The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1870-12-27

Farquhar, removing only her dress, after
commencing herself to Heaven, lay down
on the couch beneath the bed-clothes,
and, worn out with the unwonted fa-
tigues of the day and hardships OF the
journey, speedily fell asleep.
She had slept-as she afterwards said
she believed-nearly an hour, when a
rat running across her face caused her
to start violently from her slumber, with
that feeling of vague horror which we
all of us feel-when suddenly reused
from sleep in disagreeable manner in
strange place Her first impulse of dis
gust was so great as almost to force
scream from her; but by violent effort
she restrained it. Indeed, the occur
renee, which was naturally at first SO re-
pulsive to her, she subsequently cons;d-
cred as providential.
1t was some moments ere she suffi-
GENTLY regained her faculties to remem-
Der where she was, and when she did so
she became conscious that some person
near her were carrying on conversation
in subdued tones-yet so close at hand
A.. that their voices appeared TO issue from
beneath her very pillow. Somewhat sur
prised, and, perhaps, also little startled
although naturally of a brave disposition
Miss Farquhar turned her eyes toward
the beds head, and then perceived for
the first time that there was sort of
chink or crevices in the wall, occasioned
by the pulling away of some of the plas-
ter, which had left couple of laths ex-
posed. This was the more plainly visible
as her own apartment being in total dark
ness admitted the rays of light from the
adjoining one, which she knew to be the
chamber, or kitchen, in which the party
had supped.
A little surprised to find that her COM
panions should so far overcome their fa-
tigue as to be still out of bed, and not a
little curious to to know what could have
detained them from their rest at such an
hour, Miss Farquhar turned on her couch
and applied her eyes to the aperture in
the wall
She then perceived that the sole occu-
pants of the kitchen were the mistress
of the house and the supposed grazer,
who had formed one Of the stage-coach
party.
The pair were but few yards distant
from the now rather alarmed governess,
and she remarked, with inward mis-
givings that a close and confidential init
macy appeared to exsist between them
Both appeared somewhat excited, the
cause Of which might, perhaps, be the
brandy bottle which stood on the table be-
tween them
The quick eye of Miss Faruuhar
however, noticed with extreme surprise
that the two glasses of brandy-and- water
which she and the coachman had declined
taking still stood on the table untouched
as did also the half-emptied one of Mr..
Hartley, and this Notwithstanding the
fact that both man and woman continu-
ally replenished their own glasses from
the green bottle.
A cold thrill Of horror shot through
Miss Farquhar as her ready wit sugges-
ted reason for this Were those glas-
ses of which her party had partaken
drugged And if so was not that the
reason why, Wnen the old woman had
brought them in on the tray, she had Sc
lected two, retaining one, and giving the
other to the grazier? Were they, in short
accomplices for the robbery and, possibly
the murder of their guests?
As these thoughts crowded one after
another into the governesss brain, she
remembered that it had been the seeming
grazier who had brought them to this
house, and that, though he all but dis
claimed acquaintanceship with its mis-
tress, he was yet evidently on intimate
and long-standing terms of friendship
with her.
AS Miss Farquhar thus reflected, her
convictions became certainties, and she
felt deadly faintness creeping over her
to which nine women out of ten in her
circumstances would have given away.
Catherine, however, was not naturally
weak of mind, and she remembered that
possibly-nay, almost certainly-the
safety of the whole party depended on
her retaining her presence of mind Sum-
moning all her resolutions to her aid,
therefore she Law intentIv lisfan;no