The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-19

the Founding, In alter years, said Mrs. Gold
straw, gently, she was the victim, and you
were the victim, sir. OF dreadful mistake"
He dropped back into his chair THE room
goes round with me, he said. my head my
headln The housekeeper rose in alarm, and
opened the windows. Before she could get to
the door to call for help, sudden burst OF tears
relieved the impression which had at first almost
appeared to threaten his life. He signed en-
treatlngly TO Mrs. Goldstraw not to leave him.
She waited until the paroxysm of weeping had
worn itself cut He raised his head as he re-
covered himself, and looked at her with the
angry unreasoning suspicion of weak man..
Mistake n he said, wildly repeating her last
word. 'How do 1 know you are not mistaken
yourself"
S'There is no hope that / am mistaken, sir.
VIII tell you why, when you are better ft to
hear it.n
Now noww
The tone in which he spoke warned Mrs.
Goldstraw that ii would be cruel Kindness to let
him comfort himself a moment longer with the
vain hope that she might be wrong. few words
more would end it, and those few words Ishe
determined TO speak.
"I have told you,n she said, ''that the child OF
the lady whose portrait hangs there was adopted
in its infancy and taken away by stranger.
am as certain of what say as that am now
sitting here, obliged to distress you SIR, sorely
against my will Please TO carry your mind ON
now, 20 about three months after that time.
was then at the Founding, in London, waiting
TO take some children to our INSTITUTION IN the
country. There was question that day ABOUT
naming an infant-a boy-who had just been
received. We generally named them out oil the
Directory. On this occasion, one of the gentle
men who managed The Hospital happened 10 be
looking over the Register. He noticed that the
name OF the baby who had been adopted oval
ter Wilding) was scratched out, for the reason,
of course, that the child had been removed Tor
good from our care. Here's name to let he
said. Give it to the new founding who has
been received to-day The name was given and
the child was christened. You, sir, was that
child"
The wine merchants head dropped on his
breast 81 was that childP' he said to himself,
trying helplessly to fix the idea in his mind. 81
was that child"
mot long after you had been received into
The Institution, sir, pursued Mrs. Goldstraw, 81
left my situation there, to be married. II you
will remember that, and II you can give your
mind to it, YOU will see for yourself how the
mistake happened Between eleven and twelve
years passed before the lady whom you have
believed to be your mother returned TO the
Founding, TO find her son, and remove him to her
own home. The lady only knew that her infant
had been called Walter Wllding.' The matron,
who took pity on her, could but point out the
only Walter Widing' known in the Institution.
l. who might have set the matter right, was far
away from the Founding and all that belonged
to 1t. There was nothing-there was really
nothng-that could prevent this terrible mis-
take from taking place. feel for you-l do
inde ed, sir! You must tbiuk-and with reason
that it was an evil hour that came here (tnDo-
Gently enough, Pm sure), to apply for your
housekeeper's pla ace. feel as If was to 0lame-I
feel as if ought to have had more self com mand.
If | had only been able TO keep my face from
showing you what that portrait and what your
own words put into my mind, you need never,
to your dying day, have known what you know
now."
Mr.. wilding looked up suddenly. The inbred
honesty of the man rose in protest against the
housekeeper's last words. His MUD seemed to
steady Itself, for the moment, under the shock
that had fallen on 1t.
''Do you mean to say that you would have
concealed this from me If you could ?" he ex-
claimed.
~ hope should always tell the truth, sir, if
was asked, - said Mrs. Goldstraw. And know
it is better for me that l should not have
is it better for you? What use can it serve
now-?"
Should have told it, sir, as I am now stu
ated, If 1t had not been true Z"
81 beg your pardon" :" said the wine merchant,
"You must make allowance for me. This dread
full discovery is something l can't realize even
yet; We loved each other so dearly,-l lelt so
fondly that was her son. She died, Mrs. Cold
straw, in my arms-she oied blessing me as
only mother could have blessed me. And now,
after all these years, to be told she was mol my
motherl o me, o me! don't know what am
saying ~ he cried, as the impulse OF self control
under which he had spokcd moment since
fickered and died out. "It was notthi dreadful
| grief-it was something else that had 1t in
me-you wounded me Just now. You talked as
| if you would have hidden this from me, If you
| could. Don't talk in that way again. 1t would
| have been q crime TO have hioden 1t. You mean
| well, 1 know. / don't want to distress you-you
| are kind-hearted woman. But you don't re-
member what my position is. She lett me all
| that possess, in the firm persuasion that was
! her son. l am not her son. have taken the
| place. have iDnocently got the inheritance Of
| another man. He must be found! How do
! know he is not at this moment in misery, with
| out bread to eat He must be foundl My only
| hope of bearing up against the shock that has
! fallen on me is the hope OF doing something
| which she would have approved. You must
| know more, Mrs. Godstraw, than you have told
me yet. Who was the stranger who adopted the
| child? You must have heard the lady's nameW
| ~ never heard it, sir. have never seen her,
or heard of her, SINCE"
'Did she say nothing when she took the child
| away9 Search your memory. She must nave
| said something
"Only one thing, sir, that can remember. 1t
| was miserably bad season, that year; and
many of the children were suffering from IT..
| When she took the baby away, the lady said to
me, laughing, Don't be alarmed about his
! health. He will be brought up in better
| SWiterzerland.'
TO Switzerland? What part of switzer-
| land ~
"She didn't say, SIR"
"Only that faint cleu!" said Mr.. Widng.
| "An1 quarter of a century has passed since
the child was taken away What am l to do 2
''I hope you won't take of1ense at my freedom,
| sir, said Mrs. Goldstraw; 'Out why should you
| distress yourself about what Is to be done? He
| And If he Is alive, it's not likely he can be IN
any distress. The lady who adopted him was a
| bred and born lady-lt was easy to see that.
| And she must have satisfied them at the Found