Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1882-08-03
THE LAWYERS SECRET.
By b. l.. Farjeon, Author of "Bread
Cheese and Kisses"
CHAPTER VI.-CoNTINuEp.

thAfIEh Nl.-CONTINUED.
The dim lamp was shaded from the
eyes of the invalid by white porcelain
screen, which subdued the light, and
cast great shadows of the furniture upon
the walls of the room.
He lay for some time quite quietly,
with his face still turned away from
Ellinor but by the incessant nervous
motion of the hand lying upon the coun-
terpane, she knew that he was not
asleep.
The doctor opened the door softly,
and looked in.
If he says anything to you," he
whispered to Ellinor, "hear it quietly;
but do not ask him any questions; and,
above all, do not betray agitation
She bowed her head in assent, and the
physician closed the door
Suddenly Horace Margrave turned his
face to her, and looking at her earnestly
with his haggard eyes, said:
"Ellinor Dalton, you ask me what
this means. l will tell you. The very
day on which you left England, a
strange chance led me into the heart of
a manufacturing town-a town which
was being ravaged by the fearful
seourge of an infectious fever; was in
a very weak state of health, and, as
might be expected, | caught this fever.
/ WIGS warned, when it was perhaps not
yet too late to have taken precautions
which might have saved me, but /
would not take those precautions. /
was too great coward to commit sui
eide. Some people say a man is too
brave to kill himself was not-but
was too much coward. Life was hate
full, but | was afraid to die. Yet /
would not avert a danger which had not
been my own seeking. Let the fever
kill me, if it would, Ellinor, my wish is
fast being accomplished. am dying"
Horace! Horace!h She fell on her
knees once more at the side of the bed,
and taking the thin hand in hers, press
ed it to her lips.
He drew it away as if he had been
stung. For heavens sake, Ellinor, if
you have any pity-no tenderness! That
| cannot bear. For four years you have
never seen me without mask. | am
going to let it fall. You will curse me,
you will hate me soon, Ellinor Daltonw
"Hate you, Horace-never,
He waved his hand impatiently, as if
to wave away protestatons that must
soon be falsified.
Watt" he said: "you do not
know" Then, after brief pause, he
continued" Ellinor / have not been
the kndest or the tenderest of guar
dams, have |, to my beautiful young
ward? You reproached me with my
cold indifference one day soon after
your marriage, in the little drawing
room in HEREFORD street"
"You remember thatP'
81 remember that! Ellnor, you never
spoke one word to me in your life which
do not remember as well as the ac-
cent in which it was spoken, and the
place where heard it. | say, / have
not been a kind or affectionate guardian
have |, EllinorPn
You were so once, Horace" she
said.
Il was so once! When, Ellinor?"
Before my uncle left me that
wretched fortune"
That wretched fortune--yes, that
divided us at once and forever. Ellnor,
there were two reasons Tor this pitiful
comedy of cold indifference. Can you
guess one of themY
mo" she answered.
you cannotP Effected an ndiffer-
ence did not feel, or pretended an APP
athy which was lie from first to last,
because, Ellinor Dalton, loved you with
the whole strength of my heart and soul,
from the first to the last"
80, Horace! Horace! for PHYS
sakem She stretched out her hands
imploringly, as if she would prevent the
utterance of the words which seemed to
break her heart
"Ellinor, when you were seventeen
years OF age, you had no thought OF
succeeding to your uncle's property. II
would have been, upon the whole, 6
much more natural thing for him to
have left it to his adopted son, Henry
Dalton. Your poor father expected thai
be would do SO; expected the same
Your father intrusted me with the Gus