San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-03-25
CHAPTER v.


halls with pale, supercilious face.
Repeatedly Brenda went out on the
piazza and looked with longing eyes
toward Gerald's home, whose roofs were
just family seen above masses of green
~y.
At last, to her surprise, she saw him
coming up the lawn from the outer road
with man on either side of him. She
slipped into the house again, and watched
the approaching figures from one of the
drawing room windows.
While she did so Natalie entered the
room. 81 see Gerald Ravelow coming
here" she broke out, with two men in
his company. Who are theyY
81 have no idea," answered Brenda,
turning from the window. "Why should
have?
Natalie gave a slight laugh that was
like sneer made into sound. Just then
steps were heard on the piazza. Moved
by sudden impulse. Brenda flung open
the blinds of the window near which
she had been standing.
"This way, Gerald" she said.
Gerald entered soon afterward alone.
But Brenda saw that his two companions
waited Just outside.
The young man put out his hand to-
ward Brenda while he fixed hard and
cold stare at Natalie.
81 have a paper" he said. written .
day or two before bis death by your late
husband. In that paper he accuses you
of trying to poison him. He detected
you, but said nothing. He preferred to
die by your hand, since he had loved you
so well that to live on would have been
a horror. Iquote almost his exact words.
And there is no doubt about the anthem
ITCHY of this paper that he left Bren-
da. here, received it from him and
placed it secretly within his breast after
he had been laid in his coffin. | found
it there. In it he also states that not
long ago he forced from you a certain
confession regarding man named Ar
chibald Clay, and that he has reason to
believe you hide at the present time
a packet of letters from this man and
one or more bottles of poison as well
within particular cabinet upstairs. l
have secured search warrant and must
therefore,
At the word search warrant" Natalie
darted toward the door. Gerald followed
her, after a swift sign through the wide
piazza window. He sprang up stairs,
knowing the house so well that the cab
met to which his friends letter had al
iuded and the apartment in which it
stood were both well remembered by him.
But quick as he had been, Natalie
reached the cabinet before him. He saw
her kneeling at one of its open drawers.
The next instant he saw her lift some
thing to her lips. Almost Immediately
after that she fell heavily backward.
There had lain Il swifter poison here in
the cabinet than that stealthy one which
had doubtless wrought her husbands
death.
She was quite lifeless when they picked
her up. Afterward. when rigid exam
nations were made as to her previous
life, it seemed slight wonder that such a
woman should have preferred to end by
suicide the final collapse of her evil hopes.
She had undoubtedly been the wife of a
certain dlsreputable Englishman called
Capt" Clay, and one Of whose aliases
was Leveridge. long before. her marriage
with poor infatuated Louis Bond. From
some of the letters from this man found
in the cabinet it was only too evident
that she had planned Louis murder with
his full knowledge, and that the two ex-
pected at some future day to enjoy the
wealth which would thus vilely have
been secured.
During the following autumn occurred
Gerald's marriage with Brenda, greatly
to the delight of Mrs. Ravelow, whose
health had now -egained Its usual gentle
state of invalidisln. Some time before
this event Brenda had visited the vault
where her brother lay, and had first or
dered with her own hand what disarray
had been caased by Geralds weird visit,
and afterward quietly obtained aid for
the restoration Of the injured coffin.
But Gerald could never be induced to
accompany her on either of the several
little pilgrimages which her task in
volved. mo, Brenda" he would say,
there are memories connected with
that place which will. haunt me till |
die. No need of making them more
vivid than they are sure to be already"
But once Brenda said: Perhaps you
are quite wrong in believing, Gerald.
that s.--ything supernatural really oc-
CURED that night. In my hurry and
agitation. Selling a moment when she
was not present, thrust the paper with
in poor Louis breast 1t may be that |
lodged it insecurity, and that the move
ment of the coffin afterward displaced