Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-07-02

lie cannot, l suppose, find anything
mat can do you any harm?"
Supposing he finds those certificates
he showed us?''
"Supposing he does! You are Lord
Penlyn now, at any rate. And it would
give you an opportunity of putting in
claim to his property. You are his heir,
If he has left no will''
His heir! To all his immense wealth ?"
Certainly
Il shall never claim it, and I hope ne
has destroyed every proof Of our rela-
tionship.'
''Why?'
"Why! Because will not the fact that
l held a position which belonged to him,
and was the heir to all his money-of
which l never thought till this moment
give the world cause for suspecting-"
"Whatg'
THAT l am his murderer"
Nonsense! l suppose you could prove
where you were at the time Of his death?'
"No, I could not. I entered the hotel
at two, but there was not creature in
the house awake. l could hear the por-
ter's shores on the floor above, and there
is not living soul to prove whether |
was in at three or not. But this secret
must be told by me, and am going to
Belmont to-day to tell it to Ida
"You must be mad, think" Smerdon
said speaking almost angrily to him.
'"This secret, which only came to light
week ago, is now buried forever, and,
since he is dead, can never be brought up
again. For what earthly reason should
you tell Miss Raughton anything about
it?"
Because she ought to know" the other
answered weakly. 1T is only right that
she should know"
'That you were not Lord Penlyn when
you became engaged to her, but that you
are now. And that Cundall being your
brother, you must mourn him as broth
err, and consequently your marriage must
be postponed for at least year. Is that
what you mean"
Lord Penlyn started.
This had never entered into his head,
and was certainly not what he would
have meant or desired. Postponed for
year! when he was dying to make her his
wife, when the very thought that his
brother might step in and interrupt his
marriage had been the cause of his bru-
tality Of speech to him.
Smerdon was right, his quick mind had
grasped what he would never have
thought of-quite right! he would do we'll
to say nothing about his relationship to
the dead man.
1t is remarkable how easily we agree
with those who show us the way to fur
Their our own ends!
II never thought of that" he said, "and
I could not bear it. After ALL he went
on weakly, you are right! l do not see
any necessity to say anything about it,
and he himself forbade me to do So"
"And for Ida's sake you will not do
500"
''For Ida's sake, and for the reason that
I do not wish his money, ! shall not; and
more especially for the reason that you
have shown me our marriage would be
postponed if | did So
''Then when you go to Belmont, be
careful to hold your tongue
Lord Penlyn did go to Belmont, having
previously sent a telegram saying he was
coming, and he travelled down in one Of
the special trains that was conveying
contingent of fashionable racing people
to the second day at Ascot.
But their joyousness, and the interest
that they all took in the one absorbing
subject, "What would win the Cup"
only made him feel doubly miserable.
And then, when they were tired of dis
cussing the racing, they turned to the
other great subject that was now agitat-
ing peoples minds, the murder in st.
James Park.
''He stood in some ones light" one
gentleman said, whom, from his appear
ance, Lord Penlyn took to be barrister,
"and that person has either removed him
from this earth, or caused him to be re-
moved. I should not like to be his heir,
for on that man suspicion will undoubt
eddy fall, unless he can prove very clearly
that he was miles away from London on
Monday night
penlyn started as he heard these words.
His heir!
Then it would be on him that suspicion
would fall if it was ever known that he
was the heir; and, as he thought that,
among his brothers papers, there might
be something to prove that he was in such
a position, cold sweat broke out upon
his forehead.
When he saw the girl he loved so much
rise wan and pale from the couch on
which she had been seated, waiting for his
coming, his heart sank within him.
How she must have suffered! he
thought. What an awful blow CundalPs
death must have been to her to make her
look as she looked now, as she rose and
stood before him!
my darling Ida!' he said, as he went
toward her and took her in his arms and
kissed her. ''how i'll and sad you look!'
She yielded to his embrace and returned
his kiss. but it seemed to him as if her lips
were cold and lifeless.
'Oh, Gervase!" she said, as she sank
back to the couch YEARLY, ''oh, Gervase!
you do not know the horror that is upon
me. And it is double horror, because at
the time of his death knew of it!''
WHAT he said, springing to his feet
from the chair he had taken beside her.
''What!'
II saw it ALL" she said, looking at him
with large. d;stended eyes. eyes made
doubly large by the hollows roand them.
Il saw it all, only
"Only what, Ida
"Only ii was in a dream! o dream that
l had. almost at the very hour he was
treacherously stabbed to DEATH.
AS she spoke she ieant forward a little
toward him. with her eyes still distended:
leant forward. gazing into his face; and as
she did so he felt the blood curlling in his
veins!
L. - Il