Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-26
ed in little i'm, where suppose the man
having made his escape, left me-
Chapter ".

oNei eAtitSiittiit anu diildZeIleHt
that 1 knew the man and his story and the
place whence she had been taken; that
had heard the tale from my father years
ago. 1T was Colonel Porter who picked
| you up-Colonel Porter, and he saved his
life by it, 1 cried beside myself at the
discovery 1 had made. TT was Colonel
Porter, in the great riot at Norwich
"Ah?" she said slowly, looking away
from me and speaking so cooily ard
strangely to surprise and damp me.
Yet l persisted. Yes" l said "the
story IS we'll known: at least that par: of
it. But and there l stopped dunn
| founded and gaping.
But what?" she asked sharply, and
looked at me again, the color risen in her
face.
.'But-you are only eighteen" I said
timidly. ''And the Norwich riot was in
the war time. L dare say, thirty years
ago."
She turned to me in a sort of passion.
We'll, sir. and what of that?" she cried.
do you think me thrty?'
No, indeed" l answered. And at the
most she was nineteen.
Then don't you believe me?'
/ cried out too at that, but boy-like, I
was SO proud of my knowledge and acute
ness that l could not let the point lie.
"All l mean" l explained lis that to have
been alive then and at Norwich you must
be thirty now. And
And was it -" she answered, flying out
at me in a fine fury, who said anything
about Norwich? Or your dirty riots? Or
your Porter, whose name l never heard be-
fore? Go away. l hate you I hate you."
she continued, passionate,y waving me off.
You make up things and then put them
on me. L never said word about Nor
wich."
Il know you did not" I protested.
"Then why did you say l did o. she wall
ed. why did you say l did? You are
wretch
And straightvay dissolvins in tears and
scbs she at one and the same time showed
NE another side Of love, and reduced me TO
the utmost depths of despair: wherce l
was not permitted to emerge, nor reinstat-
cd in the least degree of favor until l had
100 times abased myself before her, and
vas ready to curse the day when 1 first
heard the name of Porter. Still, peace was
at last and with infinite difficulty restored
nay, so complete was cur redntegratio
. that presently ventured to recur
to her tale and to the strange coincidence
that had divided us; which did not seem so
very remarkable, however, second
thoughts, seeing that she could not now re-
member that she had said word about
booths or stalls in her story, but would
have it l had inserted these particulars;
the men III her case having been hunted
she fancied, but could not at this distance
of time remember very clearly-among the
seats of kind of bail ring, circus, erect
ed in the market place. which, of course,
made q good dea! of diferehce.
Notwithstanding this discrepancy, how
ever, and though taught by experience, l
fastened TO agree with her that the secret
of her birth was not likely TO be discovered
in a moment. or by so simple process as
the journey to Norwich, which had been
going to suggest; it was natural that we
should often revert TO the subject and to
ler pretensions: ard the hardship of her
lot and the ardor and discussion of my
questions giving flip to her memory,
scarcely a day passed but she recovered
.l1f, 4 oct q
time a service of gold plate which she per-
fectly remembered she had seen on her
fathers sideboard. and at another time an
accident that had befallen her in her child
hood. through her fathers coach and SIX
horses being overturned in a slough. Such
particulars land others as pertinent ana ro-
mantle, on which | will not lnSep gave US
Il certainty of her past consequence ana
her future fortune, were her parents once
known and while they served to augment
the respect liz which my love he'd her
gradually and almost impercept1biy, LED mel
to take q higher tone with me, ana even
on occasions to carry herself toward me
with an air of mystery, as II there were
still some things which she had not confid-
ed tc nc.
This attitude on her part. which in itself
panied me extremely, and still more the
fear naturally arising frcm 1t, that II she
came by her own I should Immediately lose
her, forced me to make the acquaintance
OF vet another side of love- by throwing me-
l mean, into such fever of suspicion and
jealousy as made me for q period the most
unhappy of men. From this plight my mis-
tress, exercising the privilege of ner sex,
made no haste TO relieve me. On the con-
trary, by affecting an increased reserve and
asserting that her movements were watch
ed, she prolonged my doubts: nor when
this treatmen had wrought the desired end
of reducing me to the lowest depths, and
she at length consented to meet me: did
she entirely relent or abandon her reserve;
or if she did so, on rare occasions, 1t was
only to set me some task as the price of her
cCmpiaisance or to expose me to some trial
by which she might prove my devotion.
In word, while l became hopelessly en-
shaved, even to the fioggins of q boy at her
word, or procuring dress far above my
station-merely that she might me by
stealth in it and judge of my air, which
were two of her caprices-She appeared to
be further removed from me every day,
and at each meeting granted me fewer
privileges. Whether this treatment had it's
origin in the natural instinct of a woman
deliberately chosen as better caicu-
lated to increase my suhServience, it had
the latter effect, and to such an extent that
when she at length condescended to meet
me- and preached plan that earlier would
have raised my hair l asked 10 better than
to do her bidding, and instead of pointing
out the folly of her proposal, fell in with it
with scarcely murmur.
Her plan, when she communicated It to
me, which she did in the end with an air
of mystery, and the same assumption of
secret withheld that had tormented me be-
fore. amounted to nothing less than an
evening sally into the town on the occasion
of the approaching visit of tie Duke of
York. who was to lie one night at Ware on
his way to Newmarket. Mr. d. had issued
the strictest orders that all should keep the
house during this visit, not 50 much out of
n proper care for the boys morality
Though the gay crowd that followed the