The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1885-01-23

aWho is that9" said Mary, on her
guard directly.
ut is a Mr.. Walter Clifford"
walter Clifford" said Mary. "YOu
ore a slanderer; he is incapable Of de-
ceit."
The rogue pretended to brighten up.
well, / hope So" said he,- "and told
the lady as much; he comes from most
honorable stock. So then he has told
you about Lucy MoncktonY
Lucy Monckton!" cried Mary. mo;
who is she?"
Miss Barley" said the villain, very
gravely and solemnly, "she is his wife,"
"His wife, sir?" cried Mary, cOntemp-
tuOusly-"his wife? You must be mad.
I'll hear no more against him behind
his back" Then, threatening her tor
mentor: "He will be home again this
evening; he has only ridden to the Lake
Hotel; you shall repeat this to his face,
if you dare"
at will be my painful duty" said the
serpent, meekly.
Ills wife!" said Mary, scornfully, but
her lips trembled.
Ills wife," replied MoncktOn, calmly;
"a respectable woman whom, 1t seems,
he has deserted these fourteen years.
My acquaintance with her is slight, but
she is in a good position, and, indeed,
wealthy, and has never troubled him.
However, she heard somehow he was
counting you, and as often visit Derby
upon business, she requested me to
come over here and warn you in time"
And do you think, said Mary, scorn-
fully, 81 shall believe this from stran-
ger?"
Hardly" said MOnckton, with every
appearance of candor. Mrs. Walter
Clifford directed me to show you his
marriage certificate and hers"
The marriage ceftillcate.' cried
Mary, turning pale.
"Yes," said Monckton; "they were
married at the Registry Office on the
18th June 1865" and he put his hand in
his breast pocket to search for the GER
tificate. lie took this opportunity to
say, "YOu must not fancy that there is
any jealousy or i'll feeling after fourteen
years. desertion, but she felt it herduty
as woman"
"The certilicatel" said Mary-"the
certifcate!"
He showed her the certificate; she
read the fatal words, "Walter Clifford"
The rest swan before her eyes, and to
her the world seemed at an end. She
heard, as in dream, the smooth voice
of the false accuser, with 81 world OF
fictitious sympathy, "Iwish ! had never
undertaken this business. Mrs. Walter
Clifford doesn't want to distress you;
she only felt it her duty to save you.
Don't give way. There is no great harm
done, unless you were to be deluded in
to marrying him."
"And what then?" inquired Mary,
trembling.
Monckton appeared to be agitated at
this question.
"Oh, don't speak of it, "said he. "You
would be ruined for life, and he would
get seven years. penal servitude; and
that is a sentence few gentlemen sur
vive in the present day when prisons
are slaughter-houses. There, L have
discharged the most disagreeable Office
/ ever undertook in my life; but at all
events you are warned in time"
Then he bowed most respectfully to
her, and retired, eXhaling his pent-up
venom in diabolical grin.
She, poor victim, stood there stupe-
fed, pierced with poisoned arrow,
and almost in state of collapse; then
she lifted her hands and eyes for help,
Everything swan cOnfusedly before
her; she did not know for certain wheth-
er he was there or not; she cried to that
true friend for help.
"Mr. Hope-I am LOST am in the
deep waters Of despair-save me once
more, save meV
Thus speaking she tottered into the
Office, and sank all limp and powerless
into a chair, unable to move or speak,
but still not insensible, and soon her
brow sank upon the table, and her hands
spread themselves feebly out before her.
II ,roc oil ,,;JIoipouc cp;fo m, Monoly
toms part He did not for a mo-
merit suppose that his lie could long
OutliN Walter CliffOrd's return; but he
was getting desperate, and longing to
stab them all. Unfortunately fate be-
friendad the villains malice, and the
husband and wife did not meet again
till that diabolical poison had done its
work.
MOnckton retired, put off his old
mans disguise behind the fir-trees, and
went toward anotherofhis hiding places,
and enormous oak-tree which stood in
the hedge of Hopes cottage garden.
The subtle villain had made this hollow
tree an observatory, and a sort of sally
port, whence he could play the fiend.
The people at the hotel were, as Mary
told Julia Clifford, very honest people.
They showed Percy Fitzroy's brace
let to one or two persons, and found it
was of great value. This made them
uneasy, lest something should happen
to it under their charge; so the woman
sent her husband to the neighborhood
of Clifford Hall to try and find out if
there was lady of that name who had
left it. The husband was a simple fell
low, very unfit to discharge so delicate
a commission. He went at first to the
public-house; they directed him to the
Hall, but he missed it, and encountered
q gentleman, whose quick eye fell upon
the bracelet, for the foolish man had
shown it to SO many people that nowhe
was carrying it in his hand, and it blaz-
ed i'm the meridian sun. This gentleman
said. "What have you got there?"
swell, sir" said the man, lit was left
at our hotel by young couple from
these parts. Handsome couple they
were, sir, and spending their honey
moon"
"Let me see it," said Mr.. BARLEY, for
he was the gentleman. He had come
back in some anxiety to see whether
Hope had pacified Mary, or whether he
must exert himself to make matters
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