Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-12-15
THE MYSTERY OF HERBERT MQLEE.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.


Mylne, barrister, was found dead in his
chair at his London chambers from the
effect, the doctors said, of the rupture of
blood-vessel in his heart As his only
relative and oldest friend, was the first
to whom the intelligence was conveyed !;
and when l arrived at his rooms | found
upon the desk before which he was sitting
when he died, several sheets of manu-
script in his handwriting. Searching
further, l discovered within the desk
another manuscript. The CRATE was filed
with mass of torn and partially burnt
paper, and under it was broken phial
On perusing the two manuscripts | saw
that they referred to the same matter;
that they were undoubtedly fragments
from my poor friends life-story; and in
giving them here in their chronological
order | may only remark that, from what
l know of the story, / have every reason
to believe that what follows is literally
true, and not the fancy of diseased brain.
THE FIRST MANUSCRIPT.
Yesterday was as happy as any man in
the three kingdoms; to-day | am as
miserable as was Give Newcombe under
the rule of the campaigner Miserable :
Miserable is hardly the word for it, and
yet have no other with which to express
my feelings-the state of mingled doubt,
Jealousy and unhappiuess into which |
have worked myself Until now ! have
been in Ignorance of the depth of my
nature; never could believe that single
incident could have stirred me to the bot
tom of my soul as to-day's experience has
done.
Yesterday, as I have said, I was happy,
and so l might be. Moderately rich, good
looking and well educated, engaged to as
charming a girl as could be found in all
England, what more could | wish? And,
in truth, wished nothing more; the love
of Mabel CARDINAL was sufficient for me.
How / met Miss CARDINAL at her uncle's
house in Lincolnshire last Christmas, and
how fell in love with her, l need not
tell; all that / care to remember to-day is
that in summer l found myself in the
neighborhood of CARDINAL Grange, in the
East Riding, and that when | left it / was
no longer free. A few hours ago the name,
or even the thought, of Mabel CARDINAL
would have been enough to make me rave
for ten minutes, IN the usual way of lovers,
as noSlists used sardonically to remark
but now-well, even yet l feel that it
would not take much to make me do so.
But, somehow, she does not seem the same
to me, and the worst of it is that / cannot
Justify the change to myself. l only know
that it is there, and know also the cause
Of it; but that cause is so trivial that to
anyone but man of sensitive feelings it
may seem no cause at all.
This afternoon, then, having nothing
better to do, strolled along to the Uni
corn Club, and, after looking into the
papers, passed into the smoking room
There ! found an old college friend, Sir
George Gurdon, whom l had not seen for
months, and l stood talking to him for sew
eral minutes. II was very seldom that Sir
George honored the Unicorn-or London,
for that matter-wi:h his presence; for
when he was not shooting in the High
lands or fishing in Norway, he was usually
few thousand miles off in his yacht. Ac-
cording, asked him, with some curiosity,
the reason of his visit at this time of the
year.
"Ob," he replied, 4" Pm only passing
through on my way to the north. Fact is,
I was cruising about in the Levent when |
got letter from the mater asking me
when / intended to settle down, and telling
me that she was staying near a girl used
to be sweet on. So / thought | might
humor her for month or two, and, giving
my Captain orders to bring the boat round
to Southampton, came home over land
Leave here by the ESQ train-and, by
Jovel its already p
wished him success in his new venture,
thinking that hansome fellow like
Gurdon, with rent-roll of e15000 would
have no difficulty in pleasing an ordinary
young lady-or her mamma.
81 must be going now," he continued,
cor l may lose my train, and there's not
another to Stoketon Regis tonight"
"Stoketon Regisw
Eyes. Do you know the placer
/ nodded assent, for happened to know
it very well indeed, seeing that CARDINAL
Grange was situated not couple of mile:
from it.
''Then perhaps you know the lady I'm
going down to inspect-Miss CARDINAL
her name is. But there's my cab at the
door, Tata, Mylne. Hope to see YOU
down at my place for the partridges"
A hurried shake of the hand, and he
was gone From the window / watched
him enter his cab and drive of, thinking
what an odious beggar he was, and how
should like to wrink his neck. Such
change had those two words-"Miss Car
dinalI"-accomplis that, had / met my
old friend again, might have done some
thing desperate. My first feeling, indeed
was evaporation against Gurdon; for
never thought of Mabel at all for a lonI
time after Sir Georges departure, and per
haps il was well for that gentleman, or 70
me, that he was beyond reach.
As in a dream | returned to my cham
bers, and sat down TO think over the Incl
dents of my encounter with Gurdon. Be
fore he had mentioned Miss Cardinalf
name had had the distinct impression
that the young lady had been sweet" o.
him, as we'll as vice-yersa, although h
had not said SO in so many words; and tn
thought was gall and wormwood to me
Soon. in brooding over the fact Tor rathe
fancyl, / almost forgot Gurdon's existence
all the force of my mind was concentrate
upon the thought, Can there be anythin
between my betrothed and my old chum
/ had never realized the depth of my Low
for Mabel till this incident told me; anc
now that / was in this frame of mind,
began fully to understand the truth {
Pope's words;
One master passion in the breast,
Like Aaron serpent, swallows up the rest
Love for Mabel was my master passion
and its hitherto unknown strength almos
oyermastered me. For hours / sat, m
mind full of uncertainty, jealousy, an
shame that / should doubt. But / wa
carried away by something beyond m
control; was literally powerless to pre-
vent what was passing within me, an
God knows that if ] wavered in my trus
of Mabel | have suffered for it. Yet l di
waver, and all kinds Of doubts beset me