The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1922-01-20

VINO copied tnaIf crle0 my iaOy
impulsiyely, as she caught sight OF
some handwriting on legal document
before her. .'Why do You ask p
queried the keen lawyer, struck by her
animation and unusual tone. ANY
thing to vary this detestabIe monot-
ony." she returned. then tainted.
With Mr.. Tulkinghorn to wonder at
anything was to investigate it. Why
had my lady asked about that hand
writing? Why had she tainted? Per
haps Snagsby, the law stationer, whe
had had these papers copied, could en-
tighten him. Yes, Snagsby knew. 1t
was the work of a gloomy, poverty
stricken recluse calling himself Memo
and lodging over one vfllafnOus
KroOks' rag and bottle shop. Thither
they go and up into the squalid cham
Der. Memo is lying on his wretched
bed, his eyes staring, his body motion
less. l'God save US, he is deadl" ex-
claimed Mr.. Tulkinghorn.
I heard of the inquest through Mr..
Guppy, shrewd young law clerk who
had made hopeless calf-lOve to me.
| The only witness who seemed to have
known the dead man was 10, forlorn
boy crossing sweeper, and he knew lit
| tie except "'E wos good to me, e
wos." But Mr.. Tulkinghorn docketed
10 for further use-meantime: u
have seen the man whose handwriting
attracted your attention" he wrote
Lady Dedlock. And soon after, on a
visit to Chesney Void: 81 found him
dead" he tells my lady face to face.
And whether each evermore watches
and suspects the other; what each
would give to know how much the 9TH
er knows-all this is hidden for time
in their own hearts.
The faithful Mr.. Guppy, whom ]
could never encourage because-well,
because there was DR.. Allan Wood
court, for one thing-gaye me the news
of JOS arrest for lettering, and of the
strange story he told in explanation
of money found on him. They took
him to Snagsby's, and this was JOS
tale: They're wot's left, Mr.. Snags-
by, out of sov'ring as wos give me
by lady in a vale as said she was a
servant, and as come to my crossin'
one night and asked to be showed this
ere 'ouse and the 'ouse wot him as
you give the writin' to died at, and
the berrin' ground wot he's berried
in. And / done it."
And now why did Snagsby hurry of
to grim old Tulkinghorn with this odd
tale? And why did Mr.. TulkinghOrn
/ at once call in Bucket, a great Lon
don detective, to go and fetch 10? And
was there any dark import to the BIT
of melodrama in the lawyers office
where the waif was shown yelled
woman dressed as a servant? cts
Ter, an it amt 'er," he had said, gaz.
ing raptly at the figure. II know the
vale an the bunnit an the gownd
but it amt 'er and, nor yet 'er rings
nor yet 'er voice. It's 'er, an it ain't
'er." "There amt a doubt" Bucket
had whispered to Mr.. Tulkinghorn
that it was the other one with this
ones dress on"
Meantime had had my first glimpse
of the celebrated Lady Dedlock. My
guardian had taken US all down t6
Lincolnshire to visit friend, and il
| was in the little parish church / saw
her. Shall I ever forget the rapid
/ beating at my heart occasioned by the
look / met as / stood up? Shall
ever forget the manner in which those
handsome, proud eyes seemed to
spring out of their languor and to hold
mine? And, very strangely. there was
something quickened within nae, asso-
ciated with the lonely days at my god
/ mothers. / was soon to know what
this meant, and, curiously enough
through Mr.. Guppy.
| Ny impossible sutton, 1t seemed, had
noted a resemblance between myself
and Lady Dedlock. He had learned
by chance that my name was not Els
Their Summerson, but Esther Hawdon.
Hoping to help me, straight to Lady
DedIOck he went with his news.
She received him haughtily, but when
| he informed her that he had found
that his cherished Esther was Esther
Hawdon my God" had burst through
her icy reserve.
Life went on for while with
charming grace and pleasantness at
Bleak House. Then the darkness of a
terrible disease eneompassed me, and
when l had recovered my face was SO
sadly changed that hardly knew my
self. To recuperate my guardian took
me down to Lincolnshire, near Ches-
ney Void. And there l met Lady Ded-
lock again.
I was resting on a bench in the
beautiful wood near the great mansion
one day when she cdme and sat down
on the seat beside me. Suddenly she
caught me to her breast, kissed me,
| fell down on her knees and cried to
me: ''Oh, my child, my child; am
your unhappy and wicked mother.
Oh, try to forgive me. / had thought
you dead in infancy. My cruel sister
| told me so.n Then I felt burst of
gratitude, through all my tumult of
emotion, that I was so changed that
could never disgrace her by any trace
| of likeness.
But at once I knew that our secret
was not safe. My mother told me OF
the cold and crafty Tulkinghorn, al
ready suspicious Of her and ready to
| charge her with the truth. "Could
you not trust him?" had asked. II
4 ~. fn6 mr.
dark road have trodden for so many
years will end where it win. follow
1t alone to the end, wherever the end
be-"
Soon I knew that the merciless