The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-10-15


had sent the housckceper out of my
study. | was alone with the photograph
of the French woman on my desk.
There could surely be little doubt
about the discovery that mad burst upon
me. The man who had stolen his way
into nv house driven By the terror Of Il
temptation that he dared not reveal, and
the man who had been my unknown RI
val IN the bygone time were one and the
same!
Recovering self-possesslon enough to
realize this plain truth. the differences
that followed forced themselves into my
mind as II matter of course. The un-
named person who was the obstacle TO
nv pupils prospects in life, the unnam-
ed person in whose company he was as
sailed by temptations that made him
tremble for himself, stood revealed to
me as now being. in all probability, no
other than Jeromcttc. Had she bound
him in the letters Of the marriage which
he had himself proposed? Had she dis.
covered his place of refuge in my house!
And was the letter that had been dcllv-
cred to him of her writing? Assuming
those questions to be answered IN the al
tirmative, wha: in that case, was his
cuisines in London?
| remembered what be ad..said to me
about his temptation. | recalled the eX-
preston that had crossed his face when
he recognized tho handwriting on the
Io,te,-and the conclusion that followed
literally shook me to the soul.
Ordering my horse to be sadd!ed, rode
instantly to the railroad station.
The train by which ne had Travelled
to London had reached the terminus
nearly an hour since. The one useful
course that | could take by way of qui-
citing the dreadful misgivings crowdlng
one after another on my brain, was to
telegraph to ,lcromctte at the address at
which | had last seen her, ! sent the
subjcined message, pre- paying tho re-
ply:
If Won are in any trouble, telegraph
to me. | will be with You by the first
train. Answer, in any case. -
There was nothing in the Immediate
way of the dispatch of my message. And
vet the hours passed and no answer was
received BY the advice OF the clerk, /
sent n second telegram to the London Of
flee. requesting an explanation. The re-
plv came back in these terms:
improvements in street. House pull
cd down. No trace Of person named IN
telegram
mounted my horse and rode slowly
to the rectory.
"The dav of his return TO me will bring
with i. the darkest hour of my life
Il shall die Young. and die miserably.
Have YOU interest enough still left IN me
to wish to hear Of. it?' ~ on
shall hear of i.
Those words were in my memory while
I rode home IN the cloudless moonlight
night. They were SO wildly present to
me that could hear again her pretty
foreign acccrt. her quiet, clear tones as
she spoke thcm. For the rest, the
emotions ofthat memorable day had worn
me out. The answer from the telegraph
office had struck me with strange and
stony despair. Ny mind was blank. l
had no thoughts. l had no tears.
was about hall way on my road
home and | had Just heard the clock OF
the VI lage strike ten, when l became
conscious, little by little, of a chilly sen.
sation slowly creeping through and
through me to the bones. The warm,
bslmy air Of summer night was abroad,
In the month of July was it possible that
any living creature IN good health
could feel cold? 1t was not possible
and yet, the chilly sensation still crep'
through mo to the bones.
| locked up. | looked all around me
My horse was walking along an open
high road. Neither trees nor water:
were near me-. On either side the flat
fields stretched away bright in the moon.
I light.
stopped my horse and looked around
mo again.