"Mr. Dulan, may our cla.s.s come up? We know our lessons," said a youthful voice at his elbow.
"Go to your seats, boys," said a rich, melodious, kind voice; "I wish to have a few moments" conversation with Mr. Dulan," and Dr. Keene, the princ.i.p.al, stood by his side.
"My dear Dulan," said he, "you are depressed, but I bring you that which will cheer your spirits. I have decided to give up my school here into your sole charge if you will accept it. I have received, through the influence of some of my political friends, a lucrative and permanent appointment under the government, the nature of which I will explain to you by and by. I think of closing my connection with this school about the end of the next term. What say you? Will you be my successor?"
Dulan started to his feet, seized both the hands of his friend, pressed them fervently, and would have thanked him, but utterance failed. Dr. Keene insisted on his resuming his seat, and then added:
"The income of the school amounts to twelve hundred dollars a year.
The schoolhouse, dwelling-house, with its outbuildings and numerous improvements upon the premises, go into the bargain. Yes, Dulan, I have known your secret long," said he, smiling good-humoredly, "and sincerely, though silently, commiserated the difficulties of your position; and I a.s.sure you, Dulan, that the greatest pleasure I felt in receiving my appointment was in the opportunity it gave me of making you and Alice happy. Stop, stop, Dulan, let me talk," laughed Keene, as William opened a battery of grat.i.tude upon him. "It is now near the end of July. I should like to see you installed here on the first of September. The August vacation will give you an opportunity of making all your arrangements. I must now leave you to your labors."
Every boy that asked to go out went out that day. Every boy that said his task got praised, and every boy that missed his lesson got blamed.
The day was awfully tedious for all that, but evening came at last, and the school was dismissed. William, after spending an unusually long time in the "outward adorning," hastened with a joy-beaming countenance to the home of his Alice. In the full flow of his joy he was met by a sudden disappointment. The servant who met him at the door informed him that Colonel Delany, Miss Raymond and Mr. Delany had set off for Richmond, with the intention of staying a couple of weeks.
Crestfallen, William turned from the door. This was only a momentary disappointment, however, and soon his spirits rose, and he joyfully antic.i.p.ated the time of the Delany"s return. They were to be back in time for the approaching examination and exhibition at Bay Grove Academy; and in preparing his pupils for this event, William Dulan found ample employment for his time and thoughts. I will not weary you with a description of the exhibition. It pa.s.sed off in that school pretty much as it does in others. The Delanys, however, had not returned in time to be present, nay, the very last day of William"s stay had dawned, yet they had not arrived. William had written to his mother that he would be home on a stated day, and not even for the delight of meeting the mistress of his heart, the period of whose return was now uncertain, would he disappoint her. William was engaged in packing his trunk, when Dr. Keene, again the harbinger of good tidings, entered his room.
"My dear Dulan," said he, "I have come to tell you that the Delanys have arrived. You will have an opportunity of spending your last evening with Alice."
William shuffled his things into his trunk, pressed down the lid, locked it, and, hastily bidding his friend good-evening, took his hat and hurried from the house. Being arrived at Colonel Delany"s, he was shown into the drawing-room, and was delighted to find Alice its sole occupant. The undisguised joy with which she received him left scarcely a doubt upon his mind as to the reception of his intended proposals. After a few mutual inquiries respecting health, friends, and so forth, William took her white hand in his, and said, or attempted to say--I know not what--it stuck in his throat--and he remained merely silent, holding the hand of Alice. There is something so extremely difficult about making a pre-meditated declaration of love. It is much easier when it can be surprised from a man. William knew the moments were very precious. He knew that Colonel Delany or his son might be expected to enter at any moment, and there would be an end of opportunity for a month or six weeks to come; yet there he sat, holding her hand, the difficulty becoming greater every minute, while the crimson cheek of Alice burned with a deeper blush. At length footsteps approached. William heard them, and becoming alarmed, hastily, hurriedly, but fervently and pa.s.sionately exclaimed:
"Alice, I love you with my whole heart, mind and strength. I love you as we are commanded only to love G.o.d. Dearest Alice, will you become my wife?"
"Miss Raymond," said Richard Delany, entering at this moment, "my father desires your presence instantly in his study on business of the utmost moment to yourself. Mr. Dulan, I hope, will excuse me, as we have but just arrived, and many matters crave my attention.
Good-evening, sir," and, bowing haughtily, he attended his cousin from the room. William Dulan arose and took his hat to go.
"Farewell, Mr. Dulan," said Alice, kindly, "if we should not meet again before your departure."
"Farewell, sweet Alice," murmured William Dulan as he left the house.
It was a glorious Sabbath morning early in August. The widow"s cottage gleamed in the dark bosom of the wood like a gem in the tresses of beauty. Everything wore its brightest aspect. The windows of the little parlor were open, and the songs of birds and the perfume of flowers were wafted through them. But the little breakfast-table, with its snowy cloth and its one plate, cup and saucer, looked almost piteous from its solitude. Upon the clean white coverlet of the bed sat the widow"s little black bonnet and shawl, prayer-book, and clean pocket handkerchief, folded with its sprig of lavender. It was Communion Sunday, and the widow would not miss going to church on any account. She dispatched her breakfast quickly--poor thing! she had not much appet.i.te. She had sat up half the night previous, awaiting the arrival of William, but he had not come; and a man from the village had informed her that the mail-stage had arrived on the night previous without any pa.s.sengers. As the stage would not pa.s.s again for a week, the widow could not expect to see or hear from her son for that length of time. After putting away her breakfast things, she donned her bonnet and shawl, and, taking her prayer-book, opened the door to go out. What a pleasant sight met her eyes. A neat one-horse carriage, or rather cart, stood at the door--her son was just alighting from it. In another instant he had clasped his mother in his arms.
"Oh! my William! my William! I am so glad to see you," exclaimed the delighted mother, bursting into tears. "Oh, but this is so joyful, so unexpected, dear William! I looked for you, indeed, last night; but, as you did not come, I gave you up, unwillingly enough, for a week.
But come in, darling; you"ve not breakfasted, I know."
"No, dear mother, because I wished to breakfast with you; but let me give something to the horse, first, and you sit in the door, dear mother--I do not want to lose sight of you a moment, while waiting on Rosinante."
"Never mind, William, old Jake can do that. Here, Jake," said she, as the old servant approached, "take charge of Master William"s horse."
Then turning to William, she said: "John sends old Jake over every morning to help me."
"Ah! How are Cousins John and Elizabeth?"
"Oh, very hearty. We shall see them this morning at church."
"I did not come in the stage yesterday, mother," said William, as they took their seats at the breakfast table, "because I had purchased this light wagon and horse for you to ride to church in, and I came down in it. I reached the river last night, but could not cross. The old ferryman had gone to bed, and would not rise. Well, after breakfast, dear mother, I shall have the pleasure of driving you to church in your own carriage!" added William, smiling.
"Ah! William, what a blessing you are to me, my dear son; but it must have taken the whole of your quarter"s salary to buy this for me?" And she glanced, with pain, at his rusty and threadbare suit of black, and at his napless hat.
"Ah, mother, I was selfish after all, and deserve no credit, for I laid the money out in the way which would give myself the most pleasure. But, see, here is old Jake to tell us the carriage is ready.
Come, mother, I will hand you in, and as we go along I will unfold to you some excellent news, which I am dying to deliver." So saying, he placed his mother carefully in the little carriage, and seating himself beside her drove off, leaving old Jake in charge of the house.
"There is plenty of time, dear mother; so we will drive slowly, that we may talk with more comfort."
William then proceeded to relate, at large, all that had taken place during his residence at Bay Grove--not omitting his love for Alice, of whom he gave a glowing description; nor the bright prospects which the kindness of Dr. Keene opened before him. Then he described the beautiful dwelling which would become vacant on the removal of Dr.
Keene"s family, which was expected to take place some time during the coming autumn. To this dwelling, he intended to remove his mother, and hoped to bear his bride.
To all this the mother listened with grateful joy. At the church, William Dulan met again his cousins, John and Elizabeth, who expressed their delight at the meeting and insisted that William and his mother should return with them to dinner. This, however, both mother and son declined, as they wished to spend the day at home together.
William Dulan spent a month with his mother, and when the moment arrived that was to terminate his visit, he said to her:
"Now, dear mother, cheer up! This parting is so much better than our last parting. Now, I am going to prepare a beautiful home for you, and when I come at Christmas, it will be for the purpose of carrying you back with me."
The widow gave her son a beaming look of love.
With a "Heaven be with you, my dearest mother," and "G.o.d bless you, my best son," they parted. They parted to meet no more on earth.
Let us now return to the mansion of Colonel Delany, and learn the nature of that "matter of the utmost moment to herself," that had summoned Alice so inopportunely from the side of her lover.
On reaching the study of her uncle, Miss Raymond found him in deep consultation with an elderly gentleman in black. Various packets of papers were before him--an open letter was held in his hand. He arose to meet Alice, as she advanced into the room, and taking her hand with grave respect, said:
"Lady Hilden, permit me to congratulate you on your accession to your t.i.tle and estates."
"Sir! uncle!" exclaimed Alice, gazing at him with the utmost astonishment, scarcely conscious whether she was waking or dreaming.
"Yes, my dear, it is true. Your grandfather--old Lord Hilden--departed this life on the sixth of last March. His only living son survived him but a few weeks, and died without issue, and the t.i.tle and estates, with a rent-roll of eight thousand pounds per annum, has descended, in right of your father, to yourself!"
"I shall have so much to give to William!" involuntarily exclaimed Alice.
"Madam!" exclaimed Colonel Delany in surprise.
Alice blushed violently at having thought aloud. "Dear sir," said she, "I did not know what I was saying."
"Ah, well, I suppose you are a little startled with this sudden news,"
said the Colonel, smiling; "but now it is necessary for you to examine with us some of these papers. Ah, I crave your pardon, Mr.
Reynard--Lady Hilden, this is Mr. Reynard, late solicitor to your deceased grandfather, the Baron----"
Great was the excitement in the neighborhood when it was noised abroad that Alice Raymond had become a baroness, in her own right, and the possessor of a large estate in England. And when, for the first time since her accession to her new dignities, she appeared at church, in deep mourning, every eye was turned upon her, and she almost sank beneath the gaze of so many people.
In the height of the "nine days" wonder," William Dulan returned, and was greeted by the news from every quarter.
"Oh, Alice--lost! lost! lost to me forever!" exclaimed he, in agony, as he paced, with hurried strides, up and down the floor of his little room. "Oh, my mother, if it were not for thee, I should pray that this wretched heart of mine would soon be stilled in death."
If any human being will look candidly upon the events of his own life, and the history of his own heart, with a view to examine the causes of suffering, he will be constrained to admit that by far the greater portion of his miseries have originated in misapprehension, and might have been easily prevented or cured by a little calm investigation. It was so with William Dulan, who was at this moment suffering the most acute agony of mind he ever felt in his life, from a misconception, a doubt, which a ten minutes" walk to the house of Colonel Delany, and a ten minutes" talk with Alice, would have dissipated forever.
If Richard Delany was anxious before to wed his cousin for love, he was now half crazy to take that step by which both love and ambition would be gratified to the utmost.
He actually loved her ten times as much as formerly. The "beggar" was beautiful, but the baroness was bewitching! Spurred on, then, he determined to move heaven, earth and the other place, if necessary, to accomplish his object. He beset Lady Hilden with the most earnest prayers, and protestations, and entreaties, reminding her that he loved and wooed her before the dawn of her prosperity, and appealed to her for the disinterestedness of his pa.s.sion. But all in vain. He even besought his father to use his influence with Alice in his favor.