The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-03-06 00:00:00

[ALL TIIGITTS RESERVED.I
RIDDEN PROOFS.

CHAPTER IX.
Walk in, walk in at the open gate,
The road to ruin is broad and straight

'Mid the goodly company met to sin,
There are duke's and lords—walk in, walk in.
WE have left one brilliant scene, and we enter another,
Though of a different description. Here are all the
!IPPurtenances of wealth and luxury; but the society
).4 of a somewhat heterogeneous kind. Seated, stand-
Or lounging through the rooms, are men of all
ages, and apparently of all ranks, from the nobleman
'940 keeps his stud and pack of hounds, whose voice
sways the senate, and whose broad acres spread far and
Isicle through many a county, down to the bankrupt
4nd ruined spendthrift, who, when he leaves the roof
lhat now shelters him, knows not where to lay his
ead• We are, in short, in a gambling-house--most
4PPropriately denominated a hell. The rogue et nozr
table, with.its covering of green baize, and its re-
ILcilving ball, is in the centre of the highly-illuminated
whilst the rattling of dice, the muttered oath,
half-ftenzied exclamation, the monotonous voice
13f the banker, the drawing of the champagne corks,
Vci the incessant hum of conversation, form a com-
ination of sounds well fitted to represent Pandealo-
11iuni.

IWo youths were lounging listlessly through the
Z,endid apartments, and stopping occasionally to
atch the players. In one of them we recognise
4lfred Glanville.
Confound it, Glanville !" exclaims his companion,
bet, or do something. Why did we come here F,
Was I not progressing homewards quietly, and
editating what excuse to make to my lady mother for
Ilbsenting myself from Mrs. Templemore's ball, when
taet you, Dormer, and you insisted bn dragging me
tlere to witness the winning of your wager, which, by
the Way, you have lost; and I tcld you I would
teither play nor bet to-night ?''
“Ah, I remember now, my dear fellow."
"Glanville," said a third voice, from a group of
?)(301-Ing men they were passing, "it is said that base-
-41. brother of yours--"
," Who calls my brother base-born?" said Alfred,
'tuning round furiously upon the speaker.
t A roar of laughter from the whole group was the
eq)ollse,, and the gentleman who had first spoken,
continued—
" Why, hang it, man, if he were true born, where
'Would your barony of Ravenside be?"
1 None," cried Alfred, choking with passion, "shall
11,a8ult my absent and noble brother with impunity !"
;&.ad ere his companion could seize his arm, the in-
Urated youth had struck the insulter to the
f1.h911111. The action sobered the whole party. No-
lag is more dreaded in these establishments than a
LUarrel which may le,ad to a fatal termination, and so
,„'•"iv public attention to the gambling-house and its
enabers. To lift and restore the prostrate man to
nscleusness was the work of a few moments; but
attempts to force an apology from either party were
Vain.

" Cowardly scoundred !" said Alfred. "You have
'den attempted to fasten a quarrel upon me; failing
tre direct heirs, your father would become Baron of
venside. Ay, you may quail ; all here will now pretty
Veil understand your motive for these insults; but I
illOve you what is called satisfaction when and
Biere you like." And taking the arm of Dormer,
4lfred left the house, whilst most of the gentlemen
resent shrank from the side of his antagonist, feeling
l had laid himself open to a serious charge, not
°asened by the knowledge that he was a dead shot,
411c1 nearly double the age of his adversary.
t.„ Shortly after the departure of Alfred, Seymour
'lendower also left, accompanied by a friend.
"This is an awkward affair, Seymour," said his
Paujon " What steps do you mean to take ?"
ea" Challenge him, of course, the insolent boy! I will
1111130 n you in the morning; in the meanwhile ben
rri for I feel knocked up after having been knocked
tir'n- Ha! ha" And with this miserable attempt
nairth they parted.
, "Challenge him ! ay," he exclaimed, between his
‘e:enched teeth, as he strode rapidly homeward alone,
uand shoot him too. What care I what the world
ZinkS or says? Who could have dreamt that the
Ong, rash fool had fathomed my designs so correctly?
e,iety will look coldly on me for a while; but tune
ta"l,l soften down, and gold will gild, its asperity; so
011 e your will, Alfred Glanville. Luckily, Ravenside
tot yours to bequeath."
tPdis heartless soliloquy brought Mr. Seymour to his
-11-Rees door.
talk the meantime Alfred and Dormer had reached
%betel where the latter was staying.
Will remain here till this unpleasant affair is
wed, Dormer," said Alfred, the morning after the
"I do not wish to meet my mother at
kltesent,,,
it,4B Alfred ceased speaking, the waiter announced
-4'. Percival, and Glanville left the room.
h.,: ;MY presence," said Percival, "will, I believe,
my errand; but can nothing be done to avert
rneeting ?—an apology from Mr. Glanville ?"
.crl Nothing on our side," said Dormer, hastily. "Mr.
"ille wishes the affair settled as speedily as
Possible:,
‘,l
157, n ti"tt ease," said Percival, "we must, I suppose,
d to business."
4„,The preliminariis of the meeting were quickly
„ntled; the weapons, pistols; the hour, six in the
laing ; the place, a small dingle, or dell, a sweet,
-`,9.llestered nook, about ten miles from the metro-
; and so the gentlemen shook hands and parted,
ta though they had been arranging a pleasant party.
thank Heaven, thou art of the past! Many
cirrtB thou hast desolated, many children made
Alfred spent the greater part of the day in
Vriti
ng to his mother and Maurice. He entreated the
ict)4lller to seek a reconciliation with his brother, and
elle had— as he, Alfred, had oftZn suspected—
arnged him, to see him reinstated in his rights: he
atis!lr,ed her the feeling that he was enjoying wealth
nunours not his own, had embittered his life and
lit °en him forth to the haunts of dissipation. To
t, aurice he opened his whole heart; besought him, by
tone love they had borne each other, to forgive arid
trillllB°le his mother in her hour of desolation. He
hejted he might prove his right to their father's in-
D,‘"tance. Sealing and addressing thesa epistles, he
thee them in charge to Dormer to be delivered in case
et ttieeting terminated fatally.
ro; noia't anticipate anything so horrible, my dear
said his good-natured friend.
cold some days Alfred had felt, at intervals, an icy
.erless creeping over him, and a sharp pain in his
but he paid no attention to these symptoms.
Theerraer aroused him at four, and they were soon at
lace of their destination.

CHAPTER X.
It has a strange, quick jar upon the ear.
That cocking of a pistol, when you know
A moment more will bring the sight to bear
Upon your person, twelve yards off or so.
da,:TriPta, indeed was the dell, with its turf of spring
tBles, and its long, drooping ferns, its old oaks with
' (Pliet primroses peeping out at their roots, and the
41? creeping round their gnarled trunks. But not
t,lle beauties thus lavishly scattered around them
4,4 turn our party from their deadly purpose.
?rceer and Alfred were first on the ground; Per-
Irev at and Seymour were not many minutes after them.
Nverds were exchanged, and, at the signal, they
,Ared .
th simultaneously; Alfred discharging his pistol in
t„.° air, and at the same moment falling heavily on the
b'eensward.
4 Rit, by Jupiter r cried Percival, who ran to assist
Ici(3trlsTter in lifting his friend; while Seymour looked on
'1 a pale facQ, but a demoniac smile curling his
Proud lip,
txrrnhe doctor, who had been brought with them,
bra tubed Alfred's wound, which was below the left
tr east, and ascertained that the bullet had glanced
°ll-1 the ribs and taken a downward direction, and he
teed it best to extract it at once.
e wound was dressed in a few minutes.
eYraour, coming forward for the first time, said—
Oh. It will not prove serious, I hope. He brought it
Can we assist you r
ie surgeon looked at the man who stood before
ttria.; and theta turned his eye significantly on the
p, icken boy, whom he held in his arms. His manner
a 8 cold and stern, as he answered—
tZ,We need no assistance, sir; and as to his wound,
1,411y0u had better cross the Channel for a few
'css.
Oreu
„ wits
tors chambers of Maurice, whither Dormer had pm-,
ed them. Though shocked beyond measure,
therice made every arrangement for the comfort of
n sufferer, and despatched Mr. Rawthorne to ac-
111aint Lady Marion with her son's situation.
AS gently as possible did the good old lawyer fulfil
IL ask; but her grief was a fearful thing to behold.
pe-," :":3" Marlon was not easily moved; those trifling and
fie 3" cires which so often fritter away life's happiness
th,,teelY annoyed her; but if the stronger passions of
a Oind were aroused—hatred, revenge, remorse—her
reotielifi were fearful.
h:are destroyed him, Rawthorne," she exclaimed;
Of, al'e murdered my boy. No wonder in his hour
°n3" he turns to Maurice rather than to me. Oh,
sgq I recall the past r
Al4,e°,cipose yourself, lady," said Mr. Rawthorne.
,;":„..,red will recover."
15 heart is broken, I tell you," was the answer.
titfs::Parated the brothers; forbade Alfred, as he
ncl my curse, to associate with Maurice, and he
scenes of vice and dissipation—he is ruined
land soul."
hlt.4b_grY as he had been at Lady Marion's conduct,
fitte'amthorne pitied her now; but he made no further
Alb:Pt at consolation, and they drove in silence to
ale:37-square. Under any other circumstances the
ha, between Maurice and his step-mother would
"-'en awkward enough, but at present both were
the: grossed with the thoughts of Alfred's danger,
they,
to forget all causes of discord, as seated
ksi.„lB bedside they watched his waking, for he was
hiss'al) 'When his mother arrived. At length he opened
lovjes. and as he fixed them alternately on each
„_fted anxious face, he murmured—
,,,,Alother —broth er r
/14,117 bent over him, and he feebly joined their
1:01.1 will love each other as I have loved you
Dr -1 he said, looking anxiously at his mother as he
ekssed her hand.
Corti
and Pose yourself, dearest Alfred," said Maurice,
zna We Will be „
CIO all you wish • agitation in your state
ady .I.Y fatai.
' -, Glanil r.le Dressed her lire 01 the Dale brow of

the sufferer, and is she did so her tears fell fast on his
face.

"Do not weep, dearest mother; I shall be well soon.
and we shall all be happy."
Though no words of reconciliation had passed be-
tween Lady Glanville and Maurice, yet, as they spent
a part of each day together at the bedside of Alfred,
a kiridly feeling gradually grew up between them,
which the invalid was not slow to notice and encourage.
One morning, about a fortnight after the duel, Lady
Marion presented herself at Mr. Rawthorne's office.
"I have called," she said, "to ask if you have taken
any steps to prove the right of Maurice to the name
and fortune of his father?' _ _ . .

"Not yet," was the answer. "This melancholy
affair has engrossed the whole attention of Glanville,
and he would not permit me to name it at present."
"Lose no more time, Rawthorne; Alfred is con-
valescent, and there is no saying what harm Pulsford
may do; I understand he is even now at Ravenside."
Thus authorised, Mr Rawthorne put all in proper
train, and in a short time Maurice was publicly
acknowledged Baron of Ravenside, to the dismay of
Pulsford, who received notice to render a full and
strict account of all moneys received and disbursed
during his agency. As the discomfited lawyer
quitted Mr. Rawthorne's office, he encountered the
Honourable Talbot Glendower.

"Hark ye, sir," he said; "if your account with me
Is not settled in twenty-four hours,you may find your-
self unpleasantly lodged. I want money, and I must
have it."

Two days after the Honourable Talbot found him-
self in the Fleet Prison. _

Alfred, as far as his wound was concerned, seemed
progressing towards recovery; but there was a hectic
flush on his cheek, and a glitter in his eye, which
gave those who loved him great uneasiness. The
doctor's opinion was unfavourable; his zonstitution
was not fitted to stand a career of dissipition, and the
effects of this duel had been very injurious to hiin. A
return to his native air was expected tp produce a
favourable result—a visit to a southern climate was now
out of the question. Orders were, therefore, despatched
to Ravenside, and every necessary arrangement was
made.

Maurice was at last sufficiently at leisure to wait
upon one whom he felt he had too long neglected.
He found Helen alone, and a flush of something very
like anger passed over her fair face as she came for-
ward to meet him.
"You have been a stranger, my lord," she said
"We fancied you had forgotten old friends."
"My brother's illness must plead my excuse. In
two days, Helen, we leave town. Shall I bear with
me the hope that my seeming neligence has not caused
me to forfeit your esteem ?"
"Maurice," she sad, laying her hand frankly in his,
"I will not trifle with your honest affection—if my
love can secure your happiness be happy."
The entrance of Mrs Templemore recalled them to
the outer world. She congratulated Maurice warmly
on his accession to name and fortune, and with a joyous
heart he took his leave.

CHATTER XI.
From the ileep and troubled waters
Comes the cry,
"Wild are the waves around me,
Dark the sky—
There is no hand to pluck me
From the sad death I die.—MACKAY.
"OH, how beautiful is the country in the glorious
summer time!" thought Maurice, as, along with Lady
Glanville, whose esteem he had gained, and his dearly-
loved brother, he approached the old mansion of his
forefathers. The passage to the grave was never
smoothed more gently than in the case of Alfred Glan-
ville. All that aff wtion could bestow, all that wealth
could purchase, wLs at his disposal. But when hope
was over, Maurice loved his brother too well to
deceive him; and Alfred heard his sentence without
alarm or regret.
At length, one glorious evening in autumn when the
sun was sinking in the west behind its canopy of
purple and gold, Alfred desired to be lifted from the
couch on which he was reclining, that he might look
forth on the fair face of Nature; and then and there,
clasping his mother's hand, and laying his head on the
shoulder of Maurice, he sank with a serene smile to his
dreamless rest. Lady Glanville, who had hoped when
all others despaired, refused to be comforted. She re-
called the question she asked herself when .she took
the first step in crime—" Where will it end ?"—and
felt she had received an answer._ _ _

„
Twelve months have elapsed since the death of
Alfred. A carriage and pair, with the arms of the
Glanvilles and Templemores emblazoned on the panels,
and a postillion in scarlet with white favours at the
horses' heads, tell of a marriage; and speedily Maurice
Glanville comes forth from the porch of River side Castle
with a fair and blushing bride hanging on his arm.
Her satins and laces have been exchanged for a
travelling dress, and Maurice and Helen set out on
their bridal tour.

Seymour, who was still in France, received one
day a letter, informing him of all the strange events
that had occurred.

Throwing himself into a chair, he indulged for some
time in bitter musings.
"Alfred dead—Maurice legitimate—my father the
inmate of a prison! Phsaw !" he exclaimed, at last;
"this is weakness and folly. There is but one thing
for it now. A quick eye and a steady hand, and I
may retrieve myself; if not,--"
He sought the gaming table. The next morning
there was laid in the dead house, for identification, a
body which had been dragged from the waters of the
Seine at an early hour. A gentleman who had a slight
knowledge of Seymour, and had noticed him betting
recklessly in the earlier part of the evening, identfied
it.
Of the few remaining personages who have figured
in our tale our notice will be brief.

Mrs. Templemore took for a second spouse a German
baron, who boasted of many quarterings upon his
shield, and of an old castle on the Rhine, where he in-
sisted upon residing. Being a votary of fashion, she
submitted with a bad grace; but she pays her daughter
and her charming grandchildren an annual visit, and
ever leaves their cheerful circle with regret.
Mr. Rawthorne, finding his presence necessary at all
the merry meetings at Ravenside Castle, tired of
travelling to and fro, and yielding at length to the
entreaties of Maurice and Helen, has abandoned
London, and resides with his protege.
Mr. Pulsford's cunning and chicanery at length
recoiled upon himself. Being caught in a disgraceful
transaction, he was glad to escape its consequences by
a hasty flight to America.
Lady Marion, taught by her own sad experience,
warns the young and happy group gathered around
the cheerful fireside, on many a winter's eve, to pause
when tempted to commit a crime, and remember that
none can foresee to what it may lead.

THE END.