New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-09

m0ment-Just as Vane, recovering ilttle, soirCeo
out Of the archway-the cannon thundcred;
storm of shot whistled In the air. ploughed up
the gronnd., and ratified among the ruined wood
work OF the we'll
struck him But the phantom hgure-what OF
it,? He looked and thrilled. What dark thing
vas that, which now lay motionless beside the
mouth of the well He had not seen the hgure
fall-but it was down upon the ground!
When the night was past; when the next day
sbone: when the dia-ingcr marked the hour
a little after noon, the garrison of Sunda GunGe
was shaken suddenly by, strange excitement
confusion in the encampment Of the Sepoys round
swelled into a tumult. Gums fired; voices yelled;
sound was heard as OF tine svepS other Z, sannd
arose the loud hurrahing OF English voices; and
this, taken up by those inside the garrison. be,
came in few minutes perfect tempest OF wlid
cheering, ringing far and near.
rebels were flying in all directions: their camp
was in the hands of English soldiers. The siege
Of Sunda Gunge was over.
1t is not our. purpose to dwell upon the scene
that followed. From that tumult Of wild JOY,
of almost fierce excitement, we must turn away,
and follow St. George Vanc.
As soon as the fact Of the relief was certain,
he stepped out of the crowd. and made his way,
alone and unperceived, along the deserted passages
walled buildings. It was the very room, from
which the night before slender, gray-draped
figure had stolen softly out
Just as he reached the door. and was hcsltating
at the threshold, Mrs. Jess0p, who had been
called out by the noise OF the cheering. was seen
returning in state of much excitement. Vane
sceosed her eagerly but ut u low %S sa tones She
She Is much better she Is dressed and sitting
up But the noise alarmed her She does not
know the cause of it. Will you come in and tell
vane followed her into the In large
chair, next the window, looking very white and
the shot had grazed and stunned her. sat Mary
Suland As Vane entered she looked r0und.
lie paused, and for some seconds the two re-
garded each other. g.,
lie had not seen her since, the night before, he
had carried her. sw0oning, 10 her room. He had
heard, with Infinite relief, that the wound was not
serious and. inquiring hourly at her door through
passing Off, and that with some hours Of rest
there would he little TO be feared. Yet now. as he
stood before her, even the great event which had
Just happened was less present to his mind than
anxiety 10 satisfy himself, with his own eyes,
that she was safe. The shock which he had felt
Mt the moment when lie had raised her In his
arms. and caught sight OF her white face In the
moonlight, was with him still He had felt at
that instant certainty that she was killed.
And indeed she had had wonderful escape
Every sportsman who has tried his gun at a
sheet of blank paper knows tliat it will sometimes
happen that, while the payer will be spotted
thick with pellets there will sometimes be a space
left free OF shot-iarge enough perhaps, to have
had so happened here. Amid the storm Of shot
only had grazed her the rest had whistled past
her without harm. But where lcr slender figure had
so narrowly escaped a man, heing Of larger bulk,
would inevitably have been struck down. Mary
Sulland had, in fact, hcen slightly wounded
where vane would have been killed.
During the hours OF night while he had wan
dered up and down outside her door, too restless
to seek for sleep, hc had thought OF all these
things lie had thought of the girl who had
rsked her life for his he had let his memory
go back into the past. and call to mind all that
he had owed to Mary Sulland through the years
that he had known her; how all bis noblest
or had been foetered and strengthened by her
sympathy; and he had wondered how il was
that he himself had never realized. till now what
she had been TO him. And now, as he stood
beside her. as he looked at her again. he Won
The look Of inquiry on her face recalled him
II am forgetting" he said. Il am glad to be
the first to bring you the good news. I Sc you
guess it, Yes, relief has come. The siege is over
filed her mind-it forced passage to her lips. y
Then you will not have Ia 90 again for water ~
As the words escaped her, she flushed red. Her
own-so ovsrmastering Ind been the impulse
which had hurried her away. And now. like n
woman. she was troubled by,a doubt-what
herself between him and danger. forfeited for
ever his esteem? How could she expect that he
would understand?
He did understand, however-at least partly.
He saw that she was troubled, and he took the
best course possible to set her at her ease. He
meant to regard what she had done as a matter
which, between themselves. required no cyplana-
ton, As for Others they knew nothing FIX.
cept that she had been slightly hurt by q stray
piece OF shot, no one not even the Colonel or
ienora, knew the truth Thc men who had been
at the archway had only the vnanest idea Of
what had passed The secret was their own.
mo- he said, smiling. Il shall not have to 90
again Nor. what is Of much greater consequence,
will you, Mary
She answered with smile They understood
each other lie was bending over her; she was
looking up nj him Mrs. Jessop was not near
them, and H. was almost as IL they alone.
From the distance came a nOiss Of voices cheering
as IL they never meant to stop: but in the room
itself there was no sound but their own mumured
talk. , -
AS soon rs you are well rgain." he said. 1T
shall be very angry with voc. Mary. ! had a
chance of getting the Victoria Cross, but now they
will Let you have it, suppose Ell. a.. 3,
She laughed softly, for his words were music
TO her. But IL was not his words alone that
thrilled her blood. She had a richer prize
than the Victoria Cross, and now she knew it,
For in his eyes. as she looked up ut them, she
saw the flame OF lovc.--trernp!e Par.