The Senator's Favorite

CHAPTER XXXVII.

LOVE TRIUMPHANT

"My fair lady's a dear, dear lady;
I walked by her side to woo,
In a garden alley so sweet and shady;
She answered, 'I love not you;
Pray now, pray now, go your way now, do!'"

"Yet my fair lady's my own, own lady,
For I passed another day;
While making her moan she sat all alone,
Do now, do now, once more woo now, do!"

    —Jean Ingelow.

Earle Winans, acting on his mother's hints, had wasted no time in the prosecution of his love-affair and he did not lack a friend in Lord Chester.

Consequently a strategic movement had brought about a communication between the estranged lovers, and Earle's tender letter, avowing his renewed love for Ladybird, brought a repentant one from his darling that placed everything on a very desirable footing, except that it was impossible for them to meet. Mr. Stanley's ward was guarded as jealously as any prisoner, and but for a servant in the house, who was open to bribery, the letters of the young lovers would never have reached them.

However, in spite of the opposing fates, Earle and Arthur had planned a coup de main which, with Ladybird's consent, was successfully carried out.

Aura Stanley was still too much in love with Earle Winans to reject the dainty basket of roses that arrived one morning by messenger with a note asking leave to call that evening, and signed duly by Lord Chester and Earle.

"They think they will see Ladybird, but I will outwit them," she thought angrily, and replied by giving them permission to call.

Mrs. Stanley was charged not to let her weary little slave escape from her couch that evening.

"Make her read aloud to you, mamma, or bathe your forehead with camphor—anything, so that she does not get a moment downstairs," Aura said imperiously, before going down in her magnificent crimson silk gown, in which she hoped to capture Earle's admiration if not his heart.

And she thought she was succeeding when she saw how his eyes lingered on her, and noted his smiles when she adroitly referred to "last summer, when they had been such friends, before that little misunderstanding."

He smiled and he said yes, but in a noncommittal way that was rather puzzling. However, she thought they were really getting on nicely, and was proud of the sociability of her visitors, building high hopes for the future, when suddenly a startling peal on the door-bell was followed by the information that Mr. Winans was wanted at once on important business, by some person unknown.

With profuse apologies to Aura for the interruption to their call, the young gentlemen took their leave and went out to their waiting carriage, leaving Aura alone in the parlor, to dream rosy dreams of the future, evoked by the smiles of that arch-deceiver, Earle Winans.

But in the midst of her rosy vision a servant appeared at the door with the startling announcement:

"Miss Conway's compliments to you, miss, and she has gone away to marry Mr. Winans."

"What do you mean?" Aura wildly gasped; and the man, evidently in the secret, smiled broadly and replied:

"Just as I was letting the callers out at the door Miss Conway came flying down the stairs in her hat and jacket, and Mr. Winans took her hand and drew it in his arm. Then she laughed and gave me that message for you, and all three went away in the carriage together."

"Go! find my father! Bring him home instantly!" shrieked Aura, white with fury. Then she flew upstairs to her mother and blurted out the shocking news.

"Ladybird has gone away with Earle Winans to marry him—eloped!—and I told you not to let her out of your sight!" she raved, wringing her jeweled hands in angry despair.

Mrs. Stanley sat up in bed, the picture of dismay.

"Oh, Aura, I couldn't help it. All was going on well, and she was bathing my head—she had said she was too nervous to read—when suddenly that loud noise at the door made her drop the camphor bottle and spill every drop. She jumped up, and saying: 'Oh, excuse me, but I must see what that noise is about,' ran out, and that was the last I saw of the deceitful little jade!"

"Oh, if papa were only here, he could bring her back—couldn't he, mamma?"

"No, Aura, for of course they would be married in about ten minutes after they left here. You know Washington is the easiest place in the world to get married in! All the young runaway lovers come here to get married. Of course those deceitful wretches had everything planned for this escape. They must have exchanged letters somehow. You may depend on it, Aura, that Ladybird is Mrs. Winans by now. She has outwitted us, in spite of all our care!"

It was true, as Mrs. Stanley said, Ladybird was Earle's bride now, for every arrangement had been made for the marriage, and they drove straight to the rectory of their favorite minister and were made one, with his sympathetic family and smiling Lord Chester for witnesses. Ten minutes afterward the little bridal party walked into the Winans' drawing-room where the family were entertaining a few friends.

"Mamma, kiss your new daughter," Earle said gayly, as he led Ladybird to his mother.

"It was an elopement, and I was best man at the marriage," explained Lord Chester to the company in general.

No lovely, blushing bride ever received a more joyous welcome into her husband's family than did our charming Ladybird. They received her literally with open arms.

The story of the elopement having been gone over, the bride was carried off to exchange her dark silk and sealskin sacque for a soft white gown belonging to Precious. The maid brought pearls for her neck and white flowers for her corsage and hair.

"Now you look more like a bride," declared her delighted sister-in-law, "Mamma shall buy you a trousseau to-morrow, for of course those dreadful people will keep all your nice things for spite. But never mind, they're welcome to them, for Earle is rich in his own right, you know, darling."

"I shouldn't care if he was poor as a churchmouse, I love him so dearly!" cried the radiant little bride, and she laughed gayly out of her happy heart at Aura's terrible discomfiture, and fancied how she must be scolding her sick mother for letting the captive escape.

"Now let us go back to the company," said Precious, and they returned arm in arm, both so beautiful in their white robes that every eye turned on them in delight.

But they were scarcely seated before Lord Chester looked around and said gravely:

"I have another surprise for you all."

And as they listened to him in amazement he continued:

"I received a cablegram from my father to-day, and he announces that the claimant has gained the suit, while he and I have lost wealth and title, and remain only loyal British subjects."

Murmurs of surprise and sympathy arose all around him, but he looked only at Ethel's pale, startled face and in a moment he said to her lightly but with underlying earnestness:

"You have only three days left, Ethel, in which to decide whether it was the man or the title you wished to marry."

She only smiled in reply.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

THE SHIP THAT NEVER RETURNED

"If he had known that when her hand lay still,
Pulseless, so near his own,
It was because pain's bitter, bitter chill
Changed her to very stone.

"If he had known that she had borne so much
For sake of the sweet past,
That mere despair said, 'This cold look and tone
Must be the cruel last.'"