HIDDEN IN MY HEART.

Western Star, Issue 1386, 4 September 1889, Page 1

HIDDEN IN MY HEART.

[ALT. BIGHTS EESEBrab:]

Br DORA: RRSSRLL, Author of “ Footprints,in" the Snow,” “Thr ~ Broken, 1 ; CHATTER it They talked of huh'a'little ' the drawing-room' after-' this, speculating* bn- the- cha’ngeHiat his'e-fSthgr'K death would bring began to"play at” cards - riian was forgotten;’ Vr'iMO " ; But not by me.' .1 TeUrfmervous, frightened. It was; so .Strange that he should just .speak ;of;Jdpath, death should be so hear/ diiiy death 1 would part us, he had; said; but not this death—not hisj father’s ".shj’ply, T thought, jshudde^iugiy. ■■■. A' j “ You have turned quite pale; what is the matter 1 ?” said. .Colonel x Stanley's voice. " I looked a little startlbcl.’”'/ - ’ ’j’ ’ : “Nothing ; it seemed so shoc|ap"fpr Mr .to hear such/news/: ~ ‘■You are very pathetic/’ > !.r?fia»«it “ I do not-kh6w-'That v i' : ain ! -j'but T hate to .think.' of ‘ death ” /', '■, ‘ Yy, „ , “ There;are’sb'utejtluhgs worse than tliat T you-know.” •*, --d r> “ What could be w T orse j”' -’>*■‘.•i'wi f ■ “To my mind, .a iifd' ! lie spoke.,, these words sTqwly jijid distinctly, and I- never .forgot./them.., The next minute he changed- the, - 1 conversation. Hd was a mail, who, haft .seen much of the.Vvvorldj and been a-great, trayeUpr, and ( ,hpl>> ; ftsVt , ‘'. keen, cold, not very sympathising-ob*.,-server of human ■ iiahn’ey h'5?«.U : ~Y-iHv I cant go into ectasies/ dyer; good works' or. howl very loudly afjfedones,” he said, in his. bard yway^;.‘fthe,, currents of life sweep ais .hitheir -aiid •; • thither, and we must , tight ,i our i -Wjay' against them'"as'best 'wo caM !l ‘ man is strong.enbugh to be happy in the power to; resistMempta-- 1 ;» Hon, but: lie need notrstonerliis brother’ wlio'stmnbles MidH&llsH Wb/fhre v: all* akin, Miss Erdlyj—sp,.- nbar* sometimes sluidder, when! liQar.p, mniia/: .is to be hanged, t!linking?,how,ef.hndet different circumstances, T -mightjhEyb ;been hanged'.'fbo.” ; v,: ,\'H y//■ I‘'' 1 ‘'' H “ Now you make me shudden” ;•('[■ s : “ I v don.’, wish to do,that,*.;! I •.rather protect ydu r q from :,shuddefing and all other., evil things. Aljd' V 1 tell me, whaVdb.ypu think of quivnqw ' sbehuty^Missßrom.head IT,Yes,” an'4 fefi i ■ ..laughed his low laugh, A'anda clever, too. I see a sagacioup look. in those dark blue eyes of* ‘hers wliMi' she knows how touse,so .becomingly.”;.; w . . I.could,hot. help smiling,- y’JOH -: “She is like her brother,’? Tsaid;Y> “ In > features; but • not in '.bVainsf; Captain' Fred is (Jtiite content with his pretty. Joap*aj>d, her ■,moderate .-fortune,: i\ and is satisfied with the good things :that his haudsoiiie face -lias ‘provided for him. But that little lady,and he looked round at tljb ’sripill group, of • which r Miss, Bromliead se.emed : the - . centre, and . whicln consisted ofr her brotlier and Joan and Lord Este, “that little lady ainbitious,; apd jip,s grand, scheiqes. for,.lmr own aggrand’ moment in lier pretty head.” .- ; “ How can you tell?” ‘‘By little sighs and tokens—but we ’shall see. I have noticed, that you, too, are observing; in a clay or two .1 shall ask you whether you think Miss i 'Bromliead is aniMtipus.” .... ■ And the very next, day L began to think lie was, right., I did not go down to' breakfast, for Madge and .Joan rarely went clown. The geutje- , men had 'breakfast early as n rule, for Este was a thorough"sportsman and liked to",spond ; -tlie ''vfehoie day ;ou tlie I mobrs.J ThaAev'eiyohe- tliiHvhw they ,liked at o reford, and this morning I .felt inclined tp• bdalolief*i.l& ivm si'little ■ auxioiu and .nervous,-; hut still .I.- was happy. Whatever happened, I had thought-many a time s tlirpftglr the night, T was sure of. Stephen’s love. .And this was a great thing, jtlibugh Obloiiel Stanley’s innuendoes about Helen Orme -greatly disturbed my mind. ■ ; 1 : . But Stephen had said I was his love, that death alone could ichauge that love, and I believed this, though I was naturally very much annoyed that people,; even in jest, could link his name with hers. But this would soon end. I was to be his wife, and we would go, away together,- and, -Mrs Orme would nob trouble us any more. I told myself all this' 5 again and again, and made up my mind nob to be uneasy, and yet 1 was uneasy. J went out into the park about half past eleven, still thinking of Stephen, and i sat down under one of the big' trees and tried to read, but I could not keep my attention on my book. I was sitting thus, musing, dreaming, when I heard a light step approaching, and when I looked up I saw it was Miss Bromliead who was advancing towards me. She looked very attractive. She wore a pale blue morning gown, bur. the tint suited her, and slio, held out her hand warmly to me as she came near, “T saw you here out of my window,” she said. May I sit by you '? May we have a delicious talk all to ourselves'?” “1 shall be very pleased.” “Is it not strange how we take fnicies'?” continued Miss Bromliead, looking at me contemplatively with her beautiful- eyes. “As soon as I saw your face I felt I would love you, that I could tell you anything, .that we.,, should be friends.” “I think you generally know the

people whom you will like the first time you see them —-and yet I do not know,” I added, for I remembered Helen Orme. “Oh, I am sure you do. I like many of the people here ; of course, our dear Joan. What a lucky man my brother has been, has he not to get such a charming wife T “Yes, Joan is very nice.” “ When we first heard Fred was engaged at home, we were in such distress. We knew he was not rich enough to marry, and he only told us he was going to marry Lord Este’s sister, and that she was very pretty and of course everything delightful. Poor Fred ! we thought, how could he provide for such an angel ? He said nothing about money, and it was only when I wrote to tell him of all sorts of prudent things, that wo found his dear little Joan had a nice little fortune of her own, and that Fred would be able to retire; in fact that it was a most desirable marriage for him in every way.” “ And they seem very happy.” “Oh. he adores her. You should read bis letters to me ; and she loves him so much, ton ; it is a perfect marriage—and then the family are so nice. How very handsome Lord Este is!”

“ Este!” I repeated with a little laugh. “ Don’t you think so ? I think so ;it is a charming face —like Joan’s.” Poor Esto was not the least like Joan. He was like Madge, and it was the first time I had ever heard him called handsome. Ee was little, with a good-tempered, boyish face and a very wide mouth, and he' assumed a very what is called “ horsey ” style of dross; he had dark drown hair, cut very short, and brown, round eyes, and was continually laughing, and was supposed not to care for ladies.

But he had always been very civil to me. He liked my father, for one thing, I think ; and then he had known .me when I was a little girl. “ He and Colonel Stanley are coming in to lunch to-day,” continued Mias Bromhead, casting down her eyes. “ I •was the only lady at breakfast this morning, and’l felt so strange; but I am such an early riser, and then I want to see as much as possible of Fred, and Lord Este told me he is going this afternoon over to your father’s place about buying some horses, and Colonel Stanley is going, too, and they wondered if you would like to drive over with them and take me ?” 1 hesitated a moment.

“I would like to soe the country so much,” went on Miss Bromhead ; it is all each a treat to me, you know. We live in an ugly little town—-I live with my brother, who is a clergyman ; but it is very dull. He is married and has five children, and is very religious.” T. gave a little laugh, “ Ah, you may laugh, but it’s quite true; it is a dreary life and so different to when our dear father was alive. He was a colonel, and we went a great deal into society—nice society ; and at Fleetwood the people are dreadful.”

I heard afterwards that the late Colonel Bromhead had been a barrackmaster, and that ho had been married to a very handsome woman whom no one would visit. But Miss Bromhead very naturally did not tell me this portion of her story. “Will vou call me, Lilia?” she said, next; “I hate those I like to call me Miss Bromhead —and I do like you, dearand she took my hand.

“ What a dear little hand,” she cried, bending down and kissing it. “ Ah, how happy some one would be to do that, Laura—someone very, very handsome, with blue and straight features and such a noble presence. Haven’t I guessed rightly ? Ah, you are a lucky girl to win such a lover,” I blushed and abode my head. “Lord Este told mo how much Mr Willoughby admires you,” she said. *• It is a splendid marriage; by this time I’ve no doubt he is i3ir Stephen Willoughby, for they said last night his father could not. live.” Thus she talked on, and as she did so X began to understand what she meant to do during her visit at Oreford. 1 found myself telling her whatever she wanted to know. “ Of course Lord Este admires some of the young ladies round here ?” she asked. “ He is said not to care for young ladies,” I answered. “ Then perhaps some married lady ?” “ I never heard of any.” “ How strange, when he is so very good-looking and so charming. But there is no accounting ferthese things ; ive wander about alone until we meet our fate.” “ Well, I hope Lord Este will meet a good fate,” I said, gaily, “ for ho is so kind.” “ Ob, so very kind ; hut, Laura — hush, look there!" and she started to her feet. “ There is Lord Este and Colonel Stanley crossing the park; bow can wo make them look this way ?” “ Oh, please don’t try. Miss Brorahead.” But “Lilia” had no intention of losing such an opportunity. She went forward; she opened her red sunshad'*; she made the two men look round, and with a smile they turned hack and came towards us. “We have had such a delightFul chat all to ourselves,” smiled Miss Bromhead.

“ We are horrihlv In flic way then ?” asked Colonel Stanley.

“ Don’t be so cruel as to say that, please, Miss Bromhead,” said Este. “ I could not say it,” she answered, looking at him with her handsome O ...» eyes. “ How lovely it is here. Lord Este ! This is a perfect place. I have seen telling my dear little newlyfound friend here what a frightful place I come from—a poor clergyman’s ugly house with nothing to look at I care fir near it; no trees, no flowers : and this is——”

“ Quite a garden of Eden,” eh, Miss Brombead ?” sarcastically suggested Col. Stanley, as Lilia paused, apparently unable to find words to express her profound admiration for

Oreford, and, I fear, for Oreford’s lord.

“ Glad you like it,” said Este ; “ it’s a jolly old place enough. Hope you’ll stay a good bit as you are here, Miss Bromhead.”

“How good you are! Joan told me you are always thinking of others, and I should like nothing so well as to stay here for a little .while. My home is such a dreary one, and it is so bright here ; you are all so bright. Look how lovely those long grasses are down there, Lord Este, nodding their pretty heads in the wind. Might I gather some ? 1 would like to take some away when I go from Oreford.” “It’s a pretty little play,” said Colonel Stanley, as Este and Lilia walked on and Este was seen bending down amid the long grasses and plucking one here and there. “We must hope it will have a satisfactory end then,” I answered, smiling. “ Who can tell ? But a clever actress often wins, and this one has had some experience on life’s uneven stage. Did she tell you our suggestion ? Este and I are going this afternoon to Erdly to buy a pair of greys your father wishes to sell, and if yon would like to go, Este will drive you and Miss Bromhead over. It was proposed at breakfast, and I shall be charmed, for one, to have such pleasant companions.” “ Though you think her an actress ?”

“ But I think her a very agreeable one. I, as other men, like to be flattered ; it soothes one like smoking. Why don’t yon flatter me, Miss Erdly ?” “ I don’t feel inclined.”

“ Well, I must live without it then ; but pretty things drop so sweetly from a pretty girl. Will you try to say something to please me ?”

I shook my head. “ I do not know what would please you,” I said. “ Shall I tell you ?” and he tamed round and looked at me. “Ho, not yet; some day I shall tell yon, Miss Erdly, what would please me ?” I shall ask yon for something that will please me and you must not disappoint me then. There was something in his manner that made me uneasy, and I rose from my seat and Colonel Stanley walked by my side as we passed through the park. Este and Miss Bromhead were in front of us, and I saw her looking up smilingly in her companion’s face, who certainly seemed very well entertained by her. As we entered the house a footman came forward and placed a telegram in Este’s hand. “ This has just arrived, my lord,” he said. Este tore it open, read it, and then looked at me. “ It’s from Willoughby,” he said. “ Ah, poor fellow he arrived too late ; his father is dead.” (To be continued.)