Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-21
CHAPTER XIV.


and inquring why had come down TO
caas;.lt him. The womans people are
anxious 10 place her under restraint; yet
So~ the present there is not quite suff-
c{cat evidence OF insanity to sign the GER
t5ucate hid you oveThear her in the
rex; room :" And seating himself at his
fsb.e he looked at mo through his glasses
vith shat pair OF keen penetrating eyes
thsr sEe had not diramcd or time dullcd.
i heard voices. admitted. That
r-as all" The circumstance was n strange
one. and those words. We're so ominous
chat was determined not to reveal to
hi~a the exact words ] had overheard.
Like many other women patients suf-
fernE from brain trouble. she has taken
violent dislike 10 me, and believes that
Ira inc very devil in human form" he
said smiling. Fortunately she had a
crjond with her. or She might have at
fa5ksd me tooth and nail just now and
leaning back in his chair he laughed at
the iae&-4auglled so lightly that my sus-
picions We're almost disarmcd.
B4t not quite. Had YOU been in my
place YOU would have had your curiosity
sud suspicion aroused to mean degree
-6t only by the words uttered by the
roman and Sir Bernard's defiant reply,
hat ny The fact that the voice sounded
familiar.
man knows the voice of his love above
all The voice that had heard in that
adjoining room was to the best of my be-
Lief that OF Ethelwynn.
with a resolution 10 probe this mystery
slowly and without unseeInly haste l
dropped The subject, and commenced to
ask his advice regarding the complicated
case Of Lady Twicllenham The history
Of j. and the directions he gave me can
serve no purpose If written here, therefore
suffice Il TO say that ] remained to dinner
,,s,, - Ill Nrl- no rty
to London.
While at dinner. a meal served in that
vare stNlc which characterised the
slstere old mans daily life. / commenced
70 talk OF the antics OF insane persons
md their extraordinary antiphaIhies, but
2lickly discerned that he had neither in
,snticn nor desire to speak OF them. lie
replied in those snappy monosyllables
which told me plainly that the subject
was distasteful to him. and when l bade
him good bye and drove to the station l
was more puzzled than ever by his
strange behavior. He was eccentric. it
was true; but ! knew all his little odd
ways resulting from the eccenUicity OF
genius. and could plainly see that his re-
cent indisposition, which had prevented
him from attending at Harley street, was
due "a her TO nerves than TO a chill.
The trains from Brighton to London on
Sunday evenings are always crowded.
mainly by business people compelled to
return TO town in readiness for the toll
Of the coming week. Weekend trlppeTs
and day excursionists fill the compart-
rnents to overf3owing. whether it be chilly
spring or blazing summer, for Brighton is
ever popular with the jaded Londoner
who is enabled to run down without
fatigue and get cheap health-slTlng
seabreeze for a few hours after the busy
turmoil OF the metropolis.
On this Sunday night il was nc eXcep-
ton The frst-class compartment was
crowded. mostly, be it said by third-class
passengers who had tipped the guard,
and when he had started ] noticed in the
far. corner opposite me a pale-faced young
girl of about twenty or so, plainly Dress
ed in shabby black. She was evidently
t4ird-class passenger, and the guard TAX
ing compassion upon her fragile form in
the mad rush for seats had put her into
our carriage. She was not gook-looking.
indeed rather Main; her countenance
wearing a sad, preoccupied expression, al
she leaned her chin upon her hand and
gazed out upon Tie lights of the town we
were leaving.
noticed that her chest rose and fell
IN a deep long-drawn sigh, and that she
wore black cotton gloves, one finger OF
which was worn through. Yes. she was
the picture of poor Responsibility.
The other passengers, tWo OF whom
were probably city clerks with their
loves. regarded her with some surprise
hat she should be first-class passenger,
and there seemed an inclination on the
part of the loudly dressed females to re-
gard her with contempt.
Presently, when We had left the sea,
sud were speeding through the open
country. she turned her sad face from
The window and examined her fellow pas
sengers one after the other until OF sud
Zen her eyes met mine. In an instant she
iroDped them modestly and bus a her
}elf in the pages OF the slN-rennF PRINT
If a popular novel which she carried with
her
In that moment however, I somehow
entertained a belief that we had met be-
fore. Under what circumstances, or
where. I could not recollect. The wistful-
ness of the white face, the slight hollow
ness of the checks, the unnaturaliy dark
eyes. all seemed familiar to me, yet al
EsSush for half an hour l stroVe to bring
hack TO my mind where / had seen her,
Ii was to no purpose. In al probability
had attended her at Guys a doctor
IN q big London hospital sees so many
faces that TO recolect ali is utterly i'm
possible. Many d time l have been &C
costed and thanked by people whom L
have no recollection OF ever having seen
IN nv life, Men do not realize that they
loo}, very different when lying in bed
with a fortnight's growth OF beard 10
when shaver and spruce, as their ordl-
nary habit: While women, when smartly
8resse6 with fashionable hats and himsy
wells, are very different to when in III
ness they lie with hair unbound. faces
ainched, and eyes sunken, which Is
The only recollection their doctor
has OF them. The duchess and the
servant girl present very similar figures
when lying en- a sick bed in a critical
condition.
There was an element Of romantic 1nys-
terry IN that fragile little figure huddied
lip in the far corner OF the carriage.
Once or twice when she believed my gaze
TO be averted she raised her eyes furtlVelS
as though 10 reassure herself OF my
identify and in her restless manner l
discerned q desire TO speak with me. II
was very probable that she was some
Door girl Of the lady's maid or governess
class 10 whom l had shown attention
during an illness. We have SO many ia
the female wards at Guys
But during that journey a turther anu
much more important matter REQUIRED 10
me. eclipsing all thought of the sad-faced
girl opposite. recoliected those "olos
had overheard. and felt more convinced
that the speaker had been none otAei
than Ethelwynn herself
Sometimes when a mans mind is hrniv
Fixed upon an object tho events or ms