isabel and the children remained the greater part of the summer at d----, but emily returned home to join her mamma and sister, who had consented to join an expedition that had been got up among a few select friends. upon the last afternoon of their stay at d---- they went for a ramble into a pretty little copse wood, the children were looking for berries, and isabel sat upon a mossy bank reading.
"come isabel, let us at least be friends," said a voice close beside her.
surprised and startled, isabel beheld louis taschereau.
"let us be friends," he repeated taking a seat on the bank.
"impossible, dr. taschereau," said isabel rising, "had you broken off your engagement in a straightforward manner, it might have been different, as your feelings had undergone a change, i should have been quite content to release you, but to have corresponded with me up to the very day of your marriage, and allow me by a chance meeting at an evening party to become aware of the fact for the first time, together with the effrontery with which you behaved on that occasion, are insults which i should be wanting in self respect not to resent."
"my feelings have undergone no change, they cannot change, it is you alone that i have ever loved or shall love, my wife i never did, never can. oh pity me isabel for i am most miserably unhappy."
"from my heart i pity her who is so unfortunate as to have dr. taschereau for a husband," she replied, "i cannot pity you, for if anything could make your conduct more contemptible, it is the fact that you have just acknowledged, that you do not love the girl that you have made your wife, though having seen the way in which you treat those you profess to love it is no great loss, and your happiness must ever be a matter of indifference to me."
"oh cruel girl, i am not so heartless, what grieves me more than even my own misery is the thought of your suffering."
"then pray do not distress yourself on my account dr. taschereau, whatever i may have felt it is past, for when isabel leicester could no longer esteem, she must cease to love."
"i will not believe that you find it so easy to forget me, for that you did love me you dare not deny, it was no passing fancy, you must feel more than you are willing to own," he said angrily.
"i do not wish to deny it," returned isabel firmly, "but you out to have known me better than to think that i should continue to do so. after you were married it became my duty to forget that i had ever loved you, and to banish every thought of you. you have made your choice and now regrets are useless, even wrong, whatever she may be, she is your wife, and it is your duty and should be your pleasure to make her happy, and as you value happiness, never give her cause to doubt your love."
"as you say, regrets are useless, but that thought only adds to my torture, i can only compare my present wretchedness with the happy lot which might have been mine, but for my own folly," he said sadly, "but you must help me."
"how can i help you," exclaimed isabel.
"it is you alone who can, for you are the only person who ever had any influence over me, you must help to keep me right. will you not forgive me isabel, and let me be a friend--a brother."
"thank heaven i have no such brother," exclaimed isabel fervently, "for i should feel very much inclined to disown him if i had. friends we can never be dr. taschereau, as i told you before, whenever and wherever we meet, it must be as strangers."
"as you will," he said bitterly, "but since you will not have me for your friend, you shall have me for a foe."
"think not to intimidate me with idle threats," she answered haughtily, "you have no power to harm me, and i feel assured that as your love is worthless, so in the end your hatred will prove harmless."
"that is as it may be, but still i had much rather that we were friends."
"if an enemy, i defy you, my friend you can never be."
"as you will," he returned fiercely, "but remember if i go to the bad, with you will rest the blame," and then he disappeared through the wood.
"and what is his wife about during this conversation, writing to her cousin. let us take a peep at the letter.
dearest marie.--i am happy--very happy, how could i be otherwise with my noble louis, he is so kind, so thoughtful and considerate, he would not let me accompany him to-day, because i was so tired with the journey yesterday, so i take the opportunity thus afforded me to write to you. oh marie, how could you ever suppose that he married me for my money, how could you form so mean an opinion of my generous, noble, high minded louis, you wrong him marie, indeed you do. true, he is more reserved than is pleasant, but i presume that is because i am so childish as papa used to say. would you believe i had a jealous fit about a packet that he received from a lady, which he refused to open when i asked him. well he sat up very very late that night, and i took it into my stupid little head that his sitting up had something to do with the packet, and the thought so possessed me, that i got up and went softly into the library, and there he was in a brown study over some medical work. oh marie i felt so ashamed of my foolish fancies.
