The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-12-06
VII.
Continued

Mr.. Clithero bowed his head, and his
lips just moved. He died-on the
hulks; ] believe that is the proper
3err6. Miss Grand, we have reason
to believe that your father died re
peutant for the great wrong of his
life. l had q letter from the officer
with him at the last: and this much !
know, that lie died with the name OF
Jane-his little Jane upon his lips"
A ~laugh-say rather Il bitter, harsh
t sourd-the ghost. the dreary mockery
of all her new-slain youth and happi
ness. broke from Jane Grand.
He did we'll to speak Of me!-tc
leave me his blessing, perhaps: TIC
me, who had better never have lived
whose daily bread has been shame.
who can think Of my fathers name
and Of myself. and ot all belonging to
him and to me, only with loathinG
Ny God! what cal his repentance &c
for me-and for Gifford?"
With that last word her face turned
liyid white: her clincheG hands dropped
heavily in her lap. Mr.. Clithero thought
she was goin to faint, and rose hastily
to his feet: but she motioned. him to
sit down.
81 can hear it out. sir. l can hear ii
out. Don't comfort me, please, only
tell me the rest I've got to hear. Why
did you ever send me near Iatton:
Why have l been brought up in ig-
norance of all this? I should like to
hear it at once. aud then-then l will
20 home again. if you please. shall
have to speak to-Mr. Mohun-at once,
you know
If Mr.. Mohun is what I take him
to be. he will not alter, Miss Grand
You are not accountable for the errors
of those who are dead and gone"
And you think I would marry Gif-
ford now? You think I would let him,
even if he wished, sully his old name
so?-give his children such an in
heritance as mine? Alb. we'll! that is
q subject for him and me- alone, and
.%e needn't speak of it any more. Tel!
me why l ever went near Yatton, sir.
and why I have been kept ~mignorance
of what my fathers life was? This
all l want to hear. When 1 have heard
it, l need trouble you no longer"
=, But Mr.. Clithero paused. In all his
ffty years Of practice he had never
seen any overwhelming distress borne
by n woman as Jane bore this. There
nre some few women who take grief
hard and tearlessly, as most men do;
and to look at q girls face, white and
set, and rigid, is a sight to shock the
least sensitive beholder, even more
than to see q. mans cheek wet with
unaccustomed tears
A sudden thought-an intuition it
must have been-for what could he, a
hard old bachelor London lawyer,
know, either practically or theoretical
", Of love?-made Mr.. Clithero divine
through what channel the suddenly
frozen heart might best DE reached;
and skilfully, and without seeming art,
did he contrive to bring in Clifford Mo-
huns name when he fulfilled the re-
mainder of his task. He told Jane
how Miss Lynch had been led to take
her to Chesterford Miss Grand must
Try to remember all this, because, OF
course, Mr.. Mohun would wish to hear
every detail connected with her early
life). Miss Lynch had been led to take
her 10 Cheshterford by merest acct
dent-Mr. Clithero having heard
through a country client that the cot
sage was to be sold on advantageous
terms, and Miss Lynch wishing to take
her little dropping charge away from
London and bring her up in the pure
air and quiet of a country village.
at was your fathers express wish,"
he added, that you be educated in ig-
Morance Of him, Of hisshistory, Of his
name even, until you were twenty-one;
and Miss Lynch and I determined long
ago that no event except your marriage
need induce us to depart from his
wishes, even after the age at which
he decided you should know all"
You acted wrongly" said Jane, alb
-uptly. "In carrying out his wish, you
nave only carried out the horrible evil
he wrought me when l was a child. If
Clifford Mohnn had known what ! was
from the first, lie would not have loved
me!'
There is some reason in what you
say, Miss Grand; but it was not for us
to know that you would so carly form
4 matrimonial cngagement-abovc all,
with 4 man III the position Of Mr.. Mo-
hun. We were led into a tacit deceit
from the day when you no longer bore
your fathers name, and from that time
till this we have seen no object that
could be fulfilled by telling you the
truth"
mo longer bore ais name" repeated
Jane, but quite duly, mechanically.
without interest, the moment she no
longer thought of Clifford.
All! l 60 by a false name, too! Well.
it doesn't matchmaking will matter
any more now"
"Your mothers maiden name was
Grandet. and wAen-when your father
Was about to leave England, lie begged
that you might be called by it instead
Of his own. We thought aflerWard
that q foreign name might lead to sus-
picion if borne by IN English child, and
We resolved to alter it into Grand.
This is important, also, for you to re-
member and tell to Mr.. Mohun. In
drawing out marriage settlements ii
would of course be necessary for you
to be designated by your own-by your