Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-10-04
CONTINUED from Thesday. Sept. 26.)
ENGAGED IN HASTE.
u MISS n. Z. BRADpox.

my dear child, don't give way to such
grief" said the colonel, soothingly. God
grant your father may recover. And,
after all, this suspicion Of mine may be
wrong The criminal may be stranger
of whom we know nothing. Remember,
1t is only conjecture on my part"
"If you were right, if it were he, my sin
would have been the cause of my fathers
DEATH" said Grace; and then she re-
membered that bitter cry of Lady Darnels,
those awful words spoken by the lips of a
sleeper: my fault, my fault, I murdered
him"
How strange that those self-accusing
words, uttered unconsciously, should be
echoed now by Grace, waking and SEN
tent.
@No, 1 will not believe it." she said
presently. after all, there is no evidence
to go upon. There is no real ground for
such hideous suspicion. believe that
poor creature fell down somewhere, i'll or
dying, and that he never came to Darnel
Park"
"You may be right, Grace. My view of
the case was only a succession of conjec-
lures should never have thought of it
If that man from Scotland Yard had not
set my wits at work There is something
infectious in the maneuvers of these peo-
pie Only / thought it right to tell you
everything, more especially as you insist
upon considering yourself bound to this
adventurer"
II insist upon acting as a woman of
honor should act" answered Grace, with
heroic air.
"And you consider yourself bound to
beggari"
Il consider myself bound to him till he
releases me. know he would release me
from my promise If could only see him
and tell him everything"
Indeed! There is something that he
must be told, them"
eyes" murmured Grace, hanging her
pretty head
Col. Stukely lifted the bent head between
his hands and kissed his goddaughter's
forehead.
"My pet, l begin to understand" he
said II suspected all through that
weary dinner that you had some
thing to tell me. You have
found out at last that a frank,
honest young fellow whom you have
known since childhood is better worth low
ing than an unknown foreigner whom
you met by chance in picture gallery"
"Mr. Colchester was walking in the
shrubbery with me this afternoon" fal.
tered Grace, "and he asked me to be his
wife. 1t was very, very sudden; and he
took me so by surprise that Pm afraid
allowed him to think that am rather
fond OF him"
"What was it you said Grace?"
at was not anything said to him. It
was only my manner"
"Oh," said the colonel, ut was your man.
ner was it? There is a good deal in man.
ner And | suppose by the time you left
the shubbery you had engaged yourself
to young Colchester, in spite of your
promise to the Frenchman"
"You insist upon your mean opinion Of
me" cried Grace, stamping her foot. mo,
did not engage myself to him. ! told
him that | could never marry him.
tried to tell him that l did not care for
him, but my lips would not speak the
false words. l know now that I do care
for him, that the other was only a foolish
infatuation, Of which I have good reason
to be ashamed"
a am glad you have found out the truth
at last, Grace. Now, my darling, you
mustn't fret any more. Leave everything
to Providence and your old godfather.
Hark, there are wheels coming up tho
avenue. Who can it be at such an houri
The doctor paid his last visit before din
ner"
1t was Mr.. Penwern in fly from the
village. Col. Stukely hurried back to the
house, dreading yet eager, to hear the
detectives account of his Investigations.
Mr.. Penwern was shown into the library,
where the colonel found him closeted
with Dora Darnel, who had not lost a
minute in going to him.
well, Mr.. Penwern, what's your
news?" asked the colonel, taking the case
out of Dora's hands.
The detective had an idea that the
money and the authority were both on the
side of the lady; but there was that in the
Afghan hero's bearing and tone which
Ecould not be sighted.
+ "My afternoon has not been unproflta-
ble," answered Penwern. a have got the
bills-fifty of them-and I believe am on
the right track for the man"
"Indeed," said the colonel. feeling very
uncomfortable. He bod hideous dread
of publicity for that little episode of
Grace's school-day life, dread which was
intensified by the circumstance of Col
chesters proposal.
Les, tlith dlu OI tUe TlSHb SCenu lnlS
time. The bills had an immediate effect
Most people had heard of Sir Allan's
wound, but the robbery of the notes was
news to everybody. distributed the bills
with my own hands, and the villagers at
whose shops l left them had all good
deal to say about the trouble at the great
house. The old woman who keeps gen.
eral shop-groceries, clothes, boots"
"Mrs. Mopp," said Dora.
"Mrs. Mopp. Yes, that's the lady. She
insisted on my helping to spell through
the bill from beginning to end. When
she came to the part about the notes, she
became tremendously excited. L wouldn't
mind laying wager it was that scoundrel
did it, she said. What scoundrelY asked
/. 'Jaker,' said she, and she had such a
rooted idea that ought to know all about
Mr.. Jaker that could hardly in duce her
to tell Lie anything about the gentle
man."
ale is a very disreputable person." said
Dora, looking up at the colonel, "a
poacher, a man who has been in prison
more times than any one can remember
He lives half in and half out of prison.
People are very kind to his wretched wife
and children. who are always in state Of
semi-starvation. But last year he turned
savage and set himself deliberately to an
noy Mr.. Colchester and the hunting men.