"FAIR LOT THAT MAIDENS CHOOSE."
"To hear, to heed, to wed,
And with thy lord depart
In tears that he as soon as shed,
Will let no longer smart.
Thy mother's lot, my dear,
She doth in naught accuse;
Her lot to bear, to nurse, to rear,
To love--and then to lose!"
--JEAN INGELOW.
Arthur sought Senator Winans in the library, where he was discussing
Bruce Conway's letter with his wife, and as calmly as he could he told
them of Ethel's decision.
They were startled, dismayed. The great statesman paled with shame and
anger. While his wife wept he raved in impotent fury.
"That a daughter of mine could have been willing to sell herself for
a coronet, and to shirk the bargain like this in the eyes of all
the world!--it is infamous, detestable! I will not permit it; she
shall marry you! Wait here, Arthur, until I bring her to reason!" he
exclaimed, starting to the door.
"No, no," and two white hands clasped his arm and held him back. "No,
Paul, you must not go to Ethel. Arthur does not want an unwilling
bride!"
"No, never!" cried the young man proudly. "Remain, senator, for I am
quite satisfied. My pride is wounded more than my heart. I shall soon
get over the blow."
"I will never forgive Ethel!" cried the angry senator. "She has shamed
her mother and me before the whole world. People will point the finger
of scorn at her and at us. She has always been proud and strange, this
girl; but I did not dream she was so ignoble at heart. Henceforth, she
can be a daughter only in name to me, for she has forfeited both love
and respect. Oh, how different it would have been had you loved my
favorite daughter instead of heartless Ethel! Precious would only have
loved you the better for your misfortunes!"
Arthur held up his hand suddenly with an entreating gesture.
"Senator--and you, Mrs. Winans--will you permit me to make a confession
to you?" he asked humbly, eagerly, and all in a breath he confessed the
love for Precious that he had been struggling against for weary months
because his troth belonged to queenly Ethel.
Senator Winans was confused, amazed. His wife sobbed quietly without
looking up, and then Arthur said pleadingly:
"So all has happened for the best, and I bear no grudge against
Miss Winans. I would have made her a good husband, but at heart I
should have felt myself a traitor. Ah, senator, will you give me your
permission to speak to Precious?"
"We cannot give Precious to any one," faltered the senator's wife.
"Hush, darling, or Arthur will think we are mercenary, like Ethel.
Arthur shall have his chance with the rest, for we cannot hope to keep
our darling from loving some one and making him happy as you did me,
dear Gracie; so he may woo and win Precious if he can."
"I shall speak to her at once," cried the young lover in a tremor of
joy, and turning to the door saw Precious standing on the threshold
just entering.
Ethel had told her the truth with a careless smile; and full of
indignation over her sister's cruelty, she had come to seek her parents.
But when she saw Arthur she drew back embarrassed.
"I--I--thought you were gone!" she murmured blushingly.
"No," he answered, and took her hand and drew her forward, saying:
"Precious, I have been making a confidant of your parents. They know
that Ethel has jilted me, and they have been told also how my heart
strayed from her to you. I love you still, and they have given me leave
to tell you so. Ah, Precious, there is no barrier between us now,
and your heart may speak. Can you learn to love me now, or are you
ambitious, like Ethel?"
At the name of Ethel the blue eyes flashed, and Precious held out her
hand impulsively, exclaiming:
"Ethel has treated you wickedly, cruelly; so why should I deny that I
love you, Arthur? I will never forgive her for being so heartless, and
I love you the better for all your misfortunes!"
Senator Winans and his wife kindly turned their heads aside just then,
for they could not blame Arthur for kissing their charming daughter.
Then he led her to her mother, who embraced her and sighed:
"This is so sudden it cannot be real. Are you sure you love Arthur, my
darling?"
"I have loved him ever since he saved my life, mamma; but he belonged
to Ethel, and so I tried to overcome my heart. But I am very glad Ethel
did not care for him any more, for now I may love him without shame."
"And you can marry me on Thursday instead of Ethel!" exclaimed the
happy lover in a burst of hopeful confidence.
"Oh, Arthur, you take one's breath away with your hasty plans!" laughed
Precious, while her mother clasped her tighter, as though this bold
lover were going to kidnap Precious at that very moment.
But Arthur persisted:
"My passage and Ethel's are taken on the steamer for Thursday, and my
father expects me. He is old and weak, and I do not like to disappoint
him. Precious and I are very much in love with each other, and we
have still two days to court in, so why should we not carry out the
original programme, with the one exception of changed brides? It would
make me very happy."
Mrs. Winans and Precious offered quick demurrers, but to their surprise
Senator Winans joined forces with Arthur, and declared that the plan
would please him, as it would show the world that one of his daughters
had a true, womanly heart, although the other's was incased in a steel
armor of pride, vanity and ambition.
Senator Winans usually carried his point, and his wife and daughter
soon came round to his opinion. Finally the parents sent the young
people off to bill and coo, while they talked matters over and decided
how best to smooth over the whole affair to the world.
They had to bring in Earle, too, and intrust him with the task of
breaking to his bonny bride the news of the letter from the sea with
the certainty of her father's fate.
But the news of Bruce Conway's loss at sea scarcely surprised Earle so
much as that of Ethel's strange conduct. Like his father, he was very
angry.
"I can scarcely realize it," he exclaimed; "I could have sworn that her
love was as strong as her life. Why, she seemed to worship Arthur!"
"It was only his title she worshiped," Ethel's father replied angrily,
and Earle rejoiced with him that Precious would make up to Arthur for
Ethel's defection.
"I have an idea," Earle said presently. "Ladybird will have to go into
mourning for her father, so she cannot enter society this winter. We
will go abroad with Arthur and Precious, and make it a double bridal
tour."
They agreed with him that it was a good idea, and then he went, with
the letter from the sea, to his bride.
"I must go now to Ethel, but you need not come with me, Paul, for you
would only scold her, and of course the poor child feels badly enough
now," said Mrs. Winans; but all that she could urge did not prevent the
irate father from reprimanding his elder daughter in very strong terms
for her heartless conduct, that he assured her had brought a disgrace
on the family that could only be wiped out by the nobility Precious had
displayed.
Ethel did not have one word to say in her own defense. She received
her father's reprimand in cold, proud silence more irritating than any
retort, then turned away. But to Precious and all the others Ethel was
kind and gracious in spite of a certain coldness that every one but her
mother displayed toward her. How could they help it when she had acted
so abominably?
Ethel did not resent their anger. She endured it humbly, and even took
an interest in the bustle of preparations that followed on the change
of brides. There was so much to do to get Precious ready for the rôle
of bride instead of bridesmaid that every one was busy. The bridal gown
was altered to fit the slender form of Precious, the bridal veil was
given to her with a smile.
Every one wondered at Ethel's humility, and they began to forgive her
in their hearts in spite of themselves, for she even offered to be the
maid of honor.
"I want to do everything to make you happy, dear," she said, with
a light caress on the golden head, "and by and by you'll be glad,
Precious, that my selfishness left Arthur free for you. He will love
you better than he could have loved me. Every one does, you know."
There was a tear and a sigh behind the smile, but Precious did not
notice it. She was very, very happy, our little heroine, and life lay
before her all bright and joyous with the sunshine of love and the
flowers of hope on her life-path.
Ethel's story leaked out to the world as such stories will, and society
declared it was not at all surprised. Her pride and ambition and
heartlessness were well known to the world, declared the knowing ones.
But surely she would not have the hardihood to attend the wedding, said
everybody. It would be a sensation if she did that, certainly.
But Ethel gave them the sensation. She went to church with the bride,
as maid of honor, she smiled at the bridegroom when the ceremony was
over; but while people were saying it was a wonder she went to the
church she knew in her heart that she would rather have gone to the
stake.
How slowly the time went, how wearisome the reception, how could they
all seem so smiling and happy, she thought again and again until it was
all over, and Precious had put off her bridal white for her traveling
gown and was saying her farewells.
Kay was going too, Precious could not leave him, she declared; and
indeed her pet would have been inconsolable. So the beautiful lion-like
fellow went into the carriage with his mistress, who sobbed bitterly as
her father leaned in at the door for a second farewell.
"Half my life seems going with you, darling," he sighed.
"I shall bring her back to you in the summer for a visit," promised
happy Arthur Chester.
"And we will stay at dear old Rosemont," declared Precious; and the
last glimpse they had of the fair young face was wreathed in smiles,
though the eyes were violets drowned in tears.
The carriages rolled away with Arthur and Precious, Earle and Ladybird,
and there was only Ethel left now--Ethel standing by her mother's side,
tall and queenly in her bridesmaid's gown, but pale, and with tears
in her burning eyes. Mrs. Winans had been sobbing on her husband's
shoulder, but now she went to the solitary figure and clasped her in
her arms.
"We have only you left, dear one; we will have to love you more than
ever; will we not, Paul?" she murmured, but with a stifled exclamation
he left the room. In his heart there was no forgiveness for his
heartless daughter.
"You look tired, my dear. This excitement has wearied you. Go now to
your room," Mrs. Winans said, kissing her a tender good-night. "You
must rest and sleep."
"I am very tired," Ethel answered listlessly, as she turned away,
crushing between her teeth some words that sounded like, "I should like
to sleep--forever!"