Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-10-18

knew so well, each of which had story of
youthful folly or daring connected with it.
In due time the funeral took place. The
corpse was laid in the family vault. Only
the family and one or two relatives attend
ed. Mrs. Mowbray spent the best part Of
each day by the side of her dead son. She
showed externally no signs of emotion.
Before the lid was closed she kissed the
forehead and cut off lock of his hair.
The day after the burial she gave direc-
tions to her eldest son to pay all the dead
mans debts, which was done at once so far
as known. Gloom settled over the hall.
The wing of the building in which the
tragedy occurred was closed up, and Mrs.
Mowbray removed TO bedroom up stairs.
On the fifth day after the funeral post
chaise drove up to the door of Hardwick
Hall, and from il stepped George Mowbray,
looking better than he had looked for ma
ny u long day before he had left home. The
servant who opened the hall door started
back, and almost dropped with fright His
exclamations caught the ears of Mrs. Now
bray and her sons, who hastened back into
the entrance hall only in their turn to DO
dumbfounded. George was as much as
tonished as any OF them, ana gazed from
one to the other in bewildered surprise.
There was no doubt about it. George
Mowbray, whom everybody believed dead
and in his grave, was living and before
themi
"Mother," said George, advancing to-
wards her, "what is the matter? my return
is easily accounted for. On reaching Taw-
vale, l found that my uncles family had
been unexpectedly summoned 10 London,
as my eldest cousin, Sir John Gray's wife,
was thought to be dying. I took nights
repose, and then started home again, and
here / am.'
Mrs. Mowbray walked up TO him, gazed
into his face, and then, without a word,
folded him in a passionate embrace. Each
of his brothers grasped his hands and kiss
ed him as they were wont to do when he
was boy and the pet of the family. The
old nurse, aroused from her MONDAY slum-
ber, embraced and wept over him, and the
servants gathered around with wet eyes
and congratulatory expressions.
All this time George knew nothing of
the true reason for this singular reception.
Soon, however, the mystery was explained
to him. The effect upon him cannot be de-
scribed.
Measures were Immediately taken to
have the body of the man who had been
buried as George Mowbray disnterred.
This was soon done, and, as the living
George stood beside the dead man, the re-
som0lance was seen to be most extraordin-
ary. The marks on the face and hands cor
responded with those on Georges, the scars
on the legs were similar also; and the hair,
eyebrows and finger-nails were marvellous
ly alike. Who the dead man was was new
or ascertained. After Georges return,
however, inquiries were made, such as it
was never deemed needfu to make so long
as the dead man was supposed to be Mrs.
Mowbrays youngest son.
These inquiries led to the discovery that
the day before the tragedy three men, sup
posed to be from London, took up their
quarters at an inn in aneighboring village,
one of whom the landlord thought he rec
ognized as having been in Mrs. .Mowbray's
service as a groom. The footsteps of three
persons were also discovered in the garden,
and some time after a rope-adder and a
horse trough which had apparently been
used TO lay upon the spikes at the top of
the garden wall, were discovered in the
neighborng copse, but the name of the
dead man was never discovered.