New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-29
were sitting opposite each other at NJ good a dinner

10 he presago of. mshap 20 the person IN whom III
ie scent ! think Lacy Gcdge was fey that yening.
The dinner came TO an end at last, and 1t BEGAN
to be time TO think of moving we had some way
70 90 and the road was none Of the best after the
weather we had been having Lucy arose TO pre-
pare for our Journey. leaving me to finish my glass
OF port by the fire. when, she reached the door
of the room, she turned and said
"Oh uncle, forgot 10 tell YOU it IL such hOrrid
weather. and tho roads so bad. that AIN going
to have the carriage brought round to the garden
door that opens of the Broad Terrace. 1t Will save
us half mile"
Then she went TO put on her hat and cloak il
was nothing TO me which door we went from ana
IN fact felt rather glad at the prospect OF shorten
ing cur Journey, even by half a mile so III due
time Lucy came back and started out for the
carriage must tell YOU that IN order to get out
bv way OF the Broad Terrace we had 10 traverse
Unlicensed part of the old house. and came ont at
last through long passage by small postern door
with a Digit of several steps outside. The unused
rooms and the passage smelt damp and fusty,
and was glad to feel even the clnglng OUTSIDE ar
when the little door creaked open at last to let
ont. As went down the steps, they were so
slippery with the wet mist that II was all could
do to keep on my legs. but Lucy tripped down after
me like nvmph and we reached the carriage carriage
out her hand caressinGly to me. ana said, Uncle
John, are you sure Won are wrapped mp warmly
enough' Your hand felt SO cold Just now as you
helped me down the steps"
ii help yon, my dearlo said l. 81 never helped
you had quite enough ado 10 keep my own legs y
through the postern. You stretched out your hand
and led me down the steps and IT made me shlver
all through-your hand was like iee Are you
quite sure you are wrapped up enough y
/ would have taken my oath in any court Of law
that had nothing TO 90 with the grfs SAFE exit ana
she would have sworn on the other side go helG
my tongue, and allowed her fancy. You KNOW
what old Sir Samuel luke says
If she will she will. Won may depend ont;
And if she won't, she won't, and there's an end
on'tfD
So we rolled on, chatting of this and OF that until
reached what was the only really serious oD-
stacle to drive.
There is dip in the road at The bottom Of which
brook, with broad, level meadows on the
other side. In summer time, or even in ordinary
weather. il is Just bit of a beck that cDlll
might Jump but when the floods are out It VIII
be "a roaring torrent in half an hours time with the
mOss-water coming down from the mOOrs. Ieiu
lust little uneasy about it, but nothing 10 speak
OF we had to cross by wooden bridge that had
done duty for good many years in storm and sun
shine only IL did come into my head what bother
il would be if the bridge should have been carried
away aud should have 10 go back 10 Morbeck
after all just came to the beck the horses
SHE'D and stopped, in spite of all the coachm9n
could do to sOothe or urge them 80 at last says lie
to the lad who was beside him
Jump down, Jem, and see If the bridge Is all
right"
Down got Jem, and hunted about for while In
the darkness but all OF sudden the mist hited on
the other side Of the beck-which was roaring
down i'll speat by then-and there was woman gu
in white reckoning under a big oak-tree; so lie
cried out go
d" | say missusW
She made no answer but kept on that waving OF
her hand, and Jem cried ont again
" | say missus, can we cross the bridge
In another moment lie was up beside the coach
man saying, " Go on, George, can't hear what she
says, but she mods, and beckons to say It's az
right" and we drove on. can't tell You now II
happened exactly. my dear boy, but lust as we got
To the middle of the bridge, there was horrible
crash and crackle, and We were all struggling Tor
dear life IN that hll-torrent. ! managed to get one
of the doors Open and dragged Lucy, drenched ana
iusensible to the wreck of the carriage ana De-
tween us we got her to shore. Both the horses
were killed partly by drowning IN tnelr Traces,
partly by kicking each other to death IN their agony
fancy but George, Jem, and managed tor rig
up sort OF litter and made the best OF our way
back, with Lucy on il. to Morbeck Hall; we got
her in and the wOmenknd put her to bed, and the
doctor was broughti put IT was too late Apart
from the shock and the cold, she had some injury
TO the spine, ] believe and she died Just at MD
night, without ever moment OF CONSCIOUSNESS.
i leave You to imagine what suffered that next
dav, which was TO have been my daring : weduilng
morning-and now they we're streaklnG heT iOr ner
Qravel | could do nothing but sit daZtd ID the
Library thinking of what might have been ana
what was but my revere was mIfIrupeu ny GU GU
some instructions. After / had SAID all that
thought necessary, noticed that she fingered as u
10th to 90 but thought little OF u, TIL sne hal
muttered as she reluctantly turned the handle Oh
the door ,,,, , =
heard her speak ef the Broad Terrace
mean, Mrs Partridge = sand. What is there
against the Broad Terrace !"
-
sceptical, half-apologetie as. she sad ..,s
.Do you mean to tell me, strand you half
GedCe as body may say-that yOOnever heard OF
the Cold Hand Of Morberk Did you never hear
of Mistress Alicia then, her whose portrait bangs
over the mantlepece in the oak drawing-roomf
There rose before my minds eye q picture at
which 1ri had often gazed with strange underlined
feeling of pleasure pain, and pity combined. The
face was that of proud and lovely woman but II
the OF one Th Saa aG
of softening her nature. | answered that knew
it well, but not Of any story specially connected
with it. "And what has that 10 DO wlth-what
did YOU call it 7-the Cold Hand of Morbeck = said
/ as there came over me- with rLsh OF pnex-
planned apprehension that strange assertion OF poo,
Iucv's lust after we had started on our nl-omened
drive.
"Wel SIR, it's longish story, but III tell ii you
az had il from those how had the right TO know :
though the family didn't mnG G care d 70 nave r II
ali dead and gone And yOu were nearest TO my
young lady, for don't count that Mrs Postle,
fbwayte with her naughty pryng ways. As II L
didn't know how the house ought to be managed
who had lived here, girl and woman, for better
than forty years 1t in the old troubles, sir,
before the 40, and then. a. yesterday there was
nau0ht hut an heress 10 MuTbcck, Mistress Alicia.
She was great beauty they II me, and her fathers
idol and half tlh young gentlemen IN inc country
were ready to cross swords for her smile Amongst all
her suitors the only two whom she ever seemed 10
favor we're her cousin, MIR. Arthur Gsdgei ana
Captain Van Loom, an oplcer III the hihs GudIusi
who had seen her first at the county ball, ana
danced with her half the evening they were both
handsome Young fellows, and folks said they had
fought about her next morning but nothing
serious had come of il and nobody could say
which she favored, or if she had fancy. 1t was
thought to be for her cousin
"l on know, sir, there were great many Of the
gentry hercabouts who would have liked to see
HE Old etuarts get their own again. but the Gedges
had always kept to themselves, and had never been
suspected of plotting or the Ike. l2u know all
about the retreat from Derby, sir 10 was lust
ofter that when Mr.. Arthur came Suddenly 10 Nor
beck. lust for a visit, every one Thought and to
lirla nd
eoVccrrvtl,jng seemed TO 20 swimmingly between
them. But one evening, there came news 10 the
hail that there was messenger IN the village,
6onpd ON his sleeve; aud then Mr.. Arthur took
Mistress Alicia into a side room, ana ne le.i on
his knees before her, and prayed her, Tor their
been mixed up it seems. in plot for Prince
Charles and m was death IL be wore taken. 80