The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-11-23
[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED I

hearted way, and had never taken even or
binary precautions to piece you in position
70 prove your claim should ything happen
TO him. Perhaps for time he had not
made up his mind whether he should eye,.
produce you are not.
AT any rate, soon found that no proofs
Oh such marriage had teen found among
LIS papers. That some document or other
proDaoly alludlng to your existence had
oeen found was convinced by the
manner of my son. Knowing full well that
ne would be likely to take Quixotic view
OF tne affair, L then determined to defend
us rights TO the utmost. and to prevent the
uaug ater OF village schoolmaster taking
ner place as mistress of the old home of the
Corbyns, and to insure my sons retaining
possession OF 1T. That in doing 50 l was not
actlng according to what ordinary people
GnlnK right, troubled me very little. | was
ue ending my sons rights, and the honor of
the family.
10 him this property meant everything;
10 you 1t could mean little or nothing. l
knew that Philip, once aware of the exist
ence OF even an Legitimate daughter of his
uncle, would be ready at once to offer her
an allowance. That would have enabled
you to live as you bad been brought up,
comfortably at st. Malo, and to marry In
accordance with that bringing up, while
your position as mistress of Corbyn Court
after such bringing up, would be at once
uncomfortable ana ridiculous. Therefore, /
considered myself justided-I still consider
myself Justitied-in doing my best to pre-
vent your attaining that false position |
at once set detectives TO work, and soon
found that the family lawyer had been over
TO st. Malo, and had seen you, and shortly
afterw6rd that you had come to London
Then saw, in the first place, that you had
no proofs whatever of your birth, for if so,
formal notices would have been given to my
son Immediately after the lawyer went
over, and, in the second place, that you were
dangerous. There was but one thing to be
done. and l did 1t without hesitation.
II believed that you could not possibly
know the church at which your father was
married; had you done so, Mr. Ferris would
at once have gone there and obtained
copy of the certificate. l determined,
therefore, to lose not a single day in Destroy
ing the proof. 1t was crime, you will say,
and an offense against the law. No doubt,
but that did not deter me for a moment.
Philips fortune was at stake, and improba-
bic as it seemed to me that you could ever
find out where this marriage was performed,
it was better to make the matter safe.
went down 10 Folkestone, and found that
the leaf of the register bad already been
distracted. There were, so far as knew,
only two persons who could know OF its ex-
istence. My brother Algernon, and the man
who had signed as a witness, one Morson,
who remember Algernon once speaking of
as having been a college servant, and who
had two or three times travelled with him on
the continent
II was sure that it was not my brother
Algernon who had distracted the register.
He had his faults, but he was no. man TO
take energetic action of any kind. there
fore made up my mind that it was Morson,
aScertained after three months delay his
address in Australia, and wrote to him Of
fering him a payment of five hundred a
year SO long as he refused to answer ali
questions respecting the marriage Of my
brother. That letter was only sent Off a
fortnight ago. 1 should have paid the
money from my own income, as Clitheroe
is mine until my death, subject to a certain
yearly payment to my son.
"a week since learned that you were on
the point of starting for Australia, two days
after that recsived the letter from my son
saying he had made over all his rights in
your favor, and | have now learned from
our lawyer that he has gone out in the same
ship in which you travel. But Mr. Ferris
tells me that he was ignorant of your being
on board, and that he took passage in that
ship at bis suggestion.
"Atter what has happened there is moth
ing more TO be said or done. In accordance
with my sons request. made in a manner
which, as | have said, do not understand
| send you Morson's address, which cannot,
| have reason to believe, be known to you,
and which you might search for long time
in vain. He is living at Ash Farm, near
Brisbane. Whether he will give you any
information | cannot say. but from what
have learnt of this man, should imagine
he will not do SO unless he is well paid for
1T. Ii is possible that my son and you may
have recognized each other on the voyage.
hear from my lawyer that it is his inten-
ton also to search for Morsor. II you ar
rive there together the man may see that
with the two claimants before him his secret
is no longer worth money.
IF my son and you have not recognized
each other, and the man refuses to give you
information or to sell you the certificate,
your best course will be to find my son, who
took passage under the plebian name of
Samuel Brown-although why he should
have chosen such a name is more than l can
say-and get him to accompany you 10
Morson's.
81 do not know that 1 have anything
more to say. I have carried out my sons
wishes, and have given you all the informa-
tiou in my power. You think me. no
doubt, a very bad woman. / am in no way
ashamed Of what have done, and only re-
gret that have failed, owing to the lncon-
ceivable weakness of my son.
AUGUSTA CLITHEROE.'
Constance read it through twice. and
then sat for a moment or two twisting it
mechanically round her fingers.
"Well, Constance" Philip said at last,
s'what it iss What does she say? You ara
keeping me on tender hooks; can't read the
letter."
That is Just what am thinking, Philip;
I don't know whether you had better see it
or not. 1t is funny letter, you see," and
| smile crossed her face, land | like it much
better than if it had been written in diff
ferent way. She Just tells the whole story,
dear, and says thai she did it for your SAKE
and that she is not bit ashamed of having
done it. and that she thinks you very weak
but that as you have given the whole thing
| no it is of no use her fighting any longer.
| And then she sends Morson's address, which
| she supposes is what you meant when you
enioined her to do what she could to aid me
TO prove the marriage. | don't know,
Philip. that it would be the least good for
YOU to read it through; still you can see it,
of course, if you want to, although. dare
saw. it will annoy you, although 1t has not
annoyed me at all,
.sOh. / had better read it," Philip said,
sand have done it. ] shall only be wonder
ing and botheripg myself over 1t. promise
YOU to, put it all out of mind as far as can.