Year: 1874

Roosevelt Berkeley seemed ready TO speak,
but he had not the power. The crushing
of all his hopes had been so utter, so
whelming that his tongue could find no ut
terance. In the meantime Orlando came
forward and caught his fathers arm.


"Father," he said, "is this, too, all real,
Or do dreamP"


"It's all real, my boy" returned Chiron,
while his face softened with beam of af-
fection as he gazed upon his son. "It's
all real and you shall no longer be kept in
suspense; for your own and my brothers.
information, will explain it all


"Shortly after you were born, my son."
commenced Sir Wallace, 81 was one day
grossly insulted by perfect stranger. At
first l took no notice of it. The insult was
repeated, and at length l struck the mis-
creant with my fist. He challenged me.
His own insults had been too public to leave
me room for any other course than to fight
him. My moral nature shrank from the
deed, but was too much of a coward to
stand out against a false public opinion,
and so accepted his challenge. The
scoundrel fired before his time His bull
let entered my side, and with one or two
quick, painful bounds, the surrounding
scenes swan before me, and l sunk un-
conscious upon the ground When l came
to my senses found myself in the house of
an old physician, who informed me that
had been two weeks under his roof. The
ball had been extracted, and 1 was told
that should recover; and when / asked
for my wife, they told me that she could
not see me now, but that she was safe. But
they had deceived me, for when had suf-
ficiently recovered to go out, they confessed
to me that Morgiana had disappeared with
her child. learned that l was carried to
my house all bloody and insensible from
the sanguinary field, and to all appearance
dead. The sight threw the reason of my
fond wife crashing from its throne, and,
unknown to her friends, she had disap-
peared. They told me that she had raved
some, and that she thought had deserted
her, and that she also spoke of going in
search of me. Before had made much
arrangement for seeking out my poor
stricken wife, the old physician, who had
so kindly had me taken to his own dwell
ing, gave to me small portmanteau which
had been left by the man who had shot me-
and who had been obliged to take such
sudden fight that he had no time to return
to the hotel for it, Within that portman-
teau l found certain letters which revealed
to me at once the whole dark plot that had
been concocted against me, and which
opened my eyes to the horrible fact that
my own brother had been at the bottom of
the whole. AT first resolved to come di-
rectly back to Virginia and punish him as
he deserved but could not leave until
l had learned something of my wife and
child, and at length, when found that the
impression was abroad that was dead,
resolved to let Roosevelt fchiaia Under the
pressure of his own conscience, for knew
his grasping, penurious disposition, and
l knew that he would not waste my es-
tate. After much searching and inquiry
/ made out to trace woman and her child
into Scotland, but found them not. About
six months after the disappearance of my
wife l received from the king the lands and
titles Of Chiron. had been a firm adher-
ent to the interest of the king, and this
was my reward. accepted the lordship,
and at the same time received from my
sovereign the promise that he would keep
the affair of my identity as secret as possi-
BILE. From that time threw off my family
name, and wore only the title of my new
grant. was known only as Chiron. Some
thought that Sir Wallace Berkley was dead,
while others thought him safe in the Amer
ican colonies, but only chosen few knew
him in his new guise. had sworn that l
would not reveal myself to my brother till
l had found my wife, or learned something
of her fate.


Year after year passed away, and /
became convinced that my Morgiana and
her child were dead. At length, as was
one day sailing down the Thames, a woman
and her child were discovered upon the
shore, upon which an old sailor made some
rems X about poor insane woman, with
an infant boy, who had many years before
gone over to America in a ship to which he
was attached. started from my seat,
drew the old sailor aside, and soon knew
the poor woman of whom he spoke was my
wife. gave the man some gold, and as
soon as possible set forth for the colonies
l landed in Boston. l there gained intel
ligence Of an insane mother and her child,
and at length followed them here, where