Cruel As The Grave

"But why, I repeat, should you call this glorious vale the 'Black

Valley'?" inquired Rosa, as they all gathered around the board.

"It was black enough last night, was it not?" asked Mr. Berners, with a

smile.

"Oh, it was black everywhere last night; but no blacker here than

elsewhere, so I don't see the justice of calling this the Black Valley.

I should call it rather the 'Valley of the Sun.'"

"Would not the 'Valley of the Pyrotechnics' do as well?" inquired Lyon

Berners, with dry humor.

"I think it would," replied Rosa, quite seriously, "for certainly this

morning, with this glorious sunshine and these glowing, sparkling woods

and waters, the place is a perfect spectacle of fire-works!"

"You view the scenery at its best and brightest. It is never so

beautiful and brilliant as on a clear sunny autumn noon-day. At all

other seasons, and at all other hours, it is gloomy enough. In a very

few hours from this, when the sun gets behind the mountain, it will be

quite black enough to justify its name," said Mr. Berners very gravely.

The conversation had been carried on between Mr Berners and Mrs.

Blondelle exclusively. Sybil had not volunteered a word; and it happened

also that neither of her companions had addressed a word to her. She

felt as if she were dropped out of their talk, and though bodily

present, dropped out of their company as well. She felt that this was

very hard; and once more she experienced the wild and vain regret that

she had ever invited this too-alluring stranger to become an inmate of

her house.

Before now, when they had been together, Lyon Berners had been

accustomed to think of, smile on, talk to, only her, his wife! Now his

thoughts, smiles, conversation were all divided with another!--Oh no! Oh

no! not divided, but almost entirely absorbed by that other! At least

so suspected the jealous wife.

"Is it possible, oh! is it possible that he loves me less than formerly?

that he loves me not at all? that he loves this stranger?" thought

Sybil, as she watched her husband and her friend, entirely taken up with

each other, and entirely oblivious of her! And at this thought a

sensation of sickness and faintness came over her, and she saved herself

from falling, only by a great effort of self-command. They, talking to

each other, smiling at each other, enjoying each other's exclusive

attention, did not observe her emotion, although almost any casual

spectator must have seen it in the deadly pallor of her face.

In all this there was little to arouse her jealousy; and perhaps there

was nothing at all. Her heart pang may have come of a false fear, or a

true one; who could then tell?