The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-10-27
CHAPTER VII.

'ff''''N
CHAPTER VII.
II is midnight Twelve hours have
been chimcd by some great clock mile
away. the strokes falling soiemniy on the
still air of the summer night. Traffic
has ceased. and only the sound Of an oc-
casional carriage may be heard, the red
lights from IT'S lamps flaming upward
and sometimes casting n lurid shadow
upon the bed where Millicent lies sleep
ing.
The Girl had appeared little tired, a
little ennuvcc for the Inst day or two, and
Mrs Brand had decided upon her refus-
inc any invitation for this one night M
least She should 90 TO bed early, ~
would Mrs BranF-the whole household,
indeed. should retire at an abnornally
early hour, and Grant,, who was ac-
auaintcd with all these circumstance
and arrangements, was forbidden 10 cali
after six O'Clock.
Boom - boom - boom -- goes the big
clock somewhere. Millicent, as though
disturbed by il, turns uncasilyin her bed'
and. ~ growing consciousness gains on
her. signs deeply. Alas. there are many
reasons why she. the pctted debutanfc OF
the year. should sigh profoundly. Her
BODY. indeed. IS well nhis seems rather
grievance than Othcrwisel, but her heart
* sick and sore within her. on the
horror Of having 20 marry Grant, while
her affection is all Concentrated on
another, And vet. TO lose her inherit
oucc, To girl trained as she has been
MS hundreds Of others are trained
such consideration is paramount TO
be- cast from her throne, To he discarded
bv her world. 20 sink from comparative
supremacy TO n sure mediocrity in that
lies the sting.
II ONLY the matter could be altered.
and. arranged for her on lines according
to her own liking, She had thought OF
apncaling tO her aunt-had even limited
10 her that Bowie was not altogether SO
dear TO her "a. he should he. But Mrs.
Brand had pooh-poohcd all such hints as
being mere eirlsh folly. and had told her
that ina time She would find her cousin
was far above the average Of the young
men She met. and that they had good
reason ~ believe a defunct title. that had
once belonged 10 branch Of their fam
ilv. would he revived ia his favor
How quiet the night has grown. Even
in the heart of this surging London, 1t
seems as though a time Of rest can reign;
the stir. the roll Of tine odd carriage or
two only enhances the extreme deafness
Of the calm. Millicent turns YEARLY upon
her pillow, and tries with passionate
1nxiciy 10 forget her woes IN sleep. In
vain She courts the wished for slumDer;
i'm vain she seeks 90 Kill her crnel
thoughts. Siill they remain with her,
growing ever more persistent as wake
fulncss grows upon her Impatient. ana
angry with herself, and finding the night
insuncrably warm, she half pushes the
bedclothos from her. with the intention
of rising and finging wide her window,
when slight noise in the adjoining room
arrests her attention.
Isit fOOtstcp? or one Of those strange
sounds that break the stiffness OF the
nightf-ghOstiy sounds that we all know,
coming from nowhere apparently, yet
loud enough To make the pulses beat and
suggest "a covering of the head with the
friendly bedclothes.
Mllicent. wide awake now, but uncer-
tain listens intently. She has indeed
drawn back her foot into the shelter oil
the bed. but otherwise has shown no
fear. Isit u step, IT has stopped now.
After all, it might have been auntie
coming for her cologne water, or one of
the maids for the neuralgia cure that lies
ON the mantelpiecc in her boudoir. In
spite Of these consOlatory reflections,
however. she cannot conceal from her
self that she is growing frightened, and
is rcgrctting with ever increasing earn
cstncss the fact that she is sleeping
alone, in n corridor cut off from the rest
of the house
Pshaw, after all. if was nothng-a
silly scare. Silence once more reigns SUI
prcmc. Not even the indomitablc mouse
Is to be heard No scratchings, no
sducaks anywhere. Not even ii
Good heavens what was that? That
hOrribl, stealing sound in the room be-
vond. II Is coming nearer and nearer
OF that SOME horrible inner sense as
surcs her. though now she can hear moth
ing. oh. how the minutes drag The
knowledge that even if she screamed
until life left her she could not be heard
hy any one member of the household
adds ten thousand tcrrOrs to her already
miserable situation.
All. there There il is again-that
stealth, footsteps more distinct now
more real All in one moment every
shuddering recollection of people npir.
dcrcd. every CHASTITY detail that she has
ever read or heard. recurs to her. and
makes the blood freeze within her veins.
soon. Perhaps. that blood will pc frozen
VtefHally.
And now a maddcning regret occurs Ia
her. The bell, why had she not thought
of thai sooner, To cross the room, tC
pull violently at it-eyen if her effort
failed 10 bring one of the servants "a
most likely thing, rs all the servants
sleep at the very top of the house)-a'
least she might have alarmed this mid
night assassin, and sent him flying from
the scene of his unlawful labOrs. But
now l. il too late yeti
Almost paralyzcd 10y fear as she il, she
rises cautiously upon her elbow, and l.
Just about To make a rush for the bell
winch
CHAPTER VIII
The door beyond opens slowly. and q
figure that looms large and terrible IN
the light of the dim lamp ii carries ap
pears upon the threshold.
i Ion