Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-10-30
CRUE
"a S.
E.GRAYE,, ,
The Secret Of DunraVeD
Castle. .
BY ANNIE ASHMORE,
Author of Faithful Margaret" Etc. Etc
CHAPTER XI-(COntYnued)


it after all
A sudden panic seized him; he bound
ed up the bank, leaning his hand upon
the bowloer as be paSsed-the bowlder
rocked upon its pivot He did not stop
until he was deep in the th;ckct, out OF
sight of the horrible place; there h
threw himself upon the ground and
buried his head IN his hands, his pu ses
laundering and his breath laboring.
"He is dead by this time" hc grOaned
cit must have been a sha't, be disap
peared so Quickly-no cry, no groan' le
is gone; my enemy is gone" lie grow
eled still lower On the ground, and
pressed his hands closer over his cars.
A struggle ragged in his soul.
! The man who could ruin him, the man
who meant 20 win Ulva, was dead, of.
diving. He bad only to let him alone,
and ne would be as secure In his pla e
Ulva would be as much the delight OF
his life as before the fatal stranger came
to Dunraven.
But stay! what Gcmon-drcam is this?
Is he about to become a murderer? Has
ho not endure enough remOrsc and sell
disgust for his past treachery, that he
should plunge into deeper crime?
Aud yet-why ca it mur'cr? What
had he TO do with it? Tie man steFpel
back of h msclf-he did not so much as
lay a finger on him. Te must be ccad
long ere this; and If not?
Thus the powers Of light and darkness
warred within him; but ,'ohn omDe
could not live for five long years in sight
OF the innocent woman he had helped TO
betrae, without Geteriorating SO Tar
that evil was stronger than good In his
soul.
he crouched In the thickot in mur' Ter
Gus inaction, knowing all the time that
Edgar might still be alive, and only
wanting help to come forth perhaps
unhurt.
AS that idea stru him he sprang up
in guilty fear and ran back to the p acc.
As he came in sight of the boulder he
remem bered h W it had oscilatcd Oh its
pivot under his hand.
He stole near the matted screen OF
honey-sucIle and wild br.cr, he listened
breathlessly y-he heard neithfr moan
nor crv Leaf by leaf, turf by turf h.
parted the tangled net work and p ere /
into the orifcc. 1t was natural Get
in the rock, and cunning bla MS had
taken advantage of it to make the cut
let to the dungeon of the so .tlcrn baS
tion. He saw the ruins OF winding
stairwav, which seemed to lead into the
bowels of the earth. A vault-like breath
came M from unknown depths
Sir ombe drew back trembling. ana
stumbled up the bank behind the bou der
which had oscillatcl. H. examined II
on every side, and measured is weigh
and poise with his eye. 1t TO ted upon
the apex of smaller 70 which wGs
firmly imbeddcd in the earth, at GER
tain elevation from the oliiico.
"I believe they used this bou der tc
block the entrance~ muttcrcd Srcombe
He glided back to the pathway and
looked and listened intently. Nothing
hut the low sigh Cf the rising wind
through the trees, and the sing mur'
mur of The waves
Back he sped to his evil task then.
lie laid his hands upon the boulder and
with ali his gathered strength pushed
against it 1t yieldcd-it rolled from its
pivot, Swayed q moment on the verge,
then plunged down with hollow reycr-
berations, and SOcke.ed itself In the
Orilice as if ii had been crca.e ed for the
purpose A few crushed pebbles round
the rock, plJuEhed up ira k in the
moss, that was all the trace that was
let of the demOniac CceL Sirc0mbe
anxiouSly went about restoring every
thing TO its normal appearance; gath
cred up tho fur wraps which hal been
dropped in the heat OF the argument
and fed from tn accursed spot
His whole care was now to protect
himself from suspicion by providing
reasonable evidence that Edgar had left
the isla lie therefore sped down to the
shore, to the secluded little rocky have
where Ulva'S Skif was mOored; tn eW
tho furs into the boat and careful ll
guided it to the entrance OF the havcn
Here lie arranged the oars in He row
locks, then he gave the | Oat one power
full drive with hand and foot which seat
it flying among the small, choppin9
coast wa es. and of it Grifted on tn,
current and out of sight
Then he fastened up the rockpath
and met Kenm re half ay.
A bitter and moroSe man was Ken
more at that moment, for he was en-.
gaping in plot that his own clean con
science called nefariOuS; and though toe
stubborn to Craw back, he liked Mr.
Sircombc, his abcttOr in the scheme,
less than ever for his cO-OpcratiOL
lie was laden w th the toat cushion;
and other omforts, some Of them more
suggestive OF voyage to Scotland than
row round the island. Mr. Sircomb
sa d quietly: There's 10 hurry-wail'
slowly that ! may catch you; am going
ba k for SOM thing lie forgot. He is
down by the boat AMI vii jEg to go fol
az ,y'eldcd Ow but yoCr 9 Oomy face
mi lit suggest mischief and do not
w sh L. m 10 te sta { I'd. Besides, a
these traps lock very ualiko an ho +:
row
K"nGo.c eyed the ground sourly; ht
was trouble ana angry; he had fancie'
that he wo Id be CAD Of any hancc &
get rf1 of far 90 ava s iata' G. est IN
quiet way. and had eagerly nmpcd a
ircombe's proposition TO 90 IL tha
q ternoon: but now that he was actuail
engaged in this candes'iae tLsire-s
with tho much depised director Ter al
accomplice he felt ike sn ak.
81 dinna like it, Mir Sir-ombe'
growled he with a .Ook asIante, Il
rather kill the man than cheat HIN,
Gamma bide cha erie And le th'c'
down his lC ad OF the ground and iCckF'
uuu,sa,Le strG q i in the face.