Middletown transcript., 1892-08-04

l0ueeu, I'LL Lndt uaJ nou nosoA
heard of the existence ofsuch person,
but that was not to be wondered at,
seeing that my godson had never told
me anything about the relatives or
antecedents of his wife. Minis object
in calling on me was to tell me that she
and her brother were going to set out
for France on the morrow, with the in
tention of flooking up the trustees who
had charge of the inheritance which
would become hers on her 21st birthday
"a fortnight hence. She would prob
ably be away for three weeks or a
she went on to say, meanwhile,
she had paid for her lodgings some
weeks in advance, and had arranged
that they should be kept for her till her
return.
So she left US, and time went on till
couple ofmonths had gone by, but still
Mimi returned not. knew not what
to think. But my uneasiness deep
ened into a nameless apprehension
when, in answer to an inquiry on my
part the manager of the bank inform
ed me that Mrs. Redmayne had with
drawn the whole amount Of her deposit
on the afternoon of the day before she
left Tidsthorpe.
One by one the weeks sped slowly by
till the third month from the date of
Minis departure had come and gone
without bringing any sign or token
that she was still in the land of the
living, when one dark autumn-night,
close on 10 o'clock, just as I had light
ed my last pipe and mixed my last
jorum Of grog before turning in, my
servant brought me word that there
was man at the door who said he had
called on q matter Of great impor-
tance, and refused to send in his name.
My thoughts at once few to Mimi !;
perhaps the man was the bearer Of q
message from her, 70 I at once gave
orders for him 10 be shown in. His
first act after the servant had left the
room was to turn the key in the door,
and thereby lock up himself and me to-
gether. I rose to my feet in some
alarm but before I could inquire the
meaning ofso strange proceeding ne
had flung his broad trimmed hat aside
and had plucked offhis wig and long
black beard, leaving revealed to my
startling and bewildered eyes none
other than Philip Redmayne!
Yes, he and no other. but, alas, how
changed?
For few moments I was SO taken
aback, so utterly dumhfounded, that !
could not have uttered word had my
life depended on it. He was the first
to speak.
II am neither an optical illusion nor
a ghost, godfather. although BY the
look in your face you seem to think
must be one or the other," he said,
with poor imitation ofhis old merry
laugh. "I am vertitable flesh and
blood, assure you or perhaps,
ought to say skin and bone. for there's
not much else left on me by this time.
"Then those were not your remains
that were found in the lime kiln ?"
contrived to gasp out.
"Not mine, most certainly"
"Then may be permitted to ash
where you have been all this long time
and why you have allowed everybody
your poor wife included, to believe
you dead"
"It is to inquire about my wife thai
I am here tonight. Tell me, where il
she? What has become of her ?"
"She left for France several weeks
ago in order to see about her inheri-
tance."
"Ahl And the $4,000 Insurance.
money!"
"she took every farthing of it with
her. But how do you happen t.
know that the insurance money Wal
paid ?"
Tell me, did she 60 alone2" h
demanded, without needing my ques-
tion.
"She was accompanied by hel
brother, Pierre, a dark, good-lookins
young fellow, who"
Redmayne sank into chair with
groan.
at is as / suspected. My wors
fears are realized. Oh, fool, fool! f"
The words came from his lips il
broken and half strangled accents
while a strange, gray pallor over
spread his features. was afraid h'
was about to faint so | made haste tt
pour out a little spirit and offer tt
him. He drank it eagerly, and in I
little while faint color came bacl
into his cheeks. Then I made hin
draw up an easy chair in front of th'
fire, and little later, when my sister
and the servants had retired for tn,
night, went to the larder and blough
him thence something to eat.
He was indeed changed since l hae
last set eyes on him. In the frs
place he looked at least a dozer
years older. His cheeks were sunken