The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-30
COPYRIGHTED 1898, BY THE AUrHoR)
CHAPTER NXIV.
WHAT PAUL DISCOVERED.

the occurrence of the events set forth in
the last chapter. He was alone, and was
evidently in the browuest of brown stud
les. for one hand was pressed against his
brow. which was puckered into thought
ful lines. while his eyes were bent on a
long and closely written communication
lying on the small table before him.
1t was a letter from his ward, Paul
Meredith and it had reached him an
hour ago. The epistle had been placed in
his hands at the breakfast table, but
after a hasty glance at the handwriting
he had thrust it into his pocket unopened
He had recognized the hand of his ward
in the address, and the foreboding that
something of an unpleasant nature was
pending had precluded him from reading
Paul's letter with the eyes of his wife
and daughter upon him.
So, after poor and hurried meal he
had excused himself to Lady Carsland
and Cordelia and sought the privacy of
his private sanctum. There he had torn
off the envelope with eager fingers to find
the following amazing statement;
My Dear Sir-You will probably re-
member that when last saw you in Lon
don left your house in a temper | had
come home expecting to find Miss Bar
bingham waiting TO welcome me back
again. and instead of that ] found that
you and Lady Carsland had taken ad-
vantage of my absence, and other matters
which had arisen, to drive SalOme away.
''You may recollect also that | left you
both with a yelled threat on my lips. /
told you then that | was going to find
Salome, if / could do so, and that | might
a1e D. Ole hot
something else meant you will learn by
reading on to the end An idea had Just
struck me, and l instantly resolved to set
TO work and prove to my own satisfaction
whether the thought was well founded or
completely baseless.
Il will tell you, Sir Sydney, what that
idea was 1t was this: That you were
really the father of Salome Birmingham
Once such a thought got fixed in my
mind, ] had no difficulty in recollecting
certain matters which all tended to show
that my suppOsitiOn was right. First of
all, you had shown a dislike to the en-
gagement between Salome and myself
and well remember how interested-even
startled-yOu were that night when |
made you acquainted with the history of
Saiome and her mother, as she had told
1t TO me
Besides these things, there was the
singular fact that the name of the man
who married SalOme Velazo was iden-
tlcally that of yours-with the exception
of your surname-and his age was appa-
rently what yours would be at that time
Again, had been told that for some
months before the sudden death of your
father and brother, you were away from
home in disgrace Where you were hid
ing then, my infOrmant-an old friend of
youfS-7COuld not say, but it struck me
that you must have been at Marlcombe.
Reasoning thus, | resolved to set to
work at once, and did So My first step
was to proceed to Carsland hall, where I
remembered there was an excellent por-
trait in miniature of yourself painted by
some one shortly after you succeeded to
the title and estates
1.-THE servants will have told YOU. |
daresay, that | visited the hall and STAYED
there a few hours, but they would not
notice that your portrait, which stood on
the mantlepiece of the west drawing
room, was missing, Probably, they never
missed it, but if you care to look YOU will
lind that IL is gone OF course | took it,
and you will guess why.
My next step was to make my way to
the Yorkshire village, where Salome her
mother, grandfather and grandmother
had lived On arriving at Marcombe |
had no difficulty in discovering quite
number Of people whe remembered old
Pedro Velazo, his daughter Salome Velazo,
and the man calling himself Sydney Bar
rlngham, who had married the old
gamekeeper's child, and who had disap-
peared so mysteriously a few months
afterward.
Not few of these people seemed to
possess a vivid recollection of Salome We
laos husband He had come to settle
among them in such a remarkable fashion
that they had taken more than passing
IN nc
atty, as you can well understand; and
the majority of these folks when [ showed
them your portrait identified it immedi-
ately as that of the man whom they had
all known as Sydney Birmingham.
Among those whom | interviewed was
the Rev Martin Robinson, the present
vicar of St. Chad's church at Marlcombe.
He was the clergyman who united Syd-
ney Birmingham and Salome Velazo, and
he is one of those who are most certain
that your portrait is that of Salome Bar
ringham's father.
But / came across another thing which
furnishes even more conclusive proof in
support of my theory that Sidney Bar
rlnham and Sir Sydney Birmingham Cars
land are simply the same men. Among
Rarlcombe women who remembered
Salome's mother there is one, a farmers
wife, who was formerly on terms of in
tlmacy with Salome Nelazo. After being
deserted by her husband, Mrs. Barring
ham went to live with this woman. Mrs
Williams, who was Just then newly-mar-
ried, and stayed with her for a consider
able time.
Before leaving the neighborhood Mrs
Birmingham being in very poor circum-
stances, disposed of a ring to Mrs Williams
This ring, it seems, had belonged to sgd
ney Birmingham, and after his disappear
ance II was found among his things /
bought the ring from the woman, and it is
now in my possession. 1t is a signet ring
-one of the kind which was much in
vogue many years ago-and probably be-
longed, originally, to your father, Sir
Nicholas Carsland, as the seal consists of
ms crest ana initials. When you see it,
ana IN hopes that you will be enabled to
identity it and to explain how it came into
the possession Of the man Salome Velazo
was married to.
Il think l have said sufficient to show
you that l have reasonable grounds for
believing that you are Salome Barring
hams father. I may venture further
without being foolish, and say am in a
position to prove it, and mean TO prove it.
too, II you render such proof necessary.
But that you will force me to take legal
action ! cannot believe. It will. think.
suit you and your family much better to
keep such an affair out of court.
But ! mean to have Salome's claim
upon YOU Observation-Disclosures no mat