Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-12-04

by her visitors. Whether was right
in my suppositions could not tell
then, but / knew that I should in all
probability be A'rmittcd a better OPP
portunity of Judging later on. We
crossed the little bridge, and passed
along the high road for upwards of
mile, until we found ourselves
standing at the entrance to one of
the prettiest little country resi-
dences it has ever been my lot to
find. a drive, some 30 yards or so in
length. led up to the house and was
shaded by overhanging trees. The
house itself was of two stories and
was covered by crecpers. The gar
den was scrupulously neat, and | fan
cied that l could detect its mistress
hand in it. Shady walks led from it
in various directions. end at the end
of one of these could discern tall,
restless figure, pacing up and down.
There is my uncle" said the girl,
referring to the figure l have just
described. "That is his sole occupa-
ton. He likes it because it is the
only part of the garden in which he
can move about without guide.
How empty and hard his life must
seem TO him now. MIR. Fairfax"
at must indeed" I replied. "To
my thinking blindness is one of the
worst ills that can happen to a man.
1t must be particularly hard 20 one
who has led such a vigorous die as
your uncle has done"
l could almost have declared that
she shuddered at my words. Did she
know more about her uncle and his
past life than She liked 10 think
about? | remembered one or two
expressions he had let fall in his eX-
element when he had been talking
to me, and how | had commented
upon them as being strange words
To come from the lips of Il mission
ary. | had often wondered whether
the story he had told me about their
life in China. and Iiaylc's connection
with it, had been a true one. The
tenaciousncss with which a China
man clings to the religion of his fore
fathers is proverbial. and could not
remember having ever heard that a
mandarin, or an official of high rank,
had been converted to the Christian
faith. Even if he had, it struck me
as being highly improbable that he
would have been the posscssor of
such princcly treasure, and. even sup
posing that to be true, that he
would. at his death, leave il to such
man as kitwatcr. No, l fancied {
we could only get at the truth of the
story, we should find that it was n
good deal more picturesque, not to
use a harsher term. than we mag
med. For moment | had almost
been tempted to believe that the
stones were IlaYlc's property. and
that these two men were conducting
their crusade with the intention Of
robbing him of them. Yet, on
maturer reflection. this did not Fl in.
tainly been mutiliajcd as they" de-
scribod, and also their hatred of
liayle TO be weighed in one balance,
while Hayle's manifest fear of them
could be set in the other.
"lf ! am not mistaken that is your
step, Mr.. Fairfax" said the blind
man, stopping suddenly in his walk,
and turning his sightlcss face in my
direction. ITS wonderful how the
loss of ones sight sharpens ones
ears. ! suppose you met Margaret
on the road?'
81 met Miss Kitwater in the
churchyard," replied.
"A very good meeting place" he
/ chucklod, sarconicIlly "I's where
most of Us meet each other sooner
or later. Upon my word. | think the
dead are lucl;ier than the living. In
any case they are more fortunate
than poor devils like Codd and my.
self. But ] am keeping you stand
ing, won't you sit down somewhere
and tell me your news? | have been
almost counting the minutes for your
here to-day unless you had some
thing important to communicate tc
me. You have found Hayle?"
He asked the question with fever
ish eagerness, as if he hoped within
a few hours to be clus hing at The
others throat. l could see that hi,
niece noticed it too, and that she re-
coiled a little from him in consc
qucnce. ! thcreupon set to work anc
told them OF all that had happened
since ! had last seen them, described
my lucky meeting with IIayle al
Charing Cross, my chase after hin