The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-19
A FAITHFUL TRAITOR.
From Chambers Journal.

L nc -fJtlA VI AiAetA III ~ was LA4aA HACAA
by a thaw succeeding a severe frost of
three weeks duration. At Lehman
court. a mansion situated fifteen miles or
so from London, on the west side, great
Inconvenience and some damage had been
caused by the bursting of a water-pipe
during the day. In especial, one room
was rendered 50 damp that its occupant,
Spencer Lady Brown Salter's lady's-
maid-was compelled to change her sleep
ing-place Instead of sharing one
Of the -housemaids' beds, she
choose, with her ladyship's per-
mission to make up a bed for her
self in the small room, or large cupboard,
situated at the end of the corridor which
runs through the whole breadth of Len
ham court on the first story 1t was a
room used 10 store trunks and boxes in,
and Spencer placed some of these as d
foundation for her couch. Many Of these
trunks had made the voyage to India and
back, for Col. Sir William Brown. Salter
had distinguished himself not little in
John COmpany's service. There had been
much extra work for all the servants at
| Lehman court that day, and it was late
before Spencer retired to her cupboard.
On getting into her bed she found her
novel couch by no means 50 comforta BILE
| as it looked. 1t had to be rearranged but
on eXtinguishing her candle a second time
she found herself as far from sleep as
ever. While she twisted and turned, she
heard the stable clock strike two; and
| Immediately afterward she became con-
| sCiOus of q subdued sound outside her
| door. Remembering the Jokes at her ex-
| penSe at the supper table about the size of
! her bed chamber, il occurred to Spencer
that her feIlow-sereants might be going
,,,l1 hav. f,alr on nd in,
practical joke. So she slid from her IN
| easy couch and removing the key from the
! lock-she had locked herself in on coming
to bed-she applied her eye to the key
hole. The door, as we have said,
faced directly the whole length
of the corridor, about two yards
from her stood man, but not one of her
felIOw-servants; he held a lighted candle
in one hand, shading it with the other, so
as to cast the light now here, now there.
His face was concealed by a mask of black
Grape, and he was listening intently. A
breathless minute or two passed, and, as
if by magic there were either two or
three other men in the corridor, all
masked in Grape, behind which their eyes
shOne in the candle CLEANS. They went
and came and consulted, nOiSeless as so
many spectres In and out of the rooms,
locking doors softly behind them now as
| Cending to the third story, now descend
ING to the basement; now the one holding
and shadOwing the candle was left alone
again.
Spencer drew back from the keyhole a
moment, trying to think if there was
anything she could do. Sir William s
room gave on to the cOrridOr-he must be
murdered, thought poor Spencer, or
surely she would have heard some sound,
for he often sat late reading, and it was
round his door that the thieves were
clustered. He was passionate man and
| a powerful, beloved by his servants for
his bounty, though feared on account of
his temper. Surely he would have made
a fight for it, if he had not been taken at
some cruel disadvantage. What could
| she do! The alarm bell, even if she could
muster courage to try and get to it, was
quite at the other end of the house. APP
| plying her eye once more TO the keyhole,
she was terrified to find not only dark
ness, but in the darkness some one breath
| ing close to the door Then the handle
brushed her cheek as it was softly turned
and lock and hinges were strained by the
| silent pressure brought to bear on them
to such a degree that instinctively she
drew back, expecting the door to be forced
in upon her The door creaked as the
pressure relaxed, and just then the stable
clock struck three.
AS the minutes passed and silence was
unbroken, Spencer gathered courage to
look from her spying-place. The watch
man stood alone, candle in hand, in his
| former place. She became stiff and cold
at her post; nothing moved that she
could hear or see, except that the man
| trimmed his candle now and then with
his fingers, and turned his head watch
fully from side to side, his eyes cleaning
behind his mask, and seeming now and
again to fix themselves on her lurking
f,l, A Lon ,~rl,f tel H..
ment, he and his light vanished together
Taking the precaution to stop up the key
mole, Spencer struck flint and steel till
she obtained a light, then huddled on a
few clothes, inserted the key, turned it,
stood one minute outside, in silence and
darkness, then snatched up her candle,
made rush for the only open door in the
corridor-it was her masters.
Bound hand and foot to chair. and
gagged, was Sir William. The room was
in the widest confusion-boxes, caskets,
chests, all turned upside down, add their
contents scattered Unfortunately on
the floor. Her ladyship was in bed
bound and gagged, too. With nimble fin
gers Spencer set to work to free her mas
ter No sooner was this accomplished
than, speeches. and foaming at the
mouth, Sir William staggered out of the
room, and, to her dismay, she heard him
descend the stairs. Having released her
mistress, the lady's maid next hurried to
to the rooms of her fellow-servants, in
all of whom the keys had been turned
after they had been threatened with in
slant death if they uttered a sound.
They We're soon released; and the men
servants descended in a body to the
ground floor in search of their master.
Here everything was in disorder On the
dinning-room table were the remains of
the thieves supper, but Sir William as
well as the depredators had vanished.
The groom returned from the stables
with the news that his masters favorite
hunter was missing. There was no doubt
now that he had gore single-handed in
pursuitof the thieves-as was indeed
the case.
Concluding that they were from Lon
don, and were returning thither Sir Will
liam had saddled his hunter and started
without an instant's delay, save to arm
himself with a couple of pistols from the
stand of arms in the hall. When he re-
reached the head of theavenue. three-quar-
ters of mile from the house, he dis
mounted to open the heavy gates Then
he perceived in the dawning light of the
chill March morning, a strange dog sit
ting shivering inside the gates, unable
either to surmOunt or pass under them
He concluded at once that the cur be-
lOnged to his late visitors and that hav-