The Dickinson press., 1894-09-08

aDd

CHAPTER ".
A CrlHia.

tomimic confession; but 1t impressed
me as being too vivid t. be lightly dis
carded as without any basis Of fact.
I continued to think Of it very much;
I thought Of it more because in spite
of the unrcasonableness OF such q con.
junction. and its manifest waste Of
detective speculation" las Freeman
would have said) the vapors, SO to say,
of Louise's dream would persist in
mingling in my imagination with the
vapors of Dicks delirium. Could 1t
really he that Mr.. LacroiX had met
his death in some such way? And IL
he had. how had he come by it?-and
where Was 1t even possible In the
mystery of things that lacroiX had
been S.m";i"rcd in II of his wv vats?
But Il discovery l made about this
timc-trivial. apparently, yet to me
signiticant-tiXed my idea more firmly
in my Imagination. One night while
I sat thinking of my return to London
l took up my Bradshaw, and carclessly
began noting the times of trains from
the n%eishboring large towns to the me-
trop"liS. The lines of three companies
passed through 1t, and l became inter-
eStcd in noting how the rivals ran fast
and still faster trains against each 9th
. III 'Hi" VA NY "sS
fixed by Il very small fact; N com
pany Il had never travelled o. its line,
and SO. ! suppose ] had never noted
the fact bcfOfcI ran II of its two
quickest trains so that it reached the
ntighborinS town about midnight-.the
only very quick train within two or
three hours nf that time. l found easy
opportunity to lest i'll some degree
what significance this fact might have.
EARLY in the week following Dicks
confession. Mr.. $%trinllarht had gone to
London to attend his trial, in the court
of Gutcn'S bench. | think it was. He
would lc absent for more thln a fort
night. and I had therefore many well
come chances of being in Miss La
croiN's company. Society about Tim
pcrlcy was very meager and very dull;
it was \ long Way from any center of
civilization. and Miss LacrOix seemed
to ,,inr and sicEen in its smoke and
toii-bound atmosphere, so Mrs. Stein
har1lt a%Mxiously sought by any means
to brighten those summer daya for her
young protcgc. Thus it was, l think,
that during that fortnight l received
such invitations to Timperley hall as
| had V had before. l was asked
several times to dinner, and was en-
cuuragcd to find other aud sundry
occasions for calling.
On one of these occasions ] found
Miss Lacroix alone. She received me
shyly. but with such evident pleasure
that, if l had not come with another
purpose, l fear 1 would have given
ut,cr:,,.cc to such warm protestations
as l lad of late, oftener than once,
had almost OF my lips. After some
casual remarks l began to work to-
ward my purpose by abiding tn Stein
harIt's business in London.
"Ir will he n serious thing for him."
| said I-"won't tiff he should be so
unsuccessful in his defense as your
father waS:"
He will not be unsuccessful as poor
| father was,' answered she, with a sad
shake OF her beautiful head; "Mr.
Stcinbardt is not scrupulous as father
was; he tells %falsehoods with rude SIM
plictty, like his great chancellor, and
so people think him to be all honest
truth. He will succeed in his case, !
thiEk-I have heard him talk of 1t to
Frark--and he will come back more
despot than ever. Poor father!!" She
leaned back, and looked sadly out over
the valley, from which rose the smoke
and sound Of its daily toll, fatigued and
forced. l thought, on that wlin sum
n,er afternoon.
81 have thought a great leal," said
], Selling the opportunity her excla!ra.
ton afforded, of that strange dream
you told me Of"
"Ies." said she, turning with suddeu
interest.
do you still dream it?' I asked.
"Yes, 1 do; but not often now"
ut is u very strange thing. Does the
dream come ut any particular hour OF
the night?"
ut does" said she; "and that, ]
dare saw, makes me think more of 1t
1t always comes two or three hours
after'I have gone to bed. / dream it
and then become wide awake; and aft
er ] have lain awake q little l alway:
hear the hall clock strike 2-my room
is over the hall"
"And the first night you had tn
dream-do you think It came the1
about the same hour"
YES" said she, II think SO. But
and she leaned forward, eager ant
pale, ''why do you ask me these ques
tons? Have you found out some
thing, from your friends in London
perhaps? You had heard nothing whel
last l asked you, I know. Tell me
have you heard something now"
mo, I am sorry to say, 1 have not
Still 1 do not despair; I have a hope
may learn something sOon.
ooh. wllat:" she eagerly demand ed
II think. said /, you had better no
csk me; it may only end in disaDpoint
ment, md this matter already prey
upon you too much"
You are very kind to me-" said she
My pulse beat unanimously, and l wa
on the point Of saying something rasl
concerning my devotion. when h add
ed almost as If she knew what ! wa
thinking of. But l can think OF moth
ing else much-I can be interested ii
nothing else. 1t is very foolish of mt
but l cannot help it. Mr.. Steinhard
sometimes Is rather rude to ME abou
it; he wants me to marry Frank" sale
she, simply; but l do not wish t.
marry Frank. and Frank does not wisl
to marry INC, l do not wish to thinl
of marrying at all just yet"
II suppose" said l, piqued, and jeal
GUS, too, l dare say, 'Mr. Steinhard
wants you to marry his sen that III
may keep your fathers money, which
you will inherit in his business"
II do not Think" said she with
smile, that there is much now o
poor fathers money; Mr.. Steinhard
rcckons off it that 100000 which j.
says. father lost without any cause"
"But docs Mi. Blrley, your othe
guardian, agree to that fraud?-fol
fraud it is"
II do not Know" said she, listlessly
But l think dear Nj. Birlcy is some
how in Mr.. Stcinllardt's power; l thinl
he fears to say much"
l am afraid l then began to lool
upon S%teinhardt us my personal enc
my, and to be alarmed ut the influ
ence he might yet exert upon my life
l became moro ohstinately resolved
than ever to do what in me lay Il
clear up the fate Of Mr.. Lacroix, no
only because l would be rendering {
service to Louise, but because l woult
give StcinhaEdt Il serious defeat in hi!
prospects If by any chance l SHOULD