BERTHA CLAY LIBRARY No. 370
IN
LOVE’S HANDS
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_BY_
BERTHA
M.
CLAY
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The only complete line of Bertha M. Clay’s stories. Many of these
titles are copyrighted and cannot be found in any other edition.
ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT
TO THE PUBLIC:--These books are sold by news dealers everywhere. If
your dealer does not keep them, and will not get them for you, send
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price per copy to cover postage.
1--A Bitter Atonement.
2--Dora Thorne.
3--A Golden Heart.
4--Lord Lisle’s Daughter.
5--The Mystery of Colde Fell; or, “Not Proven.”
6--Diana’s Discipline; or, Sunshine and Roses.
7--A Dark Marriage Morn.
8--Hilda’s Lover; or, The False Vow; or, Lady Hutton’s Ward.
9--Her Mother’s Sin; or, A Bright Wedding Day.
10--One Against Many.
11--For Another’s Sin; or, A Struggle for Love.
12--At War With Herself.
13--Evelyn’s Folly.
14--A Haunted Life.
15--Lady Damer’s Secret.
16--His Wife’s Judgment.
17--Lady Castlemaine’s Divorce; or, Put Asunder.
19--Two Fair Women; or, Which Loved Him Best?
21--Wife in Name Only.
22--The Sin of a Lifetime.
23--The World Between Them.
24--Prince Charlie’s Daughter.
25--A Thorn in Her Heart.
26--A Struggle for a Ring.
27--The Shadow of a Sin.
28--A Rose in Thorns.
29--A Woman’s Love Story.
30--The Romance of a Black Veil.
31--Redeemed by Love; or, Love’s Conflict; or, Love Works Wonders.
32--Lord Lynne’s Choice.
33--Set in Diamonds.
34--The Romance of a Young Girl; or, The Heiress of Hill-drop.
35--A Woman’s War.
36--On Her Wedding Morn, and Her Only Sin.
37--Weaker Than a Woman.
38--Love’s Warfare.
40--A Nameless Sin.
41--A Mad Love.
42--Hilary’s Folly; or, Her Marriage Vow.
43--Madolin’s Lover.
44--The Belle of Lynn; or, The Miller’s Daughter.
45--Lover and Husband.
46--Beauty’s Marriage, and Between Two Sins.
47--The Duke’s Secret.
48--Her Second Love.
49--Addie’s Husband, and Arnold’s Promise.
50--A True Magdalen; or, One False Step.
51--For a Woman’s Honor.
52--Claribel’s Love Story; or, Love’s Hidden Depths.
53--A Fiery Ordeal.
54--The Gipsy’s Daughter.
55--Golden Gates.
56--The Squire’s Darling, and Walter’s Wooing.
57--Violet Lisle.
58--Griselda.
59--One False Step.
60--A Heart’s Idol.
61--The Earl’s Error, and Letty Leigh.
63--Another Woman’s Husband.
64--Wedded and Parted, and Fair But False.
65--His Perfect Trust.
66--Gladys Greye.
67--In Love’s Crucible.
68--’Twixt Love and Hate.
69--Fair But Faithless.
70--A Heart’s Bitterness.
71--Marjorie Deane.
72--Between Two Hearts.
73--Her Martyrdom.
74--Thorns and Orange Blossoms.
75--A Bitter Bondage.
76--A Guiding Star.
77--A Fair Mystery.
78--Another Man’s Wife.
79--An Ideal Love.
80--The Earl’s Atonement.
81--Between Two Loves.
82--A Dead Heart, and Love for a Day.
83--A Fatal Dower.
84--Lady Latimer’s Escape, and Other Stories.
85--A Woman’s Error.
86--Guelda.
87--Beyond Pardon.
88--If Love Be Love.
89--A Coquette’s Conquest.
90--In Cupid’s Net, and So Near and Yet So Far.
91--Under a Shadow.
92--At Any Cost, and A Modern Cinderella.
94--Margery Daw.
95--A Woman’s Temptation.
96--The Actor’s Ward.
97--Repented at Leisure.
98--James Gordon’s Wife.
99--For Life and Love, and More Bitter Than Death.
100--In Shallow Waters.
101--A Broken Wedding Ring.
102--Dream Faces.
103--Two Kisses, and The Fatal Lilies.
105--A Hidden Terror.
106--Wedded Hands.
107--From Out the Gloom.
108--Her First Love.
109--A Bitter Reckoning.
110--Thrown on the World.
111--Irene’s Vow.
112--His Wedded Wife.
113--Lord Elesmere’s Wife.
114--A Woman’s Vengeance.
115--A Queen Amongst Women and An Unnatural Bondage.
116--The Queen of the County.
117--A Struggle for the Right.
118--The Paths of Love.
119--Blossom and Fruit.
120--The Story of an Error.
121--The White Witch.
123--Lady Muriel’s Secret.
124--The Hidden Sin.
125--For a Dream’s Sake.
126--The Gambler’s Wife.
127--A Great Mistake.
128--Society’s Verdict.
129--Lady Gwendoline’s Dream.
130--The Rival Heiresses.
131--A Bride from the Sea, and Other Stories.
132--A Woman’s Trust.
133--A Dream of Love.
134--The Sins of the Father.
135--For Love of Her.
136--A Loving Maid.
137--A Heart of Gold.
138--The Price of a Bride.
139--Love in a Mask.
140--A Woman’s Witchery.
141--The Burden of a Secret.
142--One Woman’s Sin.
143--How Will It End?
144--The Hand Without a Wedding Ring.
145--A Sinful Secret.
146--Lady Marchmont’s Widowhood.
147--The Broken Trust.
148--Lady Ethel’s Whim.
149--A Wife’s Peril.
150--The Tragedy of Lime Hall.
151--Lady Ona’s Sin.
152--A Bitter Courtship.
153--A Tragedy of Love and Hate.
154--A Stolen Heart.
155--Every Inch a Queen.
156--A Maid’s Misery.
157--Love’s Redemption.
158--The Sunshine of His Life.
159--The Lost Lady of Haddon.
160--The Love of Lady Aurelia.
161--His Great Temptation.
162--An Evil Heart.
163--Gladys’ Wedding Day.
164--Lost for Love.
165--On With the New Love.
168--A Fateful Passion.
169--A Captive Heart.
170--A Deceptive Lover.
171--An Untold Passion.
172--A Purchased Love.
173--The Queen of His Soul.
174--A Pilgrim of Love.
175--The Girl of His Heart.
176--A Wife’s Devotion.
177--The Price of Love.
178--When Love and Hate Conflict.
180--A Misguided Love.
181--The Chains of Jealousy.
182--A Loveless Engagement.
183--A Heart’s Worship.
184--A Queen Triumphant.
185--Between Love and Ambition.
186--True Love’s Reward.
187--A Poisoned Heart.
188--What It Cost Her.
189--Paying the Penalty.
190--The Old Love or the New?
191--Her Honored Name.
192--A Coquette’s Victim.
193--An Ocean of Love.
194--Sweeter Than Life.
195--For Her Heart’s Sake.
196--Her Beautiful Foe.
197--A Soul Ensnared.
198--A Heart Forlorn.
199--Strong in Her Love.
200--Fair as a Lily.
205--Her Bitter Sorrow.
210--Hester’s Husband.
215--An Artful Plotter.
228--A Vixen’s Love.
232--The Dawn of Love.
236--Love’s Coronet.
237--The Unbroken Vow.
238--Her Heart’s Hero.
239--An Exacting Love.
240--A Wild Rose.
241--In Defiance of Fate.
242--For Lack of Gold.
244--Two True Hearts.
245--Baffled by Fate.
246--Two Men and a Maid.
247--A Cruel Revenge.
248--The Flower of Love.
249--Mistress of Her Fate.
250--The Wooing of a Maid.
251--A Blighted Blossom.
252--Loved Forevermore.
253--For Old Love’s Sake.
254--Love’s Debt.
255--A Happy Conquest.
256--Tender and True.
257--The Love He Spurned.
258--Withered Flowers.
259--When Woman Wills.
260--Love’s Twilight.
261--True to His First Love.
262--Suffered in Silence.
263--A Modest Passion.
264--Beyond All Dreams.
265--Loved and Lost.
266--The Bride of the Manor.
267--Love, the Avenger.
268--Wedded at Dawn.
269--A Shattered Romance.
270--With Love at the Helm.
271--Humbled Pride.
272--Love Finds a Way.
273--An Ardent Wooing.
274--Love Grown Cold.
275--Love Hath Wings.
276--When Hot Tears Flow.
277--The Wages of Deceit.
278--Love and the World.
279--Love’s Sweet Hour.
280--Faithful and True.
281--Sunshine and Shadow.
282--For Love or Wealth?
283--A Crown of Faith.
284--The Harvest of Sin.
285--A Secret Sorrow.
286--In Quest of Love.
287--Beyond Atonement.
288--A Girl’s Awakening.
289--The Hero of Her Dreams.
290--Love’s Burden.
291--Only a Flirt.
292--When Love is Kind.
293--An Elusive Lover.
294--The Hour of Temptation.
295--Where Love Leads.
296--Her Struggle With Love.
297--In Spite of Fate.
298--Can This Be Love?
299--The Love of His Youth.
300--Enchained by Passion.
301--The New Love or the Old?
302--At Her Heart’s Command.
303--Cast Upon His Care.
304--All Else Forgot.
305--Sinner or Victim?
307--Answered in Jest.
308--Her Heart’s Problem.
309--Rich in His Love.
310--For Better, For Worse.
311--Love’s Caprice.
312--When Hearts Are Young.
314--In the Golden City.
315--A Love Victorious.
316--Her Heart’s Delight.
317--The Heart of His Heart.
318--Even This Sacrifice.
319--Love’s Crown Jewel.
320--Suffered in Vain.
321--In Love’s Bondage.
322--Lady Viola’s Secret.
323--Adrift on Love’s Tide.
324--The Quest of His Heart.
325--Under Cupid’s Seal.
326--Earlescourt’s Love.
327--Dearer Than Life.
328--Toward Love’s Goal.
329--Her Heart’s Surrender.
330--Tempted to Forget.
331--The Love That Blinds.
332--A Daughter of Misfortune.
333--When False Tongues Speak.
334--A Tempting Offer.
335--With Love’s Strong Bonds.
336--That Plain Little Girl.
337--And This is Love!
338--The Secret of Estcourt.
339--For His Love’s Sake.
340--Outside Love’s Door.
341--At Love’s Fountain.
342--A Lucky Girl.
343--A Dream Come True.
344--By Love’s Order.
345--Fettered for Life.
346--Beyond the Shadow.
347--The Love That Won.
348--Fair to Look Upon.
349--A Daughter of Eve.
350--When Cupid Frowns.
351--The Wiles of Love.
352--What the World Said.
353--Mabel and May.
354--Her Love and His.
355--A Captive Fairy.
356--Her Sacred Trust.
357--A Child of Caprice.
358--He Dared to Love.
359--While the World Scoffed.
360--On Love’s Highway.
361--One of Love’s Slaves.
362--The Lure of the Flame.
363--A Love in the Balance.
364--A Woman of Whims.
365--In a Siren’s Web.
366--The Tie That Binds.
367--Love’s Harsh Mandate.
368--Love’s Carnival.
369--With Heart and Voice.
370--In Love’s Hands.
371--Hearts of Oak.
372--A Garland of Love.
373--Among Love’s Briers.
374--Love Never Fails.
375--The Other Man’s Choice.
376--A Lady of Quality.
377--On Love’s Demand.
378--A Fugitive from Love.
379--His Sweetheart’s Promise.
380--The Schoolgirl Bride.
381--Her One Ambition.
382--Love for Love.
383--His Fault or Hers?
384--New Loves for Old.
385--Her Proudest Possession.
386--Cupid Always Wins.
387--Love is Life Indeed.
388--When Scorn Greets Love.
389--Love’s Potent Charm.
390--By Love Alone.
391--When Love Conspires.
392--No Thought of Harm.
393--Cupid’s Prank.
394--A Sad Awakening.
395--What Could She Do?
396--Sharing His Burden.
397--Steadfast in Her Love.
398--A Love Despised.
399--One Life, One Love.
400--When Hope is Lost.
401--A Heart Unclaimed.
402--His Dearest Wish.
403--Her Cup of Sorrow.
404--When Love is Curbed.
405--A Pitiful Mistake.
406--A Love Profound.
407--A Bitter Sacrifice.
408--What Love is Worth.
409--When Life’s Roses Bloom.
410--Her Only Choice.
411--Forged on Love’s Anvil.
412--She Hated Him!
413--When Love’s Charm is Broken.
414--Led by Destiny.
415--When Others Sneered.
416--Golden Fetters.
417--The Love That Prospered.
418--The Song of the Siren.
419--Love’s Gentle Whisper.
420--The Girl Who Won.
421--The Love That Was Stifled.
422--The Love of a Lifetime.
423--Her One Mistake.
424--At War With Fate.
425--When Love Lures.
426--’Twixt Wealth and Want.
427--Love’s Pleasant Dreams.
428--Sir John’s Heiress.
429--A Terrible Mistake.
430--The Eyes of Jealousy.
431--The Romance of a Business Girl.
432--Was He the Man?
433--The Master of Tredcroft.
434--The Deverell Heritage.
435--The Swoop of the Vulture.
436--A Phantom of the Past.
437--A Fleet of Dreams.
438--Love and Reason.
Published during January, 1914.
439--Held in Bondage.
440--As the Ivy Loves the Oak.
Published during February, 1914.
441--Love Against Hate.
442--His Cross of Honor.
Published during March, 1914.
443--Love Everlasting.
444--Let the Heart Decide.
Published during April, 1914.
445--Love Beyond Price.
446--An Uncounted Cost.
Published during May, 1914.
447--Behind Love’s Veil.
448--Fate and the Girl.
Published during June, 1914.
449--Love Rules the World.
450--Her Sad Blessing.
Published during July, 1914.
451--Love’s Charity.
In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the
books listed above will be issued, during the respective months, in New
York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers, at a distance,
promptly, on account of delays in transportation.
IN LOVE’S HANDS;
OR,
FOR HER HEART’S SAKE
BY
BERTHA M. CLAY
The only complete list of whose work, both copyrighted and not, is
contained in the BERTHA CLAY LIBRARY, published by
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IN LOVE’S HANDS.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I. IN DEADLY PERIL.
CHAPTER II. SHADOWS.
CHAPTER III. THE LEGACY.
CHAPTER IV. THE GOVERNESSES.
CHAPTER V. AN UNPLEASANT ERRAND.
CHAPTER VI. SHATTERED HOPES.
CHAPTER VII. DESERTED.
CHAPTER VIII. A NEW HOME.
CHAPTER IX. ALONE IN THE WORLD.
CHAPTER X. MRS. WILSON.
CHAPTER XI. THE STRANGER FROM INDIA.
CHAPTER XII. FLORENCE’S PUPILS.
CHAPTER XIII. THE DISCOVERY.
CHAPTER XIV. TOO LATE!
CHAPTER XV. THE STORM.
CHAPTER XVI. A MAN OF MYSTERY.
CHAPTER XVII. THE NEWSPAPER PARAGRAPH.
CHAPTER XVIII. SUSPENSE.
CHAPTER XIX. STILL A MYSTERY.
CHAPTER XX. NOT QUITE HAPPY.
CHAPTER XXI. A WHISPERED WORD.
CHAPTER XXII. A TARDY EXPLANATION.
CHAPTER XXIII. CONCLUSION.
CHAPTER I.
IN DEADLY PERIL.
Who that knows Northumberland has not roamed delightedly beside the
lovely Coquet, that tricksome little river which sometimes murmurs
softly along its rocky bed, and anon--swollen and turbid--fiercely
dashes against its steep banks, rushing on toward the ocean with a
force and rapidity that carries everything before it.
Those who have visited this capricious stream will remember Heriton
Priory, one of the fairest and finest estates through which it wanders.
Surrounded on three sides by hills which protect it from the keen
winds, then sloping gently toward the river, the grounds are worthy the
house, which is a fine specimen of the Tudor style of architecture. The
ruins of the first priory--formerly the residence of a community of
monks--still exist; and, owing to the care of their owners, are almost
in as good condition as when the demesne was bestowed upon a certain
Ralph de Heriton by Henry VIII.
The priory had been in the same family ever since. Succeeding
generations had added to and improved the estate, until at the
commencement of the present reign it fell into the hands of Mr. Richard
Heriton, the last of the male branch. He, too, pulled down, and
rebuilt, and altered, and this at a rate which made some of his more
prudent neighbors shrug their shoulders as they counted the cost.
That the alterations were made with taste no one could deny, and at
the time our story opens--that sweet, fragrant season when spring
insensibly glides into summer--the priory gardens were in one flush of
glowing beauty. It was literally a fairy scene, concealed from prying
eyes by the towering heights which guarded and sheltered its loveliness.
A young man whom Mr. Heriton had discovered pedestrianizing in the
neighborhood, and on learning that they had mutual friends in London,
had hospitably brought home with him, lay at full length on the
greensward beneath a drooping ash tree. Frank Dormer had fixed himself
in the library to have a quiet morning’s reading; but the twitter of
the birds, the sunlight, and the sweet breath of the roses, drew him
forth to spend an hour of half-sad, half-pleasant idleness. He had
rarely looked on so fair a scene before. He might never behold it
again, for he was daily expecting orders to sail for India, where he
had received an appointment in the Civil Service. An orphan from an
early age--looked coldly upon by his few relatives, and bandied from
school to private tutor, from private tutor to college--he had never
known the real meaning of the word home until these few happy weeks he
had spent at the priory.
As he lay there listening to the ripple of the river, and recalling the
pleasant events of each succeeding day--the rides with Mr. Heriton
to every spot within reach which was worthy a visit; the calls upon
the warm-hearted, free-handed Northumbrian landowners with whom his
host was acquainted; the quieter drives with Mrs. Heriton, a confirmed
invalid; and the walks and gay romps with Florence, the only daughter
of the house--he sighed, and shaded his eyes with his hand.
The trailing branches of the tree were gently parted, an arch face
peeped from between them, and the next moment the young man’s head and
shoulders were covered with a shower of flower petals.
Shaking his curly head with something of the air of a good-tempered
Newfoundland dog, he started up--his melancholy thoughts all put to
flight--and looked around. But the owner of the pretty, saucy face
had retreated, and was nowhere to be seen, though a stifled laugh
proclaimed her vicinity.
“You may as well show yourself, Miss Mischief,” exclaimed Frank,
“unless, indeed, you are on the wing for a broom to sweep up this
mess before Johnson sees it. He had the lawn swept not two hours ago.
There’ll be a complaint laid before Mr. Heriton of Miss Florence’s
untidy ways. I hope you’ll be punished with half a dozen sums in
practice and a long German exercise.”
Florence emerged from her hiding place to answer him. She was a slim,
delicate girl of fifteen, with eyes of so deep a blue that they were
almost black, and long, wavy hair of golden brown that was carelessly
tied at the back of her head with a ribbon of the same color. Although
under the control of a strict governess for several hours every day, in
order that she might become the accomplished young lady Mr. Heriton’s
heiress ought to be, her mother’s thoughtful tenderness secured her
perfect freedom for as many more. Thus Florence, brought up in the
healthful seclusion of the priory--never permitted to exhibit her
acquirements and receive the ill-judging admiration of visitors--was
still a happy, artless child, with only enough of the woman to cherish
a secret thought that if she grew up and ever consented to leave dear,
suffering mamma and marry, it must be for just such a man as Frank
Dormer.
Secure in her extreme youth and the young man’s speedy departure, no
limits had been set upon their intercourse by either of her parents.
They had rambled together, sung together, and read from the same books;
the pretty Florence coming to Frank with all her difficulties, and
making him the confidant of all her girlish secrets; while he--thrown
for the first time into feminine society--petted and protected her with
a growing tenderness which no one saw or suspected except Florence’s
mother.
“I wouldn’t add story-telling to all my other evil propensities if I
were you,” said the girl demurely, as she came a little nearer, yet
stood ready to spring away if Frank attempted to approach her. “It was
not I who threw those leaves on the lawn, Mr. Dormer. I wouldn’t vex
poor old Johnson for the world, especially just now that I want some
of his best verbenas for my garden. It was you who made the litter by
shaking them off in all directions. I should advise you to pick them
up directly, sir.”
“Come and help me then, mademoiselle.”
“No, indeed, monsieur! That would be to confess myself guilty. I am
going for a walk. Oh, Mr. Dormer, I saw such a lovely fern on one of
the heights that overhang the river! It’s about a mile higher up, and I
mean to fetch it. You’ll come, won’t you?”
Frank picked up his straw hat and followed, as with her basket in
hand she danced across the lawn, singing to herself, and stopping
occasionally to pick the fairest buds she passed, until she had
gathered a tiny bouquet for her companion’s buttonhole.
“Miss Dodson says every flower has a meaning attached to it,” Florence
remarked, as she fastened them in his summer coat. “Do you know what
these signify?”
“To me their meaning is second to the fact that they are among the last
blossoms I shall have from an English garden,” Frank answered. “I think
I shall take them with me to India if I can dry them nicely.”
“Were you thinking of your voyage when I disturbed you?” asked
Florence, coming closer to him and speaking gravely. “Why do you go?
Why not stay in England?”
“Simply, my dear, because my only chance of rising in the world lies
in accepting this appointment. I have no friends, no interest----” He
stopped himself and smiled. “But there--why trouble that little head of
yours about matters you don’t understand?”
“I can understand that you are going away for years, and that mamma is
very sorry, and so am I, really! Papa must have friends and interest,”
she added suddenly. “He could help you, I am sure. I’ll go and speak to
him at once.”
Dropping her basket, she was speeding away, but Frank caught and
detained her.
“Dear Florence--dear little girl--you must not do this. You must
promise me never to ask any favors from your father for me.”
“But you don’t doubt his willingness to assist you?” asked Florence, a
little warmly.
“Certainly I do not. Mr. Heriton has been most kind, most hospitable to
me.”
“Then why----” she began.
He checked her with an imperious:
“Hush--say no more! My pride has been galled enough of late years.
Don’t let me have to take any but pleasant memories from here.”
Florence glanced at his darkening face. She had never before heard him
allude to the clouds that had shadowed his early life, and she wisely
diverted his thoughts into pleasanter channels. But whether she dived
into the wood they were passing through, to peep into a bird’s nest,
or challenged him to races, or hid from him in some bosky dingle, she
always came back to his side with a softer, sweeter smile on her lip, a
more caressing gentleness in her manner, as if she sought to make him
amends for having evoked such unpleasant recollections.
Her wanderings made their ramble a long one, but at last they reached
the spot where the rare fern was growing which she was desirous
of possessing. While Frank Dormer dug carefully around the roots
she ran to the edge of the bank, or cliff, which rose here almost
perpendicularly from the river to so great a height that he grew
uneasy, and shouted a caution to the adventurous girl.
“Take care, Florence; you are too rash. A fall from that cliff would be
almost certain death!”
The warning had scarcely passed his lips when she turned round to
answer him, and disappeared. A large stone had given way, carrying her
light form with it. White with horror, he rushed madly to the place,
expecting to see her mangled form lying on the sharp rocks which lined
the bed of the river, or whirled away by the resistless current.
But the face of Florence, ghastly as his own, looked up at him from
a tuft of heather, about halfway down the cliff, to which she was
clinging with the tenacity of despair. He clenched his hands; his
heart almost ceased to beat. He could not reach her, and to attempt to
descend would be to hurl her from her frail support. Only by making his
way to the foot of the bank, which involved a detour of a quarter of a
mile, could he climb to where she clung and assist her descent. But the
heather was already yielding to her weight, and--frightened child that
she was--would she have the courage to retain her hold until he could
come to her aid?
He spoke to her sharply and firmly.
“Florence, do you hear me? Can you listen, and do precisely as I tell
you?”
The dilated eyes lit up hopefully, then closed, and a sick shudder
passed over her.
“I don’t know,” she answered faintly, “but I’ll try. Oh, save me, Mr.
Dormer--save me!”
“I will--I can, if you obey me. But you must be brave. Do you hear,
Florence?” And he spoke with greater impressiveness than before. “For
your mother’s sake! Remember, any great shock would kill her! For her
sake you must be brave!”
“Oh, mamma--mamma!” moaned Florence. “Yes, I hear you; I will do all
you bid me,” she added, directly afterward, with an effort to assume
composure.
“Look up, then; don’t look down. Keep your eyes fixed on me.” For he
dreaded the dizziness which must inevitably ensue if a downward glance
showed her the extent of her danger. “Lower your right hand cautiously;
now your foot; there are some projecting roots just below you, which
will support your weight until I come.”
For a while she feared to stir. She felt that to loosen her hold in the
slightest degree would be more than she dare venture; but when, in the
same sharp, imperative tones, he commanded her to make the attempt, she
obeyed, and effected the change of position safely.
“Now you will stay there without moving, without looking down, until I
come, which will be as quickly as I can. Give me your word for this.”
“Yes,” said Florence, in clearer tones. “I am not so frightened now. I
will think of my mother till you come back.”
Taking one last glance at the pale, patient face that gazed at him so
trustfully, he hurried away. He scarcely dared think of what might
happen ere he could gain the foot of the bank. With torn clothes,
with bleeding hands, he flung himself down the rugged declivity, as
soon as descent became anything like practicable. Although but a few
minutes were consumed in this, the time seemed interminable until he
drew near the spot where he had left Florence. And as he passed round
a jutting crag that concealed her from his view, his foot faltered. He
was positively afraid to proceed, lest the dire catastrophe should have
occurred which he was striving to avert.
A moment’s struggle, and he sprang desperately forward. Better to know
the worst than endure such horrible suspense.
Thank Heaven, she was still there--still clinging to the friendly
roots. But her head had dropped on her shoulder, her fortitude was fast
failing, and she was moaning piteously. She must have fallen ere long
if Frank Dormer had not climbed quickly to her side and thrown his
sustaining arm around her.
He was strong, agile, and a practiced climber, but he found it no easy
task to descend the slippery cliff encumbered with Florence. But she
was perfectly passive in his hands, and, encouraged by his hopeful
words, moved when he told her, or stepped where he directed, and in
the course of a little while was safely lowered to a mossy boulder
large enough to form a seat for them both.
Here he laved her face and hands with the cool water that rippled
around their feet, and supported her until the color came back to her
cheek. Then she looked up at the spot from which she had slipped,
at the small tufts of heather which had saved her from instant
destruction; and imagining to herself the fate she had escaped, as well
as the anguish and horror it would have inflicted on her parents, she
leaned her face against his shoulder and began to cry softly. Florence
Heriton was a child no longer. She realized in that moment--although,
perhaps, she would have been unable to define her feelings--something
of the value and solemnity attached to the Creator’s great gifts, life
and health, and of the necessity of so using them that when they are
withdrawn from us we may feel that they have not been wasted.
“Mr. Dormer, I want to thank you,” she said at last; “but when I try,
the words choke me, and yet I know that you saved me, and----”
“My dear little Florence,” he said hastily, “I have as much to be
thankful for in your escape as you have. I should not have permitted
you to go so near the edge of that precipice alone. How could I have
returned to the priory if--if anything had happened to you?”
He drew her almost convulsively to his bosom. He had never guessed till
now how dear this little creature was becoming to him. But, ashamed of
his emotion, he quickly released her, and assisted her to rise.
“We must hasten home, or there will be some wondering at our long
absence.”
“And mamma will be uneasy, Mr. Dormer. How shall I tell her what has
happened?”
“Do not tell her at all until I have gone away, and you can speak of it
calmly. And promise me, Florence, that you will never expose yourself
to such peril again.”
The promise was given, and then both were silent until they had nearly
reached the house. But the sob that broke at intervals from the young
girl’s lips, and the drops that glittered on her long eyelashes, told
how busily her thoughts were at work.
Clinging to Frank’s hand as he bade her adieu at a side door, she
exclaimed ingenuously:
“I wish I had something to give you, Mr. Dormer--something to make you
think always of this day, and what you have done for me!”
“I need no souvenir to keep you in my thoughts, Florence,” he answered,
smiling down at her animated face.
“But I should like you to have a ring or something to look at when you
are in India, just to remind you how mamma and I regretted your leaving
us.”
“Wait till I come back,” he said hurriedly. “If you are the same
Florence I leave, I will ask you for what I would sooner have than all
the diamonds of Golconda.”
The ringing of the second dinner bell made Florence start away to
change her dress, and try and still the trembling in her limbs, before
she made her appearance in the drawing room for the evening.