The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1881-07-29
THE BLACK ROBE.
ITO be ContinuedD

! Anything connected with that pool
creature" she said, "has dreadful
interest for me now"
"Did you know him ?" I asked, with
some surprise. - -
81 knew him and his mother-you
shall hear how at another time. 1 sup.
pose felt presentiment that the boy
would have some evil influence over
me. AT any rate, when I accidentally
touched him trembled as if / had
Ut began" 1 said, in the gratefu
attachment which the boy felt for my
wife. He refused to leave her bedside
on the day when she dictated her con-
fession to the rector. As he was en-
tirely Ignorant of the English language,
there seemed to be no objection to let
ting him have his own way. He became
inquisitive as the writing went on. His
questions annoyed the rector, and, as
tho easiest way of satisfying his curl
osity, my wife told him that she was
making her will He knew just enough,
from what he had heard at various
touched a serpent. You will think me
superstitious; but, after what you have
said. it is certainly true that he has been
the indirect cause of the misfortune
that has fallen on me. How came he to
steal the papers? Did you ask the
rector when you went to Belhaven?
81 asked the rector nothing. But
he thought it his duty to tell me all
that he knew OF the theft"
She drew her chair nearer to me.
"Let me hear every word of it ?" she
pleaded, eagerly.
felt some reluctance to comply with
the request.
"Is it not fit for me to hears" she
asked.
This forced me to be plain with her.
"If repeat what the rector told me"
1 said, 81 must speak of my WIFE"
She took my hand. "You have
pitied and forgiven her." she answered.
"Speak of her, Bernard, and don't, fo,
Gods sake, think that my heart is harde,
than yours"
1 kissed the hand that she had given
to me-even her "brother" might do
that
times, to associate making a will with
gifts of money, and the pretended ex.
planation silenced and satisfied him."
"Did the rector understand it."
Stella asked.
eyes. Like many other Englishmen
in his position, although he was moi
ready at speaking French, he could read
the language. and could fairly we'll un
derstand 1t when it WIZ spoken. Afte,
my wife's death he kindly placed the
boy for q few days under the care Of his
housekeeper. Her early life had been
passed in the island Of Martinique; and
she was able to communicate with the
friendless foreigner in his own language.
When he disappeared she was the only
person who could throw any light on
his motive for stealing the papers. On
the day when he entered the house she
caught him peeping through the key
hole Of the study-door. He must have
seen where the confession was placed,
and the color Of the old-fashioned blue |
paper on which 1t was written would |
help him to identify it. The next morn
ing, during the rector's absence, he
brought the manuscript to the house
keeper and asked her to translate it into |
French, SO that he might know how
much money was left to him in 'the |
will She severely reproved him, made
him replace the paper in the desk from
which he had taken it, and threatened |
to tell the rector il his misconduct was
repeated. He promised amendment. |
and the good. natured woman believed |
him. Two days afterward the locked |
door Of the cabinet in which the papers
'ad been secu. 4. was found open. and
they and the boy were both missing |
together"
"Do you think he showed the con-
fession to any other person." Stella
asked. 81 happened to know that he |
concealed il from his mother"
"After the housekeeper's reproof," !
replied. " ne would be cunning enough,
in my opinion, not to run the risk Of |
showing il to strangers, 1t is far more
likely that he thought he might learn |
English enough to read it himself"
There the subject dropped. We were
silent for a while. She was thinking
and I was looking at her. On sudden
she raised her head, Her eyes rested on
me gravely. afH
at is very strange" she said.
"What is stranger"
al have been thinking of the Lorings.
They encouraged me to doubt you.
They advised me to be silent about what
happened at Brussels. And they, too,
are concerned in my husbands deserlion
Of me. He first met Father Benwell at
their house. From that time see the
circumstances In my mind, all following
one on another, until the priest and the
French bog were brought together. and
the miserable end came which has left
me deserted wife" Her head dropped
again her next words were murmured
to herself. ~ am still young woman
she said, "Oh. God ! what is my future
TO ber"
This morbid way Of thinking dis
tsaaoa1 ma .ao,;naad he. &hat .ha