The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-07-23

1t was hllt 1 cildrfGu lIuS llIttlt-l loOh
it awar With me: and now. Miss eli
CYNTHIA. lccuse YOU OF having burn
cG Sir .Iasper's will. You cannot deny
it-I have the proofs.
Veronica stood like one turned TO
stone. She had lost all power Of speech.
The girl continued
Il can form no idea why you did it
that does not concern me-perhapS II
was for your own interest. They SAID
in the servants hall that Sir Jasper
had left you money: perhaps the VIII
you destroyed took it from YOU.
There was fash aS OF IRE from Iie
dark eyes.
y do not wish 10 do you any harm:
miss. | have not mentioned Wnat i
saw 10 any one. and | never will: but
YOU must give me five hundred pounds
for keeping YOUR Secrect. Give me that.
and / will promise. ! will swear that
no allusiOn TO what have seen Shall
ever pass my lips. Givem me that and l
will bring the charred fragment to
YOU. ! do not wish to harm you. but
Providence has given me this chance
and must make the most of it. From
that one moment l said to myself that
| would keep your secret until | could
use it. Give me five hundred pounds.
and l will be as faithful as death TO
YOU
Then the power Of speech came to
Veronica.
Even if would condescend to bribe
YOU" she said, Il could not: | have
not five hundred pounds OF my own IN
the world"
You have rich lover" returned
the girl, with a significant smile. Sir
Mare would give you anything i'll the
world-hiS hearts blood if you needed
it,
"Hushl" said Veronica, sternly. i
will not allow you to say such words. =
You may do what you like, miss
shall keep to my word. Ifyou give me
five hundred pounds. l will never
revea! your secret: if not, Will DetraI
it"
What if | refuse" said Veronica.
Tell me the worst" In her heart she
knew the worst muStacome: 1t was as
impossible for her to find five hundred
pounds as it would have been to ind
five thousand.
The worst as. that if l fail to get
the money from you, l must try 10 ma
out who is the next most interested IN
the matter. There is one thing that
YOU cannot deny. Miss di Cyntha-you
burned the will" She paused with a
sudden cry. .,
Unperceived by either, Sir Marc had
entered through the open window, ana
stood with a horrOr-strlcken lace: lis
tening to the last few terrible words.
With an air of terrible bewllderment
he looked from one to the other: Feron-
ica was white as death. the servant
girl insolent in full triumph OF
her accusation: in the knowledge
of her victory. Veronica ooke.d
round when she saw the sudden
dawn Of fear in the girls eyes
She uttered no cry when she saw her
lover. but cold terrible shudder seized
her. He came to her and took her
hand. .
What is the matter, Veronica?
What does this inSOlent woman say:
Why do you allow her to insult you?"
Truth is no insult, Sir Marc" put
in Morton.
Say the word, and l will send for a
policeman, and will give her into Gus
tody. l heard a little Of what has
passed, and l see she is trying to eX-
tort money from you-why not order
her from the house?"
"Ah, why not?" cried Morton, in
Solently. ''As you say, Sir Marc, why
nOt?"
u take the duty upon myself" he
said: II order you not only to quit the
room, but to quit the house. Lady
Brandon will approve Of what ! have
done when she hears Of your conduct:
u shall not leave the room, Sir
Mare" she replied quietly, until l
have Miss di Cyntha's answer. She
knows what want: let her say II she
will give it to me-"
You know that l cannot" she
answered.
Sir Mare looked at her in bewilder-
ment.
Surely you are not willing to COM
promise with this woman, Veronica:
She must be punished-any attempt to
extort money is crime that the law
Furnishes very severely. DO not speak
to her-leave her to me-
Then he paused in beWildered Won
der: there was something he did not
understands shrinking fear in Nero-
nica's face and an iEsolent triumph in
the maids. Where was the lndlgna-
tion, the just anger, that she should
feel? What could it mean? With a
restless, uneasy gaze he looked from
one to the other. The dark eyes OF the
woman he loved had never met his
own.
~ heard what passed." he said. Il
was bringing YOU these Gloire de Dijon
roses, Veronica, and heard this insol-
ent woman say that you had burned a
will-that you could not deny 1t. 1
know the meaning OF that. She brings
this false accusation against you, mean
ing to extort money from you. and you
very properly refuse to give it to her.
She ought to be sent to prison."
Stop, Sir Marc" said the woman
angrily-''you speak too fast. ASK my
mistress whether my charge against
her is false or not"
Il will not insult Miss di Cynthia by
any such question, he replied.
1uSu SOU oIS uilyQSe. oi1S SestN-
You accuse me Of bring false charge;
ask Miss di Cynthia whether that
charge is true or falSe-she will not
deny it if you ask her."
Still there came no words from the
white lips that were closed so strange
ly.
81 refuse to do any such thing he
returned.
Again, Sir Marc, say that you are
unjust. l accuse Miss di Cynthia Of
having in her own room, unknown to
every one, and, as she thought, unseen
by every one, wilfully burned Sir Jas
per Brandon's last will and testament.
More than that, can prove that she
did 50. Now, Sir Marc, look from her
to me-which OF US looks guilty." .
He looked at Veronica as though half
expecting an indignant denial. None
came.
Miss di CYNTHIA" she continued,
tell Sir Mare, who accuses me OF
bringing a false charge, whether you