The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-16
Stranger Than Fiction.
CHAPTER yI-(CoNTINuED.)

swat here, please, till / come bach" F"
and then lett her without another word.
She did not trouble or perplex her.
self about what he was going to do; the
matter was now cut Of her hands; the
secret, whether for good or for evil, had
passed away from her keeping. She had
done right, if tardily; and if no one else
had done wrong, why, no harm could
come to any person. /
And yet never in. her life, perhaps,
did she feel 50 kindly towards Mrs. Will
kins Never was the knowledge more
bitter that through her this blow must
be dealt, IL blow were dealt at ALL.
She locked back over her life; she
thought Of her own small temptations, of
how securely she had kept all her days
from the desire to commit any heinous
sin; and yet how often she must have
gone wrong but for the lessons learned
at her grandfather's knee, the patient en-
durance and unrefhitting toll of her
mother, and the sight and knowledge of
the stanch faithfulness and rugged hon.
esty Of the poor people amongst whom
her childish days had been passed.
Since she had been out to service she
had known little misses and little mas
ters whose hands were far more given to
picking and stealing than the boys and
girls with whom she went to school; and
in a dumb, inconsequent sort of way the
idea assumed some sort Of shape in her
mind that to the peer as to the peasant
it might be of the most enormous i'm
portance whether or not he came Of an
honest stock. e.a .,-
As, for instance, her mind run idly
over the scenes she had witnessed at Mrs
Wilkins the mean shifts, the false ac-
tions and falser statements, the utter
selfshpess, the lack of all idea Of respon-
sibibity here OF accountability hereafter,
the scheming, the absence of all worthy
motives, the utter disregard for every
thing which could not advance worldly
interests or further somesignoble end.
What had Miss Emily ever seen or
heard to render her a good wife or a no.
BILE woman? What, perhaps, had Mrs.
Wilkins herself ever seen? How could
one reared in such an atmosphere escape
mental infection, any more than a per-
son dwelling with foul surroundings
could escape disease3
And there could be little doubt that
the woman who was now passing as Mrs.
Mason had herself been educated to
regard success as the only one thing
,eedful. rrFe eT n ap,s.
OF herself she might not have been
able to plan and carry out such a decep.
them; but she must, Mrs. Cascey felt,
have taken to it kindly. Hers was the
smooth skin, the calm brow, the quiet
eye, the plump igure.-of one who was
troubled by no qualms of conscience, by
no remorse, by very little dread Of de-
lection. She looked prosperous and well.
to-do. easy in her mind, with no fox
gnawing at her breast. ''r '.
All these things, and many more of the
same kind, passed through Ellen's mind
as she sat near the window, looking out
into the deepening darkness Of the com.
ing night. She could not have given ex-
preston to them, she could not have put
them into shape or form, because the
moulding and clothing of ideas are mat
ters which did not come quite naturally
tospeople of any rank in life, but least oi
alto one born in the rank Mrs. Calcey
had sprung from, and educated as she
had been; but they stirred her very heart
for all that, and filled it with a great
pity and yearnmg sorrow. She would
have liked to- save her old mistress from
the consequences Of her ownsact. She
wanted to see Miss Molly's future hus
band righted. and in possession Of hi
own, but she shrank from the idea that
Mrs. Wilkins would be punished and pei
haps bsggared. She had never honored
that lady's gray hairs, but still she could
not endure the idea Of their being Gov
cred with shame. .......,..
II was hard that it should have beer
all her doing, but she could not hesitate
Of draw back now. She had spoken and
could not recall her words If she could
she would not. All she felt mostgrievet
for was that she had kept silence st
l0ng. 10 ~ 5osN aa baet .
Mr.. Mason was but short time ab
sent. He came back accompanied by
another gentleman, whose voice she
recognized in a moment as 1t rang cleal
and hearty through the room. ,a. + u
"This is a strange way for us to meet
Mrs. Calcey," said Mr.. Ramsden, walk
walking up to her and stretching out hi
hand as pleasantly as if she had beer
some lady Of high degree. "This is *
odd story you have been telling Mr.
Mason, that as he seems rather confuset
l thought would like to hear it for my
self." ".7' saS1 >, A.. ...... ,.. y, IN
And then he busted himself drawing
down the blinds, whildMrs Mason lit th'
lamp, and pulled forward an easy-chai
for his friends accommodation.
"Nov, Briart (the old name come
most naturally from my lips, you hear)
to begin at the beginning Of this strang'
tale; you got my letter, and then, as
understand, went to ParIing and say
Mrs. Mason" 1sriyita s.aa Il. .ss..
eyes, SIR"
"And it did not occur to you thai
there was, anything wrong?p lga
II ~ - IN vxsxA