Читать книгу Redeemed - Mrs. George Sheldon Downs - Страница 3

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Two lives that once part are as ships that divide,

When, moment on moment, there rushes between

The one and the other a sea—

Ah, never can fall from the days that have been

A gleam on the years that shall be.

BULWER LYTTON.

"Very well, John; I have nothing more to say. You can commence proceedings as soon as you choose. I shall not contest them."

The speaker was a slight, graceful woman of perhaps thirty-five years. Her figure was a little above the medium stature, and symmetrical, almost perfect, in its proportions. Her beautiful, refined face and proudly poised, shapely head were crowned with a wealth of soft brown hair, in which there was a glint of red, and which lay in bright profusion above her white forehead, in charming contrast with the delicate fairness of her skin, which, at the present moment, was absolutely colorless.

Drawn to her full height, she was standing opposite her companion, her large, expressive gray eyes, in which pity and scorn struggled for supremacy, lifted to his in a direct, unflinching gaze which bespoke the strength of purpose and straightforward character of one who possessed the courage of her convictions; while, in her rich-toned voice, as well as in her crisp, decisive sentences, there was a note of finality which plainly indicated that she had taken her stand regarding the matter under discussion, and would abide by it.

"What! Am I to understand that you do not intend to contest proceedings for a divorce, Helen?"

Surprise and an unmistakable intonation of eagerness pervaded John Hungerford's tones as he spoke, while, at the same time, he searched his wife's face with a curious, almost startled, look.

At a casual glance the man impressed one as possessing an unusually attractive personality.

He had a fine, athletic figure—tall, broad-shouldered, well-proportioned—which, together with an almost military bearing, gave him a distinguished air, that instantly attracted attention wherever he went. A clear olive complexion, dark-brown eyes and hair, handsomely molded features, and a luminous smile, that revealed white, perfect teeth, completed the tout ensemble that had made havoc with not a few susceptible hearts, even before he had finally bestowed his coveted affections upon beautiful Helen Appleton, whom later he had made his wife. But upon closer acquaintance one could not fail to detect disappointing lines in his face, and corresponding flaws in his character—a shifty eye, a weak mouth and chin, an indolent, ease-loving temperament, that would shirk every responsibility, and an insatiable desire for personal entertainment, that betrayed excessive selfishness and a lack of principle.

"No," the woman coldly replied to her husband's exclamation of astonishment, "I have no intention of opposing any action that you may see fit to take to annul our union, provided——"

She paused abruptly, a sudden alertness in her manner and tone.

"Well?" he questioned impatiently, and with a frown which betokened intolerance of opposition.

"Provided you do not attempt to take Dorothy from me, or to compromise me in any way in your efforts to free yourself."

The man shrugged his broad shoulders and arched his fine eyebrows.

"I am not sighing for publicity for either you or myself, Helen," he observed. "I simply wish to get the matter settled as quickly and quietly as possible. As for Dorothy, however——"

"There can be no question about Dorothy; she is to be relinquished absolutely to me," Helen Hungerford interposed, with sharp decision.

"You appear to be very insistent upon that point," retorted her companion, with sneering emphasis and an unpleasant lifting of his upper lip that just revealed the tips of his gleaming teeth.

"I certainly am; that my child remains with me is a foregone conclusion," was the spirited reply.

"The judge may decree differently——"

"You will not dare suggest it," returned the wife, in a coldly quiet tone, but with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "No judge would render so unrighteous a decree if I were to tell my story, which I certainly should do if driven to it. I have assented to your demand for this separation, but before I sign any papers to ratify the agreement you will legally surrender all claim to, or authority over, Dorothy."

"Indeed! Aren't you assuming a good deal of authority for yourself, Helen? You appear to forget that Dorothy is my child as well as yours—that I love her——"

"Love her!" Exceeding bitterness vibrated in the mother's voice. "How have you shown your love for her? However, it is useless to discuss that point. I have given you my ultimatum—upon no other condition will I consent to this divorce," she concluded, with an air of finality there was no mistaking.

"I swear I will not do it!" John Hungerford burst forth, with sudden anger.

An interval of silence followed, during which each was apparently absorbed in troubled thought.

"Possibly it will make no difference whether you do or do not accede to my terms," Mrs. Hungerford resumed, after a moment, "for it has occurred to me that there is already a law regulating the guardianship of minors, giving the child a voice in the matter; and, Dorothy being old enough to choose her own guardian, there can be little doubt regarding what her choice would be."

"You are surely very sanguine," sneered her husband.

"And why should I not be?" demanded the woman, in a low but intense tone. "What have you to offer her? What have you ever done for her, or to gain her confidence and respect, that could induce her to trust her future with you? How do you imagine she will regard this last humiliation to which you are subjecting her and her mother?"

John Hungerford flushed a conscious crimson as these pertinent questions fell from the lips of his outraged wife. His glance wavered guiltily, then fell before the clear, accusing look in her eyes.

"Oh, doubtless you have her well trained in the rôle she is to play," he sullenly observed, after an interval of awkward silence, during which he struggled to recover his customary self-assurance. "You have always indulged her lightest whim, and so have tied her securely to your apron strings, which, it goes without saying, has weakened my hold upon her."

His companion made no reply to this acrid fling, but stood in an attitude of quiet dignity, awaiting any further suggestions he might have to offer.

But, having gained his main point—her consent to a legal separation—the man was anxious to close the interview and escape from a situation that was becoming exceedingly uncomfortable for him. At the same time, he found it no easy matter to bring the interview to a close and take final leave of the wife whom he was repudiating.

"Well, Helen," he finally observed, assuming a masterful tone to cover his increasing embarrassment, "I may have more to say regarding Dorothy, later on—we will not discuss the matter further at present. Now, I am going—unless you have something else you wish to say to me."

Helen Hungerford shivered slightly at these last words, and grew marble white.

Then she suddenly moved a step or two nearer to him, and lifted her beautiful face to him, a solemn light in her large gray eyes.

"Yes, I have something else I would like to say to you, John," she said, her voice growing tremulous for the first time during their interview. "This separation is, as you know, of your own seeking, not mine. A so-called divorce, though sanctioned a thousand times by misnamed law, means nothing to me. When I married you I pledged myself to you until death should part us, and I would have held fast to my vows until my latest breath. I may have made mistakes during the years we have lived together, but you well know that whenever I have taken a stand against your wishes it has always been for conscience's sake. I have honestly tried to be a faithful wife—a true helpmeet, and a wise mother. I have freely given you the very best there was in me to give. Now, at your decree, we are to part. I make no contest—I hurl no reproaches—I simply submit. But I have one last plea to make: I beg of you not to ruin your future in the way you are contemplating—you know what I mean—for life is worthless without an honored name, without the respect of your fellow men, and, above all, without self-respect. You have rare talent—talent that would lift you high upon the ladder of fame and success, if you would cease to live an aimless, barren existence. For your own sake, I pray you will not longer pervert it. That is all. Good-by, John; I hear Dorothy coming, and you may have something you would like to say before you go."

She slipped quietly between the portières near which she had been standing, and was gone as a door opened to admit a bright, winsome lassie of about fifteen years.

Dorothy Hungerford strongly resembled her mother. She was formed like her; she had the same pure complexion, the same large, clear gray eyes and wealth of reddish-brown hair, which hung in a massive braid—like a rope of plaited satin—between her shoulders, and was tied at the end with a great bow of blue ribbon.

The girl paused abruptly upon the threshold, and flushed a startled crimson as her glance fell upon her father.

"Where—is mamma?" she inquired, in evident confusion.

"Your mother has just gone to her room," the man replied, his brows contracting with a frown of pain as he met his daughter's beautiful but clouded eyes. "Come in, Dorothy," he added, throwing a touch of brightness into his tones; "I wish to have a little talk with you."

The maiden reluctantly obeyed, moving forward a few paces into the room and gravely searching her father's face as she did so.

"I suppose you know that I am going away, Dorothy? Your mother has told you—ahem!—of the—the change I—we are contemplating?" John Hungerford inquiringly observed, but with unmistakable embarrassment.

"Yes, sir," said Dorothy, with an air of painful constraint.

"How would you like to come with me, dear? You have a perfect right to choose with whom you will live for the future."

"I choose to live with my mother!" And there was now no constraint accompanying the girl's positive reply.

The man's right hand clenched spasmodically; then his dark eyes blazed with sudden anger.

"Ha! Evidently your mother has been coaching you upon the subject," he sharply retorted.

"Mamma hasn't said a word to me about—about that part of the—the plan," Dorothy faltered.

"Then you mean me to understand that, of your own free will, you prefer to remain with your mother altogether?"

Dorothy nodded her drooping head in assent, not possessing sufficient courage to voice her attitude.

"Pray tell me what is your objection to living with me—at least for a portion of each year?"

The child did not immediately answer. The situation was an exceedingly trying one, and she appeared to be turning her father's proposition over in her mind.

At length she lifted her head, and her eyes met his in a clear, direct gaze.

"Where are you going to live?" she questioned, with significant emphasis.

Her companion shrank before her look and words as if he had been sharply smitten.

"That is not the question just at present," he said, quickly recovering himself. "I asked what objection you have to living with me. Don't you love me at all?"

Again Dorothy's head fell, and, pulling the massive braid of her ruddy hair over her shoulder, she stood nervously toying with it in silence.

"Dorothy, I wish you to answer me," her father persisted, greatly irritated by her attitude toward him, and growing reckless of consequences in his obstinate determination to force her to give him a definite answer.

But Dorothy was not devoid of obstinacy herself. She pouted irresolutely a moment; then, tossing her braid back into its place, stood erect, and faced her father squarely.

"Why are you going away—why will you not live here with mamma?"

Again the man flushed hotly. He was guiltily conscious that she knew well enough why.

"I—we are not congenial, and it is better that we live apart," he faltered, as he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Then, becoming suddenly furious in view of being thus arraigned by his own child, he thundered: "Now I command you to give me your reason for refusing to live with me during some portion of each year! I know," he went on, more temperately, "that you love your mother, and I would not wish to take you from her altogether; but I am your father—I certainly have some claim upon you, and it is natural that I should desire to keep you with me some of the time. Now, tell me at once your objections to the plan," he concluded sternly.

The interview had been a severe strain upon the delicately organized and proud-spirited girl, and she had found great difficulty in preserving her self-control up to this point; but now his tone and manner were like spark to powder.

"Because—— Oh, because I think you are just horrid! I used to think you such a gentleman, and I was proud of you; but now you have shamed me so! No, I don't love you, and I wouldn't go to live with you and—and that dreadful woman for anything!" she recklessly threw back at him.

For a minute John Hungerford stood speechless, staring blankly at his child, his face and lips colorless and drawn. Her words had stabbed him cruelly.

"Dorothy, you are impertinent!" he said severely, when he could command his voice.

She caught her breath sharply; she bit her lips fiercely, her white teeth leaving deep imprints upon them; then passion swept all before it.

"I know it—I feel impertinent! I feel awful wicked, as if I could do something dreadful!" she cried shrilly and quivering from head to foot from mingled anger and grief. "You have broken mamma's heart, and it breaks mine, too, to see her looking so crushed and getting so white and thin. And now you are going to put this open disgrace upon her—upon us both—just because you are tired of her and think you like some one else better. I do love my mother—she is the dearest mother in the world, and I'm glad you're going. I—I don't care if I never——"

Her voice broke sharply, at this point, into something very like a shriek. She had wrought herself up to a frenzy of excitement, and now, with great sobs shaking her slight form like a reed, she turned abruptly away, and dashed wildly out of the room, slamming the door violently behind her.