The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-05-08
HE KNEW he WAS RIGHT.
BY ANTHONY TRoLLoPE.
Continued.
CHAPTER LIV.
MR.. GIBsON's THREAT.

ed in being neither better nor worse.
Sir Peter would not declare her state to
be precarious, nor would he say that
she was out of danger; and Mr.. Martin
had been so utterly Frustrated by the
nearly fatal effects of his own mistake
that he was quite unable to rally him. |
self and talk on the subject with any
spirit or confidence. When Intercepted,
he would simply reply that Sir Peter
said this and Sir Peter said that, and thus
add 10. rather than diminish, the doubt,
and excitement, and varied opinion
which prevailed through the city. On
one morning it was absolutely asserted
within the limits of the Close that Miss
Stanbury was dead, and 1t was be-
heved for half day at the bank that
she was then lying in articu!O morris.
There had got about, too, report that
a portion of the property had only been
left to Miss Stanbury for her life, that
the Burgesses would be able to reclaim
the houses in the city, and that will
had been made altogether in favor of
Dorothy, cutting ont even Brooke from
anv share in the Interchangeable thus
Exeter had a good deal to say respecting
ths affairs and state of health of our old
friend. Miss Stanbury's illness, how
ever, was true enough. She was much
too i'll to hear anything OF what was
going on,--too i'll to allow Martha to
talk TO her at all about the outside pub
lie. When the invalid herself would
ask questions about the affairs of the
world, Martha would be very discreet
and turn away from the subject. Miss
Staubury, for instance, i'll rs she was,
exhibited most mundane interest, not
exactly in Camilla FrenCh's marriage,
but in the delay which that marriage
seemed destined to encounter. 81 dare
say he'll slip out of it yet" said the sick
lady to her confidential servant. Then
Martha had thought it right to change
the subject, feeling it to be wrong that
an old lady on her death.bed should be
taking Joy in the disappointment of her
young neighbor. Martha changed the
subject, first to jelly, and then to the
psalms of the day. Miss Stanbury was too
weak to resist; but the last verse of the
psalm of the evening had hardly beeu
finished before she remarked that she
would never believe it till she saw it.
at is all in the hands of Him as is on
high, num-" said Martha, turning her
eyes up to the ceiliug, and closing the
book at the same time, with a look
strongly indicative of displeasure.
81 Miss Staubury understood it all as
we'll as though she were in perfect
{; health. She knew her own failings, was
d conscious of her worldly tendencies, and
perceived that her old servant was
Sinking of it. And then Sundry odd
thoughts, halt. digested thoughts, ideas
h too difficult for her present strength,
crossed her brain. Had it been wicked
of her when she was well to hope that a
scheming woman should not succeed in
betraying man by her schemes into an
ill-assoTted marriage; aud If not wicked
then, was it wicked now because she
was i'll And from that thought her
MUD travelled on to the ordinary prac-
tees of death-bed piety. Could an
assumed devotion be Of use to her now,
such a devotion Us Martha was en-.
joining of her from hour to hour in pure
and afectiOnate sOlicitude for her soul
She had spoken one evening of a game
OF cards, saying that n game of cribbage
would haye consOled her. Then Mar
tina, with shudder, had suggested a
hymn, and had had recourse at once to
q sleeping draught. Miss Sbanbury
had submitted, but had understood il
all. IL cards were wicked, she had in
deed been terrible sinner. What
hOpecOuld there be now, on her death
bed, for one so sinfnl3 And she could
not repent of her cards, and would not
try to repent of them, not seeing the
evil of them; and if they were innocent,
why should she not have the consolation
nOw,-when she so much wanted il 7
Yet she knew that the whole household,
even Dorothy, would be in arms against
her, were she to suggest such n thing.
She took the hymn and the sleeping
draught, telling herself that it would
be best for her to Danish snch ideas from
her mind. Pastors and masters had laid
down for her mode of living, which
she had followed, but inditferently, per.
hapS, but still with an intention of
obedience. They had also laid down 4
mode of dying, and il would be we'll
that she should follow that as closely as
possible. She would say nothing more
about cards. She would think nothing
more Of Camilla French. But, as she
so resolved, with intellect half asleep,
with her mind wandering between fact
ana dream, she was unconsciously com
Iortaole with an assurance that if Mr..
Dh0s0n dld marry Camilla French, Ca
devil of a life.
During three days Dorothy went
about the house as omit ~ . ,,',''ii
sitting nightly at her auntIs haS"iSs'
and tending the sick woman with ''' w.
closest care. She, too, had been WIG
and again somewhat startled by fhs
seeming worldliness of her aunt in bar
illness. Her aunt talked TO her abont
rents, aud gave her messages for Brooke
Burgess on subjects which seemed to
Dorothy to be profane when spoken OF
on what might perhaps be death, bed
Aud this struck her the more strongly
because she had a matter of her own on
which she would have much wished to
ascertain her aunt's opinion, if she had
not thought thatit would have been ex-
ceeoingly wrong of her to trouble her