CHAPTER XVI.
WHAT OUGHT A GIRL DO IF THE MAN SHE LOVES CARES FOR ANOTHER?
"Do you hear me, Gerelda?" repeated Mrs. Northrup. "This marriage mustgo on! It would be the talk of the whole country if Hubert Varrickjilted you. But let me understand this matter thoroughly; did he giveyou any sort of a hint that he wished to break off with you? You musttell me all very plainly, and keep nothing back. I am older than you areGerelda, and know more concerning worldly affairs. I now say this much:there must be a rival in the background. When a man has been in lovewith one girl, and suddenly cools off, there is a reason for it, dependon it."
"Even if there was a rival in the way, tell me what I could do, mamma,to--to win him back!"
"When a man once ceases to love you, you might as well attempt to move amountain as to rekindle the old flame in his heart. I understand thispoint thoroughly. You will have to make up your mind to marry himwithout love."
"It takes two to make a contract to marry," sobbed Gerelda. "I amwilling, but he does not seem to be."
"It is plainly evident that I shall have to take the matter in hand,"said Mrs. Northrup. "When is he coming again?"
"He didn't say," returned Gerelda, faintly. "But perhaps he may be hereto-morrow evening with some music I asked him to bring me."
"Now, when he comes," said Mrs. Northrup, "I want you to make someexcuse to leave the room, for say, ten or fifteen minutes, and duringthat time I will soon have this matter settled with Hubert Varrick."
"It would not look well for you to mention the matter," cried Gerelda.
"Somebody must do it," returned her mother, severely, "and the longer itis put off the worse it will be; the marriage can not take place toosoon. Come, my dear," she added, "you must dry your tears. Never permitany living man to have the power to give you a heartache."
"You talk as if I was a machine, mother, and could cease loving atwill!" cried the beauty.
"It is much as a woman makes up her mind. If you worry yourself into thegrave over a man, before the grass has time to grow over you he willhave consoled himself with another sweetheart. So dry your eyes, anddon't shed a tear over him."
Gerelda walked slowly from the room. It was not so easy to take hermother's advice, for she loved Hubert Varrick with all her heart; andthe very thought of him loving another was worse to her than a poisonedarrow in her breast.
She knew why he did not care for her.
"I have only one hope," she murmured, leaning her tear-stained faceagainst the marble mantel, "and that is that Hubert may soon get overhis mad infatuation for that girl Jessie Bain."
Gerelda sought her couch, but not to sleep; and it was not untildaylight stole through the room, heralding the approach of another day,that slumber came to her.
Hubert Varrick, in his room at the hotel, was quite as restless. He hadpaced the floor, smoking cigar after cigar, trying to look the mattercalmly in the face, until he was fairly exhausted.
He was glad to know that Gerelda had not been false to him; and yet, soconflicting were his thoughts, that he almost wished to Heaven that shehad been, that he could have had some excuse to give her up.
He made up his mind that he could not marry Gerelda while his heart wasso entirely another's, but he must break away from her gently.
As he was passing a music store the next afternoon, he saw a piece ofmusic in the window which Gerelda had asked him to bring to her. He wentand purchased it, and was about sending it to her by a messenger boy,when he thought it would look much better to take it himself; besides,he had business to attend to in that locality.
As he stepped upon the street car, he purchased a daily paper to passaway the time.
Upon opening it, an article met his view that nearly took his breathaway.
The caption read:
"_A Romance in Real Life.--The Prettiest Girl in the City and aWell-known Young Millionaire the Hero and Heroine of the Episode_."
Following this was an account of Gerelda's abduction, as she had relatedit. In conclusion there was a statement by Mrs. Northrup to the effectthat Gerelda's lover, Mr. Varrick, was anxious to have the ceremonyconsummated at once, and, in accordance with his earnest wish, themarriage would take place shortly.
Varrick stared hard at the paper.
"The whole matter seems to have been fully arranged and settled withoutthe formality of consulting me," he muttered, grimly.
After that he could see no way out of it. This had gone broadcastthroughout the city, he told himself, and now what could he do but marryGerelda; otherwise it would subject her to the severest criticism, andhimself to scorn.
A woman's good name was at stake. Was he not in honor bound to shieldher? He would have been startled had he but known that this newspaperarticle was the work of Mrs. Northrup.
"I might as well accept the inevitable as my fate," he murmured, with asigh. "I might have been happy with Gerelda if I had never known JessieBain."
When he arrived at the Northrup mansion, Gerelda's mother came down towelcome him.
Like her daughter, she did not appear to notice his constraint, andgreeted him effusively, as in the old days.
"Have you seen the morning paper, Hubert?" she asked, with a littlerippling laugh on her lips. "It is amusing to me how these newspaper menget hold of things so quickly. I was down to one of the stores thisafternoon ordering the wedding-cards. I knew you would be anxious to getthem, and I wanted to relieve your mind and Gerelda's as well. I wastelling the designer the whole story--you know he is the same person whogot up the last cards for you--when a man who stood near us, he musthave been a reporter--took in every word I said. A few hours later, ayoung man representing the paper came up to interview me on the subject,remarking that I might as well tell the public the whole story, as themain part of the affair was already in print. He gave me a _resume_ ofwhat was about to appear, and I had to acknowledge that he had the storycorrect in most of its details."
She was shrewd enough to note that Hubert Varrick grew very pale whileshe was speaking, and she could not help but observe the hopelessnessthat settled over his face.
His heart was touched, in spite of himself, to see how gladly Gereldagreeted him, and to note how she seemed to hang on every word that heuttered, accepting his love as a matter of course.
Of what use to make any demur now that the fiat had gone forth? Therewas nothing for him to do but to accept the bride fate had intended forhim, and shut out from his heart all thoughts of that other love.
It would be a terrible burden to go through life with, acting the partof a dutiful husband to a young wife whom he pitied but did not love.
Other men had gone through such ordeals. Surely he could be as brave asthey.
And so the preparations for the wedding, for a second time, were begun.Again the guests were bidden, and the event was to take place inexactly six weeks from that day.