For Woman's Love Part- 2, Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth [reading list .TXT] 📗
- Author: Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
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The Brother And Sister Shook Hands And Parted For The Night, Each Going
To His Or Her Respective Apartment. Early The Next Morning The Little
Party Met At Breakfast. The Iron King Looked Sullen And Defiant, As If
He Were Challenging The Whole World To Find Any Objection To His
Remarkable Marriage At Their Peril. Mrs. Stillwater, In A Pretty Morning
Robe Of Pale Blue Sarcenet, Made Very Plainly, Looked Shy, Humble, And
Deprecating, As If Begging From All Present A Charitable Construction Of
Her Motives And Actions. Cora Rothsay Looked Calm And Cold In Her Usual
Widow's Dress And Cap.
Sylvan Seemed The Only Cheerful Member Of The Party, And Tried To Make
Conversation Out Of Such Trifles As The Bill Of Fare Furnished. All Were
Relieved When The Party Separated And Went To Their Rooms To Dress For
Church. At Eleven O'clock They Reassembled In The Parlor. Mr. Rockharrt
Wore A New Morning Suit. He Might Have Been Going Down To Wall Street
Instead Of To His Own Wedding. Rose Stillwater Wore A Navy Blue,
Lusterless Silk Traveling Dress, With Hat, Veil And Gloves To Match, All
Very Plain, But Extremely Becoming To Her Fresh Complexion And Ruddy
Hair. Cora Wore Her Widow's Dress Of Lusterless Black Silk With Mantle,
Bonnet, Veil And Gloves To Match. Sylvan, Like His Grandfather, Wore A
Plain Morning Suit.
"Well, Are You All Ready?" Demanded Old Aaron, Looking Critically Upon
The Party.
"All Ready, Sir," Chirped Sylvan For The Others.
"Come, Then."
And The Aged Bridegroom Drew The Arm Of His Bride-Elect Within His Own
And Led The Way Down Stairs And Out To The Handsome Carriage That Stood
Waiting.
He Handed Her In, Put Her On The Back Seat And Placed Himself Beside
Her.
Sylvan Helped His Sister Into The Carriage And Followed Her. They Seated
Part 2 Chapter 17 (A Mad Marriage My Masters) Pg 23Themselves On The Front Seat Opposite The Bridal Pair.
And The Carriage Drove Off.
"Oh!" Suddenly Exclaimed Old Aaron Rockharrt, Rummaging In The Breast
Pocket Of His Coat And Drawing Thence A White Envelope And Handing It To
Sylvan; "Here, Take This And Give It To The Minister As Soon As We Come
Before Him."
The Young Man Received The Packet And Looked Inquiringly At The Elder.
It Was Really The Marriage Fee For The Officiating Clergyman, And A Very
Ostentatious One Also; But The Iron King Did Not Condescend To Explain
Anything. He Had Given It To His Grandson With His Orders, Which He
Expected To Be Implicitly Obeyed Without Question. They Reached The
Church, The Same Church In Which They Had Heard The Dean Preach On The
Previous Sunday. They Alighted From The Carriage And Entered The
Building, Old Aaron Rockharrt Leading The Way With His Bride-Elect On
His Arm, Sylvan And Cora Following. The Church Was Vacant Of All Except
The Minister, Who Stood In His Surplice Behind The Chancel Railing, And
The Sexton Who Had Opened The Door For The Party, And Was Now Walking
Before Them Up The Aisle.
The Church Was Empty, Because This, Though The Wedding Of A Millionaire,
Was One Of Which It Might Be Said That There Was "No Feast, No Cake, No
Cards, No Nothing."
The Party Reached The Altar Railing, Bowed Silently To The Minister, Who
Nodded Gravely In Return, And Then Formed Before The Altar--The
Venerable Bridegroom And Beautiful Bride In The Center, Sylvan On The
Right Of The Groom, Cora On The Left Of The Bride. The Young Man
Performed The Mission With Which He Had Been Intrusted, And Then The
Ceremony Was Commenced. It Went On Smoothly Enough Until The Minister In
Its Proper Place Asked The Question:
"Who Giveth This Woman To Be Married To This Man?"
There Was An Awful Pause.
No One Had Thought Of The Necessity Of Having A "Church Father" To Give
Away The Bride.
The Officiating Clergyman Saw The Dilemma At A Glance, And Quietly
Beckoned The Gray-Haired Sexton To Come Up And Act As A Substitute. But
Sylvan Haught, With A Twinkle Of Fun In His Eyes, Turned His Head And
Whispered To The New Comer:
"'After Me Is Manners Of You.'"
Then He Took The Bride's Hand And Said Mightily:--
"I Do."
Part 2 Chapter 17 (A Mad Marriage My Masters) Pg 24
The Marriage Ceremony Went On To Its End And Was Over. Congratulations
Were Offered. The Register Was Signed And Witnessed.
And Old Aaron Rockharrt Led His Newly Married Wife Out Of The Church And
Put Her Into The Carriage. Then Turning Around To His Grandchildren He
Said:
"You Can Walk Back To The Hotel. See That The Porters Send Off Our
Luggage By Express To The Cataract House, Niagara Falls. They Have Their
Orders From Me, But Do You See That These Orders Are Promptly Obeyed.
Now, Good-By."
He Shook Hands With Sylvan And Cora, And Entered The Carriage, Which
Immediately Rolled Off In The Direction Of The Railway Station.
The Brother And Sister Walked Back To The Hotel Together.
"It Will Be A Curious Study, Cora, To See Who Will Rule In This New
Firm. I Believe It Is Universally Conceded That When An Old Man Marries
A Pretty Young Wife, He Becomes Her Slave. But Our Honored Grandfather
Has Been Absolute Monarch So Long That I Doubt If He Can Be Reduced To
Servitude."
"I Have No Doubts On The Subject," Replied His Sister.
"I Have Been Watching Them. He Is Not Subjugated By Rose. He Is Not
Foolishly In Love With Her, At His Age. He Likes Her As He Likes Other
Agreeable Accessories For His Own Sake. I Have Neither Respect Nor
Affection For Rose, Yet I Feel Some Compassion For Her Now. Whatever The
Drudgery Of Her Life As Governess May Have Been Since She Left Us, Long
Ago, It Has Been Nothing, Nothing To The Penal Servitude Of The Life
Upon Which She Has Now Entered. The Hardest-Worked Governess,
Seamstress, Or Servant Has Some Hours In The Twenty-Four, And Some Nook
In The House That She Can Call Her Own Where She Can Rest And Be Quiet.
But Rose Rockharrt Will Have No Such Relief! Do I Not Remember My Dear
Grandmother's Life? And My Grandfather Really Did Love Her, If He Ever
Loved Any One On Earth. This Misguided Young Woman Fondly Hopes To Be
The Ideal Old Man's Darling. She Deceives Herself. She Will Be His
Slave, By Day And Night Seldom Out Of His Sight, Never Out Of His
Service And Surveillance. Possibly--For She Is Not A Woman Of
Principle--She May End By Running Away From Her Master, And That Before
Long."
Cora's Last Words Brought Them To The "Ladies' Entrance" Of Their Hotel.
"Go Up Stairs, Cora, And I Will Step Into The Office And See If There
Are Any Letters," Said Sylvan.
Mrs. Rothsay Went Up Into Their Private Sitting Room, Dropped Into A
Chair, Took Off Her Bonnet And Began To Fan Herself, For Her Midday Walk
Had Been A Very Warm One.
Presently Sylvan Came Up With A Letter In His Hand.
"For You, Cora, From Uncle Fabian! There Is A Foreign Mail Just In."
"Give It To Me."
Sylvan Handed Her The Letter, Cora Opened It, Glanced Over It, And
Exclaimed:
"Uncle Fabian Says That He Will Be Home The Last Of This Month."
Part 2 Chapter 18 (A Crisis At Rockhold) Pg 25
Brother And Sister Went To Newport And Spent A Month. The Dean Of Olivet
Was In The Town, But They Never Met Him Because They Never Went Into
Society. Toward The Last Of June, Corona Proposed That They Should Go At
Once To Rockhold.
The Next Morning Brother And Sister Took The Early Train For New York.
On The Morning Of The Second Day They Took The Express Train For
Baltimore, Where They Stopped For Another Night. And On The Morning Of
The Third Day They Took The Early Train For North End, Where They
Arrived At Sunset. They Went To The Hotel To Get Dinner And To Engage
The One Hack Of The Establishment To Take Them To Rockhold.
Almost The First Man They Met On The Hotel Porch Was Mr. Clarence, Who
Rushed To Meet Them.
"Hurrah, Sylvan! Hurrah, Old Boy! Back Again! Why Didn't You Write Or
Telegraph? How Do You Do, Cora! Ah! When Will You Get Your Roses Back,
My Dear? And How Is His Majesty? Why Is He Not With You? Where Did You
Leave Him?" Demanded Mr. Clarence In A Gale Of High Spirits At Greeting
His Nephew And Niece Again.
"He Is Among The Thousand Islands Somewhere With His Bride," Answered
Cora.
"His--What?" Inquired Mr. Clarence, With A Puzzled Air.
"His Wife," Said Cora.
"His Wife? What On Earth Are You Talking About, Cora? You Could Not Have
Understood My Question. I Asked You Where My Father Was!" Said The
Bewildered Mr. Clarence.
Part 2 Chapter 18 (A Crisis At Rockhold) Pg 26
"And I Told You That He Is On His Wedding Trip With His Bride, Among The
Thousand Islands," Replied Cora.
Mr. Clarence Turned In A Helpless Manner.
"Sylvan," He Said, "Tell Me What She Means, Will You?"
"Why, Just What She Says. Our Grandfather And Grandmother Are On The
St. Lawrence, But Will Be Home On The First Of July," Sylvan Explained.
But Mr. Clarence Looked From The Brother To The Sister And Back Again In
The Utmost Perplexity.
"What Sort Of A Stupid Joke Are You Two Trying To Get Off?" He Inquired.
They Had By This Time Reached The Public Parlor Of The Hotel And Found
Seats.
"Is It Possible, Uncle Clarence, That You Do Not Know Mr. Rockharrt Was
Married On The Thirty-First Of Last Month, In New York, To Mrs.
Stillwater?" Inquired Cora.
"What! My Father!"
"Why Should You Be Amazed Or Incredulous, Uncle Clarence? The
Incomprehensible Feature, To My Mind, Is
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