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DORA THORNE. 118
to her which brought tears to Valentine's
eyes. .
“Yes,” she said, “I will follow her. 1
will ask her to kiss me over her daugh-
ter’s grave.” .
- Some one went with her to point out
the way, but Valentine entered the
churchyard alone, ,
Through the thick, green foliage she
saw the shining of the white marble
eross and the dark dress of Dora, who
knelt by the grave.
She went up to her. Her footsteps,
falling noiselessly on the soft grass, were
unheard by the weeping mother:
Valentine knelt by her side. Dora,
looking up, saw the calm face beaming] last.
down upon her, ineffable tenderness in
the clear eyes. She felt the clasp of Val-
entine’s arms and heard a sweet voice
whisper: .
“Dora, I have followed you here to ask
you to try to love me and to pardon’ me
for my share in your unhappy past. For
the love of your .dead, who loved me,
bury here all.difference and all dislike.”
She could not refuse. For the first
time Lord Earle’s wife laid her, head
upon that noble woman’s shoulder and
wept ajvay her sorrow, while Valentine
soothed her with loving words.
Over the grave of a child the two wo-
men were reconciled—all dislike, jealousy
and envy died away forever. Peace and
love took their place.
In the after-time there was something
remarkable in Dora’s reverential love for
Valentine, Lord Earle often said that in
his turn he was jealous of her. His wife
had-no higher ideal, no truer friend than
the Princess Borgezi.
The wedding day dawned at last, and
for a time all trace of sadness was hid-
den away. Lord Earle would have it so.
He said that that which should be the
happiest day of Lillian’s life must not. be
clouded. Such sad thoughts of the lost
Beatrice as came into the minds of those
who had loved her remained unspoken.
The summer sun never shone upon 4
more lovely bride, nor upon a fairer
scene than that wedding. The pretty
country church was decorated with flow-
ers and crowded with spectators.
Side by side at the altar stood Lady
Dora Earle and Valentine. People said
afterward they could not decide whom
they admired most — Lady Helena’s
stately magnificence, Dora’s sweet, sim-
ple elegance or the Princess Borgezi’s
statuesque Grecian beauty.
Lord Earle had prepared a surprise for
Dora. When the little wedding party
returned from: church the first to greet
them was Stephen Thorne, now a white-
headed old man, and his wife. The first
to show them all honor and respect were
was charmed with their homely simplic-
Y.
“For months after they returned to
Inutsford the old people talked of ‘‘the
lady with the beautiful face, who had
been so kind and gracious to them.”
Tord Airlie did not attend the wedding,
but he had urged Lionel to spend his
honeymoon at Lynnton Hall, and Lillian
had willingly. consented,
So they drove away when the wedding
breakfast was ;over,.a hundred wishes
for their happiness following them, lov-
ing words ringing after them. Relatives,
friends and servants had crowded round
them, and Lillian’s courage gave way at
She turned to Lionel, as though
praying him to shorten their time of
parting.
“TWeaven bless you, my darling!” whis-
pered Dora to her child. ‘‘And mind,
never—come what may—never be jealous
of your husband.”
“Good-by, Lionel,’? said Lord Earle,
clasping the true, honest hand in his;
“and if ever my little darling here tries
you, be patient with her.” .
The story of a lifetime was told in
these two behests.
CHAPTER XLV.
Ten years had passed since the wed-
ding bells chimed for the marriage of
Lillian Earle. New life had come to
Earlescourt. Children’s happy voices
made music there; the pattering of little
feet sounded in the large, stately rooms;
pretty, rosy faces made light and sun-
shine.
The years had passed as swiftly and
peacefully as a happy dream. One event
had happened which had saddened Lord
Earle for a few days—the death of the
pretty, coquettish Countess Rosali. She
had not forgotten him; there came to
him from her sorrowing husband a ring
which she had asked might be given to
him.
Gaspar Laurence was still abroad, and
there was apparently no likelihood of his
return. The Princess Borgezi, with her
husband and children, had paid several
visits to the Hall, Valentine had one
pretty little daughter, upon whom Lio-
nel’s son was supposed to look with af-
fection. She had other daughters—the
eldest, a tall, graceful girl, inherited her
father’s Italian face and dark, dreamy
eyes, Strange to say, she was not unlike
Beatrice. It may have been that cir-
cumstance which first directéd Lord
Airlie’s attention to her. He met her at
Earlescourt and paid her more attention
than he had paid to any one since he
had loved so unhappily years before.
No one was much surprised when he
married her. And Helena Borgezi made
Lord Earle and his mother, Valentine
t
a good wife. She knew his story and