Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-10-10

lea1d Clars, bursting into tesr4 szfss11uI
fnot hi12s9R tnl1av.. Ileou ha4 fn2d 81
fthst Tie dellrI<tni was os6l n d;
-oh, his mind e clear enough TtS /;
all right z
SIS M Are you surs thai he issz 81
right sensest" sssf
"As sure as can be Of anything. He is
perfectly calm and reasonable this evening.
There is weakness and there is a profound
depression We can only hope for the
return Of strength. His spirits will revive
as he gets stronger. Goodnight, Lady
I Darnel"
Goodnight" she answered, despond-
emily, going back to her room
She still kept herself secluded from the
rest OF the family. She could not bring
herself to return to the common routine of
daily life, its irksome forms and ceremon-
| les, the hollow semblance of peace were
there was no peace. In the seclusion Of
her own apartments she could abandon
herself freely To the fever of her soul
could start up from her seat and walk up
and down the room, could dull the agony
or her heart by quick movement, by rest
less wandering in and out from the roop,
to the corridor
Ian he doubt me, or does he guess the
truth? Does he suspect that it was my
son, my reprobate son, who has Just missed
being his murderer? II he did he is too
generous to blame me for my sons guilt,
to accuse me of hypocrisy Hypocrite,
how and why's she asked herself, pite-
ously
And then she remembered how, in tell
ing Allan Darnel the history of her un-
happy son, she had spoken of him as of
one whom she belived to be dead The
knowledge that he Still lived had come to
her very soon after her marriage, and she
had kept that knowledge from her hus-
band That had been her greatest sin.
In this, and in this only, had she acted
as hypocrite. She had kept the knowl-
edge of this burden TO herself She had
kept the secret of this ever-present care,
this perpetual dread of what the day
might bring forth. This constant anxiety
had preyed upon her, undermining her
health, making her fitful and low spirited
and her anxious husband had told himself
that 1t was her womanly pride that suf-
1ered, that it was the coldness of his old
friends which made her unhappy.
Il will tell him all, by and by when he
Is strong enough to bear an agitating con-
versation," she said to herself after long |
upon her husbands conduct, |
and if / find that l have lost his love |
well, must bear the blow. 1t will not be |
the first of my trials, and it ought to be |
the last. II that loss does not kill me |
nothing can
Second only to the horror of having for
feited her husbands love, was the agoniz-
ng thought Of her sons infamy. A thief
and only by Gods mercy little short of a
murderer. He, her only son. had fired
lpon her husband with the intent to kill
aim. He had escaped from that house.
'arryinG with him s400 of money Where
vas he now A felon, a marked man,
pursued by detectives; perhaps before long
o stand in the felon's dock, and to an
wer for his crime. Then the whole story
y his wretched existence, of his mothers
litter burden, would be unfolded for the
of the curious; and all those
I'D friends of Sir Allan's who had held
aloof from his second wife
you'd say, I'VE did well TO suspect this
antecedents. The mother of such
son could not be a good woman"
Not once in her conversation with Grace
ad Lady Darnel limited at her knowledge
I the girls acquaintance with the adyen-
urer who had called himself Victor de
'amiilac. To do that would have been to
eyeal too much. She was determined TO
uard her step-daughter from any future
ealings with her son, should he ever
gain dare to present himself upon the
cene. But it WAS her desire, If possible,
D get him out of the country before he
Tas called upon to pay the forfeit of his
rime. Miss Darners prOmptitude in put
ng the case into the hands of the police
lade her position all the more difficult.
Ter only hope was that Mr.. Penwern,
aving got upon a false scent, would con-
nue. to 60 astray, and would devote him
IF to the pursuit of Jaker, while the real
riminal was making his escape 1t was
OF to Dara Darnel that Clare owed her
Of Mr.. Penwern's movements.
hat lady went about with locked lips,
le very incarnation of secrecy But
| country house secrets of this
ind pervade the air. Mr. Penwern had
zen made very comfortable in the house
eeper's room; and, though he had been
screet, he had not altogether been silent.
ady Darnel's maid told her that Jaker
as known TO have stolen the money; and
lat Mr.. Penwern wanted to stop him
on getting of to America The idea of
s guilt had been confirmed by the disap-
sarance of Mrs. Jaker, whose cottage had
'en found empty, she and her brood of
ats having slipped away under cover of
lie darkness, almost as quietly as Robin
oodfellow and his goblin crew.
CHAPTER XIV.