CHAPTER XXVII.— Continued.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 196, 29 December 1876, Page 6

CHAPTER XXVII.— Continued.

JIAEEIED IN HASTE.

The marriage was very quiet; the ceremony at the church, the leave-taking, and the drive to the steamer which was to carry them to the old world. Rosine could not restrain her sobs as the last roll of the carriage resounded through the hall; she rushed to her own room, and threw herself upon a couch, exclaiming in the bitterness of her grief , "O, if I could but wake and find this only a horrid dream ! But my poor father and mother ! I ought, yes I really ought to go to them at once." She dried her eyes, and with something of Marion's energy and determination went to the library. Dr. Hartland was alone, looking very savage. " Ned," she said, entreatingly, "do help me. I ought to go to my parents ; think of their grief and loneliness— five children, and not one left to them. O, do help me, dear brother to do what is right : will you ask the Colonel ?" "Ask him to please to send you off?" inquired the Doctor. "Well, I suppose I can live Avithout you, Rosaj I have done it, but the Colonel and mother, I dont know — ." "But, Ned," she pleaded, "this will kill my dear parents; such a grief will wear them into the grave. I must go, I must go !" and she fairly broke down again. " Either you shall be restored to them, or they shall come to you, my dear child," he said, soothi* gly ; "it is but right you should be restored to them, desolate as your going would leave this house.^ It has been one of the best blessings to us all that you came," he added, rising and rushing to the window, as if something unusual was passing in the street— "something shall be done, he continued, " only let me see you smile as you used to do. This affair of Marion's has aged you as well as herself; positively, she looked twenty-five when she left the house." ~ .!' ?e? cB > ** has ci ghed me to the earth," replied Rosine ; " but O, it I could only believe that she is not already wretched ! to think too, that she should have gone so far without even one word to such friends as Father Roberts and Sister Agnes." " By-the-way, Rosine/' replied the Doctor, " I saw Father Roberts m the street yesterday, he has received a late letter from Harry; it seems the young man has fine offers to remain -where he is, and like a dutiful Catholic, probably wished his good confessor's opinion; I gave mine pretty strongly off-hand. The priest agreed with me, that we have not so many such souls in this country, that we can afford to lose one." "Perhaps Marion may meet him abroad," said Rosine, looking up quite like herself . • " I * ardl :r>" replied the Doctor; "butterflies and beos rarely nungle." J i j Th f y were interru Pted in their conversation by Colonel Hartland, who came hurrying in, agitation visible in every motion, with a letter m his hand. " Good news for us all ! " he cried. Aleck will be home before many days, he sailed the middle of May." • S u li. y noted each day as {t wen t by, and when at last anxiety had begun to take the place of hope, he did come, but so changed ! Nothing remained of the former cheerful, happy, almost boyish face of Aleck; nothing but the tender eye and its drooping lid; a fixed sternness had settled about the mouth, and deep wrinkles were imbedded in the thin sallow cheeks; the bright brown locks were shorn of their lustre, and silver threads were scattered about the temples. He looked older than his brother. Here was a mission for Rosine, a sister's mission, to bring back to tfae scarred heart of the brother, trust and faith. Diligently she worked at tins task through that long summer, waiting for her own lestoration to her parents quietly and hopefully, and in the mean pffcedT^nt^a^ ™* WhlCh g ° Od G ° d twJiTV^ "V 01 "* of Lau ™ from the lips of her husband through all that long time, not even in the abandonment of Caßt S aU°Hartl?^lf a n er i. W ¥ Ch R ° Sine made in com^a^iS S&?K S th ? Do< *° r ho V™B that the mountain air of that region might restore his exhausted powers. Twice since Ms return ST^he had?? 1 *° - g ,° tO . him ' bufc had fainted in the Prepaid &«il?f? also written Wo notes, which bad been returned to her unopened. Dora could not help her, for the Commodore had «uff^ nC v eil rf by £ SeaSe i a P d was more exactin S than ever, not 2f l f g £ lsda VS hter ol *t of his sight. At length Laura ventured her last effort, she wrote to the Colonel an imploring note, beggin- « *SJ°S? hh i S "^I 6 - 1106 ffain for hw onl7 «• interview; it°wa°s sofwS t* beS if ?£» } c ? cL 'i and Colone l Hartland's heart wa note! S privato room > and S{WOS {W0 him the iVn m T v!tt yOl » £ lUUU at the first sentence and threw it thS tS'h f?T worna "' he exclaimed, "if she torments me mellSZ iwnnliT lme fl^f 1^ toberidof her; if she would leave 3£™ m l d m r° nteni to remain as J am ' to save her from fahame. Why should I care for 7ier shame?" he added, grinding dShon-io Syr 6 tO ft When She fiSfe j Colon JHartCd 11^ U ° d ° UU ° f h<sr criminalifc y ? " ™l™ ed fim J?^' isom- wedding-ring," he replied, with unmitigated I scorn in his voice, drawing the bright circle from his finger—" our wS? Tf S l ™?™™ t° the -villain to whom she had given W?"L -TT-^ 0 yOU think * wish *° band y ™>rds with Kland^noto^ ™™* ** tat ™* ™ th ' Colonel