The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-12

A NOVEL BY MISS M. E BRADDON,
Auds Shoes ETC.
PART IV.-CHAPTER ".

be with him"
mo, Lady Darnel, that is impossible He
must be kept very quiet-there must he no one
in the room except Purdew and me- l shall stay
here all night"
THANK God for that! But it is cruel to keep
me away from him. Do you think am child,
that have no self-command!"
II think you are woman, and that you love
your husband. No, Lady Darrell you must not
enter that room till Sir Allan is in less pre-
carious state. You must obey me in this matter
for his sake. ] am going to send one Of your
men with message to my wife, and then shall
60 back to Sir Allan. We shall have a couple of
surgical nurses down tomorrow morning"
Clare Darnel wrung her hands in a silent
despair She turned from the doctor and
walked quickly to the end of the corridor. Like
King David she turned her face to The wall She
felt that there was no comfort-no relief Her
husband was taken away from her-gven over
to nurses and surgeons, and she was told that
she must not enter his room Her sacred right
as his wife was set at naught. Death itself
could not have robbed her more utterly of his
presence. To sit beside his bed, to watch the
changes in his face, to listen to every breath.
There would have been comfort in this But she
was to have no comfort She stood leaning
against the molding of the window frame at
the end of the corridor with her face to the wall
my son, my son. she repeated to herself.
II ought never to have married that good man.
l was selfish, wicked, blind to link my miserable
| lot with his. l am the cause of his death"
Grace came from her room, where she had
been sitting with her aunt, who had established
herself there unlimited, ito be nearer poor
Allan"
Dear mother, come to my room; come and
lie down on my bed" pleaded Grace and the
word mother sounded sweet in Clare Darnels
ears, even in the midst Of her despair. The
girls tenderness recalled that revelation of Val
entine's.
mo, my darling, your life shall not be
blighted," she sobbed, drawing Grace to her
breast ''You shall not be sacrificed to worth
lessness and protiigacy."
The strange speech startled Grace. What
could it meanl Could Lady Darnel know-or
suspect anything about her luckless lover-the
man she had seen the common that morning.
She succeeded in getting Lady Darnel to her
room, where Dora was sitting piously before an
open Testament reading the history of st. Pauls
shipwreck, and how the viper came out of the
fire and hung upon his arm. 1t could hardly be
particularly comforting in such moment; but
Dora fled to her Bible in calamity as duty.
| She did not even wait for calmneSS and order
around her. but sat down in the midst of chaos
and read the first chapter that came to hand, in
a thoroughly business-like way. BY this means
she had acquired stupendous battery Of texts,
with which she was always ready to open fire in
argument or warning
In Doras mind even the viper that came out of
the fire was not altogether inapplicable to the
present state OF affairs.
my poor brother has had viper hanging
upon him. she said to herself Il knew that
misery would come out of that marriage, but
did not think that it would take the form of
bloodshcd."
Lady Darnel consented to lie down on sofa
wheeled near the fire. to please Grace rather
repose. A rug was spread over her, and she lay
silent, with eyes closed. The other two women
might suppose she was sleeping.
Had you not better go to your own room.
Aunt Dora" said Grace, little worried by the
sight of that calm, white robed figure, and the
open Bible. Grace was firm in religious faith
and reverence for the Scriptures; but she could
not seat herself down to read the Acts of the
Apostles with folded hands, in the midst of @
domestic CONFUSION.
1T is nearly 2 o'clock. Aunt Dora. Do 60 to
your own ROOM, she said, hardly concealing her
| irritation.
mo, Grace, like to be near Allan. My own
| room is at the other end of the house. l hope
am not in your way here"
Not at ALL" said Grace shortly; and then she
got up and went out to the corridor and listened
at her fathers door.
| Not a sound. But he might die and she would
hear no more than she heard now. 1t was all so
sad, so inexpcable Her father at deaths door,
he who had kissed her and babe her good night
in his cheerest voice only few hours ago How
had it happened? She had hardly been calm
enough even to wonder about it until ROW; but
now she began to ask herself how this tragedy
had come to pass.
Could it be the result OF accident? Her father
an old cavalry soldier. the hero of two Indian
campaigns: such man likely to be playing
with fire arms children and Cockneys play with
such thingss Was he likely to handle revolver
so ignornantly or SO awkwardly as to lodge its
contents in his side! And again she had under
stood that Sir Allan had gone to bed, and that
| Lady Darnel was writing alone in her room when
! she, Grace, knocked at the door
She onged to see her dear old Colonel. He
perhaps might have told her something yet
what could he know more than she, since he had
only appeared on the scene after the catastrophe.
She walked up and down the corridor for half
an hour or more, till the cold drove her back to
her room. 1t was very cold in that dead hour Of
the night, and poor Grace was shivering in her
muslin dressing gown when she went back to her
room.
Dora Darnel was sitting by the fire, just as
Grace had left her. steadily ploughing through
| the Acts, as if she had been a divinity student
preparing fer an examination Lady Darnel lay
with her face hidden, motionless, silent.
us she asleep" inquired Grace, in a low
voice.
Il believe So"
Grace threw herself on her bed and cried
herself to sleep a troubled sleep, easily broken.
She had slept thus, hardly for one moment losing
the consciousness of her grief, when she was
awakened by an agonizing cry.
She started III from her pillow to see Dora
Darnel standing beside the sofa in the dying fire.
| light looking down at her brothers wife
! Glare was lying on her back, with her clasped
hands above her head, her eyes wide open, and
the eyeballs fixed in awful stare.
MY fault my fault she cried, Il murdered
him.
The aunt and niece looked at each other, ap-
palled horror stricken. These words were the
words of d dreamer, and dreams are widest
fictions but such words at such moment had a
thrilling effect.