The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-05-31
GcHAPTER xv-continued from Yesterday


Never shall forget Madame Marvill's cry
of agony when the sentence was pro-
nounced. How often in the dead of night
have 1 started from sleep with that cry
ringing in my ears!
From the tribunal 1 returned home
heart-broken by the black wickedness of
which 1 had been guilty. If Marville died,
what was but murderess?
Noel said. that same night, you will
not let the innocent suffer-?
What would you have me do?' was his
reply. Walk to the guillotine instead or
him? Upon my word, you are an aftec-
tionate wife"
Il shuddered for he spoke truth: | could
prove the innocence of Eric Marville only
at the price of Noels death.
WAS it for the wife to bring her hus-
band to the guillotine?
How l preserved my reason at this time
| do not know. 1t came somewhat as re-
lief to learn that Marvilles sentence was
changed TO Imprisonment for life.
If you may not prove his innocence. L
said, there is one thing you can do for
him. Aid him to escape from prison to
some far-om land, where he may live In
happiness with his wife and child
All L might do that your father re-
piled. The notion seemed to appeal to his
spirit OF daring and adventure. That's a
devilish good idea of yours, Therese There
would be a dash of excitement in it! only,
1T will mean the utter ruin of my career.
Ii is whispered that the Ministry intend to
appoint me to the next Colonial Governor
ship. l should like TO see the fellow free,
but his rescue must be left to others. II
cannot be done by me. l should have to
escape with him, and become exiled from
France forever. Not mol it's impossible
But 1 would not let the idea sleep.
gave him no rest, continually urging him
10 the work OF rescue, even threatening TO
reveal the truth in connection with the muir
= 49, v.f
ties. he matured a plan for Marville S
rescue. The result you know. After an i'm
prisonment of five years Eric Marville es-
caped\ from Valagenet Prison, and was
hurried on board the yacht Nemesis chat
was waiting for him in Qilaix bay. Your
father went with him; a law-breaket
he could not remain in France. l would
have accompanied their flight. but the hour
of your birth was drawing near. 1t had
been arranged, therefore, that l should join
them at later date. Alas! never set eyes
upon your father again. He correspondent
with me at irregular intervals, but after a
lapse of eighteen months his letters ceased.
The yacht in which he was cruising from
place to place foundered off the English
coast, and / have no reason to believe that
he escaped a watery grave
IF thus certain of his death, why, you
may ask, did l not Immediately make
known the truth concerning the murder?
Fear for myself love for you We're the
motives prompting me TO concealment.
II was accessory after the fact, a per-
the law. You were a babe of eighteen
months, pretty and charming. the light of
my life. To proclaim the truth meant inn
prisonment for me, separation from you;
and withal, disgrace upon our common
name. 1 could not bear the thought of this,
and, therefore, deaf to the voice of justice,
/ continued to keep the truth hidden.
but now, assured by the physician that
i have not many days to live, l dare not
die without making you the confidante OF
my guilty secret.
This letter, signed with my name. to-
gether with your fathers correspondence,
which is contained in my private desk. will
afford sufficient evidence of the innocence
| of Eric Marville
ITO you, then, my daughter, / leave the
duty of clearing the memory of an injured
man, hoping that you will be brave enough
| TO face the consequent ignominy which
must forever rest upon our name;
| Lorelie laid down the letter with sigh
But | was not brave enough" she MUIR
| INJURED.
Her father, Noel Rochefort, was credited
| with having destroyed a brilliant future
! by his chivalrous enterprise of rescuing
| from prison friend whom he deemed &c
| be innocent and, as the daughter of such
Lorelie, wherever she went. found herself
! an object of interest and sympat thy, almo ST
! a heroine Must she now proclaim that
| her father. the supposed hero. was il
| reality a murderer. aud one, too. base
| that in order to save his own neck he would
| have seen an innocent man, and his friend
| go to the guillotine?
/ She sixteen years of age at the time
| of her mothers death, and lovely in face
! and figure; her friends flattered her vanity
/ by averring that with her beauty. and &C
| complishments she might win the love of z
| nobleman, or even of a prince. But whai
| nobleman or prince would marry the daugh
ter of a felon? Therefore, she resolved
| to let the truth be hidden. If Eric Mar
/ Vile were still living he was free: let hin
| rejoice in that fact: if dead, her attestatioI
of his innocence would do him no good
| True, she knew that Marville had left a son
| who must often have felt shame at the
| stigma resting on his name But this sol
| would now be twenty-three years of age
he had grown . up she she eyni,eally argued
case the knowledge had come upon he
| with sudden and overwhelming shock
She pictured the plying looks of he
| friends, the glbeS OF the malicious (fOr he
| beauty had made for her many enemies)
| and she shranke from facing the new stu
| alton. No: let the unknown Idris Marvill'
bear the disgrace that of right belonged Il
| learned from the newspapers that this sam
Idris Maryille had persisted in a fire a
But r ctr ti wa nSf to foiio 5Si
The day came when her life was in sucl
danger that she must have persisted bu
| stranger and when that stranger proves
to be none other than the ldris Marvill
| whom she was wronging by her guilt
| silence. her feeling Of Temorse was so grea
|
| the rock into the sea. To withhold the trutl
was pain, yet 70 declare il would be {
earn Idriss contempt. Every kindly word
| every pleasant look on his part, had gone L
| her heart like so many thrusts of steel
The irony of fate She had married Wis
count Walden in the expectation of succeed
ing to a coronet, and now the belief wa
gradually forming in her mind that Idri
was the rghtful heir of Ravenhall: Beatric
| RaVengar. and not herself. was destined [
be the Countess of Ormsby.
O, If al the age of sixteen, and follow
ing the dictates of justice. she had trie
TO find Idris Marville and finding, had give
him her mothers written confession, hoy
different her life might have been, Idri
would perhaps have been attracted by he
then as he had been seven years later. BU
now? She was united TO a husband whor
she felt to BE worthless: a husband VIII
had ceased TO care for her; a husban
whose title OF right belonged TO ldris.
I am justly punished, she murmure
bitterly.
The remaining contents of the packe
drawn by Lorelie from the escritoire con
sisted of the correspondence mentioned h
Madame Rochefort in the inculpatory let
| ter.
| Arranging these missives according I
the order of time in which they were writ