The earl of Rossville Hall

Chapter I

It was noon at Rossville Hall, the day the eighteenth of May. The old master of the Hall had died only a few days since and his vast inheritance had descended to his nephew Claude, who was his only known relative at the time of his death. His son Adrian had disappeared when he was only six years of age. It was supposed that he had been stolen.

The great bell had just sounded the hour for dinner when a young girl of perhaps seventeen ran up the steps, rang the doorbell and handed her card to the servant who answered the summons. She was a beautiful girl, with large blue eyes and golden hair. She was the only daughter of her widowed mother, who had managed to give her daughter a good education in music. The daughter now provided for her mother and little brother by teaching music. But she had lost all her pupils, and Kenton, her brother, was very ill, and she had only a little money.

The servant now returned and ushered her into the drawing-room of Rossville Hall. Lord Claude arose to meet her.

“Miss Estelle Lorrimer, I presume.”

“You must pardon me, Lord Ross,” she said, hesitatingly, “but — I — I have come to ask a favor of you. My little brother is very sick. I have tried at the house of our nearest neighbor, Mr. Howard, and he is away on business, and as you were the next nearest, I — I have come to see if you will let one of

THE) E)ARL Otf ROSSVILLE) HALL your servants go for the doctor. I am sorry to trouble you, but I am in great need of help.”

“Oh, that is nothing,” he replied. “I will be pleased to be of any assistance that I am able. Will you not be seated?”

“No, thank you,” she said, “I must go now; and I thank you for your kindness. I hope some day I can repay you.”

“Do you live far from here?” he asked.

“Oh, no, just a short distance. I must go. Good-day, Lord Ross.”

“Good-day, Mis s Lorrimer. I will probably call tomorrow afternoon and see your brother.”

“We would be very glad to see you,” she said, as she left the room.

“What a pretty little girl!” ejaculated the Earl. “Such eyes !”

Estelle quietly, thoughtfully walked toward the little white cottage in which she lived. When she reached home she found the little boy no better; she told her mother of the Earl’s kindness.

Lord Ross had been a poor young man and could well appreciate the wealth he had fallen heir to. His father was a younger brother of the late Earl, and received a very small share of his father’s riches. He died when Claude was quite a child, but the boy and his mother had struggled on until two years previous, when his mother died. After his mother’s death he had gone to Italy to* study painting and had succeeded very well. One day he received a telegram that his uncle was ill, perhaps dying. He hastened back to England, only to learn that his

THE) E)ARI, OD ROSSVIDDD HAU, 7

uncle was dead and he was now sole heir to his property.

Claude was a finely proportioned, broad-shouldered, handsome man, and the white brow, over which the dark brown hair waved, was broad and intellectual. Was it any wonder that Essie Lorrimer was waiting impatiently for the time when she would see this young man ? But all the while she was saying to herself, “Why should I be thinking of him, when he is a great man, and I am only a poor widow’s daughter toiling for my bread ?”

“I wish,” he was thinking, “I wish she had asked some other favor of me. I should like to obey her.”

He glanced at his watch and saw that it was three o’clock. “Time’s up at last and I can go. How fortunate — for me — that her brother is sick. I told her I was going to see her brother, but I think I am more anxious to see her than her brother.” He ordered his carriage, and soon reached Mrs. Lorrimer’s cottage. It was a quaint little place, with vines and climbing roses almost covering the house. Essie — as every one called her — was looking her best, in a simple muslin dress, making a very fair picture as she stood by the window. If he had thought her charming the day before, he thought her more when he saw her at the window. He was met at the door by Essie, who seemed glad to see him, and ushered him into the little parlor.

“I hope your brother is better, Miss Lorrimer,” he said, on taking a seat by a window that opened out into the flower garden.

“He is better, thank you,” she replied, with such a

THE) E)ART OT ROSSVII.TE: hatt pretty smile that the Earl quite forgot he had come to visit the sick boy.

“Do you know, Miss Lorrimer,” he said, “you remind me very much of the only sister I ever had. Your eyes are the same as hers, and you have a look about you that some way reminds me of her.”

“You say the only sister you ever had — is she dead?” she asked.

“Yes, she has been dead for many years — long years they have seemed to me. She was older than I by eight or ten years, and I loved her very much. She was very delicate and when she was sixteen she began to fail rapidly and within a year she was dead. And then in one short year my father died, and mother and I were left alone. We were very sad and we were poor and I was too small to be of much help to her; but we managed to live until I was large enough to work and we lived very happily then until God called my dear mother, and then I was left alone.”

There were tears in the young Lord's eyes when he ceased speaking.

“Yours has been a sad life, my Lord,” she remarked sympathetically.

“Sad, indeed,” he answered.

“We will go in and see my brother now if you wish,” she said.

Kenton was delighted with the Earl and begged him to come see him again tomorrow.

“I wish you could come every day,” he said.

“Perhaps I can,” the Earl replied, laughing.

He would not own to himself he was in love. He

THE) EARIy Otf ROSSVIIylyE) HAITv reasoned that he only liked Essie because she reminded him of his sister. He thought Mrs. Lorrimer an agreeable woman, but nothing to compare with her golden-haired daughter. They were poor people, and he was an earl, but he had been poor and knew it was a misfortune not a fault. So* the days passed and May with its beautiful flowers and sunshine passed to the balmy month of June.

One day in the first week of June the Earl and Essie were in the flower garden gathering roses, and he was telling her of a ball he was going to attend that night at Lady Merryington’s.

“It will be my first ball, but I do not look forward to it with very much pleasure. I fear I will never make much of a society man. I have never had any desire for balls especially, but of course I must go to this one.”

“Well, I think I should like them very much,” Essie replied. “Although I have never been to a ball, I do love to dance. I should think it would be almost like a fairyland among all the flowers and diamonds, and fair ladies. I suppose rich people are very happy — I should think they ought to be.”

“Perhaps they should be — or at least some of them should,” he replied. “Of course the rich have their troubles as well as the poor. Now, for instance, I am what the world calls rich and I have lost all the ones I loved.”

“Yes,” she said. “And now perhaps your life will all be sunshine. ’Tis a long road that never turns, and I am sure there has been a great turn in your life.”

IO

TH£ DARIv OF ROSSVIUvF HAU,

“And may be many more,” he replied.

“But perhaps they will be pleasant turns like the last.”

“There is one very pleasant change that I should like very much,” he said.

“And what is that?”

“I will tell you that some day but not now.”

“What could he mean?” she asked herself. Could it be that he was in love with some girl and was thinking of bringing a bride to Rossville Hall? Why did her heart ache so at the thought of this? The thought of his not coming any more filled her heart with pain. He had not seemed to her as a rich stranger, but as one she had known all her life. These were her thoughts, but she only said,

“My Lord, I trust that you may receive all you hope for.”

“Do you really hope I may? As long as you talk that way, I will have some hope.”

He was on the point of telling her how he loved her and that it was her love he hoped for most of anything, but thought best not to be in such haste.

At this moment Kenton called to them that he was getting very impatient waiting for the flowers they had promised to bring him. Thus admonished they entered the house.

When the Earl had gone, Essie began to ponder upon what he had said. What had she to do with the “change” he so much desired? That he should say if she really wished it he had some hope, puzzled her. Could it be that he had reference to* herself? No, it could not be that. And yet what could she

TH£ EjARIy OF ROSSVIFIvF HAIJ,

II have to do with any one else that was anything to him?

“What are you thinking of, Essie ?” Kenton asked. “I do believe the Earl has been making love to you.”

Essie blushed and smiled and said,

“Why, brother, how can you talk so ?”

“Oh, I know he has now. I thought it a moment ago, but I know it since you blushed so.”

“Well, I can’t tell why I blushed, but he certainly has not made love to me,” she replied.

Chapter II

While Lord Ross was enjoying himself at Mrs. Lorrimer’s, he had no idea of the snares that were being laid by the Misses Merryington.

“Now, Olivia,” said Gertrude, “you need not be planning what you are going to say to the Earl to captivate him; for I mean to win him myself. I am older than you, and I mean to win him.”

“And I say, Gertrude, I mean to win him. It is a game of chance for either of us,” Olivia replied. “And the one who plays her cards the better shall be the winner.”

“Now, girls, what are you quarreling about?” asked Lady Merryington as she entered the room.

“Oh, mamma,” said Gertrude, “we were talking of Lord Ross. Olivia says she means to marry him and I mean to win him too, and as I am the elder I think Olivia should submit, don't you ?”

“Quarreling about Lord Ross! Why, girls, I should think you would feel ashamed, quarreling about some one who will probably not give either of you a second thought. If I were you I think I would wait and see which he prefers. Perhaps he will not like either of you, and I am sure if he could hear you he would not.”

Gertrude and Olivia were two very obstinate, contentious girls, and were forever quarreling over little nothings. Gertrude was now twenty-three years old and Olivia twenty-one, and they were each on the lookout for a rich husband.

TH£ BARI, OF ROSSVIUvF HAIA,

When the young Earl of Rossville Hall came to his estate what should they both do but determine to win him at any cost. As the poor artist, Claude Ross, he would have been nothing to them ; as Lord Ross of Rossville Hall he was a great catch.

The evening of the ball came. As each guest entered the drawing room the two girls watched eagerly, hoping it might be the Earl of Rossville Hall. It was rather late before he came, and Lady Merryington received him with an amiable smile.

“And so this is Lord Ross/’ she said, “the young master of the Hall. I have heard so much of you that I have been anxious to meet you, and shall be so glad to have my friends meet you.”

“My dear Lady Merryington, you do me too much honor,” he replied.

At this moment Gertrude came up to her mother — quite by accident.

“Ah,” said Lady Merryington, “allow me, Lord Ross, to introduce you to my daughter Gertrude. Gertrude, this is Lord Ross.”

“Very happy to meet you, Miss Merryington; very glad indeed,” as he bowed low over the little hand which she held out.

Olivia was at the other end of the room, talking with Sir Reginald Stockwell. She appeared to be very deeply interested in what he was saying about some photographs which they were looking at. But she was not so interested as she seemed for she had seen her mother introduce Lord Ross to her sister, and she knew if Gertrude could she would keep him at her side all the evening. She was revolving in

TH£ JtARh 0£ ROSSVIIJ,£ HAU, her mind some scheme by which she might be able to entice him away from her sister. While Olivia was busy working out her plan Gertrude was making good use of her time. While Lord Ross seemed to be enjoying and believing all she appeared to be, he was thinking, “Oh! yes, Miss Gertrude, you think your little plan is succeeding ! As if I couldn’t tell by those fiery black eyes what lies in your heart ! You think you can put on your sweetest smile and look amiable and good, but I can see through your little ruse.”

Olivia’s scheme was to give Sir Reginald the impression that Gertrude was an excellent musician. When he heard this, of course he said that he must hear her sing and play. So going over to Gertrude, Olivia introduced Sir Reginald and Gertrude in her turn introduced Lord Ross. The latter was more favorably impressed with Olivia than he had been with her sister, but still he fancied she was artful and deceitful, too.

Sir Reginald led Gertrude to the piano, and said, “Now, Miss Gertrude, give us your favorite.”

“Oh, I have no favorite,” she jerked out. It could plainly be seen that she was annoyed at Olivia’s skilful maneuver. However, she played, but played as if her mind was not on what she was playing, and Sir Reginald concluded she was not such an expert, after all.

“Do let us go in and watch the dancers,” she said, peevishly.

“I will if you will dance with me,” he said.

She assented, and they went into the ball room.

THE) E)ARIy OT ROSSVITIvE: HATT

Meanwhile, Lord Ross and Olivia had seated themselves on a sofa, where they were for more than an hour, then Lady Merryington came up to introduce Lord Ross to some of the other guests. And Olivia, knowing it to be useless to look angry as Gertrude had done, kept her sweetest smile.

Lord Ross would not dance and after meeting several of the young ladies, he joined some of the other gentlemen to have a quiet smoke. He thought of little Essie Lorrimer and wished he was with her in the quiet little cottage. He did not care for all this foolishness and he compared Essie with all the society belles and was glad she was not like them. When he returned to the drawing room, he came upon Lady Merryington just starting to- see “where he had been in hiding.”

“Ah, Lady Merryington,” he said, “you are the one above all others whom I was wishing to meet here. Let us go into the conservatory. I am very fond of flowers and I am sure you have some choice ones.”

“By all means I will go,” she said. “I feel flattered that you should prefer going with me to some of the young ladies.”

“Why, Lady Merryington,” he said, “I think I prefer the elder ladies always to younger ones, that is except to one of the younger ones.”

“May I ask,” said her ladyship, “who the fortunate lady is? It is surely Miss Edith Greyson. I do think she is such a lovable girl.”

She did not think anything of the kind, but she

1 6 THE) SARI, 01? R0SSVIU<E HAU,

thought perhaps it was one of her own daughters and she could make him tell her by saying this.

“No,” he replied, “I have not met the lady here to-night. She is not here, but I do not mind telling you who she is. Her name is Essie Lorrimer, and she is the dearest and sweetest girl I have ever met.”

“Oh!” ejaculated Lady Merryington, “your Lordship praises this young lady very highly.”

“She is worthy of all the praise I can give her,” he said, earnestly. “By the way,” he added, “I would like one of these lilies very much.”

“Certainly,” she answered.

He plucked the lily, thinking he would carry it to Essie and tell her that it came from a real ball and that it was the only thing he saw there that compared with her; that among all those grand ladies he was not happy, for he could not keep his mind from one certain little girl.

“I am sorry, your Lordship,” said Lady Merryington, “there will be so many disappointed young ladies in the country. I am sure by the many admiring glances I have seen to-night that there will be more than one disappointed young lady when they find you are engaged.”

“Oh, I am not engaged yet,” he said, with a slight smile, “but it will not be any fault of mine if I am not very soon.” v

“And suppose some one else has already won this prize,” she said.

“Oh, I don't think there's any probability of that,” he said. “She is quite young, only a little past seventeen, I think.”

THE) BARI. ROSSVIIvIvEj HAI.lv 1 7

They now returned to the drawing room, and after bidding his hostess good-night he sprang in his carriage and was driven rapidly home. But those words of Lady Merryington’s kept ringing in his ear. What if some one else had already won this great prize? Indeed, what if they had? He had not thought of this. What if she was young? Younger people than she had married. Why, his mother had married before she was as old as Essie. Before he closed his eyes in sleep he made up his mind to ask her to be his wife the next day. If she refused he would go away and never trouble her any more. But if she did not refuse, oh, yes, if she did not refuse, then he would be the happiest man on earth. What a lovely little mistress she would make for his home! He fancied he could see her about the house — his wife.

“IBs just as I thought you would do, Olivia,” said Gertrude the next morning after the ball. “You always manage to spoil everything in your own good time! What did you bring that blundering Sir Reginald to me for? You did it just to get Lord Ross yourself.”

“Well, of course, Gertrude. I know that’s what I did it for. Did you suppose that I intended sitting there with Sir Reginald when I could put him off on you, and secure the Earl? No indeed, I had no such an idea. I congratulate myself on being so kind as to let you talk with Sir Reginald. Why, do you suppose he would have looked at you, if you had not been my sister? I made quite an impression on Sir Reginald and I am sure Lord Ross likes me better than he does you.”

Olivia felt better after she had unburdened her mind of all she meant to* make her sister believe. It was her greatest delight to vex her sister and she knew the way she had commenced was the quickest way to go about it.

“Yes, I believe all that rubbish you are telling,” Gertrude snapped. “Maybe you don’t know what the Earl said about you.”

“No, I do not,” Olivia replied. “But I would like so much to know, for I am sure it was something very nice. Do please tell me, my dear sister, and then I’ll tell you what he said about you.”

Now, Lord Ross had not said anything to Gertrude about Olivia. She simply wanted to make her think so, but the thought came to her that she would tell a falsehood to make her think the Earl was not so misled as she believed him to be.

“Oh, yes,” said Gertrude, “you can get so sweet around me when you want to find out something! If you had any idea what it was you would not be so anxious to know. He only wanted to know who that old-maidish-looking girl was? I tried to look shocked and answered, ‘Why, that’s my sister.’ He said he was so sorry he had said anything to hurt me, but he really could not help saying something. Now what was it, pray, that he had the goodness to say about me?”

But Olivia was too angry to reply. At this moment Lady Merryington came into the room and inquired the cause of Olivia’s tears. Gertrude in-

The: E)ARIv OT ROSSVIIvIvE: HATT formed her, and then said, “So you see, mamma, I have succeeded in winning the prize, when Olivia was so sure she had.”

“Not so fast, my dear,” said her ladyship. “You have not won him yet. Nor do I think you are liable to. He is in love with that Lorrimer girl. Lady Reyford was telling me last evening that when she went riding in the afternoon she saw Lord Ross at the Lorrimer cottage almost every time she passed, and we were wondering if he really meant to marry the girl or if he was only going there to amuse himself, when — ”

But Gertrude did not give her time to finish the sentence.

“Oh, of course, he doesn't mean to marry her. The very idea of a lord marrying a pauper! Of course he is only going there to amuse himself. I never did have a very high opinion of that girl and now I have a poorer one than ever. For my part, I don't believe Lord Ross goes there. Lady Reyford gets the reputation of not telling the truth every time she speaks and I don't believe a word of it. It is something of her own manufacture.”

“Don't be in so much haste with what you have to say, Gertrude,” said the mother. “Wait and let me finish what I have to say.”

Then she proceeded to tell her what Lord Ross had said the evening previous. Gertrude was more angry than ever, but her sister came to her aid.

“Oh, mamma, you know he could not mean all that! He only told you that to keep people from talking. He can't possibly love that girl.”

THE) E)ARL, OH ROSSVITTS HATH

“Of course he does not,” said Gertrude.

“Well, perhaps he does not,” Lady Merryington continued, “but he did look so earnest in what he said.”

“Oh, yes, and he looked earnest in what he was saying to me, too,” said Olivia, “and then look what he had been saying about me. For my part I hate Lord Ross and that doll-baby-looking Essie Lorrimer, too.”

“Oh,” said Gertrude, “don’t get so angry. I can’t say that I have any love for the girl, but I don’t blame Lord Ross. Of course I can’t expect you to like the Earl after what he said about you, but so much the better for me. I will stand a better chance for winning him than ever.”

“You forget the Lorrimer girl, who stands a better chance than either of you,” said Lady Merryington.

“Oh, she is not worth the remembering,” said Gertrude.

“I’ll give my interest in the Earl to you, Gertrude,” said Olivia. “I mean to win Sir Reginald.”

“Now there’s a dear good girl,” said Gertrude, who was thinking how lucky she had been in thinking of such a good scheme to prevent Olivia’s interfering with her.

CHAPTER HI

Lord Ross went to see Essie that evening and it seemed to him that he had never seen her looking so well. She asked him how he enjoyed the ball and he told her about the music and the dancing, the two Merryington girls, and the conservatory and how he knew she would have enjoyed it all. Then he gave her the lily which he had plucked purposely for her, telling her what he had meant to tell her, — that among all that throng the lily was all he could find that would in any way compare with her. She looked a little surprised at this, but when he told her that in all that gaiety he was not happy, because a certain little face haunted him, her surprise was very great.

“Do you know, Essie, dear, the only time I am happy is when I am with you. Yes, I am going to call you Essie. I like the name Essie. It suits the little girl that bears it. Essie, have you not guessed my secret, — can you not guess how well I love you ?”

“Lord Ross,” she said, “do not trifle with me in this way. I can not bear it.”

“Trifle with you, my darling? I love you far too well for that. Do not call me Lord Ross — call me Claude. Trifle with you? Why, I have come on purpose to ask you to be my wife. Do you love me, Essie, dear? Can you love me? Or is it possible your heart is another’s? Without you I will be miserable, I would not care to live, for what would life be to me without you? Speak out, darling,”

the: s art OT ROSSVIIvTE: HALT he said. “If you can not love me, it is better to tell me so, than to be in this dread uncertainty. If you do not love me I will go away and never trouble you any more.”

Had she heard aright? Was it possible that the Earl loved her — wished to make her his wife? Did she love him? Then came the thoughts of what comfort her mother could live in if she should marry the Earl; but then she must not think of that, she must think only of love — did she love him?

“Speak out, Essie,” said the Earl, “this uncertainty is hard to bear. If you do not love me, say you do not and Til gO' away from old England.”

“Oh, do not go away,” she said, “give me time to think.”

“Answer me now, dearest,” he pleaded. “Your heart tells you if you love me, does it not?”

“Oh, Claude, I have never been in love. I can not tell whether I love you or not.”

He thought now that she surely did not love him, or she would know it.

“Well, Essie,” he said, “I will tell you how I feel and if you feel the same I think you love me. I am happier when I am with you than with any one else in the world, — I am happy only when I am by your side. I know that without you I can never be happy. When I hear your name a thrill passes over me. No one else’s name ever causes me to feel so. I think you have the fairest, sweetest face I have ever looked upon. Oh, Essie, I cannot explain my love. It is impossible to tell you how I feel. I only know I love you, and only you. I love you more than all the world, better than my own life; and darling, if you loved me, your heart would tell you so.”

“Well, I do love you then,” she said, “for I am sure I have been happier since I met you. I know I have never met any one so handsome as you ; my happiest hours are spent with you. When you are away from me I think of you all day and I dream of you at night. I do love you, but I had never thought of such a thing as your loving me. I did not think a man like you could ever love a poor working girl like me.”

“Essie,” he said, “how could you judge me so cruelly? Do you think you really love me, dear? Do you love me well enough to marry me, for the dearest wish of my life is to make you my wife.”

“If you are willing to take me with all my faults,” she said, “I will be your wife.”

“Thank God!” he said, as he clasped both her hands. “My own little one, I can hardly realize my great happiness. If I am willing to take you with all your faults ?” said he. “I could never find a more perfect, a sweeter, dearer girl if I were to search the wide world over. Do you know, my darling, I was comparing you with those girls whom I met at the ball, and I just thought of the great difference between my little Essie and them. You were not mine then, but you are now, thanks to your tender little heart. Essie dear, how can you really love me?”