The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-09-19 00:00:00

[ALL RIGHTS RESERVHD.3
CATHERINE'S MISTAKE,

A SECRtT FOR YEARS

CHAPTER XIS,.
MADAME'S EVENING AT 110M11.
Ingram Ingastre was busy at his law papers,
-w▪ ilhera d the venerable old foreigner was eager to find out
that yellow-haired, red-lipped woman lived,
;".:`roness Bernstein's handsome rooms were beginning
izpit slowly with guests, chiefly foreigners, for the
was a stranger in London.
bti"-,Lie was the widow of a German baron, wealthy,
h,"lot of very high birth—a large-minded, kind-
1, but indifferently educated woman; and you
,c)ilid have smiled to have heard her discourse on
Zesinerism to a tiny Hungarian general perched on
tbeettoinan at her side, and nearly extinguished by
. oflurninous folds of black velvet and lace sweep-
round her ample figure.
,he little general did not know what mesmerism
,e9L, but he did not say so—because he could not,
r-riglish; and so the lady at last came to a pause,
f,013 though an excellent talker, she could not go on
r Much more than half an hour by herself. The
ge:MI took that opportunity of bowing himself
• Y, and a large, sallow-faced Polish exile took his
ewe,
hiseolint Czewski had been an exile very nearly all
pe life. Thus he appeared much the same in con-
as an Englishman.
14fidame was overjoyed. She liked to talk English
i„-Ishe liked to talk about England, its scenery, its
i'llabitants, its laws and customs. The Pole could
be.:l3 up a conversation on these topics, and the
f ,rciness dwelt upon them so long, that at last she
e9t called upon to make an apology.
siLl YOU see I am an Englishwoman, count, and at
ee'een I was married, and went out to Jamaica with
t'isP husband. He managed Squire Ingestre's planta-
br,,UB out there; and from that time to this I have
visited my native land. Do you know —shire
"" all, count ?"
In", yes; the Pole had seen all there was to be seen
that beautiful county.
a,: That was my county; I was born and bred there,"
`4.led the delighted lady. "Then you must have seen
veetge Ingestre's place—Redfern? It is the finest
arebered ;lace for a hundred miles round. The elm
%venue is magnificent Ah, I was born not far from
tweare,
,c,ount. Our house, Westwood Farm, is not
011- nines off. My father was Mr. Ingestre's steward.
id 9 Count de Resimont, I beg your pardon—had no
Q 4 you were so near me. lam delighted to see
in England."
he he gentleman had been behind her some tim9s ; but
lien evidently did not care that she should know it
til she had finished her speech.
e same dark-complexioned, beautiful-featured
tiriin I showed you that morning at breakfast, with
14 same wonderful eyes—something exquisitely
re eIY in their mournful depths, something hideously
Pnlsive in their fiendish glitter.
Re bowed gracefully, and made his acknowledg-
bltlents, inquired after "ma amselle," and was then led
Y the baroness into the music-room to seek her.
d ‘` tut first, madame," he said, "allow me to intro-
to your kind notice my only brother, who accom-
,n' ied ine here this evening, as in London we are
tee7Parable. Ile is very young. You comprehend
rest?"
bedad
aaje perfectly comprehended that he was not to
yo trusted. She would be delighted to make the
Ung gentleman's acquaintance.
151.„1',Uet madame was not prepared to find in this young
er of De R6simont the finished, easy, well-bred
en:ng man he was, with a blaze air about his
bo'llner that put five years on his age. He looked
'tinred, although he had only been in the room ten
„r&s; but Philippe gave him a warning look as
b • vassecl on, and the other's weary blue eyes
rightened.
p .`
Your brother must know my Lina, count. Come,
erdinand."
wa'r,ile Youth followed, wondering who on earth Lina
and thinking what queer people his brother
tea'''d,ecl to know in every capital they visited; for
apt 'Zie, though excellent in her way, was certainly
tfa High-bred lady.,
teteademoiselle Bernstein was in ,the music-room,
on uing to the little Hungarian general improvising
.4 t
e IPiano. When she saw her mother and the
Isieoge,ntlemen enter, ske rose, and came forward to
t them. There were many other enthusiasts to
4,en to the general's clever performance, and so she
`Lnot scruple to glide away.
mi's.ne
' looked very tiny and very charming in her
R31u,0 'white dress and blue forget-me-nots. Her crisp,
A erl hair gleamed like a halo round her small head,
ens ,
Ncl.l`! eer fair, delicate face looked fairer still by the
Waxlight. The only exception to the character-
eyee arnallness of her features was her sad, brown
ems. They were very large, and very singular;
vs., the true secret of the singularity about them
8, that though she singed ever so blithely with
Rr,sbl)s, those eves above never lost their solemnity.
bs,Tie did not bestow much l notice on the younger
Con ler; the elder seemed to engross it all. All her
vreiLersation was addressed to him; and she talked
t'r„, easily, fluently, and with the manner of a
eee'an, and no girl. Throughout it all, you could
leettelineer:aerman education, her German predilections.
f.r strange theories she put forth would have
; n
Englishwoman ; the mystical doctrines
ten:vPich she was a disciple would probably have
liaa.;'ai'sed, a rigid Lutheran; and the bold belief she
he 41 the wild legends and lore of Fatherland would
nervvc horrified a realist. No wonder ma'amselle's
faith disease was cured by mesmerism,considering
s has such a large share in its efficacy.
ston, tl.f baroness carried off Ferdinand de Resimont,
left his brother to Lina's sole entertainment.
ae:ut an hour after Ferdinand strolled back to the
iiedr °f the music-room. Philippe was still there,
4 still in the old position near the lady's seat—
oerteeful, careless attitude' not speaking much,
tk listening to the flow of words and ideas from
l_agirl's lips.
keels brother saw a peculiar expression on his
vee:yillich he knew how to interpret well—a sort of
contempt for all the speaker could say; listen-
tinnr a Purpose, but most scornfully at the same
A f,
Rig ,
ew minutes after this the brothers were whirl-
the in the handsome little brougham owned by
•-euet.
tai:ikud what do you think of Lina Von Bernstein?"
Philippe.
th: WhY, I think she is in love with you," laughed
"I declare she never once took her great
bnt nff your face. I admire her taste, you know,
item not her. What makes that good woman, her
i he ler, talk so about a Dr. Creusa ? Who and what
s ?,,
`‘
A follower of Mesmer."
"1`.4 impostor, of course ?" laughed Ferdinand.
tst,,Ao such thing, my friend. I will introduce you
is "nci man, and you shall judge for yourself. He
e'en known in every capital in Europe as one of
ih t,rilost powerful mesmerists of the time. He is
ol",(90ndon, and you shall see him. It is now
Yoliell o'clock—the night is before us; where will
go ?"
~41inand's eyes brightened.
Nvii‘l'ad, brother, and 1 will follow. I know you
last.net inflict upon me other two hours such as the
ilierri Where you choose; only let there be life and
ent, dance and song."
aed `flat is a boy's cry," sneered his brother. " Life
seen.lnerrinsent, dance and song are not the sports of
thetneerne, to-night I will show you how men enjoy

CHAPTER XV.
IkTo,r
MRS. FAIINCE.
lerk days after Mr. Kent requested his head
i'uv, find out Mrs. Faunce's address, he found the

,•Igeke,..„ng on his desk. The lawyer Placed_
wit in his
tor, wa,,,,-00ok, and an hour or two after made his
-"s London-bridge, and there took a boat to11"a'
mq•
eedi.e, 'with the slip of paper in his band, he wan;
qeor' about for some time, unable to find N0._02
P5-terrace, George-street, at which house th
114trd Mrs. Faunce was living.
did find it at last, and knocked at the door
Rarcl,,2, a neat-looking abode, with a small, well-kept
in front, snow-white window curtains, and
k A .Painted door
opened the door, and on Mr.
N7'ag his name' showed him into a small
11'4411. ,c7iassdently the best and least used, . for every-
Polished highly, dusted brightly, and kept
ai '4l'
• e,4e,a7a and neat. Here the lawyer sat down,
e' his bald forehead with a troubled, anxious
Airs
• iiince entered before he could get the hand-
-to his pocket again. He did not rise, and
i‘ seYed respectfully.
'1• 44°T. do you do, Mrs. Faunce?"
• --e well, I thank you, sir; I hope you are the
.17.01.1
13,4 Yes Nl:ahted to see me, I think?"
b,a'rry 3 kr, I have a few words to say; but I am
e allould have troubled yourself to come to
eh I „
thn
ho--I happened to be at Chelsea, and
4"• thin„4,Fctight as well call in upon you. Well, is it
14'1 pethb tresh?,,
,ttgiaauP._B?,i'ou are not aware, sir, a certain person is
.4 a
le.ll:,,dersea.ntta, in person in England? Yes, yes, r
--,—exactly. You have seen her, of
'ers, sir?"
het3lelth.." not; but she writes to me. Will you
saysils• Vesll, Please, Mrs. Faunce—certainly, if you
I
tNvo, am 8 have no objection to hear what she
' three, how she gets on. Thank you—one,
sir.„aur—are these all ?"
thethe
• aro lawyer read the letters from beginning
~- 'ooked them carefully over a second time,
ata. vre'rds had escaped him.
4ve. Falai:4a° 10 hear such an excellent account,
A rttl I See Mr. Maxaill's name is mentioned
1(lortl tCe ?”
knecl harall Mr. gent took off his spectacles, and
coat Mrs. Faunce.
ti ~..I!rse, hound e f her out directly, as you see.
wlclted .
Lool. is little Maxall. and well I know.

It. It is no use telling his guardian of his tricks, I
suppose, sir?"
"Mr. Ingestre ? I should think not; he could
not interfere, and, in all probability, would not. I
shall tell him, however, of this delightful change for
the better, Mrs. Faunce ; he will be very glad to hear
it, I am sure."
"I doubt it," sneered the woman.
"Yon do my client injustice."
"Injustice. indeed! I hate him T"
The lawyer took no notice of this snarl, but con-
tinued : _ _ _

"We may safely conclude, then, that everything
will go on smoothly now, and that no fear need be
entertained of anything of a disagreeable nature
occurring again."
"Then, you believe the humbug she has put in
those letters?" . . .

"Certain. Do you really mean to signify that
you do not?"
"Yes. I know her better than I know myself, for
I have had more occasion to study her, and I tell you
it is all humbug and lies. She is quiet now, but it
means mischief, mind you. Mr. Ingestre had better
look out; for vengeance is at the bottom of it all,
Mr. Kent, and she'll trample down her own if they
stand betwixt her and him. I don't take her part,
and I don't favour his; I can look on and be neutral,
as long as the play is fair. But when she gets
acting the hypocrite and lying to me, then you shall
have the benefit of it. I warned her, mind; I told
her not to try it on, and she has. So I thought I
would let you know what he may expect from her."
"Well, well! I suppose it will be the same tale
over again, with a little more scandal added. A very
sad affair, indeed; and much to be lamented."
"Yes, it is, was the reply, uttered in a dry, solemn
tone. "But there is an old proverb that applies to it,
As you make your bed, so you must lie on it.'
Ingestre suffers for his own fault, and she suffers for
hers, and Maxall suffers for no one's; but he will
some day, mark my words."
"Very possible. Yes, his treatment of his guardian
has not been what it might, considering all things.
Mr. Ingestre has stood in t:7de place of a parent to
him."

"Do you think there is any likeness between them,
sir ?" said Mrs. Faunce, in the cool, ironical tone she
had used throughout.
"Oh, dear no! none in the least. Maxall is very
small-featured and dark; and Mr. Ingestre, on the
contrary, is—"
"A handsome sample of an Englishman," she inter-
rupted; large-featured, I,Town-hairt,d, and blue-eyed
—straight and tall as one of the pines in his own
park ! That was twelve years ago--twelve years
since I have seen George Ross Ingestre. Is he like
that now? or is he old, and bent, and withered, as I
am? Pm only forty now; but yca would not think
it. What is he like, Mr. Kent ?"
She fixed her eyes on the law.t er with a hungry
watchfulness, that he seemed to feel rather embar-
rassing, for his reply was short an I evasive.
"I have not seen him for some time ; he so seldom
visits town ; but I think he is generally considered a
very fine-looking man still."
"Ah, well! his looks are not much matter to me,
nor mine to him. We shan't see each other again in
this world, even if we do in the next. I hate the man
with all my heart, for all that I'm doing him a service
in turning traitor to her. I should like you to tell
him this, please, when you wrib."
"Tell him that you bear him malice, Mrs. Faunce ?
That would scarcely be wise, considering who keeps
this roof over your head."
"At the risk of losing it, I'd have you tell him what
I say. Better that than to be cast out of mind, like a
dead pig. Let him take it from me; then, at least,
he'll remember who he takes it from."
Mr. Kent made a motion towards the door. The
savage grimness on Mrs. Fiumce's face vanished. She
resumed her former placidity of manner, and, with a
deep curtsey, opened the parlour door for the gentle-
man to pass out.
"I will call at your office, Mr. Kent, if I have any-
thing more of importance to communicate," she said,
as he was departing.
"Do so, pray. Good morning !"
And the interview he had ,:tome so far to seek was
over!

CHAPTER XVI.
MRS. FAUNOE AGAI N.
A FORTNIGHT after this Ingrm Ingestre and his sister
were comfortably settled in their new abode, with the
housekeeper, Mrs. Faunce.
He liked her better arid better as he knew her
more; so sweet-tempered with the poor, insane Anna
—so careful of his comforts—so chary of wasting a
penny of his hardly-earned gains—so sensible, so
well-mannered and graceful in all she said and did.
He boasted of this Mrs. Faunce as a treasure in-
deed, and would even take the trouble to converse
with her when he returned from a day's hard work,
in order that he might learn more of her antecedents.
Not that he was inquisitive, but that he wondered any
woman so perfectly lady-lika should ever have been a
servant; and one evening, when she was sitting de-
murely at work, near his writlng-table, he looked up,
and asked her how it was. _ _ _

Her pale cheeks th-isheTslightly ; she looked down
and sighed.
"My father was a clergyman, Mr. Ingram; and
when he died we had nothing in the world left us
but service of some kind. I selected a lady's-maid's
place with Mrs. Ingestre, and lived there until I went
abroad with her, and married a gentleman as poor as
myself. He died."
"Then you know the man I hate above all
others ! " he exclaimed, throwing down his pen, and
folding his arms, with a savage frown.
The lady looked up with a meek smile. "Oh, dear,
yes; he is a bad man, lam sorry to say—a very bad
man. I heard much of his wit:kedness, and saw it,
too."
"Ahl if I could only bring legal proof of some of his
rascalities--if I could only prove what I more than
half suspect!"
"And what is that? if I do not ask too much."
"That his boasted heir is not legitimate—that he
never troubled himself to make his mistress his wife
—that he lived abroad because it should not be
known, and stuck that tablet up in Redfern Church
because it should not be inquired into. What has
his life been ever since he came to Redfern with those
two children? Such that no woman, or man either,
of decent manners or principles would enter his
drunken and dissolute house."
" He has led a wild and terrible life, then ?"
There was a glimmer of something almost diabo-
lical in the lady's eyes as she eagerly asked this.
"For the last seven years I have heard nothing of
him," she added, quickly, as if to cover the eagerness
of the question.
"A terrible life ?—I should say so. When a man
unrestrainedly gratifies every detestable passion in
his nature, he must needs live a wild and terrible life.
I hear he has not even shame enough left to remove
his daughter from such a scene."
Mrs. Faunce sighed, and went on with her work for
a few moments; then she looked up and said—
" And what, Mr. Ingrain, would you consider legal
proof of the suspicions you entertain ?"
"The evidence of a person, or persons, living with
or near them at the time, and cognisant of it. '''But I
can find no such person, for they lived all over the
Continent, and were only at Redfern six months the
whole time of her life."

The fair-haired, gentle-featured woman looked up,
and whispered, in a silky voice—
" Ah ! Mr. Ingram, I told you that / had lived with
Mr. I n gestre."
6' Well, what then?"
All that was vindictive and evil in this young man's
nqture looked out of his eyes now, as he fixed them on
the lady.
She only smiled mildly, and said, while she picked
some threads from a lawn frill she was sewing—

"They were living at Ems in the year 18—. Mr.
Inge Are made no pretence of acknowledging her as
his wife; she was a Scotchwoman, and called Mrs.
Campbell. The two children were born there ; and
then he came home with her as his wife, not before."

Her red lips quivered, and her white Cheeks flushed,
only to see the storm she had awakened in the other.
He was greatly moved.
Py 110 means a demonstrative man, still he showed
how painfully the effect this information had upon
him.
Tile benefit accruing to himself was not so startling
as the sudden certainty of the fraud and guilt which
had punished him so severely half a lifetime, solely
through the infamous conduct of this man.
Mrs. Yaunce was alarmed at the storm she had
raised. She put forth all her powers to allay it, and
her singular, eat-like smoothness of manner had an
influence over the young man he was scarcely aware
of. And then, when he could listen to her with any
degree of attention, she took up the strain thus--
"Yes, Helen Campbell was an injured woman ; but
you must prove it, for he is a formidable enemy, and
passionately fond of his boy, I have heard. An awful
mall! his passions are so violent."
"Mrs. Faunce, I am afraid your solitary word is
not enough; not that / doubt it, God knows! Proof
---proof I mist and will have. At Ems, you say, in
18—?"
"Yes, but they had no acquaintance there, nor re-
mained long. Who are you to find to prove what the
truth was after this lapse of years? Better let it
rest, and allow him to enjoy the fruits of his
iniquity."
"Yes, my purpose shall rest with me in my grave,
not sooner. And my purpose is to let the world know
how the fellow has cheated it. At Ems, in is—.
Well, after that ?"
"I wish that you would not attach such import-
ance to what I was indiscreet enough to say. Reflect
for an instant; think of the power of the enemy you
are so eager to destroy--a rich and influential
country gentleman—a magistrate, too, of twenty
years' standing:*
"That will do, Mrs. Faunce. ' I do not fear;
there is law in the land, and I'll see what justice
there is beside. Where were they living after leaving
Redfern ?"
"They went to Italy, and she died a month after?
Strange that the eager listener detected no discre-
pancies in the good lady's statements. His eagerness
was the reason.; he did not doubt for an instant the
truth of what he heard, or the veracity of the speaker.
His brain was busy with the thought of what he must
do first. Bring proof, of course ; and where, beyond
this one witness's word, was that to be found?
Patience! Itas to be found, and he would find it

if he Went abroad himself to all the places ingestre
had lived at with her.
And then he made Mrs. Faunee name them, which
she did, without hesitation, one after another.
Florence was the last; she died there.
"And where had Ingestre met this Helen Camp-
bell ?" _ _

"In Scotland," was the reply; "at the house of a
Highland gentleman whom George Ross was visiting.
She was of good family, and a lady in manners; but,
though he fell in love with her, he did not make her
his wife."
"Was there anything like a Scotch marriage ?*
"Nothing," said Mrs. Faunce ; "nothing of the
kind, she was sure:'
And Ingram was satisfied. All night long his brain
was busy with the scheme of vengeance his heart wair
bent on working cut.
(7o be continuedi)