The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-03

neard OF such Jolly. NOW L cannot have
you crying again. Dinner will be ready in
five minutes. and you have just time 10 run
upstairs and dry your WEI cheeks and
smooth your hair"
The next morning James Ferris was
ushered into the room in which Madame
Duport and Constance were sitting.
This is Miss Corbyn, Mr.. Ferris. She
said that she should prefer seeing you her
self"
James Ferris saw before him a slight,
young figure dressed in plain black, aud
fair, young face with large, earnest eyes
that seemed to be reading him through and
through.
at is a beastly shame" he thought to
himself as he bowed, ''the girl might be
young princess"
Constance commenced the conversation.
Madame Duport has been telling me
that it is necessary that we should OBJ ain
the proofs of my mothers mari iage."
"N es," James Ferris replied, trying to
treat the thing from a strictly business
point Of view, that is the usual course in
these cases.
Madame Duport has also teen telling me
that you wish to know whether my father
had, in his conversations with me, ever
said anything that would serve as a clew to
the church in which he was married to my
mother. No, he never spoke of her during
any of the yearly visits he paid me- | sup
pose he was ashamed to do So"
"And well he might be-" James Ferris
muttered to himself; but he only said
aloud:
"Nos That is of course little unfortu-
nate, and we must set about the matter in
some other way"
"In what other way, Mr.. FerrisP'
"Well," J mes said, airily, i've must be-
gin by advertising. You see clerks in
churches keep on the lookout for advertise
ments of this sort; and when they see them
they search the registers"
But supposipg that even this does not
succeed, Mr.. Ferris!
well, IN that case" he said, doubtfully,
I'VE must try-we must try other meas
ures."
For example9"
NV ell, we must endeavor,n James Ferris
said after pause, ito trace where Mr.. Cor
byn was staying at the time when this mar
rage took place. l have ascertained your
mothers maiden name and shall of course
endeavor to find out where she came from,
and gain information there At any rate,
can assure you, Miss Corbyn, that nv
father and | will leave no stonl unturned to
| get at the bottom of the matter"
"Y on believe that there was a mar
riagea"
James Ferris was taken aback at the
question.
Certainly he had not believed that there
had been marrige-in fact, his conviction
had been very strong the other way, and
nothing that he had discoved at ST. Malo
had occurred to shake it. He paused before
answering.
Excuse me, Miss Corbyn, but it is not
| the business of US lawyers to believe any,
! thing or to take anything for granted: il
IS simply to establish things by legal
roofsn
But you have an opinion or belief, Mr..
Ferris"
81 have nothing whatever upon which TO
| found an opining, Miss Corbyn You must
remember that all know of the matter is
that find your letters in which you call
Mr.. Corbyn's father. l have Madame Du-
| ports assurance that your mother told her
that she was married, and that she firmly
believes 1T. l have your fathers statement
to the same effect in the official register of
| your birth, but am bound to say that this
| does not weigh with me in the slightest
Any man under the same circumstances
would make the same declaration. Madame
| Duports assertion, and her belief that your
mother spoke the truth is in fact the sole
evidence, If | may call it evidence, that we
| have at present in favor of the marriage
having taken place. Now, you must re-
member that am stranger to the circum-
| stances. Had known your mother doubt
less should have formed an opinion from
my knowledge of her, one way or other: as
1t is have nothing whatever to go upon ex-
cepting knowledge of human nat ire in gem
eral, and to certain extent of that of Mr..
Corbyn in particular"
You will excuse my pressing you. Mr..
Ferris" Constance said, quietly, ''but
it seems to me that it is essential in a case
like this when there must be a long search
that those who make it should be quite con-
vlnced that they have right on their side
otherwise they would soon abandon it.
VIII you kindly tell me then what your
knowledge of human nature in general,
and that of my father in particular, as you
say, lead you think"
"If you wish me to speak frankly, will,
Miss Corbyn. Taking the circumstances
into consideration, and the silence and
secrecy which enveloped the whole trausac-
ton, should have said that probabilities
were vastly IN favor of their having been
no marriage. Taking this case specially
into consideration with reference to Mr.
Corbyn's character-you wish me to speak
frankly:" She bent her head 81 should
| say that two of the traits of Mr.. Corbyns
character, a certain pride of family and re-
gard for his own ease and comfort, tell
both ways They would in the first case
| certainly tell against private marriage,
and the trials and consequences it would en-
tail. Upon the other hand, they would in
nuence MIN did he once make such q mar
riage, to keep it concealed as long as posi-
| BILE in order to avoid scandal and talk that
would arise when it became known
"Now as to this search you speak of, l
wish again to speak perfectly frankly. We
are, as l have told you, solicitors to the
family, and the connection has lasted
nearly hundred years. When made he
discovery of your letters l was with Mr.
Clitheroe, who up to that time was re-
garded as the undoubted heir to the estate.
1t was at his wish that determined at
once to investigate the matter, and that in
friendly rather than hostile spirit. So
far l have failed to discover any legal proof
whatever of a marriage having taking
place. Had l done so it would have been
my own wish, as well as that of Mr.. Clithe-
roe, to use my best endeavors to place you
in the position to which you would be en-
titled. Unhappily have not done so. and
therefore you see our firm, that is to say,
my father and myself, for l am a very
junior partner In it, must naturally re-
vert to our position as solicitors to MIR.
Clitheroe.
81 have been thinking over the matter
ever siuce / was here yesterday, and it
does not seem to me that we can possibly
act on behalf of what l may call antagon-
istic interest. Not that Mr.. Clitheroe
regards you as an antagonist, or that you
would, if you knew him, so regard MIN,
but your interest are nevertheless antagon-
istic, and therefore it would be better for