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Page 15
"There was but one such name for him
So soft, so kind, so eloquent."
The letter was from a lady acquaintance of Ella's, written in a fine
Italian hand, not very intelligible, and crossed and re-crossed in a
most elaborate manner.
"Commend me to a lady's epistle," he said, in a tone more nearly
approaching to bitterness than his sister had ever heard from him
before. And, indeed, trying to the patience at any time, its perusal,
just now, seemed a hopeless task; but at length, at the foot of the
closing page, the writer having largely expatiated on the loss she had
sustained in the departure of her dear friend Ella, and how eagerly she
had looked forward to her return, and having exhausted all other items
of information which "she hoped," she added, "might not prove
uninteresting to her friend and Mr. Bernard," very coolly wound up by
remarking, "By the bye, I suppose you have not heard of Miss Wiltshire's
unhappy fate. I think it was a week or two after you left B----, that
she embarked in one of the steamers, ostensibly on a visit to a relative
who resided in H----, to act as bridesmaid for his daughter, but with an
intimation from her uncle, so I understand, that unless she relinquished
her fanatic notions, she must no longer expect a home beneath his roof.
The vessel in which she embarked sailed at the appointed time, but never
reached its destination. It took fire the night after leaving the
harbor, and all efforts to quench the flames were unavailing. The
passengers, of whom there were a large number on board, attempted to
escape in boats; some were fortunate enough to succeed, but the ladies,
among whom was Miss Wiltshire, without exception, found a watery grave.
It appears that the females had been first placed in one of the boats
manned by two or three sailors, and then another boat received the male
passengers and crew. They had hoped to keep near each other, but were
separated by the dark and tempestuous night. The gentlemen were
fortunate enough to gain land, after a good deal of sailing, and from
thence, having endured much fatigue, at length arrived here in safety;
but of the missing ones no intelligence was gained, until yesterday,
when a boat, identified by the passengers, from the name printed on its
stern, was picked up by some vessel, and brought into our harbor. It had
drifted nearly as far as the coast of Newfoundland, and, strange to say,
a woman's bonnet was found floating near it, which being also conveyed
here, was immediately recognized by Mrs. Denham, as the very one Miss
Wiltshire wore on leaving home, thus proving, beyond the slightest
doubt, the terrible fate which befell her and her unfortunate
companions. Mr. and Mrs. Denham seem almost bereft of their
senses,--they refuse to be comforted,--and blame themselves as the sole
cause of their niece's death; but, for my part, and I am sure you will
agree with me, I think Miss Wiltshire's singular conduct was quite
sufficient to warrant the anger of her relatives, who had always treated
her with such indulgence; for it seems to me a great presumption, for a
young person to set up her own ideas, in opposition to those who
certainly are far more capable of judging of what is right and wrong.
"Poor thing, she has gone now, so it would not be right to speak too
harshly; but I cannot help telling you, that she was never a favorite of
mine, for I do dislike that pretending to be so much better than others,
and she had such a soft, winning way with her, that I believe some
almost thought her an angel, but she couldn't thus have imposed on me."
Arthur read no further. He forgot his sister's presence; forgot that the
epistle belonged to her, and with an impulse of indignation he could not
control, he tore it in pieces, scattering its contents to the winds;
while with open, wondering eyes, the tears suddenly checked, Ella looked
on without speaking, almost ready to conclude that her brother had taken
leave of his senses. He turned from the open casement, and as he met her
inquiring and troubled gaze, instantly became himself again.
"Forgive me, dear sister," he said, in a tone of mingled anger and
grief, "that I have destroyed that =precious= manuscript," laying an
emphasis on the word precious; "but oh, Ella, Ella, is it possible that
such fearful intelligence can be true? It almost seems," he added, in a
tone of anguish and despair, "that heaven could not permit one so
young, so lovely, to perish in such a heart-rending manner,"--he stopped
abruptly,--and Ella was spared replying by a gentle tap at the door.
"Come in," she said in a low, faint voice, and, in compliance with the
invitation, an elderly American lady, who was on a visit to some friends
that resided opposite, and with whom Ella had become quite intimate
during her sojourn in the place, entered the apartment.
"I have been wanting so much to see you, my dear child," she said,
affectionately, "and have been looking for you all the morning, and
finding you did not make your appearance, concluded to come in search of
you. But what is the matter," said she, pausing, and glancing first at
Ella, and then at her brother, "I trust you have not heard any bad
news?"
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