"I HATE IT--I HATE HER!"
"When first I saw my favorite child,
I thought my jealous heart would break,
But when the unconscious infant smiled,
I kissed it for its mother's sake." --BYRON.
With the rosy dawn of the summer day consciousness returned to Bruce
Conway--a dazed, half-consciousness, though, that only took in part of
the scene, and a memory that only held Grace Winans. He muttered of her
in his distracted slumbers; he waked and asked for her with a piteous
anxiety that went to Lulu's tender heart.
"Had we better send for her?" she wistfully queried of her brother.
"No, indeed, little sister; it would only complicate matters. She would
not come; he does not deserve it. Poor boy! I am sorry, but we can do
nothing."
"Nothing, brother?"
"To bring her here, I mean. Try to reason with him, Lulu, and talk him
out of this feverish fancy."
"Grace--Gracie!" came in a whisper from the bed.
Lulu was by him in an instant.
"Will not I do as well as Grace?"
"No." His pallid brow contracted in a vexed frown. "Go away; you are
not Grace."
"No, but I am Willard's sister. Cannot you like me a little for
his sake, and not worry yourself so much?" she asked, gently and
persuasively.
"Cannot you get Grace to come--won't you try?" he whispered, in a faint
voice.
A low tinkle of the door-bell seemed to echo his words. Half raising
his handsome head, he looked at her eagerly.
"That may be Grace now," he said. "Won't you go and see?"
"Yes," she answered, gently, though she sighed as she went; "I will go
and see."
She started in astonishment when she opened the door. Outside was a
pleasant-faced Irishwoman, dressed plainly and neatly, with a pretty
babe in her arms. It was Mrs. Winans' nurse and child.
Grace had learned from Miss Story where Bruce was, and when Norah went
out to take the little boy for his morning airing, she had directed her
to call and inquire of Captain Clendenon how Mr. Conway was getting on.
Norah introduced herself and her business briefly and clearly, and Lulu
invited her in and gave her a seat.
"And this is Mrs. Winans' baby?" she said, taking the beautiful boy
from the nurse's arms and kissing his rosy face. "How lovely he is!"
Little Paul smiled fearlessly back at her, and something in the dark
flash of his eyes so vividly recalled his father that she thought
suddenly of Bruce Conway waiting up stairs for her.
"I will bring my brother down to tell you exactly how Mr. Conway is,"
she said; and turning away with the little bundle of lace, and cambric,
and laughing babyhood in her arms, she went back to Bruce Conway's room.
Her brother looked surprised at the strange little visitor. She smiled
and went up to the bedside, holding triumphantly up the tiny baby that,
quite unabashed by the strange scene, jumped, and crowed, and smiled
brilliantly at Bruce.
"Mrs. Winans did not come, but she sent her representative, Mr.
Conway," she said, thinking it would please him to see the pretty
child. "This is her son."
"Her son!" Bruce Conway's eyes dwelt a moment on that picture of rosy
health and beauty, and a shudder shook him from head to foot. "Her
child! his child! Take it away from me, Miss Clendenon. I hate it! I
hate her!"
Lulu recoiled in terror at the sharp, angry tones and the jealous pain
and madness that gleamed in his eyes. She turned away surprised and
frightened at the mischief she had done, and was about to leave the
room.
"Lulu, let me see the baby," said her brother's voice, as she reached
the door.
His tones wore strangely moved, and as he came across to her she noted
the faint flush that colored his high forehead. He took it in his arms
and looked long and earnestly at the little face, finding amid its
darker beauty many infantile beauties borrowed from the fair lineaments
of its mother.
"God bless you, little baby," he said, touching reverent lips to the
innocent brow, with a prayer in his heart for her whose brow was so
mirrored in that of her child that he flushed, then paled, as he kissed
it, thinking of hers that his lips might never press.
He loved the child for its mother's sake.
Bruce hated it for its father's sake.
It was a fair exponent of the character of the two men.
He gave it quietly back to Lulu, but she, explaining her errand sent
him to tell Norah, with the child in his arms, while she went back to
soothe the irritated invalid.
"I am sorry," she began, penitently, "I would not have brought the
babe, but I thought, I fancied, that you would like it for its mother's
sake. Forgive me."
The moody anger in his eyes cleared at sound of her magical,
silver-sweet tones.
"Forgive _me_," he said, feebly. "I was a brute to speak to a lady
so--but I was not myself. You don't understand a man's feelings in such
a case, Miss Clendenon. Thank you for that forgiving smile."
He caught up the little hand gently straightening his tumbled pillows,
and with feeble, pallid gallantry, touched it to his lips. A shiver of
bitter-sweet emotion thrilled the young girl as she hastily drew it
away.
"You must not talk any more," she said, gently, "or brother will scold,
and the surgeon, too. Brother will be back in a minute, so be quiet.
Don't let anything occupy your mind, and try, do, to go to sleep
and rest."
She put her finger to her lip and nodded archly at him.
He smiled back, and half-closing his eyes, lay looking at her as she
took a chair at the other end of the room, and busied herself with a
bit of fancy work.
"How pretty she is," he thought, vaguely, and when he fell into a
fitful slumber, her fair face blent with Grace's in his dreams, and
bewildered him with its bright, enchanting beauty.