Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-04-07

gh0Htly watcher, and had raised her
eyes with singular expression of a
recognition that was a mixture of
terror and pleasure.
1t might be a week after this, Ju-
liza was recovering again, and Mrs.
Selby had watched her until after
midnight in order that Margaret
might rest awhile. Then she re-
signed her place to the governess.
Buta singular feeling of unrest
possessed Margaret. She could not
sit still /; she glided up and down
the room and frequently looked out
of the window and into the long
corridor that went by the room.
There was a large oriel-window
at the end of this corridor, and In
its curtained recess a cushioned
chair or two.
AS the waning moon began TO
rise above the horizon, this recess
became perfectly distinct in all its
details, and Margaret noticed par
ticularly that over one of the chairs
was shawl or garment that looked
in the wan cold light as if made of
some soft and snowy white texture
and color.
When she looked again, the
shawl had been removed. She sat
calmy down and reasoned about
this event, and in about half an
hour again examined the window
recess. The moon shone full into it
now, and reclining motionless in
one of the chairs was the figure of
man. Without daring to think, she
advanced cautiously toward it. The
figure never moved as she stood at
its side; she examined the wan
handsome face; but the man was
evidently in deep sleep.
Margaret then returned to her
room and wrote
~ have watched you sleeping to-night,
and felt great pity for you. II can help
you return tomorrow night at the same
JULIA's GovERNEss."
For Margaret was now certain
that some wicked plot involving
both the child and the man was in
progress, and she was resolved to
defeat it.
The next night the moon was Ia
ter, and the Oriel was in shadow,
but there sat her visitor. He had,
then, noticed and understood the
note she had laid within his hand.
She cautiously approached him,
and he rose to meet her. An hour
afterward the pale moon touched
with a strange light the eager, lis
tening Margaret and the pale, hand
some man, who seemed very un-
willing to part with her.
Then rapid and beautiful change
came over the grave, plain govern
esS. Her face grew almost pretty.
She startled the still rooms with
snatches of song. The child grew
rapidly we'll in the new vitality
around it. And one thing was no.
ticeable. Margaret grew gayer as
night approached even Mrs. Selby
saw this, and began to watch her
with curious look of suspicion.
Still it was not uutil the middle
of August that the mystery was
solved. One warm still night,
when the heavy Odor OF the honey
snckles filled the air. Margaret,
having seen Julia in the first
dreamless sleep of childhood, stole
quietly through the deserted chapel
of the castle into the thick shrub
berry that surrounded it. There
the ghost of the corridor was wait
ing for her, and Margaret was clas-
ped in his arms, and kissed and
caressed as beloved women have
always been kissed and caressed by
their lovers.
Perhaps they had much to talk
about, for Margaret stayed much
longer than usual, and when she
reached again the old chapel Mrs.
Selby suddenly confronted her.
"Miss Henderson, whom have
you been to meet ?"
"Lord Richard AliOnby.'
"Ah! You know then"
~ know all, my lady ; even more
than you do"
"Who are you addressing 2"
"Lady Alionby. Lord Richards
mother"
"What traitor my son has
been I"
'NO, my lady, you wrong him. "
"HOw did you discover Lord
Richard 2"
Then Margaret truthfully related
all her fright, and the way in which
suspicion of the mortal presence had
come to her. She described their
first meeting in the corridor. "Your
son." she said, "Weary and lonely in
his long confinement, did me the
honor to feel interested in my life.
He watched me, and being jealous
of some unknown person to whom
/ wrote he stole my letter, and thus
discovered that the brother with
whom cOrresponded was in the
service of Colonel John Chaloner."
"What' is that you say? Speak
quickly. Does John Chaloner live ?
"My lady, L have given Lord
Richard this night letter from
him."
"Margaret Margaret Then my
son may look the world in the face
again? He is not murderer !!
"He is waiting to tell you this"
"But come with me, Margaret
we have evidently one interest in
this matter" So for the first time
in two years sojourn at Alionby
Margaret entered the left wing of
the castle. 1t had been for six
years the unsuspected residence of a
supposed murderer. So long ago,
in a quarrel with his cousin Chal-
oner, Lord Richard had shot, and,
it was supposed, killed his oppo-
nent. ChalOner did not die, but,
utterly ruined in credit and reputa-
ton, when he found himself recOv-
ering, he had persuaded his rela-
tives to circulate report OF his
death and provide him with the
means of commencing life again in
Burmah. ....
What the result might be to his
cousin he had not dared to contem-
plate, but certainly, until Margaret
wrote to him, he had never inn
agined a punishment equal to six
years imprisonment and remOr5e.
The general idea had been that
Lord Richard had fed to India, or
as some said, to Central Asia, and
that Lady Alionby was striving to
atone for her sons wrong by adopt
ing and educating John Chal-
oner's daughter as the heiress Of
Alionby.
But the fashionable world had
now Il genuine sensation. First the
return of Colonel ChalOner with a
large fortune from Burmah, and a
few days afterward it was author
tatively stated that Lady Alionby
had re-opened her London mansion
in order to celebrate the return
home of Lord Richard.