The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-06-12

Did he not fancy he was sent out by
the Colonial Office, when he had real
ly gone without leave or mission?
And did he not persuade her to give
up her money to him for investment,
and after all never invest it? What
greater proofs of insanity could you
have than those? And then that
dreadful fever at Spanish Town, and
the shock of losing his kind enter
tainer, worn out with nursing him,
had quite completed the downfall of
his reason. So Ethel Sutherland, in
her pure beautiful woman's soul,
went on believing, as steadfastly as
ever, in the faith and the goodness of
that Cecil Milford that had never
been. His ideal had faded out before
the first touch of disillusioning fact;
hers persisted still, in spite of all the
rudest assaults that the plainest facts
could make upon it. Thank heaven
for that wonderful idealising power
of good woman, which enables her
to walk unsullied through this sordid
world, unknowing and unseeing.
At last one night, one terrible
windy night in December, Ethel
Sutherland was wakened from her
sleep in the quiet little school house
by fearful glare falling fiercely up
on her bedroom window. She jumped
up hastily and rushed to the little
easement to look out towards the
place whence the glare came. One
thought alone rose instinctively in
her white little mind-could it be at
Cecils Asylum? Oh, horror, yes; the
whole building was in flames, and if
Cecil were taken-even poor mad inn
beetle Cecil-what, what on earth
would then be left her?
Huddling on few things hastily,
anyhow, Ethel rushed out wildly
into the street, and ran with incred-
iblespeed where all the crowd of the
town was running together, towards
the blazing Asylum. The mob knew
her at once, and recognized her sad
claim; they made little lane down the
surging mass for her to pass through,
till she stood beside the very fremen
at the base of the gateway. 1t was an
awful sight-poor mad wretches raw
ing and imploring at the windows,
while the firemen piled their hose and
brought their escapes to bear as best
they were able on one menaced tier
after another. But Ethel saw or
heard nothing, save in one third floor
window of the right wing, where
Cecil Milford stood, no longer speech
less and imbecile, but calling loudly
for help, and f1inging his eager arms
wildly about him. The shock had
brought him back his reason, for the
moment at least: oh, thank God,
thank God, he saw her. he saw herl
With a sudden wild cry Ethel
burst from the iremen who tried to
hold her back, leaped into the burn
ing building and tore up the blazing
stairs, blinded and scorched, but by
some miracle not quite suffocated,
-, till she reached the stone landing on
the third story. Turning along the
well known corridor, now filled with
black wreaths of sitting smoke, she
reached at last Cecil's ward, and
flung herself madly, wildly into his
circling arms. For moment they
both forgot the awful death that
girt them round on every side, and
Cecil, rising one second superior to
himself, cried only, "Ethel, Ethel,
Ethel. 1 love you; forgive me" Ethel
pressed his hand in hers gently, and
answered in an agony of joy, 'There
is nothing to forgive, Cecil; l can
die happy now, now that have once
more heard you say you love me,
you love me-"
Hand in hand they turned back
toward the blazing staircase, and
reached the window at the end where
the firemen were now bringing their
escape-ladder to bear on the third
story. The men below beckoned
them to come near and climb out on
the ladder, but just at that moment
something behind seemed incompre-
hensibly to fascinate and delay
Cecil, so that he would not move a
step nearer, though Ethel led him on
with all her might. She looked back
to see what could be the reason, and
beheld the floor behind them rent by
the flames, and great gap spread
ing downward to the treasurer's
room. On the tiled floor a few dozen
pence and shillings and other coins
lay, white with heat, among the glow
ing rubbish; and the whole mass gilt
tering like gold in the fierce glare,
seemed some fiery cave filled to the
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