Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-03-13
DARK DAYS
BY HUGH CON w A Y.
Author of "Cdlled Back"
CHAPTER XVI.
"wHERE ARE THE SHOWS THAT FELL LAST
YEARn

narrator OF 1actS ana INCIDENTS, not Il master
of fiction, | think have not felt the regret
so strongly as at the moment when begin
this chapter The sombro acts of the life
drama in which Philippe and played parts
so painful, so full of grief and even if
frightened 10y ray of joy, of joy falla-
cious and of uncertain tenurethese acts
have found little difficulty in describing;
had simply to throw my mind back to the
pictures of the past AMI reproduce them in
words The task, whether well or i'll done,
was not hard one
But now, when in one momrnt and as if
by magic, everything changed; when sorrow
seemed TO be simply swept out OF our lives;
when that poor wretch's abject confession
of guilt, forced from him in some mysterious
way, not only left our whole future bright
and cloudlcss, but consigned to rest all the
ghosts of the past, whose shaGOwy forms
had hitherto logged our steps and denied us
the happiness rightly due to those who love
as we loved; now | feel my shortcomings
acutely, and wish my pen was more power
full than it is
And yet a word will describe the state OF
my own mind as, when the last solemn
words were spoken by the judge-spoken in
voice which showed emotion and distress
at being compelled to condemn fellow
creature to DEATH carried my fainting
wife from the crowded, reeking court. The
momentarv sense of rapture passed away;
bewildermpnt, sheer bewilderment is the
word for what was left. | could not think.
All my reasoning faculties had left me- In
fact belicv' that had Philippa not swooned,
and so needed my mechanically given care,
! myself shout have fallen senseess on that
threshold which an hour before we crossed,
thinking We we're going to endless misery
| remember this much. AS ! laid Phil
ippa on one of the hard wooden benches in
the stone corridor Kept repeating to my
self, "lnnoCent, my love is innocent; that
man is guilty" suppose this continual re-
iteration was an enieavor to impress the
tremendous fact upon my brain, which for
n time was incredulous, and refused to en-
tertan it,
l threw up my wifes veil and bathed her
face with water which was brought mo by
a kindly policeman. Presently her eyes
opened and consciousness retulned; she
strove to speak.
My presence of mind was fast returning.
dearest" whispered, ''as you love, me not
a word i'll this place In minute we will
leave it,
She was obedient; but knew from the
wild look of joy in her eyes that obedience
tasked her to the utmost She was soon able
to rise, and then we walked from the court
pushed our way through the crowd who
waited in the street busily discussing the
sudden termination to the trial, threw our
selves into II cab and in another moment
were alternately weeping and laughing in
each others arms.
1t was, however, but for moment The
inn to which we drove was close at hand
There we were shown into room, and were
at last free to give the fullest vent to our
pent up feelings.
1t would be absurd for me to attempt to
reproduce our words, our dis jointed exclama-
tons, 1t would be sacrege for me TO de-
scribe the tears that we she'd the embraces
the loving caresses we lavished on each
other. Think of us an hour, one short hour
agol Think of us nowl This curse laid
upon us by that awful night removed for
ever! Our secret kept, or secrecy, if still
advisable, no longer absolutely needful
Philippa, in spite of all had seen, in spite
of all she had told me on that night when |
found her, wild, distracted woman, in a
storm the widest that years have known,
guiltess of her husbands death! Innocent,
not only as she had in my eyes always been,
but also, what was far more, innocent in her
own eyes!
Small wonder that for nearly an hour we
sat with our arms twined around each other,
and used few words which were moro than
rapturous EXPLANATIONS of love and joy.
There! | cannot, will not describe the
scene more fully. will say no more, ex.
cept this; when at last we grew calmer,
Philippe turned to me, and once more | sa W
terror ga hcrng in her eyes,
Basil" she said, sis it true-it must be
truef'
"True! Of course it is"
''That man, the prisoner, could not have
pleaded guilty when he was innocent"
"Why should hel 1t meant death to him,
poor wretch"
"But why did he confessr'
"Who can telli Remorse may have urged
him to do so"
Philippa rose and her next words were
spoken quickly and with excitement.
"No, | did not do it, The thought the
dream haunted me, but l did not believe il
until l heard these men talk of tho way he
died, Then it all came back to me. The
mad storm, the dead man over whom
stood; "vrn then | don't think | actually
believed it. 1t was when you told me no W
you foun me that | lost all hope"
"DearcS', forgive me. | should have be-
lieved in the impossibility of the act even in
your dcllrium, even if | had seen it lone.
Philippe, say you forgive me-"
She threw her arms around me. Basil,
my husband" she whispered, 'you have
done much Tor me, do one thing more; find
out the whole truth-fnd out why this man
killed him, how he killed him; find out
satisfy me that his confession was tru,
one: then, Basil, such happiness as | hav,
never even dreamed of will be minel"
"And mine!" / echoed.
promised to do as she wished Indeed
the moment | had recovered my senses | re-
solved to learn everything that could be
learned. Once and for all | would cleal
away every cloud of doubt, although tina
cloud might be no bigger than man
hand.
But Philippe must not stop 10 Tewnham
Her strange conduct during the trial, he
tanning nj aIJer IL, were DOuTu 10 nave AT
tracted the attention of those present. N,
doubt she was looked upon as friend of thu
prisoner who was overpowered by the sud
den and awful ending to the case. Still, sh,
must not stay at Tewnham
We went to London by an afternoon train
The next morning / again ran down to Tin,