Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-12-08
Won by w aiting.
EDNA LYALL.
EDNA LYALL~

Right, said Lady WOrthington.
And now who is the squire you
know him, but he lives a long way
from here"
The squire of a country parish,
| and know him!" said Esperance,
much puzzled. Then with a sudden
| mountaineering. Henderson. can
| il be Mr.. Henderson,"
Yes, it really is" said Lady
Warrington, smiling You and
Madame Lemercier, you see. have
| Frances"
Esperance was really very much
| pleased at this piece of news, and
| Lady Worthington visit had cheered
| and refreshed her.
You always do me good she
said. gratefully. DO you remember
that first time when you came to see
me on the jour des morris? That will
| be just four years ago tomorrow"
Lady Worthington remembered the
visit well enough. Could it be only
| four years ago? How much had hap
pened since then to her poor little
| protege She was taken upstairs to
| see Noel; and just as they passed
| Claude's room the door was opened
| and Esperance, reckoning her in, took
! her to the bedside.
She was greatly shocked at first
indeed she could hardly believe that
| it was Claude at all, so greatly was
he changed. He was in a state OF
stupor, lying perfectly still, and
breathing heavily. His head had
been shaved that morning, and this
of course made him look much more
i'll. The sick-nurse had just left the
room, and ESperance, putting on a
clean muslinette apron and bib, took
her place by the bed and began to
change the ice bladders. 1t was evil
IDENTITY a great relief to her to be able
TO do anything, and she was en-
crossed heart and soul in the present;
but Lady Worthington trembled when
she thought of the probable future.
:, Leaving Esperance with her hus-
band she went down again to the
sitting-room, where she found the
dean waiting for the last accounts of
| Claude. He looked very much aged
and shaken, and Lady Worthington
fancying he could not care to see any
one, would have left after the first
greeting and few words of SYM
pathy, but he begged her almost
pathetically to stay.
IF you could tell me, Lady Worth
ington, what l can possibly do for
| that poor child, she Is wearing her.
self out, and l seem powerless to
help-both their deaths will lie at my
door,"
"Esperance told me that Cornelia
has been the greatest comfort to her, u
said Lady Worthington, anxious to
say something soothing, but the dean
only grew more agitated.
Yes, Corneua can help" he said
piteously, but myself who
caused all the trouble. can do nothing
but watch the effects. Lady Worth
| ington, / am an old man and a
scholar, but now for the first time
have found that all my life has been
! lived for self, and because of that
wrong motive, have been self-de-
| ceived. | see 1t now all too plainly,
but the punishment is very hard, very
| bitter. 1t Is grievous to sit helplessly
by, watching the ruin one has caused
in the present, haunted by the spec
ters of past deeds. My sister
whom you and yourself remember
| Monsieur de Mabillon, his son, even
HIS own chiidren, all rise up before
me with reproaches. | see that you
think this a strange confession for
me to make; but / tell you this that
you may know how all important 1t
is that | should find some means OF
| helping Esperance. You know her
better than any one, you and Miss
| Neville can you not think of some
| thing which | can do to relieve her?'
Lady Worthington' still beautiful
face was full of sympathy; her hui
morous gray eyes we're softened, and
/ beamed with a kindly light, years
ago she had owned to her husband
that she felt that it would be sheer
| imposs.oility to rouse the dean from
| his selfshness to a perception OF his
duties. and now from his own lips
she was hearing that Claude and Es-
perance had succeeded in this. She
paused for moment before answer
| ing, then with the hesitation OF
| one who speaks while yet thinking
out some doubtful point she said
| There Is one way that has just oc-
, CURED to me, in which ! think you
might perhaps help Mrs. Magnay.
know from what she said just now
, how much she longs TO have her
| brother with her-would 1t be pos
sible for him 10 be sent for?"
The dean started to his feet with
| sudden animation.
Lady Worthington, | don't know
how TO thank you enough; she must
surely be relieved by that; and II
has never struck me-you see | am
| not accustomed 10 think of other
| people, | have been self-engrossed
that is the fact. AMI now when long
to see how to help. and what to do,