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Show 264 nrliJ.\JW fll'ROJ'i. " did not come with mr, Eunnclinc. lie could not." ,, lHine ' could Hot -cou ld no t .1 Tell me wl1y heI couldI . no1t '. . . U. ·s sick!-wherc did you eaye lim come, l\Ir. HurdJs. c ~._ 1 .11 rrcll me- speak, Richard lie is ill, perl~:lps-dangClous Y 1 ,· Hunlis-your looks frighten me. "They should, Emmeline." . f. was averted from I cou!J not then speak mot c. 1\ly nc~ 1 . Trembling with lmlf-snpprcssed cmotwu, she lwstencd ~o c~:~f·ront me. Her Yoice grew thick and hoarse ns she agalll spo"Ykeo. u have come Jr Or m c • Rich. a' rd · You ha,·c come. ~f or. me t o to him. He must be ill, mcleod, when he send~ OI ~~~_e. Io,;ill go to him nt once-let us set out instantly. '\\here dHl 'OU leave }lim 1 Is it f;tr ?" . . . . . J I availed myself of the assistance which tihe thu8 furm shcd me, :md replied- . , "Ncar '1\iticaloosa-:t two days' JOUrney.. . o .. Then the less time have we to spare, R1cha1d. L~t bu~ g 'It oncQ. I fe.w not to travel by night-! hrtve done It e ore. But tell me, Mr. IInrdis, what is his sickness. From what docs he suffer 1" •. An accident-a hurt." "Ha! a hurt-" "" AGo wd obuen dm !e" rciful-a wound-a wound. Out with it, Rich-ard Hurd is, and tell me all, if you be a man. I am a woman, . . . b t I can bear the worst, ratlier than the doubt 1wt hIiSd lt luaep,p reuh ends I.t .. How came. 1l e by a wound-how was he hurt-what accident?" "He Waf) !)hot!" I' n· ·lard "Shot! shot! By what-by whom 1 I ell me, IC ~e i; 1 R' 1 ·d-llis friend-my friend-tell me not that (car d. IC ta~ 1 -that he will recover-that there nrc hopes. hurt angc1 ons Y < d I l"ve" Tell me, tell me, if you love me and woul mve me . ' . arm, I shook my ltead mournfully. Her hand grasped my and her gripe though trembling, was firm as ~~=llJ.arrl-that his "You do not say it-you can not tell me, l. k 't I dare wound is mortal. That 1Villiam-I can n?t t ~mt" 1 - uot, though you may tell me so - tLat he ~ill die. TifF. BROKEN fiF:ART. 265 "Be calm, awhile, dNn Emmeline, nnd l1car mo." I anS\\' ei·ed retreatingly, w!Ji!c I took her Iwnd, with which she stili continued to grasp my arm, in my own. She released her hold iustantly. "There! I am calm. I am JHltien t. I listen. Speak now, Uichard-fcar not for me, but tell me what I must hear, and what, if my apprehensions be true, I shall never be better prej1Rr(' d to hear than now. \Yilliam Carrington is lmrt-by nn accident you sny. He sends for me. 'Yell-! will go to him - go this instant. Rut you haYc not told me that tl1erc is l10pe -thnt l10 is not clnngcrously-not mort~tlly hurt. ~Pell me that. It is for thnt I wait." \V~ondcrful wom:ll!! She had recovered liCr stature-her firnmcss-11er voice-ali, inn single instant. And never l111d sl1e looked so Lcautiful as now, when her eyes were s!Jini11g with a fearful light- wltcn doubt n.nd :tpprehension had imp: utrd to their natuml fire, an expression of wildness, such as the moon shows wbcn mocked on her mnrdt, by clouds, that flit over Iter disk, yet le.axe no imprPss.sion on its surfacewhen h('r Hmnll :md rosy mouth, tLe lips slig!Jt]y parted, and occnsionally quivering, exhibited the emotion, wllich she was only able to subdue by assuming one of a l1igher character, and putting on the aspect of command. Full, finely formed in person, with a carriage in wldch grace and dignity seemed twins, neither taking precedence of the ot!Jcr, but both lwnnoniously co-operating, tho one to win, the other to sway; she seemed, indeed, inteuded by nn.ture to command. And sl1e did command. Seeing that I l1 csitated, she repented her injunction to me to proceed; but wit!• a voice :mel words that evidently proved l1er to haxe lost some of her most sanguine hopes, by reason of my relucta.nt and hesitating man'ner. "'J.lell me one thing only-tcH me that I nm in time to see him! 'l'hat l•e will not be utterly lost-that I may again l1ear I1is Yoice-that he mny l1em· mine-that I may tell him I come to be with I1im to the lnst-if need be, to die with him. Say, RicliaJ·d-say, my brother, for he caiJed you his-say that I will be in time for this." My answer was spoken almost without my own consciousness, and it seemed as instantaneously, to depriv:e her of nlll1ers. 12 |
