Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-09-12
ENGAGED II HASTE.
BY MISS NJ. f. BRApDON.
CHAPTER VI.

CHAIlER |.
NO, Lady Darnel. that is impossible.
He must be kept very quiet-there must
be no one in the room except Pur,lew and
me. shall stay here all night"
Thank God for that, But it is cruel tn
keep me away from him. Do you think
| am child, that | have no self-com-
ulandy"
i think you are a woman, ana tnaJ you
love your husband No Lady Darnel, you
must not enter into that room till Sir
Allan Is in less precarious state. You
must obey me in this matter-fOr his sake.
am going to send one Of your men with a
message to my wife, and then | shall go
back to Sir Allan. We shall have a
couple of surgical nurses down tomorrow
morning"
Grace came from her room. where she
had been sitting with her aunt, who had
established herself there uninvited, to be
near poor Allan
Dear mother, come to my room; come
and lie down on my bed" pleaded Grace.
and the word mother sounded sweet
in Clare Darners ears, even in the midst
of her despair The girls tenderness re
called that revelation of Valentines.
No. my darling. your life shall not be
blighted." she sobbed. drawing Grace To
her breast. You shall not be sacrificed to
wurthlesSness and profiigacy'
The strange speech startled Grace.
What could it mean: Could Lady Darnel
know-or suspect anything about her
luckless lover-the man she had seen on
the common that morning?
She succeeded in getting Lady Darnel to
Nra Siffiny pipr1SiN
before an open Testament, reading the
history Of st. Paurs shipwreck, and how
the viper came out of the fire and hung on
his arm.
In Dora's mind even the viper that came
out of the fire was not altogether in
applicable 10 the present state Of af-
fairs
My paor brother has viper hanging
upon him." she said to herself q knew
that misery would come out of that
marriage. but did not think that it would
take the form of bloodshed.7
Lady Darnel consented To re down on a
sofa wheeled near the fire, 10 please Grace
rather than from any hope Of relief to be
obtained from repose. A rug was spread
over her, and she lay silent, with eyes
closed The other two women might sup
pose tat she was sleeping.
Had you not better go TO your own
room. Aunt Doras7 said Grace, lit
tie worried by the sight Of that calm
white-robed figure and the open Bible
Grace was firm in religious faith and
reverence for the Scriptures, but she could
not seat herself down TO read the Acts Of
the Apostles with folded hands in the
midst OF domestic convulsion.
1t is nearly ? O'Clock, Aunt Dora DO
go to your own ROOM she said, hardly
conceaiing her irritation.
No. Grace, like to be near Allan. My
own room is at the other end of the house.
hope am not in your way here:'
Not at all" said Grace, shortly; and
then she got up and went out to the corri-
dor and listened at her fathers door.
Not a sound But he might die, and she
would hear no more than she heard now.
II was all 80 sad, So ineXplicable. Her
father at-death's door: he who had kissed
her and bade her good night in his cheer
lest voice only a few hours ago. How had
il happeneds She had hardly been calm
enough even to wonder about il until now;
but now she began TO ask herself how this
tragedy had come to pass.
Could il he the result Of accident: Her
father. an old cavalry soldier, the hero OF
two Indian campaigns-was such man
likely 10 be playing with firearms AS chill
dren and Cockneys play with such thlngs'
Was he likely to handle a revolver 50
ignorantly or so awkardly as to lodge It's
contents in his sides And again she had
understood that Sir Allan had gone to bed
and that Lady Darnel was writing alone
in her room when she, Grace, knocked al
the door.
She longed to see her dear old colonel.
He. perhaps, might have told her some
thing: yet what could he know more than
she. since he had only appeared on the
scene after the catastrophe.
She walked up and down the corridCr
for half an hour or more, till the cod
drove her back to h~r room. 1t was very
cod in that dead hour of the night, ind
poor Grace was .shivering in her muslin
dressiug-guwn when she went back to hef
room.
Dora Darnel was sitting by the fire, Just
as Grace had left her, steadily plowlng
through the Acts, IS if she had been a
divinity student preparing for an exam
ination. Lady DaTnel lay with her face
hidden. motionlesS. silent.
is she alsleep?~ inquired Grace, in a low
voice.
Il believe so"
Grace threw herself on her bed, and
cried herself 90 sleep-a troubled sleep
easily broken She had slept thus. hardly
for one muni,.nt losing the consciousness
of her grief, when she was awakened by
an agonizing cry.
She started up from her pillow to se'
Dora Darrell standing beside the sofa II
the dying fireIight looking down at he
brother wife.
Glare was lying ON her back, with he
clasped hands above her head, her eye
wide open. and the eyeballs fixed IN al
awful stare.
MY fault, my fault" she cried I"
murdered him"
The aunt and niece looked at each other
appalled,, horror stricken. These word
were the words of a dreamer, and dream
are widest fictions; but such words a
such a moment had thrilling effect.
CHAPTER VIII
AL WAS SILENT, ALL WAS GLOOM
Friedrich Friedricson. the great surgeon
had come and gone, and was TO com
a-ain So far he had been able TO say
few words of comfort or of hope. 81
Allan's condition was so precarlOus tina
81. .-,,r,r.,, had not daral tn attPmnt IN