Tales and Novels, vol 10 | Page 5

vision flies, The dear illusions will not last, The era of enchantment's past: The wild romance of life is done, The real history begun!"
CHAPTER II.
Some time after this, Mr. Collingwood, rising from the breakfast-table, threw down the day's paper, saying there was nothing in it; Mrs. Collingwood glancing her eye over it exclaimed--
"Do you call this nothing? Helen, hear this!
"Marriage in high life--At the ambassador's chapel, Paris, on the 16th instant, General Clarendon to Lady Cecilia Davenant, only daughter of Earl and Countess Davenant."
"Married! absolutely married!" exclaimed Helen: "I knew it was to be, but so soon I did not expect. Ambassador's chapel--where did you say?--Paris? No, that must be a mistake, they are all at Florence--settled there, I thought their letters said."
Mrs. Collingwood pointed to the paragraph, and Helen saw it was certainly Paris--there could be no mistake. Here was a full account of the marriage, and a list of all "the fashionables who attended the fair bride to the hymeneal altar. Her father gave her away."
"Then certainly it is so," said Helen; and she came to the joyful conclusion that they must all be on their way home:--"Dear Lady Davenant coming to Cecilhurst again!"
Lady Cecilia, "the fair bride," had been Helen's most intimate friend; they had been when children much together, for the deanery was so close to Cecilhurst, that the shrubbery opened into the park. "But is it not rather extraordinary, my dear. Helen," said Mrs. Collingwood, "that you should see this account of your dear Lady Cecilia's marriage in the public papers only, without having heard of it from any of your friends themselves--not one letter, not one line from any of them?"
A cloud came over Helen's face, but it passed quickly, and she was sure they had written--something had delayed their letters. She was certain Lady Davenant or Lady Cecilia had written; or, if they had not, it was because they could not possibly, in such a hurry, such agitation as they must have been in. At all events, whether they had written or not, she was certain they could not mean anything unkind; she could not change her opinion of her friend for a letter more or less. "Indeed!" said Mrs. Collingwood, "how long is it since you have seen them?"
"About two years; just two years it is since I parted from them at Florence."
"And you have corresponded with Lady Cecilia constantly ever since?" asked Mrs. Collingwood.
"Not constantly."
"Not constantly--oh!" said Mrs. Collingwood, in a prolonged and somewhat sarcastic tone.
"Not constantly--so much the better," said her husband: "a constant correspondence is always a great burthen, and moreover, sometimes a great evil, between young ladies especially--I hate the sight of ladies' long cross-barred letters."
Helen said that Lady Cecilia's letters were never cross-barred, always short and far between.
"You seem wonderfully fond of Lady Cecilia," said Mrs. Collingwood.
"Not wonderfully," replied Helen, "but very fond, and no wonder, we were bred up together. And"--continued she, after a little pause, "and if Lady Cecilia had not been so generous as she is, she might have been--she must have been, jealous of the partiality, the fondness, which her mother always showed me."
"But was not Lady Davenant's heart large enough to hold two?" asked Mrs. Collingwood. "Was not she fond of her daughter?"
"Yes, as far as she knew her, but she did not know Lady Cecilia." "Not know her own daughter!" Mr. and Mrs. Collingwood both at once exclaimed, "How could that possibly be?"
"Very easily," Helen said, "because she saw so little of her."
"Was not Lady Cecilia educated at home?"
"Yes, but still Lady Cecilia, when a child, was all day long with her governess, and at Cecilhurst the governess's apartments were quite out of the way, in one of the wings at the end of a long corridor, with a separate staircase; she might as well have been in another house."
"Bad arrangement," said Mr. Collingwood, speaking to himself as he stood on the hearth. "Bad arrangement which separates mother and daughter."
"At that time," continued Helen, "there was always a great deal of company at Cecilhurst. Lord Davenant was one of the ministers then. I believe--I know he saw a great many political people, and Lady Davenant was forced to be always with them talking."
"Talking! yes, yes!" said Mr. Collingwood, "I understand it all--Lady Davenant is a great politician, and female politicians, with their heads full of the affairs of Europe, cannot have time to think of the affairs of their families."
"What is the matter, my dear Helen?" said Mrs. Collingwood, taking her hand. Helen had tears in her eyes and looked unhappy.
"I have done very wrong," said she; "I have said something that has given you a bad, a false opinion of one for whom I have the greatest admiration and love--of Lady Davenant. I am excessively sorry; I have done very