The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-05-08
CHAPTER VII.


Mr.. Clithero bowed his head, and his
lips just moved. HE died-on the
hulks; I believe that is the proper
term. Miss Grand, we have reason
to believe that your father died re
pentant for the great wrong Of his
life. 1 had a letter from the officer
with him at the last; and this much l
know, that he died with the name of
Jane-his little Jane upon his lips"
laugh-say rather a bitter, harsh
sound-the ghost, the dreary mockery
of all her new-slain youth and happi-
ness, broke from Jane Grand.
"He did well to speak of me-to
leave me his blessing, perhaps! To
me, who had better nevG have lived
whose daily. bread has been shame
who can think Of my fathers name
and of myself, and of all belonging to
him and to me, only with loathing!
My God! what can his repentance do
for me-and for Giffords"
With that last word her face turned
Hvid white; her slinched hands dropped
heavily in her lap. Mr.. Clithero thought
Bic was SOlu W anu AOSO hoStAAJ
to his feet; but she motioned him to
sit down.
81 can hear 1t out, sir. can hear it
out. Don't comfort me, please, only
tell me the rest I've got to hear. Why
did you ever send me near Yatton?
Why have I been brought up in ig-
norance of all this? I should like to
hear it at once, and then-then I will
go home again, if you please. I shall
have to speak to-Mr. Mohun-at once,
you know"
"If Mr.. Mohun is what 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 would marry Gif.
ford now? You think 1 would let him,
even if he wished, sully his old name
so?1give his children such an in
heritance as mine? All, well! that is
a subject for him and me alone, and
we needn't speak of it any more. Tell
me why I ever went near Yatton, sir,
and why I have been kept in ignorance
of what my fathers life was? This
all want to hear. When have heard
It, need trouble you no longer"
But Mr.. Clithero paused. In all his
Fifty years of practice he had never
seen any overwhelming distress borne
by a woman as Jane bore this. There
are some few women who take grief
hard and tearlessly, as most men do;
and to look at a girls face, white and
set, and rigid, is sight to shock the
least sensitive beholder, even more
than to see a mans cheek wet with
unaccustomed tears.
A sudden thought-an intuition 1t
must have been-for what could he.
hard old bachelor London lawyer,
know, either practically or theoretical
iy, of love?-made Mr.. Clthero divine
through what channel the suddenly
frozen heart might best be 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 to Cheshterford by merest acci-
dent-Mr Clithero having heard
through country client that the cot
tage 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-
norance of him, of his history, of his
name even, until you were twenty-one;
and Miss Lynch and 1 determined long
ago that nc 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
ruptly. 'In carrying out his wish, you
have only carried out the horrible evil
he wrought me when was child. If
Clifford Mohun had known what was
from the first, he would not have loved
mer'
.'There is some reason in what you
say. Miss Grand; but it was not for us
to know that you would so early form
q matrimonial ngagement-above all,
with man in 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
fill this we have seen no object that
could be fulfilled by telling you the
truth
"No longer bore his Manner repeated
Jane, but quite duly, mechanically
rvithout interest, the moment she no
longer thought of Clifford.
"Ah. go by false name, too! Weli,
it doesn't matter-nothinG will matter
any more now"
"Your mothers maiden name was
Grandet, and when-when your father
was about to leave England, he begged
that YOU might be called by it instead
Of his own, We thought afterward
that foreign name might lead TO sus-
picion IL borne by an English child, ana
we resolved to alter it into Granu
This is important, also, for You 10 re
mpmber and tell to Mr. MohnD. In
drawing out marriage settlements L
would of course be necessary Tor yot
to be designated by your oWn-by you'
fathers name"
s'TelI it me-"
He told her; name unknown 10 Her
hut notorious, even to this day, as tina
of one of the systematic. the respect
able defrauders, to whose ranks 81
goodly an addition has been madf
within the last few years.
81 shall recollect," she said out sh'
refrained, as she had already done
from using the word father" to re
peat ib-I shall recoilect all you HaT'