Miss Cheriton's Rival [pp. 328-332]

332 iWISS CHERIZIJON'S RIVAL. [MAItcH 8,
lie sat beside her so-cool, so quiet, so entirely beyond her power of moving. Years afterward, when their paths of life had branched
far apart, she could never even hear his name
without seeing again the silvery moonlight,
the softly-swelling fields, the gnarled roots of
the old oak, and the little scene, as brightly
and vividly as she saw it that night, without
feeling again the same bitter tide of emotion
which she felt as she turned from him, conscious that he understood her, and that all
further efforts were hopeless.
Latimer was the first to break the silence
which ensued, speaking more gently and considerately than was often the case with him.
Perhaps he knew as well as Miss Cheriton
herself what was passing in her mind.
"Don't you think we had better go on to
the river? It is very charming and comfortable here; but, no doubt, Harry and Miss Trefalden are waiting for us."
"Certainly, by all means, let us go," said
she, rising and accepting, without a word, the
arm which he offered.
When they reached the river, they found,
naturally enough, that Harry and Miss Trefalden were gone. One of the boats had also
vanished, and Miss Cheriton declined Latimer's proposal that they should embark in
the other. "We will sit here and wait
a while," said she. "If they don't come soon,
we can return to the house." She did not
add, but Latimer was perfectly aware, that
she would have gone back at once but for her
determination to avoid another long tgte-d,-tte
with himself. She had the desire, not uncommon with her sex whert stung by one
man's neglect, to turn to another of whose allegiance she was sure, to find in his homage a
salve for a wounded pride, and in his appreciation recompense for the other's blindness.
It would make a queer little chapter in those
affairs commonly called "of the heart," if
many a successful suitor could know the secret of the rebound in which he has caught
his prize. "I will wait for Harry," said she,
coldly. And, in truth, at that moment, she
felt a positive tenderness for Harry. He, at
least, was hers-hers triumphantly and alone.
She had one faithful vassal, at least, and in
that thought was something like balm.
So they sat down under a clump of trees
and waited until round the bend of the stream
the boat came in sight. Its appearance was
welcome to both watchers; and, as Trefalden
-who was putting all his energy into his
strokes-sent it rapidly toward the bank, Miss
Cheriton gave undisguised expression to her
relief.
"It looks pleasant," she said, "and how
well Harry rows! I think I shall make him
take me out on the water. You"-an irrepressible accent of bitterness-" will be glad
of that, Mr. Latimer."
"I am always glad of your enjoyment,"
responded Mr. Latimer, in his usual tone
"But, of course, you cannot expect me to be
glad of my own desolation."
"A desolation easily consoled by Miss
Trefalden. Hush, here they come! Let us
say nothing, and surprise them when they
have landed."
Never was the trite phrase, that surprises
are always ill-judged, better exemplified than
on this occasion. The boat shot up to the
shore, Helen rose to step out, and Trefalden,
extending his hand, stopped her.
Now, when Miss Cheriton came forward
and faced the two cousins, with all the bearing of a tragedy-queen, it was certainly only
natural that they should have quailed a little.
Partly from consternation, but more from
sheer surprise, Trefalden uttered an exclamation, while Helen drew back a step, saying:
" Miss Cheriton!"
"Yes," said Miss Cheriton, in a tone
which scarcely sounded like her own, so entirely was she overwhelmed by a flood of mortified rage, and that keen, bitter sense of betrayal which is certainly the hardest thing in
the world to bear. "Yes, Miss Trefalden, it
is I! You did not count on a witness to your
love-scene, I suppose; but I could not resist
the temptation of letting you know that I
had unintentionally been one, and of expressing"-she nearly choked here-" my appreciation of that fine sense of honor which
seems, in an especial manner, to distinguish
your family."
"Louise," said Trefalden, hastily stepping
forward, "you do not understand-you are
laboring under a great mistake. You-"
"Will you be kind enough to keep back?"
said she, recoiling from his hand, and looking
at him with eyes of fiery scorn. "How do
you presume to address me, after-after what
I heard? Do you imagine that I will ever
speak to you again? Do you suppose that
our engagement does not end this moment?
Do you think that to-morrow I will recognize
you as an acquaintance? If I were a man, I
might tell you what I think of you-but a woman is debarred even from the use of words!"
"Tell me, by all means," said he, drawing
up his tall figure and looking at her bitterly.
"Perhaps I may be able to reciprocate your
good opinion. If I have talked love to another
woman, it certainly has been no fault of yours
if you have notlistened to it from another man."
The truth of this taunt made it sting more
deeply than it is possible for words to express-all the more deeply, too, because Latimer was near, and could not fail to remember
the overtures made to him less than an hour
before. First crimson, then pale, then crimson again, Miss Cheriton set her teeth, and
answered through them, when she could sufficiently command her voice to speak at all:
"So you think to excuse your own treachery by insulting me! Such conduct is in admirable keeping with all the rest; but,
whether or not it does you credit, I leave
you to determine. As for your cousin -
turning to Helen, who stood by, white, silent,
and stately, with one hand pressed on her
heart-"I owe her an apology for my inopportune appearance. It seems that, having
failed with Mr. Latimer, she has successfully
turned her attention to yourself"
"With regard to Helen," began Trefalden,
in haughty anger; but Helen silenced him by
a motion of her hand. Then, taking a single
step forward, she addressed Miss Cheriton.
"It is useless for me to say how much I
regret that this scene should have occurred,"
she said, quietly. "Since it has done so, I
see nothing for me but to retire from it. My
justification rests with my cousin; and, un
der any circumstances, I decline to enter into
a recrimination of charges which I have too
much self-respect either to notice or resent."
Her tone, her manner, her whole bearing,
was so full of rare and perfect dignity that,
for a moment, she almost seemed to elevate
the scene in which she chanced to play L
part, and, for a moment, absolutely made the
angry woman before her realize the humiliating folly of her passionate outbreak. But
it was only for a moment. The calm tones
had scarcely ceased to speak, when a scornful answer was returned.
"It would have been fortunate if your
self-respect had asserted itself a little sooner,
Miss Trefalden-let us say, for example, before you became a plaything for two men,
neither of whom has ever dreamed of any
thing but his own amusement."
Hardly had these words been uttered,,
when, to the astonishment of both Helen and
Trefalden, Latimer stepped forward from the
leafy screen where he had still lingered, and,.
taking his place by lIelen's side, coolly addressed Miss Cheriton:
"You have done me the honor of associating my name with that of Miss Trefalden,"
he said. "I hope she will forgive me for
making such a declaration in public, but, in
reply to your last remark, there is nothing
left me but to say that I love her as a man
only loves the woman whom he wishes to
marry, and that my most earnest hope is that
this love will one day enable me to win her."
For a minute these words were followed
by an absolute stillness. Knowing only the
artificial side of this man's character, two, at
least, of his astonished listeners were unable
to realize that it was indeed he who made
this simple expression of frank resolution
and earnest meaning. They looked at him in
half-incredulous amazement, while he-well,
it is doubtful whether, at that instant, he did
not forget their very existence. At the conclusion of his sentence, he turned toward
Helen, and met her soft, dark, pathetic eyes.
For a minute, they stood looking at each
other in silence. Then Miss Trefalden extended her hand, with a gesture which Latimer never forgot-extended it, not as she
might have done to a lover, but rather as to
a friend who had performed some generous
service in her behalf.
"Thank you," she said, softly, with the
graceful and gracious charm which Nature
had set like a royal seal upon her. "You
are very good-very kind. I understand why
you have spoken, but you must try to forget —" She stopped suddenly, and pressed
both hands over her heart. Something like
a look of terror came into her eyes. She
struggled for a moment with an incapacity to
speak, then, saying brokenly, "Jt is too
late!" fell forward.
Latimer caught her in his arms, and, kneeling with one knee on the ground, supported
her figure. At first he thought she had only
fainted-but, in a few minutes, the awful
truth came to him. The fierce strain of emotion had done its work with merciful quickness. Too much of sharp tension had been
laid on the heart, and the great organ of life
had ceased its work forever. Miss Cheriton's
unintentional rival lay dead before her.
MISS CHERI'TON'S RIVA.L.
332
[MARCH 8,