The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-27
CHAPTER XIV.
A PARTING.


The sun had already set an hour when
Ronald Mervyn reached the hospital, but
the moon had just risen, and the stars were
shining brilliantly.
Mary Armstrong met him at the door.
81 saw you coming" she said, land
father advised me to come out for little
turn. it is such beautiful evening"
am glad you have come out, Mary; I
wanted to speak to you"
Mary Armstrong; color heightened
little. 1t was the first time that he had
called her by her christian name since that
ride through the Kaffirs. She thought she
knew what he wanted to speak to her
about. and she well knew what she should
say.
I'Mary," Ronald went on, "you know the
story of the poor wretch who was de-
voured by thirst, and yet could not reach
the cup of water that was just beyond his
grasp"
"Iknow," Mary said.
"Wer, am just in that position. I am
so placed by an inscrutable fate, that l
cannot stretch out my hand to grasp the
cup of water"
The girl was silent for time.
II do not pretend to understand you,
Ronald. Why cannot you grasp the cup Of
waterE'
Because, as I said, dear, there is fate
against me; because / can never marry !;
because must go through the world alone.
/ told you that the name bear is not my
own. I have been obliged to change it, be-
cause my own name is disgraced; because,
were to name it, there is not a man here OF
those who just at present are praising and
making much of me who would not shrink
from my side"
mo, Ronald, no; it cannot be.n
at is true, dear; my name has been asso-
ciated with the foulest of crimes. have
been tried for numbering a woman, and
that woman q near relative. / was &C
quilted, it is true; but simply because the
evidence did not amount to what the law
required. But in the sight of every one l
went out guilty"
20, now could they think SOP Mary said,
bursting into tears; chow could they have
thought, Ronald, those who knew you, that
you could do thiss"
"Many did believe it," Ronald said, land
the evidence was so strong that l almost
believed it myself. However, thus it is. l
am a marked man and an outcast, and
must remain alone for all my life, unless
God in his mercy should clear this thing
up"
"Not alone, Ronald, not Alone" the girl
cried; there, you may say it,"
you mean you would stand by my side,
Marys Thank you, my love, but could not
accept the sacrifice. / can bear my own lot,
but could not see the woman l loved
pointed at as the wife of murderer"
"But no one would know" Mary began.
"They would know, dear. refused a
commission the general offered me to-day,
because were to appear as an officer there
are a score of men in this expedition who
would know me at once; but even under my
present name and my present dress can
not escape Only this evening, as l came
here, / was tainted by drunken soldier.
who must have known me. as murderer of
women. Good heavensl do you think l
would let any woman share thats Did go
to the most lonely part of the world,
might escape for years, but at last the blow
would come. Had it not been for the time
we passed together when death might at
any moment have come to us both, had it
not been that l held you in my arms during
that ride, / should never have told you this,
Mary, for you would have gone away to
England and lived your life unhurt; but
after that | could not but speak. You
must have felt that loved you, and had
not spoken, what would you have thought
of meP'
II should have thought. Ronald" she
said, quietly, shat you had foolish idea
that because my father had money. when
you were but a trooper, you would say
nothing; and think that l should have
summoned up courage to speak first, for
knew you loved me, just as certainly as l
knew that loved you, just as certainly as
know that l shall love you always"
II hope not, Mary" Ronald said, gravely !;
cit would add to the pain of my life to
know that had spoilt yours"
st will not spoil mine, Ronald; it is good
to know that one is loved by true man,
and that one loves him even if we can never
come together. would rather be single for
your sake, dear, than marry any other man
in the world. Won't you tell me about it
all, should like to know"
"You have right to know, Mary, if you
wish it; and drawing her to a seat, Ronald
told her the story of the Curse of the
Carnes, of the wild blood that flowed in
his veins, of his Encouragement to his
cousin, and of the circumstances of her
death. Only once she stopped him.
"Did you love her very much, Ronald p
mo, dear; can say SO honestly now
No doubt thought loved her, though l
had been involuntarily putting off becom-
ing formally engaged to her; but l know
now, indeed knew long ago, that my pas
son when she threw me off was rather an
OuIDuiSD Vi cbuu pei udPo VI
jealousy, that another should have stepped
in when thought myself so sure, than of
real regret. l had cared for Margaret in a
way, but now that know what real love is
know that it was but as a cousin that /
loved her,"
Then he went on to tell her the proofs
against himself; how that the words he had
spoken had come up against him; how he
had failed altogether to account for his
doings at the hour at which she was muir
dered; how his glove had borne evidence
against him.
us that all, RonaldW
''Not quite all, dear. saw in an English
paper only a few days ago that the matter
had come up again. Margaret's watch and
jewels were found in the garden. just hid
den in the ground evidently not by thief
who intended to come again and fetch them,
but simply concealed by some one who had
taken them and did not want them. If
those things had been found before my trial,
Margaret, | should assuredly have been
hanged, for they disposed Of the only alter
native that seemed possible, namely, that
she had been murdered by midnight burg
lar for the sake Of her valuables."
Mary sat in silence for few minutes and
then asked one or two questions with refer
ence TO the story.
"And you had no idea yourself, Ronald,
not even the slightest suspicion against any
onep
'Not the slightest" he said, ''ths whole
thing is 30 me as profound mystery as