Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-01-11
B LIND Low
wILKfE COLLINS
CHAPTER LIL-THE CONSEQUENCES OF AZ
ADVERTISEMENT.

The trouble was made by Iris for her
self.
In this wav-
She saw Fanny's advertisement. Hel
irst impulse was 10 take her back into hef
service. Bat she remembered the neces-
sity for concealment. She must not place
herself-she realized already the fact that
she had one a thing which would draw
upon her the vengeance OF the law--and
her husband IN the power OF this woman.
whose fidelity might not stand the shock
OF some nt OF Jealousy, rage or revenge
for fancied slight. She must henceforth
be cut of altogether from all her old
friends.
She therefore answered the letter by ons
which contained no address, and which
she posted with her own hand at the Gen
eral Post-Ofice. She considered her words
carefully. She must not say too much Oh
too little.
II inclose," she said, "a bank note for
ten pounds 10 assist you- am about TO
travel abroad, but must. under existing
circumstances. dispense with the services
OF n maid. In the course of my travels
expect TO be in Brussels. II, therefore.
You have anything 10 tell me or 10 ask Oh
me, write TO me ut the Poste Restante OF
that city and I'm the course of six months
or so / am tolerably sure TO send for the
letter. In fact, ] shall expect 10 lind q
lie ter from you. Do not think that / have
forgotten you or our faithful services,
though for n moment I am not able to call
yon to my side. Be patient"
There was no address given In the letter.
This alone was mysterious. IL Lady Harry
was In LOndOn--and the letter was posted
at the General POST dlce-why could she
not give her address, If she was abroad.
why should she hide her addressi In any
case. why should she do without a maid
she who had never been without a maid
20 whom n maid was as necessary as one
OF her handsi Obi she could never get
along at all without q maid. As for lFie
business in London and her part in the
conspiracy, OF course Fanny neither knew
nor suspected.
She had recourse again 20 her only
friend-Mrs. Vimpany-fo whom she sent
Lady Harry's letter, aud inploriug her 70
lay the whole before Mr.. Noun jog.
"He is getting so much stronger Mrs.
Vimpany wrote back. that | shall be able
20 tell him everything before long. Do
not be ia n hurry. Let us do nothing that
may bring trouble upon her. BIT ! arm
gu e hat some. ming Is going on-some-
thing wicked. ! have read your account
OF what has happened over n over again.
/ am as convinced as you could possibly
be that my husband and Lord Harry
are trading on the supposed death OF the
latter. We can do no hing. Let us wait. y
Three days afterwards she wrote again.
The opportunity for which 1 have
been waiting has come at last. Mr..
Mountjoy is, / believe, fuliy recovered.
This m ,rning. seeing him so well and
strong. | asked him il might venture TO
place In his hands a paper containing a
narrative.
ais II concerning Iriss' he asked.
at has to 10 with Lady Harry-indi.
rectly.'
For a while he made no reply. Then he
asked me IL IL had also to do with her hus-
baud"
with her husband aud with mine" |
told him.
Again he was silent.
After a bit he looked up and said: Il
had promised myself never again 10 inter-
fere in Lady Harry Norland's affairs. Nou
wish me 10 e this document. Mrs.
Certainly. / am most anxious that
you should read it. and should advise upon
IT.
"'wno wrote it,
Fanny Mere. Lady Harry's maid
"'If IL Is only to tell me that her hus-
band is a villain he said. Il will not read
IT,
IF you were enabled by reading it TO
keep Lady Harry from q dreadful misfor.
tunef | suggested.
Give me the document he said.
Before 1 gave il 10 hint was in my
pocket showed him a newspaper con-
tanning a certain announcement.
lord Harry deads' he cried 'lmpossi-
Bile! Then Iris is free
Perhaps you Will first read the docu-
ment.'
"I drew ii out OF my pocket. gave IL 10
him, and retired. He should be alone
while he read in.
Half an hour afterwards / returned. |
found him in a state of most violent agi-
Iation, without, However, any Of the
weakness which he betrayed on previous
"'Mrs. Vimpany, he cried, this is terri
BILE! There is no d~oubt-not the least
iouDt-in my mine that the man Oxbye
Is the man buried under the name OF
Lord Harry, aud that he was murdered
murdered in cold blood-by that worst OF
Tillains-'
my husband | said.
"'Your husOand-moSt unfortunate Of
wives! As for Lord Harry's share In the
murder. IL is equally plain that he knew
OF it. even IL he did not consent 10 IL. Good
heavens. Do you understand Do you
realize what they have dones Your hus-
band aud Iris husband may be tried
actually tried-for murder. and put to a
shameful death. Think OF it,
"'i do think OF il, Heaven knows! /
think of il every day. hin of il all day
long. But, remember, | will say nothing
that will bring this fate upon them. And
Fanny will say nothing. Without Fanuy's
evidence there cannot be even a suspicion
Of the truth
"'What does Iris know about itt'
al think that she cannot know any
Thing OF the murder. Consider the dates.
On Wednesday Fanny was dismissed; on
Thursday she returned secretly aud wit
messed the murder. Ii was on Thursday
morning that Iris drove to Victoria on her
return T. Passy, rs we all supposed. and
rs I still suppose. On Saturday Fanny
was back again. The cottage was desert
ed. She was told that the man Oxbye had
got up and walked away; that her mistress
had not been at the house at all. but was
travelling Ia Switzerland. and that Lord
Harry was gone on a long journey. And
she was sent into Switzerland TO get her
out OF the way. / gat er from all this
that Lady Harry was taken away by her
husband directly after she arrived-most
likely by night-and that OF the murder
she knew nothing
"'No-uo-she could know nothing!
That, at least. they dare not tell her. But
about the rest! How much does she
know, How far has she lent herself to
the conspiracy Mrs. Vimpany, ! shall GO
back to London tonight. We will travel
by the night train. | feel quite strong
enough
IL began this letter in Scotland; | finish
1t in London.
I'VE are DaCk tgllu III town.. Somc W
the hotel at once. and see u.s.
So, there was now n man TO advise. For
once, Fanny was thankful for the creation
of man. To the most misanthropic female
there sometimes comes q time when she
must own that man has his uses. These
two women had now got "A man with whom
70 take counsel.
al do not ask YOU" said Mr.. Mountioy.
with grave face. '.how far this statement
OF yours is true; | can see plainly that IL "
true in every particular"
at Is quite true, sir; every word OF 1t IS
true. | have been tempted to make ont a
worse case against the doctor, but l have
kept m self 10 the bare truth"
"You could not make out a worse case
against any man. Ii is the BLACKLIST case
that I have ever heard Of or read. Ii Is
the foulest murder. / do not under
stand the exact presence OF Lord Harry
when the medicine was given. Did he see
the doctor administer its Did he say any
thing'" -.
"Hs turned white when the doctor told
him that the man was going TO die-thst
day. perhaps, or next day. When the doc
tor was pouring out the medicine ns turn
cd pale again aud trembled. While the
doctor was taking the photograph he
trembled again. / think, sir-I really
tAlnk-that he knew all along that the
man was going to die. but when IL came
70 the moment he was afraid. III IL had
depended upon him, Oxbye would be alive
still"
.He was q conseuting party. Well: for
the moment both of you keep perfect sill
Ouce. Don't discuss the thing with each