Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1886-12-02

| too late. i was with her at the last. She
| died In my arms, and she forgave me before
| she died. The paper marked No. Is the copy
| OF the certificate of your mothers death. She
was buried in the cemetery just outside
| Granada IL ever you go to see her grave you
will know It by white marble cross which
bears but one word-Tsola.' / sent you,
little child only three years of age, to the con-
vent Of San Angelo; and when you had been
| there some time YOU became very Ill, and 1t
was feared you would not live Then sent
| for my faithful old servant Mrs. Blencowe. /
! told her the story of my marriage, and bade
| her take you home; but, before doing so,
made her swear TO me that nothing should
ever induce her TO breathe one word Of what /
| had unsealed to her. The paper marked No.
4 is a copy Of my letter to Mrs Blencowe; that
marked No. 5 is the letter she sent me from
| Heron's Nest, announcing her safe return with
the child Gracia.
81 may as well tell you the truth, Gracia.
went farther and farther afield in my travels,
always hoping to forget Millceut, aud for
| got you. My lawyer wrote to ME when Mrs.
| Bencowe died; but did not receive his letter
| until some months after it was due, and then
| ! said nothing. knew that you must be stay
u
bad husband | am a bad father; but will
| right the wrong / have done you. Forgive
me, Gracia. / am old; my hair is white, and
my eyes are dim. Forgive me, my child As
| | write these words, you are looking at me,
| and my heart melts within me.
''When / came home and found you so beau
| tful, so graceful, so accomplished, repented
| of what had done more bitterly than ever;
| but it was too late My pride will not let me
| ayow that l have overcome my hatred to
| women and have been married; it will not
| allow me to own that 1t is my own child have
| so cruelty neglected. / could not bear the
| shame and humiliation. / could not endure
| the wonder and comments while live; after
my death they will not hurt me.
Enclosed in this parcel you will find let
ter addressed to Mr.. Graham, in which tell
him also my story and place you under his
care l do you justice at last, my child.
leave you the whole OF my fortune, Heron's
Nest, with all 1t contains-everything l have
in the world; you are my sole heiress The
only other relatives / have are the Caryls,
whose fortunes do not concern or interest me.
| So, Gracia, make you amends at last. Iwish
/ could do 1t In life; but my pride will not let
me. | should like TO feel your arms clasped
round my neck, and to hear you call me
Father but could not bear the sneers of
those who knew that was a woman-hater
THE paper marked No. is the letter TO be
given TO Mr.. Graham No. z is my will. Your
| eyes viii not fall upon these lines until / am
dead When you read them, think kindly OF
me- and take warning not to love with the
madness of Dacre. 1t is love for Millicent
that has ruined my life, and your mothers and
yours-nothing else.
Goodbye, my daughter. I shall hide this
| packet in my escritoire; but at my death 1t
will no doubt be found. Goodbye, Gracia. !"
1t was clear that, after writing this letter, he
had repented. When he talked to me Of
| righting a wrong, he was going that very day
to consult with the Heronsdale lawyer as to
the means of doing It, and he met with his
fatal accident on the way thither
sat for some minutes feeling utterly be-
wildered. Then / looked at the parchment
sheet, and read the words-"The last will and
testament of Wolfgang Dacre, Esquire, Of
Heron's Nest" The will was short, but con-
elusive, for it left everything he had in the
world-houses, lands, moneys, pictures, plate,
carriages, horses, books, jewels-to his be-
loved aud only child Gracia Isola Dacre,
daughter Of Isola Dacre, his wife, whom he
| had married at Granada 1t was signed by
himself in a clear bold hand, and witnessed
| by the housekeeper, Margaret Paterson, and
| by the butler, James Graystone.
The shock was almost more than / could
bear, and 1t was with difficulty that could
keep from crying aloud. Nv whole frame
trembled; my heart seemed to stand still. So
| i was no nameless dependant / was Gracia
| Dacre, sole representative Of the proud line Of
| Dacres and heiress of all their wealth. was
no longer the despised companion; j was
| Gracia Dacre Of Heron's Nest. Far and wide
as ] could see, everything belonged to me;
and II is little wonder that my heart swelled
with exultation. No longer should be con-
| fined to the servants hall and my solitary bed
room; there should be no more naughty re-
| quests that would keep out Of the way when
visitors were In the house. The house was
mine! Never again would groom and foot
man call me "Gracia" and patronize me |
Never again would proud, beautiful Lady
Aditha call me an intruderl / was her social
equal now.
In the first flush Of pride my thoughts few
to Mrs. Sale and Miss Sale, the two women
who had despised me so utterly, who had in
terfered with the only pleasure had in life by
preventing me from singing in the church.
What would they say when they heard that
the girl that they had snubbed aud scorned
was the heiress Of Heron's Nestl
And Lady Caryl, who had resented my
| presence, what would she think-she who had
been so coldly contemptuous, who had ordered
me to leave the place because one Of her visit
ors had seen met What would she say when
she knew that the house belonged to the de-
| spised dependant / rehearsed the scene.
| pictured her face when she heard that was
the Squirrels daughter, and my heart beat al
most madly with fierce anger pride, for had
been made to suffer most severely.
All, Lady Caryl you will be sorry now for
| your scorn and your contemptl You will wish
that you had treated Inc better, that you had
been more gentle, more kindly.
| Then the tears fell fast and warm down my
| face, and my heart softened with gratitude;
the fierce exultant pride seemed to die. All,
fair and beautiful Christmas star, was this in
deed the place to which your light had brought
mel Then the bare walls Of the lumber-room
faded, and / saw instead the green postern-
| gate, covered with ivy holding the white snow
in its green leaves. saw the blue night-sky,
and the Christmas star shining brightly, and,
framed BY the green ivy-leaves, the face that
was as the sun Of my lfe Oh, the love with
the bonnie blue eyes, had for one moment
forgotten youl
Suddenly chill came over me as the thought
flashed across my mind my gain would be
his lossp II Heron's Nest came to me, he
must lose 1t. II all the Squirrels money and