The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-09-18

leaning on tho mantcIpicco peering into
| the fire until tho butler had come and
| gone. do then strodo to the table, poured
out and swallowed u stiff glass of spirits
and faced his uncle with resolve Mt hi;
mouth.
Tho fact is uncle" he said standing
with his back to tho fro and speaking
calmly and deliberately; "thc fact is,
uncle that Julio Pnnton never knew
Charlie at nil. She mistook him for me.
You know that no stranger could tell us
apart. WAS meant to be her victim
That is all and that is what will have to
DO told mt tho trial. It's even worse than
you had expected, I'm afraid" And when
The ono man stopped speaking, tho other,
too, Kept silent. Indeed not another word
was said by either.
How long he stood there waiting Edward
did not know. Finally, he took his hat
and left the old man looking straight into
vacancy.
Such was tho story, as near us coultf
gather it from Lord Stonchouso and from
my friend Edward Summers himself Lord
Charles had never been intimate with,
but am strc that no one could havp been
more astonishcd ut his falling u victim to
tho jealousy of 4 dissolutc woman than I
was to learn that Edward had got cntan-
glcd in the foul mcshes of such n ono rs
Julie Panton. 1t was only tho old story
Let US he open rs the day,
Each ono doth to the other say
When he would better hide himself
would have COMO bail for Edwards
purcness of living to any amount, and
here he was, another Ulysses, who had
proclaimed to me hundred ti,Mcs the
practicability of virtue, toygc;tin:: his
glory in tho foul pleasures OF -i.Cri With
tho horrible trial that followed and tho dc
tails of tho vulgar intrigue my faith in
goodness took wings, and with Edwards
disgrace and sudden and complete tlisap-
pcauncc thcrCattcr began my own loss of
self respect, my own rapid decentralization.
Not that appear very different probably
to the world than did, for ] have learned
to patch up the gaps In my modcsty with
hypocrisy, which matches it we'll In
speaking of which am reminded that tho
last of poor Edwards canting lectures was
called forth by my rcmarking that hypoc-
risy Is ono OF the hcalthicst signs in q
community, for it shows that virtue is tho
fashionable rule, otherwise there would be
no object in aping it,
Ton years have gone. Lord Stonchousc
died soon after the trial, and all his for.
tune passed to Lady Charles Summers and
her children. Not II word was said in tho
will of Edward, and l know that he had
practically nothing to 1.-Two on. Attempts
from time to time to trace him have been
made. but TO no purpose. Wherever he
won't he evidently assumed successfully
some cvasivc name. After all, he was
rather fool to give himself away. I'm
inclined to think should find him n trinc
too virtuous for mo and something of n
borc if he turned up now, so perhaps it's
bottcr rs it is
ooh, it's YOU, Brown, is it? Why, I de-
clare YOU quito startled mo I was so en-
crossed in writing that ! didn't hear the
door open y letter, is it,. Thanks"
An envelope with II South African post
mark addressed i'll II strange hand. Inside
Il lcttcr-by all that's extraordinary IA
letter in Edward Summers handwriting.
But what's this? Dated two years ago
MY DEAR GlLBERT-Dcath, rs 1 remember
you once saying i'll the dear, good old days
That are passed, death, the great arithmetician,
Will one day reduce all to n common do
nominator This write with u request at
tachcd-thnt when l have gone adj majorcs it
shall be forwarded to you. Since last saw
You have suffcred-somcthing- l have,
too, known something more than happiness.
Poor devil! He doesn't seem to have
got over his hypocrtical phrascology
And in this letter l propose to myself the
! luxury of being littlc ungencrous. Yes, so
far ungenerous rs to let just one person know
that Charles was guilty, and that l was not
the hypocrito you imagine. Far, far my great
est trial has been the knowledge that had
lost your love and respect and the love and re-
spect of Flora Carew whom 1 almost loved
better than my own soul. And here solemn
~ charge you, by our friendship, to keep the
contents of this letter to yourself, but feel |
cannot die without leaving one heart loving
and one friend believing in me.
Gilbert, by the God in heaven above us. /
swear to you Julie Panton was unknown to
me- even by name. when she killed my brother
EDWARD SUMMERS.
Phcw He expects mo to believe that,
docs he? No, my dear Edward, really
can't.-Skctch.
Tibetan NIonasteries.