Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-12

said | would make, and shall 30 out oil
England this day fortnight. What may
not do yet, with over q ham,
dred thousand pounds and the brains
and knowledge which possess Good
heavens, how suddenly the last ten
| thousand has come What lucky
chance it was that threw tho Young fool
into my clutches l managed him pro-
perly. there's no doubt But yet it was
q lucky chance that brought him to me.
| Still it's strange the presentiment have
always had about him. Oh, bother such
nonsense what have / 20 do with pre-
sentiments? / snail be believing IN
ghosts and hobgobiins next Yet seem
to be sorry instead Of glad, and there is
that fear of some impending evil which
j seemed to have every time l saw him.
What on earth can this be
The last question was caused by a
sharp knock and ring at the hall-door.
| In few seconds the servant came IN
with telegram. Mr.. Heath looked at
the envelope nervousIy before he opened
| it. At last he took out the telegram,
which he read two or three times over,
as if he doubted the evidence Of his eye
sight. Then be put the telegram IN has
pocket, whispering TO himself IN q trem-
bling voice as he did so
"What can it be ? What can it be ? "
The telegram which evidently caused
! him so much uneasiness was as follows
MRS. Oswald, To Jas. Heath, Esqu
st. Pauls Road, Stanhope Terrace,
Camden Towns. Noting Hill :
alt is of great importance that l
shonld see you tonight. Robert Os-
wald died OF 3 o'clock this evening.
Please como here at once on receiving
this telegram"
Could it be some conspiracy to get
me into the house and murder me? ~
/ thought Mr.. Heath, as he walked about
the room. with the telegram in his
pocket. "Oh, nonsense 1 need not be
afraid Of that. They are very respecta-
/ lie people in the house. No, depend
upon it, II is either that the mother
wants TO beg or borrow from me, or that
there issomo screw loose about the policy
Of assurance. Curse il Like my usual
luck. But had better be or there at
once. What q curious authoritative way
she telegraphs ~, though"
He left the house and, mailing the first
hanson he met, was driven rapidly TO
/ ST. Paul's road. A servant opened the
/ hall-door before he could knock, and
! having asked If he was Mr.. Heath, con-
/ ducted him upstairs to tho drawing
room. Though il was just $3.50 o'clock
and was getting rather dark, no lamp or
/ candle was Lighted in the room, and as
/ Mr. Heath entered he could just discern
| through the deep twilight the figure OF
tall woman who was sitting by one
Of the windows dressed in black.
| She rose rs he entered and asked
! him 10 take a chair which was Il few
wards from where she WAS sitting. From
! the position in which she sat. and the
darkness OF tue room, Mr. Heath could
not discern her features very clearly,
and to tell the truth he felt exceedingly
| uncomfortable. He was pretty well case
| hardened Of course few men bad had
more curious experiences, and some OF
! the scenes no had Witnessed in the pur-
suit Of his vocation were not a little
appalling But just as one of the first
! things that is Taught 10 every
medical student is that he must dis
regard the pain which he has 10 inlet
Oh his patients, So from the very outset
Of his career, Mr.. Heath had trimmed
himself to be perfectly Gallons about the
| feeling and interests Of the people with
whom he was brought IN contact. Still
al the teaching in the world cannot
make a surgeon insepsihle to pain which
! is inflicted on himself, and It WAS Just
! because be WAS apprehonsve that some
calamity was about 10 iall upon him that
Mr. Heath felt on the present occasion a
sense of fear which almost amounted to
! terror.
"You have been prompt in respond
ing TO my telegram" said the lady iii a
hard, defiant voice. "My son, as / told
YOU. j. dead. You have stripped him OF
his little property. He died a pauper.
You make GlO, 900 by his death have
lately lost nearly all that | WAS worth. Il
have spent pretty nearly the rest in
nursing him through his last illness. l
want 600 III ready money to pay his
funeral expenses. You are the proper
person to give 1t to Inc. DO you re
fuse ?"
1 dare say that Mr.. Heath would gladly
have paid twenty pounds. or more, for
the relief he experienced when lie heard
this speech. So il was only n begging
appeal after oil. "Thank heavens "
he muttered to himself, and for the first
time since he heard OF Robert Oswald's
death he folt really easy IN his mind.
Only good madam" he said, IN his
usual tone of quit determination, "your
son sought me voluntarily. BE had
ample value for what no sold me. /
have nothing more 10 say on the matter,
and / must wish You Goodnight. D."
But have something more to say
10 you," said the lady, who rose from
her chair ut the same time that lie did.
Had yon given me the twenty pounds
/ would have been content to let you go
in peace. As it is you must hear why
YOU are the proper person to pay for the
funeral of my son. Come here ; l have
something to tell Won which you Will re-
member TO the last day OF your life.
See"
She threw open the folding-doors that
separated the drawing room from ped
room which was briIiisnily lighted with
candles. On a bed lay the body Of Robert
Oswald. His mother went round and
stood at the far side OF the bed, facing
Heath. who advanced a little way into
the inner room az if he were drawn by
spell.
"Now, sir" she exclaimed, edo you
recognize me-
81 cant say [ do, madam" said
Heath, whose eyes were fixed on the face
Of the corpse, and who hardly looked OF
her.
"Twcnty-two years make a difference,
no doubt, she said, rs che removed .
scarf which was tied round her head and
let her long auburn hair lall about her
shoulders. "Now, Philip Arnott, look
at me again anu see if you recognize the
face OF the wife whom you forced to
leave you. Look on that bed and see ii
you recognize your own features Ia the
face of your dead son.
"My son !" exclaimed Heath-or Ar
mott, as be really was.