The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-22
CHAPTER vII.-CoNcLUDED.

round the corner of the house low
line of light showed the dawn.
"Now, good-by, dear" said her hus-
band, lightly. You'll let him know
at once?'
"Of course"
"And send to Inc directly after?"
"Yes."
"And now for my walk across the
fields to the hotel These boots are
thin, but ! know the old way we'll
enough. BY Jove, wonder what Me-
lanie--"
."Who?"
"Oh-what Melanie will think,
was going to say. 1t slipped out /
didn't mean to hurt your feelings at
all
"Melanie-who is she?'
"Wcll--she's French lady. You
know, of course, Rosalys, that thought
you were perhaps dead-and-so this
lady passes as Mrs. Durrant."
Rosalys started.
in fact, found her in the east, and
took pity upon hsr-that's all Though
if it had happened that you had not
been living now l have got back, l
should have married her at once, of
course"
''Is-she, then. here with you at the
hotel?'
30 no--I wouldn't bring her on here
till knew how things were"
"Then where is she?"
81 left her at my rooms in London.
0, it will be all right shall see her
safely back to Paris, and make a little
provision for her. Nobody in England
knows anything of her existence"
"When-did you part from her?"
"Well, of course, at breakfast time. i
Rosalys bowed herself against the
doorway. "O-0-what have | done?
What a fool, what weak foolw she
moaned. "Goaway from me-go away"
Jim was almost distressed when he
saw the distortion OF her agonized face.
"Now, why should you take on like
thisl There's nothing in it, People do
these things. Living in a prim society
here yor don't know how the world
goes on!'
80, but to think it didn't occur to me
that the sort Of man
Jim, though anxious, seemed to
awaken to something humorous in the
situation, and vented a momentary
chuckle. "Well, it is rather funny that
! should have let it out. But still"
Don't make deep wrong deeper by
cruel levity. Go away"
You'll be in better mood to-mor.
row, mark me; and then Ill tell you
all my history. Therein gone! Au
TecOr!"
He disappeared under the trees. Ro-
salys, rousing herself, closed the gate
and fastened the door, and sat down in
one of the hall chairs, her teeth shut
tight and her little hands clenched.
When she had passed this mood and
returned upstairs, she regarded the
state of her room sadly, and bent again
over her writing-table, murmuring: 80
how weak, how weak was II
But in few minutes she found her
self nerved to an unexpected and pas
sionate vigor of action, and began
writing her letter to Lord Parkhurst
with great rapidity. Sheet after sheet
she filed, and, having read them over,
she sealed up the letter and placed it
on the mantelpiece to be given to a
groom and dispatched by hand as soon
as the morning was little further adj
vanced.
With cold feet and burning head
she flung herself upon the bed just as
she was, and waited for the day with
out the power to sleep. When she had
lain nearly two hours, and the morning
had crept in, and she could hear from
the direction of the stables that the
men were astir, she rang for her maid,
and taking the letter in her hand stood
with it in an attitude of suspense as
the woman entered. The latter looked
full of intelligence.
Are any of the men about?" asked
Kosalys,
Yes, ma'am. There have been
such an accident in the Dleads this
past night-about half a mile down the
river--and Jones ran up from the
lodge to call for help quite early; and
Benton and Peters went as soon as they
were dressed. A gentleman drowned
--yes-it's Mr.. James Durrant-the son
of the Mr.. Durrant who died some
years ago. He came home only yester'
day, after having been heard nothing
of for years and years. He left Mrs
Durrant, who they say is a French
lady, somewhere in London, but they
have telegraphed and found her, and
she's coming. They say she's quite
distracted. The poor gentleman left
the Three Lions last night and went
out to dinner, saying he would wall;
home, as it was a fine night and not
very far; and it is supposed he took the
old short cut across the moor where
there used to be path when he was
a lad at home, crossing the big river
by plank. There is only rail now
and he must have tried to get acros;
upon it, for it was broken in two, and
his body found in the water-weeds just
below"
SIS he-dead?"
yes. They had a great trouble tc
get him out. The men have just CONF
from carrying him to the hotel. II
y will be sad for his poor wife when shC
gets there"
"His poor wife--yes."
Travelling all the way from Londor
on such calll''
Rosalys had allowed the hand il
which she held the letter to Lord Park
hurst to drop to her side; she now pu
1t in the pocket of her dressing-gown
81 was wishing to send somewhere,
she said. But think will wait til
later"
The house was bestir betimes on ac
count of the wedding, and Rosaly'
companion in particulat, who was no
4 l.. 49, ls.v. -.