The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-11-11
DAELY JOURNAL
cHAPTER II-[Continugd.

mana through the she SAID
She could not understand. Sht
looked at The paper as If it were
charm. Then she opened it"slowly
half afraid. half stupefed. It mean
ing did not seem to penetrate hel
mind at first. After a while she CAV,
a loud sudden Strickland turned he
despairipg eyes on me. Her cry wa.
so piercing AID sudden that it ran
through the house and startled ever
one. She was on the verge of hyster.
les, and incapable Of understanding
what was said TO her, but the sight O,
the servants rushing TO the door t.
ask what was the matter. brought bel
to herself. She made a brave effort
and recovered something like compo,
sure, while sen them away; and
then she held out to me the letter.
which she had clutched in her hand.
1t was written 10 pencil, and some
words were illegible. This was what
Harry said:
Something unexpected has hap
pened TO me, my darling. L am
obliged TO leave you without
time wen to say good by. You will
know all about it only too soon. 1t is
ruin, Ada,-and it is my own fault
but / never meant to defraud any
man. God knows [ never meant it.
Try and keep up your heart, dear; 1
believe 1t will blow over, and you will
be able to join me. / will write to
you as Dor as L am safe. You have
your settlement. Don't let anybody
persuade you to tamper with your set
Element. My father will take care of
that ~F AN-hu hnvvl1 49,. ~ LII
dren share my RUM? Forgive me,
dearest, for the trouble l have brought
on you. Idare not pause to think of
it. Gerald is with me. If they come
after me, say | have gone to Bishops
Hope"
What does it mean?" cried poor
Ada, close to my ear. oh tell me, you
are u friendi What does it mean?"
God knows" l said. My own
mind could not take it in, still
less could l express the vague
horrors that floated across me.
We sat together with the lights
blazing round US, the grand piano
open, abe musicians stands still IN
their places. Ada was dressed like a
queen OF fairies or of flowers; her
gown was white, covered with show
ers of rOsebuds. and she had a crown
of natural roses In her bright hair.
don't know how it was that her dress
aud appearance suddenly impressed
themselves on me at that moment.
1t was the horror of the contrast, l
suppose. She looked me ~piteously In
the face, giving up all attempt at
thought Tor her own part, seeking the
explanation from me. What is it?"
she asked. Why has he gone away?
who Is coming after him? D my
Harry my Harryl" the poor young
creature moaned. What could / say?
/ took her in my arms and kissed her.
l could do no more.
At this moment there came a loud
knocking at the door. The house
had fallen into deadly stiffness, and
at that hour Of the night, and in the
state we were, the sound was horri-
Bile. Ii rang through the place as if
1t had been uninhabited, waking
echoes everywhere. Ada's very lips
grew white-she clasped her small
hands together and wrung them. ''Itis
some one who has for gotten some
thing, L said, but my agitation was
50 great that / felt a difficulty ia
speaking. We sat and listened In
trightful suspense while the door was
opened and the sound of voices
reached IS. Ii was not Harry who
had come back; it was not any
one belonging to the place. Sud-
denly Ada rushed to the door
with a flash OF momentary petulance
which simulated strength. Ii tits
any q for Mr.. Gresham, bring him
la here she cried im~periously. / hur-
ried after her and took her hand.
1t was like touching an electric ma
chine. She was so strung to the
highest pitch that only to touch her
made me thrill aud vibrate all over.
And then the two men-two homely
black tigures-startled even in spite
OF thcir acquaintance with strange
sight7, came hesitatipg'y forward In-
to the blazing light TO confront the
flower crowned, jewelled, dazzling
creature, made up of rose and lilly,
aud diamond and pearl. They stood
thunderstruck before her, notwith-
standlpg th~5-assurenee of their trade.
Probably they had never in their lives
seen such IA apparition before. The
foremost cf the two took off his hat
with a look of depreciation. / do not
think Ada had the least idea who they
were. They were her husbands ene-
mics, endowed with a certain dignity
by that fact. But | knew In a mo-
ment, by Instinct, that they must be
L9ndOn detectives In search of him,
and that the very worst possibility of
myfears had come true.
[ cannot tell what We said to these
men, or they to US; they were not
harsh nor u~nfeeling; they were even
startled and awestruck in their rough
way, and stepped across the room
cautiously, as if afraid of hurting
something. We had to take them
over all he house, through the rooms
in which not a single light had been
extiuguished. To see us in our ball
d-resses.amid all that silent, useless
blaze OF light, leading these men
must have been a dreadful
sight. For my part, though my share
IN it was nothing, [ felt my limbs
under me when we had gone
over ali the rooms below. But Ada
took them all over the house. They
asked herquestions, and she answered
them IN her simplicity. Crime might
fed cut of that honest, joyous
but it was innocence, candid
AID open, with nothing to conceal.
which dwelt there. / had to interfere at
lasLand tell them we would answer no
more questions; and then they COM
forted aud encouraged US in their
way. With this fine house and all
these. pretty things you'll have a good
bit of money yet" said the superior
OF the two. and if Mr.. Gresham was
to pay mp. they might come to terms"
Then is it debit? cried /, with a
sudden bound Of hope.