Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-11-03
Continued.

said. They passed silently through
the Vicar Court, then Bertha paused
Il am just going into the cathedral
for a moment, she said, 4 LETT my
umbrella IN the aisle at afternoon SER
vice somebody may carry it off II =,
is left
But the great doors will be locked, -
said Esperance.
Yes, but have both the keys we
will come in here and go out by the
west door--it will cut of corner,
She quietly opened the massive
door. and locked it behind them. The
light within was already growing dim
owing to the stained glass windows;
they looked about for the umbrella,
walking slowly down the aisle to the
closed gate which led into the nave,
but as it was not to be found, Bertha
unlocked the gate.
Il am afraid we must give il up,
she said in a strained unnatural voice;
athe only place we did not look in
was the yestry; It is just possible
that one Of the vergers may have put
It there; just run and see, viii you?
Esperm.ce obeyed, walking halfway
up the aisle, and trying the yestry
door but i, was fast locked, then she
turned back to reioin her cousin,
auickening her steps as she saw that
she had gone into the nave. The iron
gate was closed; she supposed Ber-
tina had left it on the latch but no, It
was securely fastened, and pull or
push as she would. the gate would not.
yield. Was Bertha playing her a
trick, she wondered She called after
her. feeling half amused, half fright
ened her voice echoed long through
the yautcd roof, but there was no re-
ply. only she could see that BerthaI
walked more quickly, and the next
moment the great west door closed be-
hind her the key grated in the lock,
and Esperance was left alone in the
cathedral
For an instant she stood half petri-
fed with establishment, then glancing
round she saw that Bertha had thrown
down her cloak within the choir aisle,
and beside it a little three-cornered
note; she opened this eagerly and
read the few lines, which had evident
ly been written with trembling
hand:
Forgive me, dear Esperance;
would not have left you in this way
but / feared YOU suspected me last
night. aud we could not bear really 90
tmpIicate granuie; the blame of this
will fall on 10 one but ourselves. We
shall travel all tonight, tomorrow, by
the time you are released, | think
We shall be married. once more fer
give me, and love me stjll If You can.
Bertha.
The note fell from Esperauces
hand, and great cry of despair rang
through the cathedral Dertha had
eloped with George, and she the only
person who knew OF It, was perfectly
helpless! The horror of that mo-.
ment. the dismay of that discovery
altogether urherved her she turned
giddy. and sunk down on the cold
stones. her hand pressed against her
temples as IL to stay the fearful
thoughts which flashed through her
brain. The cathedral was locked ~
for the night the yergers had been
their rounds, no one would go up to|
the belrry even for the Curfew had
been rung. At the deauery no one
would dream that anything was
amiss; they thought them safely At
Mrs, PASSWORDS; they were at this
very moment going on with their usa-'
al routine-the dean perhaps In his
observatory Corueha and Christabel
quietly reading ana working, all with
In five minutes walk Of her, and yet e
was as impossible TO let them know
those terrible tdings, as If they had
been at the North Pole And when
the dean did know. would it not al
most break his heart II must. must.
be prevented Again she read through
the note of explanation, and dwalt
once more ON the words, we shall
Tayel all night" They would prob
ably start by the $50 express and
already IL must be nearly time for it,.
even as she thought OF il the chimes
struck the Aalf hour and the distant
shrek of q railway whistle made itself
heard. Again that wall OF anguish
broke from Esperance, and reyerber-
ated through the vast emptiness OF the
cathedral she sprung to her feet, and
sort of madness seemed TO seize her.
she pulled and shook the iron gate as
II she would have torn il from its
hinges, then remembering that this
would only lead TO the nave, and more
locked doors She rushed 70 the east
ern end OF the aisle and Knocked and
hammered with all her might at the
south door But the door was far from
a thoroughtare, and no one was likely
70 hear her. once she caught the
sound OF footsteps passing on the
pathway a few hundred yards from
her, and knew that Il must be the po-
iiceman on his rounds, and she called
and knocked With the strength Of de-
spair but the echoes only Knocked
her voice. the pondorous door seemed
70 let no sound penetrate il. and the
footsteps died away i'm the distance
Il was of no Use