The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-01-10 00:00:00

tALL RIGHTS RESSIVVED.3
AMBITION'S LADDER.
By the Author of " Atherstone Grange,' .4 Life for
a Love," 4-o.

• CHAPTER XXXVII.—( Continued).
They were alone, too, with no one at hand likely
to interrupt them; but he must not scare her by too
sudden an approach, and his first words, though
softly uttered, and with a ring of tenderness in his
voice which the actor knew well how to assume,
conveyed no warning to her ear.
" Forgive you i" he repeated gently: "I have
nothing to forgive, Miss Trenchard. It is I, rather,
veho should ask for pardon.' •
Al Why
" For presuming upon so slight an acquaintance
as °lire to complain of any treatment whatever.
And t •
ye 11 18 very pleasant to hear that I am
vvrong.,l
'ln fancying you had offended me? Oh, yes."
"It would not be possible for me to do so wil-
fully," he answered, after a moment's pause, " un-
less, indeed, in one way that I long, yet dread, to
name."

"I do not understand ! " said Eve, drawing back
a little, for a vague feeling of alarm possessed her
at his words, obscure as they were.
" I said just now that our acquaintance was
slight," he continued; "yet, slight though it may
be in one respeat—for as yet you know so little of
—it has been long enough to teach me one
l'all.lg- Can you not guess? May I dare tell you
Plainly what knowledge it has brought to me? '
She turned her head away now, blushing crim-
son, for even to her there was no mistaking the
tone of the words in which he spoke. But she
strove hard not to understand
_him, and pass it over
ith some slight remark.
Ni. Woodville was not to be stayed now, how-
ever. Having advanced so far, he could not, if he
'would, recede, and he continued in still more
impassioned accents that left no doubt of his
Meaning:
" Eve, ' he said—" ah, let me call you so if only
for this one time—and yet I dare to hope that here-
after it may always be my privilege--"
"No, no—you must not !' she broke in. '
"Must not! Am I, then, so hateful to you? But
to, I will not think that —will not believe it unleas
Your own lips tell me so. It is only that I have
frightened you—been too abrupt. And yet, how
_long have I loved you? For ever, it seems to me.
You do not linow—you cannot—all that is in my
heart ! I do not ask you yet to say you love me
in return, but this I must tell you though you
drive me from your presence the moment after—
though I am never more allowed to speak—that I
;eve you, my darling; with all my heart and soul—
love 2roa as never man loved woman in this world
before."
She tried to stop him, but in vain, the torrent of
his speech would still flow on in flowery periods
4,11c1 well-worn imagery that sounded like truth to
Eve, unused as she was to hear sada langyage ; and
10 listened to him, as women have listened since
'her first namesake gave ear to the tempter's glozing
iords beneath the green trees of Eden, as women
ll listen to the end of time, and felt her heart
stirred by the passionate utterances of a calculating
impostor.
Por it was all very real to her. She did not love
this handsome, plausible stranger, certainly—did
not even fancy she cared aught for him in that
Way; but wounded, humiliated, as she felt in her
(ma eyes, it was surely] pleasant to find that some
one was not indifferent to her. Though Leonard
had forsaken her, and though she protested against
it; and would give him no favourable answer, there
was still sufficient encouragement in her manner for
Clarence Woodville to found a hope of ultimate
success upon, and pc-severe in his suit, determined,
if all other means failed, to ensure it by a means
sauggested to him by the unscrupulous coadjutor he
raid lately chosen, for Fob Heseltine had returned
!rem his mission, and only waited the commands of
eis employer to complete it by the arrest of Laura
Desmond.
This, however, Mr. Clarence Woodville desired to
ected as quietly as possible, and, above all
,`4113..5, at a time when Eve was out of the way.
!,?at bin her wrath—for she would certainly guess
e source of her betrayal—Laura should yet find
l'une and opportunity to enlighten her pupil on
Peirits it was most desirable she should remain in
Ignorance ; but at length all was ripe for the exe-
cution of the plot.
One memorable day—a day which Eve had bitter
cause for wishing could be blotted out of her life—
he went out alone, Laura being detained at home
°Y a racking headache, and did not return for
several hours, not, indeed, till after nightfall.
She was not alone, however. Clarence Wood-
ville accompanied her, a look of evil triumph on his
!ace, while hers was pale as death, and wore a
minted, terrified look.
They stopped together a little before reaching
the house, and she looked at him with an expression
ibfirtly of abhorrence, more of fear, as she spoke in
low, broken accents.
, 'Leave me now," she said, "I am safe. Ah !
Ilave pity upon me and leave me."
" Safe ! As to that allow me to be the best judge,
my dear Eve," he replied drawing the hand which
she vainly attempted to disengage closely over his
arm. "I certainly don't intend to leave you till I
have seen you securely within doors."
"No no, you must not," she cried piteously.
"What will they say? What excuse can I make r"
"Don't worry yourself about that, my darling,"
c Oily responded Clarence Woodville. "I'll do all
the talking, and you must take care not to contra-
dict me; that is all that is necessary on your part.
Listen, Eve. You wandered further than you
intended, and lost yourself, where fortunately I was
tlking an evening stroll and encountered you, and
rought you home. A simple story is always the
best, and this requires no further explanation. You
won't find it difficult to make Mrs. Grxme accept
the excuse." _
Eve made no reply. None was possible for her.
She must obey, though her soul revolted against
the deceit that was forced upon her, and they
approached the door together.
It was opened by Jeanie, who was sobbing
'iolently, and behind her, drawing on his gloves,
stood the young surgeon lsho had attended Clarence
Woodville.
"What is the matter, Jeanie?" asked Eve in an
I,llalm at the woman's manner, that for the moment
Dan isb ed all thought of her own trouble.
" Oh, Miss Eve! Why were you awa'? My
raistress—my poor mistress! "
• What of her!" demanded Clarence 'Woodville,
quickly. .
"Is she ill ? " Fve burst in, terrified. "I must
Ro to her at once:'
"No, no.. You're too late, my bairn," sobbed the
old woman. "You'll never see her ony mair.27
"Too late! repeated Eve now more than ever
alarmed, and looking appealingly at Mr. Cameron,
w2ho stepped forward. "What does she mean,
Sir?"
"What is unfortunately true, Miss Trenchard,"
replied the young man, gravely. "No assistance
en avail Mrs. Grime now. She is past all human
uelp;

Good heavens! " exclaimed Clarence Wood-
ville, really startled now, while Eve uttered a faint
vl7 of terrified dismay. "You do not mean that
311. e is ~

"No more?—l do, Mr. 'Woodville. The unfortu-
hate lady was quite dead when I was called in,
1330 re than an hour ago," was the grave reply.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
UNDECEIVED.

Like one,
Who having, unto truth, by telling out,
Made such a sinner of his memory,
To credit his own lie.
"NIEAD i" incredulously repeated Clarence Wood-
11e.
u ! deid and awa'. My pair mistress!"
sobbed Jeanie. "She hadna time even for one
Nvord.e
"how did it happen? When ? " asked Woodville,
Whose arm Eve instinctively clung in an agony
°f terror and self-reproach.
" Twa hours syne, answered the old servant, her
,loice choked . by sobs "The doctor came oat
"irectly, buthe-could dae naething. She was awa'
(4. ever we could lift her up.."
10,111, ut how was it ?" again asked Mr. Woodville,
• --lug to the doctor for an explanation. " here
la Miss Desmond i"
" Ah • ye may weel sßeer for her," answered
•
th who was by means inclined to be cat out of
beee Conversation. "She's whaur she should have
11 laug syne, as I thocht a' alang." Chap 3,8
• ; " "That do you mean ?" demanded Clarence a lit le
;t°,,Patiently, though he guessed what was to come.
,Why is she not here ?"
Lecause she's in gaol, that's why," replied
.11.1 e.
:` Where ?"
Just then, in preeson. Twa men and a police-
ti,a.° came hero this vera nicht and took her off for
incu•
„ulg• My puir mistress was by the while,
v/h just killed her; she fell from off her chair
.A,141. they were gane, and never spoke a word after.
4°o, sir, gin ye've nae mair questions to ask
Ye be pleased to gang your gait? This is nae
treVer visitors the nicht. Al tak' care o' Miss
e looked up at this mention of her name.
I eh' Ah, what have I done ?" she moaned. "That
re °u'd have been away at such a time, and for such
as°°, t 00"
wa‘r‘tusil•l'' whispered Woodville, giving her. a
to ring look at the same time. "You have nothing
urotro.Laeh yourself with."
forted Buo shrank from him, refusing to be com-
boand seeing that rords would at that moment
to t°w° away, Clarenra Woodville resigned Eve
i?ltre of the old sea vant, who led her upstairs,
deteme"° remained to hear from Angus Cameron the
°f the events leading to so sad a catastrophe.
h • ere u nt,
04. Qr. not much to tell, indeed, beyond what
accorn e'B4Y been told by Jeanie. Two strangers,
ralit eanied•by a police office; armed, with avaT:
mot, r her arrest, had called'AT tdñ Liiiin" Dee-,
i',,raelaY With them.
"'" what I can learn it was an extradition

warrant," said the young surgeon, "connected with
some frauds in France. Whether she is guilty or
not of course remains to le seen, but it appears she
forced her way to Mrs. Grame and was very violent
before they secured her."
"To Mrs. Grame "
"So I am told. What passed between them, how-
ever' is entirely matter of conjecture. The result
you know. Mrs. Grame has been in feeble health
for some time past. The shock and subsequent ex-
citement were too much for her, and killed her as
though she had been struck down by some deadly
weapon."
"It is very sad—very sad, indeed "returned Mr.
Woodville, very much relieved to find that it was
quite evident that Laura had either not spoken con-
cerning him at all, or— if she had—it was to one
whose lips were now closed for ever. "I am ex-
tremely grieved, though my acquaintance with Mrs.
Grame was not of very long. standing. If there is
anything I can do—any way m which I can be of ser-
vice—l should be glad, though unluckily I have made
all arrangements for leaving Scotland to-morrow, and
lihave rather important matters to attend to --"
"I don't think, under the circumstances, that
there is any occasion for you to postpone your
departure," replied Mr. Cameron, who was of
course perfectly aware that Woodville's right to
help was of the most limited description. "Only
relations or very intimate friends can interfere at
such a time."

'But Miss Trenchard has none here, I believe."

"It will not be long so. I found out from the
servant where to address, and sent a telegram at
once to Miss Trenchard's guardian. He would not
receive it till too late to catch to-night's mail, but he
will probably take the first to-morrow, and be here
by the evening."
Even as he spoke a sharp rat-tat was heard at the
doer, and the answering message from Mr. Sartoris
was handed to the doctor, who passed it over to
Clarence Woodville.

"Then I can of course do nothing," said that
gentleman, after perusing the communication, which
merely said that Mr. Sartoris would be on the spot
as soon as trains would allow.

"Nothing, that I can see," was the doctor's
reply.
And after a few more common-place words and
expressions of regret, Clarence Woodville took his
departure from the house without for a moment
allowing the thought that he was more than in-
directlyresponsible for what had taken place to enter
his mind as he walked away with a smile of sinister
triumph upon his face.
" All's well that end's well," he muttered to him-
self. "There is nothing to fear now. She is mine
at last. Mine, fairly won, since all is fair in love
as well as in war—and this proceeding was a little
of each. I must see her again, though, to make
everything secure. Fortunately there can be nobody
in the way before to-morrow night, unless my
esteemed friend, young Sawbones, takes it into his
head to mount guard over unprotected innocence.
But even in that case I daresay I can find a way to
get rid of him for a while."
Accordingly the following morning Clarence
Woodville made his appearance at the house, which
he had been at the trouble of watching for more
than an hour previously, having seen Angus
Cameron admitted, and waited till the young doctor
came forth once more and was well out of sight
before he ventured up to the door, and, after an
upward glance at the closed windows and drawn
curtains, gave a subdued knock.
He was answered by Jeanie, who surveyed him
with anything but a friendly glance. She had
never taken Eindly to the visitor who had intro-
duced himself so oddly to her mistress from the first,
and a few chance words that she had overheard
fall from Laura Desmond the preceding day, during
the interval that elapsed between her arrest and
removal—words of mad passion and revengeful
menace with which the name of Clarence Woodville
was coupled—had not tended to lessen the distrust
she felt towards him.

There had been nothing tangible, however—
nothing that Jeanie could understand in what she
overheard, though it was quite enough to confirm
her worst impressions and render her doubly certain
that she had not been mistaken in crediting the pair
with a more intimate acquaintance than they chose
to avow. _ _

Consequently it was with a very forbidding look
that she greeted Mr. Woodville's appearance at the
door, which she only partially opened, filling the
space with her spare figure in a way that told him
plainly he would find it no easy task to obtain
entrance.

And he was right.
" Wha'll ye be seeking the noo ?" she asked.
"This is a hoose of mourning, as ye ken wed."
"I hope you don't think I should intrude at such
a time except upon ithe most urgent business," he
replied in his smoothest tones. "I assure you-"
"Hoot, mon ! " exclaimed Jeanie, interrupting
him with a contemptuous abruptness. "Is this
the time to be fashing aboot busineoe_ and the
breath no oot o' my pair leddy a day! ae, nae
gang your ways, and leave us oor lane. Your
business 'll keep, nae doot."
"That may be your opinion, my good woman,
nut it is not by any means mine," coolly returned
Mr. Woodville. "So let me in, please."
He could read character quickly enough to see
that there was not the smallest probability of
seducing such an antagonist with fair words or
honeyed speech. To such she was invulnerable,
and the opposite course, if not quite certain of
success, would be much more likely to serve him in
good stead.
So he assumed a resolute air, and made as if he
would pass her.
But Jeanie stood her ground stoutly, and never
offered to stir an inch to make way for him.
"You'll no come in, I'm telling ye," she said.
" Indeed ! Well, then—sorry as I am—by your
leave."
It was not what he would have ventured upon
under ordinary circumstances, but having satisfied
himself that it was the only way, he quietly seized
the woman's arm and put her aside, entering the
hall at the same time and closing the door behind
him.
What might have happened then it is impossible
to say, for Jeanie, unused to such indignity, and
stung to sudden wrath, began to clamour at such a
rate, and raised her voice so high, that passers by
the house must have been attracted by the uproar.
But, fortunately for Mr. Woodville, before that
came to pass another person appeared on the scene,
in the shape of Eve Trenchard, who, pale with
weeping, wan and hollow.eyed from her nights
vigil, came hurriedly down the sta;rs at the sound
of Jeanie's loud cries. -

"What is the matter ? " she cried, not recogn;sin
Woodville in the dim light that the closed shutters
made. "Who is this gentleman? Ah ! "
"A bonnie gentleman, indeed ! " angfly broke
in Jeanie, "to push past an auld body like that into
a house where there's a corpse lying streekit upstairs.
But he kens fine there's no a mon here to face him.
or he wouldna hao dared --"
"Hush, Jeanie ! " said the girl, in a tone of 'quiet
command that quelledelthe old sormnt's angry tor-
rent of speech, and advancing towards them with
an appearance of dignified composure, though her
colour came and went rather rapidly as she felt,
rather than saw, Clarence Woodville's mocking
smile. "You must be mistaken. Mr. Woodville
would not so far forget himself, I am sure."
"You only do me justice, Miss Trenchard,"
observed that gentleman, "though I must plead
guilty to having been more persistent in seeking
to obtain speech with you than ordinary circum-
stances would warrant, especially at so sad a time.
But I have something most important to say—as
you are aware" he added significantly; "and as I
am obliged to leave for the south to-day, I must
beg you to excuse my apparent rudeness, and grant
me the favour of a few minutes' interview.'
" Ah, no! I—l cannot,' answered Eve, while
Jeanie stood sullenly by, not at all satisfied that it
was not her duty to call assistance, and have this
obnoxious intruder expelled—a course she would
surely have taken had Eve given her the slightest
encouragement. You must not ask me, indeed
you must not, Mr, Woodville."
"have you no other name than that for me,
Eve!" he whispered, approaching her more nearly,
but warned both by her terrified, imploring look
and Jeanie's attitude to venture no further. "I
tell you I must and will speak to you privately—
unless you would prefer that yonder grim old
Scotchwoman should hear what I have to say to
you."
" No— ah, no !"
"I thought not. In that case send her away."
This, however, Eve would not do, and a compro-
mise was at last effected by her directing Jeanie to
withdraw to the further end of the hall—a com-
mand which she very reluctantly obeyed—while
Eve and Clarence Woodville exchanged a few
hastily-spoken words in an undertone near the
door
The colloquy—broken as it was with tears and
Bobs that half-choked her utterance on Eve's part,
and sen,ences half tender, half imperious, from
Clarence Woodville—did not last above a few
minutes.
"You will remember all I have told you," he said
in conclusion.
"Yes, yes; how can I forget ?" Eve sobbed in i
answer.
"And, above all, be careful to obey my direc-
tions," he went on. "Keep strict silence till you
hear from me."
With which, giving her a warning look as he de- ,
parted, Clarence Woodville went his way, much to
the old servant's relief, and Eve flew upstairs to .
her own room—passing the closed door of that ,
wherein such dread silence reigned with a shudder ,
she could not repress—to weep, bitter, scalding tear
of unavailing regret, of hopeless misery, and wait
the coming of her guardian.
lie came at last, deeply shocked at the occasion
which had forced this hurried journey upon him,
and Eve flew to his arms with a low cry of relief, as
thou h his presence had taken some at least of the
trouble that had fallen upon her from her shoulders.
Not much passed between them that night. Eve
was unable to give Mr. Sartoris any particulars as
to the charge upon which Laura Desmond had been
arrest ek did he much press her upon. the,pointi,.
being TcT a certain extent conscious that his own
carelessness in selecting a companion for his ward
with so little regard to precaution, had brouaht

about such disastrous consequences, and thought it
better to ignore the subject as soon as possible.
" It has been a sad business, a very sad business,
my dear," he said, as they parted for the night.
"no wonder you look ill—and you do look very iii
—after such a shock. But I must take you away as
soon as possible. Change of scene will soon bring
the roses back to your cheeks, and—if it is a time
to speak of su'h things—Leonard will be home
shortly to cheer you up."
" Leonard ! Coming home 1"
"Yes. Why, how scared you look, child! What
is there to frighten you in such an announcement?"
"Nothing. I was not frightened, only surprised."
"I don't see why. You didn't expect he was
going to stay at the other end of the world for ever,
did you ? "
"No, of course not. Is—his—hie wife coming,
too?"
Mr. Sartoris looked at her as though he thought
she had suddenly taken leave of her senses.
"His what?" he repeated.
__

"His wife."
"What on earth put such an idea as that in your
head, you silly child?" said Mr. Sartoris. "If
Leonard Grant ever has a wife —pshaw !—don't
you know who it will be ?"
"No—how should I? I heard he was married."
"And have been fretting over the absurdest
fiction that was ever invented, I suppose? Why,
who could have told you that? The boy has no
thought for anyone except yourself. Who told you
such a lie ? "
But to this question Eve made no reply. Readily
as she had received the story of his faithlessness,
even more readily were her eyes opened now,
though on no stronger evidence, to her folly in
having believed it on the bare assertion of a
stranger.
"How could I—how could I mistrust him so ? "
she moaned, when she was alone. "True, true, to
me and I—oh, Len, Len! what have I done?
What have I done?"

(To be continued.) 1