The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-04-17
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(Contfnuod-)
Her voice sunk when she put the
questions about Miss Fairlie: and she
turned her head further away from me.
I Thought detected. IN the alteration OF
her manner. an uneasy consciousness OF
the risk she had run In sending the
anonymous letter; and / instantly deter
mined so 10 frame my answer az 10 sur
prise her into owning It,
Miss Feirlie is not vsry wen or very
happy this morning." said.
she murrnured a few words; but they
were spoken so oonfusedly. and I'm such
q low tone. that could not even guess
what they meant.
.pid YOU ask me why Miss Fairlie was
neither we'll nor happy this morning."
I continued.
~No." she said, quickly and eagerly
soh. no, never asked that."
.sI will tell you without your asking.
went on. Miss Fairlie has received
your letter.
She had been down on her knees for
some little time past. carefully remov-
ang the last weather stains left about
the inscription while we were speaking
together. The first sentence Of the words
I had tust addressed To her made her
pause In her occupation. and turn slow
" without rising from n Ter knees. 80 as
60 face me. The second sentence literally
petrifed her The cloth she had been
holding dropped from her hands; her lips
fell apart: all the little color that there
was naturally In her faloe left II In an
instant.
How do you know" she said. faint
w. "Who showed IL to your The blood
rushed back into her face-fushed over
whelmingly. as the senHe rushed upon
her that her own words had betrayed
her. She struck her hands together In
despair. 'T never wrote II" she gasped.
afrrtghtedly; IT know nothing about IT."
Yes" said. you wrote IL. and You
know about IL. 1t was wrong TO send
such letter: IL was wrong TO frighten
Miss Rairlie. II you had anything to
say THAI it was right and necessary for
her 10 hear, you should have gone to
Limmeridlye house; you should have
spoken to the young tady with your own
lips"
She crouched down over the nat stone
Of the grave TIL her face was hidden
on IL, and made no reply.
Miss Fafrlfe will be as good and kind
20 you as her mother was. II you mean
well" 1 went on. ''wnl you SEQ her to-
morrow at the farm7 Will you meet her
IN the gardan at Lirmeridge houser'
"Oh. II could die. and be hidden and
at rest with vou!" Her lips murmured
70 the dead remains beneath. You
know how I love your child. for your
sake, oh, Mrs Fairiiei Mrs. Fairlie! tell
me how to save her. BE my darling
and my mother once more, and tell me
what to do for the best"
/ heard the liy,s kissing the stone;
saw her hands btsating on II passionate
ly The sound aud the sigh deeply a-
fected me. I stopped down, and took
the poor helpless hands tenderly In mine
and tried 20 soothe her.
IL was useless. She Gnatched her
hands from me, and never moved her
face from the stone. Seeing the urgent
necessity of quietines her at any hazard
and by any means. 1 appealed TO the only
anxiety that she appeared to feel. In
connection with me and with my opinion
of her--the anxiety TO convince me Of
her fitness to be pnis tress OF her own
actions.
"Come. come" s,lfd. gently. "Try
to compose yourself, or you will make
me alter my opinion of you. Don't let
me think that the person who put you
in the asylum might have had some ex-
cuse--"
The next words died away on my lips.
The instant 1 risked that chance ref
erence to the person who had put her
IN the asylum. she sprung up on her
knees. A most extraordinary and start
ing change passed over her. Her face,
at all ordinary times SO touching to
look at. In its nervous sensitiveness.
weakness. and uncertainty. became
Suddenly darkened by an expression
Of maniacally intense hatred and fear.
which communicated wild, unnatural
force to every feature. Her eyes dilated
In the dim evening light, hke the eyes
OF a wild animal She caught up the
cloth that had fallen at her side. as II Il
had been a living creature that she could
Kill, and crushed Il in both her hands
with such oonvulsive strength that the
few drops of moisture left In II trickled
down on the stone beneath her.
Talk OF something else" sh eeaid,
whispering through her teeth. 'T shall
lose myself n you talk OF that"
Every vestige OF the gentler thoughts
which had filled her mind hardly n min
ute since seemed TO be swept from IL now
II was evident that the impression left
by Mrs. Fairiie's kindness was not. as I
had supposed, the only strong impression
on her memory. With the grateful re-
membranes OF her schooi-days at Lirn-
merids-e. there existed the vfndctive re-
membr ance OF the wrong inflicted on her
by her confinement I'm the Asylum Who
had done that wrong? Could II really be
her mother?
II was hard 10 give Up pursuing the IN
Quiry 20 that final point but I forced
myself TO abandon all idea OF continuing