The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1885-03-17


| pauper at ST. Georges llOspital-was
| none other than the sole surviving child
/ Of Sir Jasper Earles own Inflated
daughter. that fair frail Greta who had
/ SO tragically eXpiatcd not only all nlial
/ dclinqueucics. but likewise the follies
] of her misspent life.
The chain of evidence extending over
| some half-doZen years. was easily
] traced back to the poor young mothers
death. Greta's memory proved remark
] ably reliable: her shreWdness and pre-
| cocity, Of which ample proof has al
| ready appeared in this narrative. far
| beyond her years; and thus aided, the
astute head of that private enquiry of
| flee tn whose hands the conduct of the
| case was ut once coniided. experienced
| but little difficulty in piecing out salts
! factorily the whole Of t,reta Remnants
brief tragic history.
The child, moreover, was found to
| have in her possession, when first she
was taken prisoner by Dick Carlisle's
strong arm ON that hencefOrth ever me-
| morable 2Blh of December. her unfor-
! tunate mothcr's weddng-ring. as well
as the plain gold engagement Keeper
! engraved with name and date. which,
! IN accordance with the primitive Gus
! tom of that part of SuNOny. Sir Jasper
Earle fuur-and-twenty years before had
! placed ON the finger Of that happier
"Greta. whom he had loved and won
/ beneath her native lindcns, and made n
proud English barOnet's wife, These
sacred symbols Of the days which were
no more. the dying and deserted wife of
the Pol sh musician had sewn into n
scrap of Wash-lpather. with some dim
provision. IL may be- of what was vet to
come, and suspended by piece of tape
about her chlld's neck, enjOining her
with her last breath To guard mt the
risk. il needs were, of her own life this
solitary bequest.
Greta's right to place in the old
mans affections thus irrefutably es-
tablished, the reader will readily con-
ceivc the course of events which fol-
lowed. The girl WIS forthwith conlid-
ed 10 proper guardianship to undergo
preliminary training preparatory To be-
ing placed in one of the first scniinaries
in the land, aud ut the close of each
term. when Grcta Rcinhart came home
for few weeks tn Brighten the atmOs-
phere at Bleak House, and gladden. her
grandtatherS heart. the barOnet him
self. not less than all who were privil-
eyed to approach her, We're charmed
and delighted by the young girls anna
hility, talent. and beauty, her native
grace, and essential goodness of Leart,
Among others, Dick Carlisle. who
was even more frequent visitor to
Bleak House in these DAYS than hereto
tore. and whose interest i'm thp younr
prrtglr who lad from the very first 81
uuaccouniably attracted him 'nnturnIlv
rnthcr increased than Wanpd ns win
readily he concluded.
But there came one dny three venrs
anterior to the date of which this chap
ter treats. when the baronet proposed
that his godson-such proposition being
couched in terms SYNONYMOUS with
command-sho undertake the grand
tour of Europe, avOwedly to improve
his mind by travel and experience of
foreign countries, men. and manners.
Whether Sir Jasper cherished reasons
other and less impersOnal than those
stated for prescribing the young mans
adoption of this course. it is beyond our
immediate province TO enquire; suffice
it to state that Dick proved now, rs
ever. acquescent. followed out the bar
onct's suggestions to the very letter.
and when, in due course, n missive
from Bleak House reached him at We
roma, in'the first week of December of
the year of which ! write, requesting
him to make his arrangements conform
ably TO his return to England for the
ensuing Christmas (which the barOnet
spend as guest beneath his roof, the
young man once again prepared to ac-
cord unquestlOnlng obedience to what
many would have held the unreason-
able caprice OF arbitrary old age.
Greta was home "fyr good now,n in
schoolgirl vernacular; for although
her education was by no means com
pete, she had taken her place perma-
nently, at Bleak House at the conclu-
sion of the present term as mistress of
her grandfather house, where emiuent
masters would in future attend to per-
feet her in various branches of instruc-
tion.
Next spring she was to be "intro-
ducedn in town, and after that. Sir Jas
per was wont to saw, gazing admirinply
into the girls lovely radiant face:
After that, Greta. | suppose | must
prepare myself to lose the treasure
whose inestimable value | all too tardi-
ly recognized
But the girl made ever the same re-
Spouse. delicate blush mounting
meanwhile to her creamy cheek:
you have nothing to fear. believe
me, grandpapa, from the great folks
YOU tell me shall meet in town. Gre
Ia gave her heart away-oh! long
time ago: and unless-unless somebody.
who should be nameless, ever comes to
claim it, your little granddaughter will
live and die in single llessedness i'm the
tranquil obscurity of Bleak House,
"Ah. but Bleak House will be Dick
Carlisle's some day, Greta!n the baro-
net ON one occasion had made answer;
"what will You do when he arrives to
take possession of his property?n