Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-10-11


"No: sent word 1 would give any
money, but not my name"
"That message was deliveredT
at was"
something more must have been
saidw
Hardly a word. My man was pro-
ceeding to business when this maniac
sprang upon him and flung him out OF
the CELL"
Claire shook her head.
81 cannot think that's all that pass
ed" said she.
at was, though; you ask the ward
ers. There were three of them outside
the open door, and they've put him III
straight waistcoat for it, at any rate!
So you see how he has made use OF
the chance / gave him. Don't ask me
to give him another, that's all"
"No, no." said Claire sadly; lit was
only too noble Of you to give him one
Mt all, and 1 shall never, never, never
forget all this-your forgiveness-ev-
erything! Papa, dear, you may not
have me with you very long; how can
one 20 on living after such thing! l
loved him, and long to die. But until
l do l promise one thlng-I may de-
ceive others, but never again will de-
ceiye or disobey my own dear father
She spoke with the sad fortitude of
sheer despair, and she left Nicholas
Harding In an icy exhalation, with one
tingling spot where she had stopped
and kissed his face.
Claire had hardly reached her room
when there was knock at the door,
and in came Hannah with neat seal
ed packet.
"Oh, please. miss, Mr.. Daintree said
was to give you this"
"Mr. Daintree!
She had seen him during the day;
then what could he have to say to her
which would not bear plain verbal ut
terance? Claire opened the packet
when the maid was gone and found a
smaller packet and letter inside. The
letter ran:
Dear Miss Harding - Think what you
will of me for slandering the dead.
can bear 1t better than to see you mourn
ing one who was never worthy to touch
the hem Of your garment The inclosed
will give you true insight into the char
acter of the late Captain Blaydes, but
make a separate packet Of it so that you
may destroy it unread II you prefer not
to know and to think me the liar.
You may remember telling me that
Captain Blaydes had the room that /
have now when he was here and l was
not That was the week before last. The
weather has been so warm the fire has
not been alight since my return, and to-
day quite by chance 1 discovered torn up
in the crate the fragments which have
put together and now inclose. / will not
tell you the word that caught my eye
and irresistibly impelled me to put the
letter together and read 1t through. nor
will 1 seek to defend an action that will
no doubt condemn me In your eyes for
ever. 1t was dishonorable. / admit it.
But am believer in instinct. My in
stinct always told me that that man was
a bad man. and my instinct told me then
that / was within reach of proving Its
own unerring truth and the measure of
a villains villainy. / have done both, as
you will soon see IL you can nerve your
self to know the truth II not, condemn
me with glance or with words as bitter
as you please. and / leave this house
tonight and forever. l shall never regret
what have done. You mourn a traitor.
and I had rather forfeit your respect
nay. and my own honor to boot-than let
one 80 divine waste another sigh on one
so devilish!
But IL you forgive me- oh, let me hear
1t from your own sweet lips, and / will
move heaven and earth to atone for
what present misery this may inf1ict!
One day you will thank me. Meanwhile,
II you do not spurn, command me- and
your lightest word shall be my law. If
only could do something for you! My
one remaining chance of happiness is in
serving her l may not love. Humbly and
sincerely always.
JAMES E. w. DAINTREE.
Claire arrived at the last paragraph
with a mind made up. She perceived
with amazement the writer's theory
regarding the wretched Blaydes and
herself. 1t had never struck her that
her every agitation might be thus mis-
construed, and her first impulse was to
set Daintree right upon the point. She
would then return the discriminating
Enclosure unopened. That would be
sufficient rebuke- for an action, as it
were,yso honestly dishonorable.. And
at these decisions her nimble mind had
arrived before she came to the last
paragraph.
This she read over more than once
with puckered forehead and
changeful eye as eagerness. reluctance,
hesitation and decision, shame and
pride whipped across her face like
shadows and sunbeams on gusty day.
And suddenly she tore open the in
closure and felt as mean as Daistree
from that moment, though she barely
glanced at what she found.
1t was an obviously genuine letter,
addressed to Blaydes by some poor
woman. but that was all Claire allowed
herself to discover. A feeling Of in
credible meannesS made her hot all
over, and she turned the letter upside
down to examine the method Of recon-
structiOn. With abominable ingenuity
Daintree lad pasted the scraps upon
a sheet A few were missing Many
were black from the Goals. Claire shud-
dered and glanced at her own fireplace
1t was laid and all ready for lighting.
A moment later 1t was it, and the
dead mans letter was blazing in its
midst. Then Claire breathed again and
took another look at Daintree's warn
ing before burning it too.
~"An interesting revelation Of char
acter," said she when this was done.
81 shall never think the same of him
again, or of myself either. But what
does that matter since 1 can never
think the same of Tom? Nothing mat
tiers except saving his life. And here