Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth

“ Then Abel Force retreated to the side of his pale and agitated wife, whispered with a smile:
“Just what your father did for me, my love! Just what Leonidas may have to do for Odalite’s daughters some twenty years hence! The order of nature, dear wife! And we must smile and not cry over it.”
But Elfrida Force was not grieving over the marriage of her daughter. There was nothing in that marriage to give her pain; everything to give her satisfaction. Odalite was marrying no stranger, but Leonidas, who had been brought up in her home, who loved her, and was beloved by her as an only son. ”

“ Everything was as still as death except the sea that thundered at the foot of the cliff.
Wynnette felt no fear of material dangers. She knew that she was as safe from harm as though she were in a fortress.
She went straight across the courtyard, drawing nearer and nearer to the haunted castle; and as she approached it she gazed more intently at those luridly lighted loopholes. And then, oh strange! the lights seemed not to come from torch or candle, but from spectral eyes glaring forth into the night, and drawing her on with an irresistible power. Wynnette could not turn and fly ”

“ I will never acknowledge the validity of that marriage ceremony! I will never call myself that man’s widow, or wear a thread of mourning for him!” exclaimed Odalite, who could be very brave now that her mother’s great enemy was dead, and her mother forever safe from his malignity.
“You need not, my dear. Nor need the poor Californian woman ever suspect that any darker wrong than the robbery of her money has been done her. Why, either, should we be so excited over this discovery? It is no new villainy that has come to light. ”

“ There is no compensation in mine.”
“‘The heart knoweth its own bitterness!’” murmured Elfrida Force to herself.
“Mother! Mother! I won’t go! I won’t leave you!” cried Rosemary, jumping up and throwing herself into the widow’s arms.
“Hush, my child, hush! I wish you to go, and you must do so. It is for your own profit and instruction,” replied Mrs. Hedge.
“Then, my own dear mother, won’t you just think that I have only gone back to school in Washington, and that I shall be home as usual to spend the Christmas holidays? Mr. Force expects to bring us all home in December.” ”

“ I really do not care for the continental tour, I have made it so often.”
“But there are so many changes since you made it last.”
“Yes, there is gas instead of lamplight in all the cities; railway trains instead of diligences on all the highways; and sons on the thrones of their fathers. I am content to know of these things. I do not care to see them.”
“But Mr. Force? He will miss you.”
“Dear brother, our honeymoon was passed twenty-two years ago. Young love has matured to old love, or rather to love that never can know age nor absence. ”

“ Great Heaven! unless there is a misprint, there has been an infamous crime committed, and a heinous wrong done to that Californian widow, whose marriage with Col. Anglesea was registered to have taken place on August 1, 185—, full six weeks before the death of Anglesea’s wife, which took place on August 25th! And in that case—yes, in that case the diabolical villain had the legal right, if not the moral right, to marry our daughter! Great Heaven! how imperfect are the laws of our highest civilization, when men have the legal right to do that which is morally wrong! ”

“ For the sake of Odalite, Mrs. Force chose to enter the gay society for which she herself had little heart.
The trousseau prepared for the girl’s luckless, broken marriage came well into use as an elegant outfit for the fashionable season in the gay capital.
Mr. Force escorted his wife and daughter to all the receptions, concerts, balls and dinners to which they were invited, and everywhere he felt pride and pleasure in the general admiration bestowed upon his beautiful wife and their lovely daughter.
But the instinct of caste was strong in the breast of Elfrida Force. ”

“ Again Abel Force and Leonidas looked at each other.
“Ah, yes! They were a handsome pair!” said the housekeeper, with a sigh that raised her mighty bosom as the wind raises the ocean—“a very handsome pair, and the parting of ’em has been nigh the death of the colonel,” she added, as she replaced her handkerchief in her pocket.
“And yet I have heard that he married again while he was abroad,” Mr. Force could not refrain from saying.
“He!” exclaimed Mrs. Bolton, in a tone of indignant astonishment.
“Yes; there is no law against a widower marrying, is there?” replied Abel Force, quietly. ”

“ I shall tell my story to the judge. I do not even know that I shall call a witness. That is all that will be necessary. I have no fears of the result.”
“Uncle Abel, I must go with you before the judge this morning.”
“No, Le!” emphatically objected Mr. Force. “No, Le! I cannot have my daughter, my young and innocent child, exposed to the ignominy of standing between two men, each of whom claims her as his wife.” ”

“ Le, who was nearest to her, reached out his hand and dropped a piece of silver in her palm.
She courtesied again. The carriage turned into the highroad and began the journey back to Angleton.
The sun had set, and even the afterglow had faded from the western horizon; yet still the long twilight of summer nights in these latitudes prevailed, and the greater stars shone out one by one as they rattled on, uphill and downhill, over the rolling moor, until at last they came in view of the lights in the quiet village. ”

“ Rosemary was poetic, romantic and sentimental to a degree. She was devoted to Wynnette and Elva Force; and she could not bear the idea of Wynnette “throwing herself away” on such a rustic.
“He is my own dear cousin, Wynnette, and I love him dearly as a cousin; but, indeed, I could not marry him to save my soul! And though he is a good boy, I do not think he is a proper match for you,” said Rosemary, one morning, when she had come to spend the day at Mondreer, and the two girls were tête-à-tête in Wynnette’s room, where she had taken her visitor to lay off her bonnet. ”

“ If Odalite had been admired during the two past seasons when she was pale, quiet and depressed, how much more was she admired now in her fair, blooming beauty, that seemed to bring sunshine, life and light into every room she entered.
Mrs. Force felt all a mother’s pride in the social success of her daughter.
But to Odalite herself the proudest and happiest day of the whole season was that on which she received a letter from Le, announcing his immediate return home. ”

“ I take a crowd of ladies with me not only as witnesses to the broken marriage at All Faith Church—for the young men could have answered that purpose—but as the most fitting, proper and delicate support to my daughter. I take only one man, Roland Bayard, not only as the most important witness, who brought Anglesea’s Californian wife from San Francisco to St. Mary’s, but also as a proper escort for the young ladies in the street car. But you, Le, should, in delicacy, absent yourself. ”

“ I am so glad we all came here!” said Polly.
“And I am glad it is going to be a quiet wedding, with only ourselves. Oh, girls! I should not have wanted to come if they had been going to have a grand wedding, after the manner of these fashionable city people. I should have been scared to death among so many fine strangers. But now it will be real jolly!” said Peggy.
“And Mr. Force says that as there are enough of us we may have a dance, after the bride and groom have gone,” chimed in Sophy. ”

“ Anglesea will take the news of her husband’s death, when she hears of it,” mused Elva.
“Ah!” breathed Wynnette.
Their talk was interrupted by the entrance of their father, who had just come in from his long walk.
“Oh, papa!” exclaimed Wynnette, “we have just heard the news! Oh! won’t Le be glad when he hears it?”
“My dear children,” said Mr. Force, very solemnly and also a little inconsistently, “we should never rejoice at any good that may come to us through the death or misfortune of a fellow creature.”
“But, oh, papa! in this case we can’t help it.” ”

“ The other two girls seemed to agree with her, and so Odalite began and read the highly inflated eulogium on Col. Anglesea’s character and career.
The three younger ones listened with eyes and mouths open with astonishment.
“Why, they seem to think he was a good, wise, brave man!” gasped little Elva.
“That’s because they knew nothing about him,” exclaimed Wynnette.
“Isn’t there something in the Bible about a man being a good man among his own people, but turning into a very bad man when he gets into a strange city where the people don’t know who he is?” inquired Rosemary, very gravely. ”

“ At one end of this hall was a great chimney—a chimney so vast that within its walls, from foundation stone to roof, a modern New York apartment house of seven floors might have been built, with full suits of family rooms on every floor.
“And this is only the hall fireplace,” said Le. “The kitchen fireplace is immediately below this, and still broader and deeper than this, but we cannot get to it because it is buried in fallen stones and mortar. At least, I mean, all entrance to that part of the castle is.” ”

“ This apartment was also brightly lighted by a chandelier, which hung from the ceiling over the well-spread table, and warmed by a clear little wood fire in the open chimney.
“Strawberries and wood fires! The charms of summer and winter meeting in spring!” exclaimed Wynnette, glancing from the open chimney to the piled-up glass bowl of luscious fruit that stood as the crowning glory of the table.
“Raised under glass, honey. And a time I had to keep the little niggers from stealing them! Children may be little angels, but I never seed one yet as wouldn’t steal fruit when it could get a chance.” ”

“ If the man does not leave quietly, he shall be taken off by a policeman.”
But now all Abel Force’s attention and energy were required to control the young lion whom he held.
“Let me get at him! The thief, who married a rich widow only to rob and desert her! The bigamist, who, having a living wife, tried to deceive and marry a wealthy, betrothed maiden, only to rob and ruin her! The forger, who invented and published a false account of his own death that he might entrap his victim into another marriage, and take a mean revenge by coming here with pretended claims to stop it! ”

“ Wynnette and Elva, who were home for the Easter holidays, seemed to run a race with their tongues as to which could talk fastest and most. Mr. and Mrs. Force had much to ask and to tell. Odalite, and even quaint, little Rosemary, put in a word when they could get a chance.
It is always so when a sailor returns from a long voyage to his family circle.
There was but little breakfast eaten that morning, though they lingered long at the table—so long that, at length, Mrs. Force felt obliged to ask the question:
“Are you going to church with us this morning, Le?” ”

“ The bridegroom and the bride stood before the minister—Roland Bayard, best man, stood on his right; Wynnette, first bridesmaid, stood on her left; behind them the eight white-robed girls formed a semicircle. Mr. Force stood on their right, with Mrs. Force on his arm. She was pale and trembling. He perceived her state, and whispered:
“I suppose every mother suffers something in seeing her daughter married, even under the most auspicious circumstances! But look at Odalite and Le! See how happy those children are, and recover your spirits.” ”