The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-03-10


ing was changed and removed. her c1r.
tains parted, and in the halls and corri
doris outside their usual sittinp-room
fitting footsteps were often distinctl,
audible.
Nor was Margaret personally free frcn
annoyance. During her walks with Lad,
Julia she was often certain that tht
materials of her work-basket had beer
rearranged, and on one occasion a lette,
which she was writing to her brother wa.
taken away, and during her absence The
following day mysteriously restored.
She began now to strongly suspect
human agency in all these annoyances
and dreadful fear entered her heart
4 perhaps, for some wicked reason OF
other, the people around the little Julia
were DESTROYS of utterly unnerving and
destroying the child's mental powers.
1t was possible that such wicked de.
sign accomplished might place the in
heritance III other hands. She had.
indeed, nothing on which to base SO
dreadful supposition; but it was the
only one she could imagine that would
account for a series of events which. if
supernatural, were strangely puerile,
and seemingly deficient in purpose.
..'But if there is any conspiracy AGAINST
this innocent child l shall discover it','
she said, almost angrily. And forthwith
dismissing all idea of supernatural in
fluences or interference, she set herself.
with patient will, the task of meeting
this disturbing ghost, whoever or what.
ever it might be.
Possibly her purpose was diyihedl Z
, no sooner had she made this resolutfdi
than all annoyance disappeared. Ve{k
after week went peacefully away, and
their lives passed in dream of STANCE
peace, filled with all the weird images
that poets for many century hid con-
jured up.
Early in the spring Julia had dan
gerous fever and Margaret dew very
near the child in this crisis IS soon as
it was possible to move her the east
wing was deserted for a.time, and rooms
in the center of the castle we're appro-
priated to the invalid and Margaret.
One night, as she sat watching by the
sick child's bed, she saw distinctly the
shadow of mans figure on the wall.
NiIONuo w llOb CGtoO SlltNOWos chC
thought; ''and if our visitor has come
back, he will have to speak to me, |
think. Certainly have right to know
by what or whose authority he haunts
me so persistently."
But though she moved cautiously and
kept constantly on the alert, she could
not see anything tangible enough to ac-
cost. Frequently she heardrapid stealthy
footsteps along the corridors, and one
night, when the sick child had sulfereda
dangerous relapse, slow, heavy footballs
were distinctly to be heard in the room
above them, all through the long hours
of that anxious night. Even the child,
though half delirious, had been con-
scious of this ghostly watcher, and had
raised her eyes with singular express
sion of a recognition that was a mixture
of terror and pleasure.
1t might be a week after this, Julia
was recovering again, and Mrs. Selby
had watched her until after midnight in
order that Margaret might rest awhile.
Then she resigned her place to the gov
erness. But 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.
end of this corridor, and in its curtained
recess cushioned chair OF two.
AS the waning moon began to rise
above the horizon, this recess became
perfectly distinct in all its details, and
Margaret noticed particularly that over
one of the chairs was a shawl or garment
that looked in the wan cold light as if
made of some soft and snowy white text
ure and color.
When she looked again, the shawl had
| been removed. She sat calmly 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 a
man. Without daring to think, she adj
vanced 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 tonight, and
| felt great pity for you. If can help you
return tomorrow night at the same hour.
You may trust me. JULIAs 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 later,
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 ap-
preached him, and he rose to meet her.
An hour afterward the pale moon touched
with strange ght the eager, listening
face of Margaret and the pale, handsome
man, who seemed very unwilling to part
with her.
Then rapid and beautiful change
came over the grave, plain governess.
Her face grew almost pretty. She startled
the still rooms with snatches of sony
The child gsew rapidly well in the new
vitality around it. And one thing was
noticeable. Margaret grew gayer as
night approached; even Mrs. Selby saw
this, and began to watch her with a Gu
rious look of suspicion.
Still it was not until the middle of
August that the mystery was solved. One
warm still night, when the heavy odor
| of the hOneVsuckles filled the air Mo-