WRECKED IN PORT.

A Serial Story BY THE AUTHOR OF "BLACK SHEEP."

BOOK II.
CHAPTER IX. SUCCESS ACHIEVED.

THE step which Mr. Creswell took in
asking Marian Ashurst to become his wife
was not taken without due care and
consideration. As, during a lifetime which
had now exceeded half a century, he had
been accustomed to ponder over, sift, and
weigh the most minor details of even
trivial schemes before carrying them out, it
was not likely that he would give less
attention to a plan, on the successful or
unsuccessful result of which his whole hope
of future earthly happiness or misery might
be based. The plan presented itself to him
squarely and from a business–like point of
view, like all other plans which he
entertained, and had two aspects—as to how it
would affect himself and how it would affect
others. He took it under the first aspect,
and thought it out carefully. His was a
loving nature, always desiring something
to cherish and cling to. In bygone years
he had had his wife, whom he had
worshipped with all the warmth of his loving
nature. She had been the sharer of his
struggles, but it had not been permitted
to her to take part in his success; doubtless
for the best, for Mr. Creswell, like all men
who have been thoroughly successful, and
with whom everything has gone straight,
had perfect trust and reliance on the
dispensations of Providence, she had been
removed before his position was acquired.
But she had left behind her a son for whom
that position was destined, for whom his
father slaved for years, adding to his wealth
and establishing his name, all the while
hoping against hope that the boy might one
day learn how to use the former and how
to maintain the latter. As the lad grew
up, and year by year showed his real nature
more and more, so the hope grew fainter
and fainter in the father's heart, until it
was finally extinguished by Tom's death.
And then he had no hope left in the world,
or rather he would have had none had it
not been for Marian. It seemed as though
matters had been providentially arranged,
Mr. Creswell thought. The dependent
state of Marian and her mother, his power
of assisting them, their being domiciled
under his roof, which had given him such
opportunity of studying Marian's character,
and had so entirely reversed his original
opinion of her, the assistance and support
she had afforded him during that sad period
of poor Tom's death. All seemed
predestined and pre–arranged. He knew her
now. It was not like taking a girl with
whom his acquaintance had been slight, or
even one whom he might have thought he
knew intimately, but whom he had only
seen on her society behaviour, or in such
guise as she would naturally affect before
any one whom, she knew to be noticing her
with an object. He had seen Marian Ashurst
under all circumstances, and in all
places. Under the strongest and hardest
trial he had always seen her come out
brightest and best, and he had had full
opportunity of observing the sterling worth
of her character. Was the end of all his
life of toil and strife to be an unloved and
unloving old age? Was the position which
he had acquired to benefit no one but himself,
and to die out with him? Was the
wealth which he had amassed to be filtered
away into dirty channels, or left for the
benefit of charities? If these questions were
to be answered in the negative, where could
he find such a helpmate as Marian, where