Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-01-20

been betrothed to one another by their pa
rents, before they were old enough to have
any choice in the matter, and this ones moth
er was bound to see that the contract wasnt
broken. You see she didn't want this fine
estate to slip away from them. Sir Roland
was deformed. He wasn't attractive to look
on, but he had the soul of an angel. Sir, any
body with common feeling couldn't have
helped learning to love him, he was so pure
so good! But my lady only hated him more
and more At first, when they came, she
shut herself up altogether in her own rooms
and wouldn't set eyes on him, except at
meals, when she came to the table for appear.
ance' sake. Suddenly, when this had lasted
about a week-no more-she came out OF
her room one evening, when it was getting on
towards dusk, and set of for walk, all by
herself
II don't know how it chanced that she met
with my master on the way. She could hard:
ly have looked to meet him; though God
knows what evil intentions might even then
have been in her heart. Anyhow, about
half an hour later, saw them coming home
together, and was astonished, for it was the
very first time I had seen them have anything
like intercourse with one another. l was
down stairs, in the basement-theres many
Offices down there, where the servants do
their work-and watched them from little
grated window that looks out on the lawn.
1t was late then, almost quite dark. l had
gone down to the laundry to search for some
thing that was missing out of the wash. There
was nobody there but me. l had candle with
me, but | had left it in the laundry, on a
table. The window | looked through is out
side in little passage, and | went there to
look out when heard their voices, for could
see their figures quite plain, dark as it was
"WelI, they came nearer, and disappeared
round the corner of the house; but just as
was about to get my candle and come up
stairs again, heard their footsteps on the
stone floor of the passage. coming to where
l was. I don't know what made me slip
back into corner, out of sight, but did.
Somehow I didn't want them to find me
there, and moreover had secret feeling
| can't tell why-of some wrong design on
her part, that maybe l could discover. |
mistrusted her so, that felt bound to watch
over my poor young master; and | had kept
a pretty strict watch over him, and over her
too, unknown to them both, ever since they'd
come to the Towers. Id held him in my
arms when he was baby, and his father be-
fore him. l loved< him better than my own
flesh and blood, and l wasn't going 10 let
any evil befall him that could help.
"They came into the laundry, and | found
out then he was showing her the place. Shed
never been down there, in the basement, be-
fore. Somebody's left this candle here
he said, and took it up. How careless of
them! But never mind, Miriam, it will do
to light US through the dark passage He
spoke quite cheerful like, as if he felt easy
and pleasant in his mind. Next to the laun-
dry is the wine vault, great big place, with
such thick walls you can hear nothing
through them and beyond that again, just
under the stairs, great empty room never
used, full of dust and cobwebs, where just
ghosts walk, l do believe-at least that's
what every one says They went into that
room, me creeping after them, way back in
the shade. And what's ths?' asks my
lady, stopping III the middle of the floor and
pointing downward. "A trap-door, says he.
lhey 90 say prisoners were Kept tnere soine-
times, long ago. There's dreary old cham
ber below, but no one ever goes there Can
the trap.door lift up? my lady asks, under
her breath like. 4 suppose so,' he says,
though it's rusty from want of use.' With
that he tugs at it, and sure enough it opens.
How deep it looks says she,' and then they
stand and look in it together, and me watch
ing and listening, from corner, with my
heart beating as loud as drum in my
breast"