The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-07-23
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(Continued.)


 She pointed to the newspaper.
 He is dead" she said.
 A Iool< almost like relief, came in- to John Castlemaine's face, and he picked up the paper. As he read, a sensation. the like of which he had never felt before, came into his heart. The paragraph described the finding of Leicester's body on the stees by the side of the river near the Blackfriars pier. It discussed the causes which led to 1t, and poinasR out that in all probability Leicester had committed suicide. It hinted that possibly he had fallen in to the river while in a state Of 1n- toxication. but urged that the bal ance of evidence lay in the direction of suicide. It referred to his career at Oxford, his great intellectual gifts, and the hopes entertained by so many that he would rise high in the coun- cjIs of the nation. The event at Tavfton, however. had revealed the true state of affairs, and thus his tragic death added another victim to the list of those who had been de- stroyed by England's greatest curse.
 When he had finished he turned to Olive. She was still looking to- wards the Mediterranean. but he knew that she saw nothing.
 You have nothing for which you can blame yourself, Olive," he said, you could have done no other."
 She did not speak.
 Tt was a sad day for us when he came into our nves." he continued. T know what you feel, my darling You are laying his death at your own door, but you are wrong. His end came through the vices which made you do what you did. Evidently he was a drunkard all the time. He may have kept his vice in the back ground when he came to The Beech es, but-but-this was the inevitable result-of-an the rest"
 Father she said. would you mind leaving me alone for a little while, want"
 But she did not finish the sentence. Almost mechanically She rose from her seat, picked up the bundle of newspapers, and went to the hotel. where she slowly climbed the stairs towards her bedroom. Perhaps. al- though the garden was deserted, its very publicity made it impossible for her to stay there. She wanted to be alone, there she could, in quietness, think out everything again. She for got all about MT. Sackville's depart ure, forgot almost where she was. She felt stunned, and yet in some re- spects her mind was more than ordi- narily clear.
 Leicester's death had brought a new and unexpected influence into her existence. While he was alive. while he showed his real nature by handying her name at public meet ing, and by appearing before an audi ence in a state of intoxication, she felt that her conduct, in spite of a feeling which suggested remorse, was excusable; but now he was dead, all was different Perhaps in vague, dim sort of a way she had felt the possi- bility of his coming into her life again, although she had no definite consciousness of it, but now she req ,ized that he was gone from her life, except as a memory. She pictured him lying on the cold steps beside the river; she thought of the feelings which must have been in his heart as he threw himself into its dark, turbid waters. It was very terrible, sider who sent her the paper, her mind was absorbed in the fact it contained.
 Presently she asked herself what would have happened if she had mar ried him. Would this dread tragedy have been averted, and would she have been able. as he had said, to have led him to a noble manhood? |? GNGA tikCn AACA hCdTL Ilc1u dHS WCI GU no. The reformation which she thought she had worked was only a mockery; even if it had been real, it was only a veneer of reformation, so thin that it had failed him when she refused to hold further intercourse with him. She wondered whether she really loved him, else why could she think of his death so calmly? Her heart was very sore, and she felt stunned by the news of his death, yet she was able to think quite clear ly and collectedly.
 She read the paragraph concerning Leicester again. She supposed that there could be no doubt that it was he. The name upon the handker- chief. the letter addressed to him no, there could be no doubt Per haps in a day or so the English news papers would contain further news bout him. There would, of course. be an inquest, and then the circum- stantial evidence would be tested: but of course he was dead
 Suddenly the remembrance of their last interview came back to her. He had reminded her of her promise