The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-17
By Fergus Hume

/ with gray face and quick indrawn
| breathing She dreaded what was COM
| ing, as Hagar well knew: so the girl
| continued hurriedly to read the letters.
/ lest she should be interrupted They
/ were all-that is, the last five or six
! written in better style of handwriting
/ than the former ones; and each letter
was colder than the last. The writer
/ did not want to leave her quiet English
/ home for distant India. She was afraid
/ that the engagement was a mistake.
| when she consented to the marriage
/ she did not know her own mind. More
| over, Jane LOTTimer loved him; she
| was
| jane" interrupted Margaret. with q
| cry-'what had Jane to do with my
love for John? I never wrote those last
] letters; they are fOrgeriesT'
! Indeed, they look like it, said Ha-
/ gar, examining the letters; the hand
/ writing is that of a person who can see
much better than the writing of the
/ early letters"
4 always wrote badly" declared
/ Margaret, feverishly. Il was blind; Il
was hard for me to pen letter John
/ did not expect-expect-oh dear Lord,
what does 1t all mean?''
! 1T means that Jane deceived YOU"
| Deceived mel' walled Margaret
! feebIy-"deceived her poor blind friend!
/ No. not"
Il
| firmly. when you told me your story,
1 was doubtful Of Jane; now that I have
! read those forged Ietters-for forged
they are-I am certain Of it. Jane de-
ceived you, with the aid Of Lucy!'
But why, dear Lord, why?''
Because she loved John and wished
TO marry him. You stood in the way.
and she removed you. Well, she gained
her wish; she parted you from John.
and became Mrs. Mask"
I can't believe it; Jane was my
friend"
Naturally, and for that reason de-
ceived you" said Hagar, bitterly. ~Oh,
I know well what friendship is! But
we must find out the truth. Tell me
the exact address Of Mrs. Mask"
For what reasOn?'
Because shall call and see her. I,
shall learn the truth, and right you in
the eyes OF John"
What user" wept Margaret. bitter
ly. My life is over, and am dying.
What use?"
Feeble and hopeless, she would have
made no effort herself; but Hagar. was.
determined that the secret. buried in
the silver teapot for thirty years. should
be known, If not to the world, at least
TO John Mask These many DAYS he
had deemed Margaret faithless. and
had married a woman who, he believed.
save MIN lLtotL IONe winch the Dl1nQ
girl had refused Now he should learn
that the wife was the traitress. that
the rejected woman had been true and
faithful even unto death. Hagar made
up her mind to this course. and fore
ing the address from the unwilling
lips Of Margaret, she went the very
next day TO the stately mansion I'm
Berkeley sdrSaTe. So came Nemesia
70 the faithless friend after the Lapse
OF thirty years. The justice Of the gods
is slow but It is certain
Margaret lay weeping in her bed As
yet her feeble brain could not grasp
the truth. John, NhOm she had believed
fatthless, had been true. and in his ewes
all these years it was she who had been
cruel. To her all was confusion and
doubt Not until the afternoon of the
next day did she learn the ruth for
certain. It was Hagar who told il to
her.
7 went to the house in Berkeley
square" said Hagar, "and 7 asked for
Mrs Mask She was out, and I saw the
neutrality-suspicious. other than your for
mer servant, Lucy Dyke; Mrs JaeI
now added the girl, cOntemptuousIy-
well off, trusted, and comfortable.
That Is the reward Of her treaChery"
No no! LUcy-surely she did not
deceive me?"
4 made her confess" said Hagar.
sternly. II told her Of the letters in
the teapot; of your hard life and OF
your dying bed. At first she denied
everything, but when I threatened TO
tell Mr.. Mask the wretch confessed the
truth. You, my poor Miss Snow. Won
were deCeived-bitterly deceived-bv
your friend and your servant. They
made sport Of your blindness and
love-"
Cruel! Cruel?' moaned Margaret.
trembling violently.
Yes, it was cruel: but it is the wav
OF the world" said Hagar, with bitter
ness. TT seems that Jane was in love
with your John; but as he was true to
you, she could not hope to marry him.
Determined, however, to do so. she
or1Oed Lucy with money, and the pair
resolved to part you from John BY
means Of lying letters. Those you wrote
70 India never reached him. Instead
Of your epistles Jane wrote those which
l read to you, urging a breaking of of
the engagement, and limiting at her own
love. John thought they came from
you, and wrote back-as YOU have
heard nOw-asking why you wished the
marriage broken off. When Lucy or
Jane read the letters to you thirty
years ago they altered the sense so that
you should think John cruel. But WHY
explain further2' cried Hagar with q
burst of deep anger. You saw-you
know how they succeeded. John broke
or the engagement and sent you back
your letters. For that your treacher-
Gus enemies were not prepared. If
Lucy had been in the house, you would
never have received the packet No
wonder she wanted you to burn the let
ters, seeing that the forged ones were
among them. Had you not hidden them
away in the silver teapot, Lucy would
have found means to destroy them.
However, you know how they have
been preserved these thirty years. 10
prove the truth at last. Revenge vou~-
self, Miss Snow Jane is the honored
wife OF John; Lucy is the confidential
hoUsekeeper, comfortable and happv
Tell John the truth, and punish these
viXensr'
ooh, what shall I do? What can
dO?" cried Margaret. Il do not want