Litchfield enquirer., 1869-06-24
not your nncle, Lord Trevelyan,

! and he confines himself closely to the Park. leading savage and morose exis tence."
 have heard the same," replied the Lady Beatrice. Lord Treyelyan has chan ged greatly during the past fifteen years. You will visit him tomorrow" "Yes. My uncle is very exacting, and would hardly forgive me if he knew that l had visited even here before coming to him. People would talk too, if I were not attentive to him." and Lord Adlowe smiled, :; for at his death he will leave me one of the richest men in the kingdom. You know that my claims upon him are second only to those of Godfrey Trevelyan, my cousin. Had Godfrey lived, should have little to look forwarl to-
 'Lord Trevelyan is fonder of you than he was of your cousin, is he not?" asked the Lady Beatrice, staring into the fire.
 :" He professes to be- was the reply. " l hope he is, for he hated poor Geoffrey as if he had been deadly enemy. Geof- frey had no tact to manage him. Poor fel- low! Geotfrey was not fitted to cope with the world! If he had lived, he would have covered his name with disgrace-'
 :" Not so!. interrupted the Lady Bea- trice. hot flush glowing in her cheeks,
 
 Godfrey was wild, passionate boy, with great faults, perhaps, but also with great virtueS-''
 Do you number his assault upon and robbery of his uncle among the former or the latter?" questioned Lord Adlowe, with ironical emphasis. eff Geoffrey were alive" he added in,pressiveIy, s.my lcle would leave no effort untried to bring him to punishment. Lord Trevelyan is very vindictive in his disposition.
 :" He might forgive and forget, since he believes Godfrey dead," said the Lady Be- atrice in 8 low tone, and with averted face,
 It Is seventeen years since we heard that Godfrey was dead, is it not?' asked Lord Adlowe, as if musingly, but with the keenest and most furtive of glances direct ed towards his hostess ."We received a Brazilian paper-I think it was Brazilian: at any rate it was South American-with a notice of his death in it's columns. We also received letter from some Spaniard or Portuguese, stating that Geofrey had died at his house, and had begged him with his last breath to write tidings of his fate. There was in the letter certificate of burial. Upon these data we believed Godfrey to be dead.'
 The evidence was conclusive enough" !" l should think" said the Lady Beatrice, in cold voice.
 "Of course it was conclusive" replied Lord Adlowe. But have doubts some times of it's truth. What if the whole sto ry of his death were an imposture? Geof- frey knew that our uncle hated him enough to pursue him over the whole earth, He would not have dared to return to Eng land, for fear of imprisonment and dis grace. Is it not probable that Geoffrey should have forged proofs of his death, changed his name, and settled down some- where in distant country to await news of my uncle's death. Lord Trevelyan dead, Godfrey can walk the earth again without fear, a rich and titled man.
 "A rather fanciful explanation, I think" said the Lady Beatrice, in a voice firme than usual. eff it were true, and Geof- frey were to return, you would not be pleased, suppose.
 Lord Adlowe's face dar' '-ened at the bare possibility of such an event.
 s'Geoffrey's return would impoverish me, he said. ssHe is Lord Trevelyan's brothers son, and of course the nearest heir. If Godfrey were to come, back at my uncle's death, he would inherit the Trevelyan title and fortune. But eighteen years of silence, and the proofs too-surely he is dead" +la
 He uttered the last words in a tone of relief His apprehensions had been quiet- ed by the manner of the Lady Beatrice. For years he had been tormented by occa- sional doubts of his cousins death, and he had finally persuaded himself that, if liv. ing, Godfrey Trevelyan would communi- cate the fact to his former betrothed. He had watched her keenly and closely, and had become convinced that she believed Godfrey dead.
 The next words of Lady Beatrice con frmed this opinion.
 ''The Spaniard wrote that Godfrey died of fever," she said, quietly. ssHe was woln out by his long sea voyage and his anxieties. He ventured out imprudently the day after landing, exposing himself to the monday sun. We know that Gaofrey went to South America, for he wrote me a long letter within an hour of his going ashore, He wrote to his uncle by the same post, but Lcrd Trevelyan declared to me that he never received the letter. Some one must have intercepted it.' 55
 Lord Adlowe flushed guilty.
 s.I have always thought that Godfrey had some enemy who melted his uncle against him." pursued the Lady Beatrice. ''Wh0n G6Onroy was lad, ms uncle loved him, he grew to hate him as he grew older, but it must have been because some envi- ous person spoke falsely against poor Geof- frey, making his faults into crimes, and Lord Trevelyan to believe that the boy desired his death." ,s.sa.
 Lord Adlowe moved uneasily in his chair.
 We have chosen an unpleasant subject to converse upon, Lady Beatrice ; he said. ssLet us dismiss it from our thoughts. Geofrey is dead. have come back to England to be your suitor. T cannot live you, Beatrice," and his voice be- came full and passionate. sI have loved you for years. Just give me chance to prove my love. will wait for weeks, months"
 "My answer then would be the same as now, Lord Adlowe, and it it is now what it was five years since, can never marry you"
 "I refuse to accept that answer!" declar- ed Lord Adlowe with fierce emphasis. "Yon shall yet look kindly upon me-yet promise to become my wife!'' 't@
 The lady Beatfice looked at him haught- fly her eyes flashing with anger at his per sistence in offering his unWeicome love She met gaze. strong, fierce, and passion ate. She saw that he was in earnest-tbat he would not take negative answer. She