The Slaithwaite Guardian and Colne Valley News. — 1900-12-28 (Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire, England)

ERT V.  _ After those exciting days and nights Nina fell into a low, nervous fever. Jo tho mean. time Sibyl St. Alban had died and Talbot Strangamore had gone back to Europe. The tender-heat ted Fieldings were in despair. They did hot know what to do. " Ought we to let her husband know that she is alive : " they had asked each other many times, and one terrible answer had always stared them in the face :  " She is accused of the murder of Mrs. St. Alban. If the officers of the law knew i% here to find her she Ivoulil be thrown into prism: and .tried for her life?"  That- terrible thought held them back from hatseerned to be their duty to Talbot Strangemore. Nina was safe with them now, and dead to all the world beside. Full of fears and doubts and sorrow they decided to keep her presence with them a secret still until she grew well and streng aiu. Then Doctor Fielding said she should do as she pleased about the matter and decide her own fature. If she chose to remain dead to her old life no one could greatly blame her. But there were days and nights when Mrs, Fielding, frightened • and nervous, was almost tempted to send for Miss Drusilla and confide her strange secret to the ears of the old lady, Nina lay so low and ill, ISO perilously near the borders of the death for which she longed, that she grew frightened. She was afraid that the girl would die indeed, and her heart ached and her tears fell often while she gamd at the fragile form and wan, white face, with the dark eyes looking so wild and wide and dreary, as if she were so utterly wretched and undone.  In those long days and nights of sorrow and sickness, Nina Quays had one reproach for Doctor Fielding. When he came and stood Wide bar _lpsisiPg 42,411.101. hot_ with bis  grave eyes, she would alaways say to him with s pathetic sadness deeper than the wildei reproaches could have seemed, " You shonld have let me die !"  " Should we not send for Miss Strangemerel She loves Nina, and she will keep her secret," the wife said one day when the girl seemed sinking fast, and they had almost despaired of her recovery. But she saw a shiver run over the wasted form, and Ihe hollow dark eyes flared wide open upon her face. "No, no, no !" Nina muttered, in feverish displeasure, and after that they spoke no more of it, but (lid their best for the poor sufferer and prayerfully left the issues with God. March waned, April came in with its soft showers and tenderer breezes, and, contrary to all their expectations Nina grew better. They knew now that her dreary, dat+ened life would be spared to her, for although she convalesced with painful slowness they saw that the improvement was decided.  " She rill live, but only I.tod knows what she will do with her broken, ruined life, for, oh, how empty the world will be to her without the love of her husband," sighed Mrs. Fielding, who was so happy in her home, her husband and child, that she had a profound pity and sympathy for less fortunate women than her. self. " I wish that we could take her to the seashore to recuperate her exhausted energies," Doctor Fielditv, said, its May, for the wasted face and the hollow dark eyes of the girl troubled his pence. He longed for her to get well faster.  " AllO Canna WO (10 o? " 111 S Ivife ashed, wistfully, for she, t on, longed to see the drooping, pining invalid grow well and strong again. He flushed and sitshed as though his poverty were a disgrace., o hiismntihiood.  " I had as 11 ell cry for I lie moon," he answered. "I am so poor, dear little wife, and my income from my practice is so small that it barely support s bpi, even with year, st rict economy and the toil of your little bands over the weary routine of household tasks. .Even the long illness of I hat, dear girl has been a heavy tax upon vs, and it will take close tinanciering to meet our expenses this year ; so our greatest wish cannot be gratified," he added, little dreaming what terrible fruit his kimlly F pok en and kindly meant words would bear iu the near future.