The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-11
CHAPTER III.
THE REST or THE WAY


As will perhaps be guessed this other bus
mess OF the arch fend, who was fighting
thus desperately for his safety against such
tremendous odds, was to do with the letter
he had found so OPPORTUNITY in Leonard
Forrester's room.
That the business was of even greater i'm
portance, not the closest watcher, had be
had any, could have told. Through the
sunlit streets, along which the unhappy lad
in his innocent guilt had passed, with down
bent head. feet which had seemed at each
step to grow heavier and heavier. and
beted breath-A hunted beast, as it were, in
his consciousness OF his powerlessaess to es-
cape from the dread OF the past-this fellow
man Of his made his way with erect and
gallant bearing, which called forth more
than one admiring comment from those
who met him-nay with a smile and a song
alternately upon his lips.
This-and not only was the lads guilt
made double as IL were by that cruel
deceit, upon him to the utmost-but in the
future-nay, in the very present, hsit were,
his hand was ready for the performance Of
new crime-which, despite it may not at
first seem poesiole-was to be even yet more
terrible than the first
AL unkDowing OF the inopportune deliv-
cry OF her anonymous letter to Leo, and the
evil which was more than likely to ensue
from the latest chance in her husbands
favor, Madge Royal, herself securely dis
guised, was early at the tryst she had ap-
pointed in it. This was a secluded spot at
she edge Of wood not a mile from Hunt
ingford Hall, just, indeed, where a thicket
bordered the stream, not many yards above
its birthplace, the mill
Madge's way thither had been less direct
= l. II -,
husbands. Many and many fearful
glance had she cast behind her. More than
once she had turned back and retraced her
steps even more hastily than she had traced
them. And even, when at length she
reached the end Of her journey ing, though
she was faint and weary with the weakness
of body which could not but accompany so
terribly sore a mind as hers, she did not
dare to trust herself 20 the comparatively
restful seat Of the stile close at hand, but
shrank. crouched, as it were, beneath the
shelter of the hedge, remaining motionless
as a dusky statue herself, save when her
fear made her start up with a look of I'M
told dread on her white face. only to crouch
down the next moment lower than before.
Was it shadow OF the evil coming so
fast upon her which possessed her9
Who could tell2
What was her mission, il not already
guessed, her thoughts will perhaps best
.
she was a prey, even while with that strong |
will which had hitherto kept her up when |
the other ninety-Dine women out Of hun |
dred must have fallen, she defed it. She |
seemed TO have lost all power to do any
thing but repeat over and over again TO
herself the one idea which led her on
ITO risk so much--to dare reveal half |
the truth when the whole means what l |
dare not even dresml But yet how could
/ let this cruel work go on, when by
word I might prevent itl-how let such
blight rest upon the lives of those who are
not only Innocent, but who, even while be-
ieving me worthless like all the rest of the
world, Of all that world were kind and
gentle to met She did not shrink
and turn from me as others |
did. He would have kept his word |
and saved me, at almost any cost,
when in my folly l led him into the very |
danger meant to have warned him against. |
Yes, must do il. / must save them-and |
save Ralph from this other sin of letting |
them suffer for bis SIM" |
Brave, noble heart even in its fear and |
dread. that despite all the long list of bitter |
failures in the past, IL could yet be true to |
the vow SO lightly taken in comparison to
the work of fulflment-to save the unhappy
soul which was so strangely linked to il.
What then were the unhappy girls feel
ings when the end of all her hoping ard
fearing was that, in the place of Leonard
Forester, her husband stood before her
suddenly.
Though she had been aware of his coming
by the sound of his footsteps along the
pathway through the wood, by that time
the cleaning had 50 deepened that he was
close upon her before she could recognize
him in his true character.
Yet even had it been otherwise-had she
been able to decry him so much as a mile
away, il would have been all the same to
her. She would have had no power to make
good her escape, however, easily or safely.
Ii was pitiful proof indeed, Of her belief
to the full in the evil of her master, that she
never as much as betrayed one sign Of sur
prise in the midst of her fear that indeed
was soul-stricken-at his appearance before
her.
1t was a proof, too, despite that fear-if
any such was needed-of her valor In the
case, which was 80 nearly at an end.
EtAy-very nearly.
Short and sharp was to be this last inter-
view between Royal and his unhappy wife.
Quite coolly, as he had come all the long
way from the town, he stepped up closely
to ner-as in her very fear she no longer
crouched insthe shadow, but reared up tall
and white-faced in the dim light-beautiful
in face and form as ever. defying time and
trouble still, as she had once 80 idly, as it
seemed, promised TO do.
But he needed such gifts as little now as
ever, utterly careless as pitiless.
80 it's you," he said briefly. ~ thought
/ was not likely to be mistaken
And with that crafty cruelty that he
had never at any time failed to show
toward her, of all his victims-none the less
that she was the least deserving of all-he
drew from his pocket the letter, by means
of which chance had given him one of the
many opportunities he 30 sorely needed
that she might not fail to know-if indeed
she could-that it was she herself who had
laid her own trap.
She, however, paid but little heed to the
means Of his latest turn of the scale of cruel
fate against her. 1t was sufficient for her
that she knew in advance that she had
failed once more in her endeavor to stay on
its downward course the avalanche of evil
which her husband had set in motion.
Ay; and she knew more even than that |
Despite the villain wore his mask so well |
that not a feature Of bis handsome face was |
marred-the smile and song scarcely indeed |
faded from his lips-she knew that this time |
she had not merely failed-to take up heart |
as best she could, and try again-that she |
had had her best chance and lost it.
She made no attempt to offer any excuses /
proving how absolutely useless if not worse.
she knew them to be; this even though she |
might have gained a little time to have |
IL