we met, should have thrilled through my heart, and urged me with a passionate longing to behold you. I saw you! and you, Katharine ! -you passed away, and did not dream of the interest you had excited: ah! how that interest was increased when I witnessed your interview with the fisherman. It is strange, too, what a bond of union a secret at once creates between two persons who may never have even met before. Often, dearest, have I repeated to you all that I have just written, but there is so much of happiness in the recollection that I love to register it. "And now, Katharine, I will tell you my plans and prospects. For years back I have been earnestly looking forward to the army as my profession : since I have known you, I have not once thought of the future, for, Katharine, the present has been every thing to me. Last night, on reaching my room, I received the commission so long desired; and I who had often spent whole hours in anticipating my plans, and joying in the prospect of a reckless and roving life, sat down with the confirmation of those wishes in my hand, and wept over it. Often, love, you have heard me speak of my mother, and my sister Violet, of the embarrassments of my property, left encumbered as it was by my father. I am bound in honour to support my mother and sister, and when the purchase of my lieutenancy is effected, there will be but little left to me except my commission; and now, Katharine, have you patience with my presumption in daring to offer you my love, and to pray that you may consider my suit. When I think of your joyless home, your unfriended state, (forgive me! oh, forgive me!) I cannot but hope that you may at least listen to me, and consider what I have said; and again, love, I do not venture upon this plea alone to hope that you will not suddenly decide against me. A single solitary star though you be, as far above me as though surrounded by a thousand worshippers, but with all so cold and joyless about you—hence has arisen my presumption. "But I shall see you to-morrow! Alas, there will be no other morrow for me till — till — oh, glad words, we meet again! How many revulsions of feeling have I passed through in writing this letter! at one moment I hope; and then your vast superiority, the immeasurable distance between us in mind, in intelligence, in every thing, all rises up in terrific array, and I close my eyes and shudder, and write again, and again presume to hope that you will not finally reject me, and that though you may not venture to share my pittance with me now on an ensign's pay and seventy pounds a year, you may give me leave at least to look forward to happiness when my lieutenancy is purchased. I trust by that time my shattered fortunes may be in some measure repaired; but in honour I must add, that this is only probable, and by no means certain. "I am surprised at the methodical manner in which I have drawn out my history. "Once more, love, to-morrow we shall meet. "God bless you, Katharine, and may you be merciful in your decision! for should you decide against me (and I cannot think you will), there is no longer any thing to look forward to. I lay before you the unopened volume of my future life; it is for you to fill its pages with a joyful record, or leave it a blank, a void, an unlettered, unregistered space. Adieu then, dearest, and once more, God bless you! "ARTHUR." CHAPTER III. "Our paths are desolate and far apart!" Katharine's reply. "I know not, Arthur, how long I have sat with your precious letter in my hands - precious, though so full of sorrow. Arthur, I decided as soon as I had read it. I love you too well to burden you with my support, as I must do were we married. I have nothing - literally nothing; and, Arthur, there is no chance of my ever being richer. It would be unfair to bind you by promises which, in the reckless, roving life you are to lead, would be hard to keep, for you would meet with innumerable temptations to break them. The very idea of those promises would create round you an invisible, yet heavy thraldom. “ I thank you, my love (alas ! it may be that I may never call you this again) for your honest letter, and I thank you, too, for the only happy hours I have passed since since my father died. You have laid before me your future prospects in life: so far you are happier than me, for I have no prospects; but you may feel interested in my history, so I will give it you. Years hence, perhaps, you will look upon it, and wonder where and what I am, when, mayhap, you would not otherwise think of me. "You have heard me speak of my father, Colonel Anwyl, alas! not often. I seldom trusted myself to do so, and now, ere I go on, let me give way to my tears, which, rarely indulged in, are the more violent when called forth. * "The first thing I remember of life was hearing that my father was ordered abroad. I was sitting on a low stool, learning my lesson to say to my mother, when he came in and announced the intelligence that the troops were to embark that evening. "You know my mother never loved me, Arthur, and you are the only person who have ever heard that from my lips. I was sitting quite still (for I dared not move without leave), when he came into the room in his cloak, and lifting me up, he kissed me over and over again without speaking, and my little throat ached, and my eyes burned, and the tears streamed in torrents over my cheeks. He went away - he went away !. he who always took my part, left me! . my only friend : "I crept out of the room to the nursery window, and there on an old trunk I sat and watched him down the garden walk. I lost all fear when I lost sight of him: in my childish agony I forgot all else, and screamed aloud. "The nursemaid slapped me, and my mother desired her to put Miss Anwyl to bed if she was troublesome.' God help me!-my sorrow, though greater than any one's else, was least thought of. 66 My mother never loved me! Often I have sat with my book in my hand, striving to give my attention to the lesson; alas! my thoughts were on the sea with my poor father - I could not learn; and after being called obstinate and stupid, I have crept, weeping bitterly, to my little bed, and cried myself to sleep, with these words on my lips, · and send him soon and safe home again.' - ، Pray God bless papa, Oh, Arthur, Arthur, when I heard that he was dead, I thought I must have died too. I was at a heartless London boarding-school when this ter rible blow fell on me. I was sitting opposite the governess on a bench, when the head teacher bent across, and said in a whisper, but loud enough for me to hear,So little Anwyl's father is dead!' "I remember waking from a sort of stupor and finding myself alone and in bed: oh, the loneliness of a large school! The unconcerned eyes turned on me when I descended to the school-room. Some asked me who made my dress, and another observed the crape was not so deep as hers when her mother died. "I was told that I would take my dancing lesson as usual:' I obeyed: there was no resisting the cold, mechanical orders of our stern governess. ! * * * "In another year my brother wrote to say my mother was married again! "I left school at sixteen: alas! there was a younger sister at home. She was a sweet, fair child, with a bright smile and sunny hair, and a glorious disposition, but the curse of neglect was on me she was the favourite! There was a large old lumber-room in our house, and when Blanche was seven or eight years old, her great amusement was to go up there and play. One day, on going into that room, I saw a trunk open, and my father's gay uniform lying on the floor: she was pleased with the gaudy colours and glittering epaulettes: his sash was tied across her fair round shoulders, his gloves, sword knot all his well-remembered trappings were strewed around. "I made a sudden exclamation of "Oh, Blanche !" and darted forward without any angry impulse to put them away. The spoiled child screamed, and before I had time to quiet her my mother rushed furiously into the room, waited for no explanation, but seizing Blanche, she pushed me from her. My brother had followed her: he stood at the door an instant, then seeing the scattered uniform of his dead father, he comprehended all: he walked forward, and quietly folding them up, put them reverendly by, my mother all the time too much engaged with Blanche's tears to mind him. She uttered many bitter invectives against me for tormenting the poor child.' I heeded them not; I was intent on the trappings of the dead. A paper fell from one of the pockets; I took it up; it was a letter, in a large scrawling hand, from me. How it had been treasured up! it was in the breast pocket of his regimental coat. My tears fell fast, and wrapping it up, together with a pair of his old gloves, I walked calmly out of the room with my treasures. "My brother Henry got his commission soon afterwards and went away, vowing he would never enter his mother's house again. You know he kept his word. I know not how my father's property was arranged. There were some savings hardly earned by long toil abroad. I believe they were settled on my mother: she allows me thirty pounds a year. "And now, Arthur, I leave you to judge if I shall ever be richer. Once more I thank you for your love. To tell me that I am far above you is mockery. I thank you for the honour you have done me, and for all the happiness you have bestowed; for in my dark path it will be pleasant to look back on the gleam of sunshine with which you have lit up the past. "And so, Arthur, dearest, dearest, farewell! You will think I am too calm to feel utterly wretched. For the last few weeks sorrow and I have been parted; now she has come back to me, and I am too well used to her to despair as others would. I repeat to you solemnly, that I love you deeply, devotedly, and that I never can love, and never have loved, any other. Let us hope for brighter times; and when you are richer in worldly matters come to me, should you still love me, and though it may be years hence, I promise to be yours. Dim and distant as is that vision of joy, it will give solace to my lonely life: - so once again, farewell. "I had thought to have bid you go without seeing me, but there my We will meet to-morrow. strength fails me. They are all going on a gay expedition, with a fleet of yachts, and a band of music, and troops of friends, and I shall be alone, in my little sitting-room, waiting, waiting oh, words of anguish!to part from you. 66 May God give me strength to bear this great calamity, as He has done all my sorrows." CHAPTER IV. The ball-room and its many lights — the tread Author's MS. It was a lovely evening when Violet Murray stood on the lawn at Glenerie, and watched her namesake entering the mouth of the loch. On came the little vessel, now like a meteor in the gloaming all light, with her triangular flag distinctly visible in colour, shape, and size, and again she fell into shadow, and hull and spars and sails were an indistinct mass. At length she anchored opposite the lawn, down rattled the jib, the tiny cannon was fired, and answered by the gamekeeper's fowling-piece at home: the boat was lowered, and in a few moments Arthur leaped ashore, and was received into the arms of his mother and sister. And after all the joy of meeting, when the candles were brought, and the fond mother peered through her glasses at her son's careworn countenance, and Violet gaily rallied him on having fallen in love, his heart utterly failed him, and he burst into tears. Remember, women were his only witnesses. Men's hearts are readily poured out before them sure of sympathy! The postbag came in, and Violet (being quite sure she knew the story almost) withdrew to open it. In a short time her joyous voice rang through the lofty hall, and she danced into the room with an open letter in her hand. "There," said she gaily, "is good news! I hope it will make you both pleasant company at supper." And this was the letter from her uncle, General M- -: "My dear Mrs. Murray, "I have been fortunate enough to be appointed commander-in-chief in Scotland. I see by last week's Gazette that your son Arthur has got his commission let him join his regiment for a few months, and then come to me as my aide-de-camp. I hear a great deal of a flirtation between him and a Miss Anwyl, a daughter of my old friend, Colonel Anwyl. She has had a bad bringing up by that dressed-out mother of hers, I am afraid, but I hear she is a good girl after all. "I am as confirmed an old bachelor as ever, and though I don't intend to marry, I see no objection to my taking a son. I shall go down to Largs, where I understand the lady is, and reconnoitre. If I like her, perhaps Í may adopt her too, provided I don't change my mind, and marry her myself. "Love to Violet: I hope she has not forgotten my lamb's wool stockings for the winter. I pass over the old general's introduction to Katharine - his joy at discovering her to be every thing he wished. The lady at whose house he met her invited her to Edinburgh; and Kate was too wretched at home not to avail herself of this relief from herself, for she was always alone left. And so to Edinburgh she went. always There was to be a gay ball at the commander-in-chief's. By the way, he had taken care not to let Katharine know he was Arthur's uncle, and Arthur himself had been duly cautioned on the subject. It was, then, to be a very brilliant ball. All the garrison were to be there:-Light Dragoons and Light Infantry, Brigade Majors, and A.D.C.'s, stray officers on detachment, &c. &c. Alas! the poor civilians were never even counted in the list of expected guests by the young ladies. Katharine had not the courage to refuse. She dreaded a torrent of questions from the good-hearted Mrs. Howard; as it was, there was a little altercation about flowers in the hair, but here Kate conquered. At eight o'clock Mrs. Howard's carriage was ordered. As Katharine was closing her dressing-case, a letter of Arthur's fell out: the hour was for gotten; and Mrs. Howard's maid twice informed her it was waiting before she heard her: she hastily replaced the letter, and attended the summons. The General's house was in a blaze of light, and the hall crowded with servants, but their names rang up an empty staircase. At the head of it, in true old school style, stood the white-headed General ready to receive them. Katharine would have passed on to the illuminated drawing-room, but General Murray led her to a smaller apartment. She entered the door closed behind her; and there, in his full uniform, all joy, stood Arthur her own Arthur-the General's nephew, his godson, his proclaimed heir, and her happy lover. She fell, utterly deprived of sense, into Arthur's arms; and when she recovered strangers were supporting her, but theirs were familiar facesViolet's and her mother's mild prototypes of Arthur's glorious counte nance. It was some few months after this that Katharine's mother, and the rest of the family, drove to the Hotel in Prince's Street: they came to the wedding. The old General would have it at his own house. There was a slight show of resistance, and a little talk about people being married from their own home. General Murray begged in the politest way possible to know "where that was?" and as the party had for some time past been wandering about from one watering place to another, and the pretty cottage in Northumberland was let, it was deemed advisable to allow the old man to have his way; besides, he could not leave Scotland, so every thing went right. The bride did not shed tears, and was even heard to laugh at the breakfast, at which the Edinburgh ladies (who had been playing at com. pany and propriety all their lives) were somewhat scandalised. They were to spend the honey-moon at Glenerie. The carriage drove round, the General handed in the happy bride, joked Arthur about having a larger allowance of baggage than he was entitled to, and after more shaking of hands, re-entered his house whistling the "British Grenadiers,” a favourite tune of his when particularly pleased; and on that day it would have done your heart good to hear him! |