The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1876-04-13

Camelford.
On no account must she quit Rosalie
now must be near to direct, and to behold
and gloat over the effects which would be
produced by the completion, at last, of her
terrible revenge.
So Mistress Camelford had eagerly ac-
cepted the invitation which Hartley had
! gwen her, to remain fer some time at his
house, and to bs the companion of her
cousin.
But even fo1 Mistress Camelford S iron
nature, the events of the last four-and-
twenty hours had been too overpower-
ing.
Her brain, constantly, for SO many years.
strained to its utmost tension; her heart
seething necessarily with the evil passions
1T was nourishinG; her why frame, as we
have seen, had already bent beneath the
rsruggle, and soon was to be entirely
! broken.
Her conscience would speak, admonish it
how she might to silence.
Brooding on what she had accomplished
.5cefectipg darkly through the past night
on that which yet she had to do, striving to
stihe the still small voice which never
ceged repeating to her that already she
lS5s done too muoh,--th morning found
her Ill in mind and body both, writhing and
PROSTATE, prey to an increasing fever
| which was consuming her.
Arthur Gresham had again arrived at
Hartley mansion, but had not sought
had, indeed, avoided an inteyiew with its
owner he had not courage again to play
the hypocrlte with the man who had been
his earliest. and for long his only friend.
Gresham felt that if they met again, he
should disclose all, and that must not be-
at least, till he had seen, and had ascer-
tained perfectly from Eosalie what were her
wishes ana Intentions.
First, too, he must see again his son; and
it might be that ne would find himself
justified in taking the boy with him on
that journey to a distant land on which he
had resolved.
And so Rosalie and Gresham had met
again-were alone, and gazing on, with
out daring to approach each other
1t might have heen supposed from the
reserve that each displayed, that they
Were strangers to each other, and had never
before encountered, but that both were
greatly agitated - both were trem-
bling.
Scarce word had been exchanged be-
sweeu these Two unhappy pcIIgs, wnen
Mistress Camelford, with haggarI eye, a
death-hke psllor oyerspreadlng her sunken,
I deeply furrowed, ks,-tottered slowly
and painfully into the room, sustained by
| her waiting woman, Laura Hutchinson, on
whom she heavily leaned, and without
whose assistance she had been unable for a
| single moment 10 uphold herself upon her
feet.
! Heavily she sank into chair, and cast
her head back, and closed her eyes, and
looked like death itself.
Only her short thick breathing gave
token to those who looked upon her that
she was living still.
Seized with illness where little compass
sion or attention might be hoped 'or,
Mistress Camelford had determined tc
return without delay to her own
home.
She would not, was her thought, per1ni:
! those whom she hated, against whom she
had contrived, and was contriying still, to
be witnesses OF her tortures bodily and
mental.
The reproaches with which Gresham had
been prepared to load this wicked woman.
died away upon his lips, when he be
hel9u BIB uheE G 81 ssise. feeble and 80 ghastly
bic will, presently revived, opened again
=
tui to behold, on those whom she 50 cruelty
had injured.
Her eyes grew brilliant, u hectic flush
rose to her cheeks. as she told her victim,
BY what means, by what skillful treachery
she had gratihed the revenge she had sworn
against them.
know you, woman, you have committed
crimes would give you TO the scafold P
Gresham demanded when Mistress Camel
ford, still exultng in all that she had done
had finished her recital.
Beyond your power, TO harm me-and
have but treated you according to yourm
its; why did you write to me those fata
letters z"
Gresham was again about, as years be
fore, to declare that no letter had he eve
written to Mistress Cameltord; but, ere h'
had time to frame word a loud shrlei
rang through the apartment.
Laura Hutchinson, shrinking into th'
remotest corner of the room, had hstenet
with terror to all that had been sad, hat
recognised how infamously she, herself, hat
acted; and now, shrieking and wrlnglng hel
hands, hurried wildly forward, and cas-
herself upon her knees.
"Ah, what have | done what have
done-kill me y she raved. 81 have beer
a wretch and | deserve to die y
Arthur Gresham remembered the dyns
words of Albert Marsden, and grasplng tn
arm of the wretched woman kneehny there
he cried:
"Oh l understand-Tou are Laur
Hutchinson she from whom l was to re
ceive clue to that mysterious treacher.
which has undone US all-confess beyon'
all remedy is the evil which ha
been wrought, but, confess, woman, con
fess -
And Laura Hutchinson did confess.
Those letters which had dupcd Mistres
Camehord, had driven her to acts whlc
were perfectly demoniacal-those letter
had been written by Albert Marsden, wit
the hope, at a further time, to compromls
her fame, and to avenge his own doubl
rejection by her-and Laura Hutchinso1
had been his emissary, for substantla
reward had betrayed her mistress; but ia
from her had been, she said. the though
that such terrible calamity would resul
from her perhdy.
Now was it Mistress Camelford's tur
to shrek, and groan, and wiring he
hands.
! Already suffering terribly, she was er
tirely prostrate by her conhdante's confess
ion--she sank helplessly to the floor, an
lay moaning and grovelling at the feet
those to whom she had done such dreadfr
wrong-crawling in the dust, implore
them to pardon, to have pity on her.
"Oh! in what terrible guilt haveI steepe
my SOUL" she groaned 'Oh! how sui
fer !" and she pressed her hand to he
breast, 81 am burning an inward fire
devouring me! Oh this suffering is MOI
than can bear-death death rather tina
this horrible torture"
Terror stricken, Rosalie looked aroun
for Laura Hutchinson to assist her mistres
but that worthy con6dant was gone, ha
? stolen from the apartment, and was neve
, again seen, nor heard of by those to whol
| her perfidy had been the first cause OF a.
the horrors that had followed.
Presently, Mistress Canelford uttered
desparing shriek--she had remembere
t the fate to which, the night before, she ha
doomed Rosalie's son.
Young Arthur! young Arthur + ST.
| cried, "save him Tho"
r And then suddenly her mind began
wander, and she raved incoherently, an
, madly laughed, and so was borne back
, the chamber which she, the night befol