The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-03-27
CRUEL
-=AS=-
THE GRAVE,
The Secret of DunpaVen
Castle.
:, BY ANNIE ASHMORE,
Author Of Faithful Margaret" ETC.. Etc
CHAPTER XI-Continued.)

CHAPTER XI-fContinued)
|sIt is the entrance to the southern bas.
ttion CELL" murmured he "He has found
1T after all
A sudden panic seized him; he bound.
ed up the bank, leaning his hand upon
the bowlder as he passed-the bowldeI
;rocked upon its pivot He did not STOP
until he was deep in the thicket, out OF
sight of the horrible place; there he
threw himself upon the ground and
buried his head in his hands, his pulses
LAUNDERING and his breath laboring.
"He is dead by this time!" he groanedl
cit must have been q shaft, he d1sap
iDeared so quickly-no cry, no groan. lie
fs gone; my enemy is gone!" he grow.
.eled still lower on the ground, and
ipressed his hands closer over his ears
! A struggle ragged in his soul.
The man who could ruin him, the man
who meant to win Ulva, was dead, OF
dying. He had only to let him alone,
and he would be as secure in his place.
EUlva would be as much the delight Of
shis life as before the fatal stranger came
TO Dunraven.
But stay! what demon-dream is thisf
Us he about to become murderer? Has
be not endured enough remorse and self.
disgust for his past treachery, that he
should plunge into deeper crime?
And yet-why call it murder? What
thad he 10 do with it? The man stepped
back of himself-he did not so much as
Hay a finger on him. He must be dead
dong ere this; and if not?
Thus the powers of light and darkness
warred within him; but John Sircombe
could not live for five long years in sight
of the innocent. woman he had helped to
betray, without deteriorating so far
that evil was stronger than good in his
soul.
= He crouched in the thicket in murder
Gus inacton, knowing all the time that
Edgar might still be alive, and only
wanting help to come forth; perhaps
Nnhurt
As that idea struck him he sprang up
dn guilty fear and ran back to the place
As he came in sight of the boulder he
remembered how it had oscillated on its
pivot under his hand.
He stole near the matted screen OF
thoney-suckle and wild-brier; he listened
tbreathlessly-he heard neither moan
nor cry. Leaf by leaf, turf by turf he
parted the tangled net work and peered
into the orifce- 1t was natural cleft
, in the rock, and cunning brains had
taken advantage of it to make the out
Jet to the dungeon of the southern has
tion. He saw the ruins Of winding
STAIRWAY, which seemed to lead into the
bowels of the earth. A vault-like breath
came up from unknown depths.
Sircombe drew back trembling, and
stumbled up the bank behind the boulder
which had oscillated. He examined it
on every side, and measured its weight
and poise with his eye. 1t rested upon
the apex of smaller rock which was
firmly imbedded in the earth, at GER
tain elevation from the orifce.
~ believe they used this boulder to
block the entrance!" muttered Sircombe.
He glided back to the pathway and
looked and listened intently. Nothing
but. the low sigh of the rising wind
through the trees, and the rising muir
mur of the waves.
Back he sped to his evil task then.
He laid his hands upon the boulder and
with all his gathered strength pushed
against it. 1t yielded-it rolled from its
pivot, Swayed moment on the verge,
then plunged down with hollow rever-
berations, and socketed itself in the
orifice as if it had been created for the
purpose. A few crushed pebbles round
3he rock, ploughed up track in the
moss, that was all the trace that was
left of the demoniac deed Sircombe
anXiously went about restoring every
thing to it's normal appearance; gath
cred up the fur wraps which had been
dropped in the heat of the argument
and fed from the accursed spot
+ His whole care was now to protect
himself from suspicion by providing
reasonable evidence that Edgar had left
the isle. He therefore sped down to the
shore, to the secluded little rocky haven
where Ulva's skitf was moored; threw
the furs into the boat and carefully
guided it to the entrance of the haven.
Here he arranged the oars in the row..
locks. then he gave the boat one power
full drive with hand and foot which sent
1t flying among the small, chopping
coast waves. and off it urifted on the
current and out OF sight
Then he hastened up the rockpath;
and met Kenmore half way.
A bitter and morose man was Ken
more at that moment for he was en-
gaging in a plot that his own clean con-
science called nefarious; and though too
stubborn to draw back, he liked Mr..
Sircombe, his abettor in the scheme,
less than ever for his cooperation.
He was laden with the boat cushions
and other comforts, some OF them more
suggestive Of voyage to Scotland than
row round the island. Mr.. Sircombe
said quietly: There's no hurry-walk
slowly that may catch you; am going
back for something he forgot. He Is
down by the boat and willing to 60 for
an extended row; but your gloomy face
wish him to be startled. Besides, all
these traps look very unlike an hours
row."
- Kenmore eyed the ground sourlF; he
was troubled and angry; he had fancied
that he would be glad Of any chance to
get rid of fair 90 ava's fatal guest in
quiet way; and had eagerly jumped at
Sircombe's proposition TO do it that
afternoon: but now that he was actually
engaged in this clandestine business,
with the much-dcpised director for an
accomplice he felt like sneak.
II dinna like it, Mr.. Sircombe,"
growled he with a look askance, "Id
rather kill the man than cheat him. I
Gamma bide cheaterie. And he threw
down his load on the ground and looked
-Si-combe straight in the face.
Sircombe's stiff features attempted a
frown, but Shey were not under his con-
troll just then; he looked what he felt,
indifferent, and Kenmore was as
tonished
. aYou NAV do as you choose, Of course"