ot k n ow S udd en ly he r own words rec urred

.

”
to her M uch m ight h appen before Oct ob er l
:

She repeat ed the word s ove r an d ove r agai n She had .

n o part ic u l ar m ean i ng asc rib e d to th e m in her own m i n d .

”
i ll ucb m ight h appe n b ut she did n ot say to h e rsel f
,

wh at the m ean i ng m igh t c om p ri se ; accid en t sick ness sor , ,

ro w d eath
, .
2 74 A WOMAN S TEMPTA T10 1V
’
.

C H APTER X LI .

“
COUL D vou m a H AVE LOVED u s ?

A beauti ful au um n e en n
t v i g and the wh ol e h ousehol d
,

in Nev ersleigh are on the lawn to enj oy its b rightness ; it

is nei th er daylight n or m oon light but the warm fla gran t ,

l o m i n g li es over the lan d ; the fl owers are asl eep the

g a ,

b i rd s are si l en t the state ly swans have found th ei r nests

, ,

thestars are begi n n i n g to appear ; the air is so bal my so ,

sweet so full of rich odors th at it was i m possibl e to rest

, ,

in d oors whil e it i n vited on e out .

Lord Brand on had left Nevers le igh He had m ade .

Miss Arncourt anoth er offer an d she had refused him ;

,

not l au ghi n gly thi s ti m e— her eyes seem ed open to the

p a i n o f re j ec ted l ov —
e b u t wi th k in dlv words an d ki ndly

look s .

He had tak en fresh h opes from th at which was in reali ty

a sign how h ope l ess his l ov e m ust b e M iss Bradem iss
.
,

an d in fact the wh ol e rel ay of vi sit ors had l eft and th ey

, , ,

were n ot expecti ng a fresh party M adam e had expressed

.

a wi sh th at th ere sh ould b e at l eas t two d ays b et ween the

goi ng of one party and the com i ng of an oth er Rei ne .

obj ected . Th ere was not hing she d read ed so m uch as be

 A WOMAN ’
S TE MP T A TION .
2 75

ing l eft alone to the torture of her own thoug hts ; b ut

Lord Arncourt was of m adam e s opi n i ons ’
.

Fresh visi tors re qui re fresh arran gem ents it is better

”
to com ply with m ad am e s wish ,
’
R ei n e .

R ei n e yi eld ed with the sam e i ndi fferen t grace she dis

played n ow ov er everythi ng ; nothi ng i nterested her deep
ly or i n terested her l ong
, .

“
I m ust en d ure it she th ought I shall have to l ook
,
“

on whil e Eric goes in rapt ures and B ell e l ooks sed ate I , .

h te h
a t e m ; b ut the e n —
d is n ot h ere y et m uch m ay hap

p e n b efo re Oct ober .

Onthi s e ven i ng m ad am e Be ll e R ei ne Lord Arncourt , , , ,

an d E ri c were all on the l awn t ogeth er

,
For the firs t .

ti m e the con versati on t urned upon the weddi ng that was ‘

to tak e pl ace in October .

Lord Arncourt was begi nning to rec over from his disap
p oi n tm en t Aft er all R ei ne with her brill ian t beauty
.
, , ,

would do far b etter p erhaps than by m arry i ng his h ei r

, , .

Th en Eric was so happy and Bell e so beauti ful in her ,

l ove he could not keep up any sh ow of reserve about the

,

matter Reine evi d en tly was p erfectly indiflerent And

'

. .

on thi s b eauti ful evening wh en the world was all fair and ,

sm i li n g Lord Arnc ourt fe lt m ore ch eerfu l th an us ua l and

, , ,

longi ng to m ak e oth ers happy began to talk about the ,

weddi ng .

“
We shall not have m uch ti m e for preparati on , he
“
Belle , y ou m ust b e married in a styl e befitti ng my
 2 76 A WOMAN S TEM P TA TIOIV ’
.

own daughter You will of course be m arri e d h ere

.
, ,
.

Thi s is y our h om e .

You are very ki n d Lord Arnc ourt repli ed the gi rl , ,

.

Th ere is one favor I sh ould lik e to as o k v e r m y

—m y
”
m arri age .

He l ook ed ad m i ri ngly at her sweet gen tl e fac e ,

.

Wh at is it he repli ed “
If it is in m y power it is .

g ra n t ed b efore y ou as k .

“
It is th at R ei n e sh all be m y b rid e m aid I do not -
.

wan t anv oth ers But we h ave b een si sters all our lives
. .

You m ust ask R ei ne h ersel f . She is su re to say

he re pli ed .

Bell e l ook ed a t R ei ne She affected n ot to h ave h eard .

one word b ut was watchi ng the light d eepen on the l a k e

,
.

Ask he r
”
“
,
E ric , sa id Bell e .

And with v
e ery on e l ooki ng at him he was obliged ,
g i t
a a ns his own wi ll, to c om p ly .

She l isten ed to him

l ook ed up at him q ui etly ,
she

steadily Her h eart was heating with a pai n th at k new

.

n o li m it T he s ti ng of j eal ousy al m ost m add en ed her

. .

B ll e e wis h es m e to b e her brid e m aid she

-
,
”
re peated
it is on l y t
n a u ra l . I can h ave no obj ecti on . We are

si sters , y ou k now .

T hough the p roud lips n ever t rem bl ed an d the beauti ,

o ful fac e rem ai n ed the sam e th ere was som ethi n g in the ,

tone of her voice that fill ed his h eart with vague unrea ,

son i ng fear Th ey di sc ussed som e d etail s of the m arri age;

.
 3 A WOMAN S TEMPI A T1 0 1v ’
3 7 .

Eric ! wh en thi s fai r hom e is yours and no l onger m ine ,

”
will y ou le t m e vi sit th ese old n ooks and corne rs ?

It will al ways be your h om e Re in e ; nothi ng can ,

p reven t th at he repli ed , .

She sh ook her h ead sadly

~
.

“
whe n y ou bri ng a
“
It will not be m i ne she said , ,

”
wi fe h ere to rul e as m i stress .

My d ear R ei ne ! As th ough Be ll e could h ave any

“

i n terest apart from yours ; your h om e would al ways be

”
he rs and her h om e would al ways be yours Is it not so?
, .

She m ad e him no answer ; she was l ooki ng i n tently at

the pal e light on the ferns .

“
I n ev er th ought ,
when we b oth cam e h om e h ere th at ,

be Lady Arnc ourt

"
Bell e would , som e fut ure day , .

”
I cann ot say the sam e thi ng , he re plied laughi ngly
, .

”
I fell in l ove at once .

That is
“
stra n e,g too . I d o not und erstan d th ose
sud de n l oves an d su d den hates .

If v
e er y ou love yoursel f , it wi ll be after the same
”
fashi on, he id sa .

Eric , she c rie d ,

“
we hav e a l ways been good frie nds ;
”
will y ou an swer m e one q uesti on ?
I will an swer j ust as m any as y ou ch oose to ask .

You say l oved Bell e at first sight ; now rem em

y ou ,

her . I am on ly aski ng out of curi osi ty if y ou had never ,

seen her at all do y ou th ink y ou could ever hav e

,

”
l oved me P
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TIOA ’
.
2 79

He was too m uc h tonish ed for a few m i nutes to m ake

as

any re ply Her dark eyes were fix ed on his face

. .

”
Rem em ber she sa id “
it is on ly from curi osi ty that
, ,

I ask ; sh ould y ou ever h ave fall en in l ove wi th m e if

y o u h ad not seen B ell e ? L o o k at m f
e ra nkly — answer
”
m e fran kly .

He did l ook at her ; her b eauti ful fac e was q uite cal m .

”
It is such a st range question R ei ne he repli ed , ,
.

Never m in d about its b ei ng stra nge What I can ask .

,

s ure ly y ou can answer Tell m e I repeat it—if y ou had

.
-

never seen Belle would y ou have l oved m e ?

,

He l ook ed at her steadily c ritical ly cal m ly , , .

You are ve ry beauti ful he repli ed very graceful

, ,

wi nn i ng and charmi ng ; nex t to B ell e I lik e y ou better

, ,

than any on e else in the world Yes I thi nk—I beli eve .
,

that if I had never see n he r I sh ould have fall en in l ove ,

with y ou
”

That is frank ly answered she said ; and from the ,

cal m fl ee; the cal m gen tl e v oic e he coul d not tell

, ,

w e er she was pl eased or n ot

“ h th .

“
We wil l go in n ow she sai d gently ”
I do n ot
“

,
, , .

k now that I h ave ever seen so m any gl ow worm s ; how -

pretty th ey are in the green l eaves Papa is sm oki ng

, .

even at this distance I can detec t the odor of his cigar .

3 80 A WOMAN ’
S TE MP TA TIOA ’
.

C HAPTER XLII .

A L IF E OF T O RT URE .

It was a li fe of tor tur e

that comm enced now for Re i ne
Arncourt . Day by day her l ove for the m an who pre
,

ferred anoth er i n creased ; i t seem ed to feed on what

sh ould h ave starved it .

All res trai nt on the y oung l overs was n ow rem ove d .

Th ey spok e open ly of th ei r approachi ng m arri age ; th ei r

plans and arran gem en ts were freely di scussed Every one .

see m ed i n terest ed in th e m E ric was so popular ; Bell e

.

so d early l oved Th ey seem ed to have an atm osph ere

.

of happi ness an d b right ness al ways ab out th em ; and

R ei ne s l ove R eine s d espai r becam e greater as she wit
’

,
’

n essed it .

T he Spartan boy was n othi ng to her ; she bore far

t p i d c o c l d th e m so ad roitly th at n o one
g rea er a ns a n ,
n ea e

eve r k n ew of th e m

Th ere were ti m es wh en she sm iled and talk ed whil e

he r h eart see m ed b rea ki ng fi
or ev en as th ere is n o fury

lik e a wom an sc orn ed so th ere is n o angu i sh lik e that

,

of un req uited unack nowl edged l ove

, Th ere can b e no .

rest n o peac e
,
n o cal m ,
n o se re n ity n o h ope n o hap
, , ,
 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIUN
'
.

How papa ? ,
r I do n ot q uite d
un ers a n t d y ou .

Lord Arncourt l augh ed .

You see R eine I had other plans for him and he

, , ,

knows it I wan t him to un derstan d that I do n ot feel in

.

the l eas t h urt or an n oyed that he did not carry th em out

. .

What pl ans were th ey papa ? ,

Now L ord Arn court was cc ustom ed to obey Rei ne a .

She had by far the st ronger will of the two In thi s par .

tic ular i nstan ce he would far rath er n ot h ave answered her ;

b ut the h abit of obedi en ce was st rong up on him .

Pl ans, m y d ear respecti ng y ou I th ought it would

, .

be su ch an exc e ll en t thi ng i f my d aughter an d m y h eir

”
could m arry .

Her face n e er l ost its col or

v ,
n or her y
e es thei r steady
cal m ,
as she l ook ed at him .

I could h ave told y ou that was b

an a sur d plan papa,

”
i t c ould n ot possi b ly answer .

Looki ng at her ca lm face, Lord Arncourt beli eved her

m ost i m plicitly .

use ess to d re
’
It is l
i ct Cupid s arrows he sa id laugh , ,

“
ing ly . It is better with out d oubt as it is But wh at of
, , .

thi s service of plate and th ese j ewels R ei n e ? S uppose that ,

we for onc e com m it a g reat extravagan ce—I will give the

”
plate and y ou the j ewel s
,
.

Cal m ly as th ough the d eep rest and peace of her h eart

,

were centered in each word she di sc ussed the m atter with ,

him .He k n ew n othi ng of the storm that raged withi n ,

 A WOMAN S
’
TEM PTA TI ON .
283

or the terh p est that seem ed to overwh el m he r , of the s h oc k

of pai n th at every word of his caused her .

Sheli stened to the end wh en Lord Arncourt l eaned ,

bac k in his ch ai r with a con ten ted sm il e

,
.

Th ey will be very h appy R e i ne will th ey not ? And , ,

when th ey are on ce m arri ed I sh all h ope to see m ad am e

”
looki ng gayer an d b righter th an she has d one of l ate .

’
T o which Rei ne m ad e n o reply . M adam e s l ook s were

of n o c onseq uenc e n ow to her .

I al m ost wi sh con ti n ued Lord Arncourt,

th at E ric ,

would consen t to m ak e N ev ersleig h his h om e I thi nk I .

sh all ask him to d o so .

She i d
ra s e her e yes cal m ly to his .

“
Live h ere wi th his wi fe af er t th ey are m arri ed , do y ou
m ean
“
Yes pli ed Lord Arncourt
,
re I thi n k it would be
m ore pl easan t and li vely for us all I shall weak to him .

ab ou t it to day Now R ei n e I t han k y ou for your pati en t

-
.
, ,

atten ti on and y ou m ay g o m y d ear

,
T he steward is h ere , .
,

and I s h all be engag ed b usily for the n ext two or th ree

hours .

She went away, vy h ate j eal ousy in

rage in he r heart, en , ,

her soul l ongi ng to be fre ed from the restrai n t of all hu

,

m an p resence where she could give full an d free ven t to

,

the angry passi ons th at surged over her as rolli ng seas over

the sh ore .

“
How am I to bear it ? she as k ed h erself . Th en a
2 84 A W OMAA ”
S TE M PTA TION .

shad ow cam e between her and the sun shi ne Lookin g up .

,

she saw the sweet s eren e l ooki ng face of Bell e

,
-
.

Rei ne I was l ook i ng for y ou darli ng Will y ou c om e

, , .

i n to m y room ? Th ose patterns of sil k h ave arrived and ,

”
I wan t y ou to h elp m e ch oose .

R ei ne k new th at the sil k s had been sent for An angry .

fl ush rose to her face .

“
I am no j udge of silk she said C onsult som e on e , .

”
who has m ore taste .

That would be i m possibl e repli ed Bell e l aughi ng , ,

ly. You m ay be as y ou say Rei n e n o j udge of silk

, , ,

b ut y ou can j udge of wh at will l ook b est for your littl e sis

”
ter on her weddi ng day -
.

And Be ll e s sweet fac e fl ush ed She stol e one arm roun d

’
.

R e i n e s neck
’
.

“
You will n ot m i n d h elpi ng m e toch oose th at will y ou , ,

R ei n e
She would h ave resi sted she would have t urn ed roun d ,

w it h som e sh arp angry word b ut the touch of th at g en tl e

, ,

arm res t ra i n ed her .

I sh all n ot be of m uch use she said u ngraci ously ; , ,

”
but I will c om e if it pl eases y ou .

She went and to her surp ri se foun d a littl e c om m ittee

,

of taste assem bl ed in Be ll e s p retty room Eric stood l ook ’

.

ing with a m ost am used sm il e at the glitteri ng pil es of

‘

'

s ilk. M ad am e s face wore a grave and al m ost anxi ous ex

’

p ess i o
r n . h r —
S e h eld in her h and a costly fab ic white bro
cad e with sati n fl owers
, .
2 86 A W OMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIOlV .

Th ey turned round suddenly at the soun d of a . cl osi ng

door Rei ne had di sappeared
. .

“
She has t old m e wh at she thi nk s said m adam e
n ot ,

“ ”
b ut R ei n e never did tak e suffici en t i n terest i n d ress .

They th ought n o m ore of her ; th ey k new n othi ng of -

the terri bl e storm th at th at gen tl e ha l f l aughi ng caress ,

-

had aroused in her She wen t out from th em lik e on e

.

p ossesse d ; sh e wen t to he r own r o om a n d t ook a bl ac k

lace m an tilla from the ward robe she fold ed it roun d her
so that any one m eeti ng her m ight thi n k she was goi ng

Out for a strorr th en she hastened out i n to the groun ds .

”
I sh ould die if I stay ed in the h ouse , she cri ed . I
”
m ust g o wh ere th ere is perfect freed om .

She h d h
urrie t rou gh the pl
d th rough the g
eas ure- roun s ,

coppice and in to the woods

,
No h um an b ei ng was n ear
. .
,

b ut the bi rds were soon startled by the passi onate c ri es of

a b rok en h eart c ri es that fell freely and cl early on the
,

soft sweet air an d seem ed to ri se to the very fac e of the

, ,

—
bl ue h eavens bitter passi onat e cries that took with th em
, ,

the burd en of a m ost un happy soul .

I can not b ear it she said to h ersel f

“
, I cannot bear
”
i t any long er
'

I have b orn e as m uch as I could

. .

She lay so bbi ng on the ground , where she had fl un g

hersel f in the frenz y of her gri ef .

What strange th oug ht had com e to her in the green

leafy solitude ? What strange id ea ? For sud den ly she
clasped her white han ds and raised th em to heaven
, .
 WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA 77 0m 3 37

Not that ! she i d

cr e . I am n ot wick ed enough
”
for that .

But after a ti me she grew sil en t the p assi onate cri es

, ,

the bitter sobs di ed away —the i dea had taken p ossessi on

of her .
3 88 WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TION.

CH APTER X LIII .

“
r wrsn s mr ws a a DE AD .

Rei ne could n ot bear it Had she been wi se prud en t

'

.
, ,

or sen sibl e she would have told her fath er all an d would
,

h ave asked him to tak e he r away ; b ut her p rid e was too

great for th at She p referred any torture rath er th an th at
.

any h u m an b ei ng sh ould k n ow that the flattered and

beau ti ful R ei ne Arncourt who had so m any l overs at he r
,

feet l oved in vai n —had given her h eart to one who d i d

,

n ot in the l east val ue he r gi ft ; to on e who would n ot

acc ep t it b ut was on the p oi n t of m arry i ng som e on e e l se

, .

She would rath er h ave kill ed hersel f th an h ave it k n own .

M ore than once the tem ptati on to tak e her own li fe had
been al m ost too strong for her .

But th en she had th ought of wh at would foll ow her

death A few m on th s m ourn i ng an d th en she would b e

’
.
,

forgott en Th ey would benefit n ot l ose by her d eath

.
, .

Th ere wou l d b e n o one th en to share with th em the great

i n h eritance—her d eath would si m ply enrich th em .

”
Besid es she said to h ersel f I sh ould k now n o rest
, ,

I could n ot even sl eep in my grave if they were livi ng ,

”
l ovi ng happy
,
.
2 90 A WOM AA "
S TEMP TA TIOIV .

t
con rol, of v i rtue She forgot all ab out reward s and
.

p un i sh m ent the anger of God the vengeance on sin

, , .

She th ought of nothi ng ex cept th at she l oved E ri c with

all the st ren gth an d fervor of her d espai ri ng sou l an d th at ,

she ha te d Bell e with the sam e i ntensity .

She m ight h ave been happy Thi s one gr eat gi ft for .

which she c rav ed was n ot given her b ut all oth er thi ngs ,

were . She had rich es wealth h on or p ositi on ran k and

, , , , ,

beauty She m ight have been m ost h appy b ut that she

.
,

yi eld ed h eart and sou l to a m aster passi on She m ight .

h ave been con ten t with the good thi ngs that y et rem ai ned
to her b ut b etween h erse l f an d conten t th ere was a d eep
, ,

i m passabl e gul f
She t ri ed before oth ers to c ontrol thi s viol en t h ate
, ,

b ut her sil e nc e the sull en gl oom on her b eauti ful face

,

wh enever she foun d h ersel f with the obj ect of her h atred ,

told her secret .

B ell e at fi rst th ought she m ust be mi stak en th en she ,

feared th at by som e i nadverten t word she had offend ed

R ei n e fi nally She wond ered an d gri eved u n til wond eri n g
,

seem e d use l es s Th en on e m orn i ng findi ng R ei ne al one

.
, ,

in the d rawi ng room she went to her and b en t caressi ngly

-
, ,

over her .

R e i ne ,
she sa id gen tly
, , h ave I been so unfortu
”
t
na e as to di spl ease y ou ?
C old ness and gl oom seem ed to fall lik e a vail over that
beauti ful face .
 A WOMAN ’
S TE M P TA TION .
291

I h ave sa id no thi ng of the ki nd ,

she re p li ed ,

haughtily .

“
No m y
,
d arli ng y ou h ave n ot said it b ut y ou h ave
,

l ook ed it R ei ne You l ook so angrily at m e y ou seem

, .

as th ough m y very p resen c e an d the soun d of m y voic e

were di spl easi ng to y ou y e t h ow can i t—how ca n

it be ?
Tears fell from the gentl e eyes and the swee t lips , ,

q uiveri ng lik e the lips of a gri eved child would h ave ,

m oved any on e l ess p roud an d c old th an R ei ne .

I do n ot see any n eed of thi s ridic ul ous scen e Bell e , .

What do y ou wan t ? What do y ou expect ? I cann ot g o

i n t o rapt ures over y ou You h ave rapt ures enough ? .
”

"
But y ou seem so unlik e y our el f said the p oor p e r s , ,
~

p le x ed gi rl I ca
.nn ot un d ers tan d y ou a t all .

“
Th en do not try It seem s to m e of very littl e con
.

”
seq uen c e wh eth e r y ou und ers tan d m e or n ot .

But R e i ne we h ave al way s b een lik e si sters

, ,
cried ,

Bell e ; an d her sorrowful eyes seem ed to pl ead for a t e

n ewal of the old l ov e .

You h ave n ew cl ai m s up on y our affecti on so have I , ,

was the c old reply .

Belle l ook ed sadly at her .

”
R ei n e she said at last sl owly
,
“
d oes m y marr iag e , ,

d ispl ease y ou ?
All the p rid e and fire of her nature seem ed to flash in
he r face her eyes rai ned scorn her lips c url ed in di rest
, ,

c on tem pt .
3 93 A WOMAN S ’
TEM P TA TIOIV .

Your marriage ! she repeated haughtily ; wh at ,

has th at to do with m e ? Do y ou suppose every one in

the world thi n ks so m uch of that nonsense as y ou d o
”
yoursel f ?
“
No repli ed B ell e h um bly ;
,
I do not thi nk so
, .

But y ou m y si ster surely y ou tak e som e i n terest i n m y

, ,

”
wel fare ?
Very few peopl e i nterest m e she said , .

Th en seei ng the pai ned exp ression in the young gi rl s

,
’

face she h astened to add :

,

“
Do not get ridic ul ous id eas i n to y our m i nd Be ll e , .

T he ti m e has l ong passed wh en we sh ared each oth er s

’

th oughts and cares I h av e m any that y ou could not

.

even understan d Pra y con fine your att enti ons to E ric
.

an d y our weddi ng do n ot let th em wand er to m e agai n .

”
I do not l ik e be i ng teased .

Ah R ei ne y ou will n ev er l ove m e as in the old d ays

, , ,
"

said B ell e with a d eep sigh

, .

Th en seei ng that her presence only annoyed an d i rri

,

tated R ei ne Be ll e wen t away

,
.

It was well for her peace of m i nd th at she did n ot see

the gl an ce th at foll owed her T he h at red the v engeanc e.
, ,

the c ruelty of it would surely hav e startl ed her—m ight ,

perhaps have warned her

, .

Baby face baby m anners baby ways m urm ured

, , ,

Reine and y et in the ra ce she has beat en m e .

From that m omen t it seem ed as though her h atred

increased She hated the unoflending gi rl with a fierce
'

.
 A WOMAN ’
S TEM P TA TIOIV .

My dear R ei n e I y ou are n ot surely j eal ous ? he cri ed .

No i ndeed I am n ot 1 she i n terrupted and then

”
, , ,

Lord Arncourt sm il e d agai n to hi m sel f .

”
“
She is vexed he th ought “
b ecause Bell e is to be
, ,

m arri ed fi rst All young gi rl s are sl ightly j eal ous of each

.

oth er I s upp ose

, .

It was unfortunate th at he did n ot l ook for a d eeper

cause th an m ere gi rli sh j eal ousy M uch h arm m ight have .

been p reven ted had he been a sh rewd er m an .

“ ”
I c ould n ot h ate her m ore th ought R e i n e as she , ,

pond ered over her fath er s word s but she sh all n dt

“ ’

poi son m y li fe She has brok en m y h eart but she sh all

.
,

d o n o m ore .

S eptem b er with its h arvests of gold en grai n i ts b eauti

, ,

ful autum n foli age had c om e at l ast an d the n ext m on th

, ,

th ey were to b e m arri ed .

O n ly six weeks m ore, and I sh all call this littl e han d

m i ne, id E ric as he sat on e even i n g by B ell e s sid e
’
sa , , , .

R ei n e was n ear th em .

“
I am a l way s frightened ,
she sa id , wh e n I h ear y ou
”
s peak so c on fi d en tly .

“
Are y ou , darli ng ? Why sh ould y ou b e ? What can
”
p art us n ow ?

Sick ness or d eat h ,

s he re pli ed , s i m ply .

R ei ne l ook ed up with a q uick furtive gl ance Eric

, , .

laugh ed .

“
My d ear dismal p roph etess ! Thi s ti m e two m onth s
,
 A WOMAN S TE MP TA n
’
ozv.
295

y ou will be laughi ng to thi nk how all y our foreb odi ngs

were i
va n .

An d R ei n e turn ed asi de, lest he h oul d

s see her face,
and read a secr et there .
3 96 WOMAN S ’
TEM PI ATION .

C HAPTE R XLIV .

IT WIL L NEVER BE .

Eric had been to Lond on for a week He was busily .

engaged in m aki ng p urch ases and arran gi ng for his wed

di ng t our H is occ upati on de light ed him alth oug h he

.
,

fel t an noy ed at every d uty and every m ovem en t th at k ept

him away from B ell e .

He return ed one b right sunny aftern oon the secon d

, ,

week in S eptem b er He had m et Lord Arn court out

.

ridi ng an d had h astily i n q u ire d if all were well at h om e

, .

All except Bell e re pli e d Lord Arnc ourt ;

, she has

n ot b een w
”
ell for the l ast few d ays .

She did n ot tell m e so wh en she wrot e repli ed the ,

young l over “
She has writt en to m e every day b ut she
.
,
'

di d n ot t e ll m e of ill h ealth -
.

She did n ot l ik e to m ak e y ou an xi ous said Lord ,

Arn c ourt . Th ere is n othi ng m uch the m atter M ad am e .

t old m e she had fai n ted and y esterd ay I th ought her very
,

ill ; to day th ey tell m e she is b etter In all probab ility

-
.

she will b
”
the p oor child is an xi ous e b e tter soon .

You wil l
”
“
I h ope to H eaven she will repli e d E ric ,

exc use m e m y l ord I am sure if I h urry on

, , , .
398 A WOMAN ’
S TE MP TA TIOIV .

Her m aid h astil y sum m oned

was .

My m i stress has b een ill she said with a c ourtesy , , ,

but she is b etter this aftern oon She is in the d ra wi ng .

room .

“
Shexpected m e of course ?
e ,
sa id E ric i m pati en tly
, ,

not wi shi ng to startl e he r .

Yes ,
sir . But for th at I , do n ot thi n k M i ss de St .

Lance would h ave l eft her room .

”

An d E ric , with out ano th er word h astened , to the d raw

ing room
-
.

Long afterward he rem em b ered how the sunshi ne lay

sl anti ng on the h all fl oor how the flowers seem ed to ,

b reath e perfum e Th en he opened the d oor Wh en was

. .

he to forget the sight ? The sun sh on e full and b right i n t o

the room an d i ts light seem ed cent ered on the white face
,

of gentl e B ell e .

A couch had b een d rawn near the wi nd ow and she lay ,

on it .T he sunshi ne falli ng on her c ol orl ess face sh owed

, ,

him how great was the ch ange th ere—so changed so ,

white so wan that he sh ra n k back startl ed shocked

, , , , ,

frightened .

She saw him th en , and a low c ry cam e from her li ps .

”
“
Eri c 1 she said and the nex t m om en t ,
he was k neel
ing by her sid e be had cl asped her in his
-
m arm s —h e was

c overi ng her with ki sses .

“
My darli ng B ell e y ou have been ill and never t ol d
, ,

me . If I had k nown I sh ould h ave ret urned before thi s

,
.
 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA n ozv .
3 99

I did not wan t to cause y ou anxi ety she said . .

am b etter n ow .

Better w ith that face ! Why my darli ng wh at has

, , ,

b een them atter to change y ou so sudd en ly

,

Am I so ch anged ? she as k ed fai ntly

”
Oh Eri c I , .
, ,

”
am sore sore afraid
, .

" ‘
Afraid of wh at B ell e ? Tell m e , .

I h ave felt so st rangely ill ; and then y ou k now all , ,

m y nervous fears and foreb odi ngs c om e over m e so st rong

ly
. Oh E ric E ric my l ove do y ou thi nk I sh all h ave to
, , , ,

”
leave y ou after all ?
,

He controll ed the dreadful fear that overcam e hi m as ,

he would h ave d one anythi ng el se for her sweet sak e .

“
Leave m e 1 No m y darli ng You are over anxi ous ,
.
-
,

and it has m ade y ou ill .

I am not anxi ous do beli eve m e E ri c Why sh oul d , , .

I be ? But I feel strangely un lik e mysel f: Why do y ou

call m e ch anged

Because y ou have lost your beauti ful col or he re ,

pli ed b ut we will soon h ave it back .

T he m ore he look ed at her the m ore sh ock ed he b ecam e

at th at terribl e c h ange Her face in th at one week had .

g rown thi n pal e and wan with a terribl e haggard ex pres

, , ,

si on as on e who had sufiered g reat pai n Her ey es l ooked

'

.
,

larger and b righter b ut the light in th em was of fever n ot

, ,

h ealth T he lips were burn i ng and the littl e h an d he hel d

.
,

in his own b urned too , .

How long have y ou been ill Bel le ? he as ked , .

 00 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TION
3
.

Ever si nce y ou went away And oh E ri c I have been .

, ,

so frigh ten ed — it see m ed to m e that I sh ould n ever g e t

well . T he very even i n g after y ou wen t away I was tak en
ill with such a fai n t t erribl e cold shiveri ng fit m y eyes
, , , ,
~

b urned and my th roat b urned I n ever seem to have t e

, .

”
covered from that fai n tness .

“
What did m a d am e say ? he i nq u i red .

She is lik e y ou she thi n k s I am anxi ous Oh l E ric .

,

do n ot thi n k I am fooli sh I feel so safe n ow th at y ou

.
,

are h ere agai n I c ould lay m y h ead on your h eart and

, ,

sl eep forever .

H ave y ou seen a d oc tor Bell e ? he ask ed , .

No I did n ot lik e I have fought agai nst m y ill ness

.

hour by h our It seem s to m e th at if I am obliged to

.

h ave a d octor I sh all be really ill

,
I do not wan t to give .

i n y et .

“
I sh all i nsi st up on it I shall rid e over to Nev erstay ,

an d fe tch Dr G ra n t m yse l f
. You wil l n ot opp ose m e . ,

B ell e
No pli ed
,
she re
I will do j ust as y ou w ish .

He k n el t d own by her sid e talki n g to he r tryi ng to , ,

ch eer her an d he c ould n ot h elp n otici n g how she suffered

,

from c on ti n ual b urn i ng thi rst .

You S h ould h ave som e ice Be lle he said

O

.
, ,

I h ave had some ; b ut n othi ng really quench es m y

thi rst Eri c
,
m y th roat always b urn s .

She see m ed so weak so ill so un lik e h erse l f th at E ric

. , ,

was di stressed ; still he tri ed his bes t to sooth e her to ,

 3 A WOMAN S TEMP TA TIOIV
’

30 .

C H APTE R XLV .

T HE M I D N IG H T S U R PR IS E .

T wo h ours later and Dr Gran t stood by Bel le s c ouc h

, .
’
.

He was a cl ever sh rewd m an well up in his p rofessi on

, , ,

fon d of ad opti ng the l atest i m p rovem ents q u ick to un d er ,

,

’
stand b ut B e ll e s case p uz z l ed him
,
M adam e who st ood .
,

b y won d ered at his q uesti ons

, .

“
Are any of your fam ily c onsum ptive m ad am e ? he ,

ask ed fi rst .

N one th at m adam e k n ew of ; she had n ever h eard of

such a thi ng T he sec on d q uesti on was
.

Has the young l ady had any g reat t roubl e—any severe
m ental s h ock —anythi ng lik ely to di st ress her ?
T he answer was
No ; on the
con trary she was exceedi n gly h appy, ,

an d had b een b usily e ngaged i n p repari n g for her m a r

riag e with a gen tl em an to wh om s he was exc eedi n gly

attach e d .

Th en Dr G rant l ook ed slightly p uz z l ed

. .

T he sy m pt om s are really th ose of c o n sum pti on he ,

said m usi ngly

, We m ust h ope after all th at rest an d
.
“
, ,

”
t i m e m ay rest ore her .

But l ong after he had l eft he r the d oct or was h aun te d ,

 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TI ON .

3 3
0

by a vi si on of th at swee t face and the l arge bright q ues , ,

tion ing eyes He was very th oughtful all th at day an d

.
,

he sa t un til l ate at night st udyi ng the c onten ts of a

large b ook .

E ric was waiti ng for him wh en he l eft Bell e s room ’

.

”
What do y ou thi n k of her ? he ask ed q uickly , .

The d oct or sm il ed at his eagern ess .

A g ood
”
There is not m uch the m atter he repli ed , .

t on ic rest and a littl e ch eerful soci e ty will soon set the

, ,

young lady right agai n .

“
I h ope so I th ought her l ook ing very ill You
. .

never saw her in h ealth d oct or I thi nk thi s is the first .

ti m e y ou h ave seen her .

“
It is the first ti m e and th erefore I can h ardly j udge
,

how ill she is—how her l ook s h av e ch an ged She had a .

b rilli an t col or I suppose an d h avi ng l ost th at y ou thi n k

, , ,

she is ve ry ill .

She had the fai res t bl oom I ever saw on any face ,

said E ric b ut it has all gon e .

It will soon return said Dr G ran t ,

”
And I assure . .

o u as far as I can see at p resen t y ou h ave really n o

y , ,

cause for an xi ety— n on e i n the world Mi ss de St Lan ce . .

will soon rec ove r .

Th an k Heaven for that ! T o tell the t ruth I feared ,

for her Mi ss de St Lan ce has been so n ervous l ately ;

. .

she has had a p rese n ti m e n t of c om i n g s ick n ess an d

death that gri eved m e very m uch wh en eve r she spok e

,

of it .
3 4
0 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TION .

The d octor l ooked m ore grave .

“
A presen ti m en t of com ing death ? Th at is stra nge ,

he said in the m ids t of weddi ng p reparati ons ; sti ll it

,
“
,

m ay h ave been n othi ng b ut nervous fear .

Evid ently Dr G ran t saw no need for anxi ety J ust as

. .

he l eft the hall R ein e passed th rough

, She looked at .

the d octor with som e littl e c uri osity ; he ma de a low bow ,

’

evid en tly i m pressed with the y oung l ady s beauty

’
an d , ,

p ass ed o n .

Eric said R ei ne
, I did not k now that y ou had
,
“

re t urned .

She h eld out her white han d to him and l ook ed with ,

wi n n i ng cordi ality i n his face .

I eam e hom e early this afternoon Reine but I was ,

so very un easy about Be ll e tha t I wen t at on ce to N ever

stay for a doctor .

T he slight est expressi on of sc orn passed over her face .

You are easily al arm ed she said I do not thi n k

, .

”
th ere is m uch the m atter wi th Belle .

She is d read fully ch anged he con tinued sadly , , .

I h ave al way s und erstood that l overs had p ec uli ar

eyes laughed R ei ne and n ow I beli eve it I can n ot
“
.
, ,

see any evid en ce of so great a ch ange Was that the .

doctor who j ust passe d out

Yes repli ed E ric H e asked if any of Bell e s
’
.
,

fam ily had b een consum ptive Surely m y d arli ng eann ot .

be und er the shad ow of th at d eadly di sease

I do n ot thi n k the De St Lanc es are a health y race .
,
3 3 6 A WOMAN ’
S TEM P TA TI ON .

h ouseh old reti red to rest at an early h our and E ric a fte r , ,

b ei ng in his own room for som e ti m e foun d hi m s e l f ,

q uite unabl e to sl eep He rem em bered th at he had l e ft

.

in the library the sec on d vol um e of a b ook that am u s e d

him very m uch and he d eterm i ned to fetch it
,
By t he .

g reat cl ock in the corrid or he saw th at it was after two .

“ ”
I m ust be very q ui et he th ought “
or som e of th e
,

servan ts will rai se an al arm of thi eves .

H e carri ed a light in his hand b ut wh at was his s u r ,

p ri se to see a light und er the lib rary d oor ; for a m om e n t

he was startl ed thi n ki ng thi eves m ust b e th ere b ut the
, ,

s il en ce proved him m i stak en He open ed the d oor an d .

en t ered the room Wh at was his surpri se to find R e i n e

.

th ere seated at the tabl e readi ng so b usily so d eep l y

, ,

en g rossed th at she h ardly h eard him She l ook ed u p .

with a startl ed c ry an d E ric l augh ed

, .

Why Rei n e; what are y ou d oi ng h ere at thi s h our of

,

”
the n ight or rath er m orn i ng ?
,

H er face fl ush ed b urn i ng red ; she covered the b ook

that she was readi ng with her h andk erchi ef .

”
I c ould n ot sl eep she sai d so I th ought I wou ld
, ,
“

”
com e d own h ere .

“
I am in searc h of a book he said ; I coul d n ot ,
“

s l eep eith er .What are y ou readi ng Rei ne ? ,

She l ooked up evid ently agitated

, .

A book of m y own she repli ed

”
“
,
I shall not s h ow .

it to y ou .

Eri c laugh ed , but Rei ne trem bl ed like a l eaf on a t re e .

 A WOIIIA . V
’ ’
S TEAIP TA T1 0 1V .

3 7
0

She rose from her sea t h oldi ng

,
the covered b ook tightly
in her h an d .

G ood n ight she said

-
,
And E ric do n ot m enti on
.
, ,

”
havi n g foun d m e h ere I sh ould n ot lik e it .

I will n ot say one word about it R ei ne t rust m e , , .

B ut after she had q uitted the room he st ood wond eri ng ,

why she l ook ed so pal e so agitated so f r zjgizten ed

, Th en , .

he l augh ed to hi m sel f
I wond er wh at con t ra ban d vol um e Mi ss Rei ne had
found he said She was q uite al arm ed l est I sh ould
.

see it .

He would n ot h ave sm il ed if he had seen the titl e of the

b ook R ei n e carri ed from the library to her own room .

O nce agai n that sam e night Eric was di st urbed He fan .

c ied th at he h eard a slight c reaki ng of the b oard s i n th

l ong corrid or th en he laugh ed at hi m sel f for bei ng fauci

ful. As th ough any one would b e p rowli ng ab ou t th ere
at four in the m orn i n g it was absurd to supp ose so .

R ei ne sm il ed wh en th ey m et in the m orn i ng .

You will n ot m en ti on m y n ight s adven tu re E ric

’

, ,

she said . I sh ould n ot lik e papa to thi n k that I go

p rowli ng about the h ouse after m id night in search of som e
”
thi ng to read .

We will keep each oth er s secrets l augh ed Eric ’

, .

But the l aughter all di ed from his lips wh en m ad am e

cam e d own to b reak fast She b rought a bad accoun t of
.

Be l e
l

She seem s m uch worse th is m orn i ng said m ad am e , .

 8 A W OMAN S ’
TEA/ P TA TIOM
30

I nd eed I do n ot k now wh at to m ake of her I am .

afraid the p oor child is worse th an we fanci ed I am rea l ly .

uneasy Lord Am cc urt

”
.
,

Lord Arncourt was all ki nd ness all sym pathy all c on , ,

s id erati on Wh at c ould be d one ? Eri c l ook ed di sm ay e d

.
,

Rei n e i n di fferent .

”
I think she said
, th at y ou are all alarm i ng y ourse l v es
,

with out cause Bell e was m uch better yesterday she i s

.
,

n ot so well t od ay It is not l ik ely that as she is out of

.
,

health she will n ever vary

, .

But m ad am e was n ot to b e c om forted .

She is worse than y ou i m agi ne ,

R ein e I sh o u ld l i ke .

Dr G ran t to see her

. .

“
Of wh at d oes she c om plai n ? ask ed Lord Arn cou rt ,

an xi ously .

Of st rangely con tra dict ory sy m ptom s rep li ed ma ,

dam e ; of b urni ng thirst of a tight en i ng of the th roa t

“
, ,

”
fai nt ness that is so bad it al m ost resem bl es d eath .

Is it low fever ? ask ed Lord Arn court

”
.

I h ave n ot had m uch experi ence in sickness sai d m a ,

'
dam e ; b ut I eannot i m agi ne low fever to be any thin g
“

lik e thi s .

“
I will g o for Dr G ran t at onc e cri ed E ric an d he
.
, ,

rose from the b reak fas t tabl e -

.

No on e opposed him Madam e l ook ed m iserab le.

,

R ei ne on ly sm il ed an d n odd ed her h ead .

You will l augh y oursel f in a few d ay s ti m e Eric to

’
“
, ,

thi n k how y ou wen t rushi ng all over the c oun try in searc h
 A WOMAN S ’
TEMPTA TION .

CH APTER XLVI .

“
wrro CAN BE GUILT Y or sv c rr c x v s rx rr ?

O nce m ore Dr G ran t stood by Bell e s sid e h oldi ng

.
’

the b urn i ng h an d in his an d l ooki ng piti fu lly in the w h ite

,

face. Her eyes were fix ed on him so l arge so b right so , , ,

full of piti ful q uesti on i ng .

You m ust tell m e the truth doctor she said fai n tly
, , ,

do n ot thi n k it will frighten m e Am I goi ng to die ?

.

He l ook ed very gravely at her .

Why do y ou ask m e he said .

Beeause I feel so ill n ot on ly ill b ut strange It can ,

.

on ly b e the sh ad ow of d eath th at is onm e and for m an y ,

l ong weeks I h ave felt that I was goi ng to die You w il l .

”
tell m e the t ruth ?
I would if I k new it he repli ed,
“
b ut m y k n ow l
edge is b ut li m it ed I can not say wh eth er y ou are g oi n g
.

to die—I h op e n ot ; b ut I can say thi s th at y ou are c e r ,

”
tain ly very ill.

E ric felt slightly p uz z l ed wh en after a ti m e the d oc t or

, ,

ask ed for a p ri vat e i ntervi ew with him .

said Dr G ran t w he n
”
“
Pard on m y ab rup t speaki ng , .
,

the two foun d th em selves in the lib rary togeth er ; b ut ,

from you r anx iety ab out her I should i m agi ne th at y ou

,
 A WOMAN ’
S TE MP TA TION .
3 1 1

were the gentl em an who is ab out to m arry Mi ss de St

. .

Lan ce I h ave m y own reasons and th ey are g rave on es

.
, ,

for aski ng the q uesti on Is it so .

Yes
”
“
,
re pli ed E ric ; I h ope to b e m arri ed in
Octob er .

“
Mi ss de
St Lance is ex ceedi ngly i ll I th ought it
. .

better to speak to y ou I am afraid of al arm i ng m adam e

.
,

who d oes n ot seem s t ron g .

’
E ric s face grew white as d eath .

You do n ot surely thi n k she is in d anger ! he cri ed .

She is certai n ly in a d angerous stat e and I sh ould ,

a e—
lik e to have dvic extra advice Is hould lik e to tel e .

g raph to Lon d on for Sir Willi am Hailb ury he is the

c l everest physici an I k n ow .

“
She is so ill as that ! id E ric in d espai ri n g
sa ,

tones .
“
Can y ou n ot give m e on e gl eam of c om fort ,

d octor ?
Li fe and d eath are in G od s h ands was the grave ’

reply . Sendi ng for a physic ian is a m at ter of p recauti on .

He m ay b e abl e to suggest rem edi es th at d o n ot occ u r to

’
me . I can didly con fess that Mi ss de St Lance s case .

”
puz z l es m e .

Why d oes it p uz z l e y ou ? as k ed E ric .

T he d oct or th ought for a few m i n utes b efore re plyi ng ;

th en he said

I do n ot rem em ber th at in the course of m y p ra ctice

I h ave m et with such st range sy m ptom s b ef ore I c on .
3 1 2 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA

fess that al one I ean hardly decid e u pon th em th erefore ,

I urge y ou to send for Sir Willi am .

Is she so very ill ? ask ed E ric .

The sorrow in his voic e t ouch ed the d octor s h eart

'
.

“
I sh ould advise y ou to l ose n o ti m e he said in , ,

goi ng to Neverstay and sendi ng a tel egram I th i nk Sir .

Willi am ought to be h ere to night -

.

With out anoth er word E ric wen t T o the last day of .

his li fe he re m em be red his rid e th rough sunshi n e an d

b l oom whil e his own h eart was achi ng with an xi ety
—
.
,

H is bea ti ul swee t gentl e B ell e how h ard it seem ed

u f , , ,

how t erribl e hard I Here the sun was shi n i ng warm an d

o

bright the fl owers fai r the happy bi rd s si ngi ng on the

, ,

t rees the air m ild an d sweet ; y et she who would hav e

,

enj o yed it all was lyi ng sick un to d eath No wond er the .

’
young l over s face was so cl oud ed an d sad .

He sen t the t el egram an d th at n ight Sir Willi am H a il

,

bury arrived Dr G ran t was th ere to m eet him

. . .

By thi s ti m e the wh ol e h ouseh old was aware of t he

.

dangerous state the young l ady was in and b oth gri ef a n d ,

sym pathy were very g reat .

Lord Arncourt walked restl essly from room to room ;

m ad am e sat with a t roubl ed l ook on her worn face T he .

two d oct ors m et al on e .

“
Thi s is an urgen t case I supp ose said Sir Willi am , , .

I am afraid so was the reply , y ou w ill j u dge w h en

“

y o u see the p ati en t Srr Willi am

. I am g oi n g to a sk o
y u ,

a st rang e fav or W i ll y ou see her al one form y our ow n

.
,
 14 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA n o”
3
.

I find the pati ent sufferi ng from the conseq uences of

an i rri tan t p oi son ad m i n i stere d i n m i n ut e d oses
,
.

Wh en they had read it the two gentl em en l ook ed at ,

each oth er .

“
It rs a terri bl e thi ng said Sir Willi am ,
Who can .

be guilty of s uch c ruelty ? It cannot b e acc id en t ; it m u s t

be d esign What enem i es ca n th at fai r c reature pqssib ly
.

have
“
I am as m uch p uz z l ed as yourself said Dr Gran tt ,
.

I h ave been attendi ng the fam ily for som e ti m e an d I ,

d o n ot thi nk any m em ber of it is m ore bel oved th an M i ss

d e St Lance
. .

I h ave seen strange thi ngs in the course of m y

”
p ractice said Sir William
,
“
I on ce k n ew a gentl em an
.

o i o n e d by o n e o f his o w n se rvan ts in a sim il ar fash i on

p s , ,

out of revenge for som eth i n g that had b een said to him .

I do n ot thi n k th ere is a servan t in thi s house th at

would i nj ure one hai r of Mi ss de St Lance s head she is
’
.

”
dearly l ove d by all .

I sh ould i m agi ne so said Sir William ,

She see m s .

a v ery am i abl e gi rl Still y ou see Dr G ran t the p oi son

.
, , .
,

m ust b e ad m i n i st ered by som e one it is im p ossibl e t ha t

it can be tak en accid en tally or by accid en t T he d os es
,
.

are e vid en tly very skill fully ad m i n i st ered ; th ey are n ot .

st rong enough to prove fatal all at on c e b ut th ey are s tron g

“

en oug h to k eep the g i rl ve ry i ll .

“
You d o n ot thi nk th en that she is past recov ery ?
, ,

sai d Dr Gran t
. .
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TION .
3 5
1

Anoth er d ose or
'

No it is foun d out j ust in ti m e .

two would h urt her ; four would in all p robability

n ot , ,

prove fatal Th ey h ave certai n ly been m ost carefully given

.

the m atter has bee n carefully s tudi ed We m ust at on ce .

interfere to p reven t any m ore from b ei ng given T he .

grea t est ca u ti on w i ll be n e c essary we m ust say li ttl e an d ,

watch If our suspi ci ons b ec om e k n own th ere will be no

.
,

hope of d iscoveri ng the offender .

“
No,id Dr Grant ; I can q uite und erstan d th at
sa .
“
.

At the l east hi nt of di scovery on our part the offen d e r

would cease ; we m ust try and find out who it is without

sayi ng a word I am so m uch asto
. n i sh ed m ysel f th at I

am h ard ly capabl e of form ing a cl ear j udg m en t What .

”
would y ou advi se?

Sir Willi am look ed th oughtful .

Q
Do y ou k now of any one who would b enefit by her
dea
th
“
No ; she has y h ersel f I h ave al ways und er
n om one

—
.

s t ood th at h e r fam i ly — a y ery n obl e on e I b eli e

,
ve w as ,

t urn ed in the F ren ch R.

evol uti on I can not see how any .

one w ould b en efi t by her d eath Her young l over Mr .

, .

Chi lvers is dev otedly attached toher Unl ess I felt sure
m
, .

of the sy ru p to m s I s h ould sa
, y w e m u st b e i sta k en ; th at
it could n ot p ossi bly b e t rue I can see no m otive for i t
. .
"

”
M otives are very d ifii cult m atters to un derstand sai d ,

Sir Willi am “
but th ere m ust b e a powerful on e at work
.
.

here. As y ou k now the fam ily Dr G rant tel l m e wh om , .

, ,
 A
'
WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TION .

do y ou c ons id er it would be better to tell ? We m ust ta k e

'

som e one in our c onfid ence .

Dr G ra nt l ook ed at his com pani on

. .

Lord Arncourt is no relati on to M iss de St Lance . ,

he sa id ; I sh ould hardly i m agi ne that he would be the

m
p p e r perso n to co n sult ; th en m adam e her m oth er d oes , ,

not l ook strong I do n ot k now wh ether y ou are of m y

.

O pi n i on b ut I always fancy wom en are not to be t rusted in

,

eases of this ki nd M adam e woul d be frightened or

.
,

would b et ray us by som e word s carel essly uttered I thi nk .

the b est person to consul t would be Mr Chilvers Mi ss de .

,

St Lan ce s lover He rs like a son of the h ouse ; he

’
. .

would g ive us the b est advi ce .

I thi nk y ou are right said Sir William Wi l l y ou

,
”
.

ring the be ll and ask for him ?

, I hope he is a man of
”
good sense and j udgm ent ,
.

”
You m ay be assured of that repli ed Dr Gran t I , . .

k now n o m an who would be m ore useful in such an em er

Dr Gran t
. rang the b ell, and when the foot man ent red e
he told him to ask Mr Chilvers to j o i n th em ; A few
.

m i n utes afterward Eric en t ered the room l ooki ng so p ale ,

and agitated that Sir Wi ll iam a sk e d him what was the

m atter .

I am afraid he repli ed th at you have sent for m e

, ,

to te ll me bad n ews Is it so ? .

We h ave sent for y ou said Sir Wi lliam

“
beeause it. ,

is need firl we should confide in som e one over the m atte

‘
‘

r
3 1 3 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA

CH APTER X LV II .

“
w n oa n 1 T O W AT CH? ”

What we have to say to y ou Mr Chil vers is so gra v e , .

,

th at I m ust p refac e it by aski n g your m ost earnest atte n

ti on In the firs t p lace y ou m ay beli eve m ost i m plici t ly

.
,

what we have to say to y ou It is perfectly true —th e re

.

ca n b e n o m i stak e or e rror i n it— y ou m us t c on vin ce y ou r

sel f of tha t first of all .

E ric b owed .

I sh all h av e no di fficulty in beli evi ng wh at y ou say to

”
m e Sir Willi am
, ,
he repli ed I h ope y ou do n ot fin d
.
“

Mi ss de St Lance very ill

. .

She is very ill b ut I m av tell y ou I have good h ope s

,

of her li fe be i ng spared It is of Mi ss de St Lanc e I

. .

wi sh to speak to y ou Tell m e do y ou thi n k she has any

.
,

en em i es

D espite the gravi ty of the sit uati on E ric sm il ed .

E nem i es of that graceful gen tl e gi rl who had ne ver

, ,

h arm ed any h um an bei ng who l oved and was bel oved by

,

every one What en em i es could she h ave ?

”
I do not un d erstan d your q uesti on he rep li ed b ut ,

I vent ure to say no h um an b ei ng ever ga ve M iss de St .

 1
3 9

Lance an unk in d th ought I ean safely say that she has .

n o en e m y in the wid e world .

“
An swer m e anoth er q uesti on contin ued Sir William ; ,

Woul d any person benefit by her d eath ? Thi nk well

before y ou s peak .

“
Th ere is no need for m e to thi nk repli ed E ric; ,

Her d eath would not benefit any on e I sh ould l ose .

all the world in l osi ng her She is m adam e s on ly

’
, .

daughter Miss Arncourt l oves he r dearly as th ough she

.

were her own s i st er How c ould any one b en efit by her

.

d eath ? It is i m possibl e Why do y ou ask m e s o stra nge

.

”
a q uest ion ?
,

“
You will un d erstand soon rep li ed Sir Willi am
Tell m e one thi ng m ore—is Mi ss de St Lan ce happy
, .

“
.

herse l f ? Woul d she be like ly in any way to inj ure , ,

hersel f?
No rep li ed Eri c
,
She is I beli eve m os t perfectly
.
, ,

hap py . I l ove her v ery d early and she l oves m e She , .

,
j

lik e m ysel f; has been l ook i ng forward with great d elight

to our m arri age I h on estly beli eve she was on e of the
.

happi est gi rl s in the world .

Why do y ou say was ? ask ed the physician q ui ckly ”

, .

B ecause si nce her ill n ess she has been d epressed and
anx i ous — un lik e h ersel f with a c on stan t fore b odi n g of an
,

early d eath o n H
”
er .

f
That is one of the sy mp tom s of her m alady sai d ,

Sir Will iam You k now of nothi ng el se ?

‘

“
No I f she had a hope of recovery she would be
.
3 2 0 A WOMAN S ’
T E M P TA TION .

—
wh at she was b efore one of the m ost cheerfu l h appi est ,

gi rl s I ever m et repli ed Eri c But what strange q ues

,
“

ti ons Sir Willi am Why do y ou a sk them ?

,
. .
”

“
1 will tell y ou said the physician gravely ; y ou
’i “
'
‘

, ,

will be b oth sh ock ed and terrified b ut y o u m ust be ,

c ourageous for on your efforts will d epend in g reat

, ,

m easure the sol uti on of the m yst ery After carefully

‘

.
,

"
ex am i n i ng the sym ptom s of Miss de St Lanc e s ill ness
’
.
,

my fri end Dr Gran t and m ysel f have both arrived at on e

“

—
, .
,

c
con lus o i n that is she is bei ng sl owly poi son ed by the
,

ad m i n i strati on of som e m i neral p oison given in such ,

m i n ute d oses as sl owly b ut sure ly to sap the foundations

, ,

of li fe and d estroy her

, .

Eric s face grew

’
gh astly wh ite ; then he l augh ed—a
dreary l augh, that was al m ost t erribl e to h ear .

“
You m ust be m i stak en Sir William , ,
,
”
he cri ed out .

It rs quite i m possibl e th at wh at y ou say can be t rue .

I expected y ou would say so I an ti ci pated the difli

ulty y ou would h ave i n b e li evi ng such a statem en t b ut
c ,

I pl edge y ou m y word as a p rofessi onal m an and m y honor ,

as a gen tl e m an that it is t rue , Dr G rant will y ou please . .

,

”
c orrob orate m y stat em en t ?

T he d oc tor l ooked at Eri c .

It is perfectly true he said I k new it yesterday

, .
,

and th at m ad e m e so anx iou s for Sir Willi am s ad vice

’
.

I th ought at first that I m ust be m istak en ; I paid the

t t tt ti o to th d t i l of th b ut th t
’
"

g rea es a en n e e a s e case e g rea er ,

3 2 3 A WOM AN ’
S TE MP TA TION .

let me urg e y ou to b e brave to try and coll ect y ou lf ;

“

, rse

for, rem em ber , lady y ou l ove m ay d e pend

the fate of the

i n some m easure up on your efforts S uppose that n ow .

we were to m ak e a se nsati on over our d i scovery to n oi se ,

i t a b road the p,oi so n er b e w h om i t m ay , w,o u l d i m m e

diately aban d on hi s or her p lans Miss d e St Lance m ight , .

recover and all fo r a ti m e g o well ; b u t som e on e is

’

determ i ned to tak e her li fe as thi s cl ear ly proves , W ho .

can t e ll wh en the attem p t m ight b e rene wed or how it ,

m igh t end Do y ou not see the danger of mak ing our

d iscovery public .

“
Yes I see it repli ed E ri c
, , I will d o my best I . .

will give y ou my full attenti on my m os t earnest h elp I

, .

”
was stu nned at first b ut n ow I ean atten d , .

’
Sir Willi am looked k in dly at him H is face c l eared .
,

his h an ds ceased to trembl e; his lips to q uiver T he life .

of the g irl he loved soclearly was at stak e an d for he

.

r he ,

c ould do m uch .

“
T he first thi ng continued Sir Will iam ,
“
is toget som e ,

one to ta k e the en tire charge of Miss d e St Lance; to re l ~

.

mai n in her room and to give her all that she tak esL
°

med ici ne and food Wh om would y ou recom mend for

.

that p urpose Mr Chi lvers ? It sh ould n ot be a servant or

'

.
,

a hi red n urse .

It m ust either be her moth eror Mi ss Ai ncourt sai d ,

Eric .

Her m ot her, bei ng the l der would be preferable

e , ,

said “We must impress upon her that the

"
 ’

3 3
2

t ti o
n to the pati en t s di e t is n eedfu
tt l Mi n d
”
’

g rea est a en .
,

n o hi n t need b e given to her of the t ru th I have the .

g rea tes t es t eem an d res p e ct for ladi es b ut I d o n ot thi n k ,

”

th ey can k eep sec re ts No hi n t m ust b e grv en to her . I .

sh all m ere ly t ell her that such great cauti on is n eed ed ove r
”

the pati ent s di et th at Dr G ran t hi m se l f will ord er all

’
.
,

that she has to tak e

" "
Mi ss Arncourt is younger than m adame ; she would ,

perhaps m ak e the m ost watch ful n urse said Eric

, , .

No ; I thi n k the young gi rl s m oth er will be the be st

“ ’

person to atten d her Th en s trict ord ers m ust be given .

th at n o one except ourselves an d y ou Mr C hilvers sh all ,

.
, ,

un d er any p retext whatever en ter he r room You m ust , .

,

in the m eanti m e watch i n ten tly , The n We sh all find out .

’
who gives the poi son if we di sc over n othi ng m ore , .

“I
Will do it replied Eric ,
”
.

It would b e well for y ou to watch both n ight and

day , said Dr G ran t ;
“
y o
.u ca n d o i t with ou t attrac ti n g
att en ti on .

“
I will never l eave m y post til l the culprit is dis
covered said Eric ,
”
t hat I prom ise y ou .

As he was speak i ng Lord Ar n court en tered the room ,

.

He was m ost courteous to Sir William .

I hope he sai d “
that y ou thi nk favora bly of
‘

, ,

our d ear i nvali d I am distressed to h ear that she is

.

so ill .

I have h opes rep li ed the great ph y si ci an ; b ut

'

it is a case that req ui res careful watchi ng I th ought .

 A WOMAN S T EMP TA 7 1 0 m ’

3 4
2

of i n trudi ng on your h ospitality for a day or two m y ,

l ord .

I sh all be d elighted and honored repli ed Lord Arn ,

cou rt ; b ut I am gri eved to thi n k that poor Bell e is in

“

such d anger .

“
She certai nly is in great danger was the re pl y , .

But I h ope we shall be abl e to waive it off I th an k .

y o u m, y l ord for y our c

, ourt esy It is an i n v olved c om .
,

plicated case and I should lik e to g ive it m y c losest

,

”
atten ti on .

Th en R ei ne who had been ridi ng wi th Lord Arncourt

, ,

cam e in he r fac e b rilliant i n its gl ow of h ealth

, She -
.

l ook ed from one to the oth er and Lord Arncourt i n t ro ,

d uced her to Sir Willi am Hailb ury He look ed ad~ .

m iring ly in her b eauti ful face .

Do y ou thi n k Miss de St Lance v ery ill she ask e d.

Yes
,
he re pli ed ; “
ser i ously ill . I i ntend remai n.
”
ing with her .

Alittle of the b ril lian t b l oom faded

.
.

”
I am very sorry she said ge n tly , I thought and , .

hoped it was ha l f of it fancy ; I told her so ,

.

I am afraid said Sir William sad ly

,
“
it is terri b ly
real —
, ,

”
the d anger I m ean .

R ei ne rais ed her d ark eyes to his face .

”
What is the m atter with her ? she ask ed “
is i t c on
sum pti on or d ecli ne I have heard that all the De St .

Lanc es were consumptive .

3 2 6

news of poor Bell e ; I h ave great hopes in your well

'

”
k nown skill .

Th en Lord Arncourt and R ei ne q uitted the libra ry .

“
Dr Grant said Sir William
.
,
” “
will y ou rem ai n wi th ,

the y oung l ady for the n ext two h ours If she seem s b et
ter th en we m ust do our best to preven
,
t her from bei ng
m ad e worse agai n Mr C hil vers y ou cannot begi n your
. .
,

”
watch too soon .

Eric left the d octors together .

Who am I to watch ? he th ough t to himself ”

.

sk ill ful d et ective wou ld be of m ore use h ere th an I am .

As he we n t from the lib ra ry Re i ne overtook him .

H ow grave th ese doc tors look Eric th ere is nothing ,

much the m atter with Bell e I h ope ,

Looki ng at her bright thee he felt the greatest inclina ,

e

tion to te ll her his t roubl es ,

She l ook ed so b right s o te
.
,

li abl e he k n ew th at she was q uick and k een .

She would m ak e a far b etter d etecti ve than I shal l ,

he th ought with a deep si gh an d R ei ne l ooki ng at him

, , , ,

said :

Eric y ou sigh lik e Don Qu

,
ix ote Cheer up the .

house rs m ore lik e a tom b th an any thi ng else since this ill
‘
io
 C HAPTER X LVIII .

“
no wwas rm TO mm our Dant e s m
’
ull ?

Chil vers Wh en he gai ned his solitude was more

'

Eri c , ,

bewild ered than he had ever been before He could no .

longer d oub t the t r uth of the ass

'

erti on m ad e hy th e two
‘

doc tors y et he c o
. uld not i m agi ne who could b e the c ul

prit who would i nj ure gentl e si m pl e tend er h earted

, , ,
-

Belle, a gi rl who had never in the wh ol e co urse of her ex

istenc eh urt the feeli ngs of any h um a n b e i n g ; a gi rl wh ose

:
whol e care w as to be ki n d and c onsid erat e wh ose th oughts
were sweet as her Words—
,

Who could i nj ure her, who

”
‘

There was no sefvant in that household whodid n ot

‘
'

d ore her who was n ot ready at all ti m

’
'

seem to a es to ob ey
-
,

her l east Wish at any t roubl e to th em sel ves Ano

.
' '

'
'

th er .

thi ng p uz z l ed him —wh at possibl e motive could any One

h ave for so d oi ng ? HoWcoirld her d eathben efit any per
’

She had nom oney she was i n no one sway ; no

’
son ?
‘

l ife could possi b ly be more sweet m ore use ful m ore h arm , ,
6

l
’

less than h ers -

.

Eric had rec Ourse toman s great consol er —

‘

a ci ga r He
’
-L
.

went out in to the shady fragran t gard ens an d sm ok ed as

, ,

he tho ught 3 but the more h e th ought the th ore p uz z l ed

'

-
'
3 2 8 A WOMAN S TEH P TA n o” ’
.

he grew . gl eam of ligh t for hi m ; he

Th ere was no

could n ot see his way th rough the m i sts that surroun ded
him .Who c ould hate Bell e so intensely as to want to
tak e her li fe ? Who hated her so bi tterly as to wish to
see her d ead ? If he could b ut di sc over them His face
dark ened his st rong h an d s were clench ed
, If he c ould .

b ut di sc over th em th ere would be littl e m ercy sh own to

,

the m Bell e so fai r so gentl e sosweet and loving

.
, , , .

He was not desti ned to be long al one R ei ne who .

,

was g enerally on the watch for him had seen him from ,

the wi nd ows of her room and h astened to him She , .

woul d not let him thi nk she had gon e p urposely to m eet .

him .D espite the p assi onat e l ove that grew stronger and
m ore i ntense day by day R e i ne had not lost her p ride , .
, .

She would n ot let hi m t hi n k that she sough t him p ur

p ose ly She t o
.o k a boo k i n he r h an dS an d was see m ,

ing ly b en t upon findi ng a cool sh ady spot for read ing , .

Th en o f c ou
,
rs e, s he m et h im an d loo k ed a t h im with ,
? !

well feigned surprise

-

Eric I th ought y ou were d issol ve d in tears somewhere

,

or oth er .

H e did n ot like the ligh t tone of her voice or t he

-
o
,
‘

bright smil e with whic h she g lanc ed at him True Be l le ,

was not her sister b ut th en they had li ved toge th er li k e

,

child ren of one m oth er S urely she m igh t look more .

so rry when b eauti ful Be ll e lay under the shadow of

,
.

death
If I were weeping Reine ; he said “
it would be
, , .
 '

A WOMAN S TEM P TA n ozv ’

330 .

I
i

n ew one as an an e g l in h eaven I . am very di fferen t .

have no thi n g of the angel ab out m e, an d n ever shall

have .

“
You are n g ht concern i ng Belle he sai d ; b ut for ,
“

”
y our own s
a ke ,
I h ope y ou are wrong as to y ourselfi
am pli ed Be ll e was a good chil d
n ot, she re .
,

al ways sweet and sub m i ss ive ob e di en t Ma dam e n ever ,

.

had to speak t wice to her I on the c on tra ry was wil lful .

, , ,

pass i onate wayward hati ng all control and be n t u pon

, , ,

havi ng m y own way .

You are very candid , he sa id .

Yes . k n ow that I am altogeth er so m uc h

I do n ot

ash am ed of m y sel f as I ought to be I thi n k on the .

,

wh ol e I rath er p refer naughty c h ild ren to good on es

, .

The pattern child ren in b ook s annoy m e bey ond ev e ry

thi ng .

You talk so wildly R ei n e he sai d , , .

She held up her p retty wh i te h and with a charm ing ,

gest ure .

“
Li sten , she
h ear that ch orus of
“

sa id do y ou
b i rds ? O wn n ow that the wild est n otes are the sweetest
, , .

Wh en Bell e talks to y ou y ou never have to reproach her ,

for b e i ng wild .
l

“
I nd eed I do n ot, he answered, earn estly .

lik e the m od el child ren in the b ooks Ah

She is .
,

me E ric ! n othi ng could ever m ak e m e i nt o a m od e l

, .

You are not listening to me I see ; your eyes have ,

 33 1

that far awa

-
y l ook I k n ow so well . Wh ere are y our
th ough ts
“
With B ell e he rep li ed ; si m ply
, .

He did n ot see the i m pati en t flush th at rose to her face e

.

S udd enly she t urn ed to him .

Eric she ask ed,

wh at would y ou d o if poor Be ll e
,

”
d i ed P

H is fac e grew q u ite white his ey es grew dim wi th un ,

shed tears .

“
Wh at sh ould I do ? he repeat ed I am n ot sure .

th at I should d o an y t hi ng It would tak e all the b right

.

ness and the h appi n ess out of m y li fe forever I d on t say

’
.

i t would kill m e— m en are h ard to kill b ut the b est part

of me m y h opes and m y happi ness would d ie wi th he r

, , .

”
I cann ot b ear to thi n k of it .

It would b e hard er to bear I suppose if she were , ,

really you r wi fe

“
I do n ot k now ; I could not l ove her b etter Do .

n ot talk to m e e ven of the p ro bability R ei ne ; I cannot ,

b ear it . ,

She l ook ed k eenly at him for a m om en t .

“
You would never do anythi ng fooli sh Eri c she sai d , , .

You would n ot for i nstance thi n k of suicid e as som e

, , ,

m en d o wh en th ey l ose wh at th ey lo ve b est
No he repli ed grave ly
”
“
,
I sh ould n ever do so I
,
.

should sub m it to the wi se will of a great God But as I .

,

said before i t would tak e all the happi ness away from my
,

li fe forever .
 3 A WOMAN S TEMP TA TION ’

33
.

Th en th ey walk ed on for some ti me in s il ence .

You
”
would
d t d m e b etter R e i n e
u n ers an , , he said,

if y ou had ever l oved an y one yourself U n ti l that

ti m e com es y ou will not und erstand e ither m y love or m y
sorrow .

She l ook ed him tly

’

at earn es
‘

You thi nk th en , , E ric that

, I have ne er v l ov ed any
”
one i
I k now th at y ou are cons idered a v ery p roud , fair
lady he repl ied ; and that peopl e won d er why
,
“
y ou

send away one l over aft er an oth er I do not thin k .

“

y ou

have any id ea of l ove .

T he b eauti ful
passi onate fac e the d ark eyes were
, , ,

t urned for one m om en t toward him If he had s ee n her .

then he m ight have had som e fai nt id ea of h er secret b ut

,

he was looki ng over the t rees to the wi nd o w of the room

wh ere B ell e lay s t ruggli ng agai nst m ighty d eath .

She foll owed the

di recti on of his ey es, an d her own
grew b righter with a wild fire .

any
"
R ei n e ask ed E ric
, ,
su dd en ly ,
“
do y ou th i n k
”
on e h ates B ell e P
She was t tled th at for one m om ent she c ould
so s ar

h ardly re ply . Her h an ds t rem bled her face grew p a l e , .

H ates Bell e P ”
she re ea e p t d , s l owly . Why shou ld
th ey
Th at is the very q uestion I ask my sel f. and a3 k in
vai n , he re p li ed .
334
A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA T1 0 1V .

“
watch ed the change th at cam e over his face ; could I do
anythi ng to m ak e y ou h appi er

No he said gen tly

,
You are very ki nd Re ine
,
.
, .

All m y h app i n ess i s cen tered in B ell e

’
.

T he gi rl l ook ed at him wistfu l ly ; there was som ething

al m ost piteous in the gaz e of th ose d ark ey es .

How d early y ou m ust l ove her E ric

”
.
,

Love h er l Ah Rei ne ! words are so weak th ey wi ll

, ,

n ot expres s great love ; it can on ly b e felt not d es cribed , .

I do n ot thi nk any m an on earth eve r l oved a wom an so

dearly .

“
I m ust g o i n said R ei ne suddenly
,
I fan ci ed it , .

would be pl e asant out here b u t it is n ot , .

The beauti ful restl ess face was fl u

, sh ed the li ps trem ,

bled .

I th ough t y ou cam e out to read ? said Eric .

“
So I did ; b ut all pl aces are alik e to m e I m ay as .

well read i nd oors as with o Goo d morn i ng Eric ”

ut .
-
, .

I wi sh I c ould read he said

'
“
I sh ould lik e tolose
,
”
.

”
the torm ent of m y th oughts .

But she n oticed th at he m ade no e ffort to d etain her

‘

He did not ex p ress any wi sh that she sh oul d rem ai n w ith '

him and R ei n e turn ed away fsick at h eart

, .

How can any m an give his wh ole h eart to that baby

”
faced gi rl i she th o g t
‘

u h A man lik e Eric strong — .

,

n oble an d m an ly I could sooner l ove sugar p l um s Ah T

'

.
- .
,

m e if I were a m an the wom an I l oved sh ould ha ve sem e

, ,

fire wi th her sweetness so me passi on, some l ife some an i

, ,
 4 WOMAN S ’
7 5 1113 73 TI ONZ
1 33 5

m ati on . She bl e to t orm en t as well as love

h ou ld
s be a

m e to give m e som e sauce piq uan te wh en I req ui red it

,
-
.

If I were a m an I cou ld never l ove any on e so sweet an d

,

”
so good as B ell e .

Rei n e went back to the h o use and E ri c con ti nued his ,

solitary walk Wh at was he to do? How was he to find

.

out B ell e s en em y ? and agai n he wi sh ed th at he had n ot

’

given that sol em n prom i se of secrecy so that he m ight use ,

the k een sh arp wits of R ei ne

, .

It was m adam e who j oi ned him nex t She cam e out .

to him and walk ed with him l ean i ng on his arm , .

T he d oc tors are b oth w ith B ell e she said

“ ”
and , ,

th ey advi sed m e to c om e out for a l ittl e fresh air Eric .

,

how strange th ey seem Do v ou know th at th ey have for

.

bidd en me to l eave the room b y n ight or by day unless , ,

h e are th e re to tak e a l
t y ny
p ace o
.

Th ey are anx ious over her and they k now that y ou , .

,

her m oth er wi ll tak e better ca re of her th an any one els e

, ,

said E ric .

But he c ould see the weary l ook deepen on madame s

’

face and he k new t hat she was 111 at ease

, .
 A WOMAN S 7 72m m: n ow
’

336 .

CHAPTER XLIX .

“
HE e r x r vx n can
. FOR i ts .

The long b righ t day cam e to an end at l ast To Eric .

,

i t had seem ed a cen tury l ong ; the warm sum m er hours

Oppressed him; he was i ll b oth in b ody and m i nd

‘
the

st rai n upon his n erves was g reat ; the anxi ety was al m os t

m ore than he could bear He h ad felt i ll b eforef b ut

.

r'

s i n ce the d oc tors had m ad e th ei r terrib le com m un ieati on

he had fe lt worse .

When a d uty l ies straig h t before a m an he can accom

p lis h it
, b ut E ric c ould n ot s ee his way t h roug h th e “

d uty l aid up on him He had been told th at he was to

.

watch —
“

wh om m ust he watch B e was q uite at a l oss

~

wh at to d o .

He t ook a k i nd of revi ew of the servan ts th ere was

‘

'

n ot one who did n ot ex press the g reat est c oncern for the

young lady B esid es com m on sense ask ed him what

.
,

obj ect c ould th ese housem ai ds cook s foot m en an d , , ,

groom s h ave in Be ll e de St Lance s death ? It was m ost

.
’

i m probabl e .

Eric was wretch ed not only from the fact of her i ll

,

n ess , but b ecause of the un certa i n ty over the culp ri t .

It is not p l easan t to k n ow that y ou are und er the sam e

 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA T1 01V .

You renew my youth he said . to her . When

listeni ng to y ou I forget I am t oil worn -
.

“
Your toil has b een in a nobl e ca use she said in , ,

th at graci ous winn i ng m anner of h ers

, T he world will .

b e the better for y our h avi ng lived in it Sir William y ou ,

”
have done good to your ki nd .

“
It has pl eased H eaven to allow m e to be of som e
”
little service said the old doc t or
, and I am than k ful ,

”
for it .

He was ch arm ed with her She rem i nded him of on e .

of the brilliant F rench wom en who live in the pag es of

hi story .

“
Th at gi rl could win or l ose a ki ngd om he said to ,

hi m sel f She is i rresi stibl e

. .

Yet E ric Chilvers had preferred the star li k e beauty of -

Bell e de St Lance . .

What b rilli ant talents ! th ought Sir Willi am ; what

a strong ly m ark ed resol ute ch aracter !
,
If she becam e
what is call ed religi ous she would be earn est ferven t as
’

, ,

an ap os tl e ; i f she sh ould ever fall she wou ld be the ,

q ueen of si nners She has ch aracter and st rength of w il l

.

en ough for a d oz en wom en and eac h of th em woul d b e ,

”
d i fficult to m anage .

T hev did not rem ai n l ong in the drawi ng room Lord -

.

Arncourt was m ore an xi ous over B ell e than he cared to

sh ow . He did not k n ow how he l oved the fai r gen tl e ,

g i rl u n ti l s he w as nearly l ost to hi m H e c oul d n ot s i t .

th ere and e j oy idl e co v s ti o

n n er a n— listen to the strains of
 A WOMAN S TEMP TA TIOIV ’
.
339

su ch sweet m usic— whil e the shad ow of d anger h ung over

Bell e He wen t away soon ; the doctors reti red to th ei r
.

respec tive room s Eric was l eft al one Twic e the b u tl er

. .

cam e in to see i f he would h ave lights b ut E ric sat in the ,

gl oam i ng p uz z li ng over wh at he sh ould do

, .

T he d octors had som e littl e c onversati on before they

parted .

Wh at a b rilliant gi rl th at Mi ss Arncourt is
“
,
”
aid Dr
s .

“
G ran t She is q uite charm i n g
. .

Yes pli ed Sir W illi am with his courtly sm il e

, re I , .
“

m ust say myself th at h avi ng the two l adi es to ch oose from

, ,

I wond er th at Mr Chilvers did n ot ch oose her . .

Dr G rant l ook ed
. at him wit h a s m il e .

I have found out one th ing Sir William Mr Chilvers , .

has ch osen as he would but I am q ui te sure M iss Arn ,

c ourt l oves him .

Sir William l aughed .

I do not thi nk he said that M iss Arncourt is one ,

"
,

who would l ove in vai n .

But Dr Grant was . not to be convinced or shak en in

his opi n i on .

I watch ed her he sai d

“
I watched the p lay on her, .

beauti ful feat ures ; h owever deeply she seem ed engrossed

with oth ers she never for one m om ent forgot him ; when
,

her eyes rest ed on him th ey se em ed to fill with a deep , ,

tender light ; her voice took q uite an other t one when she

spok e to him I m ust flatter you by say ing y ou were

. -
34 0 A WOM AN S ’
TE M P YM TIOIV .

so d eeply engrossed in her that y ou did n ot n otice

th ese thi ngs .

“
No th at I certai n ly did n ot
,
You thi n k Miss Am. .

court l oves E ric Chilvers

I am q uite certai n of it repli ed Dr Gran t ,
. .

In th at ease said Si r Willi am sl owly

,
she can n ot , ,
“

feel any g reat affecti on for Mi ss d e St Lan ce . .

After th ese few word s the d octors l ooked at eac h oth er

in sil en c e th en Sir Willi am said
May Hcav en have m ercy on us all !
And Dr G ran t sol em n ly an swered
.

Am en !
Th ey parted th en b ut l ong after Dr G ran t had l e ft him .

Sir Willi am stood in the room s il en t and m oti on l ess .

”
“
I h ave b een so l ong in the world he said “
th at , ,

n othi ng ought to s urp ri se m e ; y et I m ust c on fess thi s

"
d oes I will n ot thi n k of anythi ng so terribl e
. .

He took up a b ook a nd t ri ed to read b ut som e i d ea

, ,

haun ted him H e c ould n ot u nd erstan d wh at he ra il

. .

Eri c sat al on e in the d rawi ng room w atchi ng the l ast

-
,

g ray gl eam s of light d ie away on the t rees an d fl owe rs .

He was m ore u n h appy than he c ould d escribe Bell e ill .

,

so as to be in d anger was bad enough ; b ut B e ll e

,

p oi soned ! Bell e p ut to the tort ure of a sl ow li ngering ,

d eath ! It was lik e a h orribl e n ightm are a m ost h orribl e ,

If he had foll owed the i m pul se of his own will h e ,

would have arouse d the —

wh ol e h ouseh ol d he woul d
 A WOMAN S TEMP TA Troy ’

34 3 ,

ture m oreth an she had ever ven t ured before She laid .

on e whit e h and on hi s .

,
”
E ric she said gently th is will not do You m ust
, , .

n ot d espond y ou m us t b ear up m ore b ra v ely I wish I .

k new what to do to com fort y ou .

He was weak and ti red ; the kindness of her v oice

seem e d to ou t ch the d epths of his heart ; he buried his

face in his hands ,
and she h eard a deep sob com e from
his lips
—h
.

Her face in that m om ent was wond erful tosee t e env y ,

the i m pati ence that strugg l ed,

wi th the passionate lov e .

She ben t over him . 0

”
“
E ric she said gently do let m e com fort y ou
, , ,
“
I
”
can n ot b ear to see y ou suffer so let m e c om fort y ou .

She n e er v forgot the an uish

g on his fac e as he raise d it
to h ers .

R ei ne he sai d , ,
in a low, h oarse voi ce I cann ot ,
“

bear to l ose Bell e I . do not k now what I shall do ; I

ean not l ose her .

“
C ould no thi ng—could no on e consol e y ou if y ou lost
”
her ? she sa id .

He did not in the l east un ers an d t d her m eani ng .

“
No,
”
he
li ed ; the worl d will on ly be to m e a
rep

blan k d esert if she l eaves it I cann ot bear it R eine ; the .

,

v ery th ought of it unm ans me d i ves

r m e mad — I am
—
,

as ham ed o f m y se l f m ak es m e weak and h el p l ess as a

child. No one ca n give m e any comfort . You are very
 A WOMAN S TEMP TA TION
’
.
34 3

ki nd very good b ut y ou cannot give health and strength

, ,

to B ell e .

He could n ot und erstand why she rose so i m pat iently ,

as th oug h she would t urn away th en k ne lt d own agai n , ,

as th ough she rep en ted the i m p ul se .

”
“
E ric she said softly sup pose your worst fears are
, , ,
“

rea li z ed —th at B elle di es — y o u n ee d n ot d esp ai r In the .

ti m e th at c om es aft er y ou will find som e one el se who

,

”
l oves y ou perh aps even m ore th an she d oes .

“
H ush R ei n e ,
he c ri ed y o u se ek to c o m fort m
“
e

in vai n . All the b eauty the ch arm the grace the tal ent
, , ,

in the world c ould not m ak e anoth er B ell e for m e H ark l .

Lo d A ncou s s di g fo
r r r t i e n n r m e— I m ust g o .

He rose the tears still l arge and b right i n his eyes and
, ,

wen t out l eavi ng R ei ne al one

, Wh en he was gone she.
,

fl ung h ersel f with a passi onate cry am ong the c ushi ons
, , .

"
My l ove I she sobbed “
m y wasted wound ed love l ,

He will n ever care for m e l

She wept with the veh em enc e of anger and passi on t hat
sh ook her b eauti ful figure as the wi nd sways the l eaves on

the t ree .

“
He will never eare for m e she said ;
“
and I l ove
,

him so d early I woul d give him all my li fe ; y et he lik es

th at pal e baby faced g i rl better th an m e I
,
-

It was al m ost pitiful to see her in the great abandom ent

of her sorrow .

Even if she di es he will not es t e for m e He wil l .

mak e bi m se f a marty r and a h ero by b eing what he wil l ,

3 44 A WOMAN S TE M P TA TION
’
.

a ll t rue to he r m em ory . He is so bli n d ,

so weak , to care

for her Why sh ould I love him ? w hy sh ould I was te m y

.

h eart my soul m y l ife on him w ho is c on te nt w ith the

, , ,

love of that b aby face ? I h ate m y sel f y e t I k n ew th at ,

”
wh en l ove cam e to m e it wou ld b e all fire
,
.

She rose from the g roun d ; she gath ered t ogeth e r the
m agn ific en t h ai r which had fall en aroun d her She wen t .

to the d oor an d s tood th ere li sten i ng .

Th ere was d eep sil enc e in the h ouse un brok en save by ,

the di stan t soun d in the servan ts h all ; R ei n e sh udd e red

’

as she st ood th ere .

It is lik e the sil ence of the grave she said to her ,

se lf
Th en she h eard the li brary d oor open and E ric cam e ,

out with Lord Arn c ou rt Th ey say good n ight Lord

.
-

Arnc ou rt t old E ric to g o to rest a t on ce .

You are m aki ng y oursel f q uite ill he said ,

”
an d as , ,

I ill b l v th at our p re tty B ell e is i n d anger

”
y et ,
w n ot e i e e .
 5 A roa ms -
m arl 7 4 m m
34 .

Was it any one who in tend ed any harm toBelle

The nex t m om ent he had resol ved upon op ening the
door and g oi ng to see what an d who it was .

At the farther end of the corridor he saw a tall fig ure

mo vi n g with a g l id i ng n oise
,less step —a figure c l othe d i n

a long gray d ressi ng g own -

.

He cl osed his d oor so q uietly that no sound could be

heard and started in pursuit
,
.

T he tal l fig ure glided on down the broad sta ircasq

,

through the corrid or that led to Bal le s room He fol *

’
.

lowed .

At the
’
d oor of Bell e s room it stopp ed an d he stop ped ,

also .His heart bea t so quic k ly and so l oud ly as it ,

.

seem ed to him th at he was afraid of betraying hi m sel f

,

He felt sure th at here was the claw to the mystery ; that

he h eld it h ere in his han d ; that this person let i t be ,

wh om it m ig ht was goin g i n to her room to do her d ead ly

,

harm th at was the reason of the eautious sec ret noise , ,

less m ovem ents .

Th en the d oor opened the tall figure entered leaving ,

the d oor open .E ric foll owed He concealed hi mself .

behi nd the h eavy hanging curtains where he could watc h ,

Bell e lay in a cal m , deat h-like s um er

l b . The light of
the lam p was g that it should not disturb her ;
so arran ed

b ut in the di m light he c ould see the pale d eath lik e fac e ,

-
.

There was n o sign of li fe in her ex cep t the gen tle breath

.

ing which parted her pale lips .

 A WOMAN S TEMP TATJ ON ’
.
34 7

Madame de St Lan ce was seated in an easy chai r also

.
,

fast asl ee p .H ers was apparently the sleep of ex haustion ,

she was weary with watchi ng .

All this Eric sa w at one glance .

The tal l figure l eaned for one m omen t over Bel le ,

look ed at the p oor sweet face went over to m ad ame and

, , ,

look ed i n t ently at her .

Then E ric saw the wom an (he had n ot y et seen her

face) g o up to the littl e stand wh ere the lam p with the
m edici ne b ottl es were all arranged She opened one of .

them . It con tai ned two or th ree d oses of a soothi ng

cordi al th at Sir Willi am had p resc rib ed .

Th en from the p ock et of her d ress she took a small

v ial and sl owly carefully
, , steadily dropped c oun ti ng the
, ,

drops som e of its c on ten ts

,
.

Th ere could be no m ore d oubt as to who was the

p o i son e r
.

She raised the bottle to the light ; as she did so Eri c ,

caught a gli m pse of her face .

G reat H eaven he cri ed it is Reine l ,

She turned her beauti ful gh astly face She tri ed to .

m ove and as she did so the tabl e with the l am p was

, ,

upset and th ey were l eft in total d ark ness

,
.

T he terribl e n oi se awok e and alarm ed m adame She .

spra ng from the chai r with a l oud c ry b ut in the d ark ness ,

she could d ist ingui sh nothi ng No id ea except th at of .

thi eves occ urred to her She rem em bered that she had
.

not lock ed the room door, and she im mediately conc lude s
34 3 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TION .

that thi eves had brok en i nto the h ouse and fi ndi ng th at ,

d oor m ost easily opened had gone in th ere With that .

id ea fi rm ly fix ed in her m i nd m ad am e wen t to the d oor , .

”
Thi eves l she c ri ed in a l oud voice . Thi eves l
Th en E ric rus h ed after her ; he caught her and brough t
her b ack .

“
Th ere are n o thi eves he said it is ten th ousan d
,

ti m es w orse than th at H e cl osed the d oor

. H ave .

y ou a l ight ? he said n o m ean s of fi n di ng a light

But m ad am e was too terrified to speak .

J ust th en th ere cam e an oth er soun d at the door Lord .

Arnc ourt an d Sir William we re the on ly two w ho had

”
h eard th at c ry of Thi eves l an d th ey had both h aste n ed
to the resc ue Lord Arncourt fortun ately had a tape r in
.

his h and Th ey both l ook ed aghast at the scene b efore

.

th em .

B ell e lay white and t rem bli ng too frightened to speak

, ,

m ad am e was h alf fai n ti ng E ric his face all in a gl ow of

-
,

i ndignati on and anger stood h ol d i ng her But the face

, .

that attracted all atten ti on was that of R ei n e ; nothi ng so

g h astly ,
so t erribl e had ev e r b e,en s ee n b e fore .

Lord Arncourt look ed from one to an oth er .

”
E ric 1 R ei ne l he c ri ed What is the m atter ? .

’
E ric caught Rei ne s h an d .

Tak e that vi al Sir William and tell us wh at i t

, ,

”
c on tai n s .

S ir Will iam took it He lac k ed at it then at them

’

. f .
,
35° A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TIOIV .

ing Reine s hand as thoug h she we re minal, an d

’
a cri ou
y
her accuser ? What d oes thi s m id n ight c
s ene m ean ? I
can not und ers tand . Reine, if Eric will not s ea p k to m e,

y ou m us t .

Th en Eric released his hold of that whi te wri st ; he

placed R ei ne in a chai r for during this ti m e she had
,
;

sp ok en n o word;

I will tell y ou what it means he said It m eans

, .

that your daughter R ei ne is one of the wi ck edes t of

, ,

”
wom en she is the m ost fal se of all traitresses .

“
Stop I c ried Lord Arncourt
”
Neith er y ou n or any
.
‘

other m an shall say t hose thi ngs of m y R eine .

He m ad e one ste p forward his face in an angry flam e , ,

his ey es flashi ng fire .

On e m ore such word Eri c Chilvers and it shall be

, ,

”
y ou r l ast 1
He h eld up his hand with a warn ing gesture .

“
Wait ! H ear m e in patience ; she is all that and
worse . Nay Lord Arncourt even killi ng m e will not;
, ,

m i tigate y our daughter s c rime ’

Listen I d id not tell
. .

y ou b efo re b eca,use sec rec y w as t h ou g ht ad v isabl e Do .

o k ow wh t i l h w t d h d i l h
'

y u n a a s t e s eet en er- earte g ,r w o

never wronged or wound ed one si ngl e soul ? Do y ou
k now wh at ai ls her ? what is d estroyi ng the m ir life ? what
is sending her y oung and well l oved as she is to an
,
-
,

early g rave ?
No , re plied Lord Arncourt ; I do not k now .
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA 7 I0A:
35 ;

I will tel l y ou . She is being s l owly but surely

"
poisoned by your daught er R ei ne ,
.

Agai n Lord Arn c ourt m ad e an angry step forward He .

rai sed his h an d as thoug h he would strik e Eric to the

?

g ro un d .

“
I would not b eli eve i t E ric C hilvers he said
,
if , ,

y ou sw ore it .

“
It is true I will tell y ou all about it Dr G rant
. . .

suspe cted it b ut was loth to b e li eve it He would n ot trust .

to his own J udg m en t b ut wh en the sym pt om s c on firm ed

,

his id eas he sen t at on ce for Sir Willi am Hailbury who ,

arrived at the sam e c on clus i on Th ey both fel t certai n .

th at she was bei ng sl owly and sec retly poisoned T he!! .

the di ffic ulty was to d i sc over by wh om It was in ord er to .

m ak e that di scovery th at the d octors h ave rem ai n ed h ere .

—
You y oursel f would have been told all this to day In the .

in teri m th ey ask ed m e in the i nt erest of j ustice to find

, , ,

out the culp rit i f I coul d It was a m ost difli cult task
.
,

my l ord Every one l oved the gentl e gi rl wh ose li fe is

.

'

filled wi th th oughts for oth ers It was h ard to fin d out

.

who would h arm her I tri ed m y very best b ut fail ed

. I , .

could no t think of any one who woul d be lik ely to hurt

‘

Bell e It was dzfi cult b ut H eaven helped m e Last

‘

.
, .

night for the sec ond ti me, I heard the sound of stealt hy
,

footstep s passi ng my door I opened the door and fol

.

lowed the ta ll figure d own the corrid or I foll owed it to .

the door of Belle s room , and after it

’
went in . I saw the

woman I had foll owed h i e a m all vial from he w as.

35: A WOMAN '
S TEMP TA TIOIV .

and d rop some of its conten ts i n to Bell e s m ed i ci ne bottle ’

.

I caug ht her wri st whil e she h eld the vi al in her h an d .

Th at wom an was R ei ne T he vi al she h e ld conta i ne d a .

d ead ly poi son You h eard Sir Wi lliam d eclare it an d n ow

.
,

I re peat th at your daughter has will fully tri ed to p oi son

,

m y p rom i sed wi fe In the sil e n ce of the n ight s he has

.

c rept to he r room she has m ix e d poi son with her m ed i

c i ne she has t ri ed to ki ll he r .

“
I be li eve it c ri ed Lord Arnc ourt ; bu t E ric
w ill n ot ,

saw the red fl ush had di ed from his face an d the ang ry ,

'

light from his eyes I cannot b eli eve it

. I say it is all .

fal se an d y ou are m ad q uite m ad to acc use m y beauti ful

, , ,

R ei ne of such a c ri m e 1
“
Nay ,
Lord Arncourt it
d eny it to call m e ,
is easy to ,

m ad b ut I ass ure y ou m ost sol em n ly it is true You can .

n ot d oubt wh en I t ell y ou th at Sir Willi am hi m sel f t ook

the vial from her h and and he will t ell y ou what its con
,

t en ts are .

Eric cri ed Lord Arncourt be pi ti ful

, ,
“
to m e ! She
is m y on ly d aughter 1 Say it is n ot true .

cannot I would if I c ould I cannot

I . . do so . She
is g uilty b efore H eaven an d I d ecl are it , .

Lord Arncourt l ooked at his daughter T he beautiful .

fac e had regai n ed all i ts bl oom all i ts p rid e ; th ere was n o ,

l onger any fear in it .

”
R ei ne l Rei ne l he cri ed [will . no! bel ieve it Say ,
.

”
for H eaven s sake that i t is not true I
’

,
3 54
WONAN ’
S TM PTA

C H APTER LI .

CONF ESS IN G HER CRIME .

Rei ne look ed from one to the other, the half-m ock ing
sm il etil l on her li ps M adam e with all the dign ity of
s . .
,

despair t urned to Lord Arncourt

, .

“
My lord she said ,wil l y ou t el l m e what R ein e has
,

”
done ?
"
“
I will tell y ou what she is accused of he repli ed , .

. r—
Mr Chil vers accuses he my d aughter and your ch arg e ,

d
m a am e —he acc uses her of poi son i ng Be l le
s Was eve r .

c h arge so m onst rous so c rue l ? And she si ts th ere sil en t

,

she wil l not de ny it ; she will n ot d efend h erse l f by on e

si ng l e word .

M adam e s face grew gh astly as she listened she leaned

’

on one of the ch ai rs for su pport .

”
Poi son i ng B ell e 1 she repeated It is not possi bl e .

”
she c ould not d o it .

Th en m adam e s voice di ed away ; she had th ought of

’

som ethi ng which m ad e the d eed see m ve ry p robabl e She .

rem em b ered one night wh en waki n g su dd en ly she had

, ,

’
foun d R ei ne in B ell e s room and R e i n e held a b ottl e in
,

her h and she rem em be red the scared fright ened exp res ,

si on of the gi rl s face as she t urned to her

’

.
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TATION .
3 55

What are y ou d oing here Rei ne ? she had ask ed and , ,

the answer had been that she c ou l d n ot sl eep and had ,

c om e to see how B ell e was Madam e had felt uneasy at

.

the tim e . She thought of it n ow A h und red littl e i nci .

dents seem ed to flas h into light and she gave a low cry of ,

p ai n an d d es pa i r .

Rei ne sai d Lord Arnc ourt

,
”
let m e k now the worst , .

D id y ou really c om m i t thi s m ost c ruel and wick ed sin

”
have y ou really tri ed to poison Bell e ?
She rai sed her face to his it was full of proud despair .

”
“
I would de ny it she said ,
“
if den ial were of any ,

use . Sir William and the li ttl e vi al wi ll be too m uch for

me . I h ave really tri ed to poi son B ell e .

In the si l ence of the n ight the words fell with a strange ,

wei rd sound . Lord Arn court sat d own ; the strength of

his st rong li m bs fail ed him .

R ei ne look ed at none of th em as she conti n ued

Th ere is g race en ough l eft in me to mak e m e say that
I am alm ost gl ad I have not succee d ed Afte r all I have .
,

a fai n t liki ng for the baby faced gi rl It is perhaps quite

-
.

as well th at it has been found out I m ight not have been .

happy if she had di ed .

Lord Arncourt rose from his seat and wen t over to her .

” “
Rei ne he asked sl owly
,
are y ou a wom an ? or
, ,

”
are y ou a b eautiful fi end ?

Which ever y ou like papa she repli ed with a reck

, , ,

“
less l augh a m ixt ure of b ot h Certa i n ly all of the .

fiend that th ere ever was in me has been aroused of late ;

356 A WOMAN ’
S TE MP TA TION .

et
y , y ou see, I cann o t be all wick ed for I am h eartily gl ad
,

h t I did not
t a kill poor pretty Be ll e
, Le t her live her .

weak littl e li fe .

“
R ei ne ! R ei ne ! c ri ed Lord Arncourt it cannot b e ,

o u speaki ng in that styl e ; it can n ot be y ou ; and y e t I

y
k now th at y ou have no h eart 7 .

“
It would be well for m e if I had not she repli ed , ,

with a bitt er l augh T he m i sfort une is th at I h ave too

.
,

m uch h eart th ough I gran t th at it is di fferen t to O th er

,

’ ”
c opl e s .

Then m adam e stretc h ed out her hand s i m pl ori ngly .

” “
R ei ne l she c ri ed wh at are y ou sayi ng ?
. It is too
h orribl e ; I cann ot en d ure to h ear it .

E ric s tood by in sil en ce he t urned to her n ow .

”
R ei ne he said gravely
,
will y ou t ell us wh at led
, ,

y o u t o thi s c ri m e ? wh at has m ad e y ou a m urd e ress

”
“
I am n ot sure th at I shall tell y ou she repli ed I , .

thi n k th at I p refer passi ng from your sight forever wi th .

out givi ng y ou any cl ew to what y ou are pl eased to cal l

”
m y c ri m e .

I k now ! m oaned m ad am e Poor unhappy child I .

, ,

”
k n ow l
Not con ti nued E ri c
,
that anythi ng can exc use ,

o u Y ou a re a t ra it ress—a m urd eress ; y ou h av e s m il ed

y .

whil e th at i nn ocen t gi rl s uflere d ; y ou h ave ki ssed her

'

w ith your lips and with your h an d s d ropp ed p oi son i n t o

,

her c up Ah l fal se wick ed worthl ess that y ou are what

.
, , ,

exc use can y ou ofier

'
358 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIOM

y ou —w eak and m iserabl e — ould c n ever dream of ; such

lo e—oh
v ,
m y God —as m ight have m ad e m e a good
wom an if it had been fortunate It is too l ate for . all t hat
'

now too l ate ; I n eed n ot thi n k of it ; b ut E ric if y ou

, ,

had k nown the h eight the depth the g reatness of m y

, ,

love even y ou would pity m e

,
.

Her ri ch m usical voice had sounded so cl early it had

see m ed to th rill with pai n an d n ow it di ed away i n a
,

low m urm ur on he r li ps for one m om en t her pri de an d

st rength seem ed to gi ve way She b uri ed her face in her
.

h and s with a low d espai ri ng cry

, ,

I m ight have been so happy and so good b ut for m y ,

un h ap p y l ove she m oaned ;

, and y ou — y o u wh om I
loved so well —h ave d en ounced m e .

H is face grew pal e as he listened to her .

”
I did not k now it R ei ne he said gent ly
, , , .

No she repli ed ;
,
“
y ou did n ot k n ow it It d oes .

n ot m att er n ow But E ri c I gave y ou my h eart m y

.
, , ,

heart s l ove—l ove that m ight h ave crowned a ki ng ; l ove

’

th at wou ld h ave i nfold ed y ou as a shi el d love that wou l d

have been i m m ortal ; l ove th at would h ave m ad e m e a
n obl e woman but n ow has m ad e m e—
, a fiend ! The
world is full of beauty of weal th and of power
,
I ask ed , .

but one thi ng from it an d th at was your l ove

,
I have .

n ot g ot it ; and I am utterly care l ess as to wh at b ecom es

of m e I do n or care if y ou d enounce m e to the wh ole

.

world if y ou p ubli sh m y sin from the house-tops

, You .

can do j ust as y ou pl ease .

 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA r7 0m
3 59

But,
Reine surely what y ou are pl eased to call l ove
,

would n ever d rive y ou to the com m i ssi on of such a hor

ri bl e c ri m e

“
that m y l ove was a fire
“
I told y ou she said , , ,

dest royi ng all thi ngs b efore i t—a fire that l ays wast e an d
b urns That baby faced gi rl stood b etween m e an d my
.
-

love ; I have sought to rem ove her I was as one m ad .

,

E ric when I foun d th at y ou cared for her and n ot for

, ,

me that y ou l oved her an d not m e You talk of suffer , .

ing E ric ! You cal m colfl p eop le do n ot even k now

, ,

what sufleri ng m eans

'

u o —
I co ld tell y u I whose despai r
.
,

has d riven m e to m urd er

There was an in tensity of tragic sorrow about her that
startl ed th em .

“
I m ight s he conti nued
,
have been a good wom an ; ,

g o o d i n a c om m on pl ace ki n d o f w ay lik e other peo pl e , ,

b ut for th at
It is not too late R ei ne sai d E ric touched by her
, , ,

droopi ng attit ud e her h um ility and d espai r ; ,

“
it is not
too l ate You may thank H eaven that your sin has been
.

d iscov ered before it was too l ate Th ere is y et tim e for .

y o u to b e g ood and h app y .

“
No; th ere is not I sha l l not than k H eaven nor
.
,

have I any wi sh for the good and happy ti m e y ou speak

oi I sh all tak e evi l for m y good .

R ei ne R ei ne do not talk so ; y ou pi erce m y heart

, ,

with th ose words cri ed Lord Arnc ourt , .

As m ine was pierced l ong ago she said by Eric s

’

, ,
3 60 A WOMAN S ’
TE M P TA TION .

negl ect I only speak as I fee l I am utterly reckl ess

. . .

I am not even as ham ed of havi ng b een found out M in e .

is a cas e of perve rt ed aflec tion I al way s war and n ow

'

.
,

am m ore i ncli n ed to e vil th an ever Still wi ck ed as I .

,

am t rait ress an d m urd e ress Mr Chilvers as y ou call m e

, . .
, ,

I am still thank ful that Bell e has been spared .

M adam e turned to her with an air of dign ity an d

com m an d .

'

I will not all ow y ou to speak ih that reckl ess fashi on ,

R ei ne Rath er fall on y or‘ nees an d th an k H eaven th at

.

ou h v e b een spared the c om m i ss i on of sog reat a c ri m e

y a .

R ei ne l ook ed h aughtily at her .

Do n ot i nterefere m ad am e she said

”
,
it is no b usi
,

n ess of y ours .

“
It is m y b usi ness said m adam e ,
I trai ned y ou .

y ou h a v e b een for y ears to m e as m y own child .

“
I have no w ish to bear the ill ustri ous nam e of De S t .

Lance said R ei ne with cool sarcasm , I p refer m y .

own .

Which y ou have disgraced said m adam e with flash , ,

ing eyes her pal e face g rowi ng cri m son

,
But n othi ng she .

could say could affect the p roud spi rit of the gi rl .

Th ere is one thi ng I must say m adam e You can re , .

’
ceiv e m y fath er s b oun ty as l on g as y ou will b ut th at d oes ,

n ot entitl e y ou to any c ontrol over m e You h ave m ad e .

ou r h om e your h om e ; y ou h ave b rought your d aughter

here and have seen her stan d between m e and the m an I
,

l ove ; y ou h ave h elped her to win the love for which I

3 62 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TIOIV
.

who neglected m e, who deserted m e in m y in fancy who

,

was ash am ed of m y m oth er and asha m ed of m e ?

A cry of unutterable pai n cam e from Lord Arncourt s ’

lips
. Th en m adame wi th a stern white face and up li fte d
, ,

hand said
,

H ush ! not one word m ore . 1 have someth i ng to

 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA r7 0m 6
3 3

C H APTER LII .

“
was r un n oun or MY r s mp r ar ro
“

T HAT n .

I h ave som ethi ng to say she repeated I ord Arn

, .

court n o on e has repaid ki n d ness m ore basely than I have

,

d one You t rusted m e and I h ave b etrayed y our t rust

.
,

y o u w e re g en er ou s to m e an d I h av e m ad e a sorry ret urn

,

for your gen erosi ty See ! I am a p roud wom an b ut I

.
,

”
kne el h ere at your feet to i m pl ore your pard on .

She san k up on her k nees an d Lord Arn c ourt l ooki ng , ,

up saw the b eau ti ful h ead with li nes of silver i n the d ark
, ,

hai r b en t befo
,
re hi m .

Madam e ! he cried ”
.

But she wen t on

You cam e to m e Lord Arncourt l ong years ago in
, , ,

sorrow and di st ress ; y ou plac ed the g reatest t rust i n m e

th at y ou c ould p ossibly pl ace in any wom an— y ou gav e m e

your child O h m y l ord I was un worthy all unworthy

‘

.
, ,

y et I did m y d uty b v her I t rai n ed he r ca

.refu ll y as m y
own . Before th at ti m e cam e I had suffered greatly from ,

p rivat i ons and poverty T he hand som e sum th at y ou p aid

.

to m e freed m e For the first ti m e for som e years I foun d

.
,

m yse l f abl e to find the n ecessari es an d som e of the com

forts of li fe For som e years I lived in peace
. th en the
 6
3 4
A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TION .

tim e of tem ptati on cam e and I fell You

my terri b l e , .

wrote to say th at your d aughter was to c om e h om e an d

tak e her p rop er pl ace in y our h ouse Th at was the h our .

of m y tem ptati on You said th at I too was to c om e

.
, , ,

and from the t one of you r l ett er I k new th at y ou m ean t

,

that h om e to b e m i ne But th en I th ought to m ysel f a

.
, ,

th ousand thi gs m ight h app en

n — y ou m ight rem arry th en

the re would b e n o h om e n o p rovi si on for me

, My l ord .
,

as I st ood watch ing the two gi rl s a sudd en id ea occ urred

,

to m e th at I would give y ou my d aughter in p lace of y our

,

own .

Lord Arncourt cri ed out in astoni sh m ent and Eric d rew ,

n earer R ei ne bent her proud face with a l ook of sup rem e ,

scornful won d er on m ad ame

, .

“
I can hardly tell y ou why I did it she c on ti nued ; ,

the id ea fl ash ed sudd en ly i n m y mi nd I th ought to

“
.

m ysel f th at by so acti ng I sh ould al ways h ave a h old over

y ou ; th a t i f y ou sh ou ld m arry ag a i n i f y ou sh o u ld l ose ,

your i n terest in m e a nd your ki ndn ess wear itsel f out

, ,

th at th en I could say to m y daughter You are m in e ,

‘

and th at she would for the sak e of our sec ret k ee p m e

, ,

from pove rty . It was a foolish idea but fear of p overty ,

“

d rove m e to it n othi ng e lse

,
It was fooli sh b ecause I
.
,

k new that whatever I m ight do m yse l f it would b e im p os ,

sibl e for m e to t eac h m y child di sh on or My l ord the . ,

sh am e is m i ne the di sgrace is m i ne R ei ne is my daug h .

ter n oty our s

,
Bell e is the sam e little N i na y ou b rought to
m e y ears ago .
3 66 A WOMAN ’
S TEM PT A TION .

Be ll e as the daugh ter of the Engl ish m il ord who was ,

brought to m e .

I thank H eaven said Lord Arncourt ,

who c oul d ,

rec og n i z e one t rait of my d arli n g child i n thi s p roud wi l l ,

ful gi rl ? Yet I h ave l oved y ou very d early R e i ne ,

.

H ave y ou ? she said I sh ould hardly h ave im

.
“

agi ned it m y l ord y ou seem tobe so pl ease d to be rid of

, ,

me .

“
M adam e ask ed E ric
, is thi s t rue ? You wou l d
,
“

n ot sure ly d ec eive us a sec on d ti m e

It is true as that one day I m ust answer for m y si ns ,

she said Oh E ric how can y ou d oubt ? Th i n k of

“
.
, ,

the di fferen c e be twee n the two Bell e n ever gave m e on e .

day s t roubl e she was al way s sweet docil e obedi ent sub
’

, , ,

m i ssive h um bl e and t ruth ful

, ,
She n ever gave m e on e .

m i n ute s pai n She would be som e c om fort to m e i n m y

’
.

old age . R ei n e was al way s a great troubl e ; she was a l

ways p roud will ful d efian t
,
I never could und erstan d
, .

her . She had all the faults b ut few of the vi rt ues of he r ,

ra ce ; she has all the d efects of he r c oun t ry Oh E ric .

, ,

E ric ! wh at com fort can she be to m e ? Why sh ould I

”
cl ai m her if she were n ot i n deed m i ne ?
“
I am convi n ced said Eric “
I h ave often th oug h t
,

m yse l f, an d h ave often h eard oth ers say th at B e ll e was far ,

m ore lik e the Arn courts th an R e i n e .

“
You will b e supe rl atively happy n ow said R eine , .

You are not on ly m arryi ng the gi rl y ou l ove b ut y ou are ,

weddi ng Lord Arncourt s daught er and great h ei ress As

’
.
 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TION .
5
3 7

for m e, I care but li ttl e whose d aughter I am my li fe is

all d ark ened .

My l ord said M ad am e de St Lance

,
I p ray y ou .
,
“

to pard on m e I have never been h appy I h ave al ways

.

been sorry that I did it I h ave had a weight on my m i n d .

,

a b urden on m y consc i en ce th at has given m e n o peace , .

I beli eve th at wh eth er thi s had h ap pened or not I m ust ,

”
have told y ou soon er or l ater .

I al ways th ought y ou had som e t erribl e secret on your

m i n d m adam e
, sai d E ric
“
You h ave al ways
,
”
. had the
”
sadd est face of any wom an I ever Saw .

I was wretc hed I yi eld edBut let m e own all m y sin

‘

to tem p tati on partly from fear of p overty and partly b e ,

cause I l oved R ei ne so d early ; sh e was so b eaut iful s o ,

b right I could not bear to thi nk of her livi ng al ways in

,
'

poverty and ekile I th ought she would com e h ere a

‘

. s

Lord Arncourt s daught er that she would m arry well ;

’

th en wh en her p ositi on was sec ured I cared littl e wh eth er

, ,

m y d ecepti on was k nown or not I cann ot j usti fy mysel f ,

but I did l ove her m ost d early .

She has ill re a p id your l ove , sa id E ric .

Th en m adam e ra se i d her face to Lord Arncourt

” “
My l ord she said h um bly
, I pray y ou to pardon , ,

me . I ask y our forgiveness for the gri evous wrong I have

done y ou .

You have it i d Lord Arncourt , sa ,

as he ra sed
i her ;
ou shoul d not k n e e! to m e madame I pardon y ou
y , .
3 68 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA n ow .

it was a woman s temp tation ,

’
and y ou y i More
eld ed to it .

g ri ev ou s h a rm m igh t h av e bee n d o n e b u t I th an k H, ea v en

we have di sc overed all in ti m e to avoid it

. Madam e y ou .
,

have my full pard on th ere can never m ore be con fid en c e

between us but y ou shall not have one reproach from m e
,

an d let m e add the p overty y ou d read ed shall n ot be

,

y ours—I will p rovid e for y ou .

”

Th en he wen t to R ei ne .

As for y ou m y poor unhappy child

, he sa i d I
will rep roach y ou no m ore—your sin has foun d y ou ou t
, , ,

y o u h av e n a rr o w ly es ca p e d b e i n g a m ur d e ress I n g r a t i .

t ud e to H eaven I i m pl ore y ou to l ead a better l ife an d

, ,

rep en t of your si ns .

Not one feature of her p roud face changed ; her li p s

d id n ot q uiver her hands did not trem bl e
, .

You have never l oved m e Lord Arncourt y o hav e ,

al ways l ik ed B ell e b es t .
”
9
,

“
I h ave been the ki nd est of fath ers to y ou R ei ne he , ,

said ;
“
b ut to tell y ou the t ruth I was al way s disap ,

p oi nted in y ou because y ou had no h eart .

No h eart she repeated bitterly ,

“
y e t I ha v e ru i n ed
”
m ysel f for l ove . She l ook ed roun d on th em all with a
m ocki ng sm il e It is lik e the cl ose of a m el od ram a ”

—
.
,

she sa id . V i rt u e t hat is B e ll e— tri um phs m arries an d , ,

lives happily ever afterward Vice—w hi ch I .

is p un i sh ed for all s ins and lives m i serably

, L e t m e ask .

on e q uesti on ; I h av e own ed my c rim e ; I confess fieely

'

that I tri ed to k i ll Be ll e ; that I did i t he pi ng that if she ,

370
A WOMAN '
S TE MP TA TION .

I am ver id that H eaven will have n ot hi ng

y m uch afra

to d o with m e!
said R e i ne w ith a sm il e
, I am to g o ,
.
“

free th en
,
I shall g o away wh ere n o one can even l ook
.

u p n m e aga i n—n one of y ou I m ean I m ight h av e

o
.
,

been good n ow ; I ch oose evil as m y porti on an d I g o ,

d eliberately to the bad You w ill not hear of m e .

”
agai n .

“
R ei ne said Lord Arnc ourt be persuad e d by th ose
, ,
“

who h ave your i nterest at h eart I will p rov id e for y ou . .

True y ou can not rem ai n h ere n or with m y conse n t

, , , ,

sh al l y ou ever see B e ll e aga i n ; b ut I will p rovid e a

hom e and an i ncom e for y ou i f y ou wi ll be reasonabl e

and acce pt it .

Th ank y ou,
she re pli ed ; y ou are ki nd er th an I
”
deserve .

But th ey rem em bered afterward th at she did not prom i se

to av ail h ersel f of his ki nd ness .

You m ust Bell e agai n c onti nued Lord Arn

n ot see ,

c ourt ; an d b ecause y ou h ave b een as m y child b ecaus e

“
,

I h ave l oved y ou b ecause y ou are y oung w ith a l ong li fe

, ,

before y ou I prom i se y ou one thi ng The k nowl edge of

,

y our sh am eful c ri m e sh all b e k ept a secret no one shal l ,

k now it with thi s excep ti on—Sir William Hailbury We

, .

m ust tell him b ut he I am q uite s ure will n ever b et ray

, ,

y ou so th at i f y ou w ill o n ly rep e n t y ou m a
y h ave a l ong ,

and h appy li fe b efore o u t

y y e .

Her face fl ush ed for one m omen t .

 WOMAN '
S TE MP TA H OM
37 ;

You are ki nd er to m e than I d eserve , she said .

h ll al ways rem em ber that

s a .

And b efore th ey could p reven t her or

,
say anoth er word ,

she was g on e !
373 A WOMAN ’
S TE MPTATIOM .

C H APTER LIII .

“
v ou e r. NOT/ ronc rv n rut ?

Sir William Hailbury was not so m uch aston ished

one would h ave i m agi ned He listened to Lord Arn
.

c ourt s l ong st ory wi th out com m ent Wh en it was en d e d

’
.
,

he l ook ed cal m ly at the n obl em an s ex cited face

’
.

Do y ou k n ow he said
,
“
non e of th i s surpri ses m e
,

v ery m uch . I th ought that the young l ady was m ore

F rench than E nglish ; and she seem ed to m e to ha v e
every q ualificati on b oth for the h eight of goo d an d th e
d epth of ev il I sh ould not have been surpri sed to hav e
.

heard th at she had d one the g reatest and m ost h eroi c

d eeds nor am I surpri sed to find th at she has attem pte d
,

an atroci ous c ri m e ; it is ten th ousan d pities th at she

has gone wrong What do y ou i n ten d d oi ng with he r
.
,

m y l ord
“
I th ought of set tli ng an i ncom e upon m adam e an d ,

ask in g her to ret urn to F ra n ce The gi rl is so y oung .

there is a h ope of her i m provem en t .

But the wi se old ph y sici an sh ook his h ead .

I am afraid not he said ,

“
Wh en a wom an of her
.

force of character her strength of will goes wrong the

, , ,

ch ances are a hund red to one that she never reforms .

3 74 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TION .

with even s ran t

ger th ings th an t hat It will h ave to be .

k n own som e ti m e or oth er .

“
It m ust b e kn own soon said Lord Arncourt , I .

m ust do full j ustice tom y own d aught er an d I can n ot d o ,

’
that with out exposi ng madam e s fraud I shall say as littl e .

ab out it as poss ibl e b ut it m ust b e d one

, I sh all sen d a .

p ar ag ra ph to th e Ti mes ; th at will g o roun d all the p apers

in E ngl an d We m ust bear pati en tly all the an n oyances

.

th at result It will be R om anc e in Hig h Li fe R om an ce

.
‘
,
’ ‘

of the Peerag e b ut wh en the n i ne d ays won d er is over

’

it will all die away and in the course of ti m e peopl e will

,

forget it . I sh all see th at it is d one at on ce We have .

said n othi ng to Be ll e at p resent ; b ut do y ou thi n k she is

in d anger n ow ?
No repli ed Sir William
”
,
The d anger was caused .

by the poi son n ow that th at has ceased the ill n ess itsel f ,

will c ease She will soon b e strong an d we ll agai n b ut of

.
,

course she will req ui re care .

“
Would y ou advi se us to te ll her what has passed ?
ask ed Lord Arn c ourt .

O nly som e p orti on of it and not even that j ust y et .

Of course she m ust k n ow th at she is y our da ugh ter b ut I ,

thi nk that if I were in your pl ace I sh ould n ever tell her

that the gi rl she l oved as a si ster had tri ed to poi son her .

T he k n owl edge c ould do her n o good and m ight do her ,

h arm If y ou tak e m y ad vice y ou will never all ow her

.
,

”
to k n ow th at .

I thi nk y ou are very wi se replied Lord Arncourt , .

 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TION
'

.
3 75

She will , with out d oubt be stronger and better in a few ,

days th en I will tell her m ysel f all that it is d esi rabl e for
her to k n ow To y ou Sir Wil li am I ten d er m y m ost
.
, ,

si n c ere an d h eartfelt th an ks You h ave n ot on ly been .

physician b ut fri en d, .

Thi s conversati on took pl ace on the day after the fata l

disc overy Dr Gran t had h ea rd n othi n g of it
. . . .

“
The fewer peopl e ad m itted to the k n owl edge of such
a sec re t the b e tter
,
th ought Lord Arncourt ,
.

Dr G ran t was t ol d that the c ulprit had been disc overed

.
,

b ut th at the wh ol e m atter for m any reasons would be , ,

b uri ed in oblivi on He m ad e n o furth er i nq ui ri es and he

.
,

n ever k n ew the sec ret .

Th ey had all separated on that fatal night Madame had .

ret urn ed to the pati e n t R e i n e to her room T he two g en, .

tlem en wen t away togeth er As Eri c was l eavi ng the .

room R ei n e wen t up to him

, .

”
I have been ve ry bad she said bad and wick ed ; , ,

b ut E ric say one word to m e It was for l ove of y ou that

, , .

”
I si nned m y sin .

But he t urn ed i m pati en tly away

b ut—pard on m e—
.

”
I forg ive y ou he said , I can not
say one ki n d word to y ou who have so nearly k i ll ed m y

prom i sed wi fe .

But she ca ught his h an d in h ers an d ki ssed it passi on

ate ly T he touch of her lips b urn ed him lik e fire He
'

. . .

n ever forg ot the exp ressi on of her face as she rai sed i t to

his.
376 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TION .

You will not forgive m e ? she said ; y ou wi ll not “

speak k i ndly to m e ? Ah well be it so ! Good by

,
-
,

There was not m uc h sl eep that nigh t for those who had
tak en part i n that terrib l e scene The stranges t thi ng .

was that Bell e did n ot seem to h ave n ot iced anyth ing

,

parti cular She believed im pl ici tly the story m adame tol d
.

her that R eine had gone in to see her and had upse t the
, ,
.

lam p and the noise of it falling had brought Lord Am

,

c ourt and Eri c .

She accepted the ex planati on with the p erfect l ang uor

and goo d faith of an invalid to wh om nothi ng seem s v e ry

Lord Arncourt did n ot even return to his room he

was unhappy bewild ered and an xi ous
, , It seemed such .

a st ran ge terribl e interru pti on to his li fe

,
But be resolved .

to see R ei ne on the m orrow and m ake arrangem en ts for

,

her goi ng away at on ce .

“
I sh ould nev er fancy that my d ear Bell e was safe
”
un d er the sam e roof w ith her he th ough t Poor litt le “
.
,

N i na Alice s lit tl e child ! Ah m e it has been an un

’

, , ,
.

h appy story altog eth er .

Sir Wil liam who had been ill abl e to spare the ti m e
,

from his pati ents returned to Lond on on the m orn i ng

,

foll owi ng He m ade n o attem pt to see R ei ne

. .

I could do her no good he th ough t And after

, .

see i ng her so brigh t and beautifirl I do n ot care to dim ,

my m em ory of her b y seein g her in the h our of her

adversity an d sh am e .
 A W OMAN S TE MP TA 7 1 0 1v
'
’

373 .

in it forget y ou all I sh ould have b een g ood if E ri c

.

had l oved m e as it is I h ave n o h ope In say i ng g ood

,
.

by to y ou I repeat th at I am v e ry pl eased th at I did n ot

, ,

”
aft e r all kill poor p re tty
,
l ovi ng Be lle , .

Lord Arn court read th at l etter with tears in his eyes .

D espite his ange r and m ost righteous i ndign ati on he fe l t ,

the greatest p ity for the b rilli an t beau ti ful gi rl wh os e lot ,

i li fe
n was s o un happy who had d oom ed h ersel f to so
-

wre tqhed a lot .

He did m ak e toward fin di ng her b u t

som e littl e eflort
'

all in vai n ; th ere was n o t rac e of her Lord Arn c ou rt .

'

was n ot alt og et her sorry It could n ot b e pl easan t for

.

her he thought to see any of th e m

, ,
st ill he would h av e

b een far better pl eased if he could have k n own wh ere she

was wh at she was d oi ng how she was sub si sti ng an d a ll
, , ,

ab ou t her .

With madam e he had m ore t roubl e she was unwill i ng

to l eave him She b egged perm i ssi on to wait un til B e ll e
.

was w ell ; she p rayed th at she m ight rem ai n even as the ,

m ean est servan t in the h ouseh old —anyth ing i f he woul d ,

on ly c onsen t to her rem ai n i ng She was attach ed to .

—
h m she was fond er of B ell e th an of any on e or anythi ng
i

in the w id e world R ei ne had been s uch a bitter disap

.

p oi n t men t to her that she c on cen tra ted all her l ove an d
,

care on the d aughter l eft to her—for Bell e was and al ways ,

had b een to her as her own child, .

But Lord Arn court was firm ; th ere had b een e v il

e o gh
n u — th ere should b e no m ore He i nsi sted up on .
 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TIOA ’.
3 79

it that m adam e sh ould return to Fran ce He settl ed a .

very h and som e ann uity on her .

Let m e stay with y ou she said France is fai r

, .

Fran ce n o l onger ; m y race are p roscrib ed ; th ere is no r

l onger a rood of g roun d in that sweet coun try of the sun

th at call s m e m i st ress My i end s e d ead nothi ng
fr . a r —
rem ai ns for m e th ere An d Bell e is h ere
. Let m e stay . .

But he resi sted th at p rayer as he had d on e all oth ers .

So it was arranged th at m adam e sh ould re t urn not to the ,

lan d of p oet ry an d song sun ny Provence b ut to Pari s

, , ,

wh ere she c ould in som e m easure enj oy her li fe T he on ly .

c oncessi on th at Lord Arncourt c ould b e p revail ed upon

to m ak e was th at s he m ight rem ai n with th em till B ell e

rec ov ered an d for th at m ad ame was grat eful

, .

Th ey foun d th at R ei ne had tak en nothi ng with her .

All the j ewel s the c ostly p resents th at Lord Arn court had
,

given her were th ere she had n ot tak en on e si ngl e thi ng

,

away w ith her T he rich d resses the p ri c e l ess l ace the

.
, ,

c os tly shawls the j ewe l ed fans the d ai nty slippers were all
, ,

th ere n ot one was di sarranged

, She had gone away .

e m pty h an d e d
-
.

But som e ti m e after thi s wh en Lord Arncourt was,

l ooki ng over som e m i n i at ures that he had by him he saw ,

th at one of E ric C hil vers had b een cut away He felt .

sure at onc e th at she had d on e it

.
T he on ly thi ng of all.

the rich an d val uabl e p ossessi ons that she had tak en away

with her was the port rait of the m an wh om she had l oved

so d early and who had made k n own her c ri m e

, Tears .
.
 8 A WOMAN S TEMP TA TIOIV
’

3 0 .

rose agai n to his y

e es as —poo
he though t of it r, l ost
,
un

happy R ei ne !
That sam e day he call ed his wh ole household togeth er ,

an d t old th em the t rut h He said n othi ng to th e m of

m ad am e s faul t—
.

he left th em to i n fer th at All he said

’
.

was that a great m ista ke had b een m ad e an d t hat his

,

daughter was n ot the young l ady th ey had b een ac c us ~

tom ed to call Mi ss Arn court but the one th ey had k n own

,

as Mi ss de St Lan ce Even then opi n i ons diflered—th ere

'

. .

were many who preferred the i m peri ous rul e of p roud ,

wi ll ful capricious R ei ne to the m ore g entl e d om i n ion

,
.

of Belle .
 8 3 A WOMAN S TEMP TA ’

Whil e y ou were so ill con ti n ued m ad ame Re i n e , ,

wen t to F ran c e ; she will b e th ere in all p rob ability for , ,

som e ti m e
. We did n ot t ell y ou before thi nki ng it m ig ht ,

di st ress y ou.

T he sweet face fell and the sensitive lips q uivered

,

G on e ! Oh m am m a l I am so sorry and she n ev e r

, ,

”
cam e to say good by -
.

“
You were so ill said m ad ame , we did n ot l ik e t o ,

”
dist urb y ou .

“
If I was so very ill m am m a how c oul d R ei ne leav e , ,

m e ? I would n ot h ave l eft he r it seem s very st ran ge

”
.

You m ust rem em ber m y d ear said m adame

’
tha t
, , ,

alth ough y ou were so ill as to ren d er any ki n d of ag i ta ti on

u nadvi sab l e for y ou still the d octors told us we n eed n ot

,

”
fear for your li fe .

“
An d d oes she k n ow have y ou told her how m uc h -

”
b etter I am D oes she k now that I am recove ri ng ?
“
I thi n k so—I am sure so repli ed m adam e ,
’
.

I m ust write to her m y h and s are strong enoug h n ow

,

to h old a p en .

Madam e evaded any di rect reply .

“
Anoth er few d ays she thought “
and she wi l l b e
, ,

stron g enough to h ear it all .

So on e m orn i ng Lord Arncourt wen t i n to her room an d ,

B ell e h eld out her p retty white h an d s to hi m .

i

I am so pl eased to see y ou she said I have bee n , .

l on gi ng to th an k y ou for all your ki nd n ess to m e si n ce I

.

have been ill I d o not thi nk any one was ever so k in d

. .
 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA T1 01V .
8
3 3

He b en t d own and ki ssed the frail , wasted hand s , and

the w hite, t face

swee .

“
You d eserve all the ki nd ness in the world he said ,

an d y ou are repayi n g it in the b es t m an n er p ossibl e by

“
,

getti ng well Be ll e are y ou strong enough to bear a great

.
,

surp rise

I thi n k so she repli ed

,
Any surprise y ou b ring .

m e m ust be agreeabl e I am sure Is it ab out R e i ne

, .

Her th oughts were al ways run n i ng on R ei ne .

Not all of her repli ed Lord Arncourt

”
.
,

Th en sitti ng d own by her side he told her all

, , .

Bell e was at first i n cred ul ous .

“
I never k n ew mad am e to speak falsely in all her life .

I cann ot thi nk that she com m itted the fraud ; an d y et do ,

y ou k no w papa — oh the word c om es so nat urally to m e

—do y ou know I have strange m em ori es I have often

, ,

th ought th at I rem em bered y our face ; th at I rem em b er

c om i ng from som e p retty h om e all b uri ed in fl owers a ,

long l on g j ourn ey with y ou

,
Your face was younger .

th en and s tern and col d

,
.

My d earest child if y ou had rem em bered thi s why

'

, ,

”
did y ou n ever t ell m e ?
I was afra id y ou would laugh at m e she repli ed “
I ,

used to thi n k suc h stra nge thi n gs—

.

th at I had lived before ,

and had k nown y ou in a anoth er li fe I dare not tell y ou .

all the q uai n t stra nge d ream s th at I h ave had

”
.
,

But Bell e my darli ng I wish that y ou had d one so ;

, , ,

it would h ave th rown a l ig ht upon what in som e way is

.
, ,
 8
3 4
A WOMAIV S ’
TEMP TA TIOIV .

sti ll a mystery . I cannot im agi ne what i nd uced a no b le ,

honorabl e woman lik e m ad am e to yi e ld to suc h a tem p ta

tion .

I can repli ed Bell e ,

Th ough I q uite beli eved .

that I was her own d aughter I c ould not h elp seei ng that ,

she l oved R ei ne b est She was so fon d of her an d s o

.
,

proud of her I k now th at her on e great d read was al

.

ways l est she sh ould b e too poor to all ow any b ril li an t

’
future to fall to R ei n e s lot She used to l ook at he r an d .

sigh so d eeply I thi nk m adam e l ov ed her b ett er th an all

.

the world the id ea of be i ng ab l e to pl ace her ou t of the

reach of all p overty m ust h ave b een v ery t em pti ng to he r .

You m ay d epend upon it it was all for R ei n e s sak e ”

’
.
,

“
So
I thi n k ; bu t she is such a no ble wom an . She
”
m ust have b een very wretch ed ov er it .

”
It was a wom an s temptati on said Bell e, m usi n g ly
’

, .

It could n ot h ave overtak en a m an ; y et it seem s v e ry

strange for I h ave al ways l oved and h onored y ou so gr ea t
, (

ly. I cannot even l ove y ou any better n ow that I k now I

am y our own child and the swee t h appy eyes we re ,

rai sed to his .

It was c hra c teristic of Belle that she th ought more of

the j y o an d h app i ness of disc ov eri ng her fath er than she d id
’
of madam e s sin .

Lord Arn court clasped her in his arm s .

You m ust l ove m e very m uch Bell e , ,

he sa id . You
’
have y our m oth er s sweet, w i nni ng way with y ou, y ou ha v e
3 8 6 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA 7 1 01v
'
.

learn to live with out R ei ne ; she will n e er com e

v back
aga ni .

Lord Arncourt did n ot d i st urb the convicti on t hat he

saw had tak en p ossessi on of Be ll e She al ways b e l i eved .

that it was from angry di sapp oi n tm en t at l earn i ng the t ru t h

that R ei ne had run away Bell e al ways be li eved th a t the

.

proud will ful caprici ous gi rl left Neversleigh in an ang er

, ,

b ecause m ad am e had t old her the truth and in this ,

opi ni on she was all owed to rem ai n

’
.

Before l ong Bell e had recovered her strength and then , ,

to her great surp ri se she found h ersel f fam ous

, T he .

st ory had gone ab road an d had b een received wi th g reat

,

favor by the great world It was a new sensati on S uc h

. .

thi ngs had been read of in n ovels in the rom antic an n a l s ,

of the peerage ; b ut thi s was the first ti m e th at m os t

peopl e had k n own such a case in real li fe Bell e w as .

fam ous Peop l e all rem em b ered the beauti ful p rou d
.
, ,

dark eyed gi rl who for one season had been queen of the
-

great world and m any were the questi ons ask ed as to he r

,

wh ereab outs but by that ti m e m adam e had return e d to

,

F rance and Lord Arncourt al ways sai d that b oth the l ad i es

,

had l eft Neversleig h .

On e thi ng t ouch ed hi m deeply Among th ose w ho .

read the st ory was the E arl of B randon

’
R ei n e s h an d ,

som e eager y oung l over ; and wh en he had r

.

,
ead it he ,

wen t at once to Nev ersleigh and a sk ed to see Lord Arn

,

c ourt He poi n ted to the paragra ph and with a fl ush ed

.
,

face he cri ed
,
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMP TA TION 8
3 7

Wh ere is she ? tell m e wh ere she is . Ih ll n ot re st

s a
\
till I h av e l aid my fortune ,
my nam e, an d m y l ove at her
feet agai n .

cannot tell y ou repli ed Lord Arn court earnestl y ;

I , ,

I d o n ot k now I m ay tell y ou b ut I would tell n o on e

.
,

e lse .th at she l eft us of her own free will and we have ,

h eard nothi ng of her si nce .

”
“
i d Lord Brand on ; she could
She was so p roud , sa
“

n ot I supp ose b rook the i dea of rem ai n i ng h ere aft er her

, ,

”
m oth er s fraud was k n own
’
.

Lord Arn c ourt all owed him to rem ai n in that opi n i on ,

and the y oung earl l oved him all the be tt er for it .

Love is om n ipotent he said gravely ; I sh al l find , ,

“

her I shall search the wh ol e world th rough till I h ave

,

foun d her and I sh all m ak e her Lady B ran d on ; y ou

,

”
will see .

He sp en t y ears in his ch he sp en t a fort une in it

sear ,

b ut he n ever foun d her He l oved her better th an he had

.

ever d one any wom an livi n g b ut his l ove n ever p ros pered , .

Years afterward he m arri ed a gen tl e high b red gi rl wh ose ,

-
,

chi ef m erit i n his eyes was th at her fac e in its d ark p roud , ,

b eauty som ewh at resem bl ed R ei ne s He m arri ed her

,
’
.
,

but he n ever gave to any oth er wom an such l ove as he had

g iven to R e i n e .

T he parti ng b etween M ad am e de St Lance and B elle .

had been v ery pai n ful B elle suspected n othi ng ; she

.

al way s th ought th at madam e was g oi ng to rej oi n R ei n e in

3 33 A WOMAN S ’
TEMP TA TION .

France, wh ereas happen ed that m oth er and d aughte r

it so

n ever i n thi s li fe m et agai n .

M adam e ret urn ed to her fai r lan d of F rance For som e .

littl e ti m e she lived in Pari s but the d esi re to fin d R e i n e ,

overp owered her She b rok e up the littl e h om e she s p en t

.

the rem ai nder of her li fe in t raveli ng from one ci ty to

anoth er al ways l ooki ng and l ooki ng in vai n for he r lost

, , ,

R ei ne Th ey never m et ; and m ad am e the l ast of the

.
,

—
De St Lances she who had fi led ki ngs and had been s ur
.

roun d ed by p ri nc es — she was fou n d dead i n the room of a

hotel at C ol ogne wh ere she was stay i n g Th ere was n o .

sum pt u ous m on u m en t to m ark wh ere she rested n o p om

p ,

of word s to tell th at she who had on ce b een the m os t

b eauti ful an d h onored Wom an in France lay in an u n
k nown grave .

By Bell e s wish and d esi re her m arri age was a very q u i et

’

one . It took pl ace in May wh en the m ead ows were sw ee t ,

with cl over and the h edges sweet with bl ossom

,
She had .

regai n ed her h ealth an d st ren gth th en b ut it was eas

y to ,

see how the l ovi ng g en tle h eart l on ged for R ei ne

, .

“
Am I n ot en ough B e ll e ask ed E ric on e day
, w he n , ,

she was l am en ti ng th at she was to b e m arri ed wi th ou t

”
R e i ne am I n ot e n oug h for y ou ?
“

She h eld out he r han d to h im .

I c ould n ot l ove y ou m ore d early she c ri ed ,

d o m i ss m y si ster R e i ne .

They were m arri ed in the swee t b reath of fl owers an d

E ric wishi ng to ch eer Bell e an d restore her l ost brightness
, ,
 A WOMAN ’
S TEMPTA TIOIV .

C HAPTE R LV .

J UST W HAT LIF E HAS ru m; nut .

They tell even n ow in the gay sunny city of Paris of

, , ,

the won d rous beauty of the gi rl who cam e th ere s u d

den ly n o one k new from wh ence

,
She was won d r ou s ly .

l ovely ; m en l ost th ei r h earts by one l ook at her p e rfect

face. But the sam e face beauti ful as it was had a , ,

o
st ry in it .

She had m any l overs the l ady who owned t his b eau t i fu l
,

face ; b ut she was never k n own to l ove She was g ay .

,

wi ll fu l capri c i ous p roud and d efian t ; she was ad orable ;

, , ,

m en b owed b efore her as the h eath ens of old b efore the ir

’
idol s ; she rul ed m en s h earts with a q ueen ly sway ; s he
ben t thei r will ; even the strongest could n ot s tan d
agai nst her .

She was the m ost ch arm i ng of all ench antresses ; n o

one cou ld resi st her y et a m an had far b etter have g iven
his h eart to a m arbl e s tat ue than to her She took all .

she gave n othi ng .

Her sm il es were d eadli est poi son ; a gl ance from her

d ark eyes fatal as d eath A tigress had m ore p ity than
.

she she spa r e d n o m an —the y oung the rich the n obl e , , ,

all fell alik e h elpl ess in her power .

 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TIOIV .

39 :

It was play to her to win a m an s h eart to torture it ’

, ,

then to fl i ng it back l aughi n g in his face , It was play .

to her to see a m an g o th rough all the agony of un h appy

love she had n o m ercy n o pity n o com passi on , , .

Men k n ew wh at she was th ey saw her victi m s fall one

after anoth er ; th ey warn ed each oth er agai n st her ; an d

y et
,
lik e th e m o th round the eandle th ey fl utt ered ,

and fell .

It was death for her bright p roud eyes to rest upon a ,

—
m an s face d eath for the gl an ce was sure toattract him
’

he was sure to l ove her and all l ove for her had the sam e
,

en di ng . She spared no on e Youth fai r p rom i se fai r .

, ,

hope fai r nam e all fell before her ; y et th ose who saw
, ,

her m ost often an d k n ew her b est c oul d tell th at all her

, ,

gayety was forced her brillian cy assum ed ; that her wit

,

was c ruel her sarcasm l eft a sti ng

,
Th ey call ed her the .

Q u ee n o f B oh em i a an d she was p ro u
,d o f th e titl e .

Who she was wh ere she eam e from wh at b rought her

, ,

to th at sunny city of Pari s no one k new T he on ly thi ng

, .

that could be told of her was she was a l ady she had , ,

been well b orn well bred she was accustom ed to the

-
,
-
,

form s of good soc i ety Beyond that nothi ng was k nown

. .

She had n o m ercy Tell her of y oung l overs who had

.

a l ife all fai r b efore them she would utt er som e c ruel ,

sarcasm before which those who were speaki ng to her

,

wi nced . Tal k to her of l ove she would laugh the words ,

to scorn Tell her of happi ness and peace she woul d

.
,

scoff at the word s .

 3 A WOMAN S TEMPTA TION ’

39

You are the m ost brilli an t the m ost beaut ifu l an d

, ,

the m ost cruel wom an I have ever m et said a g reat Rus

,

i
s an prince to her once .

I am j ust what li fe has m ad e me, she re pli ed .

Th ey sh owed her once the body of a fai r hai red y ou ng -

eap tain wh om l ove fo

,
r her had d riven m ad She had .

sm i led upon hi m ; she had t ak en his h eart from his

b reas t ; she had given him l anguid glances from her won ‘

d o
r us ey es—and he w orshi p ed her She t ook his h ea rt .
,

y oung eager happy full of fai r h opes and p rom i se ; s he

, , ,

had t ram pl ed it und er her fee t and gave it b ack to hi m ,

b rok en He wen t m ad for l ove of her And wh en t hey

. .

t old her he was m ad she laugh ed , .

Oth ers h ave l ost m ore, y et have k ept th ei r ’

reas on ,

s he said .

In his m ad ness he him sel f ; th ey sh owed he r hi s

slew

b ody with stains of b l ood on the fai r h ai r and the com ely
face .

“
I would change places wi th him ,
s he sa id ,
“
if it
were n ot c owardly to kill on e s sel f
’
.

An d l ook ed at him
as she no g eam l of pity passed over

the p roud b eauty of her face .

Do y ou h ate the wh ol e race of m en ? an d h ave y ou

”
som e ven ean e a a ns g c g i t t hem 2 a great wri ter ask ed her

one day , and she laugh ed a d reary low laugh ,

.

If I lived forever she sa id I could v g

not a en e t he
“

, , ,

wrong I h ave received .

 A WOMAN S ’
TEM P TA TI ON
3 94
.

You do n ot seem to val ue it he said hal f

, , an g r
y to

see how c oolly she t reated his m agn ificen t gi ft .

”
“
val ue a j ewel l she said
I . If all the diam on d s of
G olconda were h ere th ey would , n ot give me one m i n u t e s
’

”
p l easu re .

“
I wi sh I k n ewwh at would pl ease y ou ,
he sa id .

“
Nothi ng , she re pli ed . Th ere is n om ore pl eas u re a n d
”
n o m ore pai n for me .

So th rough the l ong b rilli an t years she lived an d t hey ,

a id n o wom an livi n g had such l ux ury such ad m i ra ti on

s , ,

as fell to her lot ; th ey said n o wom an livi ng had d on e

m ore h arm by her p rid e her b eauty an d her c rue l ty , , .

She v t d b ut once an d that was wh en a dan

n e e r sof en e ,

g e rous ill n ess had b rought h er to the ga tes of d ea t h .

Th en wh en she b eli eved h ersel f to be dyi ng she bad e on e

, ,

of her atten dan ts un l ock a ti ny ivory b ox th at never l eft

her room .

Th ey b rought her a littl e m i n i ature th at lay th ere the ,

h an dsom e face of a y oung Engli sh m an She t ook it and

-
.

l ook ed at it l ong an d earn estl y ; tears rai n ed d ow n he r ,

fac e she ki ssed the picture with a p ass i onate cry .

”
“
Oh ,
E ric ! E ric 1 she said ,
I m ight h ave b een
good I ,
m ight h ave b een h appy ,
if y ou had on ly l ove d

me .

But she did n ot d ie, an d the m i n i atu re was re place d i n

the b ox . If she fetch ed it out in the d ead of the n ight ,

an d wept bitter tears over i t, no on e k new . She rec ov

 A WOMAIV S ’
TE MP TA TIOIV .

39 5

ere d ,
and in a few days was her old b rilli an t b eauti ful ,

self .

I hOp e, id that I sh all die h ere in Pari s and

she sa , ,

”
be b uri ed in Pere le Chai se .

Wh at name m y q ueen would y ou h ave pl aced on

, ,

your gravestone ? ask ed one of her courti ers

”
.

No n am e at all she repli ed

“ ”
“
O nly one word
, . .

One word will exp ress the whol e of m y li fe

”

“
And wh at m ay th at one word he he ask ed .

She l ook ed at him with cal m p roud eyes ,

-
.

she said
’
Th at one word is Disappoi n ted and it ,

wil l exp ress all th at a vol um e could n ot t ell

”
.

a: a: as as a: a:

A beauti ful sum m er s eveni ng B ell e and Eric are ’

.

stan di ng on the l awn at Nev ersleig h Fai r hai red chil .

-

d ren are playi ng round her an d one of th em com es up ,

to her .

“
M am m a says the child
“
, y ou are n ot sm ili n g to ,

day What has m ad e y ou sad ?

.

I am n ot sad d arli ng on ly th ought ful

,
she repli ed , ,

an d the littl e on e wi sely rem ark ed

I thi n k all g rown up p eopl e are sad wh en th ey thi n k

-
.

”
If I were y ou I would n ot thi n k m am m a
, ,
.

She ki ssed the child bi ddi ng him g o to play Th en ,

.

E ri c t urned to her .

You do l ook sad and th oughtful too Bell e Why , , , .

”
is it i
I h ave been th inki ng all day of Rei ne , she re pli ed .
396 A WOMAN S ’
TE MP TA TION .

Oh Eri c I thi nk i t so stra nge We lived as si sters we

, ,
.

loved eac h oth er so d early Yet she has been g on e fi om

.
- ‘

us ten y ears and we h ave never h eard one word

,
.

”
It is st ra nge he said But Be ll e y ou have m any
,
.
, ,

oth ers to l ove ; y ou m ust not let yoursel f grow sa d in

thi n ki ng over R ei ne She is happy wit hout d oub t i n her
.
, ,

”
own fashi on .

If he had seen the Q ueen of B oh em ia he wou l d n ot

have sa id so Even as he spoke his c onsc i ence rep roac hed

.
,

him . Th ere could be no happi ness in this worl d for

R e i ne .

I l oved her so d early I cannot forget her said Belle , .

And he l ooki ng at his wi fe s sweet face th an k ed H eav en

’

, ,

that she did not and n ever would k now the story of
, ,

Rei ne s cri me
’
.

T HE END .