The Dillon tribune., 1885-07-18

by the crime and cruelty Of another, four1
herself to-day in as sore plight as eva.
woman knew.
CHAPTER Xxx.
WHAT SHE LOOKED BACK UPON.
As the story of Beatrice's past is mads m
Of things she knew, things she guessed saS
things of which she knew nothing, it willh
better to learn it in its veracious eutirar
than to CLEAN it from the saddened musinc,
that winters afternoon.
After the battle royal between Lady Chu.
son and her stepdaughter, and when ",
Maingay weakly and for the sake Of peam
left his daughter at home, whilst he fed m
the Continent with that newly acouirM
treasure, his beautiful wife, Beatrice settled
down to the dullest Of dull lives, or whit
certainly promised to BE- 40 unless the gid
could brighten it by drawing on her own N
sources for amusement. On one point, how
ever, she had nothing to complain Of. A
childless widow With large income could
not have enjoyed more freedom Of ecuon
Mrs. Erskine, the aunt in whose care she ws
nominally placed, was old, wrapped up IN
her own varied ailments, and SO selfish as to
keep herself clear of suspecting people, Be.
cause suspicion brought trouble and worry,
Beatrice was free to spend her hours As Il
best suited her; to come and go as she chos,
and generally to do what pleased herself,
By this arrangement Mrs. Erskine saved hss.
self much trouble and responsibiity ity-thinp
which are extremely injurious to an old gen.
tlewou,an in feeble health.
But Beatrice, who was in magnificent
health, a. all young girls Of eighteen should
be, soon found that to render life at Mn
Erskine's worth living she must find occups
tion for her lonely hours. Perhaps thes
were times when the ideal pleasure and Joy
with which an untraveled mind invesn Z
foreign tour made her repent Of her hastinss
in disdaining to occupy q secondary placeh
her fathers heart. But il 1t was 10, he
pride forbade any proposals Of surrender
Nevertheless, something had to be done to
make life tolerable. She cared little Or
nothing for general society, and even had she
done SO the fact OF her possessing few friends
anywhere, AMI none in London, would have
rendered her going out into the world a mat
ter Of difficulty.
So that Miss Clauson, who was young
lady Of no mean abilities, and who had some.
how imbibed the modern notion that il
rightly directed, q woman's brain-power
equal to mans in acquiring knowledge, de-
cided that the most satisfactory method by
which time could be killed was by continu.
ing her studies from the point at which she
laid them down when she left the Fashionable
finishing school.
Being also rather troubled by the feeling
that she ought to do something for suffering
humanity, she organized little charitable
scheme She had plenty of pocket money.
Sir Maingay, who, since old Talbert's DEATH
had received considerable sum per annum,
paid out Of the trust, for his daughters main
teaance and education, behaved most gener.
ously in this respect. There is no salve to
the conscience SO efRcacious a. money $40
riflce!
P'aatricc, then, did what good she could %
''s -" ""'>'''"s As piteeus tale always
opened her purse, rsvilers Of indiscrin,inasa
almsgiving may think little Of her efforts
Perhaps they bore no fruit save in one note
worthy instance.
Charity brought her In contact with
woman, who, from variety Of circum'
stances, had been reduced from the state ofa
superior domestic servant to abiect poverty.
snd who was lying almost at deaths door
beatr'ce heard her history, relieved her
wants, hafi her doctored and cured, and BY
these acts made the woman her slave forlife
Sne rlveted the links forever, when, fancylng
she could do with u maid, she, in spite OF q
grumble from her great-aunt, took this
woman, named Sarah Miller. into her SER
wee. This happened in the early days o. her
sojourn a: Mrs. E,skine's.
The course Of study progressed. For the
most part Beatrice taught herself. After
while 1t struck her she should like again to
SaKe uA her drawing. Here, as her ambition
rose higher than wishing to execute the
usual schoolgirl masterpieces. she needed
master. A caller, an acquaintance Of Mrs.
Erskme's, gave her a name and address
wnach had been given to her by some one
eise' Beatrice wrote and asked the artists
terms. He replied. She wrote again. ac,
ceptang the terms and begging him to eau
on certain day. So Maurice Hervey came
into her life.
"nen first she saw him the girl was sur
Prlsed to find she had summoned to her aid
young man of about twenty-five. But the
ege OF drawing master appeared to Miss
ciauson as a matter of secondary impor'
ance. So long as he knew his business wha'
"attered II he was twenty five or fifty-hve
Mrs. Erskine troubled nothing about the
analr. She knew that a master gave hel
niece lessons twice or thrice a week. lns
old lady never even acquired his name ~
uer ne was the drawing master, no more anu
no less. Thnra ara vnauy c,,cI, old ladies ~