The Washington herald., 1907-06-23


been guilty, she were that frightened o
anything more being done, and she made
me promise not 10 do anything. She
were that III that / did, and for a few
weeks while she was with Us l let it go.
Then suddenly she disappeared "
/ "Disappeared?'
/ Bessie nodded
"She went one day while I was workin'
at the mill. and left me a letter sayin' as
it was best, and beggin' me. as l loved
/ her. not to try to find out who had
murdered her father"
i've only found out why tonight
| said Bessie I've only learnt tonight
as it was because o. the man I saw go
muded down the drive, the man
/ thought were Molly Byrne's husband
Godfrey rose with his face grown sud
denly more strained and gray and hard.
] And the name Of that man." he cried.
'sYhat was the name of That MANI
1T was Lord Fanshawe.' cried Bessie.
For a moment the little room went
round blindly before Geoftrey's eyes.
Lord Fanshawe"' he repeated. God
help me-
| He broke off and turned away. Yet
one more debt ne owed Lord Fanshawe,
/ one more burden added 20 the weight Of
| sin he already bore for him First his
/ honor. then his love He could bear 1t all
himself. his shoulders were broad enough
but Lord Fanshawe had put a burden on
Hetty's shoulders. too. terrible, hid
/ eous burden, that turned Godfrey cold
with horror and misery as he stood.
/ lie dropped back into his chair. Life
| and love Knocked at him. lie mad loved
her too much; Lord Fanshawe had not
/ loved her enough. and she had chosen
/ the one who was unworthy. the one
who had boken her heart and ruined
/ her life.
/ His thoughts came to an abrupt end.
| Bessie was facing him. curiously silent,
and sill with "a queer. half-frightened,
plying look I'm her black eyes.
/ Yes. it were Lord Faushawe.' she re-
peated at last. I've bin on the wrong
l track all this time. II were him as did
/ il. / learnt it all from Barker tonight
/ He's telled me at last all he saw, and
| all he knows An I've played with him.
: thinkin him even bigger sc0undrel
! than he is thinkin' him murderer as well
as thief thinkin he'd deserve all could
/ do 10 him. I've made him love me Ike
/ ! never thought he had il in him 10
/ love He's earnest. and I've betrayed
/ him" She threw out her hands with
/ harsh laugh. But. after all. she added,
/ quickly hes q sc0undrel, ready 70 theve
! and lie f0 his own ends and why should
/ 7 care what I've done % hHl? Only to-
| night he'd got lies on his lips and he's
/ ready to trade on mans mistake with
/ a thing as he stole. He told me "a thing
/ as l can't yet believe true. It was Ike "a
/ fairy tale. I thought l must be dreamin
/ or that he was struck silly, and yet
/ somehow il seemed true enough. II was
about YOU. Geoffrev Clavering. He said
/ as you were back. and that he had seen
/ YOU here, and 1 didn't believe him. And
+ he said you were a big man in London.
under a different name. with lots o.
money and a title. I didn't believe him
/ at first. but afterward / remembered all
/ Hetty has been sayin' IN her fever, and
/ I knew It was true But" she came a
/ little closer. hes got summat O. yours
/ as'll make him dangerous TO you, a bit
/ O paper as you signed years ago sayin'
/ as you had forged the earls name 10 a
/ bill and got money by H. And he means
to make you pay f0' that, Godfrey Claw
! ering, unless I can get it from him some
how I shall have a try, for it's a dirty.
/ cowardly work, blackmailin' is"
J GeOffrev stirred stifly in his chair
| That confession that he had signed 70
save Lord Fanshawe eight years ago
might ruin him. but somehow he scarce
-
1 take her away; he was rich, and he
cared nothing for honors or life in Eng
! land apart from her He cared nothing
now for anything the earl could do. He
[ and she would go away, and nothing in
the world would matter to him except
her happiness
He looked up
when he comes, I can deal with him,
Bessie" he said heavily, Il shant care
for him I mean to go away and take
Ietty as soon as she is able to go. It
is quite true that I am rich, and I shall
be able 20 look after her and care for her.
thank God, Wen be married quietly at
some village church, and then we'll take
! a passage to-to Australia maybe, she
and I-she and t.
His voice sank softly and trailed away.
II was surely too good a dream to be
true,
Bessie stood still staring at him with
wide startled eyes. Twice she opened
her lips TO speak, and twice the sight of
his face seemed to check her.
Then you don't know-you haven't
/ guessed-what else I have 70 tell yOu?
she cried suddenly, a. last.
He gave his head a sharp upward jerk.
Something in her voice startled him.
What else?' ne repeated, duly. You
have told me all there is TO tell surely
all the bad anyhow. There can be moth
ing else"
She hesitated a moment. Then threw
out her hands.
"Oh. GeoTrey Clavering. God pity
you" she cried. abruptly. "Hetty is mar
ried aiready.'
Godfrey gave a quick start. and then
dropped heavily against his chair.
That isn't true. Bessie" he cried,
wildly. That can't be true; there is a
mistake somewhere-'
She shook her head, and as he looked
into her face there dropped from him bit
by bit the golden dream he had been
dreaming few minutes ago
ITS true enough" she cried. I'D give
this right hand O. mine if 1 could say
i wasn't. And now you can guess what
like a fool. 1 never thought of I'll To-
night. Now you can see what she saw
when she looked in at the library wi ldow
You can guess how she went round tC
the back. and saw him there-the beast
as ruined her life--drinkin' wine with the
old man and slipping the poison in his
I glass You can guess how she saw him
drink, and Lord Fanshawe drink, too
F7T1
table?