The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1880-07-25
How became Il Murderer.


The tail end OF our tale.
- <s-----
How l Became Il Murderer.
My name, 10y the way, is Alfred Lam
bourn. My friend was Sir Reginald Ger
vase. lie had one of the largest estates in
Foamslirc, and lived mostly at st. Moor's, n
splendid place near Spcndrith, which is on
the widest and rocliicst part of that grand
and magnificent coast, as all the world
knows. My description of him is short-hc
was, literally, the best and finest fellow in
the world. Had fortune left him the strug-
Cling barrister that he was when first met
him in London, he would have made himself
great man, instead of merely growing into
something much greater For he had by no
| means been horn to a baronetry and the
ownership of st. Moor's. lle unexpectedly
inherited it from n cousin of about his own
age, and apparently rs strong and as healthy
as himself, who had been struck down by
death when hardly thirty years old. II was
change to turn most mems brains, and to
send half of them to the devil. Sir Reginald
took his wealth and his position with less
citation than he had taken his first brief,
went abroad for awhile, and then came back
to settle down for good at st, Aloor's. The
first thing he dd-wlich was in an hour or
| twO-was to become first favorite of the
whole country, and that among his poorer,
even more than among his richer, neigh
borg. This next was to send for me, then
managing clerk to a London firm, to be his
| friend and counselor. Thenext was to marry,
rs wisely as man ever married in this world.
He had fallen over head aud ears in love
| with the best girl in all England, and she
| with him. Before long they h2d n family OF
two boys and two girls, and were fortunate
| in them all.
| !, too, was OH the eve of marriage, after 4
long aud weary waiting, but this, too, like
to tell, because this also was due to the posi-
ton in which Sir Reginald had placed me.
What did not owe to him Past, present,
future; everything that like to remember,
all my happiness now and to come. The
| one trouble he ever gave me was the feeling
| that could do SO little for one who had
done so much for n,.s. Anybody could hav,
| looked after his affairs as we'll rs |. was
| never likely to he so much to him 10 u,
mouse was to the lion.
| Ia fact the hardest work ever did fol
him was ali pleasure and play, except tina
| he made me feel its interest and importanc,
by throwing himself so heartily into all tina
concerned the smallest cottager or fisherman
with whom he had to do. He looked upOI
life as n trust not merely to be fulfilled bu
enjoyed, and his wife agreed with him.
hardly know which we learned to like best
our tasks or our pleasures. That he liked
the tasks best, l am sure. And ] am sure
too, that if Sir Reginald. Gervase, even i,
this nineteenth century, had taken it int
his head to declare war against the Queen
there is not n man within ten miles of Spen
drith who you'd not have turned rebel.
| For two months syary summer St. Moor
was left empty while the master and mistres
were in town, for they We're 10y no mean
| people who looked upon rusting and falling
out of the great world stream as one of TIN
duties of those vino have to do their hes
with the course of comparatively small
one. Though | missed them, approved o
| their absence, for l could not get rid of m,
ambition for my friend; it would be some
thing if, as member for loamsbjre, he coul,
have the chance of doing for England som
little of what he was doing for one of her re
moter corners. One warm afternoon, Will
they were away in town, was engaged alon
in my Office with some drainage plans, hal
at work upon them, and half thinking abou
what ! could do, in the face of an approach
ing election, u get Sir Reginald Gervase I
stand for FOamshire. IL Ca3 too hot to worl
very desperately after an early dinner; an
am afraid must confess that the rich blu
Of the sky without, the soft wind tina
scarcely toak the trouble to carry the weigh
of its own scent through the window, tn
cav Of the rocks OH their way home, and til
regular heave and rush of the sea agains
the wall of rocks close by, united to set m
dreaming of anything but of drains. | wa
myself in love, remember, and VEINS cam
from the sea on much such an afternoon.
had n clerk in the outer Office who wa
also in love, and whom strongly suspec
of having been sleeping too. Cur office wa
certainly not conducted on the ordinar
principles of hurry and open eyes-a cler
from the outside world did not call once
quarter, and was not particularly WELDON
when he came. At amy rate Tom Brood,
looked as if he We're still dreaming when Ii
stumbled into my own room and startled NJ
with
"a strange lady, s;r, end to see youW
1t is hard to wake up all at once. For
moment ! almost took for granted that
could he nobody but my Lottie, who lla
managed to fly through the window all til
way from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, at the 9th,
end Of the Kingdom; what other lady,
stranger to Tom Brooks, cOnld want to Sc
me I But moment more told me the al
surdity of such fancy; 50 stretched mysel
rubbsd my eyes, and said sharply "The
wake up and show her In"
She came i'm with silky rustic, and Ina
certainly never seen her before She Lott,
indeed ] never can guess . woman's az,
50 mpst content myself with saying tn;
my visitor could nat possibly have been MOI
than thirty-six or less than twenty years ole
She was of moderate height and gracefl
figure, and was dressed much more fashion;
bly, than VIZ were used to rauDd SpeBdvjtli-
in brown silk, with bows behind and dow
the sides, a tight-Gtting jacket, and sort
nondescrpt cross between hat and bon
not, from under which escaped mass
fair brown hair-hebind IN thick waves Tia,
lowed down to her waist, and in front, in
fringe falling down to her eyebrows. II,
face was pretty one, on the whole, plea
ooppleKioHed, fair, and brighily-colored bl
her mouth was, at the same time, too sma
and too full, her nose too long, and her dar
, ey6s very great deal too large, as we'll .
being too closely sol together. Still, III
general effect was decidedly good, and LA
to be called pretty, whatever else it mgl
be called, and however much il differed fro,
my own two standards of beaHty--Lott
. Yane and Lady Gervase. My visitor locke
grave and sad by nature, and as if she had
story, and that an interesting one. shove
her seat and she sat down.
80 You are Mr., +ambe4rn, aud you are
lawyerf" she asked in voice that made lac
prettiness suddenly change into somethin
more. 1t was clear, liquid voice wit
some sort of special accent in it, and
kind of singing quality about her ar,
worda,
My name Is Lambourn, and | am sol
citor. You call on business, | suppose
Whom have the honor"
, She opened a mother-of pearl case an
handed me a card" Adrienne Lavalle.
- come to ask your advice" said she. I'll
| link oil ErarL.l. NM ...I lAa4l..l. II.