CHAPTER XXXIX.
"FOR ALL ETERNITY."
Ah, what ineffable joy those two letters of Mrs. Middleton and AilsaScott carried to the heart of Fidelio in New York!--joy that his darlingstill lived, and that the proof of their marriage could be so readilyobtained, to confound the woman who thought herself secure in theenjoyment of his wealth.
And who could blame him that he wept like a woman on reading Ailsa'slong letter, telling all she knew of Dainty's fate, not concealing thefact that had caused her banishment from the dressmaker's house?
"Dear little wife, soon to be the mother of my child! Oh, heavens! whatmust she not have suffered in her lonely grief! Oh, we must find herquickly, and take her home to Ellsworth!" he cried, passionately, to hisfriends, who agreed with him in everything.
Letters were hastily forwarded to Ailsa and Mrs. Middleton, thankingthem for their information and saying that "Fidelio," who was ill in NewYork, hoped to be well enough to travel soon, and would make a personalcall on them within the week.
Happiness made his recovery so swift that within a week he was able toleave New York for Richmond, accompanied by Doctor Platt and thefaithful Franklin.
He hurried to Ailsa's humble home at once, and the lovely girl wept forjoy at the wonderful story he had to tell her about his own andDainty's trials, that he hoped would soon be happily ended.
"How I thank you for your noble faith in my poor girl, when all theworld was against her, I can not express in mere words; but I shallrejoice in my ability to supplement it by a solid reward as soon as I amreinstated in my property," he exclaimed, as he wrung her hand inpassionate gratitude.
But Ailsa protested that she wished for no reward beyond the pleasure ofcontinuing her friendship with her dear school-mate and friend.
"You shall come to live at Ellsworth, and be our dear sister, if youwill," he exclaimed, generously; and the young girl smiled happily asshe answered:
"I shall be very happy to come and spend my vacation with Dainty thissummer."
Then they discussed the mystery of Dainty's whereabouts. Ailsa told himshe had inquired all around, but could not get any clew at all.
"Sometimes I think she may have returned to West Virginia," she said;but Love shuddered at the idea lest his darling had fallen into some newtrap set by her enemies.
After two days in Richmond, he was informed by the private detective hehad put on the case that Dainty had indeed left the city--a young girlanswering her description having bought a ticket at the Chesapeake andOhio railway station for West Virginia on the night of the last ofMarch.
"We must go at once! Heaven only knows what new evil has befallen mypoor love, thus venturing alone into the lion's den!" Love exclaimed, inwild agitation.
John Franklin was sent to Staunton to see Mrs. Middleton and Mrs.Chase, to get them to join the travelers on their journey, and DoctorPlatt and Love followed on the next train.
It was the first of May, a beautiful evening, with the sun just sinkingin the west, when they reached the station, and a carriage was quicklyprocured for the drive to Ellsworth.
Mrs. Chase and Mrs. Middleton had joined them at Staunton, and themother's heart was thrilled with unspeakable love and tenderness at thestory her eager, handsome son-in-law poured into her ears.
It seemed too good to be true that Love was restored to himself again,and that nothing remained but to find Dainty to make the sum of theirhappiness complete.
It was the one anxiety that brooded darkly over their hearts, the fearthat evil had befallen the hapless girl on her return to Ellsworth.
"If they have injured but one hair of my darling's head, they shallanswer to the law they have broken," Love said, grimly, as they startedfrom the station toward Ellsworth, with the fixed resolve to tax Mrs.Ellsworth and her nieces at once with their crimes, and demand Dainty attheir hands.
Old Doctor Platt was jubilant over the part he had played in restoringLove to his own, and he rubbed his hands in glee as he pictured tohimself the consternation of Mrs. Ellsworth, when she should findherself accused and detected in her plot against Love and his persecutedbride.
"Drive fast, Franklin; I'm anxious to see the madame's face when shesees the master of Ellsworth returning to claim his own!" he exclaimed,joyously, just as they came abreast of a large frame house standingclose to the road about a mile from the station.
The next moment Love startled them all with a surprised and happy laugh,exclaiming:
"Look! Look! There's my old black mammy sitting there in the door ofthat house! Listen! She is crooning the old nursery song that charmed mein my babyhood! Let us stop here, Franklin. Perhaps she can tell ussomething about my wife--who knows?"
Yes, there sat black mammy in a capacious armchair in Mrs. Peters'door-way. Across her knees lay a small white bundle, and she was swayingsoftly back and forth, while she crooned in a low, loving monotone herfavorite nursery lullaby:
"Byo, baby boy, bye-- Byo, li'l boy! En 'e run ter 'is mammy, Ter rock 'im in 'er arms-- Mammy's li'l baby boy!
"Who all de time er frettin' in de middle er de day? Mammy's li'l boy, mammy's li'l boy! Who all de time er gittin' so sleepy--
"Sho'! what am de matter now, and who am dese folks stoppin' deirkerridge in front o' de gate?" the lullaby ending in these exclamationsof surprise.
Lovelace Ellsworth sprang from the carriage and rushed to the gate.
"Mammy, mammy, don't you know me? Your Marse Love?" eagerly.
"Oh, my good Lord in hebben, am I dreamin', or is it yo'self, MarseLove, a-laffin' an' a-talkin' lak in de dear old days 'fore you wasshot?" cried the old negress, shaking with joyful excitement.
"It is Love, sure enough, mammy. You may pinch me if you choose, andyou'll find I am your old nursling alive and well. Oh, mammy, I amsearching for my Dainty, my sweet, darling wife!"
"T'ank de good Lord for all His mercies! Dis is de day dat I beenprayin' fo' so long! Oh, Marse Love, I'll he'p yo' fin' yo' darlin'wife, indeedy I will! But won't you look at my nurse-chile on my knee?Aine he pritty? See him yaller curls fine as silk, and him skin like decrumply rose-leaf, an' him big black eyes like his pappy's? Don't youwant ter kiss him fo' his sweet mudder's sake?" laughing.
"Mammy!" he cried in sudden, wild, suspicious excitement, as he bentclosely to look at the infant.
"Yes, Marse Love, 'tis your own li'l baby boy borned almost two weeksago, an' de fines' li'l chap alive! Miss Dainty she come to black mammy,o' course, in her trubble, an' I cheers her up till li'l Marse LovelaceEllsworth he come to laugh at her wid his pappy's sassy black eyes. Hi!hi! he gone like a shot at de fust call o' her voice!" for Love haddashed past her wildly at a low, startled cry, from the open door of aroom just beyond.
He dashed wildly across the threshold, glanced around, and there she laylovely and pale as a lily among soft white pillows--his lost bride, hisadored wife, the tender mother of his beautiful child!
"My darling!" and he was on his knees with his arms about her, and hislips on her face.
For a moment, under the shock of joy, Dainty's senses reeled; but hekissed the life back to her closing eyes and the smiles back to thequivering lips.
"Oh, my darling, my wife, God has given us back to each other for alltime and eternity!"
CHAPTER XL.
CONCLUSION.
The bolt of Fate falls sometimes like a flash of lightning from a clearsky.
Thus it came to Mrs. Ellsworth and her scheming nieces in the momentwhen they felt themselves most secure.
On that golden May evening, when Love Ellsworth found his happinessagain, they had been busy laying their plans for a summer campaign.
They decided to take an early trip to Europe, and return in August for abrief tour of the watering-places before the close of the season.
"We will get us some loves of dresses and bonnets while in Paris," criedEla, while Olive added:
"And some rare jewels. I think I should like some fine rubies best ofal
l."
With a slight sarcasm, Mrs. Ellsworth exclaimed:
"Really, for two young girls who were reared in poverty, you two havedeveloped very extravagant tastes--so extravagant that I could notafford to gratify them if I had not so opportunely come into mystep-son's fortune!"
"But, Aunt Judith, we thought you were quite wealthy in your own right,"both cried in concert.
"So I was; but for years I have speculated in stocks, and sometimes Imade large gains, at others lost heavily. To-day I received notice of aterrible loss by the failure of a bank in Richmond in which the residueof my money was invested. Had I not come into Love's money, I shouldnot now have a thousand dollars to my name!"
"How unfortunate!" cried a ringing, sarcastic voice, and glancing up,all three beheld Lovelace Ellsworth standing before them in his rightmind.
He was accompanied by the party that he had brought from the station,and on his arm leaned his drooping bride, pale from illness, but withthe light of her joy shining in her great luminous eyes. Black mammybrought up the rear with the lovely infant in her arms.
To Mrs. Ellsworth's consternation all seated themselves as coolly as ifthey had a right in her elegant parlor, while Olive and Ela strainedtheir eyes in horror at the fair cousin whose ashes they had believed tobe lying still beneath the _debris_ of the burned cabin.
Lovelace Ellsworth alone remained standing, and turning toward hisstartled step-mother, he began one of the most scathing arraignments towhich any one had ever listened.
He told her in fiery words of all the crimes and cruelties she hadpractised on himself and Dainty, and how, through God's help, they hadescaped all.
In vain were her frightened denials; he laughed them all to scorn.
"When Dainty was immured in that dungeon where you expected her to die,your tool, Sheila Kelly, threw caution to the winds, and betrayed to herin boastful words your agency in her kidnapping. It is not your faultthat my wife did not die of the poison you gave her to swallow, but onlythat the wind and rain revived her when she lay out in the road whereyou had her placed, believing her dead, with her lips sealed to yourpart in the martyrdom.
"It is not your fault," he added, turning to Olive and Ela, "that youfailed to destroy her when you followed to the cabin where she layunconscious, and fired it like the remorseless fiends that you are. Butfor John Franklin, who discovered your crime and saved her sweet life,she must have perished in those flames. But my wife, like the angel sheis, forgives you everything, and will not let me prosecute you for yourcrimes. But you three guilty, shameless ones must leave Ellsworth atdawn, and it is best never to show your faces here again; for in makingpublic the proofs of my marriage with Dainty and the strangeinterruption of the second ceremony, I shall not hesitate to expose yourtreachery."
So at dawn they went away--as far as they could on their scantymeans--and the veil of a merciful oblivion fell over their future fateas scheming adventuresses to the end of their days.
Love and Dainty did not punish their arch-enemies, but they did not failto reward all who had befriended them in their days of adversity. MammaChase lived with them at Ellsworth, Ailsa Scott spent all her summersthere, and Doctor Platt remained the beloved friend of the family to thelast day of his life.
THE END.
Transcriber's Note: The following typographical errors present in theoriginal edition have been corrected.
In Chapter I, a comma was added after "added Olive, eagerly", and"tete-a-tete journey" was changed to "tete-a-tete journey".
In Chapter III, "tete-a-tete drive" was changed to "tete-a-tete drive".
In Chapter XVI, "frighten his timid bethrothed" was changed to "frightenhis timid betrothed".
In Chapter XX, "eyes flashing with a strang fire" was changed to "eyesflashing with a strange fire".
In Chapter XXI, "Calm, oh. calm" was changed to "Calm, oh, calm".
In Chapter XXIX, "stay tonight, and tomorrow I must try to go home" waschanged to "stay to-night, and to-morrow I must try to go home".
In Chapter XXXVIII, "for only today Miss White had called" was changedto "for only to-day Miss White had called".
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