by John Bowling
CHAPTER XLV.
SUNSHINE HAS ITS SHADOWS.
"Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
Byron.
We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from thesesomewhat interesting chronicles. Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lyingin the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.He closed life's fitful career, clasping tightly the hand of Ethel; andhis great wish anent his burial was conscientiously carried out by her.Saxon hands bore him by stealthy night-marches to a silent spot wherethe fierce North Sea waves break upon the lonely Fen-country shore. Theydug for him a grave overlooking a wind-sheltered bay, where ofttimes theViking rovers had anchored their vessels of war, and from thence burstlike an avalanche over the country, sweeping it bare of its cattle andits treasures. They dug deep his grave and laid his trusty sword beneathhis head; and Ethel was there--a sincere mourner at his burial. Thenthey heaped the mound high, as Vikings were wont to bury their chiefs,and as Sigurd wished it. Now, silently he awaits the great awakening,and not without hope; for, according to his light, he had a great ideal,and with rare courage, unselfishness, and devotion he struggled toaccomplish what was beyond him, and that which the march of the ages haddecreed should come to an end, but which should never be forgotten solong as men long to know what races were the important factors in thehistory-making peoples of the world.
It is scarcely necessary to say that Oswald's being received into favourby the king, had a most beneficial effect upon the Saxon portion of thepopulation; and it did much to mitigate the rigours of that raceascendency which the Normans strove to maintain. Our part of the countrybegan gradually to assume the wonted appearance of cultivation it hadworn prior to the troublous times of the Conquest. The lazy andoverbearing manners of the conquerors received a salutary check, andNorman men-at-arms gradually settled down to peaceful occupations.Wulfhere, the stalwart freeman, resumed possession of his ancientpatrimony, and in company of his charming little wife, Jeannette, wasmore than content. Soon there began to play about his doors stout-limbedyoungsters, who, for enterprise and daring, bid fair to contributevigorously to the perpetuation of the stalwart race of _freemen_, whichhad been such an important factor in English history for manygenerations prior to the Norman Conquest.
The only other incident we need mention happened many years after theevents recorded in these pages.
One bright autumnal day, several of the children of Oswald were at playin the woods near the castle, alternating their play by gathering thewalnuts and chestnuts which had fallen from the trees, or pelting thesquirrels as they leaped from tree to tree overhead, happy as onlychildren can be, when surrounded by bounteous and beautiful nature.Suddenly there emerged from the thicket a woman, in the habiliments wornby those who had renounced the world and devoted their lives to theservice of the church. The children were somewhat startled at the adventof this strange figure; but her sweet face and winning smile completelyreassured them. She went up to the eldest boy and asked him his name."Oswald" was the reply. Then she took from her neck a beautiful crucifixof gold, chastely and tastefully engraved, and to which was attached agold chain. This chain she put around his neck, depositing the crucifixin his bosom. Then she removed his cap from his head, displaying aprofusion of curly locks, saying as she did so, "God bless thee, myson!" Next she turned to the other children, inquiring their names, andkissing and blessing them also. This done, she turned from them, andstood gazing upon the castle in the distance for a minute or two; then,as abruptly as she came, she disappeared in the wood, and was seen nomore. The children hastened home to show to their parents the beautifulcrucifix the stranger woman had given them, and to relate the strangeincident. Oswald pondered over the matter a long time, but with thestrange obtuseness which had marked the whole of his intercourse withthe beautiful Saxon, Ethel, he was utterly unable to identify thestrange visitant with any one he had known or remembered. A shade ofsorrow and sadness passed over Alice's face; and a tear trembled on hereyelid, and fell unobserved to the ground. But she hinted not at thepersonality of the stranger, though she understood the sad mystery, andcomprehended the tragedy which had been slowly and painfully enactedthrough the years, in which a noble and virtuous woman's love had beencrucified.
THE END.
BRAILSFORD:
A Tale of West Riding Life.
BY JOHN BOWLING.
"'Brailsford' is a capital book, and, to those who can master theYorkshire dialect, it will give a great deal of pleasure. The excellentteaching it contains makes it a most suitable book for a Sunday SchoolLibrary. If it once gets into a library, I feel sure it will be in greatdemand. It is a thorough boy's book, and I wish every boy could readit."--_Rev. Charles Garrett._
"Brailsford: a Tale of West Riding Life."--"This story ... is written ina wholesome moral tone, and strikingly portrays the temptations whichassail young men in the business life of a large town. The hero of thestory is a draper's apprentice, who, by steadfast fidelity to duty,rises to success; and the incidents are related with vigour, introducingthe reader to some curious phases of town life ... the book may besafely placed in the hands of youths about to enter the commercialworld."--_Leeds Mercury._
"There is about this book a simplicity which charms, and an interestthat will carry the reader through every page. As pointing a moral, andaffording a stimulus to honest work, despite adverse circumstances, thelittle volume will be of great value, and we trust it will have a widesale."--_Wharfedale and Airedale Observer._
"Our readers will recognise this as a reprint of a story which appearedin serial form in the _Wesleyan Methodist Magazine_. At the time of itsoriginal appearance we noticed it from time to time. In its new and moreconvenient form it will greatly delight all lovers of the racy Yorkshiredialect, and will at the same time prove instructive. It is a story ofthe good and idle apprentice type, well told and satisfactorily ended.The moral, of course, is unexceptional.... We heartily commend thisventure."--_Methodist Recorder._
"'Brailsford,' by John Bowling, is a tale of West Riding life, writtenwith animation and a keenly observant eye to various phases of characterthat manifest themselves in rural districts. There is much humorousdialogue in the book, bringing out several traits of Yorkshire lifeexcellently. There are, moreover, pathetic passages in this story, andthe author does not fail to inculcate some useful and noblelessons."--_Methodist Times._
"... A most thrilling story.... We have the utmost pleasure inrecommending the book to our readers as one well worthy of a place inevery home.... The lessons which it sets forth are bound to make a deepimpression on every reader. We therefore earnestly wish the author everysuccess."--_Hunslet News._