The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-15
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You must trust m0--unless you can
suggest any other plan"
II could not trust yoii,n said Olive.
shaking her head decidedly.
You could have Mrs. Taunton"
II said my friends. That lady is my
enemy. 1 owe this to her.,
| "Then you must trust me. / pledge
! you my oath that 1t shall be as / say"
Olive paused and then said: II am
In your power here and my very life
| Is apparently dependent upon your
word. j have therefore no wish To
anger you; but ! cannot trust your
word. IL you forced me to marry
| you 1t might be then your wish to take
my life. l may as we'll die at once,
| refuse your terms"
| a heavy frown drew his brows to-
| gether and he smoked few seconds
| in silence.
Very well.Y he said at length.
Then you may as we'll understand my
intentions. You Will remain here until
| you consent You know how many
| miles VIC Travelled after leaving the
high road; there are as many more
on either side OF us before the next
! house IL reached. / tell you this that
you may understand the futility Of any
| attempt to escape
| HIS object was to impress on her
the hopclessncss of her position. That
he should have laid such.stress on the
point induced Olive to doubt IT., In
deed.
II saw for myself the nature OF tho
district. You have chosen 1t we'll"
she replied. seeing that he waited for
some answer.
Except that you cannot leave the
house, cannot leave that room ur-
stairs. indeed. you Will not be treated
with any unkindness. II the woman
who has charge OF you does anything
to break this strict order, you will let
| me know. and / will see that she is
punished. She dare not disobey me-"
Can I have books?"
Some few have. been provided; any
| others you wish Will be sent
"Vill you tell me whore ann"
No. except that this house stands
In tho middle of the moors; that tho
ground all about it is honeycombed
with old workings--worked GOVT pits
and mines. ouch as you must havo
seen as we came along. No one ever
comes this way
is that all you have to say?" asked
Olive calmly. despite her sinking
heart.
He threw UP his hands. rs it pos
sible that you intend to persist? You
breaks my aeart TO have TO treat you
in this way. Surely you understand
that. You know how have cared for
you from the first, and that IL you
would but give me the right would
do all In my power to make you happy
and restore you to all the pleasures
and comforts you have known all your
life. Olive, be reasonable. Yield TO
me In this, and give me the chance
of showing you all that is I'm my
heart"
is. there anything elseT' she asked
colby. .ff not, 1 will return to my
prison"
YES go. Walt. You had better
hear the orders give to the woman"
He called in Mrs. Tssley. and gave
her orders to the same effect as he
had before mentioned to Olive. and the
woman, Bringing before him. prom
ised volubly TO obey him to the letter.
Then he handed olive the two or
three books he had mentioned. and she
returned to the room above. TO which
she had at first been taken. and the
old woman locked and bolted the door
upon her.
Olive placed the books upon the table
and sat down on the bed. 1t was truly
a miserable place, and yet, II this
man could carry out his purpose, 1t
was to be all her world for an indeN-
mite time to come.
She would never give in. however.
Never! Let him do what he would.
treat her as he would, kill her II he
would, she would never give In. That
was her first unalterable, irrevocabla
resolye--death before surrender!
Another resolve followed She
would never cease to hope; never allow
herself to believe that Heaven would
desert her and permit this man to tri-
umph in his infamous persecution.
Lies, cunning, treachery and brute
force might gain,,the upper hand for
the time; they had given him success
so far. but in the end they would fall
him.
1t was true that her plight was we'll
nigh desperate, that she was in his
power. and that she could see
no opening in the dark gloom which s
had overwhelmed her. But the light
would come. and a way of escape from
his persecution be found
She had been in even a worse plight.
and yet had escaped. In the awful
journey TO Sheffield It had appeared
impossible that she would escape death.
But at the last moment the opening
had been found. and she had lived to
So the wretch who had threatened her
condemned to death by his own assoc
ciates.
She had put her trust in Providence.
and in this mood Of devont reliance
upon the Divine will she fell on her
knees aud craved forgiveness for the
weakness which had led her ever to
despair, and prayed for strength and
patience to await with calmness and
fortitude the hour OF her delivery.
Refreshed and invigorated by this.
she examined the books which had been
given to her. Like the rest Of the
things In the house. they had been, re-
Gently bought. There was a Bible
for which she was intensely grateful
copy of the "Plgrlm's Progress"
and "Robnson Crusoe.'' Who had
made the selection she did not know,
of course. but guessed that the two
latter had probably been bought be-
cause Of their somewhat elaborate
bindings. But 1t could not have been
a moro welcome selection.
| With a view to testing the sincerity
OF Merridew's assertion that what She
needed should be supplied. Olive wrote
out a short list of book to hand&to the
woman. There was no bell In the
rooal SO she raped on the panel OF
the door with, the hairbrush, which was
part of the scanty equipment of her