The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-26

in London, he said: and so, after an
effustive farewell, he departed.
Mrs. de Burgh fingered in Italy, but,
to the satisfaction of her heir, made a
will which Incorporated her private
savings with the entailed property.
Dick Ashton worked and family hop
ed. Moreover, he sold his work. He
was all the more diligent because Mac
dermot was very busy about some mys-
ferrous law business "of great impor-
lance, faith" as he said himself. He
was always running to and fro between
Dublin, Manchester and Edinburgh.
Whatever his quest, he seemed highly
pleased with his success, and from
time TO time pronounced this uncon-
nected eulogism on his own shrewd-
ness and penetration.
In the midst of this tranquility came
a bolt from the blue. Mrs. de Burgh
had died suddenly at Rome.
There was mourning and lamenta-
ton at Thoresby Chase, and a huge
funeral, when the poor lady's remains
were brought back to lie among those
of her foretathers. Hugh de Burgh was
solemn and imposing as chief mourn
er, but exultant at heart at having
come into his kingdom, and, though
still bitter at Grace's steady rejection
of his advances, and by no means re-
covered from his passion for her, on
the whole thankful that he was not
hampered by a low-born wife.
The day after the funeral a strange
rumor began to be whispered among
the domestics and personal attendants
in the great house-that some desper-
ate adventurer had put in a claim to
the property-the child, it. was suppos-
ed, of the late lady's soldier brother,
who had fallen in the Crimea. 1t was
nonsense, of course, but might give
trouble. This strange report gave ev-
cry one a great deal to talk about, and
it was remarked that, instead of re-
manning to transact business and go
into matters with the agent and the
late lady's secretary, the new lord of
Thoresby went off back to London.
Two evenings after. while every one
was oppressed with a sense of coming
trouble, Grace and her grandmother
were almost frightened by the unex-
pected arrival of DR.. Macdermot, in
state of mixed gravity and excite
ment.
my dear ladies'" he said, you'll ex-
cuse this intrusion when l tell you my
errand. First of all, let me congrat-
ulate you, Miss de Bourgh-for that's
what you are, no Lesson coming into
your property. Now, just sit down and
keep quiet" for both had exclaimed
THE day Ashton showed me your
portrait my dear young lady, l
thought I knew your face, so 1 went
home and thought and thought till
was able to place it. The face yours
reminded me of was of a sweet, ele-
CANT creature, the wife of Harry de
Burgh, a great friend of mine. Well, l
knew the pair of them, an twas they
were the happy pair. By and by came
the inevitable baby. was at the chris
tening-just before sailing for India.
Next l heard of the death of the sweet
mother, then my poor de Burgh went
off on someone's staff to the Crimea,
and was among the first shot by those
numbering Russians. Well, when
came down here and saw you," wav-
rig his hand to Grace, II saw the like
ness stronger than ever 'Begad, said
l to myself, I'll look into this matter,
and this is what 1 did.
Mark me-" he exclaimed, checking
off the heads of his discourse with a
fat forefinger on each digit of the left
hand. First, l went hot-foot off to
Dublin to the barracks, and looked up
the registers of that bad year when
the typhus fever ragged. There l found
that Sergeant and Mrs. Norton and
their little girl all died, and were bur-
led in a churchyard near by. l saw
the stone put up by poor de Burgh.
Then 1 went off to Leeds, and copied
the register of the marriage. Then
came back to the church at Bayswater,
where the baby was christened. and
found the entry of the baptism of the
child, and copied that. Next-and this
was the stiffest job of ALL called on
the family lawyers in Lincoln's Inn
Fields, and told my tale to a tremen-
dous Snuff the Moon of a chap, who
spoke to me as If 1 was not fit to dust
his shoes. Faith, 1 made him change
that tune.
II showed him my copies of the reg
listers, and asked him to go and look
for himself. Then he remembered that
in his fathers time, Maj. Harry de
Burgh made some provision for the
education and maintenance of a child
called Grace Norton. but did not give
any explanation, so they all concluded
it was an illegitimate daughter. But
the cash was now all expended-that
was all he knew. Then an old gray
headed clerk came in with a telegram,
and Mr.. Freshfield-the head of the
concentrated him if he knew of any
communication from the late Major
de Burgh subsequent to his sailing for
the Crimea.
L OOn KNOW OF any, sir, but every
paper concerning his affairs is in the
deed box bearing his initials replied
the clerk.
'Ah. just SOL says Snuff-the- Moon.
You see, sir, l can really give you no
information.
with that the old clerk says, IF I
might suggest, Mr.. Nichols, who has
since set up for himself, was on rather
friendly terms with the late Maj de
Burgh, and he might have had some
private communication Snuff-the-
Moon said it was highly improbable.
However. l got Nichols address-and
sure enough Nichols had a packet con-
fided to his care and labelled, Not to
be given to anyone save myself or one
authorized by me- Nichols did not
know that de Burgh was married at
the time. so he kept the parcel.
Anyhow, we talked 1t over, and the
upshot was we opened the parcel, and
there we found full confession of ev-
erything: so we are just on a road Of
velvet. l have taken the liberty of ap-
pointing Nichols your solicitor. In
oil l.