The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-19


 vide against the chance of being loved no longer. All this you will learn by her letters-here Is the key to my desk-I bequeath the letters to you should I fall. It Is much better, how ever. that should live to marry mad anne and that you should return to England However. I think after see ing the letters you will be convinced that my cousin and myself are much better mated than you would be with her."
 Oswald was much more expert swordsman than Maltigues and might have killed him. But he contented him. self with slightly wounding and dis arming him. "Well, we'll" said Malti- gues. you are a good fellow, as said. and I want to do something for you in return for having spared my life. You shall have the letters any way" Oswald read the packet of let ters from Mime. d'Aubigny to Malti- gues which the latter placed in his hands. and from them learned of the cold heartlessness of the woman and also that she had deceived him in her statement that she was about to become a mother. His dream shattered, he es- capped from France and hastened to England.
 But he arrived too latel Ills father had died a few days before. lamenting the absence and unflial conduct of his son. Oswald felt then, and felt now that he was parricide. He had re- sided for a time on his Scottish es- tates and had seen Lucille Edgermond @ few times. But she was still too young to think of marrying. and. though he had firmly resolved to fulfill his fath- CTS wishes in the matter. he felt some relief when his physicians ordered hiru to Italy for the benefit of his health. This was the story of his life up to the time he had met Corinne. Could she take him with this past behind him? Before he had met her he had not known what love was-but now he felt its full power.
 Oswald slrevelations did not disturb the love and trust which Corinne had in him, and she. in return for his disclosures, placed in his hand a packet which con tained a written statement of her own life. She was. 1t appeared, the daughter of Lord Edgermond by his>first wife. an Ital- ian woman of rank. Upon the death of her mother in Italy Lord Edgermond had returned to England and had married again. Corinne had then been removed from the custody of her Italian aunt and taken, with her Italian maid, to Lord Edgermond's country seat in Northumbei- land. For while she had lived there in comparative content, and had busted herself in giving lessons in drawing. music and Italian to her half-sister, Lu- cile. But her father died, and her step mother, who was utterly unable to under stand the feelings and ambitions of the Italian-bred girl. became more and moro reserved and cold toward her. Every thing that Corinne did seemed to jay upon the nerves of her stepmother.
 Corinne once spoke of her desire to re- turn to Italy and to enter a public life as singer or authoress. Lady Edger- mond was shocked, and told her that If she ever did such thing 1t was due to the family that she should assume an- other name, and allow herself to be re- ported dead. Not long after Corinne did fly to Italy, accompanied only by her maid. and Lady Edgermond gave out that her stepdaughter had died on a voyage to Italy, whither she had gone for the benefit of her health. Corinne's fortune, which she had inherited from her moth- CT, was large, and she had begun at once the life which Oswald now saw her lead ing. and the continuation of which, in the way of fame and glory, he had witnessed