The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-01-10

| name lldu bOuTnt q mousse and grounds
/ close by. She herself had even lived in
the house several times when upper
servants had suddenly left.
''Had they many relations? None
| that she knew of. At least Mr. Lasalle
may have had some; but she had heard
Mrs. Lasalle say she had not a soul re-
lated to her. They had only been here
about two years when the lady died in
| giving birth to son, and was buried in
i the churchyard in a grave that stood by
itself. The gentleman left the neigh
borhood at once, taking the infant
with him, and she had never heard of
them again. Even the house itself had
| practically ceased to exist, having been
altogether altered by its present occu-
pier and owner
81 am free to admit that this was a
'facer! This was all, then! The whole
| affair had begun at a grave, and, it
| seemed, had made this circle only to
end there. But remembered my pic
ture. At least | could set my mind at
rest as to whether that face was the
face OF woman, or as | had sometimes
half believed, of a spirit.
81 asked the old lady some questions
about one or two names which had
noticed in the churchyard, and believe
she told me a good deal of their family
history. When | thought her mind and
memory were far enough from this dead
Beatrice to make possible recognition, [
took that face from its case, and, hold
ing it out to her, said
SsDiGf55ssryou ever know any one at all
4 Ike thisP'
"She gave a little start 'Ah, yes,
she slid its poor dear Mrs. Lasalle
her vey self!'
"Thi2was a tremendous piece of evil
dence il favor of my hitherto vaguely
defined spiritual Hypothesis, but [ did
not depart from the usual course of in
vestigatiol. l belong to the Society for
Psychical Research, you know, and our
method is trictly scientific"
| represstd a smile, and my friend
continued.
81 tried toshake the old lady by as
much cross-eXamination as politeness
would permit, and only desisted out of
consideration FIR young Mrs. Suggidge
whose voice showed signs of giving out
under the prolonged strain.
"'How could be mistaken?' were
the last words heard on the subject.
'Oughtn't l to know the pretty face 1
saw most every day, week in and week
out, to say nothing of sitting looking at
her all church time every Sunday, be-
cause she was such picture of lady?
Who should know her if not me, when
it was me helped to lay her in her
coffin at the last? All, deary me! and
she looked as white and as sweet as a
lily, poor lamb.
There was nothing more to be said
alter that, so put an end to the con-
versation, and we parted with mutual
expressions of esteem.
81 came back to town with the full
t, certainty that the subtly sensitive plate
had caught what the dull eve had failed
to distinguish-th face of Beatrice La
sale. There was another certainty,
tCo-that | was in love, and in deadly,
serious love, with the spirit of woman
Y who had been twenty years in the grave.
4 caught myself wondering rather often
Y whether Mr. Lasalle were alive or not.
! (which was very absurd, as of course it
lPouldn't make the slightest difference
to me.
z 81 spent a week at Hampstead, doing
nothing but looking at this likeness and
| bordering over all these strange circum-
stances, till worked myself into a
mental condition impossible to describe.
1t flashed upon me suddenly one even
ing, while | was looking at my picture,
that if this went on | should 90 mad.
''This idea was as new as it was I'M
pleasant, and its effects were electric.
Within forty-eight hours | was Journey
ing down to Derbyshire. having az
cepted an invitation from some very
pleasant and matter-of-fact people.
| went down resolved to forget my
Bringley experience as entirely as pos
sible, and not even to look at the por-
trait during my visit. | had not the
strength of mind to leave it behind me,
Il suppose it was natural result OF
that queerly spent week, and of the hur-
ry of my final preparations, that
reached Mellor Hall with q terrible
headache - one of those malignant
headaches which reduce you to state
when you can't speak to any one with
out hating him, or look at anything
without cursing it-when sitting seems
worse than standing, lying down worse
than either; when, above all things,
| you are impelled to fly from the face of
man. | couldn't 90 down to dinner,
and spent my evening in violent
struggle against my desire to divert my
self in way had forsworn; that is, by
weaving FOOLS fancies round that little
head of hers, as Browning has it.
81 had been lying down, and l don't
know what time it was when | thought
| would try the effect of the night air. |
threw the window open, and leaning
my elbows on the ledge looked out. 1t
was perfect August night The great
yellow moon hung in cloudless sky.
Before me lay the beautiful garden.
Beyond it stretched rock and wood and
.ysrer,-Hu1 the picture was closed in ali
round by gray undulating hills, dotted
here and there with gray, desolate-
looking farms and cottages. l don't
think | ever saw such ivory moon
: light. "
members of the Psychical Society"
! put in, Fought not to sit in the moon
light; it is thought to have special
bearing on their complaint"
"Do YOU reserve your criticisms of
| tbot society fill I've done nv story Mrs