The Lost Lady of LoneSouthworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte
General
The Lost Lady of Lone
Southworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte
Fiction
When she returned, late in the afternoon, the canvas bag was empty and
the cab was full, for Rose Cameron, the country girl, ignorant of the
world, but having a saving faith in the dishonesty of cities, refused to
trust the dealers to send the goods home, but insisted on fetching them
herself.
She displayed her purchases--mostly gaudy trash--to the wondering eyes of
Mrs. Rogers, and then, tired out with her long night's journey and her
whole day's shopping, she ate a heavy supper and went to bed. Such
excesses never seemed to over-task her fine digestive organs or disturb
her sleep. After an unbroken night's rest she awoke the next morning with
a clear head and a keen appetite, and rang for the housekeeper to bring
her a cup of tea to her bedside.
While waiting for her tea she wondered if her "guid mon" would arrive
during the next twenty-four hours.
And that revived in her mind the memory of her supposed rival. During
the preceding day she had been so absorbed in the contemplation of her
newly-acquired treasures in jewelry and money that she had scarcely
thought of what might then be going on at Castle Lone.
Now she wondered what happened there; whether the marriage had failed to
take place; but, of course, she said to herself, it had failed. Lord
Arondelle would never commit bigamy--but _how_ had it failed? What
had been made to happen to prevent it from going on? And what had the
bride and her friends said or thought?
Above all, why had Lord Arondelle, married to herself as she fully
believed him to be, _why_ had Lord Arondelle allowed the affair
to go so far, even to the wedding-morning, when the wedding-feast was
prepared, and the wedding guests arrived?
It must have been done to mortify and humiliate those city strangers who
sat in his father's seat, she thought.
Oh, but she would have given a great deal to have seen her hated rival's
face on that wedding-morning when no wedding took place?
No doubt "John" would tell her all about it when he arrived. And oh! How
impatient she became for his arrival!
Her reflections were interrupted by the entrance of the housekeeper with
a cup of tea in one hand and the _Times_ in the other.
"Good morning, ma'am. And hoping you find yourself well this morning!
Here is your tea, ma'am. And here is the paper, ma'am. There's the most
hawful murder been committed, ma'am, which I thought you might enjoy
along of your tea," said the worthy woman, as she drew a little stand by
the bedside and placed the cup and the newspaper upon it.
"A murder?" listlessly repeated Rose Cameron, rising on her elbow, and
taking the tea-cup in her hand.
"Ay, ma'am, the most hawfullest murder as ever you 'eard of, on an'
'elpless old gent, away up at a place in Scotland called Lone!"
"EH!" exclaimed Rose Cameron, starting, and nearly letting fall
her tea-cup.
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