New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-11-11

we'll do the same, let us hope, he saiu' turning
Mr. railatti was certainly we'll wCrth good
dinner Without seeming TO monopoize ,ne gou-
vcrsation, he always had something orSiuai ~, ~
say upon every topic that started, ana MS iun
and wit were so keen and spontaneous that our
solemn little dinner party became quite a roIncN,
ing affair Amongst the subjects we olS ninrSr
was the last new trick of the last new conIurer;
which was puzzng all London and giving learned
Judges and doctors and parsons sleepess nights
in the endcavor to find it out. 49, ;.
WHY don't you l,nOw how tnat is done,
said Mr. Palatti, and he proceeded 10 solve the
riddle IN dozen words. c.. Cocoon
Most extraordinary exclaimed Sir George;
DO you mean to say you found 1t out yoursell
Yes returned Pallatti, tho very hrst ume l
went There never has been and never VIII pe
a trick of any kind that am unable 70 unranei
made any of it except sometimes 70 ID nao e,a
little fun among the spirltuallsts. Ana ne gave
me peculiar look out of his black eyes,
Exposing all their rascally iortuhe,,elnng anu
rapping and table turning and such knaverles,
suppose observed composedly.
Quite So replied Paatti dryE A..
And now gentlemen SAID pr ueofsu a. , e,.e
last bottle of caret emptled, ana we were
ashamed even to look as if we should IKE some
more If you please will take our cohec IN the
DRAWN groom there are no IadeS therei anu Ia
he rose from the table and walked towards the
door. As we followed Paatti whispered IN my
car, Mr. Houghton, should like to De moae[1 III
Clarence and be drowned in a hundred dozen OF
To nv surprise Sir George led the way to the
great state drawing room, and as we ehtereI d
perfect blaze of splendor was before u.s. Inc
hinge saloon with its frcscoed ceilings ana pro
fuse gliding was lighted up by hundreds OF wax
candles in great chandeliers, IN sconces, brackets,
and lustres the walls were entirely covered py
full-length portraits of old Gillnghams; over
each portrait q powerful lamp and reflector Threw
SO strong light that every gallant lxnlsht ana
gentle dame seemed 10 have come to nfc ana De
gazing at the black-coated intruders INTO their
gay assembly Two enormous fires were burning;
one at each end of the room, and before one OF
o. nd
seated He looked grand and stately ana the
briliance of the was so overpowerlng,
that Pallatti and listened for his words with
Gentlemen, / am not going to detain you for
any length Of time by telling you over again the
history which you have both heard already from
my lips But on this particular night WISH 10
recapituate some of the main facts.
In the year 1745 my grcat-grandiather, Slr
Hugo Gillngham, after being many years VIA,
over married young and beautiful glrl ana
brought her to the Towers. There are his por-
trait and hers, pointing to them; go up TO them
and inspect them closcly-learn them by hear5;
Who knows what may come OF your DONG so
The girl was faithlcss to hm-faithless from
the very day she was wed, and her lover was her
own husbands vagabond, worthless cousin, the
son of a man who had squandered his blrthrlght
and willingly parted with all the great estates
of Gllingham to his younger brother ana MS heirs
for ever. There is the mans portrait IN that
corner: study his face and figure as closely both
of you. The year 745 brought ruin and misery
on many noble house, and Sir Hugo dld his best
to involve himself in the same fate. Gentlemen,
il is fact that that poor scarecrow, the IRE
tender once sat in that travesty OF throne,
whilst wel-bcrn virtuous ladies crowded round TO
kiss his false hand and Sir George pointed 10 a
chair surmounted by a kind of canopy oil gold
and crimson.
One night continued Sir George, Sir Hugo
returned home earlier than he was expected, ana,
walking hastily upstairs the first thing he heard
was the voice of his wife in conversation with
stranger in one of the rooms He tried the door;
it was locked, and by the time he had burst IL
open man leapng out of the open window
Sir Hugo dashed after him, and, after hall dozen
passes drove his sword through the body OF Con-
rad Gillingham. Returning through the window
he found his wife senseless on the iloor anu put
ting constraint upon himself to refrain from
spurning her with his foot he passed on TO MS ped
chamber, where the first thing that met MS eyes
was a great iron chest with the M open, whist
a very short examination showed that ms precious
title-dccds had been distracted. lie found his
way back to where Conrad lay with staring eyes
in the moonlight, and searched the body Tor the
deeds without success. Returning through the
window his wife sat up and looked at him and
his boodstained hands, but her face was the lace
of maniac, and she never recovered her reason,
dying many years aftcrward Wltnln tne Walls Oh
a madhouse.
He saw the whole devilish plot now. Conrad
Gilingham, using his wife as his tool, had IN
tended to abstract the deeds, and, with these IN
his possession TO attalnt MIN OF nlSh tIeasou anu
claim the estates.
There was a state trial, which any, one can
read to this day, and he was acquitted, with "a
universal expression of pity for his misfortune,
and of loathing for the subject OF his vengeance.
To piece together these facts has cost me
months of labor, in reading through old diaries
and letters in the imminent ROOM for have never
felt sure whether some day or other or some OF
my descendants might not be challenged TO pro-
duce the ttle-deeds of Gillngham The blow
has fallen upon me at last. II seems that some
descendants of that old collateral branch, all
long since dead and gone, as hoped and believed,
have turned up. At any rate there are agents
l. all p.f1
searching registers and so on ana my lawyers
have told pont-blanll that may be called
upon TO produce these deeds, and that II they are
not forthcoming my tenure OF dillingham; towers
may be in serious jeopardy. Unless you my
young friends, with your keen wits and ready IN,
vention can help me, my resources are at an end.
lie turned and rang the bell, and then leant
his head upon his hand, his elbow on the martel-
piece. \ servant entered, and looking up he
said quite naturally, Put out all these lights ana
close the room again, Mallam-l only wanted 10
show Mr.. Pallatt how it looks OIL state occasion
and take tine cigars and things into the blizzard
room We will finish the evening there
OF the almost incredible events which followed
| confess that | am unable TO oilcr any eXpana-
ton. | can only vOuch for their having actually
occurred. Whether Mr.. Pallatu honestly be
licVcS, the soul can in certain rare instances leave
the body and wander up and down the spirit world
like dog in a fair pryng into the secrets OF the
dead, or whether those events were merely the
result Ito quote the Doctor in Martin Chuzzc-
witt of a most extra ordinarily happy and favor
able conjunction of circumstances, Will Tor ever
remain MYSTERY TO me.
When got into bed that night my brain was in
a whir and should have been glad to exchange
nerves with cat. The unusual quantity of
wine | had drunk, the dazzling splendOr of the
state drawing -room, the awful midnight tragedy
of a century ago, and the hfe-ke portraits of the
principal actors seemed to forbid the very idea
of sleep But when / thought myself most wide
awake | began 10 doze off, and was soon as fast
as a church, How long it had listed | could
not tell when woke with start, and for the
third time in my life found myself alone in the
dark / stretched out my hand for the matches,
but they were gone, and at the same time the
luminous glare appeared upon the wall. Then
the room. with its one tall opened window, the
broken furniture, the of stuffed birds, and the
two figures of my former vision developed rapidly.
| could see the last plainly enough nova man
in long horsemans coat and brown boots with
great silver spurs, woman in a long white wrap
per, with fair hair flowing over her shoulders
nearly 10 the ground, and they stood together by
the table reading from large sheet of paper
which they held between them, by the light of