The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-05-29

OF all that is noble and great and good
/ purified by the breath OF Heaven. on an
! evening Eke this. Nature has such i'm
per.shable charms. such inextinguishable
! tenderness for me! | am an old. fat man.
talk which would become your lips, Miss
| Halcombe. sounds like n derision and a
mockery on mine. IL is hard 10 bo
laughed at in my moments OF sentiment.
as II my soul was like myself. old and
overgrown. Observe dear lady. what
a light is dying on the trees! Does n
penetrate your heart as 1t penetrates
miner"
He paused-looked at me-and repeated
the famous lines OF Dante on the Even
ing-tme, with a melody and tenderness
which added a charm OF their own to the
matchless beauty of the poetry itself
"Bah'" he cried. suddenly. as the last
cadence OF those noble Italian words die
away on his lips: 81 make an old fool
Of myself. and only weary you all! Let
us shut up the window in our posoms
and get back to the matter-of-fact
world. Percival sanction the admis-
sion OF the lamps Lady Glyde-Miss
HaIcombe- Eleanor. my good wife-which
of you will indulge me with a game at
dominoes?"
He addressed us all; but he looked es-
pecially at Laura
She had learned TO feel my dread or
offending ann and she accepted his pro-
posal. 1t was more than l could have
done at that moment. | could not have
sat down at the same table with him
for any consideration. His eyes seemed
to reach my inmost soul through the
thickenlng obscurity OF the twilight HIS
voice trembled along every nerve in my
body. and turned me hot and cold alter
nately The mystery and terror OF my
dream, which had haunted me at inter-
walls all through the evening. now op-
f,I x.sifh aIt,va l,t
forebodlng and an unutterable awe I
saw the white tomb again. and the veled
woman rising out of II, by Hartright's
side. The thought OF Laura welled up
like a spring in the depths OF my heart,
and filled IL with waters OF bitterness
never. never known to 1t before. ]
caught her by the hand. as she passed
me on her way to the table, and kissed
her as If that night was to, part US for
ever. While they were all gazing at me
In astonishment, | ran out through the
low window which was open before me
10 the ground-ran out to hide from them
In the darkness; to hide even from my
self.
We separated that evening. later than
usual. Toward midnight the summer
silence was broken by the shudderjng OF
low. melancholy wind among the trees.
We all felt the sudden chill in the at
mosphere; but the Count was the first to
notice the stealthy rising of the wind. He
stopped while he was lighting my candle
for me. and held up his hand warningly:
"Iistenr' he said There will be "A
change tomorrow"
June 19th--The events OF yesterday
warned me TO he ready. sooner or later
10 meet the worst. Today Ia not yet at an
end and the worst has come.
Judging by the closest calculation OF
time that Laura and / could make, we ar
rived at the conclusion that Anne Cathe-
rick must have appeared at the boat
house at half past two o'clock on the af-
ternoon of yesterday. ! accordingly ar
ranged that Laura should just show her
self at the understandable today. and
should then slip oIt at the first oppor-
tunity. leaving me behind TO preserve APP
pearances. and to follow her as soon as
| could safely do so. This mode OF pro-
ceeding. II no obstacle occurred to thwart
us, would enable her TO be at the boat
house before half past two and (when I
left tho table, I'm my turn would take me
to a safe position I'm the plantation before |
three.
The change in the weather. which last |
nights wind warned us to expect. came !
with the morning. IL was raining heavily |
when | got up, and 1t continued to rain |
until l2 o'clock. when the clouds dis |
persed. the blue sky appeared. and the !
sun shone again with the bright promise |
Of fine afternoon.
MY anxiety 10 KNOW now SlF ferClNal |
and the Count would occupy the early /
part OF the day was by no means set at /
rest. so far as Sir Percval was concern |
ed by his leaving us Immediately after |
breakfast and going out by himself. In |
spite OF the rain. He neither told us |
where he was going nor when we might |
expect him back. We saw him pass the |
breakfast room window hastily. with his |
high boots and his waterproof coat on
and that was all.
The Count passed the morning quietly |
indoors. some part of IL In the library. |
some part In the drawing-ro playing \
odds and ends OF music on the plano. and !
humming to himself. Judging by appear 4
ances the sentimental side OF his char 4
acter was persstentiy inclined TO betray !
itself still lie was silent and sensitive, |
and ready to sigh and languish ponder /
ously tas only fat men can sigh and lam |
guish) on the smallest provocation.
Luncheon-time came, and Sir Percival |
did not return. The Count took his |
friends place at the table plaintively 1
devourcd the greater part Of a fruit tart /
submerged under whole jug full OF \
cream. and explained the full merit OF the 4
achievement to us as soon as he had /
done. "A taste for sweets" he said. I'm \
his softest tones and his tenderest man
ner. is the innocent taste OF women and !
children. love 10 share II with them--it /
is another bond. dear ladies. between you
aliu Il's
Laura left the table In ten minutes
time. I was sorely tempted 10 accompany /
her But II we had both gone out togeth-
er. we must have excited suspicion and. |
worse still n we allowed Anne Catherick 4
10 see Laura accomnanied by second |
person who was a stranger TO her. we
should In all probability forfeit her con-
hdence from that moment. never 10 re-
gain II again.
I waited therefore. as patiently as I
could. until the servant came In 10 clear
the table. When quilted the room there
were no signs. In the house or out OF IT,
or Sir Percival's return. left the Count
with piece OF sugar between his lips.
and the vicious ,cockatoo scrambling up
his waistcoat 20 get at ~. while Nine.
Fosco, sitting opposite TO her husband,
watched the proceedings OF his bird and
himself as attentively as II she had never
seen anything OF the sort before I'm her
nfe. on the way TO the plantation kept
carefully beyond the range OF view from
the luncheon-room window. Nobody saw
me and nobody followed me IL was then