The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-24

: MY dear lay
at will be all known soon" went on the
unhappy woman, wringing her hands;
/ would have been known even If he had
! lived, so he is better gonein
Dear Lady Ennismore. for you children's
! sake try TO rouse yourself, and do not give
way to morbid fancies."
''Fanciesl" she echoed with a hollow
/ laugh. Would to God they were fancies-
would to God they werei"
"You should not excite yourself thus;
your loss has been great and terrible one,
and my heart bleeds for you, but still"
| Then Lady Ennismore SUDDENLY stopped
| in her excited wanderings before the rector.
''Do you know what it has beenm she
said, almost wildly. You remember me a
happy woman. do you notl Mr. Pres
colt, was-I was-most happy-until sud-
| denly dark shadow from the past rose be-
| fore men
From the past" said the rector, in sur
prise.
"Yes!" and again Lady Ennismore
wrung her hands together, as though the
| anguish of her mind was more than she
could bear.
do not talk OF it, just now; tell me
some other time if it be any comfort to
you"
mo, must tell you now; must tell you
| for the child's sake, for he will need a pro-
tector, and you promised his father"
"And God will help me, pray, to keep
that promise" said the rector, solemnly, as
Lady Ennismore paused. overcome by the
intensity of her emotion.
81 believe you are a good mani believe
you will do your best-but it's a terrible
thing to tell. Mr.. Prescott; to tell that in
my childish folly, long ago, for l was but
16, that-that l married before l met Lord
Ennismore."
The rector looked at her with the deepest
pity; he thought her brain had reeled over,
| and that this was one of her disordered
fancies
do not distress yourself about it now"
he said, soothingly; "things will be all right
by and by, and shall do my best for little
Pat"
II married. went on Lady Ennismore,
as though she scarcely heard the rector's
words, married in haste and secrecy; and
my mother never knew-Norman never
knew-but still / was married, and after
some months the miserable man who had in
duced me to commit this folly fell into dis
grace and was obliged to fly the country.
He was lost at sea on his voyage out, and
his brother came here to tell me-his death
was in all the papers. saw it, Col Roche
saw it"
"Col. Roohe?" said the rector, quickly.
"Yes, his brother, and he came to tell me
he was dead-that George Roche was dead
audi was not II, and a child was about to
be born"
"Oh! Lady Ennismore"
1.-THE child was born" continued Lady
Ennismore in a hoarse and broken voice
born In secret, as my marriage was in
secret; ana none knew here, only nv maid
and Margaret Drummond; aud year later
i was free to do it, you know-I married
Ennismore."
"Still-even If this were so, it does not
affect the boy-your first husband you say
was dead.h said the rector, nervously, and
with some agitation, for there was some
thing SO terribly earnest in Lady Ennis
more's words.
"No, it did not affect the boy; that was
what l always told myself; the boy that
Ennismore almost worshipped. And l was
happy-happy IN my husbands love, and in
the children's, and | had almost forgotten
the bitter past Not quite, though-the
other son-the eldest born. lived, and had
grown to mans estate, and heard Of him
through his uncle, who had adopted him,
and l knew all was well with him. And
and so things went on, until one day in
town l received istter-a letter from the
man | believed to have been dead for more
than twenty yearsp
"This cannot surely be true, Lady Ennis
morew cried the rector, horror-strickea.
"Only too true-too miserably true-a
letter from George Rocae-from a de-
graded, fallen man, to tell me that he still
lived. and that was his legal wife-I, the
wife of Ennismore! But he offered to make
a bargain with me; if l would give him
certain sum year he would keep this hide
Gus secret-Mr. Prescott. did this"
But were you sure, quite sure, of the
mans identityp
81 saw him" continued Lady Ennismore,
with a shudder; land nv old maid saw
him; we could not be deceived. Yes, it was
.tA ,-fCA . g.. Al
dead: and he asked me about the child, and
| lied to him-I said he was dead"
"Lady Ennismore," said the rector in
great agitation, IL cannot credit all
this.n
"You will believe it only too soon.
George Roche found out his son lived, and
then he changed his plans; he came here
he threatened me-he told me l was not
legally the wife of Ennismore, but his wife,
aud that his son was the rightful heir Of
Brackenford."
"And do you mean to say"
1t is true; he can prove it. Yes, yes,
Ennismore Is better deadl"
She burst into passionate sobs as she ut
tered these last words. and the rector felt
utterly unable to tell how to act. He tried
to speak soothingly; he begged her to COM
pose herself, and after a while the wild out
burst died away, and Lady Ennismore was
once moro ahle to speak.
Il have told YOU" she said, 80 that you
may be prepared; you are one of the chlld's
guardians, and some compromise may be
arranged. But before my marriage with
Ennismore. Brackenford was settled on my
eldest son in case my, brother died childless
and you know
She broke off abruptly, aud held out her
hand to the rector in token of farewell and
he left the house like man in a dream. He
could scarcely belive the strange story he
had just listened to, and yet little things
rose in his mind to confirm it as he walked
home. Even before the fatal INJURIES had
happened to her husband, he had noticed
that Lady Ennismore seemed greatly
changed. It might have been this secret
burden, this dreadful knowledge preying on
| her mind.
The rector heaved many a distressful
sigh on his way to the rectory, and when he
arrived there was so unsettled and restless
that Dorothy Prescott grew exceedingly
uneasy.
"Surely that artful hussy has not got
hold of him again." thought Dorothy, look
ing distrustfully at her brothers face.
| WAS there anything the matter at
Brackenford that Lady Ennismore sent for
| your she asked.
The rector's sallow face flushed, and he
moved his lean hands uncomfortably.
"Shes in great distress, Dorothy, great
and terrible distress" he answered.
| Poor LADY, and no wouderl / don't