Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-03-04

"Why, my dear? She has always proved
Trustworthy, though she does not try to make
herself very agreeable"
"Well, l only tell you what l think" said
! Edward. "Don't trust her any farther than
you can see her; useful as she is, l would
rather have the most ignorant girl on the farm
about me than her, if were you"
Mrs. Thorndale was puzzled little over this
advice but did not set much store by it. She
knew that Edward had always dis.iked Chair.
ty, and concluded that it was prejudice which
made him regard her with such disfavor.
The next day the young man took his de-
parture, turning his face with high hopes and
beating heart toward "fair France" the
haven where he was to find indisputable
proof of the discovery which had lifted the
dark shadow from his life, and obtain, at last,
possession of his rightful name.
Very lonely did his, kind old aunt feel
when he was gone from the household. She
tried to console herself by rejecting on all
the blessings which the Almighty had heaped
upon her; and during the day, while the
cheering sunshine brig ghtened up the rooms
and the sounds of busy life were about her,
she managed to keep her spirits up, and to
employ herself as usual. But when nightfall
came, and labor had ceased, and everything
was quiet around when she found herself i'll
the silent old sitting-room, with only the lamp
light for company, and the ticking Of the
clock to break the stiffness, a great sense Of
solitude, of helplessness, fell upon her She
realized from this weakness, how old she was
growing. A few years before, she could have
been left thus alone without minding it in the
least, or feeling the slightest fear.
Charity, too, seemed suddenly to have al
tered in. her manner towards her. There
was a sort of insolent defiance, an assumption
of authority, in her mode Of speech, which she
had never manifested before. Her mistress
could not understand it but it brought Ed
wards warning forcibly to her mind. What
if, after all, his judgment had been right? :?
1t made her feel doubly timid to have her
confidence thus shaken in what she had con-
sidered her chief support.
A week or ten days passed. She began to
count the hours before she could expect to
hear from her boy. He had promised to tel
egraph Immediately upon his arrival at
Havre, and the telegram would be forward
ed to her from Woodford, the nearest station,
by friend who had agreed to attend to the
matter. The time must soon arrive now. In q
fortnight, at the latest, from the day OF his
departure, she ought to hear.
1t was a wild, stormy evening. The rain
fell in torrents, and flashes Of lightning, fol-
lowed by low, angry mutterings of thunder,
swept occasionally across the murky sky.
The air was heavy and close, Notwithstanding
the rain. The influence Of the storm had not
yet made itself felt in freshening the atmos.
phere, which had been unusually dense and
sultry all day. E,
At an early hour, Mrs. Thorndale retired
to her chamber. She did not 60 to bed, TO-:
she felt that it was impossible to sleep /;
and having lit her candle, she drew low
chair to her table, opened her Bible and pre-
pared to read.
But the attempt was vain. The hurly.
burlv of the storm disturbed her thoughts, and
made the holy words before her eyes seem
confused and meaningless to her mind. The
image of her absent Edward rose before her,
and it saddened her to remember that the
wide sea lay between them. She recalled his
beautiful, unhappy mother, and the cruel
stigma on her fame. Why, why was justice
so tardy in removing it? But, at any rate,
her boys name and future we're now cleared
from all taint of dishonor Suddenly it oc-
cured to her, for the first time, to wonder
that he had manifested no surprise at the
knowledge of his parentage. In the hurry
and excitement of his departure, they had
had little or no chance of discussing the sub.
iect. But she remembered we'll that he had
accepted the fact of Helen being his mother
without comment, and the discovery of his
fathers name was apparently no news to
him. Could he have learned the circumstan-
ces of his birth by some means, notwithstand'
ing her endeavors to prevent it? And then
came the suspicion-swift as thought
Charity have revealed the secret to him?
What put the idea into her mind, she could
not have told she had no reason for it !;
but having once conceived it, she could not
shake it off.
eff it was so," she unused, "what could her
object have been And why, wonder, does
Edward hate her so intensely, as | know he
does? There must be some reason for this.
Have I been deceived in her all along"
Long she pondered, while confused and
perplexing fancies chased each other through
her mind. At last, leaning her head back
on the high cushion Of her arm chair, she
closed her eyes, and insensibly fell into
doze.
Suddenly she became aware, by curious
instinct, of presence near her; and with
a startled movement she awoke.
Was it Charity, or 6end in her guise,
who stood before her? The form and dress
were those of the sewing woman. But the
eyes, with a wild, vindictive light, the feat
ures distorted with malicious sneer, the
threatening attitude, were rather those of
some spirit of evil, filled with purpose OF
fell violence and revenge.
Mrs Thorndale was paralyzed. Surprise
and fear chained her tongue, and she sat
still, gazing as if fascinated at the unlocked
for apparition.
"You look terrified" said the woman, at
length, with harsh, unnatural laugh. "Have
you never seen me before, that you stare at
me in such a way?"
With a great effort, gathering courage, her
mistress managed to reply.
"What is the meaning of your speaking to
me in such tone? And why do you come in.
to my room to disturb me at this late hour p
"I come at this late hour, because an
earlier hour would not suit my purpose. |
speak as 1 do, because the tone suits what l
have to say. Do you think I mean always
to play servants part, and cringe and SUBJ
nit to you, who are only my equal? | have
disguised myself too long, and now the time
for disguise is past Martha Thorndale, do
you call yourself my mistress still? l hate
and despise you, and laugh at your preten: