Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-26

heard MS voice, she started back little
| and dro pped his hand from her cold stiff
| fingers.
This was not the voice nor accent Of
her husbandS nor yet of that beloved son
who had stabbed his mothers heart
| Lady Gilmore had forgotten that youtt
reared in remote village on the North
| ern coast had had no chance of speaking
like we'll bred man, when his only
| companions had been the fishermen, oil
at best young farmer or two, or the
son of the keeper of the village inn.
Gerard, in fact, spoke with a strong
North country accent, though his voice
was not an unpleasant one, but now il
grated harshly on his mothers ears.
And as she dropped his han ne turned
away from her, and as he did this her
eyes fell on the defect in his figure, on
the bitter birthright which had made
him an alien and stranger to his
fathers house.
A sort of moan escaped Lady Gilmore IS
lips, and she covered her face with her
hand. Was she thinking of the tall =,
slender, graceful form of that other son
and of her own sin to both? Some strong
emotion was surging in her breast, for
her lips quivered convulsively, and Ger
to feel sorry for her.
"Don t vex yourself any more about
it now he said, still in that deep,
rough tone; "what's done cannot be
undone you know, and we must just try
to make the best of it, - and Gerard
smiled.
1t was her husband $ very smile. 1t
lit Gerard $ face, and carried the
IF no 10 W
watching him, back to her early welded
days; to the passionate and devoted love
she had given to her handsome lord; 10
thousand tender memories and joys.
"The wrong to you must be undone, -
she SAID in low tone. ''did you bring
Nurse Brewster with you?'
"No,' said Father Hayward, "but [
brought with me her deposition, con-
firming in every particular your state
ment. ~
"But that is not enough!' exclaimed
Lady Gilmore excitedly. "Nurse Brew
ster must come here and declare before
the whole household, before my other
son, before their great-aunt, the wrong
we did. This is Lord Gilmore and every
one must know it!'
81 can telegraph for Mrs. Brewster to-
morrow answered Father Hayward
soothingly; "bUt would it not be wise
now to end this interview? 'Tis not good
for you, so much excitement, and my
young friend here, am sure, is greatly
in need of some refreshments; AMI the
good father kindly laid his hand on Ger
ard $ shoulder.
"Come to me then, Gerard, - said
Lady Gilmore again stretching out her
hand, which he took, "my son whom l
have wronged so deeply, stoop down that
l may kiss your face. -
And Gerard bent down, and she kissed
him with her quiverlng lips.
''God has spared me to atone to you. -
she said solemuly, ''say again you for
give me?''
eyes, indeed do, - answered Ger
ard, heartily, for he was touched by his
mothers words; and again Lady Gilmore
kissed him; kissed the face she had last
touched when he was a little babe.
CHAPTER xxII.-THE NEW LORD.
Gerard awoke next morning with
confused sense of not knowing where he
was; awoke and looked around him, and
saw instead of the neat, homely furni-
ture ut CragsIde farmhouse, a room the
fittings of which were extremely luxuri-
that her son was to occupy one of the
state bedrooms of the castle, and thither
the night before, Graham the butler had
escorted him. Graham knew by this
time who Gerard really was, and had
lost no time in counting the rising sun.
Scarcely indeed had Gerard and Father
Hayward retired from her presence,
when Lady Gilmore summoned this old
70 ilr Mt 10 har hoY hoa
been in the castle at the time when the
small empty coffin supposed to contain
the little dead heir, had been inferred in
the family vault, and he had heard
rumors also that this had lately been
opened In the presence of a magistrate,
Father Hayward and London lawyer.
There had been naturally much gossip
among the servants on the subject, but
until Gerard arrived, Lady Gilmore had
not spoken of it to any of them.
Now, however, she broke the silence.
"Graham, - she said addressing him,
"you saw the gentleman who arrived
with Father Hayward tonight, of whom
does his face remind you?'
Graham hesitated for moment.
81 scarcely like to say, my lady, he
said; "but if may take the liberty of
doing SO, he had look, thought, of
his late lordship's. -
"He may well have, for he is his son
his eldest son, - answered Lady Gilmore
with emotion. 'When he was babe
r weak and puny babe-it was given out
that he had died of fever, and little
coffin was brought here and placed by
his grandfather s side in the family
vault IN the chapel. You remember
this?''
al remember the melancholy occasion
perfectly, my lady"
"'That coffin was an empty one. de-
,eived his father and pretended he had
lied, because my lord ardently wished
mis- other son to be the heir, as this poor
,hild was hunchback. But he did not
lie, and has been reared by Nurse
Brewster, and now he has come home.
have acknowledged him-he is in truth
Lord Gilmore, and not
Her voice broke and faltered as she al
uded again to ''the other son, - and
Graham bowed respectfully as he lis
ened.
"It is very strange my lady" he said,
but you could have knocked me over
With feather the moment my eyes fell
IN his face tonight, the likeness TO his
ate lordship is so strong. Am to IN
ierstand, my lady, that we have now to
address him as Lord Gilmore?''
"Certainly. as Lord Gilmore; 1 have
jailed you here to tell you this, and re-
quest you to make it known in the house
hold. Steps will be taken Immediately