Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-04-25

window, viii straDgle you" lie WOul
have done so firmly believe.
Presently he put his arm round N.
waist, and, with MY back stlll to the WIN
dow, guided me across the room, extiu
gulshed the lamp as we reached II.
"GO 10 your room,n he said ego q
once. strip of those things, hide then
away, and get into bed. You have beef
good girl; keep secret, and I win low
you for ever shall leave here t0-nlgh
or tomorrow. Join nue. Ia London at thi
address as soon as possible"
He gave me paper and some money
/ went steadily 10 my room, and did as n
told me.
The next morning found that he wa
gone. Then I heard from one OF tn
grooms mat Sir Laurence came back tina
night about II O'Clock, and put his hors
up al the stables, and know perfectly
well why Gresham had acted as he did
I why Sir Laurence aud Lady Estmer'
parted the next day 10 wasa secret oniy
known 70 Chesham and myself.
All the servants were dismissed, ant
the house shut up. I met Chesham it
London as arranged. | followed hin
abroad, and nursed him after Sir Lau
renee shot him.
| need not say that Chcsham treated
me Ike be treated every woman whose
love he won. In few months he grew
I tired Of me, and wonld, II possible, have
1 thrown me aside as he had thrown Others
But he could not quite get rid OF me, be-
cause | had the secret Of how he had FOR
revenge parted Lady Es.mere and her nus.
band. at any time by going TO Sir Lau.
renee could undo him, and, moreover,
1 he knew IL | spoke his life would not he
worth days purchase
! Except for this hold upon him he would
I have left me TO starye; and 10 Was for the
sake of being able TO threaten him that |
/ kept his secret. / made him pay me for
keeping IL. He cursed me, but gave me
money, not as much as | wauted but so
long as | was young and kept my good
looks that did not matter much. still
get money from him when 1 am hard
pressedi no doubt he will never entirely
refuse TO supply me, and in writing this
| am but wasting my time Still 1t Is
well TO De prepared for the worst,
Your lordship knows the rest Of the
tale better than do. | am not sure
whether Sir Lawrence Estmere is living
or dead, but have no doubt that If living
both he and Lady Estmere will remember
that at the time speak of was in their
service under the name Of Mary Williams
NOW Mary Merton).
This ended the cynical revolving nara
tive OF thoroughly bad woman. Yet in
spite OF It's Inherent wickedness the whole
tale was stamped with truth and conceded
in every detail with what Mrs. Payne told
me. | marveled that such creatures as
Gresham and his wmlom mistress could
be formed out Of the same flesh and blood
as ones self. Here was woman who for
purely merceuary motives had allowed an
Innocent woman to lie for years and years
under foul imputation, whilst her hus-
band had been driven by his pride and
disappointment to become q lifelong wan
derer Except for the hint she gave me
in her last breath, that somehow Sir Lau-
renee Estmere had aroused her hatred by
his utter indifference to her, | should
have considered her conduct even baser
than the arch conspirator's. He, at
least, worked only for malignant revenge.
Bad as this might be, it seemed higher
motive than mere pecuniary interest. As
| thought of this my soul sickened at the
woman's groveling iniqulty, md thrust
her so.called confession from me, as If its
touch was contamination.
Rothwell had returned befC ra had fin
ished the perusal of the document. He
said nothing until thrust 1t ON me his
walk seemed to have allayed his agitation
and to nave brought back his calm, sensi-
BILE, reflective self.
"Weli, what do you think of it?" he
asked
ga low, vulgar pest lacking even or
iglnality."
"When people take a leaf out of the
DEVILS book they usually choose we'll
thumbed one. But her tale reads like
truth
at is true every word of It, The most
skeptlcal would be convinced
Even my poor friend Laurence, you
Lhink?"
"Please not to call that man your friend |
before me. | condemn him, but il he had |
taken the trouble 1, stranger, have, he
might have spared his wife these years of
pain
"And himself Phllip-don't forget that!
She, at least, had the consciousness of her
lwn innocense-she could deplore the |
mistake and could still love him. He was
iebarred from even that. Philip, YOU will |
llty and forgive him as do--as she will
had nothing to forgive him. He had
lot wronged me; so | Contented myself
" saying nothing.
at would be WE'LL" | said, coming
,ack to the commonplace, ''to get some
Of this tale. II viii add
,reatly to Its weight II we can trace that
)hesham ordered that dres9 to be m lde -
"Can we find that out?"
81 dare say we can, we will try to-mor-
ow. Then, | suppose you viii 20 in
earch OF Sir Laurence Where is he
ow?n
tAh, where is hefn echoed Rothwell,
nd then relapsed into thoughtful silence
10 seemed in no mood for conversation
10 doubt his thoughts were far away.
own back TO the days when he and Sir
,aurence Estmere were 1ung men and
lvals for the love Of the air girl whose
lie had been so compile ely spoiled. /
ad several things wished to do, so left
I'm alone with his dream
at any rate,n said, lftriumphantlv
left him, "my father II he has any
ehse OF Justice, VIII not oppose my mar I,
'age with Claudine any longer.n
are you going TO write to him2" :
Yes, at once.n
You had better wait, Philip. After /,
Y, nothing can be said 10 be settled until
II Laurenceis convinced, Don't write :" !
"Why not9n q
tie hesitated. 'Because for one thing
DON'T think you have any right to speak =
lout these matters which have come 70
our knowledge until the principal parties
leres'ed have settled what to do.n
mere was no appeal against this. II :
as as much as saying Il was matter az \
'nor' promised TO defer my commun- g
alton TO my father. 9
"a few days don't matter much IN a Q