The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1915-07-17

What took Rosanna into the shrub
berry walk" / asked.
Her own Madness" says Penelope.
II can call It nothing else. Sh~ was
bent on speaking to Mr.. Franklin this
morning, come what might OF IT,. |
did my best to stop her. You saw that.
II l could only have got her away be-
fore she heard those dreadful words
There, therel" / said. Don't lose
your head. I can't call to mind that
anything happened to alarm Rosanna."
Nothing to alarm her, father. But
Mr.. Franklin said he took no interest
whatever in her, and, oh, he said 1t in
such a cruel voicer'
"He said 1t to stop the sergeant's
mouth" I answered.
81 told her that" says Penelope.
"But, you see, father. though Mr..
Franklin isn't to blame he's been o
tifying and disappointing her for
weeks and weeks past. and now this
comes on the top of it all! She has no
right. Of course, to expect him to take
any interest in her. She frightened
me, father, when Mr.. Franklin said
those words. They seemed to turn her
into stone. A sudden quiet came over
her, and she has gone about her work
ever since like a woman in a dream"
I had promised Mr.. Franklin to
speak to Rosanna, and this seemed the
fittest time for keeping my word.
We found the girl sweeping the cor
ridor outside the bedrooms. pale and
composed and neat as W in her mod
est print dress. I noticed a curious
dimness and dullness in her eyes-not
as IL she had been crying. but as II
she had been looking at something too
long. Possibly it was a misty some
thing raised by her own thoughts.
There was certainly no object about
her to look at which she had not seen
already hundreds on hundreds OF
times.
Cheer up, Rosanna" I said. you
mustn't fret over your W fancies. 1
have got something to say to you from
Mr.. Franklin"
1 thereupon put the matter In the
right view before her in the friendliest
and most comforting words l could
find.
"Mr. Franklin is very kind and Con-
siderate. Please to thank him." b
was all the answer she made me.
NV daughter had already noticed that
Rosanna went about her work like a
woman in a dream. I now added TO
this observation that she also listened
and spoke like a woman in a dream. 1
doubted If her mind vas in a fit con-
dition to take in what I had said.
Are you quite sure, Rosanna, that
you understand me?" I asked.
"Quite sure"
"She echoed me not like a living wo-
man, but like a creature moved by ma
chinery. She went on sweeping all the
time. I took away the broom as gen.
tly and as kindly as I could.
"Come. come, my girl" I said. "This
is not like yourself. You have got
something on your mind. I'm your
friend. and I'll stand your friend, even
IL you have done wrong. Make a clean
breast Of it, Rosanna-make a clean
breast Of it,"
The time had been when my speak
ing to her in that way would have
brought the tears into her eyes. l could
see no change in them now.
EYES," she said, I'm make a clean
breast Of it."
ITO my lady?" 1 asked.
"No."
ITO Mr.~Franklin?
"Yes; to Mr.. Franklin"
I hardly knew what to say to that.
She was in no condition to understand
the caution against speaking to him In
private which Mr.. Franklin had d.
rected me to give her. Feeling my
way little by little, I only told her Mr..
Franklin had gone out for a walk.
at doesn't matter" she answered.
81 shan't trouble Mr.. Franklin today"
"Why not speak to my lady?" l said.
1.-THE way to relieve your mind Is to
speak to the merciful and Christian
mistress who has always been kind to
you"
She looked at me for a moment with
a grave and steady attention as If she
was fixing what l said In her mind.
Then she took the broom out of my
handS and moved on with IL Slowly q
little way down the corridor.
mo" she said, going on with her
sweeping and speaking to herself; II
know a better way Of relieving my
mind than that"
"What Is it."
"Please to let me go on with my
work"
Penelope followed her and offered to
help her.
She answered: mo. I want to do
my work. Thank you, Penelope" She
looked around at me. Thank you, Mr..
Betteredge."
There was no moving her. There
was nothing more to be said. I signed
to Penelope to come away with me.
We left her, as we had found her,
sweeping the corridor like a woman In