Julia And Her Romeo: A Chronicle Of Castle Barfield / From Schwartz" by David Christie Murray"

bestowed upon the white face in the light of the carefully-shaded candle haunted her all night, and roused a foreboding too dismal to be expressed, or even formulated in definite tho

at if it had worked too well?' What if it had killed Julia in very deed? It was too horrible to happen, Mrs. Jenny said to herself. Too

eaceful enough amid its surrounding trees under the tranquilly broadening light of dawn, but Mrs. Rusker knew how ghastly white the face of the poor child she loved as her own might look in that roseate glow. Presently a thin line of smoke curled from a chimney on the noiseless air. The farm was waking

own face, with its haggard lines of sleeplessness and anxious watching. At last, from the very depths of her misery, she plucked the heart of despairing hope, and made for the farm. The farm labourers and country folk she met stared after her. Even their bovine understandings were troubled by her scared face. She scarcely saw them, or anything but the farmhouse, which drew her now with an influen

er is the matter?' d

d the visitor.

. Mountain, 'ho

t?' asked Mrs. J

ago. I'm jist goin' upstairs wi' some breakfast for her. Well, I

Jenny, in unconscious quotation from her favour

knowed better than to blunder such a thing as that right out, but, then, he's a man, and that'd account for a'most anything. Married life might teach 'em better, you'd think, and yet after nigh o

Mrs. Mountain upstairs. As the latter had said, the girl was sleeping still, and Mrs. Busker saw that her position

' sleep's good for her. But her's had welly fifteen hours of it now, if she's been asleep all the tima Jul

s beating like a muffled drum, and seemed, to he

in a louder voice, and shook the

elids did no

this way!' She shook the girl again. 'Je

d the awful stillness of her form-the keenest glance could not detect a quiver in the face or a heave

y, she's

xcept that marble figure on the bed. Hurried steps came up the stairs, the heavy tr

creamed Mrs. Jenny;

. There was a general scream from the women. One, more serviceable than the rest, called from the window to a gaping yokel below in the yard, and bade him ride for help. Her

fe's face had turned to sudden rage, and she stood over him like a ruffled hen, and cl

y about, looking old and broken on a sudden. The sound of horses' hoofs roused him; it was the rustic messenger returning. 'Where's the doctor?' demanded Samson. 'Gone to Heydon Hey. What am I to dew?' 'Follow him an' fetch him back. Hast not gumption enough to know that?' asked Samson wearily. The man started again, and Samson began once more his purposeless wanderings about the yard.

n. 'My God!' he cried, with sudden passion, as if his own voice had u

me see her.' His voice, broken with fatigue and emotion, his st

ck took the despairing speech for a permission, and entered the house. At the bottom of th

ny longer. Come in here wi' me.' She pulled him into a side room, and sit

ated. 'I must tell somebody, an' I'll t

in the shadow of the gibbet. Ramblingly and incoherently, with many bre

indeed, between fear and remorse and sorrow for the hopeless love she had striven to befriend, was nearly mad. Dick heard her with such amazement as may be best imagined, and suddenly, with a cry that rang in her ears for many a long day afterwards, ran from her and

lutched his arm. He turned to her. 'Trust me,' he said, 'and I'll save her.' The wild hope in the mother's eyes was te

ays, and though Samson had never forborne to bluster at her girlish insubordination, he rather liked it than not, and relished his daughter's independence and spirit. Julia was the only creature in the household who dared to hold her own against him. He was proud of her beauty and what he called her 'lurning,' and, more or less grumblingly, petted her a good deal, and would have spoiled her had she been of spoilable material. But till this heavy blow fell he had never sounded the depths of his own affection for her. The suddenness of the blow stunned and bewildered him.

ic bench beside the porch, with his elbows propped upon his knees, an

ghbo

ad. Abel Reddy s

had believed to be unconquerable he rose and s

Your trouble's mine, though not so great for me as it is for you, I was wi' Dick when he heard o' your daughter's danger, an' what I'd suspected a long time I know now to be the truth. I did my best to keep 'em apart-it was that as Dick was going to Londo

ich might have been anathema or blessing. And as the life-long enemies stood so linked,

expected picture framed by the open window, Dick violently embraced by M

Reddy. The family feud was buried, and Samson and Abel made very passable grandfathers and dwelt in peace one with another. Dick never told a living soul, not even Julia herself, of the strat

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