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175 pages

English

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pubOne.info thank you for your continued support and wish to present you this new edition. THE BERNERS OF THE BURNING HEARTS. Their love was like the lava flood That burns in Etna's breast of flame

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Publié par	Pub One Info
Date de parution	23 octobre 2010
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9782819913252
Langue	English

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CHAPTER I.
THE BERNERS OF THE BURNING HEARTS. "Their love waslike the lava flood That burns in Etna's breast of flame."
Near the end of a dark autumn-day, not many yearsago, a young couple, returning from their bridal tour arrived bysteamer at the old city of Norfolk; and, taking a hack, drovedirectly to the best inn.
They were attended by the gentleman's valet and thelady's maid, and encumbered besides with a great amount of baggage,so that altogether their appearance was so promising that thelandlord of the "Anchor" came forward in person to receive them andbow them into the best parlor.
The gentleman registered himself and his party asMr. and Mrs. Lyon Berners, of Black Hall, Virginia, and twoservants. "We shall need a private parlor and chamber communicatingfor our own use, and a couple of bedrooms for our servants," saidMr. Berners, as he handed his hat and cane to the bowing waiter."They shall be prepared immediately," answered the polite landlord."We shall remain here only for the night, and go on in the morning,and should like to have two inside and two outside places securedin the Staunton stage-coach for to-morrow." "I will send and takethem at once, sir." "Thanks. We should also like tea got ready assoon as possible in our private parlor." "Certainly, sir. Whatwould you like for tea?" "Oh, anything you please, so that it isnice and neatly served," said Mr. Berners, with a slightlyimpatient wave of his hand as if he would have been rid of hisobsequious host. "Ah-ha! anything I please! It is easy to see whatails him. He lives upon love just now; but he'll care more abouthis bill of fare a few weeks hence," chuckled the landlord, as heleft the public parlor to execute his guest's orders.
The bridegroom was no sooner left alone with hisbride than he seated her in the easiest arm-chair, and began withaffectionate zeal to untie her bonnet-strings and unclasp hermantle. "You make my maid a useless appendage, dear Lyon," said thelittle lady, smiling up in his eyes. "Because I like to doeverything for you myself, sweet Sybil; because I am jealous ofevery hand that touches your dear person, except my own," hemurmured tenderly as he removed her bonnet, and with all hisworshipping soul glowing through his eyes, gazed upon her beautifuland beaming face. "You love me so much, dear Lyon! You love me somuch! Yet not too much either! for oh! if you should ever cease tolove me, or even if you were ever to love me less , – I – Idare not think what I should do!" she muttered in a long, deep,shuddering tone. "Sweet Sybil," he breathed, drawing her to hisbosom and pressing warm kisses on her crimson lips – "sweetestSybil, it is not possible for the human heart to love more than I do, but I can never love you less!" "I do believe you,dearest Lyon! With all my heart I do! – Yet – yet – " "Yet what,sweet love?"
She lifted her face from his bosom and gazingintently in his eyes, said: "Yet, Lyon, if you knew the prayer thatI never fail to put up, day and night! What do you think it is for,dear Lyon?" "I know; it is for Heaven's blessing to rest upon ourwedded lives." "Yes, my prayer is for that always, of course! butthat is not what I mean now! That is not the stronger, strongerprayer which I offer up from the deeps of my spirit in almost anagony of supplication!" "And what is that prayer, so awful in itsearnestness, dear love?" "Oh, Lyon! it is that you may neverlove me less than now, or if you should, that I may never live toknow it ," she breathed with an intensity of suppressed emotionthat drew all the glowing color from her crimson cheeks and lipsand left them pale as marble. "Why, you beautiful mad creature! Youare a true daughter of your house! A Berners of the burning heart!A Berners of the boiling blood! A Berners of whom it has been said,that it is almost as fatal to be loved, as to be hated, by one ofthem! Dear Sybil! never doubt my love; never be jealous of me, ifyou would not destroy us both," he earnestly implored. "I do notdoubt you, dearest Lyon; I am not jealous of you! What cause,indeed, have I to be so? But – but – – " "But what, my darling?" "– Ever since I have been in this house, a darkness and coldness andweight has fallen upon my spirits, that I cannot shake off – aburden, as of some impending calamity! And as there is no calamitythat can possibly affect me so much as the lessening of your love,I naturally think most of that," she answered, with a heavy sigh."Dear love! this depression is only reaction! fatigue! the effectof this damp, dull, dreary room! We will change all this!" saidLyon Berners, cheerfully, as he pulled the bell-cord and rang apeal that presently brought the waiter to his presence. "Are ourrooms ready?" shortly demanded Mr. Berners. "Just this momentready, sir," answered the man, with a bow. "Gather up thesearticles, then, and show us to our rooms," said Mr. Berners,pointing to a collection of outer garments and travelling bags thatoccupied a centre-table.
With another bow the man loaded himself with thepersonal effects of the guests and led the way up-stairs.
Mr. Berners, drawing his wife's arm through his own,followed the waiter to a cheerful little private parlor, where thebright red carpet on the floor, the bright red curtains at thewindows, the bright red covers of the chairs and sofas, the glowingcoal fire in the grate, and above all the neatly spread tea table,with its snowy damask table-cloth, and its service of pure Frenchchina, invited the hungry and weary travellers to refreshment andrepose.
Through a pair of partly drawn sliding doors a vistawas opened to a clean and quiet chamber, furnished to match theparlor, with the same bright-red carpet, window curtains, and chaircovers, but also with a white-draperied tent-bedstead, withbed-pillows and coverings white and soft as swan's down. In theglow of the coal fire in the inner room sat and waited a prettymulatto girl, Delia, or Dilly, the dressing maid of Mrs.Berners.
On seeing her mistress enter the parlor, Dillyquickly arose and met her, and handed a chair and relieved thewaiter of his burden of portable personal property, which shehastened to carry into the chamber to put away. "Bring in the teaimmediately and send my own man Hannibal here to attend us," saidthe guest to the waiter, who promptly left the room to execute theorders. "Come, my darling! Take this easy-chair in the corner andmake yourself comfortable! Here is a scene to inspire the saddestheart with cheerfulness," said the bridegroom cordially, as he drewforward the easy arm-chair and led his bride to it.
She sank into the soft seat and smiled hersatisfaction.
In a few moments the waiters of the inn entered andarranged a delicious little repast upon the table and thenwithdrew, leaving Hannibal, the faithful servant of the bridegroom,to attend his master and mistress at their tea.
The young pair sat down to the table. And in thatquiet and cheerful scene of enjoyment, the young bride recoveredher spirits. The transient shadow that had for a moment darkenedthe splendor of her joy, even as a passing cloud for an instantobscures the glory of the sun, had vanished, leaving her all smilesand gayety.
To say that these wedded lovers were very happy,would scarcely express the delirium of pure joy in which they haddreamed away their days and nights for the last few weeks – joythat both were too young and untried to know could not last forever, could not indeed even last long – joy so elevated in itsinsanity as almost to tempt some thunderbolt of malignant fate tofall upon it with destroying force, even as the highly rarefied airsometimes draws on the whirlwind and the storm.
But then the story of their loves was rare andstrange, and almost justified the intensity of their mutualdevotion, and that story is briefly this:
CHAPTER II.
JOHN LYON HOWE. "A brow half martial and halfdiplomatic, An eye upsoaring like an eagle's wing."
John Lyon Howe was the younger son of a planter,residing in one of the wildest mountain regions in centralVirginia. The elder Howe was blessed with a large family, andcursed with a heavily mortgaged estate – a combination ofcircumstances not unusual among the warm-hearted, generous andextravagant people of the Old Dominion.
John Lyon Howe had been educated in the Law Schoolof the University of Virginia, where, at the age of twenty-three,he graduated with the highest honors.
Then, instead of commencing his professional life inone of the great Eastern cities, or striking out for the broadfields of enterprise opened in the Far West, young Howe, to theastonishment of all who were acquainted with the talents andambition of the new lawyer, returned to his native county andopened his law office in Blackville, a small hamlet lying at thefoot of the Black Valley, and enjoying the honor and profit ofbeing the county-seat.
But the young lawyer had strong motives for hisactions. He had great talent, an intense passion for politics, andquite as much State pride as personal ambition. He wished todistinguish himself; yes, but not in Massachusetts or Minnesota,nor in any other place except in his native State, his dear oldVirginia.
Sometime to represent her in the National Congress,and to do her service and credit there, was the highest goal of hisyouthful aspirations.
For this cause, he settled in the obscure hamlet ofBlackville, and opened his law office in one of the basement roomsof the county court-house.
While the courts were in session he attended themregularly, and did a good deal of business in the way of gratuitouscounselling and pleading; advocating and defending with greatability and success the cause of the poor and oppressed, andwinning much honor and praise, but very little money, not enough,indeed, to pay his office rent, or renew his napless hat andthread-bare coat.
Besides his unprofitable professional labors, heengaged in equally unprofitable political contests.
He took the liberal view of State c