The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-03-07 00:00:00

EAU 11101-118 RESERVED.]
AMBITION'S LADDER.
2111 eh Author of a Atherstone Grange; '' 4 Lito for
a Loos," fle•
CHAPTER XLIX.

CHECKMATED.
Miserable trickster 1 Shame upon y)til
Brave devices to terrify a woman!

.. .. . .
Pollute this roof no longer with your presence!
'VIE astounding nature of Clarence Wood ville's
°Lehn, supported as it was by Eve's admission of its
.ein •olrectness, staggered his hearers, even Dr. Sampscn
unable for the moment to find words with
'which to express himself, and for a short space all
remained dumb.
Mr. Sartoris was the first to break the silence.
"YOU have made a most extraordinary assertion,
1341.''' he said--" I should have said an incredible one
but that my ward confirms it. I shall, of course,
require some stronger proof, however, before I ac-
it as absolutely beyond dispute."
shall be quite ready to produce such proofs
Z'.'en they are required,' answered Woodville. "At
tlB moment they are quite unnecessary. I claim
le that lady's husband; she admits my claim.
,74oat more is wanted i• She is my Ns ife, I say, and
:et-order her to follow me from this house at o ce.
410 You hear me, Eve ?"
""Jaye a little patience, if you please,' said the
lawyer, placing himself between the terrified girl
'culd her persecutor. "I must have a full under.
Standing before I resign my guardianship quite so
rilY as you would have me. At what church, and
3' whom were you married ?"
"Oh, we did not trouble a parson,' sneeringly
returned Woodville. "But don't imagine you'll find
.anY loophole in that fact. The ceremony that
tnade us one was a very simple and informal one,
tut Perfectly legal and binding, I assure you. I
"ado quite certain of that."
"HOW was it, Eve asked her guardian, a little
tternly, for he could not quite acquit her of all
,a,lanie, in that she had deceived him so, "Tell me
• 'ue whole truth. For your own sake, do not attempt
.°4IY more concealment. It, may be that I can save
3rou from this scoundrel yet."
2 'A little more civil language, if you please,'
said Clarence Woodville, with a dark frown. "Ask
„Iler 'what you please, you will find that my position
',t,00 secure to let me fear any flaw being found."
-but Eve would not speak before so large an
rdience. She could not, and Mr. Sartoris proposed
that she should go with him to his library for the
tlrpose, and before Clarence Woodville could stop
n he had led her from the room, the other gentle
-
ten preventing Woodville from following them, as
e at first attempted.
• Perhaps he might have succeeded, but that a
reinforcement just then arrived in Leonard, and
iteie,„,ing that the odds against him were too great, the
baffled adventurer gave up the idea of using violence.
"•
After all," he said, with a contemptuous shrug,
S 4 Can afford to wait. My turn will soon come."
f Very soon, I trust," said Leonard, upon whose
.I°e shone such a light of gladness and triumph
.isaat Woodville felt an uneasy fore ding of defeat.
lon see we meet again rather sooner than you
rPected."
rse 'Aicd
taking no further notice of Woodville, he
with Lord Lynwood and the doctor to the
lurther end of the room, where they entered into an
44itneted but low-voiced conversation, which lasted
!!Iltil Mr. Sartoris made his reappearance, which he
did with a very grave face.
:r've followed her guardian into the room, and
nnard sprang to her side, but sprang back again
i;r4h a pained look, as she shrank from him, and
,sei°ined the group near the table at which Mr.
trteris had seated himself ; opposite Clarence
~
Woodville.
' Wen," said the last-named individual, "have
w
" °ll satisfied yourself that my claim is a good one
"Not quite. I have heard Miss Trenchard's '
4‘
Airs. Woodville, you mean. Give her her proper
tarne.,,
I hayed hear Miss Tremehard's version of the
✓nindrelly trick upon which your claim is founded,"
ralmed the lawyer, "and under the circumstances
4. consider myself quite justified in granting her the
-Protection of my roof for the present."
as," Indeed! In that case I shall be under the pain-
.;`,3".ilecessity of calling in the nearest policeman to
c„8.18t She in removing my wife," said Woodville,
his face livid with passion. "I have the law
vt„,• (11 ray side, force me to invoke it at your peril."
spoke defiantly, and with an air that betokened
rnfidence; but at heart he was beginning to feel a
rnsciousriess of coming failure, that was not at all
t9esened by the quiet smile of scorn that he saw on
a•eonard's face.
..54," There is something that I do not quite under-
' irnd in all this," saieLeonard. "May I ask what
means."
...‘• Woodville's only reply was a torrent of furious,
v`•"hiry words, and commands to Eve to obey him, of
• sa,Ln she took no heed ; 2 but after which Mr.
e oris suceeded in making himself heard sufficiently
;Q/ _xylain to his won.derinff hearers the stors she
n.a.cifediusd n
t coont fide xto him.
Su
t
take long in the telling, and may be
hOrtiv summed
uphere. On that memorable even-
ag when Ere h.tcl returned home so late to find her
cousin dead, she had encountered Clarence Wood-
*ville, seemingly by chance, and he, pretending to
recover for her the road she had lost, conducted her
!till further away. During their walk he renewed
11,18 vows of love, and Eve, stung by the false
Story.she had heard from him of Leonard's faith-
lessness, did not actually repulse him, though she '
:foul?' give him no positive reply. A smart shower
b run "rue on and there was not a cab in sight,
her treacherous companion persuaded her to
Vtke shelter close at hand while he procured one,
4a,ndsin spite of her remonstrances, hurried the poor,
:r.igntened girl into an hotel, the name of which she
tiatoht e notice.re v -as a She attempted to draw back, seeing
:ta-
rter public bar in the entrance, with a
of men lounging about in it, drinking and
but Woodville assured her that there was
• pnoice, and the rain was still coming down so
Z.,t that she felt grateful for any kind of shelter. A
fan joined them, to whom Woodville spoke
iarl and introduced her, to her surprise and
nation, as his wife. Eve protested, but the
11, denad turned away and did not seem to notice her
VIel) and when she indignantly began to reproach
r
he_°lle he hastened to excuse himself and begged
oa:tnot to contradict him, as he had only ventured
tiel,‘Vcing such a liberty for the purpose of protecting
• insulting remarks. Ignorant as she was,
%elf that she had unwittingly placed her-
too In a false position, and little dreaming of the
fromquences of her tacit aquiescence, Eve refrained
ai °Peaking the denial that trembled on her lips,
~,remained silent.
ja ',Aaron- -
ee Woodville had then left her while he
a conveyance, requesting his acquaintance—
& •
/Ileseltine—to "look after my wife while I am
.7
aoollB
Vvlt. and during the short time he was away she
reo;several times addressed as "Mrs. Woodville," by
than one of those present, she still remaining
tnt• Again, when he returned and was leading her
.t 4 to the vehicle he had brought, Woodville sustained
Ivedeepptionwhich she still felt powerless to expose,
saYing so loudly that everyone round could hear
WW2: Thanks, Heseltine for taking care of my
before they entered' the cab and were driven
n'ay.
II 'piie _
she learned the truth, for in answer to her
bei,B7.,Y remonstrances the crafty adventurer had
,ttia`"Y declared that, despairing of success by any
reeans he had designedly compromised her,
r
•. that thc: result of his ruse was that, by the law
o seco.,
At they were man and wife!
•kaa first Eve was naturally scornfully incredulous,
tar refused. to believe his assertion. But the air of
..tx 0,1 conviction with which he repeated it, and the
heisitenation. of the Scotch law to which he forced
vilt to listen, telling her at the same time that he
•tn,.! cl,aite content to wait till she had made such
-we Inlrcs from any lawyer she chose to consult as
onla
• 1 - satisfy her that he would advance no un-
OtlnA
lhztt '4,3_d claim, convinced the poor, terrified girl
'teaiallue was indeed in the power of one whom she
'loati: never really have loved, and whom she now
and detested for the treacherous deed that
fill' her to him by no act of her own
trot: tWas the tale that, with many a sob that
guard. her utterance, Eve had confided to her
and was now briefly repeated by him.
silelic,enee Woodville was the first to break the
EPe that ensued when Mr. Sartoris finished
a no.
hA,„ ell, sir," he said, with a cool air of assurance,
• cla.- ° You any objection now
,to
• pen this lady obedience e" recognising my
8811redlY I have," answered the lawyer.
"vile undrel as you are, well-planned as was your
411th "nspiracy it lacked one important point.
wa°Bllh You yed your part ably enough, ladmit,
evert *lint seconded. Miss Trenchard—l will not
•or aa.— e
CICT 110 t s_ sum nt sake give her any other name—
Is i
ecled i'aPport you by one word. Had you suc-
which
4,n Persuading her to utter a single sentence n
?year ,if,e alluded to you as her husband, I grant
that would have been complete—though even
)'ou c‘tese it would have been open for us to fight
It..stati-d"te ground of fraud and conspiracy; but as
Is.°' the° Your whole scheme fails, the one weak link
°w, 3,/ liain leaves you without a chance.
II The Thr.. Woodville, what further have you to say
hqt° felt—man's face grew dark with baffled passion.
e "At tisk the ground was cut from under his feet,
e,trin yet
180 he was not disposed to yield all he had
")
'II
ref aoh for without a struggle.
w°gßedi, use to accept your decision," he said
had the most skilful advice, and I
d'ut -14e'd th
sit e• at my title is absolutely beyond dis-
Yoa d gain I claim my wife. Keep her from me
tier4lld late":
r,
Nva. Raara• -a-4e a step towards Eve, who clung to
c‘h int4lan, uttering no sound now, only looking
,senar,iteLdespair as Woodville approached.
villaits,LepPed forward at this juncture.
te
V.° el s • Pitiful rogue !" he exclaimed, with iektaft, in than passion in his wice.a.i.LMiserable
?
48 .°114.), You a.re, not even the shadow of success
W6'
• Out of my way " roughly answered
lleZ3l-04 ugly look of daring resolve replacing
fer trieo?thiaess of demeanour. "I have come
14 slit: wife, and I mean to take her away with
c'f You or any one. Stand 4§410. I say."