The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-08-08


DIR. Watson WINGED, but he &C.
cepted the guardianship.
Elisa is my child" continued Sir
Clement, "and Lisbeth her mother,
my lawful wife, which Lady Ger
trude never was"
"Sir Clement, for mercy's sake
keep silence. Think Of the memory
of that pure, virtuous lady, and keep
silence.n
ITO all but you ! will do so, but
You must know the truth, or you
cannot do the best for my child and
her brave mother. II l die without
a will this property cannot go to
Lisa, unless her legitimacy is proved.
In JUSTICE to Lady Gertrude l am
going, with your help, to make a
will leaving everything to Lisa, my
adopted daughter, who is to take the
name of D%unraven. This may seem
to you to be unjust to Lisbeth, but
she agreed to be s%upplanted by Lady
Gertrude, in order that / might be-
como my uncle's heir, and, there
fore, she must bear her share of the
sorrows brought on us by our Joint
folly. All, il l had never deserted
Lisbeth, | might have been a poorer,
but should have been a far happier
man.
"She ia the best and noblest
among women" said the doctor
fervcntly.
Sir Clement looked at him kee nly.
His ey es fell as those before an in
qnisitor, for he felt that Sir Clement
had guessed the desire of his heart. |
81 see 1 have appealed to the right
man." said Sir Clement, after a
short pause. swim her If you can,
Watson, and II my blessing, the
blessing of a wretched criminal, is of
any avail, you have it with all my
heart. To know that my poor Lis
beth will have a r%estful, happy home
is far more than l ~deserve.n
Nothing more was said on the
matter; what could be said as long as
Clement Dunraven lived? Pens, ink
and paper were produced, and the
last will and testament of Clement
Dunraven was written out. In it he
left everything of which he died
possessed, including Aboyne Court
and all its v%aluables, to his adopted
child, Lisa, whose birth had been
registered at a registrars in the City
Road under the name of Lisa Ellis, |
under condition that she %henceforth |
took the name Of D%unraven. The
guardian and the sole executor to be
his tried and valued friend, Richard
Watson, M. d. The butler, and
Brown, the baiiif, were sent for to |
witness the signature of their mas
ter, and this supreme effort having |
been made, it seemed as if Sir Glenn
ent D~unraven's work on earth was
nearly done, for he then lay back in
his chair in such a condition of syn
cope that brandy had to be poured
down his throat, and DR.. Watson
decided that he would pass the night
at Aboyne Court.
But, considering that he had been
left executor and guardian to Lisa,
and knowing what his own feelings
were towards Lisbeth, he did not
believe himself to be justified in re-
naming there without letting anyone
know of Sir Clements return. So
he sent a man on horseback over to
the sn1ggery, to acquaint Sir Miles
with the fact of Sir Clement Dunra-
ven's return in very bad health and
to request him to ride over in the
morning.
After a time Sir Clement rallied
somewhat, and DIR. Watson and the
butler got him to bed.
He seemed in such a strange semi
conscious state that the doctor took
up his position in an arm chair and
arranged for the butler to sleep in
an adjoining room, 80 that he might
be at hand if his services were re-
quired in the night.
As the doctor had expected, the
distressing unrest which the unhappy
man experienced was most sad to
witness. In vain DR.. Watson tried
every available g to quiet him.
He tossed ceaselessly from side to
side in feverish excitement, mutter-
ing every now and then somewhat
incoherently; only DIR. Watson, who
held the key, understood full well
how sorely the poor distracted mind
was troubled. AS is frequently the
case, with the break Of dawn the
restlessness and excitement grew
more intense, and the mutterings
became shouts and loud cries for
help.
DIR. Watson was thankful that the
butler was a heavy sleeper; he would
not for worlds have had him hear
the unhappy mans rawlings, and,
violent though Sir Clement was, he
pluckily determined to manage him,
If possible, by himself.
Elbow dare he come between me
and Lisbeth-ah-the water is deep
and black-and cold. Whatl no
movement-no sound--silence! My
God, what silence! No voice-not
n laaf otirrinn- natHipn h,,t lL.t l1.aIx