The bride's fate: The sequel to "The changed brides"Southworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte
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The bride's fate: The sequel to "The changed brides"
Southworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte
American fiction -- 19th century
And, oh! the awful sense of bereavement, of loneliness, of vacancy, in
entering again her apartments, in which little Lenny was no longer to be
found! The heart-rending pang of terror in conjecturing where he might
be!
While she had been busily, actively engaged in taking measures for his
recovery, her thoughts had been somewhat distracted from concentrating
themselves upon his present condition.
But now, when she had done all that she could possibly do towards
finding him, now that she had come home to the old familiar rooms, made
desolate by his loss, and was obliged to abide in inactivity within
them,—now that she missed him everywhere and every moment,—the reaction
from courage to despair was so sudden and overwhelming that her very
brain reeled, her reason for the moment seemed imperiled. With a
half-stifled cry, she sank upon her chair, muttering with gasping
breath:
“It is not possible! it cannot be! Lenny gone, and not know where he is!
WAKE ME! WAKE ME! I have the nightmare!”
Anna sprang to her side, and put her arms around her saying:
“Drusilla, Drusilla! my darling, courageous girl! collect your
powers—control yourself!”
“Is it TRUE, Anna? Oh, say it is not—not true! Lenny is NOT LOST!” she
exclaimed, wildly gazing into Anna’s eyes.
“We hope that he is safe wherever he is,” said Anna wishingly.
“Wherever he is! Oh, my Heaven, yes, it is so! He is lost, and we do not
know where to find him!” she exclaimed, distractedly starting up and
walking the floor, and wringing and twisting her hands. “Where is he?
where is he to-night? Oh, in all this great crowded city, where is my
little child—my poor, little two-year old child, who cannot help
himself? He is frightened to death wherever he is—I know it! He is
calling for me, he is crying for me, at this very moment! Oh, my Lenny,
my Lenny! I would go to you through fire if I knew where to find you in
this great Babylon! I would, my little one, I would! But I do not know
where in this wilderness to look for you to-night, and you must cry for
me in vain, my little child, you must! Oh, what a horrible night! I
cannot, I cannot live through it! I cannot breathe in this house! I must
go out and look for him again! I must! I must!”
Her head was thrown back, her arms raised, and her hands clasped upon
her throbbing temples, and she reeled as she walked to and fro in the
room.
Anna, who bad kept near her, seeing her about to fall, caught her and
made her sit down, while she said:
“Drusa, dearest, be reasonable! be yourself!”
“I must go out and look for my little child! I must, Anna! I must! I
cannot live through this horrible night if I stay in this house!” she
cried.
“Drusa, consider! you can do no good by going out to-night, but much
harm. You could not find little Lenny, but you would lose yourself. You
have already done all that you possibly could do for his recovery.
Having done so, leave the result to Heaven.”
“Oh, if we could only know where he is!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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