Stranica 216 [216]
160
misery t— Oh! is there ro chord in your
heart that I can touch —is there nothing
left to which I can appeal against this
terrible infatuation ?”
s When ladies as young, and good, and
beautiful as you are,” replied the girl
steadily, “give away your hearts, love
will carry you all lengths — even suchas
you who have home, friends, other ad¬
mirers, every thing to fillthem. When
such as me, who have no certain roof
but the coffin-lid, and no friend in sick¬
ness or death but the hospital nurse, set
our rotten hearts on any man, and let him
fil the place that parents, home, and
friends filled once, or that has been a blank
through all our wretched lives, who can
hope to cure us? Pity us, lady, — pity
us for having only one feeling of the
woman left, and for having that turned
by a heavy judgment from a comfort and
a pride into a new means of violence and
suffering.”
“ You will," said Rose, after a pause,
“take some money from me, which may
enable you to live without dishonesty —
at all events until we meet again?”
“ Not a penny,” replied the girl, wav¬
ing her hand.
_“Do not close your heart against all
my efforts to help you,” said Rose, step¬
ping gently forward. "I wish to serve
you, indeed.”
c You would serve me best, lady," re¬
plied the girl, wringing her hands, “if
you could take my lifeat once ; for I have
felt more grief to think of what I am to¬
night than I ever did before, and it would
be something not to die in the same hell
in which I have lived. God bless you,
sweet lady, and send as much happiness
on your head as I have brought shame on
mine !”
Thus speaking, and sobbing aloud, the
unhappy creature turned away; while
Rose Maylie, overpowered by this extra¬
ordinary interview, which bore more the
semblance of a rapid dream than an actual
occurrence, sank into a chair, and endea¬
voured to collect her wandering thoughts.
CHAPTER THE FOURTH,
Containing fresh discoveries, and showing that
surprises, like misfortunes, seldom come alone.
Her situation was indeed one of no
common trial and difficulty, for while she
felt the most eager and burning desire to
penetrate the mystery in which Oliver’s
history was enveloped, she could not but
hold sacred the confidence which the
miserable woman with whom she had just
conversed had reposed in her, as a young
and guileless girl, Her words and man¬
ner had touched Rose Maylie’s heart and
mingled with her love for her young
charge, and scarcely less intense in its
truth and fervour was her fond wish to
win the outcast back to repentance and
hope.
They only proposed remaining in Lon¬
don three days, prior to departing for
some weeks to a distant part of the coast.
It was now midnight of the first day.
What course of action could she deter¬
mine upon which could be adopted in
eight-and-forty hours? or how could she
postpone the journey without exciting
suspicion ?
Mr. Losberne was with them, and
would be for the next two days; but Rose
was too well acquainted with the excel¬
lent gentleman’s impetuosity, and foresaw
too clearly the wrath with which, in the
first explosion of his indignation, he would
regard the instrument of Oliver’s recap¬
ture to trust him with the secret, when
her representations in the girl’s behalf
could be seconded by no experienced per¬
son. These were all reasons for the
greatest caution and the most circumspect
behaviour in communicating it to Mrs,
Maylie, whose first impulse would infal¬
libly be to hold a conference with the
sorting to any legal adviser, even if she
had known how to do so, it was scarcely
to be thought of, for the same reasons.
Once the thought occurred to her of seek¬
; but this
awakened the recollection of their last
parting, and it seemed unworthy of her
to call him back, when—the tears rose
to her eyes as she pursued this train of
reflection— he might have by this time
learnt to forget her, and to be happier
away.
Disturbed by these different reflections,
and inclining now to one course and then
to another, and again recoiling from all
as each successive consideration presented
itself to her mind, Rose passed a sleepless
and anxious night, and, after communing
with hefself next day, arrived at the dés¬
perate conclusion of consulting Harry
Maylie.
“If it be painful to him,” she thought,
“to come back here, how painful will it