The Portland daily press., 1872-10-05

mlliar way, and Sir John, making one stride
toward him, caught him by the throat.
"Do you dare to speak to Lady Hancock as
confederate, and in my presence? ' he said:
but Gay shook him off, though the baronet
was powerful man enough.
'Don't make a fool of yourself, Sir John,''
he said with perfect indifference. 'Don't
cry, Lady Hancock; see nothing else for it
the truth must come out"
eyes, yes; the truth-my wifep' said Pc
drone.
SIT will kill herp' sobbed Lady Hancock,
shuddering.
IF it does''-the attorney shrugged his
shoulders and rang the bell. "TelI Miss Han
cock want to speak to her," he said when
the servant came. Snow, Sir John, don't
make bad job into worse one by your alb
surd passion" he continued, speaking with
the same odd kind of authority he had used
before, as one who knew what he was about.
| 1--WE done my best for you ALL and at some
cost, as Lady Hancock knows Powers above,
man have some faith in your fellow men,
and don't think no one but yourself either
wise or honesty You ALLEVIATE your best
friends-you do, indeed, Sir John, by your
suspicious and tempers; and yon must not
take it i'll that take this liberty of speaking
to YOU"
All this while Mr.. Gay had been holding
Sir Johns hands, and standing so that he
|
drone; and his words and action took the
baronet so completely by surprise, that for the
moment he was mute and passive.
During this conversation Lady Hancock
said, in low, rapid whisper, 'Take Merton's
name-it will be worth your whe.'
GLOW much" said Pedrone.
"Two thousand
| "Donep'
And at the word ''done" came in Anna
bella Hancock. She did not scream or faint;
but she walked straight up to where Pedrone
stood, and looked him full in the face.
You here again. she said scornfully,
with that strange courage which sometimes
comes to timid creatures when they are
fairly at bay.
He gave her look of intelligence. eyes,
my lady," he said, with a low bow; 81 have
come for my wife. -.-..----
''Shall we send for Merton?'' said Lady
Hancock, wanting to arrest her sisters at
tention; but she never needed, nor took her
eyes off the man. tr
"And your wife will not go with you," she
answered. "You may do your worst;' she
| refuses.
'.Annabella! perhaps you will tell me
what all this means" said Sir John, shaking
off Gays hands, and stalking up to the group
st means, Sir JOHN" began Gay, but
Sir John stopped him.
eff you say another word 1 will kick you
out of this house," he said. "Now Anna
BELLA"
81 am this mans wife," said Miss Han
cock; land he has comet claim me-"
A dead silence fell among them all, broken
only by Gays quietly whistling, Walking in
the Zoo between his teeth.
"Am mad, or are you?' cried her BROTH
er, looking at Annabella, wildly. N.--
"NOt you. l have been-I am" said the
miserable girl. ''But it is better to have it
out at once, instead of dragging other people
into sin. Every one has been good to me-
Mr.. Gay has tried to protect me, so has Lucy !;
even my maid has offered to personate the
'wife" to give me time and so much freedom
But am tired; will brave it all. The child
is dead, and he-he is to be bought off by
money! You can do now as you think best,
John; my part is DONE"
She gave deep sigh, and sank back into
chair fainting. When they tried to restore
her they could not. She was dead She had
gone to her rest at last, and by her death had
bought her brothers forgiveness and her own
ASSORTMENT.
And then the story came out; the old sad
story of low-born scamp, with temporary
flush purse, apihg the manners and circum-
stances OF gentleman; getting acquainted
with weak impressionable girl seducing her
into secret marriage on an absurd plea of po-
litical danger if it became known he was here;
and in the end, when too late, the fatal truth
becoming known to be silenced only at great
cost and an incessant terror, with perpetual
danger of an untimely temperance of the
| specter, kept in allegiance at the price of all
| that makes life pleasant. None of which did
| they dare tell the proud brother until such
time as the poor girl lay dead, and he could
accept as service rendered to her all the dam
gers which his wife and the attorney had run
to keep the secret, and all the sacrifices they
had made that she might be saved. $50 +.
'sYou will forgive me, Lucy?'' said Sir
John, as he took his WIFE hand and kissed it
tenderly. Gay had long ago taken off Pc
drone, the Brazilian courier, and Sir John
Hancock's brother-in-law. .. .ir
"And you forgive my having secret from
you%' returned Lady Handbook, weeping.
''My first and last, Johnp'
There are some sins which are Writ ues,
and this is one OF them" said Sir John, press
Many people after this wondered why it
was that Sir John Hancock-fastidious,
naughty, irascible Sir John-was always on
such good terms with Gay, the attorney. Gay
| had nothing to recommend him, said society,"
He was vulgar and familiar, one of the most
offensively-mannered men to be found in a
long summers day, and none of the gentry
| about the place admitted him into their COM
panionship on that account. To be sure, he
| was good-hearted; that was allowed on all
hands but when you had said that, you had
said everything; and Sir John Hancock was
scarcely the jfan to care for heart as much as
for breeding.~Be that as it may, however,
the fact was, that aftF this affair-which Cav
was chiefly instrumental in keeping dark and
smoothing over-the broad-chested and ia
miliar attorney, who whisted before ladies',
and stuck his thumbs into his waistcoat arm
holes while he played imaginary tunes with
his splay fingers on his capacious chest, was q
welcome guest at the Hall whenever he chose
to come. 1t may be as well, however, to add
that he came very seldom; and that when
there he was visibly subdued
One day, speaking OF bad manners, Sir
John Hancock said pointedly, ''Weu, once
hated bad manners more than any thing else:
but since have known Gay better, 1 have
known man whose unselfishness, honesty,
and real nobility Of feeling so far ontw egh his
vulgarity, that have learned to accept a
smallfaw in anything else that would u perfec-
ton QIe DOESN'T come every day u bn such
} man az Gay; and, for my own part, 1 am
proud of him, and not ashamed to own it.