CHAPTER XXVII.
"I WOULD RATHER WALK BY YOUR SIDE IN TROUBLE THAN SIT ON A THRONE BY THEMIGHTIEST KING."
With trembling hands the girl broke the seal, drew forth the missive,and slowly unfolded it. It was long and closely written:
"DEAR LITTLE JESSIE," it began, "I know that the contents of this letter will surprise you, but the thoughts born of longings impossible to suppress, even though I would, fill my brain to overflowing and must find utterance in these pages.
"There are many men who can express their heart-thoughts in burning words, but this boon is not given to me. I can only tell you my hopes and fears and longings in the old, conventional words; but the earnest wish is mine that they may find an echo in your heart, little girl.
"With your woman's quick wit you must have read my secret--which every one else seems to have discerned--and that is, I love you, dear--love you with all the strength of my heart.
"I wonder, Jessie, if you could ever care enough for me to marry me.
"There, the words are written at last. I intended them to seem so impressive, but they read far too coldly on the white paper, to express the world of tenderness in my soul which would make them eloquent if I could but hold your hands clasped tightly in my own at this moment and whisper them to you.
"If you can but care for me, dear Jessie, I will be the happiest man the whole world holds. Your 'yes' or 'no' will mean life or death for me.
"I can not think, after all that I have gone through, that Heaven would be so cruel as to have me hope for your love in vain. When I come to you, Jessie, I shall ask you for my answer. I am an impatient lover; I count the long days and hours that must wing their slow flight by until we meet again.
"I will not take you to the home of my mother, Jessie, dear, for I quite believe you would be happier with me elsewhere. There is a beautiful little cottage in the suburbs of the city, a charming, home-like place. By the time that this letter reaches you I will have purchased it, so confident am I that I can win you, little Jessie.
"I shall set workmen upon it at once, to make a veritable fairy's bower of it ere you behold it, and it will be ready for us by early spring.
"We will spend the intervening time--which will be our honey-moon--either in Florida or abroad, as best pleases you. Your will shall be my law. I will make you so happy, Jessie, that you will never regret the hour in which you gave your heart to me.
"It will take but a day for this letter to reach you, and another must elapse ere I can hear from you. They will be two days hard for me to endure, Jessie. When a man is in love--deeply, desperately in love--it is madness for him to attempt to do any kind of business, as his mind is not on it, he can think of but one object--the girl whom he idolizes. His one hope is to be near her, his one prayer is that her love is his, in return for the mighty affection that sways his whole being, and leads him into the ideal--the soul-world, which throws the halo of memory and anticipation around the image of her whom he loves.
"Yours lovingly, "Hubert Varrick."
Jessie Bain read the letter through, the color coming and going on herface, her heart aglow. Once, twice, thrice she read it through, then,with a little sob, she pressed it closely to her breast.
"Hubert Varrick loves me!" Jessie whispered the words over and overagain to herself, wondering if she should not awake presently and findit only an empty dream.
He was waiting for her answer. She smiled at the thought.
"My darling Hubert, my love, my king, as though it could be anythingelse but yes--yes, a thousand times yes!" she murmured.
But even in this moment of ecstatic joy, the sword of destiny fellswiftly and unerringly upon her hapless golden head.
God pity and help her in her mortal anguish, for in this moment sheremembered that she had given Hubert's mother her sacred promise, nay,her _vow_, that she would never cross her son's path again.
When the nurse returned, after the lapse of perhaps a quarter of anhour, to Jessie's bedside, she found the girl sobbing as though herheart would break, and the letter torn into a thousand pieces, whichwere fluttering over the counterpane.
"I hope you have not heard any bad news, Miss Bain," she said,earnestly.
Jessie raised her tear-stained face from her hands, and smiled up intoher face, the most pitiful smile that ever was seen.
"I have heard music so sweet that it might have opened up heaven to me,if fate had not been against me," she murmured, with quivering lips, thetears starting afresh to her blue eyes.
These words completely puzzled the old nurse. But ere she could utterthe words on her lips, Jessie continued:
"I wish I could have some writing materials; I should like to answerthis letter which I have received."
"Do you think you feel strong enough to attempt to write it now?" sheasked dubiously.
"Yes," said Jessie; adding under her breath: "I must write it quickly,while I have the courage to do it."
The pen which she held trembled in her hand. But at length, after manyfutile attempts, she penned the following epistle:
"Dear Mr. Varrick,--Your letter has just reached me, and oh! I can not tell you how happy your words made me. But, Mr. Varrick, it can not be; we are destined by a fate most cruel, to be nothing to each other. I may as well tell you the truth-- I do love you with all my heart. But there is a barrier between us which can never be bridged over in this world. Your mother knows what it is; she will tell you about it.
"I intend leaving this place to-day, and going out into the coldness and darkness of the world. Please do not attempt to find me, as seeing you again would only be more pitiful for me. But take this assurance with you down to the very grave: I shall always love you while my life lasts. Your image, and yours alone, will forever be enshrined in my heart.
"Good-bye again, dear Hubert, I bless you from the bottom of my heart for the love you have offered me and the honor you have paid me in asking me to be your wife. Think kindly of me some time.
"Yours, with a breaking heart, "Jessie Bain."
When next the nurse made her rounds, to her great amazement she foundthe girl, weak as she was, already dressed, and putting on her hat.Nurses and doctors were unable to change her determination to leave.
"What of the young gentleman from whom you had the letter?" askedJessie's nurse.
"The letter that I have written is to him," she said, in a very huskyvoice. "He will understand. I will leave it in your care to send to him,if you will be so kind."
The nurse took charge of the letter.
"I do not wish you to mail it until to-night," said Jessie, eagerly,"for I-- I will not be able to leave ere that time. You have been sokind to me," she added, "Oh, believe me that I do not know how to thankyou for all you have done!"
"A little more strength would not have come amiss to you," one of thedoctors said gravely. "One thing, however, I insist upon--rest untillate in the afternoon, and then leave us if you really must."
With a little sigh Jessie took off her hat again.
Remaining there a few hours longer would not matter much, she toldherself; Hubert Varrick would not receive her letter until the followingmorning. She could leave that night, and be so far away by day-breakthat he could never find her. But what strange freaks Fate plays upon usto carry out its designs.
When the nurse left Jessie Bain, she took the all-important letter withher, and quite forgetful of the promise which she had made the girl, notto send the letter out until night, she proceeded to stamp it as she sawthe letter-carrier stop at the door to take up the mail.
It would be very nice to send it by special delivery, she thought. Hewill receive it all the sooner; and hastily adding the additional stamprequired, she handed it to the postman.
An hour later it was on its way, and a little past no
on Jessie's letterreached its destination and was promptly delivered.
Hubert had been summoned to his mother's home from the hotel where hehad been stopping. She had been seized with a serious illness, and hadhastily sent for him to come to her at once. He had responded withalacrity to his mother's telegram. He had scarcely divested himself ofhis fur overcoat in the corridor, ere the special messenger arrived withJessie's letter. He thrust it into his pocket, this sweet missive, toread at his leisure, murmuring as he did so: "This is neither the timenor place to learn the contents of my darling's letter. I must be allalone when I read it."
Thrusting it into his pocket, Varrick hurried quickly to his mother's_boudoir_. With a great cry of relief she reached out her hand to him."Thank God, you are here at last."
The trouble about Jessie Bain had been temporarily bridged over when hehad married Gerelda; yet, ever since, there had been a constraintbetween mother and son which she very perceptibly felt.
She had always said to herself that he would never forget Jessie Bain,and when he became a widower the terror was strong within her that hewould make an attempt to find her.
"Will the girl keep her promise," she asked herself over and over again,"and never cross his path again?"
It all rested on that. But it weighed heavily on her mind that she hadaccused the girl wrongfully, and she told herself that God would surelytake vengeance upon her if she stood at heaven's gate with that sin onher soul.
In this hour, she must tell Hubert the truth, keeping nothing back. Shewould not implicate herself, as that would bring horror into his eyes.He must never know that she had concocted that plot in order to ruin thegirl.
Hubert greeted his mother with all the old-time boyish, affectionateardor and she asked herself how she could tell him the truth--that whichwas weighing so heavily on her mind.
She gave a glad cry as he came up to the velvet divan upon which shereclined, and held out her arms to him.