The Dickinson press., 1894-09-01
VeQ4e'aQeR a3d
~VaPors.

this pond"
NO, 10, nc.' she prOtestsd, with
rapid vchc,Gencc. Did l not say that
l dreamed 1t the very night On which
ali trace of him WIS lost from his ho-
tel il London! Nobody thought then
that l,c was not coming home s0cn.
And do not think had noticed this
pond then l have dreamed the same
dream several times since, but that
may be nothing ut all. / shall very
likely dream it tonight.
That made me sh,ldler.
But what" said, do you suppose,
then, the dream ineans:"
Il do not know ut ALL" she said.
Il guess and guess till my head aches
and vhirls with guessing, but l can
make For myself no certain opinion. /
think sometimes that flames may be
about MS poor head because of his
lOSs--you understand me! or that lie
may have gone away for the time to
some other place where they work in
cllemicals--but l cannot believe he is
lcld.'
"Ah," l said, you must not let a
dream prey upon you so. Dreams,"
l declared in my dull male ignorance
of the mysteries that lie beyond the
touch of all philo sophy AMI science
dreams are beisOttcn Of indigestion, or
bad air, or all awkward position when
asleep, or anything"
"Ah," She said, sadly, II did not
think you would refuse to believe me-"
MY dear Miss LacrOix,'' said, ut
is not that do not believe you, but
that l would like you to relieve your
self from the power this has evidently
over you. Come, you should go home
now"
turned away from the pond and she
followed ME. We walked along in ST.
lence for some distance.
OH: she exclaimed at length, II do
long so very much to know what has
really happened to my dear father-my
poor father"
II wish | could help you to find out"
| said: indeed do. You may he sure
l slall think Of all you have told me,
and try to discover anything more.
have friends in London who may be of
use. If may mention it to them"
"Oh. certainly" she answered "You
arc very kind. Becon's Hotel, Great
Queen street is where he was last heard
Of"
AT Il certain corner where the lane to
rimperley Hall divergcd from the way
through the village. she insisted on
parting from me. let her 20 with lit
y" hesitation. for knew there was no
fear Of her being molcsted; she would
Glss Il public house on her way, but I
":ld never seen IL villager quarrelsomely
or uproariously drunk, ale, which SEEM
ed to be the liquor commonly consumed
only had Il gentle soldering effect.
had no sooner. however. seen her
disappear round the corner of the lone
~ lane than | determined to follow her
hot to disturb her with my presence,
but mere ly to have the delight of see
ing her, though at Il distance, and the
satisfaction of knowing that she would
reach Timperley Hall in peace NOV
ed quietly in the shadow, watching her
tall figure pass steadily ON in the moon.
lit middle of the lane l followed her
to the gate Of Timperley Hall, and wait.
ed there till heard her footstep at the
door, and heard tch bell ring-then I
returned to the village.
1t may be presumed that while
smoked at my pOst-coenal pipe /
thought over the strange scene ut the
pond, and all that Miss Iacroix had said
t was certainly very mysterious, but all
the conclusion could reach concerning
it that night was Il resolve to 60 and
look Mt the pond by day.
I went in the morning and discovered
how the strange tints Of water were
produced. The pond was fed by q
runlct. which flowed at the bottom of
the bank on one side of the lane called
by the name of Lacroix { "Lacroiks.' =
the natives called it after their uncom-
| Ippnr,tci,,O
lane, had already learned, had been in
other days the private carriage drive Of
the first IacrOix (before Stetnhardt
had been heard of from his fine man.
sion to his dye works and his model
farm. The mansion, with its nobl
rookery, had long ago become the pre-,
OF the omniverous speculative builder
the model farm had disappeared oil bu
the farm house, which, squeezed into
sordid corner Of the spreading village
was now let out in tenements; a Stein
hardt now reigned in the LacrOix dy
works, and, in his scorn of the pas
was in the habit of tipping" his an
line refusedown among the tree root
Of the cherished avenue, narrowin
more and more the already cOnstricte
channel Of the little stream, and poison
| AA6 aAu uAoSOAOAAu6 tAS oAC C4CS1I uON
Of water in the whole neighbOrhOOt
This it was which washed color into th
pond and gave it its varying tints.
I stood thus in some doubts and grea
indignation-doubt whether Miss Ii
croix's dream might not, after all, b
capable Of as simple an explanation a
had found for the tints Of the pond
and Indignation at what saw aroun
me. had never before ventured int
l I4acroiX; now passed under its wretc
: ed dying trees. along the brink of II
cindcr-mud, ploughcd foot deep int
| ruts by numbering coal-carts and WI
CONS, and. fanccd it metamorphose
back into the private, shady. well-kep
, avenue Of the first LacrOix. La
| walked almost the whole length of til
. lane when l met Mr. Birlcy, Mrs. Steir
hardt's brother Jim"
| ''Ah, there you are" he called cheer
ly, when he espied me. II was just con
ing to look you up and take you aroun
a bit; there's not much biz doing, an
, SO I've taken holiday"
After greeting l gave vent to th
, Indignation of which l was full w
J returned along the lane.
"Wcll.' said he, laying his hand O
, my shoulder, Its not nice, of course,
! standing and surveying the LAM
/ "But it's not for you or me to mend Il
! though I'm joint guardian with Maj
uel of Paul's girl'' (he meant Miss L,
! croix), 1--WE nothing to do with th
, property, and Manuel, you see, can
! bear to spend the brass, and doesn
r care a--well,-a button--for Paul's fan
t lily history. Toor Paul! he was goo
: chap. l suppose the name Lacroix
1 done for. and it has been what 70
. learned fellows would call historical.
7 asked what it meant. He stOppe
and pointed up the lane, away frol
Timperley.
, You mightn't believe it," said h
'but if you follow this lane right on
to the end you'll get to the Bastille.")
t looked ut him; failed TO cOmpr'
: hcnd.
/ "You don't mean," 1 said, "thc fan
2 GUS French Bastile?-the fortress priso
!. of Paris?"
~ tsThot,o r. - ooid In GVorsvo road