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KISSIXCr THE CHILDREN.1

A WOMAN'S WILL; OH, IENERGY…

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A WOMAN'S WILL; OH, I ENERGY N E W A R D E D. r i CHATTER XVI. | A TRAIWIl IN THE CAJir. [ I'alo RDs dmner-timo An astasia came down, looking "Wr.yp scared. Winifred and Ladv Whitflesra Sairll^ ne in the drawing-room, and Lady Whittlesea P ^tniCr.0Tne hero, mv love, and let me sec what is &THIR • <i IT, ■^astasia kept aloof. ehe viler? is nothing amiss, grandmamma," said "'(/J quivering, only I have the headache." tw y the Iv-auaehe! that is bad enough, yon « ..Bo a drivu with me. The air will do it good." eta" (), you, grandmamma, I would rather u at koine," said Anastasia, still keeping aloof.' ^ur th': way- my dear," t-aid the old lady, I *a&t f''°aaing dros came homo this morning. I the, K°e my little lady in it. Go and put it on, H a darling! chiÎJerYbody spoke to Anastasia as if she were a t looking very pale. Then suddenly glow camo over her f ad and neck. Ver' skl did a< :he old lad>' Wlbhed* 8he ji ,0 ^tch the wedding dress. hej. t8entiy she came dancing back, dressed up in it; sad *yes bright aid sparkling, and every trace of \y s gone. «< was astounded at the change. '< es3 me cried the old lady, highly delighted. deela6 my spectacles, Miss Godfrey. V eil, I .she lookt; like a fairy queen." littlf r1 is a mere child," thought Winifred; a p nnery puts everything out of her head." jv half an hour at least, was Anastasia turned and round, that the old lady might see every phase of her costume. *r0i n at length she was dismissed, she glided I uot,n. room, apparently as light hearied as it 8;n^lng_had occurred. Winifred ever, hoard her i" in the passage. Unfj evident she was reconciled to her destiny, jj ,at Tarry was forgotten. j)te Ul)ng the period that was to elapse between the I^a^nt time and the sixteenth of June, hut little and quietness was expected. eryhody seemed in a state of excitement about ■j gluing Hr1(jUl ^TIS the busy days Sir rhiiip came as usual, Ajj (M'a8 shut up in the drawing-room. with l11/'t J Usia. From onn of theso tete-a-tete* Winifred U r coming up-s^airs, flushed, and in tears. She int n,ot &itempt to detain her, and Anastasia wont ',NV;'• room, and shut the door, ^ed, passing by a moment after, heard very e fcohs. 1!111ilf dinner-time, however, Anast'isia re-appeared gon.e ng- und happy. All traces of agitation were ,otTh ^n(T"'dents were puzzling to Winifred; she did i elicit n°W w^1Ht to niakt* of them. Once she tried to j 80rnething from Anastasia that should prove f^Lailat°ry. They were walking togethor — a rai'c occurrcncc—when Winifred ventured to «(? ^°Pe you will be happy, 5Iiss Horace." Happy," 0h>veg » !ww° st°pped. Eer eye had shot forth a ray of and her cheek was suffused with rosy red. iVin-8i>oli:e. the words with a burst of eagerness, and r^r°d ;rnmcd'1!-te!y rejoined— hvis'^ Sir Philip will malie an excellent •^nVsf. went out. The rosy hue fadod. face looked cold and hard. in „ not s.iy another word. She walked home "^broken .Uence. (;:umot understand it," thought Winifred. fin] i 0 cud of a week the wedding trousseau was ttlo The boxes were packed, and every prepa- Ou made for whirling the bridal pair to Komc. f. s^all love to go to Iiome," Baid Anastasia, as W °°d hatching Winifred put the last dress into ^tmanteau. e> ton. and Sir Philip will be a very nice person .° ^^th," replied Winifred.. ^hp the hard, stony look on Anastasia's face. « ^ave a jerk as if to free herself from something. 8^'t you think so ?" persisted Winifred, -j., 'ng the rich iolds of the dress. H;r °b, 1 don't know! You tease me so about teaTfi ^:i' '•" and Anastasia burst into a llood of hI lonl Y dear, I am sure I have no wish to tease you. << y' Mentioned b.ate- ey- yes! You need not say it again. I itiVs/7t • Oh, what am T doing ? I am not at all I J to-day." you mean that you hate Sir Philip, you are considering what is to take »« ,^cxt Wednesday, Providence permitting." ye8 1 an(^ Anastasia's eye beamed forth fltjpJ1' and her whole being seemed under the in- strong oxcitement. I know; 1 to th*1 ^r.e<^ looked up in surprise. Anastasia glided k -r? window singing, her face averted. ^adiFgU ,,Dee^ not make me talk about it, Miss y°u T/i?* well, we will change the subject. I hope An ^Vr'te to me when you are in Home." «i Tastas :a did not answer. Anfi i snall Wi>nt L» know how you are getting on. ycin 8ure y°1J don't spoil this beautiful silk before come home. I am afraid it won't wear," Btood at the window. th,, tn > see, I have put j our drawing materials on the' °^' 1U8t where you can lay your hands upon ij^ vou happen to be in the humour for sketch- Jj^^nd the cainp stool is folded up here, Miss of ev a9iasia was standing at the window, oblivious A ^ything, flUsh linifred looked at her, she could see a sudden she + colour dveing her neck and arms. Presently f round, her eyes brilliant, and her whole o,aiUlr»ated. eaid-^ VaB daj"ting from the room, when Winifred T aItIt to show you where I have put the things, Ohen YOll will be in no confusion." the th" nOVer mind the things. Janet will see to y but Sir "} hilip does not mean to take « i n says he will not be plagued with her. hurry1??86 ^et me S°> Miss Godfrey. I am in 6uch a (< Well if ycm don't care." present" now; so good-bye for the gone^ ft ^nick bound, like a gazelle, she was << V "Wir,^0^' ,^o in the -^orld, did sk« Me out of the ^w? bought Winded. hapT)!1^6^ vra^ not given te ftar-gazing, but it *fti, „ that night she ■was Btanding at her window VerY had gone to bed. It was a soft, balmy night, nnd though there was Tio moon, vet tho raidanco of the summer sunset seemed yctlo linger in the sky Winifred could see plainly the outline of the tre and the dewy grass of the lawn, amid which a glowworm here and there he'd out her lamp. She was about, at length, to close her window and retire, when to her; extreme surprise and terror, a figure emerged from the shrubbery, and stiaJtluly advanced to the house. Wini.'rcd stood rooted, as it were, to the ground. For a moment she felt unable even to tivo an alarm. Then to her unutterable dismay, the creak of a Bash Gounded through the stillness of the night, and something white came iluttering down to the ground. C, It waS a paper from Anastasia's window, and the man was Harry The blood rushed violently to Winifred's temples. Her first impulse was to rouse Mrs. Horace but ere she had gained the threshold of the door she stopped. To give publicity to an incident like that would be the height of indiscretion. She hastened back to the window. The man was gone; all was silent and peaceful, as though no dis- turbing elements were at work. Then Winifred wrung her hands in despair. "It will ruin me," she thought; "my fatal con- cealment of the matter will bring down all their in- dignation. I shall be turned adrift, and go 1 know not whither. Put even that will be nothing, if this silly child can but be saved?" Full of anxi«ty, she stole along the passage to Anastasia's room but here she was frustrated the door wa.s locked. Still, beyond the Ullci-Jov.x which Winifred saw deFcending, no actual harm hnd been done. Anastasia had not eloped. "She will be thinking of that next," said Wini- fred, bitterly. Her anxiety was so great that she slole Iagaii-i to Anastasia's room, and endeavoured to enter, but she was a second tim" unsuccessful. Then she lay on tho bed, dressed as she was, resolving to keep awake and listen. Hue Winifred was utterly wearied out. In vain sho Etrcve to prevent h( s<'1 f from sleeping. In vain sherouswd herself every time she felt her eyelids closing. Close they would; for Nature was spent, Is and demanded repose. In spite of herself, she sbpt. CHAPTER XVII. GONE. THE BummCT morning dawned fair and bright upon the earth. The flowers opened their petals, the birds sang, and the dewdrops sparkled on the grass. Then up rose Winifred. It was early. No one was astir, or likely to be, at present. Yet Winifred got up in haste, the whole train of alarms and anxieties pressing on her mind. She turned at once to Annstasia's room. The door was unlocked. Well, so much the better; Anastasia wxa accessible. Sho was, perhaps, asleep; and if so, Winifred might, or might not, have the heart to wake her. She opened the door noiselessly and cautiously. The blind was down, and the curtains drawn close round the bed. She drew the or tain softly, expecting to see the fair head with its golden nimbus on the pillow. Her eyes wandered hither and thither, and a sudden paleness fell upon her countenance. 1 re- sently the cold drops of agony burst out upon her forehead. „ Anastasia was gone—actually gone! Sne liew to the window. It was unfastened. Oh, unexampled folly-these children had run away together! I or a moment Winifred stood pressing her hand to her forehead, a hundred recollections crowding into her brain. She saw through the whole web of treachery from beginning to-end. Hut there, was no time to lose—not a single moment. While she stood, a prey to bitter and un- availing regrets, Anastasia and Barry were ileeing, who could tell whither ? Mrs. Horace must bo told the net of miserable folly which had taken place that night. Presence of mind was an attribute of V mifreds. Shocked and horrified beyond measure, she had yet the power to consider what was best to be done. The most immediate thing was to arouse Ars. Horace. Sho waived straight into the room where that magnificent lady was asleep, and woke her without the least ceremony. Mrs. Horace, startled and alarmed, could not, all at once, be made to understand. When the fact did, at length, dawn upon her, she went into violent hysterics, and loused the whole house by her shrieks. „ Winifred's plan was to pursue the fugitives imme- diately, without making any great sensation; and that the mother should use her authority in bringing back her child. Hut this temperate scheme was frustrated ht the onset. In a few minutes the whole household were acquainted with the disastrous cir- cumstance of their young mistress's flight. Winifred—calm amid the tempest of confusion raised by the intelligence—was the only person capable of acting. She at once assumed an air of authority, which Mrs. Horace herself did not attempt to dispute. „ She desired Janet to dress Mrs. Horace, and pre- pare her for a iournev to London. She ordered the carriage to the door; and then, hastily attiring herself for walking, she new to the railway-station in the wild hope that the fugitives might not have started. Alas! she was too late.. A voung lady and a young gentleman, answering to her description, went by the up train to London half an hour ago. QT,™ The next train started m an hour s time. i.how- berry was barely twenty miles from London. It was only five o'clock. It was possible they might yet be saved. Winifred telegraphed at once to have the youn0 people detained on their arrival. The fright and agony of the hapless lovers did occur to her, but it moved her not an atom. Fool! fool! she muttered. "At sixteen to undo herself for life." T Winifred then walked quickly back to Lady Whittlesea"s house. Here the confusion and alarm had reached its height. I.ady Whittlesea was clash- ing her bell incessantly. Servants were running to S fro, not knowing who to obey. Mrs. Horace WRB sitting helplessly on the floor m the breakfast- room, dishevelled and distraught, like an uncrowned qUWinifred first of all, f.et about pacifying the old lad, fho tho ckmour of th, bell by gong tocher and beseeching her to be quiet. Then, S'.feVworia, she told fcer the'hopes she entertained of rescui manner Lady AVhittloseu, calmod by ar(. grew reasonable and traceable, k he the story of 'the flight imperfectly, and wth exag- gerations. Now she asked, anxiously- ,f. 91 "And what are you going to do next. Jon I am going to follow the poor child to London, if Mrs. Horace will accompany me, and bring her safe back agajn to her home." Tilesa vou, Miss Godfrey, you area host in jour self! cried tho old lady, holding out her hand, ana with tears in her eyes.. Leaving her j atroness tolerably composed, Wini- fred now hastened to Mrs. Horace. She found her still wringing her hands, and rock- ing herself backwards and forwards, while she uttered the most bitter invectives a gainst Harry, and denounced him as a traitor and a villain Which, indeed. he is," said Witifred, quickly; « but we do not intend that he should marry our dear H oraco." As she spoke, she busied herself in making a cup °f ™0B" ahrieljod. MM. Horace, I daresay they are married now," "°Ztt4T.i'.kind." paid Winifred. E^t i, the tanoScJ hour, and it is not nrnch paat five. ITu carriage has taken place yet. "But we know where they are, and we ca^i't began Mrs. Iiurae°; with a in • Oh, yes, I have found out where they are and as soon aa you have drank this cup of coilee,w -a Bet off after them.' Where are th,?v ?" cried Mrs. Horace, eager y. On the way to London. I have ordered the car- riage to take us to tho station in time for the next train. „ "And do you think there is any nope. claimed Mrs. Horace, starting up with r«TiTea Yes every hope in the world. Even if th«y get to London first-which, of course, they will do-they will be detained. I have telegraphed." "Miss Godfrey, we are greatly indebted to you, said Mrs. Horace, in a transport of gratitude. Winifred made no reply. She poured out the coffee, and began to cut some slices of ham." She had ordered breakfast before she went to the station. I cannot eat anything." cried Mrs. Horace, it is impossible. Had we not better start ?" „ We should only have to wait at the station, replied Winifred, cpolly; "besides, I want my breakfast. Mrs. Horace sat down again. How calm you are," Miss GodfreyBut then my poor child is nothing to yon Nothmg and Winifred laid down her knife and fork, and her eyes gave a sudden flash. I would give my life for her," added she with energy. "I am sure you are very good," replied Mrs. Horace, bursting into tears. It is necessary to be calm," continued Winifred, resuming her composure of manner, because nothing can be done or thought of in a state ot hurry and confusion. You see that, if we had been running hither and thither, without any definite purpose, Miss Horace might have been lost." I Oh, yes; and, Miss Godfrey, where do you think they had planned to -to-to Mi*. Horace started with horror at the sound of the words It is so very dreadful! sobbed she. I do not think they will bo allowed to leave the station." replied Winifred, quietly. "Remember I have telegraphed." r (T. be continued.) I

THE SILENT HEART.

MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

LADIES' COLUMN.

USEFUL HINTS.