The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-08-03

help US.
The idea in my mind when / wrote to
him. and the nature OF my inquiries, will
be easily inferred from his reply. His
letter answered my questions, by COM
municating these important facts:
In the first place, "the late Sir Percival
/ Clyde. OF Blackwater Park" had never
\ set foot In Varneck Hall. The deceased
gentleman was was total ST. stranger to Major
/ In the second place, the late Mr.. Philip
/ Fairlie, OF Limmeridge House" had been,
I'm his younger days. the intimate friend
! Having refreshed his memory by lookNg g
/ back TO old letters and other papers. the
/ major was in position 10 say positively,
\ that Mr.. Philip Fairlie was staying at
| Narneck Hall in the month OF August
/ eighteen hundred and twenty-six. and
that he remained there for the shooting
OF october following. Ho then left to the
best OF the majors belief. for Scotland
and did not return TO Varneck Hall till
after lapse of time. when he reap
peared In the character OF newly mar
Tied man.
Taken by itself. this statement was per-
haps OF little positive value-but. taken
| in connection with certain facts. every
one OF which either Marian or / knew 10
be true. II suggested one plain concln sion
that was. TO our minds. Irresistible.
]
had been at Varneck Hall in the autumn
OF eighteen hundred and twenty six, and
that Mrs. Catherick had been living there
/ in the service at the same time we knew
also: first that Anne had been. born in
June. eighteen hundred and twenty-seven; |;
secondly that she had always presented
! Laura; and thirdly. that Laura herself
| was strikingly like her father. Mr.. Philip
Fairlie had been one OF the VIGOROUSLY
! handsome men of his time In disposition
irlr ha
was the spoiled darling OF society. espe-
cially OF the women-an easy. lght-heart-
ed. impulsive, affectionate man; generous
10 fault. constitutionally lax in his
principles, and notoriously thoughtless OF
moral obligations where women were con-
cerned. such were the facts we knew;
such was the character OF the man. Sure
ly. the plain inference that follows needs
no pointing out2
Read by the new light which had now
broken upon me. even Mrs Cafherick's
letter i'm despite OF herself rendered it's
mite OF assistance toward strengthening
The conclusion AT which I had arrived.
She had described Mrs: Fairlie dn writ
ing TO me) as "plain-looting" and as hav-
ing 'entrapped the handsomest man In
England into marrying her" Both as
sertions were gratuitously made. and
both were false. Jealous dislike (Which.
i'm such a woman as Mrs. Catherick.
would express itself i'm petty malice rath-
er than not express itself at alb appeared
10 me to be the only asSignable cause for
the peculiar insolence Of her reference TO
Mrs. Fairlie, under circumstances which
did not necessitate any reference at all.
The mention here Of Mrs. Fairlie's name
naturally suggests one other question.
Did she ever suspect whose child the
little girl brought TO her at Limmeridge
might be?
Marians testimony was positive on this
point. Mrs. Fairlie's letter TO her hus-
band, which had been read TO me in for
mer days-the letter describing Anne's
resemblance TO Laura. and acknowledging
nnpvtOnHfp Ia
stranger-had been written. beyond all
question. I'm perfect innocence OF heart.
II even seemed doubtful, on consideration.
where Mr.. Philip Fairie himself had been
nearer than his wife TO any suspicion OF
the truth. The disgracefully deceitful
circumstances under which Mrs. Cathe-
rick had married. the purpose of conceal
ment which the marriage was intended to
answer might well keep her silent for
cautions sake. perhaps for her own
prides sake also-oven assuming that she
had the means. I'm his absence. OF com
municating with the father Of her un-
born child.
As this surmise noated through my
mind. there rose on my memory the re-
membrane OF the Scriptures denuncia-
ton. which we have all thought Of in our
time, with wonder and with awe The
sins OF the father shall be visited on the
children" But for the fatal resemblance
between the two daughters Of one father
the conspiracy Of which Anne had been
the innocent instrument and Laura the
innocent victim could never have been
planned. with what unerring and ter.
rible directness tho long chain Of circum-
stances led down from tho thoughtless
wrong committed by the father 10 tlse
heartless injury inflicted on the child
These thoughts came 10 me. and others
with them. which drew my mind away 20
the little Cumberland church yard whore
Anne Catherick now lay buried 7 thought
~ the byRone days. when I had met her
by Mrs. Fairlie's grave, and met her for
the last time.
thought of her poor helpless hands
beating on tho tombstone and her weary
ing words. murmured 10 the dead remains
OF her protcctress and her friend "Oh. n
could die. and be hidden and ~ rest
with YOU" Little moro than a year had
pa ssed since she breathed that wish; and
how inscrutably. how awfully. II had
boen fulfilled The words she had spoken
TO Laura hy the shores of tho lake the
very words had now come true. "Oh. n
could only be buried with your mother!
n 7 could wake AZ her side when the an
gorV trumpet sounds. and the graves
give up their dead az the rcsurrectioni"
Through what mortal crime and horror
through what darkest windlngs Of the
way down 20 death the lost creature had
wandered in Gods leading 90 the last
homo that living she never hoped 90
reachi IN that sacred rest I leave her
in that dread compnnionship let her re-
main undisturbed
So tho rhostly figure which has haunt
20 these paEes as ~ haunted nv life goes
down into fhc inpcnotrahie gloom Like p
rhqdrv Cd. fret came % ne. IN the lone
lirass ~ the night Like shadow che
passes aw7v. in the loneliness of the
dead
ITO bs continued)