Stella Rosevelt : $b A novelSheldon, Georgie, Mrs.
General
Stella Rosevelt : $b A novel
Sheldon, Georgie, Mrs.
Dime novels; Love stories; Romance fiction
Archie Sherbrooke! There surely could not be two young men of the same
age, handsome as one of the gods, and bearing the same name.
His heart had bounded into his throat as he heard it spoken, his face
had flushed a painful crimson, while his hands instinctively clinched
themselves in hot indignation, and he longed to confront the handsome
traitor and denounce him for the villainous part he had played.
This, then, must be the man who had broken Star Gladstone’s heart and
ruined her life; there was not a doubt of it in his own mind.
Yes, he was sure this was the Archibald Sherbrooke of whom Star had told
him.
Who, then, was the woman who had been with him? Was it his wife?
He did not think she was his sister, for, except in the color of her
hair, she did not resemble him in the least.
Were they Americans, and traveling, like himself, in the kingdom?
Perhaps, if they were married, they were thus spending the honeymoon;
but they had spoken of “Lady Dunham” in a way to make him doubt that
they were his countrymen.
Such thoughts as these tortured him, and he became possessed to seek out
the young man and discover if he were indeed Star’s recreant lover.
The young lady had spoken of a rehearsal at the Albert Hall. He knew
there was to be a concert there that evening, and possibly it might be
an outgrowth of the rehearsal. He would go and see.
Accordingly, at the hour designated upon the bills, he went, armed with
a powerful opera-glass, and procuring a conspicuous seat, he swept tier
after tier of faces, searching for those which he had seen in the
morning.
But disappointment was the result of his efforts; for that fair, girlish
face was nowhere to be seen, nor could he find him who had been the
young lady’s attendant.
Suddenly, however, a strangely sweet, bird-like voice, rising clear and
full on the air, drew his attention to the stage, and there, with a
thrill which tingled through every nerve, he saw the lovely girl for
whom he was looking.
Ralph Meredith sought for her name upon his programme, which stated that
the concert was given, under the auspices of some of the nobility, for
some charitable object, and that the talent was all amateur.
“Miss Vivien Sherbrooke,” he read, and he again experienced that sudden
heart-throb.
She was not, then, Archibald Sherbrooke’s wife, but, in all probability,
his sister.
He listened intently throughout her song; and then, as the sweet voice
died away, and she turned to leave the stage, he leaned breathlessly
forward to watch her, while thunders of applause went rolling up into
the heights bove him.
She came back again after a moment, slightly flushed at the _encore_,
but in a graceful, modest way, and sang a simple ballad.
She was as sweet and charming as she could be, and when at length she
ceased and went away again, Ralph Meredith heard a long-drawn breath, as
of relief, directly behind him, while a voice said:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account