The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-03-16
CHAPTER TX,

The effect of this unusual reserve, on
the part Of Marion, was to make Eugen-
ia more silent end more cautious than
she had been before and, consequently,
to strengthen any suspicion her sister
may have formed against her. She SCI
dom, if ever, now mentioned the name
Of her husband. The subject of India
ceased altogether to pass her lips; and
she avoided alluding to the past a,
scrupulously as speaking of the future
She was careful, also, to impress upon
the servant that all letters which ar
rived for her we're to be taken straight
to he, bedroom, instead of being
placed, with the others, on the break
'ast.tablo; and, this being a new rule
with Mary Ann, her omission Of it on
one occasion drew down upon her such
a reproot from Mrs. Archer as sent her
complaining to the head of the house.
hold that, II she was to have more than
one "Mlssus," she'd rather leave at
once.
Mrs. Beale was not the sort of wo.
man to make Ash Grove agreeable to
| such as did not conform with all the
rules she had laid down for it. The
novelty Of Eugenias return being over,
she was already half-inclined to be tired
of the society of her daughter and
grandchildren, and tho TRADE which
followed her discovery of the indjgnity
offered to her favorite, Mary Ann, was
sufficient to make the recipient of it
gnash her teeth with mortified pride,
as she thought how importent she was
to take the trials Sc freely thrown out
t, her, and quit her mothers house at
once. But still she. remained there !;
not knowing else where she could 20,
or how support the little ones, who
were worse than fatherless. Things
| were 10 this unpleasant state, when, one
morning while dressing, according to
her directions Mrs. Archer had letter
put into her hand-a letter which she
turned over and over before she opened
1t, not being in the least able to divine
from whom it could have come; for the
address, though correct and legible, was
in strangely-cramped writing and the
envelope was not Of the kind generally
used by gentle people. But, as soon as
she had opened it, she read the few
words which it contained rapidly and
several times over, and with each peru
sAl became more agitated and less cer-
tain what she ought to do.
They ran thus:
"'P. O. Of Charing Cross, is dan
gerously i'll. Leave Fairmead BY the
cleven.o'clock train of Thursday, and
one who is trustworthy shall meet you
at the Waterloo Station. If there is
any truth in the past, do not fail p
| O. now"
And this, the day on which she had
received the letter, was Thursday, and
she must prepare to go at once. Eu
genia felt stunned and shocked by the
sadness with which this i'll news had
been conveyed to her, and stood still in
the middle Of her dressing, staring al
the silent bearer of it as though the pa
per we're sentient beng, and if it chos (
could tell her more. With her the ex
preston dangerously ILL.," meant dy
ing and she felt that her husband
must have been dangerously ill indeed
before he be would have disclosed 81
much Of bis carefully guarded secre'
as to ccnfide her name and address t
the keeping of stranger. And where
could he be staying? Evidently no.
at the same place where she had lef
him, Or there could be no occasion t,
send some one to meet her at the sta
tion, and conduct her to his side. Oh
what was this new calamity coming Of
her? Was he to die now, in the zenit]
of his manhood, in the midst of hi
sins, that terrible secret on her soulz-
No.. she must 60 at once. If Hem.
were dying, he must speak before h
died :; he must .absolve her from cor
tinuance of deceit, or life would be
burden to her; and, with that inten
Eugenia Archer hurried on the =.
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