The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-04-06
CHAPTER I1-Continued

CHAPTER uI.-Continued.
Beatrice was not crying; but she
had covered her face with her hands
in utter shame and contrttion. But
her way was now clear; the JOY this
good-natured fellow felt in the child
he believed to be his own was so deep
that she could no longer be sure which
way even her duty pointed. Would
confession be the right thing now? Or
would it be only a fresh wrong?
AS he left her with her doubts and
her sore conscience, and Quilted the
room to meet the doctor, whose ar
rival the butler announced at that
moment, she found that the struggle
( in her heart was growing ever keener.
4 He had placed the sleeping Ermyn In
the armchair IN which he had been
sitting; Beatrice threw herself on the
floor beside the child and cried silently.
Suddenly a fresh fear checked her
tears, and made her sit up with a face
full Of terror. Since the viscount had
gone himself with the doctor to see the
/ dead baby, would he not perhaps rec
ognize that, after all, the unhappy
child who had been neglected, left to
die was his own, and not Ermyn,
after all? Beatrice herself did not
know whether Lady Catherington had
really brought her husbands child
back to him, or whether she had
palmed off upon him a little girl
picked up for the purpose. She knew
that Lady Catherington's child would
have been a little more than two years
old, and that the dead baby looked
younger than that. But she knew also
that the poor little creature was so
wasted, either by improper treatment
or by disease, that 1T looked much
smaller than 1t would have done IN
normal circumstances.
The whole situation, indeed, was full
of danger, as Beatrice felt. If Lord
Catherington did not recognize the
dead child as his own, If, therefore, It
passed as hers, would not the doctor
subject her to a severe examination as
to the circumstances Of the baby
death? Beatrice could not doubt that
this would be the case, when she re-
membered the condition In when the
poor child was when she received 1t.
Surely it's emaciated state, its coarse
clothing, would all excite the doctor
string Of questions which she would
find it impossible to answer.
She felt appalled, at her own wicked
ness as she realized that the fear OF
being found out, of being thrust forth
with her child, discredited and dis
graced, was stronger In her tnaL
shame at her own wrong-doing.
Even as she sat back on the great
tiger-skin hearthrug, in a fever OF ex-
citement and dread, she heard the
voices of the two gentlemen talking
together in q low voice outside the
door. At once she knew that there
was something portentious In the ex.
IRENE gravity Of their tones: and wher
she staggered to her feet to meet then
as the door slowly opened, It was witt
the air of a guilty creature, OF re
morseful penitent, that she instinct
lively hung her head and clasped he,
hands, even before they had come into
sight around the screen.
And when they stood face to face
with her, there ensued a few moment:
of dead silence. Beatrice, immovable
speeches., felt as if she would have
given the world for them to speak a
once, to strike her, to end the awfu
suspense in which she waited. Ant
at last, as neither spoke. she suddenl.
threw up her head, and burst out, al
most in a tone Of defiance:
''Wel"
The first glance at their face
showed her that they had discovere'
something. How much? That sh
could not tell. Neither did the doc
tors first words enlighten her much.
IT am sorry to say" said the doctor
an elderly, grave man. speaking N
low and somewhat severe tone, tina
the child appears to have been yer
rice hung her head, but made no othe
answer 1.-THE weight of a child of
years old should be twice that of thi
one. It died from wasting disease. l.
all probab ility the result of imprope
treatment. 1t was left to the care
strangers, of course?"
Yes" murmured Beatrice hoarsel3
'"Ihen T should like to have thei
name and address, If you please"
Thus brought to bay. Beatrice dre'
herself up and grew reckless. Re
covering her voice, her energy, tn
moment she found, as she though
that discovery was inevitable, sh
looked him full in the face and defie
him.
''That,s impossible!" she said firnl,
"If you are not satisfied without the
you must take what proceedings 70
please, for can tell you nothing NOR
than what you know already. TIL
poor child was left in the care Of pee
pie believed to be trustworthy, b1
probably ignorant. That Is all / ca
Or will tell you
And she suddenly went down on he
knees again beside the armchair wher
Errnyn was sleeping, with her head
q confused whirl of fancies and fear:
FOR 1t suddenly occurred to her
think that they might try to part he
suffered her own maternity to be il
volved in cloud of doubt, woul
they accept the truth If she confesse
1t now?
She heard the two gentlemen e,
change a few whispered words. The
she felt a hand laid kindly upon hi
shoulder, and knew that 1t was Lol
Catherington's. Then his voice sount
ed, in the gentlest possible accents,
her ear;