Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1884-06-19
"Dear aunt Rachel I"

4 hV Sill lUlUOu sNuuNHtg1
out her hands and Darrell rose To make
way for Miss Durnlord, who now wep'
freely ms she clasped lima in her arms.
"Dear auntie," said the girl, after O
long silence, sit has been like nm awful
dream! l cannot bear To think Of IL yet ~
"And would rather you did not, my
child. am conteut TO wait. Now take
a little of this wiae, and / will go aud get
you some tea; and Sir Philip will take
care OF you till l come back" And she
Went out, leaving them alone together.
Then lima told her lover more Of The
details OF all that had passed before he
had reached the Mill, and how Roland had
removed the ladder from the loft where
she was imprisoned, so rs TO cut of her
escape; hut he had forgotten the shawl In
which Jon IIeston had wrapped her head.
and by fastening this to ring In the floor
she was able to descend. And Roland?
Had nothing been heard Of him! Had not
his sisters made inquiry?
"iose came about ten minutes ago,
| Ilma," said Darrell, "to ask about us both,
| and il anything was known OF Roland.
| Zeph Heston must have spread the news
that lie was in the Mill, for every one
seemed to know 1t. Nothing had been
heard OF Roland by the river. l did not
see Rose, of course; but sent my groom,
| who is here TO make inquiries"
lima hid her face, sobbing.
| "Oh, Philip, aunt Sabine need never
| know the truthV
"She must indeed, for your sake, my
heart. l cannot have 1t supposed that you
met Roland Sabine In the Mill of your
own accord. Another guilty soul beside
his, lima, has gone to its account for his
nights work."
"Job Heston!"
"Aye. The first rush OF the flood
washed away the cottage where he and
Zeph had taken refuge. IIeston was swept
across the weir aud drowned before the
eyes of hundreds"
lima shuddered violently.
Sand Zeph!" she said, after n long
pause, "Was it Zeph who told you where
i was, Philip"
ayes, dear one. was riding towards
Scarth Abbot-more in n vague fear for
you than with any definite thought-when
j met her. She seemed to have repented
her part almost Immediately"
Some idea of Zeph's reason for hating
her evidently flashed across Ilma's mind,
for her color rose; but she said nothing, only
nesting TO her lovers breast. Presently
she said slowly
"Philip, 1t seems so strange that the
fulflment OF the prophecy has come about
as always tried to hope IL would; and
yet it was by blind faith in only one pos
sible meaning attaching to the words that
the true meaning was made manifest"
In silence Darrell bowed his face OH the
golden head. Love, peace, happiness! All
the dark clouds that had shrouded his life
were swept away suddenly by the little
hand that clung TO his--the hand that
should yet caress his children. Yester-
day he had been doomed man, and he
had cursed the fatal love that had brought
woe aud death 10 the woman he loved;
to-day, snatched by that love from death,
saved by the life laid down TO save hers,
that woman rested on his breast; aud be-
fore them both stretched the golden years,
bright with dazzling light that now he
could not meet. For the first time during
that night OF passion and anguish, of wild
hope, of inefLble dread, of terrible aud
sustained effort, aud blessed certainty Of
happiness, the strong spirit gave way,
and Philip Darrell wept aloud.
Up the village street was born on u
hastily-improviscd stretchcr bruised,
shattered form, still breathing. Ii was laid
down in the common room of the inn. Mes
sengers had already run on TO tell Roiand's
mother and TO fetch doctor, and the doe
tor was quickly on the spot. lie looked
down ut the disigured form in pity.
al can do nothing" he said; sit Is use
less to disturb him. lie has not five minutes
to live"
The doctor bent down to the dying man.
From CHASTITY cash in his forehead blood
was slowly trickling. Roland tried TO
speak
"Ilma-Dark Darrell--the curse"
"They are saved" said the doctor, his
voice trembling with emotion" Sir Philip
saved her. They are at the Grange"
A sharp spasm contracted the dying
mans livid features. He tried TO speak
again, and In the effort 4 rush Of blood
stopped speech and life at once, At the
same moment Mrs. Sabine and her two
daughters FASTENED breathlessly through
the crowd.
.Keep her back. - cried the doctor,
hastily drawing mantle over the crushed
form. "ThiS is no sight for his mother"
great fragment of the Mill had been
washed ashore nearly mile down the
river, and man Wa, seen clinging TO 10.
Sir Philip DarreIi'S groom aud another had
ridden into the waite: and rescued the
hapless creature-Rolnnd Sabime-and the
groom then rode on to the Grange to tell
his master what had happened.
AT one o'clock in the morning the village
was stll aStir, and hardly n house was
closed. Another servant from the Court
rode into Scarth Abbot and up TO the
Grange with the joyful news that Hassan
had galloped into the courtyard half an
hour before. The animal must have gone
miles down the river before lie could find
bridge, for that below the Mill had been
washed away by the flood, and he had
made his way unerrlngly TO his home.
An hour later Sir Pnilip himself went
out to see what damage had been done,
and TO ascertain il any lives besides those
he already knew of had been lost, and
especially to make inquiry about Zepb.
"Shc was one Of them that stood by
when we got the Squire ashore" said an
old farmer. 81 didn't see her after that,
Sir Philip"
One or two others thought she had been
outside the inn when the unhappy man
was laid OH his bier within. All doubt
however was set ut rest three days later,
when Zeph's body was east ashore ten
miles below ScartI Abbot. The poor girl
had evidently flung herself into the river;
and with her persisted the last Of the ten
ants of the Weir Mill.
The violets were blooming along the
banks OF the Coalmere when lima Costello
became Dark Darrell's bride; and now
tho vacant place beside the portrait of the
last Darrell Is filed 10y the picture of Ia
dy with golden hair and soft dark eyes;
and there are gay doings at the Court, and
old Mnrsll,s henri reinices. Eut neople