The North-Eastern Weekly Gazette. — 1888-02-18 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

CHAPTER XXXV. ROPE.  This conversation awoke some sort of hope in the heart of the unhappy Julia, and at her request, on the following eveuipg, Celeste having again absented herself, the kindly Scotch girl once more found an opportunity of privately visiting her. If I could only get one letter posted—just one," said Julia, looking at her comely face with painful eagerness. "1 lay awake moat all last night," answered Funny Duncan, "thinking how I could best help your ladyship; but my lady," she added, loweriug her voice, though they wore perfectly alone, "we'll have to mind what we do, for there are spies, it seems to me, on every side—"  'Oh! my Cod, my God :" cried Julia, despairingly. " Hush ! hush, dear lady I" said Fanny, looking with the tenderest compassion at the beautiful, white, wasted face and wild unsettled eyes of the unfortunate young Duchess. "We'll find some way in spite of a'—but I know not in whom to trust."  "hut could you not take a letter ?" said Julia.  " I thought o' that," answered Fanny, "and said something to grandfather and grandmother this morning about wanting a new ribbon for my hat, and that I wad like to go and buy it at the little shop where they tell me the post is kept, which is over a mile from here; but grandfather said, very crusty-like, he wasn't going to let me go flying about the country after ribbons, or anything else, and he wad get what I wanted the next market day." 'And is there no one: no one you could bribe ?" half-groaned Julia. "I'm afraid, you see, your ladyship, to ask anyone; for that Frenchwoman has all the men running after her—even grandfather, I declare 1" said Fanny, indignantly.  Julia rose from the ses:t where she was sitting, and began pacing the room with restlesq uneven steps, and then suddenly flung up her arms with a kind of wild despairing moan.  " Oh! my dear lady," said Fanny, going towards her.  "Oh I Fanny, Fanny; I'm so afraid—so afraid," cried Julia, shuddering, and shivering, and clinging to the Scotchwoman, as if for protection. " I believe," she went on, with a strange light stealing into her eyes, and glancing der her shoulder as if in deadly fear, " I believe they are goMg to murder me." "Nonsense, nonsense," said Fanny, putting her strong arm round the slight shaking form near her, "it's being alone in this gloomy place puts such ideas into your ladyship's head. It's a cruel shame, that it is, that you should be left here." "I feel haunted," went on Julia. " I see the tapestry shake, and I know they are corning —" • My lady, you'll go mad if you think such th ngs, ' said Fanny. " Do you kaow what he once said 2" continued Julia, in the same excited whisper, "that he would put me in a madhouse sometimes I think this is one—sometimes I dream my arms are fastened to my side—and they brought me here to die." "Come with me to the window, now," said Fanny, cheerfully, half - leading her across the room, "I have something I want to show you." "Well?" said Julia, as the Scotch girl proceeded to open one of the narrow casements, looking in Fanny's face with a dickering and uncertain stare.  " Will your ladyship put your head out," said Fanny, "for see what a fine night it is, and then look down to the foot of the Castle, and tell me what is floating there?" Julia obeyed her as if mechanically. "Do you see anything ?" asked Fanny, in her pretty accents, pressing closer. "1 see a boat—yes, a little boat with a man in it," answered Julia, dejectedly. "Well," said Fanny, smiling, "do you know, your ladyship, what I mean that little boat to be— I mean it to be a private post office that only you and me shall know