Morning journal and courier., 1893-11-28
A Faithful Traitor.


The 25th of March, 1872, was marked
by thsw succeeding q severe frost of
three weeks duration. At Lsnhsm Court,
q mansion situated fifteen miles or so from
London, on the west eide, great inconven-
ience and some damage had been caused
by the bursting of q wster-pipe during the
day. In especial, one room was rendered
so damp that its usual occupant. "Spen-
cer"-Lsdy Brown -Sslter's Isdy's-msid-
was compelled to change her sleeping-
place. Instead of sharing one of the
house-msids' beds, she chose, with her
ladyship's permission, to make up bed
for herself in the small room, or large
cupboard, situated st the end of the cor
ridor which runs through the whole
breadth of Lsnham Court on the 6rst sto-
~. 1t was a room used to store trunks
and boxes in, aud Spencer placed some of
these as foundation for her couch.
Many of these trunks had made the voy-
age to India and back, for Colonel Sir VII
liam Browns -Salter had distinguished him
self 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 SO comfortable
as 1t looked. 1t had to be resrrsnged; but
on extiuguishing 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 immedi-
stely afterwards she became conscious of q
subdued sound outside her door. Remsm
bering the jokes at her expense at the sup
portable about the size of her bed cham
Der, 1t occurred to Spencer that her fellow
servants might be going to play her trick
or fnd dr1l in mr.
slid from her uneasy couch, and removing
the key from the lock-she had locked her
self In on coming to bed-she applied her
eye to the keyhole. The door. as we have
said, faced directly the whole length of the
corridor; about two yards from her stood
a man, but not one of her fellow servants;
he held a lighted candle In one hand, shsd
ing 1t with the other 80 as to cast the light
now here, now there. His face was con-
cesled by mask of black crepe, and he
Was listening intently. A bresthlsss min
ute or two passed, and, as If by magic,
there were either two or three other men
In the corridor, all masked in crepe, be-
hind which their eyes shone In the candle
zlesms. They went and came and con-
suited, nniseless as SO many spectres. In
and out of the rooms, locking doors softly
behind them, now ascending to the third
story, now descending to the basement;
now tue one uOluIuR huu
candle was left alone again.
Spencer drew back from the keyhols a
moment, trying to think If there was any
| thing she could do. Sir Williams room
gave on to the corridor-he must be muir
| dered, thought poor Spencer, or surely
| she would have heard some sound, for he
/ often sat up late reading, and it vas round
| his door that the thieves were clustered.
| BE was a passionate man and Q powerful
II L - l. r. = l.
| ty, though feared on account of his tenn
| per. Surely he would have made q fight
1 for II If he had not been taken at some
cruel disadvantage. What could she dol
l The alarm bell, even If she could muster
1 courage to try and get to it, was quite at
L the other end of the house. Applying her
eye once more to the keyhole, she was ter
| rified to find not only darkness, but in the
darkness come one breathing close to the
door. Then the handle brushed her cheek
as 1t was softly turned, and locks and
hinges were strained by the silsnt pres
sure brought to bear on them to snoh de-
gree that instinctively she drew back, ex-
| pectipg the door to be forced in upon her
The door cresksd 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 pltos. The watch
man stood alone, csndle 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 fiugers, and turned his head watch
fully from eide to eide, bis eyes glsam-
ing behind his mask, and seeming now
and again to FIX themselves on her lurk-
ing place. At low whistle from the
basement he and bis light vanished to-
gether. Taking the precsution to stop
up the keyhole, Spencer struck flint aud
steel till she obtained q light, then hud-
died on few clothes, inserted the key,
turned 1t, stood one minute outside, In
silence and darkness, then snstchiDg up
her candle, made a rush for the only
open door in the corridor-it was her
| masters.
| Bound hand and foot to a chair, and
gagged, was Sir William. The room was
In the widest confusion-boxes, csskets,
chests, all turned upside down, and their
contents scattered indiscriminstely on the
floor. Her ladyship was In bed, bound
and gagged, too. With nimble fingers
Spencer set to work to free her master
No sooner was this accomplished than,
speechlees and foaming at the mouth, Sir
to her dismsy, she heard him descend
the stairs. Having released her mistress,
the lsdy's maid next hurried 10 the
rooms of her fellow-servants, on all Of
whom the keys had been turned after
they had been threatened with instant
death If they uttered q sound. They
were soon released; and the men servants
descended in a body to the ground floor
In search of their master. Here every
thing was in disorder. On the dining
room table were the remains of the thieves
supper; but Sir William as well as the
depredators had vanished. The groom re-
turned from the stables with the news
that his masters fsvorite hunter was
missing. There was no doubt now that
he had gone single-hsnded in pursuit OF
the thieves-ss was indeed the case.