The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-17

face then. Do not grieve too much over the
disappointment We are now only as we
were when l said good-by TO you. l hal no
hope then that you would ever succeed in
clearing me, and / have no hope now. /
have not got up my strength again yet, and
am, therefore, perhaps just at present q
little more disposed 60 repine over the dis.
appointment than l thought | should I've;
but this will wesr of when / get in the
saddle again. There will, l think, be no
more fighting-at any rate with the Sandiih
kaffirs-for we hear this morning that they
have sent in to beg for peace, and am GER
tain We shall be glad enough TO grant il,
for he have not much TO boast about in the
campaign. OF course they will have to pay
a very heavy fine in cattle, and will have TO
move across to the other side of the Kei.
Equally of course there will be trouble
again with them after a time, when the
memory of their losses has somewhat
aba ed. | fancy portion of the forco will
march againss the Basutos, whose attitude
has lately been very hostile; but now that
the G2ikas have givenin, and we are free to
use our whole force against them, it is
scarcely probable that they will venture to
try conclusions with us. If they settle
down peaceably shall probably apply for
my discharge, and perhaps go in for farm
ing or carry out my first idea of joining n
party OF traders going up the country, and
getting some shooting among the big
game. -
81 know that, disappointed as you will be
with the news contained in this letter, it
Will be a pleasure to you to tell the girl you
have made your friend that after all the
man she oncs loved is Innocent of this terri
BILE crime. She must have suffered horribly
while she was hiding what she thought was
the most important part of the evidence:
now she will see that she has really done no
harm; and as you seem to be really fond of
her, it will, | am sure, be great pleasure to
you to be able to restore her peace of mind
in both these respects. sf
II should think now that you and your
father will not remain any longer at Carnes-
ford, where neither Of you have any fitting
society of any sort, bat will go and settle
somewhere in your proper position would
much rather that you did, for now that it
seems absolutely certain that nothing
further is to be learned, it would trouble me
to think of you wasting your lives at
Carnesford
"You said in your last letter that the
discovery you had made had brought YOU
four years nearer to happiness, but have
never said q word to admit that | should
change my mind at the end of the five years
that your father spoke Of Still. don't
know, Mary. | think my position is
stronger by a great deal than it was six
months ago. | told my captain who was,
and all the other officers now know Most
OF them came up and spoke very kindly to
me before / started on my way down here.
and l am sure that when l leave the CORPS
they will give me testimonial, saying that
they are convinced from my behavior
while in the corps that | could not be
guilty of this crime. / own that I myself
am less sensitive on the subject than / was
hoo ir1a ~ ha hi
such life as | have been for the last nine
months. Perhaps-but | will not say any
more now. But think somehow that at
the end of the five years | shall leave the
decision in your hands. 1t has taken me
two or three days to write this letter, for |
am not strong enough to stick to it for
more than half an hour at a time, but as
the post goes out this afternoon must close
1t now. We have been expecting a mail
from England for some days. 1t Is consid-
erably overdue, and need not say how |
am longing for another letter from you, l
hear the regiment will be back, from the
front tonight; even the horses want few
I days rest before starting on this long march
to Basutoland. / shall be very glad to see
them back again. OF course, the invalids
here, like myself, are somewhat pulled down
by their wounds, and disguised at being
kept here. The weather is frightfully hot,
and even In our shirt sleeves we shall be
| hardly able to enjoy Christmas day.
The Cape Rifles arrived at King Williams
town an hour after the post had left, and in
| the evening the colonel and several of the
officers paid visit to the hospital to see
how their wounded were getting on. Ron
| aid, who was sitting reading by his bedside
and the other invalids who were strong
enough to be on their feet, at once got uI
and stood at attention. Stopping and
speaking few words to eacl of the men
OF his own corps, the colonel came on
"Mervyn," he said, as he and the officers
came up to Ronald, 81 want to shake your
your hand. have heard your story from
Capt. Twentyman, and | wish to tell you,
in my own name and in the name of the
officers OF the regiment, that We are sure
you have been the victim Of some horrible
mistake, and all of lis are absolutely con-
WINGED that man who has shown such
extreme gallantry as you have, and whose
conduct has been so excellent from the day
he Joined, is wholly incapable of such a
crime as that with which you were charged
You were, OF course, acquitted, but at the
same time think that ii cannot but be a
satisfaction for you to know that you have
won the esteem of your officers and your
comrades, and that in their eyes you are
free from the slightest faint of that black
business. Give me your hand"
Ronald was unable to speak; the colonel
and all the officers shook him by the hand.
and the former said:
II must have another long talk with you
whea we get back from the Basuto busine
l have mentioned you very strongly in
regimental orders upon two occasions for
extreme galiantry, aud ] cannot but think
that letter signed by me in the English
papers, saying that the Sergt. Blunt of my
regiment, who Sd signany distinguished
himself, is really Capt Mervyn, who ia my
opinion aud that of my officers was so I'M
justly accused, would do you some good in
the eyes of the public; but we Can talk over
that when | see you again"
After the officer left the room, Ronald
Mervyn sat for some time with his face
buried in his hands. TIE colonel's words
had greatly moved him Surely such a
letter as that which Col. Somerset had pro-
posed to write would do much to clear him.
He should never think of taking his own
name again or re-entering any society in
which he would be likely to be recognized,
but surely with such testimonial as that
in his favor he might hope in some quiet
place to live down the past, and should he
again be recognized, could face evil reports
with such an honorable record as this to
produce in his favor. Then his thoughts
went back to England. What would Mary
and her father say when they read such
letter in the paperl 1t would ben proof of
his innocence, and yet he felt sure that
Mary would insist upon regarding it as
such, and would hold that he had no right
to keep her waiting tor another four years.