Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-07

within seemed to have affected him
deeply. Sir Thomas, though = plain
old soldier. could read his face well
enough to know what it was; he was
thinking Of thsHgind words his uncle
had said TO him that very evening as
they sat together down there at dinner.
For half a minute the suspense was
terrible. Then, with sudden impulse,
Harry shut the Id OF the davenport
down hastily; Gung the wire with a
gesture of horror and remorse into the
fireplace, took up his candle wildly in
his hand, and rushed from the room,
and up the stairs, leaving the door open
behind him.
Then Sir Thomas rose slowly from
his seat in the window-corner lighted
the gas in the centre burner; unlocked
the davenport, with tears still trick
ling slowly down his face counted all
the money over carefully to make quite
certain; found it absolutely untouched !;
and flung himself down upon his knees
wildly, between shame and fear, and
relief and misery. What he said or
what he thought in that terrible mo-
ment of conflicting passions IS best not
here described or written; but when
he rose again his eyes were glistening,
more with forgiveness than with horror
(ancer there had never BEEN; and b ing
an old-iashioned old gentleman, he took
down his =. big Bible from the
shell, just to reassure himself
about text which lie thought
he remembered somewhere in Luke :
Joy shall be in Heaven over one sin.
ner that repenteth, more than over
ninety and nine just persons which
need no repentance" "Ah, yes"
he said TO himself, " he repcnted; he
repented. He didn't take it. lie felt
he couldn't after what | said to him"
And then, with the tears still rolling
silently down his bronZed checks, he
went up stairs to bed, but not &c sleep :;
for he lay restless on his pillow all
night through with that one terrible
discovery weighing like lead upon his
tender old bosom.
Next morning after breakfast Sir
Thomas said in quiet tone of cam-
mand to Harry, "ily boy, | want to
speak to you for few minutes in the
library"
Harry's cheek grew deadly pale and
he caught his breath with difficulty.
but he followed his uncle into the
library without a word ard took his seat
al the table opposite him.
Harry" the old soldier began, rs
quietly as he was able, after an awk-
ward pause, 81 want to tell you lit
tle-a little about your father and
mother"
Harry's face suddenly changed from
white to crimson, for he felt sure now
that what Sir Thomas was going,to talk
about was not the loss Of the money
from the davenport a week earlier; and
on the other hand, though he knew al
solutely nothing about his own birth
and parentage. he knew at least there
must have been some sort OF mystery
in the matter, or else his uncle wOull
surely long since have spoken to him
quite freely Of his father and mother.
My dear boy" the Colonel went
on again, in a tremulous voice, ."
think the time has now come when
ought to tell you that you aud are no
relation by blood; you are--you are
my nephew by adoption only"
Harry gave sudden Start ofsurPrise,
but said nothing.
1.-The way it all cauo about" Sir
Thomas went on, playing nervously
with his watch-chain, " vas just this
wa in India during the mutiny, as
you know, and while was stationed at
Booluudshahr, in the northwest pro-
yinces. Just before those COMPOUNDED
mean to say. before the
Sepoys-rcyolted, your father was adj
jutant Of my regiment at the same
station. lie and your mother-well,
Harry, your mother lived in a smaf
near the cantonments.
and there you were born; why. ex-
actly SIGHT months before the aflir
at Meerut, YOU know-the beginning Of
the mutiny. Your father, I'm sorry to
say, was a man very much given to high
play-in short, if you'd excuse myput-
ting it so, my BOY, n regular gambler.
lie owed money to almost every man in
the regiment, and among others, if !
must tell you the whole truth, to me.
In those days sometimes played
rather high myself, Harry not
as high as your poor father, my
boy. for was always prudent.
but a great deal higher than young
man in a marching regiment has
any right to do-a great deal higher.
left off playing Immediately after what
I'm Just going to tell you; and from
that day to this, Harry, I've never
touched a card, except for whist or
cIibbage, and never will do SO, my boy,
if | live to DC as old as .Methuselah.'
The old man paused and wiped his
brow for a second with his capacious
handkerchief, while Ilarry's eyes, cast
down upon the ground, began to fill
rapidly with something or other that ne
couldn't for the life Of him manage to
keep out Of them.
"On the night before the news from
Meerut arrived" the old soldier went
on once more, with his eyes turned half
away from the trembling lad, 1--WE
played together in the Majors rooms,
your father and |, with a few others
and before the end Of the evening your
father had lost a large sum TO one OF
his brother-oilicers. When we'd finished
playing he came to my quarters, and he
said: 'Woolrych, this is bad job. |
haven't got anything to pay McGregor
with
"All right, Walpole, | answered
him-your fathers name was Captain
Walpole, Harry I'll lend you what
eyer's necessary
49, No, no, dear fellow he said, Il
won't borrow and only get myself into