Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-10

he replied, with q relieved face. 1--WE are
staying at The Grand; won't you come to
breakfast and see Leslieg'
1 demurred. ] would be round early,
told him. l liked we'll enough being in
Leslie DOrmau's company but for the
honeymoonshine still clinging about the
pair 10 a certain extent, in spite of their
halt dozen years of married life. Alone
with them L felt not enYious, nor one too
many nor unsympathetic, but something
of all three; perhaps l was jealous of
| PauTs devotion. They seldom were in
| town together, and always made a sort Of
/ holiday of the event. When L got to The
I Grand-as early as 1 dared-I found them
/ side by side over newspaper, reading
/ the theatrical advertisements, like two
/ country cousins.
| Leslie Is a pretty, slender, dark-eyed
/ woman, with a charming little air of shy
/ dignity when left to herself, and tend
/ ency to nestle under Pauls wing, igura-
/ lively speaking. when he was by.
4 thought her looking worn and i'll, and
noticed how her eyes grew anxious when
/ Paul mentioned our eTrand. Had the
same thoughts crossed her mind, l Won
4 dered, as were in mine as she thanked me
/ with tremulOus lips, trying hard not to
/ speak too energetically, for inducing him
! to relinquish his editorship.
she has done quite enough for friend
] u
| he notY' she asked. ''He NAV very well
4 stop now. How do we know what he
may make of the second v0lume?" and 1
/ fancied her laugh was forced and un}oy-
4 Ous.e
/ Paul was frankly jubilant. Let him get
! this job settled, and he and Leslie would
| make day Of it. They had to see about
a new carriage, and look in at the winter
/ exhibitions and at all the bonnet shops in
I Rnpanf cfraaf and off bo xr~opt xubfcfIincr
like blackbird, to change his coat.
Il hate mem0irs!" said Leslie, with an
! angry flush on her cheek. 81 am, oh. so
glad this is to end! Surely the world
knows as much as need be Of poor
CyriLl"
won't you wish me well through my
half Of the task? Hasn't Paul told you
that / am to finish the book p
"YOui" cried Leslie.
Only mOnOsyllable, and yet it spoke a
world Of wonder, anger, fear, distinctly
and elOquently. l, of all men-I to usurp
| her husbands place! / to lay nv irreY-
erent hands on the sacred altar raised to
the loved memory! l read her thoughts
in flash.
The next instant she was trying with
gentle tact to pass over the subject.
The world must have its wilI,' she
sighed-"break lock and seal, betray the
trust, keep nothing sacred"
All" L interrupted, "haYe you so little
faith in me-Or in CyrilW
Here Paul entered, and we started on
our mission.
did not leave town at once for CyriPs
home. | let Paul have time to write and
apprise Martin Jebb of the change we
had made; and, besides, l wished to clear
OF all outstanding business of my own
that might make a future call on my time
or attention. [ wished to be free of all
personal claims before l approached my
great work. From the time that it had
been definitely given into my hands l had
felt encompassed and separated from my
fellow men, as if by the solemnity of a
sacred office laid upon me.
A great awe had fallen on nv spirit-a
great sense OF unWOrthiness. What, was
TO stand between the living and the
dead, and out of the poverty of my own
gifts to try and interpret the meaning Of
such life as CyriI's? And yet l would
do it, love and faith being my aid.
Martin Jebb regarded me with disfayor,
saw or, at best, with a ''better-than-
nothing" air. He eagerly produced his
hare OF the work, and looked cOntemptu-
ously a, me when confessed my inabiIi-
ty to appreciate a.. z,4.o..,4..-,,.
s'Shall you not find it - u1cuII 70 ten the
story of Prof. Blests life anu omit al!
he asked.
did Mr.. Dorman enter fully into these
subjects:" was my reply.
He tred,' said Martin Jebb, eagerly.
"NO one knows how hard he worked. Of
course, did the best l could to expIa,n
everything, but he got it all up in
a wonderfully short time"
''Ah, that accounts for many things" l
said inyOluntarily.
.1--.--
faltered poor Jebb.
The book? No; / haven't seen it."
And leaving the poor man in cOnsterna-
ton at this admission, L turned away.
The library looked unchanged. 4 fire
blazed on the hearth cheerily, and the
writing table was neatly arranged with
fresh materials.
Mr.. DOrnan used to 90 over the papers
alone, and when he made his selection
call for me, and we used to talk them
over together, and those we rejected were
destroyed at once, when we had made
sure that we should not require them
again." explained the young secretary.
"A very good plan; but l think 1 had
better begin with that first volume and
study it thoroughly. 1t may take me all
night, so L shall not require your help
tonight, AS early as you please to-mor-
row."
Jebb assented willingly and departed.
I opened the book. 1t was straighttOr-
wardly and modestly written. / seemed
to hear PauFs voice in every sentence. l
should have felt drawn to the writer if l
had known nothing of him. But Cyril
what would anyone learn Of him from it?
Nothing but the barest, baldest facts Of
his outer life. A painted semblance-not
the living, breathing man.
l rushed through the latter half and
laid it aside. My time had come, and the
dead should speak. I could not bear to
lose an hour, and placed myself before
the great. frOWning old bureau, that
reached high up the wall, heavy with
quaint carving, dim glimmering in the
freight with brass inlay and mountings.
Paul had given me a small sealed packet
of KEYS. and this l opened. The bureau
KEYS were on labeled ring, five in all.
One opened the desk and the drawers be-
meath it; another the first door Of the four
compartments above it. This was empty,
as ] expected. So were third and fourth,
of which the cOntents-notes for books
commenced and finished-had been hand
ed over to Martin Jebb OF the second
there was no key whatever. / tried them
all in vain, nor was there another III the
parcel that could possibly fit.
| felt unaccOuntably discouraged and
ANNOYED at this discovery. Then, remem-
boring PauPs frame of mind, decided
that the loss was not wholly ineXplicable.
There must be a locksmith in the viii
lage," l reflected; and then, resolved not
to wait even for that, L drew out the
drawers and lightened the huge constitute
ton as much as | could, and dragged 1t
out from the wall.
1t was a greater labor than l had
guessed hut l cOntrived to make space
enough to squeeze myself in, and then
discovered the back was one solid panel,
quite immovable by any attempts OF mine.
/ replaced everything and looked specu-
latiyely at the poker, but l shrank from
any rough injury as from sort of sacrI-
lege. Then | tried the division between
the compartments, and here chance aided
me. There was a false back to them-the
old, common, futile substitute for patent
lock and an iron safe-and behind it
| drawers for money or papers. BY press
ing a spring, not very difficult to discover,
the divisions between each compartment
| folded down fiat and allowed the back to
be drawn forward. l tried it, and sue
ceeded in making the panel between
number three and the locked number two
| give way. 1t folded down, and the con-
/ tents lay disclosed.
1t was full, heaped to the top with neat
| " folded bundles Of letters, some of which
/ came topping down, their support being
/ removed.
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