The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-02-08
But WHY describe their meetings Mr..

Blake said to me at once:
MY dear sir, | am not wanted here, and
| doubt if you are" and we left them.
In half an hour we thought it possible
we might be less in the way, and we went
in. They sat on the sofa at q most suspi-
ciously great distance from each other, and
looked as happy and foolish as possible.
"And now, my dear Herbert, please to
explain to us what has taken you at least
half an hour to make clear to my niece"
swell, my dear Uncle--I may call you
uncle? p"
"Oh, yes, a month sooner is not much
consequence"
"Don't, Uncle,n said Clara.
"You know how l vent away with just
enough to pay for my tools and outfit and
passage. / went to California to the dig
gings, and was lucky, got a good claim,
worked it, made q little money, took
shares in a machine, worked the claim, i'm
proved the machinery, became manager,
director, and got rich; started six months
ago to come home for Clara, took the fever
at Panama, was down for two months
there, not able to move hand or foot, and
arrived only last night in Liverpool.
There | met an old friend, and heard
all the news: poor Webster's death,
the promise, the rest, and, above
all, that tomorrow was the
day. / started by the first train to get to
London, thinking the marriage would take
place there, and that | should be in time.
Looking out of the window of the carriage
as the trains were passing each other at
Peterborough, saw Clara with her mother.
| did not see you. | was mad they had
both started | could not get out. There
was Clara going from me, and | going from
her, as fast as express trains could take us.
What could | do? | knew nothing of
where she was going, and yet my informal
ton was positive that she was going to be
married tomorrow, solely because she
would keep her promise.
"Can you wonder at my doing as l did ?
The train did not stop till it reached Lon
don, and [ found that, by the time | had
hunted up the address, to which you had
gone, from the servants at home, [ should
have lost the last train, and not been able
to get here till long past midnight. What
to do I could not think.
SIN the carriage in which | sat some
body had been talking about the murderer
Tawell, and the telegraph, the police on
the doorstep, and so on. 1t all flashed on
my mind in an instant.
81 went to the telegraph office, and look
ing in, there was only a young lad there.
81 went in, and called him.
"'Can you telegraph to York for
me?'"
"'Certainly. SIR"
81 wrote the telegram you saw.
IS You must sign this. SIR"
60 No | must not, young man," and I
drew him toward me by the shoulder.
my names Field, Inspector Field;
you understand"
"'Oh! certainly, sir. Did you catch
that man the other day? l heard of it
from one of our c|erks.'"
80 Oh yes; caught him safe and sound
he's in Newgate now
"' Indeed, sir,'" said the lad.
So You'll send that at once. the trains
due in less than an hour. Ill see you do
it.'u
"He did send it, and as | heard the click,
click, click, it was like the throb of a new
heart circulating fiery blood in my arteries,
for | knew it would enable me to see you,
Clara, dear, and then | came down, as you
see, by this train, and feel disposed now to
embrace all the telegraph clerks in the
kingdom"
swell, young man, it's a dangerous
game; suppose you're aware it's an
offence not lightly punished to pretend
you are an officer of police 2" said Mr..
Blake.
"My dear Mr.. Blake, if it was death on
the instant of discovery, and l was in the
strait, | should do the same thing over
"You must find a prosecutor, Mr..
said Clara, and as l, the principal
person concerned, am not going to prose-
cute the officer, | think he will escape"
"But why" said I, ''did you not tele-
graph to Clara direct?'
because | feared that Mrs. Webster
might possibly have prevented our meet
Mr.. Blake left US with his eyes twink
ling and muttered something to me about
"seryitude for life."
A month after this / had the pleasure of
giving away my niece to Herbert, and in
two months more | had the pleasure of
reading in the Times the announcement of
the marriage of Mrs. Webster to Francis
Tredgar, esq, of Tredgar Hall, to which
ceremony, | need scarcely say, I was not
invited.
Clara and Herbert and | live together,
and to this day he is spoken of, among his
intimates, as Herbert Langley, "that &C
tive and intelligent officer."-Lock's
Nat.ona. Monthly