The Soldier's Wife — page 25: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

14 CHAPTER IV. VATHER AND DAUGHTER, Peter Davis, the father of the beautiful Lucey, was a man of about fifty-five years of agye—of middle stature, not stout, but very stronyly builf-—and possessed of great physical strenyth. He had coarse features, and a pair of exceedingly large ears, which even if his counte- nance had been the handsomest in the world, would have been a frightful disfigurement to his head. His hair, once dark, was now of an iron gray: it vas quite straight, very thick, and was brushed upright above his forehead. He had dark whiskers, very shaggy eye-brows, and small eyes of a deep greenish color. There were many hard lines across his forehead and about his mouth, which to the skilful physiognomist denoted strong passions as well as a severe na- ture, and a resolute firmness of purpose in re- spect to whatever he undertook. His voice was harsh aid disagreeable: his manner was usually cold, reserved, and conveyiyg the impression of a stern, implacable disposition. {t has already been said that he was a widower: but we may here observe that only four or fi ears had elapsed since his first wife died, and chus Lucey had enjoyed the benefit of a mothers care during that period of infancy and girlhood when such tender supervision was so essentially necessary. And tender that su- pervision had been in this instance: for Mrs. Davis was a most amiable, excellent, and kind- hearted woman, beloved by all who knew her. She had belonged toa family which, after seeing prosperous times, had become reduced in cir- eumstances ; and thus she had received a good education. ‘The poverty to which her relatives were brought down, had compelled her to ac- cept the citer of Peter Davis, who was already a well-to-do person; and though the heart’s af- fection had nothing to do with this marriage, yet the young woman accepted her destiny with re- signation, if not with cheerfulness, and made a most exemplary wife. Lucy received all her education from this excellent mother; and hence the superiority of our heroine’s acquirements, Manners, aud tastes over the generality of the rustic maidens of the district. Peter Davis had not made either a_ bad. hus- band, nor as yet a bad father. He was utterly icapable of any feeling so noble as a warm af- fection: but at the same time he was not a man who show. 1 the natural severity of his disposi- tion or the harshness of his temper without a eause. He was not malignant unless provoked, and would not actually travel out of his way to exemplify his tyrannical character, Forbear- aiice with such a man Is a sort of negative vir. tue; and thus his home was not rendered un- happy through himself. His wife, having well understood his laracter, had yielded to him in all things; so that there had been little to trouble their domestic peace. Luey was like- wise of an amiable disposition, and sincerely loving her father, did her best to make his home happy. In all things had she proved docile, dutiful, and obedient—save and except in that THE sOLDIER'S WIFE, one instance, where the most submuasige | tractable of children will at times rebel aga the known wishes or expressed mandates their parents. i This instance has ere now become apparens to the reader. For a long time past the lovers had snatched moments of an evening to meet In secret; and so prudent and cautious had beep their proceedings, that though it was occasional ly whispered in the village that an attachment did subsist between them, and that they were now and then seen together, yet the frequen of their interviews had remained unsuspecte especially by Peter Davis himself. Now, hows ever, the whole truth was known to him: he had not merely encountered them in the silent shades of the wood, but had beheld them clasp- ed in each other’s arms; and therefore he wag instantaneously enabled to account for the fre quent rambles which Lucy had been accustom ed to take alone. When he conducted her away from the spot where the scene with Frederick Lonsdale had taken place, he maintained a stern silence for at least ten minutes, During this interval the ex- tremity of the wood farthest from the village was reached ; and the father and daughter pro- ceeded to thread a path which lay through the fields to the neat little dwelling which midway between Oakleigh and the Manor House, oe- cupied a sweetly pituresque position. It stood in the midst of a little garden, where the flow: ers exhibited the tasteful care bestowed upon them by Lucy herself; while the internal ar- rangements of the cottage denoted an equally sedulous female supervision. “And so, Luey,” said her father, at length breaking silence, as emerging from the wood they proceeded through the fields, “you have held clandestine meetings with this Frederick Lonsdale, and have given him evidently the utmost encouragement that a young lady can possibly give under such circumstances? Doubt- less the usual lovers’ vows have passed between you?” “Father,” replied Lucy with a firmness of voice that was inspired by the candor of her nature and the artless purity of her thoughts, “not for a moment longer will I seek to disguise from you the truth, that I do love Frederick Lonsdale—love him with all my heart and with all my soul, and can never love another! It Is true also that I have pledged my faith to him.” | “Ah, I feared as much!” observed Davis; and he bit his lip to keep down a sudden out: burst of rage: but immediately on perceiving that in order to carry out his own designs, he must proceed insidiously and crafuly, not violent- ly and passionately, he said, “ Lucy, have I deserved this of you? Wherefore such deceitful conduct? wherefore such hypocrisy? Am I not your father ¢ and have I not done a father's duty towards you ?” - “Yes—and heaven knows that I have entlels vored to prove an obedient daughter,” muck mured the poor girl, the tears now trickling “But it is impose to down her cheeks, control the feelings of the heart. being, dear father, has this power |” >: ¥ Gomilcboo o humaa— ‘4 $