Weekly commercial herald., 1885-09-18


I touched nny sife's arm. "Come o,ga,
Philippa," I said
She made motion of dissent AoaIn
urged her. She shook her head pettishlv.
AM forgot where you have been TO
montns' said the second tourist, laughing
out OF the pale Of civilization and news
papers Well, Ferrand was murdered-sho
deadm
"Philippa, dearest come, implore YOU, n
whispered.
1t was too late! The look on her faca toIr
me that nothing would now move her ar.
notning She would hear the dreadful
truth, told perhaps with distorted details.
groaned inwardly. The moment l had SC
long dreaded had come. If dragged hel
away by force-if interrupted the speak
ers-what good could it do7 She had heard
enough. She would force me to tell her the
rest. could only pray that she would in
no way associate herself with the mans
death.
"Murdered Poor fellow! Who murder.
ed him| heard the first speaker say.
mo one knows He was shot dead on ,
country roadside just as that fearful snow
storm OF last winter began. 1t seems almost
incredible, but the snow drifted over him
and until 1t melted the crime was not dis.
covered. In the interval the murderer had
OF course, got clean away.n
Poor devil! 1never heard any good Of
him; but what an endm
was not looking at the speakers was
notlng every change in my wife's face. I
saw the color fly from her cheek. Isaw hor
lips and throat working conyulsivelv %
though she was trying to articulate Isaw
her dark brows contract as in anouieb
Ane" tnaI she was clasping her hands to-
geOner' as was herway when agitated. Sud.
ueIiy sne turned her eyes to mine.
anu III ner eyes was a look of horror
Whlcn told me that the very worst had
come to pass-that the dread which had
haunted me was realized! Then, with a low
moan, she sank white and senseless On INV
shoulder. WI my
lhough in whirl of despair, / believe
tnaV assumed kind of mechanical calm
seem 70 remember that the two English
tourists offered their assistance; that. as we
DoEe Fnlllppa to an extemporized couch in
Che shadlest and coolest place we could And
Isl smiled, and attributed my wife's fainting
nt to the heat of the sun, the smell Of en,oinas
or something of that kind. Little did those
young men guess what their chance worla
h~a wrought. Little could they think that
I'D speaking of Sir Mervyn Ferrand's death
Eley mad, perhaps, wrecked the happiness
81 Two hves. My heart was full of grief and
tear but believe bore myself bravely,
IN splte OF such restoratives as we could
administer, Philippa's swoon lasted for a
time. l troubled little about
'ha1 TACT, Indeed, to me 1t seemed we'll that
'yhcope should have supervened, and. for a
lime, banlshed the dreadful memories which
1ad SO suddenly invaded her brain. Conid
such thing have been possible, | would al
most nave wished that her insensibility would
continue until we reached Seville. But if
vas not to be so. By and by she sighed
Ieeply, anu her eyes opened Consciousness
nd all It's dreaded sequence was hers once
nore NNN0
spoke to her, but she made no reply. She
urned her eyes from mine; she stunned INV
aze; she even seemed to shrink rom the
ouch OF my hand. During the remainder
1 that dreary journey not one word passed
er lips She lay with her face turned to
ne side of the vessel, needless of the curions
lances from. fellow passengers, hesdIess Of
~ whispered words of love; needless of all
ave her own thoughts-thoughts which led
Through all those long sultry hours. while
le wretched steamboat plowed its Tyav mn
10 broad muddy stream, ! sat beside her
'ymg to lind some way out of our sorrow
-lasl every road was stopped by the i'm
assable obstacle of Philippa's knowiedre Of
hat she had done. For she knew II. I was
'rSaln. That look in her eyes had told ma
much. The duration of her insanity had
zen SO short that could gather no comfort !
ON the ract that by some merciful ar.
lngement maniacs who recover their orr
6 senses are troubled little bv the dead, 8
ey have done in their moments Of mad
49, felt that in my wife's case nv on lv
'pe was to endeaver by argument to bring !
II 70 my own way Of thinking; that Is. to
nsider herself unaccountable by any law S
man or divine, for her actions at the
ne. But | doubted IL her sensitive. i'm. t
lsive nature could ever be induced to take v
IS view OF her act doubted, had She e
It been the woman / loved with q noo0 b
mate love, if could have quite absorhad s
r from the crime, with the rememhranoa b
her words, "Basil, did you ever hate q P
lnW still with me. b
Yet strange anomaly. would. In fair I
MT, OF course, have shot that man THROUGH
, heart and have gloried In the deed T5,,t Ii
an Phlllppa was woman, and had she
been the woman | loved | might have IL
'unk from the one who, even in her mad. a
IS, was urged to take such fearful ven. a
lnce. WIT Il
SMILED bitterly as l thought how a cbanc0 Ii
'ath OF wind had tumbled my house of n
IDS to the ground. smiled almost trinn. W
antly as l told myself that, come what SC
y-shame-death-I had WON NJ
held for a week the one desire of NV "
Nothing could deprive me Of that sl
mory. m
lone at last! Still silent, or answering 81
questions by monosyllables, Philippa was OF
'ught by me to our once happy home in ac
1ille. My mother with arch smiles %
come on her conely face, was at the gate VI
Inc patio ready to receive us. AS she saw SO
kind of shiver ran through nv moor SIX
els frame. She let my mother embrace vi
caress her without any display Of re- re
rocal affection. m,
Philippa is ILL.," said, in explanation.
will take her to her room.n ess
led her to the apartment which NV
jher had in our absence fitted m for nS he
vas gay and beautiful with flowers and tn
10 were many other careful little evil ca
ces of the hearty welcome which was les
tng us. Philippa noticed nothing. W
ed tne door and turned toward nv wife. as
he looked at me with those wo1drons wa
( eyes, which seemed to search NV verv so,
Basil, she said, in a low. solen,1n do
v, tell me-tell me the truth 'g Wbot NO
done that nightp A"' '-V