CHAPTER XI.
LOVE'S PRESENTIMENTS.
"Oh, friendships falter when misfortunes frown, The blossoms vanish when the leaves turn brown, The shells lie stranded when the tide goes down, But you, dear heart, are ever true. Let the silver mingle with your curls of gold, Let the years grow dreary, and the world wax old, But the love I bear to you will ne'er grow cold, I love you, darling, only you!"
Olive Peyton would never forget the unpleasant notoriety of that night,when Love Ellsworth had so coolly exposed her identity, though shecarried it off with a high hand, by explaining that the gypsy woman hadbeen called away by her husband's illness, and she had taken her placefor the fun of the thing, and to keep the church from losing the moneyit was to have gained by the fortune-telling. Of course, she knew asmuch of the future as any lying old gypsy woman; so she did not considerthat there was any harm done, as she had also earned several dollars forthe church. She had given a few of them bad fortunes, just to see ifthey would really believe such stuff, meaning to tease them over theircredulity to-morrow, when she intended to declare her identity as thegypsy.
No one ventured to dissent from Olive's declaration, that no harm hadbeen done by her personation of the gypsy; for no one suspected the realtruth, which was, that she had actually bribed the gypsy to give herher place, hoping thus to work on the feelings of Dainty and her lover.
But baffled and detected in her wicked scheme, she carried it off coollyas a joke, declaring that no harm had been done.
No one took issue with her except an old physician, who was known tohave the courage of his own opinion so strongly that he was evenungallant enough to contradict a lady if he believed that she was in thewrong.
So when she asserted that no harm had been done, old Doctor Plattrumpled up his bushy-gray eyebrows severely at her, and snorted:
"I beg leave to differ with you, miss."
Olive turned on the bold doctor with an imperious frown; but he was notin the least abashed.
He continued, testily:
"I give it as my professional opinion, without charge, that the dreadfulprediction you made to that timid, nervous girl, Miss Chase, would havepreyed so deeply on her sensitive mind as to cause her premature death,had not the cruel joke been discovered in time to allay her fears."
"Nonsense!" Olive answered, sharply, turning her back on him in anger.But she knew in her heart that she had counted on just what the olddoctor said, and hoped, indeed, in her cruel jealousy, to frighten poorDainty into an early grave.
She hated Love Ellsworth for thwarting her plans--hated and loved him,in a breath; for his splendid, manly beauty had made an ineffaceableimpression on her heart. All his indifference did not chill the fire ofher passion; so that this love made an added incentive to become themistress of Ellsworth.
Though she knew he had discovered several of her schemes, and fearedthat he secretly despised her; and even though she knew he was in lovewith Dainty, and hoped to marry her in three weeks, she did not losehope of winning him yet herself. She would try plan after plan to comebetween them, she vowed; and surely she must at last succeed.
So it was no part of her plan to have Love think ill of her; and afterthe physician had so publicly expressed his opinion, she went up to thelovers, where they stood a little apart, and exclaimed, sweetly:
"Doctor Platt has given me quite a scare over you, Dainty, and I am veryglad now that Mr. Ellsworth discovered my identity so soon, thoughindeed I meant to reveal it myself to-morrow. But still, as you are soweak and nervous, you might have spent a bad night, and I am glad it isspared you. I meant no harm, only to worry you girls awhile; but I amvery sorry now, and you must forgive me, will you not, for my practicaljoke?"
Dainty looked frankly surprised at this condescension, but she had toosweet a nature to hold malice; so she murmured a gentle assent, andOlive remained talking with them a few moments, dilating lightly on theridiculous fortunes she had given the girls, just to see theirconsternation and disappointment over it all.
"I am afraid I am very wicked, for I have always been fond of playingpractical jokes on people; but after to-night I shall try to restrainthat propensity," she sighed; and wondered why Love gave her such astrange, piercing look.
A strange suspicion indeed had flashed over his mind; for her plot ofto-night had made him deeply anxious and uneasy.
He did not believe in her pretty penitence. It rang hollow in his ears,and a sudden terror possessed him that Olive, in her angry rivalry,would do Dainty bitter harm if possible.
He looked down at the dear white form by his side, and trembled with thefear of losing her forever--a fear that was almost a premonition, it wasso strong.
He thought, in anguish:
"I must watch closely over my darling by day and night, lest thesedeceitful plotters find some way to part us."
Olive began to feel her presence irksome to the lovers, and hurriedaway, saying, carelessly:
"I must go and find Ela; I have not seen her for some time."
Ela had gone with her to bribe the gypsy, and since they had partedcompany at the door of the tent, Olive had not seen her at all. It nowbegan to seem strange to her, and she had decided to look for hercousin.
Ela had walked away from the crowd and the lights, nursing a secretunhappiness, love and ambition waging a desperate war in her heart.
She had loved Vernon Ashley very dearly; but the ambition to make agrand match had caused her to throw him over in the most heartlessfashion, ignoring his letters, and refusing him a single interview,though he prayed for it so humbly.
The discovery to-day of Ellsworth's engagement to Dainty discouraged herhopes of marrying him; but still there remained the hope of being madeher aunt's heiress, so she steeled her heart and fought down hermurdered love in its heaving grave, saying to herself, consolingly:
"It is painful at first, because I really loved him well; but I shallsoon get over the worst, and forget."
She was turning toward the crowd and the lights again, when suddenly adark form emerged from behind the tree, a pair of hands grasped herwrists in a steely grip, and a low, menacing voice hissed in her ear:
"Cruel, heartless girl, you shall stay and hear me at last!"