Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-10-25

,bo,st thsm. People who have beea
living Il some oat-of ths-wsy place, and
whom nobody knew anything about,
and iha man was found dead, sud the
woman nowhere to be found. That was
twas it nots"
ayes: that was IT," no replied.
:. There was mystery enough about the
antecedents and belongings, and the life
they led generally but should be
afraid there is little enough about the
murder. The woman did It to GER
tainty." =,
Then why should you be afraid at all
about it? She is pretty, suppose and
YOU are sorry for herr" She said it
with a laugh, in which he joinel.
It might have been nothing at ala
mere jest-this CHASTITY crime they were
talking about. The man was sorry for
the miserable wretch who had commit
ted it, because she was pretty, that was
all.
81 think she must have had very
hard time of it, he said. "The old
woman who gave evidence. and who
was the only person in the house with
them. said as much. Her sympathies
all went with her mistress, 1t was evil
dent. and she made the case against the
dead man so strong that every word
she said will have helped to tighten
the cord around his wife's neck if ever
they catch her, which I hope they
won't. She seems to have been nothing
short Of q slave and . prisoner. The
man must have been mad, l should i'm.
acine, and he watched her so closely
she could not get away from him."
And at last? forget the particu-
lars"
"Oh, well, there was big row over
night, you know. The old woman
heard it as she was undressing for bed,
but she appears to have gone to sleep in
spite of it-too we'll used to that kind
Of thing, I suppose-and in the morning
she was not up over early herself. and
does not have seem to have troubled
about anybody else until the breakfast
hour was long past. Then she found
the one room empty and the other
locked. ant you know the rest, all the
narrowing details, as the leaders call
them. The poor wretch had had a
fight for his life. The fact Of that,
and of the door being locked on
the inside. would have told in
the woman's favor if she had
had the pluck to stay and see it out.
But that is just where it is--presencs
of mind always fails people in these
cases. She not only does for herself
by running away, but being, according
to all accounts, good-looking woman,
to begin with, and remarkable enough
on that score. she makes herself still
more remarkable by arraying herself in
a shot-silk gown. Shot-silk +. only
conceive it In these days, when every
other woman one meets is in black !!
Why, it was simply suicidal! The
only wonder is that they have not
identified her by it before this"
at was only the other day, sure
ly?" she asked.
She did not look greatly interested,
not so much so as | was, for we had
read about it at the time-Mary and
had been reading about it, in fact,
that very night when we were kept up
watching and waiting for Madame
Laurie. and | could have answered her
question more definitely than he did,
for madame had been with us now little
more than a fortnight. | was interested
myself, but / was sorry to see the girls
taking it all in so eagerly. We encour-
aged no morbid taste for horrors at In
glewood House.
81 knew read all about it while |
was waiting" Milly Danvers said after
ward in her consequential little way.
81 wonder you did not see it, all Of
you. There was Murder at the top
of it in big enough letters, goodness
knowsr'
When we reached home in the eve.
ming Madame Laure was in bed, having
so far followed my sisters advice.
81 did want her to have doctor at
first" Mary said, but she objected so
strongly. and | doubt whether it would
have been Of any use. think she
wants rest and quiet more than any
thing"
81 think you want it YOURSELF" |
said. i did not know when had seen
her look so tired and troubled;
thought at times she must feel other
peoples pains and aches as though they
were her own. and felt sure now she
had been letting Madame Laure worry
her beyond her strength. 81 won't
have you going up to her any more to-
night" ] said. 81 shall go and see
for myself how she is getting on, ard
if there is any need for doctor, doc
tor she shall have"
She did not say Yes" or " No.
but smiled family at the parlor board.
ers, who were accustomed to the oc.
casional assertion of my authority, and
began pouring out the tea, while en-.
tertained the little party the school
room tea was a separate affair, under
the presidency of Miss Crispin,) with O
recapitulation of the conversation in
the railway carriage.
at was the Dress" said, (which
he had made up his mind was to bring
her to justice-the shot-silk dress
My dear Mary, what on earth are you
thinking off" exclaimed in the same
breath, for the urn had replenished the
teapot to OVERLOOKING and was flooding
the tray, and my sister sat looking
across it at me in a sort Of stupor
never seeing or needing it.
"Miss Mary was thinking no more
Of the tea than the rest Of u.s." some
body said, good-naturedly coming t
the rescue, and then there was little
commotion and hopping up, consequent
upon the catastrophe, and Mary made
her apologies and went on with hel
work; but she did it neryously anC
badly, as if it were an effort to her
and ! was glad when it was over.
scarcely knew why myself, but | wal
always in an agony if she had so mucl
as fnger-ache. True, she was the
one dear thing | had in the world
There was that to be said.
She would not allow that there wa,
anything the matter with her, however
and she would go upstairs. I haC