The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-01-05

! lDO llldl except lOI lIlG elleClS VI SuiltI-
ing and sorrow her face was that of
Laura Fairlie.
Despite her overwhelming fright, he
| succeeded in holding her attention long
enough to learn that she was staying at
farm near by in company with Mrs.
Clements, who had nursed her in child
hood and to whose home in London she
had escaped from the asylum. Hartright
got no new light on the letter. She
confessed that she had written 1t, but
when he mentioned the Baronets name
she became quite wild and fled. He had
succeeded only in making quite sure that
his first natural and logical suspicion
that Sir Percival had wronged her was
| entirely baseless.
When Miss Halcombe went to the farm
| next day Anne Cathereick had disappear
| ed again.
Walter Hartright departed Weighted
| down not only by the heavy sorrow that
his hopeless love had brought to him but
| also by his great fear that Laura Fairle
was about to marry villain, he sought
| to forget by joining an expedition into
| Central America.
| Sir Percival -yde. a prepossessing and
| handsome man, arrived in Limmeridge
! House soon after. He explained his con-
nection with Anne Catherck most read-
! ly in manner that accounted abundant
| ly for her insane fear of him. He had
| sent her to asylum at the instance
| of her mother, who had rendered his
! family faithful service that demanded
| reward. He insisted that a letter of in
qury be sent to her. and soon a reply
arrived in which Mrs. CatheTick declared
that Sir Percival had been most kind
to her afflicted daughter.
The baronet carried his generous care
| so far as to set all his agencies to work
to capture the missing girl and return
| her to the asylum authorities, but quite
| in Ha1o ha +
| fess to herself that in every sense his
| conduct clearly had been of the best;
| yet she could not rid herself of the UNI
reasonable belief that a dark and me-
| nating mystery lay behind it.
Her distrust of Sir Percival was not
| lessened when he insisted that the mar
| rlage settlement provide that in the
| event of Laura's death all her fortune
! should pass to him. Lauras faithful old
lawyer bitterly opposed this. But Fred
| erick Fairlie protested petulantly against
being annoyed by trivial details and gave
his consent as Laura s guardian. Laura
! herself had begun to lose all interest In
life, since the departure of Walter Hart
! right, and Marian Halcombe saw with
| a heavy, heavy heart that her dear sister
| was doomed to future of unavailing
| and bitter sorrow. Distlessly, YEARLY,
| she was married. YEARLY and sadly
! Marian saw her. depart on her wedding
/ journey to Italy.
1t was summer when Sir PercivalGlyde
| and his wife came home to Blackwater
Park, where Marian met them. With
them came Count Foseo and his wife,
who was Laura's aunt, on her fathers
| side. Count Fosco attracted Marian
the cody intelligent keen Marian =
strangely; the more strangely, since
Laura was too evidently in almost abject
/ fear of him. He was immensely fat
man, yet 1.-THE and noiseless as a cat.
His face was like Napolean's on a large
scale. His gray eyes had weirdly COM
polling power.
! Sir Percival was at once rude to him
and afraid of him. His curious power
extended alike over animals and hui
MANS The most savage dogs in the
| place covered before him. His pets
| white mice, canary birds and two cock
adoos-seemed to understand every word
that he said to them In his long CONVEX
saton with them. His wife-who as Miss
| Fairlie had been VIGOROUSLY self-willed
| and whimsical-was as submissive to him
| as a hound might have been.
| From the beginning Fosco played the
role of mediator. Again and again he
checked Sir Percival when the latter was
on the point of being impolite or worse
to Laura. Despite his efforts however,
the time came soon when the baronet
| threw off the mask and appeared in his
| true colors.
| I His solicitor appeared suddenly in
Blackwater Park and the two had
| heated conversation. Marian accidental
| ly overheard enough of it to know that
the baronets creditors We're pressing him
hard and that the only way to escape
| ruin was to get hold of some of I.aura's
| fortune. Ysl quite understand Sir Per-
cival?" the lawyer was saying. Lady
Clyde need merely sign her name in the
presence of two witnesses and then put
a md Il
this as my act and Decd"
Marian warned Laura, with the result
that when Sir Percival laid a folded paper
before her and demanded that she sign
| 1t, she refused to do so until she had
read it. His black temper broke in
stantly. He reiterated his demand that
she sign at once, and when she sui re-
| fused assailed her with shameful in
| suit. Fosco interfered again. He took
| Sir Percival aside Shortly afterward he
informed Miss Halcombe that the cues
ton would not be raised again.
Events at Blackwater Park now came
! thick and fast shaping darkly toward q ,
grim end-and again. like an omen. the
| woman in white appeared in Laura
life.
This time the two met face to face in a
/, little pine wood near the house. II have
been waiting days-I have risked being
shut up again in the madhouse,' said tho
u.
| Fairlie, all for your sake. | want to save
| you. If you knew his secret he would be
afraid of you. And If he treats you mer
cifully, and if can say it was my do
I ing perhaps l shall meet your mother in
| heaven"
What is it that you have to tell me?"
| asked Laura, frightened by her manner
/ 1.-THE secret that your cruel husband is
| afraid Of" answered Anne Catherick II
| once threatened him with the secret and
| frightened him. My mother knows the
| secret, too, and has wasted under it half !
cher lifetime.
Before she could say more noise
started her. She whispered wildly. |
'Tomorrow-here," and fled Laura re-
turned at once and told Marian and it !
was decided that she should keep the APP
| pointment, while Marian was to follow
shortly afterward But when Marian
reached the spot she found nobody She
| returned to the house to find that Laura
| had returned sobbing, in the company of
| her husband, who had at once discharge
! her maid and ordered Laura locked in her
room under the guard of a servant. It |
was only after the intervention of Count
! Fosco that Marian was permitted to see
| her sister. Laura told her that she had
not seen Anne Catherick, but instead had
| discovered the word Look" traced in
| the sand, and had found there a buried
| letter in which Anne wrote that she had
been seen by a tall, stout man. and did
not dare to keep the appointment, but
that she would come again as soon as
| DosshIa