Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-16
THE SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY, MARCH Is, 1884,

means of which l was mistress, IN order |
10 draw her attention from that which |
she still called ''hel work." Ir measure |
| was successful, but after while her IN
terest in any new object of my planning /
would be sure to flag. and she would re- |
turn with newborn ardOr to the contem-
platiOn of that gruesome ngure III the
white lace dress. l managed 10 persuade |
her to allow the outward signs OF mourn
inc on the face OF the house to be removed, /
and she consented, only STIMULATING that |
the blinds Of Edith's room should still re-
main lowered. Since that parOXysm of
fearful laughter with which she had first !
shown me cher work. land which was, it
seemed, the first she had experienced, |
her heath had visibly declined, and as the
days heightened, and springs promise
filled the air, she grew paler and thinner
and more languid.
DR.. Jaikes and DR.. Lloyd watched the
case with interest, and they cOncurred in
the opinion that she could not last many
months. DR.. Jaikes was of opinion that
her death might be preceded by lucid
interval, and his hope was strong that
some clue to the murderer might then be
gained. DIR. Lloyd differed from him in
this. and declared his belief that only a
shock similar to the one which had wreck
temporarily.
s"Supposing that she did see the muir
der committed he said to me once,
81 believe she would recover sufficient
reason to point the murderer out if she
ever saw him again; but that is among the
things so unlikely as almost to be impos-
sible."
But it is not always the most likely
things that happen.
Who, for instance, would have thought
it likely that Mr.. Will Lockwood should,
on his return to England after four years.
absence, come straight from s. to the
Manor House and ask for Miss Tharpe? |
suppose he had seen no newspapers on his
outward voyage to India, and by the
time he reached his destination the
E murder had ceased to be COM
mon talk, and some other ''atrOcity'' had
taken its placein the minds OF men. Ger
tain it is that he knew nothing Of the
tragedy.
Unlikely in the extreme! And yet the
most natural thing IN the world for one
who had always had the name Of most
impulsive man, not to wait to hear news in
any roundabout way, but to come straight
to his old loves house to see if she were
still unwed.
At any rate, one May evening when the
Misses Tharpe were out and DR.. Lloyd,
House, was sitting in the garden with me
and poor Isabel, now wasted to a very
shadow, we heard ring at the garden
door. There were never any callers there.
1t could only be DR.. Jaikes or the Misses
Tharpe, so, as the servants were both
out, L ran round and opened the door my
self.
A handsome brOnzed man Of about thir-
ty stood in the doorway, and spoke, hat in
hand:
docs Miss Tharpe still live here?'
Yes | said.
"Can [ see Miss Tharpe? l am William
Lockwood, a very old friend"
"COme in" | said, and led him to the
library. Then / went and whispered to
DR.. Lloyd who the visitor was.
l did not say a dozen words to him, but
when l turned round Isabel was gone.
Had she gone to the library? We FASTENED
thither. The girl was standing just inside
the door, looking at the man who had been
her lover with a wild, passionate light in
her eyes.
.IsabeI?" he said, IN a chilled, changed
voice.
''Wen, VIII, she said, ''you have come
back, then? Why don't you ask after
EdithY'
.I-you-Good God! how ill you lookv'
was all his answer
Edith is not ill., said Isabel, quietly;
s'cOme and see her."
l made a step forward, with some
vague idea Of interference, but DR.. Lloyd
stayed me with a glance.
E'I-perhaps your sister may think 1t an
intrusion" he stammered, apparently
quite ObliyiOus of our presence.
''Oh, no." said Isabel, ''she won't think
that. Come and see her. And you come
too" she added. turning to us. l could
not fathOm DIR. Lloyd's motive in allow
ing this gentleman to be subjected to
such a shock as this must be; but l obey
ed him, and we all went silently after her
up the long, winding, endless seeming
| passages, through the pretty boudoir and
into the dim chamber where deaths
image was enshrined.
Isabel entered first, then Mr.. Lock
wood, and DR.. Lloyd and l stood in the
doorway. l noticed that the young
mans eyes, strangely enough, turned
| first to the window and then to the dress
bedside. A'''D0l ~ INC
With a sudden movement Of her hand
she drew away the scarf from the throat
! of the body, and left exposed that awful
| CHASTITY wound.
/ Lockwood gazed spellbound for quite
! two minutes. Then. with a wild harsh
| cry that echoed through the quiet house,
he flung himself Cd his knees beside the
{ bed.
Edith! my life, my darling-V
DR.. Lloyd stepped forward and dragged
! the man away before the hand he had
! stretched out had time to touch the wax
/ hand to which he had reached it. He
| whispered in LOckWOOd's ear. | suppose
! he told him briefly what it was and how it
! came there, and led him to the door: but
! as they reached it
/ "StOpw cried Isabel, in a terrible voice I;
/ you have seen-nOw you must hear.
! Though / have known it all along, could
/ not speak; but now the chain is lOosed
| and find words. l was mad then, and
| perhaps l have been so since. Why do
! you think L wanted her body? Why do
think l have dragged out my wretched
| life so long? Because | knew this hour
would come. Because l knew that some
day he would come back-to her, not to
me-nOt to me, and that this sweet mo-
| ment of revenge would repay me for all
the suherings Of these years. Ask him if
| he remembers the last time he saw this
room. ASK him No, ask him moth
ing. Hold him there, and let him hear
how his love- his darling met her
death"
Lockwood himself looked like death as
he sank into a chair near the door and
looked at Isabel. The girls whole body
seemed TRANSPORTED, instinct with new,
full life. Can you fancy the scene at all,
reader? l suppose not, for my words are
faint to convey any idea of the picture |
saw then, and which haunted me day and
night for years. The horror on the bed,
changeless and Interchangeable The man,
a far from II ,OccibIo D.