The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-09-19

begged for me from Sir Gasnard HAWKE
l did not Ike lying under even such
trifing obligation TO the man: but in the
circumstances there was nothing TO do
but to thank my host and the baronet.
and take my seat in the dogcart in which
Sir Gaspard Rad driven over The baronet
climbed up beside me. and the groom
jumped up behind. and in another mo-
ment we were of.
The frost was biting. and there was
keen. searching wind in our faces which
made conversation difficult Little was
saiS on ;he way. Sir Gaspard drove. as
he always did. at breakneck speed. and
the wheels Of the dogcart few round on
the hard frozen road.
When we reached a point about half
way between my house and the Abbey l
| Offered to get down; but the baronet an
swered impatiently. No. no. ] will put
you across the Brent" and turned sharp
~ into the road that led down to the
| bridge II was the very same road he
had Travelled on that fatal night. l won
dered IL he had remembered ii when he
proposed to take me across the bridge
Having dropped the groom at the top Of
! the hill, to find MS way home on foot, We
proceeded to make the descent to the
river bank At first all went well. The
two powerful horses Sir Gaspard was
driving settled down steadily to push back
against the heavy four-wneeled dogcart
behind them. and Sir Gaspard had them
well in hand. But as the descent became
sleeper the pace became faster and faster,
till at length / ventured TO ask the baronet
IL anything was wrong.
81 think something must be wrong with
the brake he muttered between his
teeth. leaning on the lever with all his
force. 81 can't make II bite
Then, from the sudden jump they gave.
ii seemed to me that something had start
led the horses. At any rate away they
went down the hill at a terrific speed,
quite beyond control.
II must send the devils along" shouted
the baronet TO me. land ease them down
going up the other side. It's our only
chance You had better slip off behind
! while you can"
The advice was good, and l proceeded
! to profit by ii. Clambering over the low
| back of the seat, / perched myself on the
| back seat of the dog cart, which was now
swaying as If every moment it would
overturn.
i was ia the act of feeling for the step
| with my foot when sensation of cold
| clariny cold-came over me, exactly as
! though we had driven into a thick fog. /
| looked round, and to my amazement saw
| that another man was sitting beside Sir
| Gaspard in the seat l had just left. / was
| duly wondering whether he had come to
help the baronet to pull in the runaway
| horses, when I noticed that the thick
overcoat he wore was soaking wet.
| My God, what a cry. 1t came from Sir
Gaspard. Till that moment l believe my
companions attention had been so riveted
| upon his horses that he did not know that
| some one was by his side / looked at him.
| His round, 1eshy face was fabby and
white as chalk. He sat hudded up togeth-
er in a corner of the seat, shrinking with
| deadly terror. In another moment |, too,
had seen it-had seen the dead face of
| JeTmyn Hawke.
| There is no comparison between the fear
| of man, of wild beast, of fire, or water,
or anything natural, and the fear that
now frOze the very blood in my arteries. 1
knew that l could neither speak nor move
it was as If, all unprepared, / had en-
| tered in behind the veil 1 could only sit
and gaze and tremble.
| | cannot remember any expression in
| the face, except that it was like the face
| of a man who had been drowned-whte
| and sodden through being long in the
| water.
The horses were now going like mad
| things. And then l saw the stranger put
out his hand and lay hold of the reins,
drawing them to the left, and thus head
| ing the horses TO the low wall which now
| formed the barrier between the road and
| the river. Even then l could not move /
was simply like man paralyzed.
| There were a few seconds of sickening
| suspense-then bound and a crash The
| heavy carriage had been lifted clean over
| the low wall and had plunged into the
| river eight feet below. / was thrown out
bodily and fell against the wall.
| The screaming and plunging of the
| horses did not last long. for the current
soon swept carriage and horses far away.
Half stunned by my fall. | staggered to
| my feet and peered over the wall through
| the darkness. And there in the gloom,
| beneath my feet, | saw small, thin form
| erouching on the steep-sloping, Shiny bank
of the stream, bending over the inky black
water and holding something down-some
| thing that moved.
| When next | opened my eyes there was
nothing to be seen but the water rushing
furiously on between the piers of the
| bridge and the black sky above me. But
| for the sound of moving water there was
| silence.
| THE F(DA