Elsie on the Hudson Part 30

"And, oh, what a debt of grat.i.tude I owe you!" she exclaimed. "I can never repay it."

"Dearest, I would give my life for yours at any time," he responded.

The words and the look that accompanied them were a revelation to Lucilla. The look of a moment before had surprised her, and raised a question in her mind as to just what she was to him; but there was no mistaking this. He loved her; loved her well enough to die in her stead.

But the men were at hand with the cot, and under the captain's direction the wounded man was lifted carefully and tenderly, laid upon it, and carried to the house, the captain on his horse, and Lucilla on her pony, following closely.

In the meantime Violet and Christine had made ready a bed in the room occupied by Captain Raymond at the time of his injury from being thrown by Thunderer, and there they laid Chester, just as Drs. Arthur Conly and Harold Travilla arrived, having come with all possible haste at the summons sent by the captain.

Violet, Lucilla, and Grace, seated on the veranda, anxiously awaited the doctors' verdict.

It was Harold who brought it at length.

"The wound is a serious one," he said in reply to their looks of earnest inquiry; "but we have succeeded in removing the ball, and do not by any means despair of his life."

"Oh, I hope he will recover," sobbed Lucilla; "for if he does not, I shall always feel that he has given his life for mine."

"But it was through no fault of yours, Lu; you were not in the least to blame," said Harold soothingly. "And you can pray for his recovery; we all will. But don't worry and fret; for that will only make you unhappy and perhaps ill, and do him no good."

"That is good advice, Harold," said her father, who had joined them just in time to hear it; "worrying about what may happen only unfits us for present duty, and makes us less able to meet the trouble when it comes."

"That scoundrel is dead?" Harold said half inquiringly.

"Yes; Chester's shot, fired simultaneously with his, was fatal. He dropped, and, I think, died almost instantly. Poor wretch! the world is well rid of him; but what has become of his soul?"

"Oh, I don't believe Chester meant to kill him outright!" exclaimed Lucilla; "I believe he was only thinking of saving my life."

"And to kill the wretch who was trying to kill you seemed to be the only way of doing that," said Harold. "But I must go," he added, rising. "We think we must have a professional nurse for Chester. I happen to know of one who has just finished an engagement, and I am going for her at once, if you do not object to having her in the house, Vi--you or the captain."

Both promptly replied that they would be glad to have her there, and Harold at once set out upon his errand.

For some days Chester lay half unconscious, and apparently hovering upon the brink of the grave, while those who loved him watched and waited in intense anxiety. Then a change came, and the doctors said he would recover. Lucilla heard it with a burst of weeping that seemed more like the expression of despair and sorrow than the relief and joy that really filled her heart.

It was her father who told her the glad news, and they were alone together in the library. He drew her into his arms and held her close.

"It is altogether glad news, dear child," he said; "Chester is a Christian and a young man of talent who will lead a useful life, I think, and it would have been a bitter sorrow to have had him fall a victim to that worthless, cowardly convict."

"And in my defence," she sobbed. "Oh, papa, it makes my heart ache to think how he has suffered because of risking his life in the effort to save mine."

"Yes; I am very grateful to him--so grateful that I feel I can refuse him nothing that he may ask of me--even though it should be the the hand of my dear eldest daughter."

She gave him a look of surprise, while her cheek grew hot with blushes.

"You know that he wants it--that he loves you. He made it very plain as we stood by him in the road soon after he fell."

"Yes, sir; and I have thought of it very often since. It surprised me very much, for I had never thought of him as a lover."

"And how is it now?" asked her father, as she paused; "do you care for him at all? can you give him any return of affection?"

"Papa," she said, hiding her blus.h.i.+ng face on his shoulder, and speaking in so low a tone that he scarcely caught the words, "I seem to have learned to love him since knowing of his love to me and that he had almost, if not quite, thrown away his own life to save mine.

But you are not willing that he should tell his love?--not willing to give me to him, however much he may desire it?"

"I am too grateful to him to refuse him anything he may ask for--even to the daughter who is so dear to me that I can scarcely bear the thought of resigning her to another."

"Oh, father, how could I ever endure to be parted from you!" she cried, clinging more closely to him.

"Dear child," he said, holding her close; "we will make it a condition that you shall not be taken away to any distance. And, in any event, you are still too young to leave your father; you must remain single and live with me for at least a year or two longer."

"Oh, I am glad to hear you say that!" she said. "Papa, has Chester said anything to you?" she asked.

"Yes; he has several times begged permission to tell you of his love and try to win yours. I have hitherto refused because of your youth, but shall now let him have his way."

"You are improving fast, and I hope will soon be able to be up and about again," the captain said to Chester, a few days later.

"Yes," said the young man, "I begin to feel as if I had taken a new lease of life and--ah, captain, if I could at last find such favor in your eyes that you would consent to----" His sentence was left unfinished.

"To letting you tell your tale of love?" Captain Raymond asked with a smile.

"Just that, sir. I cannot help fearing it may prove useless, but--anything is better than suspense; which I feel that I have hardly strength to endure any longer."

"Nor can I any longer ask that of you, since you have freely risked your life for hers," returned the captain with emotion. "Your nurse being out just now, this is a good opportunity, and I will bring my daughter to you and let you have it out," he concluded in a jesting tone, and left the room as he spoke.

Lucilla happened to be near at hand, and almost immediately her father had brought her to Chester's bedside. She knew nothing of the talk that had been going on, yet, remembering her conversation with her father a few days before, came to the bedside blus.h.i.+ng and slightly embarra.s.sed.

"I am very glad you are better, Chester," she said, laying her hand in his as he held it out to her. "What a hard, hard time you have had, and all because you risked your life to save mine."

"I'm not sorry I did, and would do it again without a moment's hesitation," he said. "Oh, Lu, if I could but tell you how dear you are to me! Can you not give me a little love in return?"

"Oh, Chester, how could I help it, when you have almost died for me?"

she asked, bursting into tears.

"Don't be distressed over that, dear one," he returned, pressing the hand he still held in his, then lifting it to his lips. "Will you be mine?" he asked imploringly.

"If papa consents, and you will never take me far away from him."

"He has consented, and I will never take you anywhere that you do not want to go. We will live here among our own dear ones as long as the Lord spares us to each other."

As he finished he drew her down to him, and their lips met.

"We belong to each other now," he said, "and I hope both of us will always rejoice that it is so."

"I hope you will, my dear children," said the captain. "And now, Chester, get well as fast as you can. I cannot give Lucilla up entirely to you for a year or more yet, but you can visit her here every day if you like."

So the young couple were engaged, and very happy in each other, Chester making rapid improvement in health from the hour when he was a.s.sured of the prosperity of his suit.

The betrothal was soon made known to all the connection, and seemed to give satisfaction to everyone. Sydney had gone South before Chester's encounter with the escaped convict, and she and Maud wrote their congratulations. Frank was pleased, and came oftener than before to Woodburn. Lucilla's bosom friend, Evelyn, approved of the match, and hoped Lu would be a happy wife, but thought she herself would prefer to live single. Grace was half-pleased, half-sorry because she did not seem quite so necessary to her sister's happiness as before.