The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1870-09-13
No. 81.

arrangements with Ellis for her personal
comfort, and approaching the trembling
frightened woman, said, simply, "Good-
night" She stared wildly, caught my
hand in hers, and looking UP into my face,
said piteously:
Why doyou shrink so from my touch?
Think charitably of me, if you can. have
been controlled by an iron hand, educated
to this life from my very childhood. But
lately my soul has been aroused, and my
heartsrevolted from the wicked task. 1
might have been safe now. was warned
week ago to leave Newport, but my mad
love for you kept me here. 1 tried to win
you by exciting your jealousy. This very
night Gerald Wayne laid his hand and for
tune at my feet, and refused them, for
your sake. 1t is hard to be scorned and
loathed by you-ay, even broughtto shame
full discovery through your means. Too
late for hope now The die is cast-and
how have 1 loved you all the whiler'
felt my rectitude and manliness giving
way beneath the appalling gaze of those
lustrous and soul-stirring eyes, and tearing
my hand away from her frantic grasp, hur-
ried home, without daring to trust myself
to another look. Restless and miserable,
with sad consciousness of something ter
rible brooding over me, tossed too and fro
upon my bed, for what was left of the far
spent night. At length just after the sun
rose, fell into an uneasy sleep, from which
l was aroused by a hand ON my forehead.
Springing up met Richard Elliss glance
of horror
'She is dead-she has poisoned herselfr'
he said.
"Just Heavenp' 1 cried. And in a
moment more we were hurrying back to the
hotel.
1t was too true. No words can paint my
feelings, as entered the room where lay
the stiff, rigid, distorted form of her who
had glided among the dancers but yester
night, the admired and envied, the obser-
we'd of all observers.
"Who has seen her since I left ?" de-
manded I.
"No one except a stout black whiskeredL
man, who came to the door, saying she was
a relation of his, and he would like to speak
with her moment" answered Ellis. "He
didn't seem to be at all aware that she was
a prisoner, and 1 thought there was no
harm in it. We were i'll the room, and he
only stayed a moment or two. I didn't
hear what they said, they talked so low.
We left little while after"
Iwent Immediately in search of him, but
he was not to be found. He had left in the
night I believed then, and I shall always
believe, that Lady Waldegrave, or rather
Beatrice Romant, for that was her true
name, was poisoned by that man mixing
powder with the wine in the glass standing
on the table, knowing doubtless, her habit
of depending upon such stimulants. was
confident she had the power of exposing his
criminality, since some one must have pre-
pared the counterfeit notes which she had
so often and successfully passed and prob
ably her death was the only way to silence
the accusations, and save his proceedings
from exposure. Still nothing certain was
ever ascertained. A sinful mystery had
accompanied her life, wicked mystery
shrouded her death.
Gerald Wayne was the only one of our
company to whom / confded the circum-
stances accident had revealed to me. The
others were too much overcome with con-
sternation and horror, at tho news of her
sudden death, to trouble me with inquir-
les.
Six weeks ago my little Alice became the
wife of Gerald Wayne, a wiser and better
man for that perilous passionate experience
l trust. And as for newly, am here
in my Office, lonely, forlorn old bachelor
still, who goes regularly the first Sunday of
every month to hang wreath of evergreen
upon broad black slab, in that quiet
churchyard, the only one that bears single
: name" Beatrice