New-York tribune., 1882-03-12

pace lie spoke nurrlculY ana SO1tly 10 lHe htuy'
She--after one single instant of hesitation came
forward to meet me. .
Madame is a stranger: she has lost her way ?
she said speaking in fair enough English, though
with foreign lisp.
mo- said bluntly, and looking, not at her. bnt
beyond to where stood Mr.. Westmacott. hat IN hand
pale too bnt as | felt with thrill Of infinite re-
pugnance. unat ashed; Il have not lost my way.
This Is the Chateau Breton-am not rightP
Madame is so good as to pay us the infinite honor
of "a visit put in the widow.
Again, as | answered, looked not at her but at
her companion. . -, , ,
have come to see my trlend-yOur WIFE,
'You have not then heard began madame, with
passing glance at her own sweeping black robe,
Your wife. your wife; where IS your wlieF |
cried, pressing mp to Mr.. Westnlacoets slde, ana
grasping his arm roughly, | fear, for mine are no
Pardon said the lady,. you touch fresh
wound his grief is too new
Where is Margaret cried again. and there
could he possible Justification OF my violence; IL
was all wrong, doubt not, and yet do no. repent
it, never have repented it, shook blm, not ten
derly, by the arm graSped. lie had turned away,
covering his eyes with his hand. Now he faced S me-
moment his black heart lay bare before me.
My wife died month ago. he said.
Was it my fancy that for one tieetlng Instant
smile urked about the mouth, shadowea ny tne
thick black sweep of his moustachef AS Heaven
is my witness, | saw that devlish smile come and
go-Or thought | did. But it was more memory
that came after than thing noted at & tne irn tlne
woods, the archwav. the well, with its lovely
freight of white winged birds, the nan ana woman
standing near me, all the world myself WIN IT,
seemed to become intangible shadows, things seen
from atar.
| cencied my hand till the nails pierced the
palm | drew one long deep breath-an0ther, yet
another | had never tainted in M life-I was not
going to FAINT nOw-but oh, dear Heaven! my darl-
Ing had left me--had gone ont into the darkness
and the silence of death, with never word OF
greeting, never Il kis5-good-by, for Friend Jaret!
All of the story of Margarets death that, ever |
learnt | will set down here al once. she hau
'drOupedj they Said the air or Brittany had
maybe, been ltlpathetic TO herIwho mlgh5 say
One day, sitting out III the sunshine, She hai Z
'crise nerveuse'-a strange sort OF seHnre-thaJ
caused Madame lie Breton apprehensiOnS or the
most grave. With hrr Cwn hands she prepared a
tiSanc' for Ctttc paUVrc Marguerite
doctor was cofsnlted. Ie could discover
nothing; but the heart wa, weak, he said. few
days later Margaret complained OF lethargy,
strange confusion of vision, GOODNESS of the eX-
trcm ties They hastcncd to fetch the physician,
but before ne arrived the patient had sunk into a
stupor. and that stupOr had passed into death.
4 feW-yeIy few-lurther particulars Cleaned
fom Nanne. It appeared HAT for time both she
and Maize had been denied access to Margaret
chamber At last Naninc, in frenzy of despair,
had caught up the child aud made hef way TO her
mstresss side i'm spite OF all opposition. Margaret
opened her eyes, held ont her arms. Maize sprang
to meet that incnable embrace, and lay still en-
folded by the mothers clasp when the last breath
eyhalcl from the liyld lips.
WAS il evening when yOnr mistress died 2 said,
almost stilcd by the beating OF my heart as spoke
Neither night nor day sad Nanine; Just what
we, madame, call entire chen ct ioup. saw tho
flicker of the big lamp over the archway on tho
wall lust before
Rnt Nanine finished her sentence TO the empty
air while /, upon my knees, llung III passionate
muIlng of sorrow and thanlllulnesS at the ieet OF
Goi shuddcung, weeping, rejoicing, CRED that
was but worm in His sight, IN whose hands are
alike the living and the dead.
In the midst Of the valley of my grief was one
fair hiiI of content Ny home was to be Mazies.
IN bav hie nj NJ back
/ had not had to sue haId for this precious gltt
In truth, both Mr.. Westmacott and madame seemed
glad to be well rid of the child.
'AIuzzie has leaved Maze, said the little one
after her first Joyous greeting to me. Don't you
leave Mlzie too, F,end JanetP ,-.
| took her to Margarets grave; vowed vow
that henccforth my lite should be Nlazie's, not my
own. God deal with me as | with thee! sobbed,
kissing the sweet baby-face through streaming
What dread fate had hung above that golden
head. who can tellR She was to be sent into the
country to some relative OF madame's.
Nanine was to he sent back to her own nome III
Paris. But never would have rested IN my bed,
never would | have stayed my feet until they had
led me to Mees Janet. / would have put myself III
the black ship and crossed the seal would have
told the story of ii all. Mon Dieu but they killed
my sweet mistress. those two evil ones; and now
the people say that before the grass Is grow
OH my sweet mstress's grave
what avail reproachesf Of what avail anything
now
Would they bring back the dcad-would they
give me back my lost darling'
think kept the vow made at Margarets grave.
Maize from the day | brought her to the home
henccforth TO be hers as well as mine, became as
my own child With the passing of the years, as
grew old and-nOt iniirm, that it Is not in my
blood TO be-but witnered, and loutwardly) hard
cncd more and more by time, she blossoned INTO
sweetest flower Of maiGcnn0od; looked at me with
Maraarcts eyes, spoke with her voice; moved with
her matcLcSs grace. Nauine-prOm0ted from the
nft In n a
sharper as of nose, but danlly neat as ever. often
said to me that it seemed like having given back to
us from the grave thai sweet mistress who hau
died, in silence, gloom and mystery, in the lonely
house among the woods.
only once in all the years have ever chanced TO
cross The path of Alfred Westmacott. And-SD
terrible was Our meetlnS-that almost shTlnK from
setting down It's record.
Maize had grown to be a tall, sweet faced girl of
thirteen years slim as hazel.wand' lovely WIN
every dawnng grace of womanhood. She and l.
always with Nanine in attendance, were travelling
from this fair cline to that-irom this new land to
the other. For | wanted my darling TO see some
thing Of the world not to live coOped up in little
island IN one corner of it until she grew full of
nsular preudices, narrow minded, mere British
bIgOt. ~
We had lett behind us sunny Malta, with its steps
Of stairs its orange groves lis ttul strains OF music,
in mOont streets, ITS grand Old Dastions itS lovely
bays and now we fingered on the Rock, looked at
the Spanish store OF knickknackorY In the booths,
visited the cork woods lying green beneath dome
of clCudesS blue, their feet washed by sea or
azure ono sight we saw that blasted all the rest,
witherng our sweet content; n sight that smote
the eye, and filed the heart with flood OF pity.
Chained two and two, red from head TO foot with
the led dust OF the red rock they tOIled ill., We came
upon band of cOnvicts. Above the miserable crew,
perched on "A ledge of rock, watchful, alert, ready,
were two wardcrs. pistols in hand. II any man had
tried to escape, they would have shot him down
ike dog 49,
We stood for a moment spellbound, so uneX-
pectcd was the cruel sight. Maize caught my
hand shrinking up TO my side.
And |. what did do
know not but must have uttered some smOth
cred cry for the warders looked at me sharply. and
then came click.
The pistols were cooked, ready in case of need.
1t was hOrrible-terrible--a weird experience in
very truth. Most horrible most weird OF all the
eyes of one of those chained wild beasts raised to
mine eyes that had been black, but from which