Mount Royal, Volume 2 of 3

e in the amusements and dissipation of that golden time; but this his wife most steadfastly refused. She would be guilty of no act which could imply want of respe

eonard. "Everything about the place will remind you of m

than forget her," answered Chris

d me about a lot of mouldy old French towns, and made me look at churches, and Roman baths, and the sites of ancient cir

getation," said Christabel; "but if you would prefer to sp

am not going in for that kind of thing. You and I must not offer the world another example of the

uanimity-it was an aggravation to her husband that she so rarely lost her temper-"so long as you do not ask me to

for having lost her-that we shall miss her more or less every day of our lives-visitors or no v

y in all the luxuries and pleasures of a rural life under the most advantageous circumstances. They had scoured the hills-had rifled the hedges of their abundant wild flowers-had made friends with all Christabel's chosen families in the surrounding cottages-had fallen in love with the curate who was doing duty at Minster and Forrabury-had been buff

her self-sacrifice. The sacrifice had been made, but death had swallowed up the blessing and reward: and in that intermediate land of slumber where the widow lay there could be no knowledge of gain-no satisfaction in the thought of her son's happiness: even granting that Leonard was supre

d with her wish ungratified, I think I should be

the new Mrs. Tregonell into the panelled parlour, where every object was arranged just as in the old days; the tea-table on the left of the

ssie, in a low voice, as she placed Christabel in the widow's old chair, and helped

ed everything as it now is-just adding as many new things as were needful to

ng to dinner. He wanted to be among the first to welcome y

im: he is a part of my old lif

my sisters-taking them about everywhere. I believe they both went away deeply in lov

urate, a bachelor, and

idgeman at Mount Royal. He had been for dismissing her, as a natural co

sociated with every year of my girlhood. She shall be no trou

fected to despise her economies while it was his mother's purse which was spared; but now that the supplies were

nner at Mount Royal. He had so many small local events to tell them about, news too insignificant to be recorded in Jessie's letters, but not without interest for Christabel, who loved place and people. Then after dinner he begged his hostess to play, declaring that he had not heard any good

in her style. She had always played swee

very hard in these las

lessons from a very clever German professor at Nice. Music

. "Most women give Mozart and Beethoven to the winds when they marry, shut up thei

those. Music will be

for the chances of matrimonial bliss. That need of a pursuit after marriage indicated a certain emptiness in the existence of

ve of the country in which she lived. She could not be altogether unhappy roaming with her old friend Jessie over those wild romantic hills, or facing the might of that tremendous ocean, grand and somewhat awful even in its calmest aspect. Nor was she unhappy seated in her own snug morning-room among the books she loved-books which were always opening new worlds of thought and w

utterly unsympathetic; but they were not always in each other's company, and when they were together the wife did her best to appear contented with her lot, and to make life agreeable to her husband. She was more punctilious in the performance of every duty she owed him than she would have bee

rown, Christabel's heart melted with the new strange emotion of maternal love. A son was born to the lord of the manor; and while all Boscastle rejoiced at this important addition to the population, Christabel's pale face shone with a new radiance, as the baby-fac

ely engrossed by her child that Leonard considered himself neglected. She deferred her presentation at Court till the next season, and Leonard was compelled to be satisfied with an occasional br

except her own life. The very chairs and tables seemed to be associated with old joys, old griefs. All the sharp agony of that bitter day on which she had made up her mind to renounce Angus Hamleigh came back to her as she looked round the room in which the pain had been suffered. The flavour of old memories was mixed w

ed at her engagement to Mr. Hamleigh were equally delighted at her marriage with her cousin, or at least said so; albeit, more than one astute matron dr

uburn wig after Madame de Montespan, and a diamond coronet. Christabel shrank from the too-well-remembered figure with a faint shudder; but Lady

A baby, I suppose? Just so! Those horrid babies! In the coming century there will be some better arrangement for carrying on the species. How well you are looking, and your husband is positively charming. He sat next me at dinner, and we were friends in a moment. How

s; but Christabel could only falter out a few brief sentences. Even now she could hardly speak of her aunt without tears; and i

name, carelessly mentioned at a dinner party. He was talked of as a