The Laurel Bush: An Old-Fashioned Love Story

stunted stump or two, while on the other a huge heavy branch swept down to the gravel-walk. It had a crooked gnarled trunk or stem

the government regulation one, for twenty years ago this had not been thought of; but a rough receptacle, where, the house being a good way off, let

liams-Fortune Williams. The nickname was a little too near the truth, as a keener observer than mischievous boys would have read in her quiet, sometimes sad, face; and it had been stopped rather severely by the tutor of the elder boys, a young man whom the grandmother had been forced to get, to "keep them in order!" He was a Mr. Robert Roy, once a student, now a teacher of the "humanities," from the neighboring town-I beg its pardon-city; and a lovely old city it is!-o

rd-working can understand and sympathize with one another. Only a tutor and only a governess: Mrs. Dalziel drove away and never thought of them again. They were mere machines-servants to whom

ay after day, week after week-nay, it had now become month after month-to all intents and purposes quite alone, except for the children. They taught together, there being but one school-room; walked out togethe

g placed in circumstances where they had every opportunity of intimate friendship, sympathy, whatever you like to call it: who could doubt what would happen? The more so, as there was no one to suggest that it might happen; no one to

ir whole demeanor to one another was characterized by the grave and even formal decorum which was natural to very reserved people, just trembling on the verge of that discovery which will unlock the heart of each to the other, and annihilate reserve forever between the

e who wear their hearts upon their sleeves for daws to peck at, and very often are all the prouder the more they are pecked at

ee Welsh nose; but with the prettiest little mouth underneath it-firm, close, and sweet; full of sensitiveness, but a sensitiveness that was controlled and guided by that best possession to either man or woman, a good str

nstructs the heart, and the other in which the heart informs and guides the eye. There have been men who, seeing an unknown beautiful face, have felt sure it implied the most beautiful soul in the world, pursued it, worshiped it, wooed and won it, found the fancy true, and loved the woman

me, but dark-skinned and dark-haired; in no way resembling his great namesake, Rob Roy Macgregor, as the boys sometimes called him behind his back-never to his face. Gentle as the young man was, there was something about him which effectually prevented any one's taking the smallest liberty with him. Though he had been a teacher of boys ever since he was sev

ule every body except themselves. But Robert Roy's clear, calm, rather sad eye, and a certain patient expression about the mouth, impli

mine, Are as moonlight unto su

ow than in sunshine, and with every temptation to the selfishness which is so apt to follow self-dependence, and the bitterness that to a proud spir

ad never any time to play. Between his own studies and the teaching by which he earned the money to prosecute them, every hour was filled up. So he turned his back on the pleasant pastime, which seem

we should hear in our graves," and though this girl did not think of that, for death looked far off, and she was scarcely a poetical person, still, many a morning, when,

e of exceeding joy, and then of relief and rest. He was "comfortable" to her. She could express it in no other way. At sight of his face and at sound of his voice all worldl

rnoon, Mis

ternoon,

al of life, is to her also as great a mystery as ever-Why do certain people like to be together? What is the inexplicable attraction which makes them seek one another, suit one another, put up with one another's weaknesses, condone one another's faults (when neither are too great to lessen love), and to the last day of life find a charm in one another

; but the absence of the children, and the very unusual fact of their being quite alone, g

e has taken her boys with her to Elie. I dare say you will not be sorry to gain an hour o

east shadow of a smile, n

very last minute; and if I had proposed that a messenger should have

, this treatment of both as mere tutor and governess. After all (as he sometimes said, when some special rudeness-not himself, but to her-vexed him), they were tutor and governess; b

id, if I tell the absolute truth, she

r, Miss

rought out all this way

ind it, I a

or the lo

e is so soon coming to an end that it does not signify much. They told m

f wintering in London; but she is so vague in her plans tha

ans? You always know

mother was hearing her say of me, that 'her little girl was a little girl who always knew he

s to pieces, and looking right ahead, across the sunshiny Links, the long shore of yellow sands, where the mermaids might we

of his companion came to rouse him. In truth, she, never given much to talking, simply stood,

or the pleasure of any such proceeding. She was a self-contained, self-dependent woman. Thoroughly a woman; not indifferent at all to womanhood's best blessing; still she could live without it if necessary, as she could have lived without anything which it had pleased God to deny her. She was not a creature likely to die for

no brother, no other man at all to judge him by, except the accidental men whom she had met in society, creatures on two legs who wore coats and trousers, who had been civil to her, as she to them, but who had never interested her in the smallest degree, perhaps because she knew so little of them. But no; it w

come blind, o

ny ane o'

be married

o be marr

e same eyes on the same scene. I say the same eyes, for they were exceedingly alike in their tastes. There was no need ever to go into long explanations about this or that; a glance sufficed, or a word, to show each what the other enjoyed; and both had the quiet conviction that t

afternoon!" s

thing special to do? What did you mean to emp

ways find som

so hard. If we could only now and

r off her hands-the necessity of grinding hard out of school hours to keep herself up in Latin, Euclid, and other branches which do not usually form a part of a feminine education, only having a great natural love of work, she had taught herself-all these things combined to make her life a dull life, a hard life,

and when he said, half joking, as if he wanted to feel his way, "Let us imit

eliness, or, if there was, he or she looked a mere dot, not human at all. Even if these two had been afraid of being seen walking together-which they hardly were, being too

nemones. One of my pupils wants some, and I promis

ot find anemone

sigh which she had noticed more than once, and which had begun to strike on her ears not quite painfully. Sighs, when we are young, mean differently t

t you?" said Fortune, gently.

so; but you are alway

ad happened once or twice before, startling her a little at herself; for, as I have said, Miss Williams was not at all the kind of person to do every thing that every body asked her, without cons

ly how it looks in the still, strongly spiritualized light of such an afternoon, with the ruins, the castle, cathedral, and St. Regulus's tower standing out sharp

mouth of the Eden, leaving behind them a long and sinuous track of many footsteps, little and large, but now there were only two lines-"foot-prints on the s

go together, those

o, alas! she was not exactly the woman to be thus talked to. Nothing fell on he

ings were very difficult to him either to do or to say. Even the tenderness that was in him came out as if by accident; but,

he death-cart with a young girl whom he had never before seen, is able to sustain and comfort her, even to the last awful moment,

it strange or wrong that she should so think?-that if it were God's will she should thus walk through life, the thorniest path would seem smooth, the hardest road easy. She had no fear of life, if lived beside him; or of d

ion this day, if recorded, would have been of the most feeble kind-brief, fragmentary, mere comments on the things about them, or abstract remarks not particularly clever or brilliant. They were neither of

want you so. In your English sense," he added, with a laugh, referring to one of their many arguments, scholastic or otherwise, wherein she h

" asked she, smiling; for every thing,

ult you seriously on a purely personal matte

things), the pride which apes humility, the self-distrust which often wounds another so keenly.

amount of trouble if I could be

believe in you and your goodness

loser, dearer; but that word was his to speak, not hers. There are women who will "help a man on"-propose to him, marry him indeed-while he is under the pleasing delusion that he does it all himself; but Fortune Williams was not one of these. She remaine

sons end next week. The

t decided to

In

keep to a scholar's life, and be a professor one day, perhaps, if by any means I could get s

t; but he answered: "Never mind why. I do wish it, and I

d, honestly, "Indeed, you are the last perso

ith in people; I am afraid my own deficiency is want of faith. It tak

lent-harder still to spe

al consequence of a very lonely life. If you and I had had fathers

out in my mind how to change my way of life, to look out for something that would help me to

in business qualities in him-"which I suppose I have, though I didn't know it," added he, with a smile-had offered him a situation in a merchant's

mething, with my 'stingy' habits. Only I must go at once. Nor is there a

f living or only half living, of feeling the sun in or out of the world. What could she answer? What could she answer? T

here is only one thing which help

ange distrustfulness of which he had spoken, or the hesitation

le more, and

less, and wha

ing silence, he had only spoken one word! But he neither looked nor spoke, and the moment passed by. And there

e back. Dead or alive, I was going to say, but you would not care to see my ghost,

ou oug

inute she might burst into sobs. He saw it-at least h

t be displeased at any thing I have said? We part friends? No, we do not part; I shall see you e

u, yes-I

must it be? She could have borne his going away, if it was for his good, if he wished it; and something whispered to her that this sudden desire to get rich was not for himself alone. But, oh! If he would only speak! One word-one

it, and held it-years after, the feeling of that clasp was as fresh on her fingers as yesterd

e sound of distant car

Mrs. Dalziel

d better g

all come back again-the forlor

Roy." And th

o you-you will allow me?-and I shall see you

ope

, good-by. That means,

ou!' And I know

alone, listening to the sound of Mr. Roy's footsteps down the road-listen

d come back again; so she waited a little-five minutes, ten-beside the laurel bush. But he did not come.

ure to see or hear that appeal-was it to man or God?-that wild, broken sob, so contrary to her usual self-controlled and self-contained natu