Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-01-13
CHAPTER XIV


With feeling of relief Hanbury walk
ed rapidly away. The last words of Leigh
had stirred within him once more th'
trouble which had made him Shirk meet
ing his mother that morning. The burn
ing down of Leigh's place and the destruc
ton of the wonderful clock would atforc
a story to be told when he got home, anC
he might interpose that history between
the first words of meeting and the ulti
mate announcement that the engagement
between Dora and himself was at ar
end.
When he got back home he heard, with
great relief, that Mrs. and Miss Grace
were at luncheon in the dining-room with
Mrs. Hanbury. The presence of the two
visitors and the general nature of the
conversation necessary to their presence
and the meal would serve as an admirable
softener of the story he had for his moth
er's private ear.
Some reference brought in Leigh's
name. and then Hanbury told of the fire,
the destruction of the clock, his meeting
that morning with the dwarf and the con-
viction of the latter that he would not
long survive the destruction of his in
comparable machine. He noticed as he
went on that Miss Grace first flushed and
then paled.
The girl had hardly spoken up to this.
She sat silent and timid. She did not
seem to hear quickly or to apprehend ac-
curately. She had hesitated in her an
swers like one afraid. The table was
small, and laid for four people. Hanbury
sat opposite his mother, Edith opposite
her grandmother. The heat was intense.
There was buzzing and beating in the
girls ears. All at once she hastily put
one hand to her left side and the other
to her forehead and rose, swaying softly
to and fro.
IL" she whispered, but could say
no more.
Hanbury caught her, or she would have
fallen. The two ladies got up.
''She is not WELL" said the old woman,
excitedly. "She has eaten nothing fol
days!"
The girl reclined, cold and pale as mar
BILE, in the young mans arms. Her eyes
were half closed, her lips half open. He
half led her, half lifted I, to couch.
Restoratives such as sto, at hand were
applied, but she did not .aite recover.
She was not exactly unconscious. This
was no ordinary faint.
The ladies were terrified, and Hanbury
ran off for a doctor. When he came back,
the girl had been got upstairs. She was
still in the same state, not quite con-
scious, and not quite insensible. The doc
tor made a long examination, and heard
all that was TO be told. When he came
down to the dining room, where Hanbury
was excitedly walking up and down, he
said the case was serious, but not exactly
dangerous, that is, the patients life was
in no imminent peril. She had simply
been overwrought and weakened by want
of food, and Jared by suppressed and con
tending emotions. There was no organic
disease, but the heart had been function
ally affected by the vicissitudes of the
past few days acting on an organism of
exquisite sensibility. Quiet was the best
medicine, and, after quiet, careful
strengthening, and then tho drugs men
toned in his prescription. But above all,
quiet.
Hanbury took up the prescription and
hastened off with it. On his way back
from the druggist he reverted to the past
of Leigh:
"Yes, I owed the Introduction to him.
I freely forgive him now. He, too, was
the means of breaking off the Ashton af
fair. I must write at once. I have
behaved badly in not doing so before. III
write the moment when 1 get back home
Yes, 1 must write when 1 get back, and
then I'll put the affair ont Of my mind
altogether, for good and ever"
When he had finished letter to Dora
he closed it without reading it over.
when one reads over letter like this"
he thought, zone grows nice about
phrases and tries to alter it, and finally
tears it up. l am satisfied that if tried
all day long 1 should do no better than
this. shall post it myself when so out.
That letter is a great weight off my mind,
r oh I.-s,, IL.
break the matter to my mother. When
that is over shall feel that l am free"
The next morning he received a mes
sage requesting him to call upon Leigh,
at his new lodgings. He found the dwarf
In bed. A woeful change had taken place
In face and frame.
81 sent for you because I have some
thing on my mind: and, as you are the
only man who knows all the secret of
Mystery Gold, and my deputy winder,
want you to do me service Will you?"
were Leigh's first words.
Anything that an honest and honor
able man may do, 1 will do for you with
pleasure. If can possibly" said Han
bury, shocked and subdued by the change
In the clockmaker's appearance.
"Are you going to see the Ashton's
soon?'
"No." Hamburg Redeemed. but he was
standing with is back to the light. 'The
family are leaving town suddenly"
Are you going. too?
"No." Hanbury was anything but
pleased with all this, but who could be
angry with a dying man, and such a
dying man, too?
IF you were going should like to send
q message. But Of course you cannot be
going IL they are leaving town. I told
roc I have some money of my own.
have made my will since I saw you.
After my mothers death all will go, /
mean the yearly interest of all will go in
equal shares to any hunchbacks that
apply for shares. The conditions will be
advertised in the papers"
Il think yon could not have done bet
ter with IT," said Hanbury. cordially.
"Yes. When you see her next, tell her
I gave up all thought of making Miracle
Gold, because she said she wished rue to.
/ know it is not fair of me to keep you
here. You want to go. Say good-by to
An- before she leaves town. You must |
NIT stay here any longer. Will you say |
sSod-by to me also? Two good-bys in one |
day, One to her and one to me-"
Hanbury rose and held out his hand,
sayinss "Good-bx."