Show Ie if OA i t f CONDENSED i CLASSICS I 0 0 eT 60 y A A EAST LYNNE o. o 1 0 I ro s td t A y 1 A ABy By MRS HENRY WOOD t i it t X y ys s Condensation by s s Mrs Mr Ruth H. H Frost Worcester j x Mass s s1 1 o N NN N N Ellen n Price was vrna all s a born at Worcester F t E England Jam Jun 1 17 t 1814 1514 the daughter i of a glove manu manu- c f In lu 1830 she nhe married Henry Wood Rood head bend of n a g large shipping b. b banking Ii kin g firm A y I n h o 0 s II e business kept them for tor fora a t some ome 20 years Tears Iny In y France Fronce Her hUll T band Land died In fn 1860 1660 but she lived ll till v iJ Feb 10 1881 1687 1 liar Her literary ca career en co- reer be began nn with witha J a n prize prise teme temperance temperance tem tem- e p perance erance tale She began making contribution contributions t to o Dentley's Miscellany and In 1807 1801 after her bel bu husbands husband's bond death she he he became editor nod proprietor of The Argosy ArgosT In which appeared her later D novels novel v lice Her first great success vrn was na East Bast Lynne In 1801 1861 the book by bT which he he IM Is known knon today The vogue ogue of the tory torT was enormous It was WOD translated Into sev ev several eral emal language and Dad theatregoer theatregoers of an nn old olde- olde 4 generation In Doth Both England and America knew various very verT successful suc- suc versions of It U. She wrote some forty fortT long novel novels and many monT short abort tales tale some oine of which ranked a as 1111 best beat bestsellers sellers long before the Invention of that phrase lice Her pon powers r. r rang ranged d from extreme melodrama to the portrayal of every day life She was wall perhaps unduly d In her ber day and In Is unduly appreciated now DOW but bot that Is the way Tray with nUb best The Shadow of at was wall her ber own onu favorite J her Johnny Ludlow tales are perhaps her most artistic work East Ent Lynne Lynae however Is III the book her name Dome sug sug- suggests gest to reader readers EFT a n penniless orphan when a L LEFT timid and sensitive girl of eighteen eight eight- een the beautiful Lady Isabel Isabel- Vane found herself at the mercies of an an unsympathetic relative In Ia her Innocence Innocence innocence In In- she admired a certain frequent visitor at this home home Captain Captain Francis Levison an unprincipled spendthrift Beyond heartlessly leading her on to care for him he made no honorable mention of ot marriage Small wonder was It then that sh she accepted Archibald Archibald Archibald Archi Archi- bald Carlyle when t that at worthy and straightforward country lawyer the purchaser of her fathers father's estate at East Lynne took courage because of her distress over her unpleasant surroundings surroundings surroundings sur sur- to ask her In marriage e. I III ought to tell teU you you you-I I must must she confessed to him In hysterical tears Though I have said yes I do not not not- yet yet this this has come upon me so by surprise surprise surprise sur sur- prise she stammered I III like you very much I esteem and respect you i but butI I do not yet love you I should w wonder Dd r If you did Alc Meld Archi Archibald l- l bald replied But you will let m me me mearn earn earn your love Isabel Oh she answered yes earnestly I hope so Passively she she M let him have his first kiss My My dearest he said it is all allI I ask Six years passed Life at East Lynne was not all that one ono might wish for To be sure Lady Isabel had a most devoted devoted devoted de de- voted husband and three lovely chil chil- dren But her happiness was marred by two thorns of which her husband was quite unaware Carlyle the domineering and narrow-minded narrow sister half-sister of Arc Archibald had steeled h her hr r heart eart against Isabel from the tc beginning beginning be be- ginning g and made life at East Lynne quite miserable for the poor little InexperIenced inexperienced inexperienced inex Inex- bride The second disturbance disturbance disturbance disturb disturb- ance was the suspicion that her husband hits hits- band loved and was now renewing his love lo for Barbara Hare the daughter of the neighborhood Justice Incited by bythe bythe bythe the Idle gossip of servants this suspicion don cion grew Into Jealousy I It was truo true that Archibald seemed to have many meetings with the pretty Barbara but Barbara but how was poor Lady Isabel Isabel Isa Isa- bel to know that In reality these meetIngs meetIngs meet- meet Ings lags concerned only private business q oj Ct a n professional nature Barbara Hare hail had is a brother Richard who years before l had ad be been l accused used of f m murder Her Ber mother was an Invalid and her stubborn unforgiving father would hear naught of the son who had disgraced disgraced disgraced dis dis- dis- dis graced him Barbaras Barbara's secret meetings meetIngs meetIngs meet- meet Ings with her exiled brother had convinced convinced con con- vinced her of his Innocence Her one recourse when Implored by Richard to seek seck h help lp In finding the he real criminal was to confide In their old family friend Archibald Carlyle Always delicate In health and worried worried worried wor wor- ried sick over her Imagined troubles Lady Isabel was finally persuaded d by her physician to go to the French coast for a change of ot air and scenery The autocratic Cor Cornella Cornelia ella forbade h her r being accompanied by the children Lady Isabel was looking forward to a lonely fortnight before her husband was to Join her when she chanced to meet Francis Levison exiled to the continent because of his debts In Eng Eng- land Bewildered when she began to rea realize ze that she still had that Indefinable indefinable able Involuntary feeling toward him she was yet completely fascinated as asIn asIn asIn In the old days before her marriage She wf would uld have given all she possessed to overcome this attraction Courage failed her to confide all In her husband Full of sophistries as before the unscrupulous unscrupulous un un- i scrupulous Captain Levison compelled compeller tier her to listen to him Tho The past Is I cone be said but If It ever two people I were formed to love lovo other y you yon u I und and 1 were Isabel L I would have declared de de- Glared had I d dared but my uncertain position my position my debts well debts well i j never knew how passionately L t loved you until you became the wife of an- an I other Isabel I love you OU passionately still I Lad Lady Isabel felt It her duty to repel lepel his advances nd but there still remained I that undercurrent of feeling for tor linn lieu that she could not comprehend Fearful Fearful Fear Fear- ful lest she betray herself she dismissed dig des I missed him abruptly sent for r her husband hus band to take her home and made ii i 11 pitiful attempt to drive all thoughts ot o Francis L from her mind It was well nigh Impossible He plans to forget him were completely frustrated when her generous husband Innocently enough merely thinking to repay Captain for his kind at at- to Lady Isabel on th the French coast Invited that profligate o to o East EastLynne EastLynne Lynne Lyhne as a n place of shelter where ho hI might be safe from his creditors until something could be arranged Like n it serpent Levison boldly took every occasion to whisper Into Lady Isabel's Isabel s 's ears all the meetings that he spied between her ber husband and Barbara Bar bara barn Hare Under a misapprehension that her ber husband was gl giving his loveto loveto love lovo lovoto to Barbara and frantic with the Jealous jealous Jeal jeal- ous t belief bellef ellef that the two were wens uniting to deceive her ber Lady Isabel finally I yielded to Levison's pleadings and eloped with him No sooner had she taken the fatal step than she was filled with remorse Almost Immediately she discovered the true character of this Insincere rake for whom she had given up her all In Ina a year he deserted her leaving her unborn unborn un un- born child nameless Too proud to accept help from relatives rela tives she decided to become a n gov gover gover- r- r ness When she chanced to he heir tr of ot the opportunity to return to East EastLynne EastLynne Lynne as the governess to her own children she could not withstand the temptation so great was her lODging longing to see them again It was a desperate chance to take for she might be recognized recognized recognized rec rec- though Illness and the railroad railroad rail rail- road accident which had killed her child had altered her entirely Her disguise was complete as heartsick she rode again along the familiar road toward East Lynne When the dear dearold dearold dearold old house loomed up before her Its gay and cheerily lighted windows a n contrast to her own downcast spirits she began to wish she had never undertaken undertaken undertaken under under- taken the project But for the sake of ot seeing her own children again she would have turned back Her fears of ot being recognized were allayed when she saw that no one suspected for a moment that the gray saddened and disfigured Madame VI Vine 11 e was Lady Isabel East Lynne had a new mistress now none none other than her fancied rival of f old Barbara Hare Not until she realized real for the first time that Archibald's love could not longer be hers did Isabel Isatel Isa Isa- tel bel feel an Intensity of love f for r him that she had never experienced as his wife And yet she became almost happy again In winning the affection of ot other her children though her Joy In being with them was tempered with sorrow In caring for delicate little William her second born knowing as she did flint fiat be he could not long be b with them Events moved along fast There came the time when Francis Levison returning to West Lynne to seek election elec tion to parliament only to be defeated by Carlyle was convicted of the crime which had overshadowed Richard Hare for so many y years ars At East EastLynne EastLynne ast Lynne after the death of ot little William William WitHam Wil- Wil liam Ham a sudden illness came upon Lady Isabel When she realized that she was failing rapidly she begged upon her deathbed to be allowed to s see e Archibald Archibald Ar Ar- Carlyle I could not die without your lu forgiveness fur for she murmured Do not turn from me met mel I Bear with me one little minute I Only say you forgive me an anI and andI I shall die In p peace ace Isabel I Are you you were were you you Mall Mall- ame Vine Oh forgive me for disgracing your home l And forgive me for or coming back I J I could not stay away from you and my children 1 I The longing for I you was killing kUling me I never knew a n moments moment's peace after atter the mad act I Iwas Iwas Iwas was guilty of ot In quitting you Not an hour had I departed when my repentance repentance repent repent- ance set In Oh forgive me mel J My sin was great but my punishment ment was greater Why did you go got Did you not know w I grew suspicious dons cious of ot you I thought you were deceitful deceitful de de- and In my sore Jealousy I listened listened lis us' to the tempting of ot hint him whispered whispered whispered whis whis- to me of ot revenge It was Ws W was s not true was It she feverishly asked Can you suggest such a thing knowIng know know- knowIng Ing lug me as you did then as you must have since Isabel I never was false to you In thought word or deed Yes Yes I forgive you fully freely May God bless you and take you to his rest In heaven I She raised her head from the tIle pillow and clung to his arm lifting her faco face with Its sad yearning Tenderly ho he laid her down a again ln and suffered ered his lips Ups to rest on hers Until eternity he whispered Copyright 1919 by the Post Poet Publishing Co Tho 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