The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-13
said. looking me straight in the face with
aquiet smile. '.Oh, no, have not forgotten

said. looking me straight in the face with
aquiet smile. ''Oh, no, l have not forgotten
himw
was hardly prepared for such composure.
HE spoke of having spent a part of the autumn
at Colonel Naxon's place" added.
''Yes; saw great deal of him. became
very much interested in him. His illness is a
calamity to art as well as to his friends. And
you know him, too9 Then l am doubly glad to
meet you. Percy she went on, as a tall young
man approached, II want you to know this gen
tleman. He is friend of Mr.. John Seyton-
you know" She mentioned my name, and
added, my cousin-Percy Tremayne."
lawfully nice fellow Seyton, wasn't her said
the Captain, fixing his eye-glass, and regarding
me with a good-natured smile lawfully
clever, and that sort of thing Never met him,
myself. Kate-er-Miss Naxon's always talking
about him. Awfully good fellows, artists, al
HE was of very plebeian extraction re-
marked, amused, in spite of myself, at the in
corrigible complacence of British aristocracy."
"Oh, bless you we don't mind that" the
good as another-if he is as good, You know. l
tell Kate go in for communism, and all that
except when they want to dynamite fellow
draw the line there And the Captain dropped
his eyeglass with frank laugh.
Men like Mr. Seyton will do more to equal
ze unjust distinctions than all the dynamiters
in the world, said Miss Kate gravely.
IF he is not perverse enough to die" L SAID,
making my bow. But could hardly help liking
both of these people the better for this converse
ton. Miss Naxon had right to parry my at
tack and she had done so nobly. AS for Captain
Tremayne, he was an honest, handsome, single
minded Englishman, and that was all about it.
And yet between them. they had destroyed a
man who was worth hundred of them put to-
gether That is the way of the world.
John Seyton, however. did not die. How he
received the news of Hates faithlessness never
learned but was informed, early in the sum
mer season. that he had returned to England,
and that he was hopelessly insane. He was
placed in one of the best private asylums, and,
though was unable to obtain an interview with
him myself, heard from those nearest to him
that everything was done for his comfort
Where the money for his support came from l
know not; perhaps from TIL sale of his pictures
His health las sometimes happens when the
brain gives way) had in other respects improved,
and he would probably exist many years But
what an agony he must have endured before the
end came! And all because young woman was
beautiful and selfish!
wished to see Miss Naxon todiseover whether
her serenity were in any degree discomposed by
this new turn of affairs. But the opportunity
did not come. only heard, in common with the
rest of the world, that she and her cousin became
man and wife at about the time that John Seyton
entered the asylum. And this was the end of
the little romance! What fine thing is this
English institution of CASTE said to myself.
We Americans may be barbarous and provincial,
but even vulgarity is sometimes preferable to
inhumanity. 1t was an intolerable wrong that
had been perpetrated, and yet there was no pos
sible way of Furnishing the authors of it-or the
author let us say, for nobody could blame the
Captain.
am not one of those who recognize a special
providence in every thunderstorm, but the
sequel of this story was to say the least of it, far
more impressive than the story itself. England
had lately been drawn into some of the bicker-
ings of her remote colonists with the natives
who surrounded them and finally felt called
upon to make physical assertion of her dignity.
The immediate consequence of this decision was
the expectation into tropical and hostile ATTITUDES
of some thousands of red coated British peasan-
try, accompanied by some scores Of aristocratic
graduates of Elton and Harrow to lead them on
to victory in squares and columns 1t SO hap
pened that Captain Tremayne was among those
appointed for this service, though he was a
bridegroom of only a few months standing.
The war was not, of course, war of any conse-
quenee; it was as impossible that England should
be defeated as that they should gain any glory
by conquering But this would not
prevent some of them from being
killed, and had the Captain been marching te
Waterloo, instead of the desert or to the back
woods, he could not have said farewell to his
young wife with any worse assurance of ever
seeing her again. A negro can infict death
when it comes in his way to do sol just as effect
lively as Napoleon or Won Moltke. The Captain
went off, at all events, and Mrs Tremayne was
q
pretty, old fashioned residence near Twicken
ham, on the Thames, and she established herself
there, declining her uncle's invitation to spend
the period of her husbands absence at his Devon
shire place. About six months later a baby was
born-a little girl. Soon afterwards l mysel1
left England, and was the continent for up
wards of year. 1t was while was away thai
the singular event occurred that makes this
story worth telling. / heard of it in detail
afterwards. at various times. and from different
| persons
When her baby was less than year old il
caught slow fever-something like what we
| call malaria-and Mrs. Tremayne. fancying thai
the river air was unwholesome for it, suddenly
made up her mind to accept her uncles standing
invitation to visit him. She sent him a letter t.
that effect, and set out herself day or tive
afterwards. On arriving, late in the evening a
her destination she found a ball in progress al
the house, and no provision made for her recep
tion Her letter had not been received and every
room in the house was occupied. 1t was, of course
impossible to return, and she at length made
up her mind to spend the night with her baby
at the little chalet In the park, which has beer
already alluded to- 1t contained two three
rooms, and one of them was already fitted up al
a bedroom. Her uncle accompanied her ovel
there, with maid, and saw that she was com
fortably housed. It had at first been intended
that the maid should sleep on a mattress on tn,
floor but, after looking at the room, Mrs. IRE
mayne decided that she would dispense with at
the house, and her uncle, after bidding her good
night. retired ALSO taking the precaution to loci
the door after him and put the key in his pocket
The arrangement was that the maid should com,
early in the morning to assist Mrs. Tremayne a
| her toilet.
| An hour or two later, as Col Naxon was stroll
ing up and down the gravel path in front of hi!
home, taking Whit of cigar, with an oil
crony of his, while the younger people still KEEP
up the dance within doors, he fancied he heard
scream from the direction of the chalet. Turn
| ing the corner of the shrubbery. the chalet wa!
in view, distinct in the moonlight. at the further
| extremity of the broad lawn: The light vas ex
| tinguished in Hates Window and all was quie
and peaceful. The Colonels companion hat
heard no sound, and the Colonel fancied he mus
have been Mistaken nevertheless, he walked
nearly half way across the lawn to satisfy him
self Then, as there was still no sign of any
| thing wrong he walked slowly back again, en-
| ioying the moonlight and his cigar; and not Ions
afterwards the ball came to an end, and Col
| m haH