Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-02-26
stead Of begging as you did 70 remain

mere!
because. she whispered, her nerv-
Gus agitation coming back again, II
knew that while ! remained down here
they would not kill me outright; they
could not let me lie down here and in
troducc doctors and strangers to ex-
anime into the cause of my death into
this room. l knew that change Of
room was my dcath-warrant; and so it
would have been, but for the accident
which happened to Sarah on the very
night when, but for you, should have
been sleeping upstairs ready to her
hand"
staggered back, suddenly remem-
boring the message Mr.. Rayner had in
his letter told me to give to Sarah. 1t
was this: Tell Sarah not to forget
the work she has to do in my absence. !"
And l remembered also the grim way
in which she had received it. Could he
have meant that?
Mrs. Rayncr continues:
HE hates violence; all was to have
been over by his return, and he free to
marry YOU"
But he couldn't. Twas engaged to
Laurence, Mrs. Rayner.'
She gave little bitter smile.
"And do you think that, with Laur-
ence away and Mr.. Rayner here. you
could have withstood him? In spite of
his soft manners, he has will that
acts like spell. l tell YOU" said she,
twisting my fingers nervously, Though
YOU say he is in America, and Laurence
Reade says l shall never be in his
power again, his influence is strong
upon me even now There is no peace,
no freedom for me as long AS he lives. "
Mrs. Rayner," said !, suddenly,
"may l ask you if what Mr.. Rayner
told me when first came is true-that
you were rich and he poor, and that he
lived on your money!"
mo, it is not true. l had little
money when he first married ME,
which he ran through at once"
"And is it true you once wrote
books, and had a little boy whose
death made a great change in you?''
said |, slowly. watching her face.
mo; Inever had any child but Mons
and Haidee."
"Thcn what did he"
What did he tell you so forp He
delights in making up fantastic tales Of
that sort, and often in making me bear
witness to the truth of his Inventions
it is part of his wild h"mor. When he
went away to carry out a robbery, he
! w piilNi ltl HlC AhoN " htsI Ao ".~' ooAA
| to do-iust to torture me-
The dead calmness with which sht
told me all this was maddening to me
why did you bear it? Why didn'
you rebel, or run away, while he was
engaged in robbery, and tell police
MANI
If Sarah had killed me, and yo'
had married Mr.: Rayner," she an
swered, slowly, staring straight at me
"you would have understood why"
And the power this man exercised
over every one who came much in hi
way became in a moment clear to me
when saw by what different mean
he had on the one hand cowed hi
gentle wife and the fend Sarah, and o.
the other gained a strong iniluenc
over such different women as Mrs
Re de and myself But the revelatio
} was more than l could bear. sale
; fai fly;
May go to my room, Mrs Rayner
am not we'll.
) An shr h rself led me very slowly
for was indeed weak and III, half wit
the pin of my arm and nan WI!
; misery and disgust up to my pea
t the turret-roon.
| H.,ore III end of the day Mr.
ndgrs disapp AIRED, taking with NJ n,
, il. :. Rnvners watch and also TT
ool<'s winch had been left in tf
L r,omS of the owners. Mrs. Rayn'
Y now rrturn d to the spare room, whie
was healthier than the dungeon ST
;, had occupied So long. There real
a was nothing to keep her at the Alder
= but she refused to be removed until
!. was able also to 90, an event l had
Q lavrd by rashly leaving my room thr'
}, times since | had been told TO keep II
L bed.
. Nnxt day, which was Saturda
), Laurence wrote to say that he had hlI
self searched the store-room and NJ
Ravnar's study, but had found
ttAre of Gordon beyond pair of han
k cuffs placed neatly in the middle of t
store-room on the top of pyramid
70 b s-uit-tins and pickle jars, with she
ut of paper saving that the late wear
y begged to return them with thanks
The police. who might perhaps Gucce
in making them stay longer on
wrists of a simpler rogue than tn
obedicnt servant, 7. Gordon.
H. Meanwhile the fog still hung abe
the place, and Nap, the retriev
, howled every night. When Mond
-, came, l, anxious to be declared CT
10 valescent as soon as possible, and to
able to avail myself of Mrs. Name
I'M invitation to stay at the vicarage,' p
SO suaded DR.. Lowe to let me go dov
stairs 1t was about twelve o'olt
as when left my room, and ! had m;
on my way as far as the corridor bele
ne when became aware of an unus
en- commotion on the ground-tloor. do
We being opened and shut. the sobblnt
lro woman, excited whisperinsS betw
my Jane and the cook and then he
me tramp. tramp of mems feet thro,
l the hall and along the passage to
ler Rayner's study.
~ " Invent to the top of the back st
,iS case, descended few steps, and loo
10 10, over. The gardener and Sam
IN carrying between them door,
s+ which something was lying covered