Widnes Examiner. — 1884-01-26 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

FAMILY COUNCIL.  Maher of the man spoke, or could speak, but waited, in somewhat grim humour, the approach of the Countess, which promised for them a new period of exceeding unpleasantness. As she ntered, Miss Vandeleur, addressing her said,*as if determined to leave them no loophole for escape, perhaps again to carry out their fell purpose, "Your sons wera proposing a trip to France, and had not the gallantry to allow a lady to go with them, even though she condescended to ask."  The Countess gased excitedly on the three faces in rapid succession, and saw there the confirmation of the frightful truth, she hardly ventured to suspect befure. "And you?" she said inquiringly to Miss Vandeleur, hardly knowing what to say, or if it was safe to say anything. Stephen saved Miss Vandeleur from answering, by himself saving with a smile, "Miss Vandelear, mother, effectively convinced as we had better stay at home." The smile, and the seemingly light-hearted indifference with which Stephen treated the whole matter (but only in the hope to conceal its true character from his mether) impelled her to cast aside all pretences, and to exclaim : " Ah, heaven! I understand. But for this brave girh you would now have been moving swiftly to the work of I mutual slaughter! Deny it if you can !" There was no such denial forthcoming; and after a pause the Countess again spoke with an extraordinary change of nsanner ' " But it is no time to dwell on the offences of others when the acknowledgment of our own is justly due. In my overweening desire to keep secret a matter seriously affecting the honour of the fatnily. I failed to see how you its chief members might all be compromised. Before God and man I beg pardon of all!' " Mother !" said Stephen, " my very dear mother, is this necessary ?" "I ask the same question," said the Earl," and with the deepest concern." " Judge from the story I have yet to tell." Turning to Lord Harlaxtoh who still held the packet of papers in his hands she said : "Do you know that it is your mothers's testimony you bold there among the rest, and which includes mine ?" " My mother's !" echoed Lord Harlaxton in the greatest astonishment. "Are you then not my mother ?" "You have often in childhood heard me speak of a dear sister, of her extraordinary beauty, and premature death soon after her marriage. Twelve months before that event I was called to her in the dead of night. I found her in a state more awful thanl can even now venture to recall, much less to describe. Bit by bit I got from her the sad details. She had been reduced under a solemn promise of marriage, knowing the truth of her lover's statement that he would be disinherited if he married her before the death' of the rich invalid to whom he Was heir.  "In one and the sarne day she discovered the death of the invalid some weeks before ; the marriage of her lover to another woman ; and that she herself was destinetl to bring into the world an evidence of what she felt to be her shame.  "It was then she sent for me. I arrived just in time to prevent her suicide or insanity, by pledging myself—a childless woman—to receive the babe at birth as my own, my husband's prolonged absence abroad giving the opportunity. "And so it was. And the kindly doctor. who was in the secret, who had known and secretly loved her lonebefore, and been rejeeted by her, eventually again wooed and won her, but only to Brid her die, broken hearted, in his arms, within three months of their bridal." In a voice half-stifled with emotion, Lord Harlaxton said "And the name of the man?" _  "The hour for vengeance has passed away. Re is dead. The good doctor has also followed. All the rest you know,