The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-12-03


ing TO go back to the I'm, and to see the medi-
cal student again before he hsd left in the
morning.
Irs:usne5 10 the inn at o'clock, purposely
abstaining from waking Arthur, who ives sleep
ing of the past night excitement on one of
my friends sofas. A suspicion occurred to me
as soon As L was alone in my bedroom, which
made ne resolve that Holiday and the stranger
whose life he had saved should not meet again.
if ! could prevent it. / have already alluded
10 certain reports or scandals which l knew Of
re'snng to the early life of Arthurs father.
While l was thinking, In my bed, Of what had
passed a. the Inn-of the change in the stu
dents pulse when he heard the name of Holli-
DAT; OF the resemblance of expression had
discovered between his face and Arthur's; OF
tie emphasis he had laid on those three words,
81 ny own brother :" and of his Incompetent
sible acknowledgment of his own illegitimacy-
while was thinking of these things, the reports
have mentioned suddenly few into my mind,
AID linked themselves fast to the chain of my
previous reflections. Something within me
whispered, at is best that those two young
msn should not meet again" / felt it before
/ slept; / felt it when l woke; and l went,
as told you, alone to the Inn the next morn
ing.
| had missed my only opportunity of seeing
my namehss patient again. He had been gone
nearly an hour when | inquired for him.
| have now tod you everything that l know
for certain, in relation to the man whom
brought back to life in the double-bedded room
of the Inn az DOncas:er. What l have next to
add is matter for inference and surmise, and is
not, strictly speaking, matter of fact.
have to tell you, frst, that the medical
student turned out to be strangely and unac-
co1ntably right in assuming it as more than
probable that Arthur Holiday would marry
the young lady who had given him the water
colored drawing of the landscape. That mar
riage took place little more than year after
the events occurred which / have Just been
relating. The young people came to live in
the neishborhood in which 1 was then estab-
lished in practice. / was present at the wed.
ding, and was rather surprised to find that Ar
thur was singularly reserved with me, both be-
fore and after his marriage, on the subject Of
the young ladg's prior engagement. He only
referred 10 it once, when we were alone, mere
ly telling me, on that occasion, that his wife
hsd done ali that honor and duty required Of
her In the matter, and that the engagement
had been broken off with tie full approval of
her parents. | never heard more from him
than this. For three years, he and his wife
lived together happily. Al the expiration Of
that time, the symptoms Of a serious illness
day. Ii turned out to be long, lingering,
hopeless malsdy. / attended her throughout
We had been great friends when she was well,
and we became more attached to each other than
ever when she was i'll. / had many long and
interesting conversations with her in the In
teryals when she suffered least. The result. Of
one of those conversations / may briefly relate,
leaving you to draw any inferences from it you
please.
the interview to which / refer occurred
shortly before her death. called one evening,
as usual, and found her alone, with a look in
her eyes which told me that she had been cry
ing. She only informed me, at first, that she
had been depressed in spirits but, by little
and little, che became more communicative
and confessed 10 me that she had been looking
over some old letters which had been addressed
to her, before she had seen Arthur, by man
to whom she had been engaged to be married.
j asked her how the engagement came TO be
broken of. She replied, that it had not been
broken Of, but tina, it had died out in q very
mysterious way. The person to whom she was
eugaged-her first love, she called him-gas
very poor, aud there was no immediate pros.
peet of their being married. He followed my
profession, and went abroad TO study. They
had correspoDded regularly from the time when,
as she believed, he had returned to England.
From that period, she heard no more of him.
de was of fretful, sensitive temperament ;
and she feared thai she might inadvertently
have done or sad something that had offended
him. However tina. might be, he had never
written to her again and, after waiting year,
sas had maEr.ea AssAeE. ssksesaa YberS6 t ne
OF her first lover exactly corresponded with the
time at which l had been called in to nv Anys.
ferrous patient ct The Two Robins Inn.
fortnight after that conversation, she died.
In course of time, Arthur married again. OF
late years, be has lived principally in London,
and have seen little or nothing of him.
have many years to pass over before can
approach 70 anything like conclusion of this
fragmentary narrative. And even when tina:
latter period rs reached, the little that | have
to say viii not occupy your attention for more
than few minutes
Between six and seven years ago, the gentle
man to whom / introduced you in this room
came to me, with good professional recon-
mencatlons, to I'LL the position of my assistant.
We met, not like strangers, but like friends
tne only difference between as being chat was
very much surprised 10 see him, and that he
did not appear st ali surprised TO zee me. If
he was my son or my brother, | believe he
could not be fonder of me than he is but he
has never volunteered any condolences since he
mas oeen here, on the subject of his past Efe
L saw something that was familiar to me in his
lace when We ilrst met; and yet it was also
something tEa- suggested the idea of chance.
had a noticn once that my patient at the Inn
might be natural son of Mr.. HOLIDAYS: had
another idea, that he might also have been the
man who was engaged to Arthur's first wife
and have third idea, still clinging to me.
that Mr.. Lorn ID the only man in England who
could ealghten me-, If he chose, on both these
doubtful points. His hair Ia not black now.
and his eyes are DINNER than the piercing ewes
that remembered; but, for all that, he is very
like the nameless medical student of NV youDg
days-very like him. And sometimes, when [
come home late az night, and fnd him asleep
and wake him, he looks, IN coming to, wonder
fully like the stranger at Doncaster as he raised
himself In the bed on that memorable night
The Doctor paused. Mr.. Geodchild, who
had been following every word that fell from
his lips up to this time, leaned forward eagerly
to ask q question. Before he could say word.
the latch of the door was raised. without ary
warning sound Of footsteps in the passage out.
side. a long, white, bony hand appeared
through the opening, gently pushing the door.
which wss prevented from working freely on its
hinges by fold IN the carpet under IL.
'sThst hand Look al that hand. Doctor ~
said Mrs. Goodchiid, touching him.
At the same moment, the Doctor locked at
Mr.. Goodchild, and whispered to him, sienifi.
cantly-
"Hush he has come back !"
A ROMANCE AT SEA.
The Secretary Of State at Madrid has COM