Year: 1872

the evident uellgnb Oh Jnc uOcIOT, Jne rec
tor, and the solicitor when we heard
sound of voices in the hall, scuffling
and then groan. At that moment, Sil
entered hurriedly, looking pale and anx
ious, and with one arm in sling.


Mr.. Dobson," said he to the doctor
who instantly pricked up his ears, eve
want your help at once. A poor fellow
has been thrown and a good deal hurt"


Then, seeing me, his face grew graver
he advanced to me and offered his hand.


My dear Mrs. H" he said, "you
mustn't be alarmed, but your husband has
been thrown in trying gate; his
shoulder is put out, and one of his ribs
Pm afraid off-but it will be right di
rectlv"


remember no more; they told me af
terward that / tainted. By nature | was
strong-nerved, but from Sir Edwards
manner | formed an Immediate notion
that my husband was dangerously injured,
and so indeed it proved.


1t was week before my husband was
out of danger He had dislocated his
shoulder and broken two ribs, besides re,
ceiving painful injury on his knee-cap.
1 watched him day and night, and gave
him myself the narcotics that were re-
quired to give him the necessary sleep, for
neuralgia affection attended some of the
contusions, and low fever followed, to
allay which rest was indispensable.


1t was the ninth day, if | remember
right, that, pale, anxious, and exhausted
by want of sleep, l came for the first
time SINE since my husbands accident to
take my doleful seat at the dinner table.
Sir Edward was very frank and cordial
untiring in his attentions to me, and in
his sympathy for me.


"Most unfortunate r' he said, "and
just at the beginning of the hunting sea-
son, too-at the end one would not care
and | was so anxious to show him how
straight our set rode. Tell him, poor
fellow, when he gets better, that we have
had to shoot Parepa-she'd broken her
leg, just above the fetlock-but I'd rather
have shot all my stud than have him
bowled over like that"


"There is no danger now, l assure
you," said the everlasting country doc
tor, who seemed perennial at Lawford
Hall banquets. Z" / assure you on my
honor, as a professional man, if he is
only careful, and we can keep up this
artificial sleep without injury to his
sanguineous circulation and digestive Or
gans."


"Ahl this riding, like the driving of
Jehu, the son of Nimshi, Sir Edward" ["
said the equally perennial rector, is very
much on the increase with our country
aristocracy, and is likely, fear, to be at
tended with the most terrible casualties
Where do you get your Moselle, Sir Ed
ward ?"


The inevitable old maid sisters uttered
their usual eXclamations whenever the
accident was alluded to, of Shocking
shocking Oh, dear, it is dreadful to
think Of"


l bore it as long as 1 could, but that
vast evening" century in itself-was no
bad preparation to a year at the hulks.
Oh, that never ceasing sonata of Beetho-
ven, beaten out with remorseless eXacti-
tude by the rector's conscientious daugh-
ter; oh! the wearisomeness of that strict
ly scientific rubber at which I assisted as
in a dream. At last the playing grew
sleepier and sleepier; Sir Edward, tired
with fox hunting, fell asleep as the cards
were being shuffied, and gave an inter
nal three times three when the servant an
nounced the first carriage, and Lady Law
ford said:


"Well, I think we are all getting
sleepy together; perhaps we'd better GO
to bed"


Could this be the Lady Lawford I had
known in Paris, 1 thought, as I mounted
the old staircase, and, with half alarmed
look at my own shadow, entered the long
corridor in which our room was the only
one inhabited. A miserable visit it had
been. If past trouble weighed upon the
house, was the shadow of that crime tC
cast gloom upon the race forever?
could not account for the change in peo
pie had known so gay and pleasant, an6
puzzled myself in vain to invent rea
son. Extravagant 1 might have expected
to find them, their life a ceaseless whirl OF
excitement but careworn, humdrum-it
seemed impossible. One would really
have thought that Sir Edwards father
had been the murderer, instead of some
grandfather's cousin, who had left nc
children. Oh, that George was well!
thought that we could get away from
this dreadful place.


uttered these words aloud as opened
the bedroom door, so loud that I almos
thought they might have walked George
but there he lay in deep sleep, breathing
heavily, and with one bandaged arm rest
ing upon the counterpane. There wa!
no lamp lit in the room, but a Cheerful
fire burned in the CRATE, and the merry
shadows glanced upon the ceiling. Tht
medicine bottles were drawn up in ghastly
rank and file on the mantel-piece, and thu
careful servant had left jelly and meat es
sence and some fruit ready for use on tht
side table.


threw myself into great carved chai
that stood by the fire, and listened to my
husbands breathing. There was no sounC
but that and the measured ticking of al
In1 olo ho IoJ clo+
door slammed far away in the same dis
tant wing of the house, then the hous,
seemed to fall into the profoundest sleep
1t was still as the family vault. Once
bough of clematus at the window tappet
against the glass, as if fairy was beg
ging admittance; once cold breath 0
| air-spread from | know not where, an,
going no one knew whither-crept from
under the door, and flowed in a cold, in
visible current through the room in
ghostly sort of way. Half an hour later
as [ sat and watched, the wind seemet
to spring into sudden sort of rumblin!
and bluster in the great chimney, thel
sank again to silence; gagged by som
secret power which it could not resist


was looking at the fire, thinking of
know not what waiting for half-past one
when | was to try and rouse George t
give him the Strengthening medicine


when my eyes all at once fell on pictur


in row of portraits had not before es


pecially noticed; it was one of four ths


hung in dark corner of the room, yer


dark by day, and within the shadow c


the heavy crimson curtains; but po1


the freight cleaned full on it; and


could see its features as if SUI


beam had fallen upon the spot 1t repre-


sented a man about thirty; the feature


were firm, but rather sharp and Vo


tairean; the powdered hair, gathered int


club, was tied with ribbon; the thil


Tipped mouth wore cold, set smile.


sudden thought, from which could NJ


divest myself, arose in my mind


was the portrait of the murderer. Ju


such refined serpentish face I had in


agined his to be. The scene of that ira


edy came again into my mind; that W;


the face that had bent over the dead bod


with affected compassion; that had smile
in triumph upon the gardener; that hs
angrily rebuked the sister for complai
ing of his wish to rinse the fatal bottl
! that was the face that with practice
courtesy had pretended to invite eve
inquiry. | knew the portrait would n
be there if the Lawfords knew of its e