The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-11-03 00:00:00

EVE AT THE WHEEL.

a MANVILLE FENN.
duthor of if Ship Ahoy," "Dutch, the Diver," " The
Foundry Belle," 4-c., #O.

CHAPTER XXIX.
• TROUBLESOME PATIENT.
GRACE MONROE had need to cling to her com-
Daniell for protection, the loud savage shriek being
l'ePeated, and a wild-looking figure approaching
dowly out of the darkness.
At first it was evident that they were not seen;
f(ir Deborah came on eagerly scanning the ground
lll'oand her, as if looking for some one lying asleep:
but as she came close up she caught sight of Giaee
)...lonroe, and dashed at her with maniacal fury. In
Met, so sudden was the onslaught, that but for
Ilelston's promptness, serious injury would have
Ixten inflicted.
t.lie darted between them, and caught Deborah in
418 arms trying hard to secure her hands.
Deborah uttered a series of hideous shrieks, and
tore at him in her struggles to escape. Then, sud -
,clenly, she seized his shoulders, placed her face close
Lo his, so as tse gaze in his face, e‘idoatly struggling
With her memory till she recognised him, when a
complete change came over the poor creature, and,
clingine• to one of his arms, she laid her head upon
18 shoulder, completely ignoring the presence of
Grace.
lielston felt his painful position acutely, the more
ao that a low sigh escaped from G'ra e, and she
turned away her head to begin slowly walking
away.
" Grace " he exclaimed, passionately, "would you
have me Do you not see the woman is mad ?"
Grace turned with the result that Deborah's fury
Was renewed, and she etrugg.ed to free hers, lf from
Relstost,'s restraining arms and fly at her rival.
It was all that elston could do to hold her, and.
he only quieted the infuriated woman by 'lustily
Whispering to Grace to go farther a'B ay, his heart
throbbing with pain as he saw the poor gia walk
aome little distance towards the sea, to sit down
npon the shore, and bury her face in her ham's.
"Deborah, this is madness," he said to the dis-
traught creature, blaming himself the next mo—ent
for his ill-chosen words.
e." Has she gone F" whispered Deborah, clinging to
'lnn, and peering up in his face as if to make sure
that he spoke the truth.
"Yes," was the reply, spoken in a distant manner.
For Ilelston's mind was wandering as he thought
of his position, and asked himself what he should
do—how he should control this wild spirit thlt had
tow aroused one of the most terrible phases of mania
the homicidal?
"I mean to kill her," whispered Deborah, clinging
to him more tightly. "I -neve been searching for
her and hunting her these many hours, but she
ftlways ran to the hot lava and hid herself, or else
!lammed along in the smoke on the top. But I shall
have her—l shall have her yet :"
"Come, sit down," said Helston. "Be calm.'
Ile spoke to her, hardly knowing what he said;
and then bitterly he asked himselt where was Lis
Calmness and medical knowledge that he shot,'"
Utter platitudes to a woman in such a condition
"Yes, let UB sit down and rest, and listen to th
roar of the sea, and I will tell you."
She seated herself upon the sands, retainh g a
tight hold upon his hand till he followed her ex-
ample, when she made his nerves thrill with honer
kg she went on in a low hissing whisper—
" Yes, I mean to kill her. I followed her about
With a great stone big enough to crush her wh hod
head; but, as soon as she found I knew where she
was lain down to sleep, she kept getting up and
laughing at me as she went to a distance ; and then,
mocking at me the while, laid down again."
"And did you follow her ?" said Helston, to
4Utriour the speaker.
"Follow her? Yes. And I shall follow her till
I crush her head with the great stone, for she is a
demon. It isn't that cold, smooth-faced, I aefal
Eirl, Grace Monroe; she was killed by the th e.
This is a wicked spirit, who has taken her shape se
as to tempt you, and try and tear you from her wile
!oyes you. Charles, don't listen to her, or she'll
'and you to death and perdition, if I don't kill her
first."

"You must not talk like that," said Helston,
hurriedly, as he ran over in his mind the possibilit,
of binding her hand and foot, and so rendering her
helpless till the paroxysm had passed.
"Not talk so," cried Deborah. " Ah, you don't
believe she is a demon. She is so artful, that she-
has deceived you. But last night she was mocking
rile hour after hour, leading me from place to place,
and trying to get me to foaow her over the binning
lava, so that I might be do-troyed as she wants to
destroy you. Do you hear me? I tell you she is a
terrible demon, trying to destroy us both. I should
have been dead long ago, if I had listened to hei
mocking laugh."
nelston laid his hand upon her burning temples,
as with the other he felt her rapid pulse.
"Yes," she atid, with a sigh of pleasure, as she
sestled towards him, "I knew you would love me,
Charles. o:hit we must be on our guard, or that
Wretch vad come and try to slay you. But lie down
to sleep, you are weary. I will watch over you the
while, and crush a hundred such creatures if they
dare to approach you."
"No," he said, humouring her fancy, "I am not
sleepy yet. Mit tell me about her."
" About that demon ?" she said eagerly. "Yes, I
Will. She has been trying to get me to pursue her;
and when I have refused, she has come close up, and
mocked me, and told me that she loved you, and that
you loved her, as if I did not know that Grace
.Nlonroe was dead, and this was a mocking demon.
But though I would not listen to her, she said such
things of your love for her that at times she mad-
dexed me. She told me you kissed and caressed her;
that you loaned your hands through her long wavy
hair, and threw it over your cheek, while you
Mingled your kisses with hers; and that as you
drew her so tightly to your breast that she could
hardly breathe you kept on telling her, in tones
that never tired, that you loved her more and more
every minute you were together. Then this would
be more than I could bear, and I ran at her to crush
her head with the great stone I carried; and then—
then

"—Well," he said, for Deborah paused, listening.
"What was that ? " she said. "1 heard a sob."
"The restless sea," he replied, "sighing and sob-
bing on the shore."
"No wonder," she muttered, half en herself, as
she let herself sink down till she lay resting on her
elbow, but with her head against Helston's breast,
and one hand tightly retaining his—" no wonder
that it sighs, and sobs, and weeps upon the sands;
for it is all tears—tears, salt tears—the tears of the
weary souls who have wept their lives away since
the world began. I nearly wept myself away while
that creature kept me shut up in the cabin of the
ship. Hark, how it sighs again! Poor sea, poor
sea, poor sea!"
A hope sprang up in flelston's breast. This mad
Paroxysm had lasted a long time now, and Deborah
must be fearfully exhausted, having probably never
slept nor partaken of food since her rescue irom the
cabin. She might then sleep heavily in a short
time, and iso relieve him from his terrible dilemma,
the possibility being that she might prove less dan-
gerous when she awoke.
"Yes" cried the wretched woman. "She mad-
dened me at last with her lies—for they were lies,
ag you only love me—till I could bear it no longer,
and I rushed at her; when twenty—a hundred—
thousands of times—she fled right to ths burning
lava, and walked over it, thinking I shovdd follow,
and be burned to cinders, and ashes, and dust ; while
she stood mocking and laughing at me, and then re-
turned to pursue you!,
"But you did not follow her," said Holston,
quietly.
"Follow her? No. She was cunning, but so was
; and I would not go, but hung back, and went
and sae down by the sea till she came and tempted
ma again. It was very horrible; but I was not afraid,
for I had your love to comfort me."
"Poor soul," half murmured Ralston, and she
sank lower in the soft sand.
"There," she whispered, taking his hand, and
laying it upon her forehead, "keep that thus; it is
cool and soft, and pleasant ; for my head burns as if
it was full of lava—hot, molten lava. Do you know
Whit it is ?"
"You are very feverish," he said, quietly, as he
let his hand rest where she had placed it.
" Feverish?" she cried, with a low' curious laugh.
"No; it is her words. She seemed to dart them
Into my brain, and they have lain there since and
burned. But it doesn't matter; I shall kill her
100 n. Listen, Charles; I told you she was a
demon ?"
"Yes," he said, bending over her face, just dimly
been by the faint light of the stars.
continued Deborah, in a dreamy way,
and speaking very slowly, "if she came to me only
as a demon, I could not do it; the stone would pass
throuel her head as if it were her shadow. But
she comes like Grace Monroe was when alive. She
tempts me in that way; and as she is in that body,
I can crush her, as I shall crush h.% when she lies
asleep. Stop! What's that ?"
She 'spoke these last words with a return of her
former excitement, and half rose to her elbow.
"The sea," said Helston, quietly. " Only the
falling of the waves upon the shore.''
"Yes,' she said, sinking back, "the falling of
the fib ds of salt, salt tears upon the shore—the
tears of thousands of millions of poor, lost, weary
Women who loved—and loved—and loved—too
well; some to be despi-ed and cast away—too well,
e°ros, but never to gain one gentle word—one
loving, kind caress—one kiss from the Fps to whose
music they had listened—music never meant for
them. Poor souls, poor souls, poor souls! So hard,
O litter and hard to love so fondly, and so wel.
Charles, pity them, as I do, even now, as their
floods of salt, salt tears come pouring on these thirsty
sands ! To love and weep because their love was
never returned by the cruel, held men to whom they
Were devoted, and for whose one tender word they
lima lie down and die ! " - •
:Hr voice was faint, low, and musical now, heard
ths 'alga fawn at the nicht : and as