AT THE MERCY OF TIBERIUS A NOVEL By AUGUSTA EVANS WILSON Author of "A Speckled Bird, " "Infelice, " "Vashti, " "Beulah, " "St. Elmo, " etc. Fate steals along with silent tread, Found oftenest in what least we dread; Frowns in the storm with angry brow, But in the sunshine strikes the blow. --COWPER. IN MEMORY OF MY MOTHER, WHO HAS ENTERED INTO REST. JTABLE 10 35 1 AT THE MERCY OF TIBERIUS CHAPTER I. "You are obstinate and ungrateful. You would rather see me suffer anddie, than bend your stubborn pride in the effort to obtain relief forme. You will not try to save me. " The thin, hysterically unsteady voice ended in a sob, and the frailwasted form of the speaker leaned forward, as if the issue of life ordeath hung upon an answer. The tower clock of a neighboring church began to strike the hour ofnoon, and not until the echo of the last stroke had died away, wasthere a reply to the appeal. "Mother, try to be just to me. My pride is for you, not for myself. Ishrink from seeing my mother crawl to the feet of a man, who hasdisowned and spurned her; I cannot consent that she should humbly begfor rights, so unnaturally withheld. Every instinct of my naturerevolts from the step you require of me, and I feel as if you held ahot iron in your hand, waiting to brand me. " "Your proud sensitiveness runs in a strange groove, and it seems youwould prefer to see me a pauper in a Hospital, rather than go to yourgrandfather and ask for help. Beryl, time presses, and if I die forwant of aid, you will be responsible; when it is too late, you willreproach yourself. If I only knew where and how to reach my dear boy, Ishould not importune you. Bertie would not refuse obedience to saywishes. " The silence which followed was so prolonged that a mouse crept from itscovert in some corner of the comfortless garret room, and nibbled atthe fragments of bread scattered on the table. Beryl stood at the dormer window, holding aside the faded blue cottoncurtain, and the mid-day glare falling upon her, showed every curve ofher tall full form; every line in the calm, pale Sibylline face. Thelarge steel gray eyes were shaded by drooping lids, heavily fringedwith black lashes, but when raised in a steady gaze the pupils appearedabnormally dilated; and the delicately traced black brows thatoverarched them, contrasted conspicuously with the wealth of deepauburn hair darkened by mahogany tints, which rolled back in shiningwaves from her blue veined temples. While moulding the figure andfeatures upon a scale almost heroic, nature had jealously guarded thesymmetry of her work, and in addition to the perfect proportion of thestatuesque outlines, had bestowed upon the firm white flesh a gleamingsmoothness, suggestive of fine grained marble highly polished. Majestyof mien implies much, which the comparatively short period of eighteenyears rarely confers, yet majestic most properly describes this girl, whose archetype Veleda read runic myths to the Bructeri in the twilightof history. Beryl crossed the room, and with her hands folded tightly together, came to the low bed, on which lay the wreck of a once beautiful woman, and stood for a moment silent and pre-occupied. With a sudden gestureof surrender, she stooped her noble head, as if assuming a yoke, anddrew one long deep breath. Did some prophetic intuition show her atthat instant the Phicean Hill and its dread tenant, which sooner orlater we must all confront? "Dear mother, I submit. Obedience to your commands certainly ought notto lead me astray; yet I feel that I stand at the cross-roads, longingto turn and flee from the way whither your finger points. I have nohope of accomplishing any good, and nothing but humiliation can resultfrom the experiment; but I will go. Sometimes I believe; that fatemaliciously hunts up the things we most bitterly abhor, and one by onesets them down before us--labelled Duty. When do you wish me to start?" "To-night, at nine o'clock. In the letter which you will take tofather, I have told him our destitution; and that the money spent foryour railway ticket has been obtained by the sacrifice of the diamondsand pearls, that were set around my mother's picture; that cameo, whichhe had cut in Rome and framed in Paris. Beryl so much depends on theimpression you make upon him, that you must guard your manner againsthaughtiness. Try to be patient, my daughter, and if he should seemharsh, do not resent his words. He is old now, and proud and bitter, but he once had a tender love for me. I was his idol, and when my childpleads, he will relent. " Mrs. Brentano laid her thin hot fingers on her daughter's hands, drawing her down to the edge of the bed; and Beryl saw she wasquivering with nervous excitement. "Compose yourself, mother, or you will be so ill that I cannot leaveyou. Dr. Grantlin impressed upon us, the necessity of keeping yournervous system quiet. Take your medicine now, and try to sleep until Icome back from Stephen & Endicott's. " "Do not go to-day. " "I must. Those porcelain types were promised for a certain day, andthey should be packed in time for the afternoon express going toBoston. " "Beryl. " "Well, mother?" "Come nearer to me. Give me your hand. My heart is so oppressed bydread, that I want you to promise me something, which I fancy willlighten my burden. Life is very uncertain, and if I should die, whatwould become of my Bertie? Oh, my boy! my darling, my first born! He isso impulsive, so headstrong; and no one but his mother could everexcuse or forgive his waywardness. Although younger, you are in somerespects, the strongest; and I want your promise that you will alwaysbe patient and tender with him, and that you will shield him from evil, as I have tried to do. His conscience of course, is not sensitive likeyours--because you know, a boy's moral nature is totally different froma girl's; and like most of his sex, Bertie has no religious instinctsbending him always in the right direction. Women generally have tosupply conscientious scruples for men, and you can take care of yourbrother, if you will. You are unusually brave and strong, Beryl, andwhen I am gone, you must stand between him and trouble. My good littlegirl, will you?" The large luminous eyes that rested upon the flushed face of theinvalid, filled with a mist of yearning compassionate tenderness, andtaking her mother's hands, Beryl laid the palms together, then stoopingnearer, kissed her softly. "I think I have never lacked love for Bertie, though I may not alwayshave given expression to my feelings. If at times I have deplored hisreckless waywardness, and expostulated with him, genuine affectionprompted me; but I promise you now, that I will do all a sisterpossibly can for a brother. Trust me, mother; and rest in the assurancethat his welfare shall be more to me than my own; that should thenecessity arise, I will stand between him and trouble. Banish alldepressing forebodings. When you are strong and well, and when I paintmy great picture, we will buy a pretty cottage among the lilacs androses, where birds sing all day long, where cattle pasture in clovernooks; and then Bertie, your darling, shall never leave you again. " "I do trust you, for your promise means more than oath and vows fromother people, and if occasion demand, I know you will guard my Bertie, my high-strung, passionate, beautiful boy! Your pretty cottage? Ah, child! when shall we dwell in Spain?" "Some day, some day; only be hopeful, and let me find you better when Ireturn. Sleep, and dream of our pretty cottage. I must hurry away withmy pictures, for this is pay day. " Tying the strings of her hat under one ear, and covering her face witha blue veil, Beryl took a pasteboard box from a table, on which laybrushes and paints, and leaving the door a-jar, went down the narrowstairs. At the window of a small hall on the next floor, a woman sat before hersewing-machine, bending so close to her work that she did not see thetall form, which paused before her, until a hand was laid on the steelplate. "Mrs. Emmet, will you please be so good as to go up after a while, andsee if mother needs anything?" "Certainly, Miss, if I am here, but I have some sewing to carry homethis afternoon. " "I shall not be absent more than two hours. To-night I am going South, to attend to some business; and mother tells me you have promised towait upon her, and allow your daughter Maggie to sleep on a pallet byher bed, while I am gone. I cannot tell you how grateful I shall be forany kindness you may show her, and I wish you would send the baby oftento her room, as he is so sweet and cunning, and his merry ways amuseher. " "Yes, I will do all I can. We poor folks who have none of this world'sgoods, ought to be rich at least in sympathy and pity for each other'ssuffering, for it is about all we have to share. Don't you worry andfret, for I will see your ma has what she needs. I was mothered by thebest woman God ever made, and since she died, every sick mother I seehas a sort of claim on my heart. " Pausing an instant to adjust the tucker of her machine, Mrs. Emmetlooked up, and involuntarily the women shook hands, as if sealing acompact. It was a long walk to the building whither Beryl directed her steps, and as she passed through the rear entrance of a large and fashionablephotograph establishment, she was surprised to find that it washalf-past two o'clock. The Superintendent of the department, from whom she received her work, was a man of middle-age, of rather stern and forbidding aspect; and asshe approached his desk, he pointed to the clock on the mantel-piece. "Barely time to submit those types for inspection, and have them packedfor the express going East. They are birthday gifts, and birthdays havean awkward habit of arriving rigidly on time. " He unrolled the tissue paper, and with a magnifying glass, carefullyexamined the pictures; then took from an envelope in the box, two shortpieces of hair, which he compared with the painted heads before him. "Beautifully done. The lace on that child's dress would bear even astronger lens than my glass. Here Patterson, take this box, and letterto Mr. Endicott, and if satisfactory, carry them to the packingcounter. Shipping address is in the letter. Hurry up, my lad. Sit down, Miss Brentano. " "Thank you, I am not tired. Mr. Mansfield, have you any good news forme?" "You mean those etchings; or the designs for the Christmas cards? Havenot heard a word, pro or con. Guess no news is good news; for I notice'rejected' work generally travels fast, to roost at home. " "I thought the awards were made last week, and that to-day you couldtell me the result. " "The awards have been made, I presume, but who owns the lucky cards isthe secret that has not yet transpired. You young people have norespect for red tape, and methodical business routine. You want toclap spurs on fate, and make her lower her own last record? 'Bide awee. Bide awee'. " "Winning this prize means so much to me, that I confess I find it veryhard to be patient. Success would save me from a painful and expensivejourney, upon which I must start to-night; and therefore I hoped soearnestly that I might receive good tidings to-day. I am obliged to goSouth on an errand, which will necessitate an absence of several days, and if you should have any news for me, keep it until I call again. Ifunfavorable it would depress my mother, and therefore I prefer youshould not write, as of course she will open any letters addressed tome. Please save all the work you can for me, and I will come here assoon as I get back home. " "Very well. Any message, Patterson?" "Mr. Endicott said, 'All right; first-rate;' and ordered them shipped. " "Here is your money, Miss Brentano. Better call as early as you can, asI guess there will be a lot of photographs ready in a few days. Goodafternoon. " "Thank you. Good-bye, sir. " From the handful of small change, she selected some pennies which sheslipped inside of her glove, and dropping the remainder into herpocket, left the building, and walked on toward Union Square. Absorbedin grave reflections, and oppressed by some vague foreboding ofimpending ill, dim, intangible and unlocalized--she moved slowly alongthe crowded sidewalk--unconscious of the curious glances directedtoward her superb form, and stately graceful carriage, which more thanone person turned and looked back to admire, wondering when she hadstepped down from some sacred Panathenaic Frieze. Near Madison Square, she paused before the window of a florist's, andraising her veil, gazed longingly at the glowing mass of blossoms, which Nineteenth Century skill and wealth in defiance of isothermallines, and climatic limitations force into perfection, in, and out ofseason. The violet eyes and crocus fingers of Spring smiled andquivered, at sight of the crimson rose heart, and flaming paeony cheeksof royal Summer; and creamy and purple chrysanthemums that quill theirlaces over the russet robes of Autumn, here stared in indignantamazement, at the premature presumption of snowy regal camellias, audaciously advancing to crown the icy brows of Winter. All latitudes, all seasons have become bound vassals to the great God Gold; and hisnecromancy furnishes with equal facility the dewy wreaths of orangeflowers that perfume the filmy veils of December brides--and the bluebells of spicy hyacinths which ring "Rest" over the lily pillows, setas tribute on the graves of babies, who wilt under August suns. From early childhood, an ardent love of beauty had characterized thisgirl, whose covetous gaze wandered from a gorgeous scarlet and goldorchid nodding in dreams of its habitat, in some vanilla scentedBrazilian jungle, to a bed of vivid green moss, where skilful hands hadgrouped great drooping sprays of waxen begonias, coral, faint pink, andivory, all powdered with gold dust like that which gilds the heart ofwater-lilies. Such treasures were reserved for the family of Dives; and counting herpennies, Beryl entered the store, where instantaneously the blendedbreath of heliotrope, tube-rose and mignonette wafted her across theocean, to a white-walled fishing village on the Cornice, whose grayrocks were kissed by the blue lips of the Mediterranean. "What is the price of that cluster of Niphetos buds?" "One dollar. " "And that Auratum--with a few rose geranium leaves added?" "Seventy-five cents. You see it is wonderfully large, and the goldbands are so very deep. " She put one hand in her pocket and fingered a silver coin, but povertyis a grim, tyrannous stepmother to tender aestheticism, and prudentialconsiderations prevailed. "Give me twenty-five cents worth of those pale blue double violets, with a sprig of lemon verbena, and a fringe of geranium leaves. " She laid the money on the counter, and while the florist selected andbound the blossoms into a bunch, she arrested his finishing touch. "Wait a moment. How much more for one Grand Duke jasmine in the centre?" "Ten cents, Miss. " She added the dime to the pennies she could ill afford to spare fromher small hoard, and said: "Will you be so kind as to sprinkle it? Iwish it kept fresh, for a sick lady. " Dusky shadows were gathering in the gloomy hall of the old tenementhouse, when Beryl opened the door of the comfortless attic room, wherefor many months she had struggled bravely to shield her mother from thewolf, that more than once snarled across the threshold. Mrs. Brentano was sitting in a low chair, with her elbows on her knees, her face hidden in her palms; and in her lap lay paper and pencil, while a sealed letter had fallen on the ground beside her. At the soundof the opening door, she lifted her head, and tears dripped upon thepaper. In her faded flannel dressing-gown, with tresses of black hairstraggling across her shoulders, she presented a picture of helplessmental and physical woe, which painted itself indelibly on the panelsof her daughter's heart. "Why did you not wait until I came home? The exertion of getting upalways fatigues you. " "You staid so long--and I am so uncomfortable in that wretchedly hardbed. What detained you?" "I went to see the Doctor, because I am unwilling to start away, without having asked his advice; and he has prescribed some newmedicine which you will find in this bottle. The directions are markedon the label. Now I will put things in order, and try my hands on thatrefractory bed. " "What did the Doctor say about me?" "Nothing new; but he is confident that you can be cured in time, if wewill only be patient and obedient. He promised to see you in themorning. " She stripped the bed of its covering, shook bolster and pillows; turnedover the mattress, and beat it vigorously; then put on fresh sheets, and adjusted the whole comfortably. "Now mother, turn your head, and let me comb and brush and braid allthis glossy black satin, to keep it from tangling while I am away. Whata pity you did not dower your daughter with part of it, instead of thistawny mane of mine, which is a constant affront to my fastidiousartistic instincts. Please keep still a moment. " She unwrapped the tissue paper that covered her flowers, and holdingher hands behind her, stepped in front of the invalid. "Dear mother, shut your eyes. There--! of what does that remind you?The pergola--with great amber grape clusters--and white stars ofjasmine shining through the leaves? All the fragrance of Italy sleepsin the thurible of this Grand-Duke. " "How delicious! Ah, my extravagant child! we cannot afford suchluxuries now. The perfume recalls so vividly the time when Bertie--" A sob cut short the sentence. Beryl pinned the flowers at her mother'sthroat, kissed her cheek, and kneeling before her, crossed her arms onthe invalid's lap, resting there the noble head, with its burnishedcrown of reddish bronze braids. "Mother dear, humor my childish whim. In defiance of my wishes andjudgment, and solely in obedience to your command, I am leaving you forthe first time, on a bitterly painful and humiliating mission. To-night, let me be indeed your little girl once more. My heart bringsme to your knees, to say my prayers as of yore, and now while I pray, lay your dear pretty hands on my head. It will seem like a partingbenediction; a veritable Nunc dimmitas. " CHAPTER II. "I do not want a carriage. If the distance is only a mile and a half, Ican easily walk. After leaving town is there a straight road?" "Straight as the crow flies, when you have passed the factory, andcemetery, and turned to the left. There is a little Branch running atthe foot of the hill, and just across it, you will see the whitepalings, and the big gate with stone pillars, and two tremendous brassdogs on top, showing their teeth and ready to spring. There's nomistaking the place, because it is the only one left in the countrythat looks like the good old times before the war; and the Yankeeswould not have spared it, had it not been such comfortable bombproofheadquarters for their officers. It's our show place now, and GeneralDarrington keeps it up in better style, than any other estate I know. " "Thank you. I will find it. " Beryl walked away in the direction indicated, and the agent of therailway station, leaning against the door of the baggage room, lookedwith curious scrutiny after her. "I should like to know who she is. No ordinary person, that is clear. Such a grand figure and walk, and such a steady look in her big solemneyes, as if she saw straight through a person, clothes, flesh and all. Wonder what her business can be with the old general?" From early childhood Beryl had listened so intently to her mother'sglowing descriptions of the beauty and elegance of her old home "ElmBluff, " that she soon began to identify the land-marks along the road, alter passing the cemetery, where so many generations of Darringtonsslept in one corner, enclosed by a lofty iron railing; exclusive indeath as in life; jealously guarded and locked from contact with thesurrounding dwellers in "God's Acre. " The October day had begun quite cool and crisp, with a hint of frost inits dewy sparkle, but as though vanquished Summer had suddenly facedabout, and charged furiously to cover her retreat, the south wind cameheavily laden with hot vapor from equatorial oceanic caldrons; and nowthe afternoon sun, glowing in a cloudless sky, shed a yellowish glarethat burned and tingled like the breath of a furnace; while along thehorizon, a dim dull haze seemed blotting out the boundary of earth andsky. A portion of the primeval pine forest having been preserved, the treeshad attained gigantic height, thrusting their plumy heads heavenward, as their lower limbs died; and year after year the mellow brown carpetof reddish straw deepened, forming a soft safe nidus for the seeds thatsprang up and now gratefully embroidered it with masses of golden rod, starry white asters, and tall, feathery spikes of some velvety purplebloom, which looked royal by the side of a cluster of belated eveningprimroses. Pausing on the small but pretty rustic bridge, Beryl leaned against theinterlacing cedar boughs twisted into a balustrade, and looked down atthe winding stream, where the clear water showed amber hues, fleckedwith glinting foam bubbles, as it lapped and gurgled, eddied and sang, over its bed of yellow gravel. Unacquainted with "piney-woods'branches, " she was charmed by the novel golden brown wavelets thatfrothed against the pillars of the bridge, and curled caressingly aboutthe broad emerald fronds of luxuriant ferns, which hung Narcissus-likeover their own graceful quivering images. Profound quiet brooded in thewarm, hazy air, burdened with balsamic odors; but once a pine burr fullof rich nutty mast crashed down through dead twigs, bruising the satinpetals of a primrose; and ever and anon the oboe notes of that shy, deep throated hermit of ravines--the russet, speckled-breastedlark--thrilled through the woods, like antiphonal echoes in some vast, cool, columned cloister. The perfect tranquillity of the scene soothed the travel-weary woman, as though nestling so close to the great heart of nature, had stilledthe fierce throbbing, and banished the gloomy forebodings of her own;and she walked on, through the iron gate, where the bronze mastiffsglared warningly from their granite pedestal--on into the largeundulating park, which stretched away to meet the line of primitivepines. There was no straight avenue, but a broad smooth carriage roadcurved gently up a hillside, and on both margins of the graveled way, ancient elm trees stood at regular intervals, throwing their boughsacross, to unite in lifting the superb groined arches, whose finetracery of sinuous lines were here and there concealed by clusteringmistletoe--and gray lichen masses--and ornamented with bosses of velvetmoss; while the venerable columnar trunks were now and then wreathedwith poison-oak vines, where red trumpet flowers insolently blareddefiance to the waxen pearls of encroaching mistletoe. On the other side, the grounds were studded with native growth, asthough protective forestry statutes had crossed the ocean with thecolonists, and on this billowy sea of varied foliage Autumn had set herilluminated autograph, in the vivid scarlet of sumach and black gum, the delicate lemon of wild cherry--the deep ochre all sprinkled andsplashed with intense crimson, of the giant oaks--the orange glow ofancestral hickory--and the golden glory of maples, on which the hecticfever of the dying year kindled gleams of fiery red;--over all, agorgeous blazonry of riotous color, toned down by the silver grayshadows of mossy tree-trunks, and the rich, dark, restful green ofpolished magnolias. Half a dozen fine Cotswold ewes browsed on the grass, and the smallbell worn by a staid dowager tinkled musically, as she threw up herhead and watched suspiciously the figure moving under the elm arches. Beneath the far reaching branches of a patriarchal cedar, a small herdof Jersey calves had grouped themselves, as if posing for Landseer orRosa Bonheur; and one pretty fawn-colored weanling ran across the swardto meet the stranger, bleating a welcome and looking up, withunmistakable curiosity in its velvety, long-lashed eyes. As the avenue gradually climbed the ascent, the outlines of the housebecame visible; a stately, typical southern mansion, like hundreds, which formerly opened hospitably their broad mahogany doors, and which, alas! are becoming traditional to this generation--obsolete as thebrave chivalric, warm-hearted, open-handed, noble-souled, refinedsouthern gentlemen who built and owned them. No Mansard roof here, nopseudo "Queen Anne" hybrid, with lowering, top-heavy projections likescowling eyebrows over squinting eyes; neither mongrel Renaissance, norfeeble, sickly, imitation Elizabethan facades, and Tudor towers; noneof the queer, composite, freakish impertinences of architectural style, which now-a-day do duty as the adventurous vanguard, the aestheticvedettes "making straight the way, " for the coming cohorts of Culture. The house at "Elm Bluff" was built of brick, overcast with stuccopainted in imitation of gray granite, and its foundation was only fourfeet high, resting upon a broad terrace of brickwork; the latterbounded by a graceful wooden balustrade, with pedestals for vases, oneither side of the two stone steps leading down from the terrace to thecarriage drive. The central halls, in both stories, divided the spaceequally into four rooms on each side, and along the wide front, ran alofty piazza supporting the roof, with white smooth round pillars;while the upper broad square windows, cedar-framed, and deeplyembrasured, looked down on the floor of the piazza, where so manygenerations of Darringtons had trundled hoops in childhood--andpromenaded as lovers in the silvery moonlight, listening to the ringdoves cooing above them, from the columbary of the stucco capitals. This spacious colonnade extended around the northern and eastern sideof the house, but the western end had formerly been enclosed as aconservatory--which having been abolished, was finally succeeded by acomparatively modern iron veranda, with steps leading down to theterrace. In front of the building, between the elm avenue and theflower-bordered terrace, stood a row of very old poplar trees, tall astheir forefathers in Lombardy, and to an iron staple driven into one ofthese, a handsome black horse was now fastened. Standing with one foot on the terrace step, close to the marble vaseswhere heliotropes swung their dainty lilac chalices against hershoulder, and the scarlet geraniums stared unabashed, Beryl's gazewandered from the lovely park and ancient trees, to the unbroken facadeof the gray old house; and as, in painful contrast she recalled thebare bleak garret room, where a beloved invalid held want and death atbay, a sudden mist clouded her vision, and almost audibly she murmured:"My poor mother! Now, I can realize the bitterness of your suffering;now I understand the intensity of your yearning to come back; theterrible home-sickness, which only Heaven can cure. " What is presentiment? The swaying of the veil of futurity, under thestraining hands of our guardian angels? Is it the faint shadow, thesolemn rustle of their hovering wings, as like mother birds they spreadprotecting plumes between blind fledglings, and descending ruin? Willtheosophy ever explain and augment prescience? "It may be-- The thoughts that visit us, we know not whence, Sudden as inspiration, are the whispers Of disembodied spirits, speaking to us As friends, who wait outside a prison wall, Through the barred windows speak to those within. " With difficulty Beryl resisted an inexplicable impulse to turn andflee; but the drawn sword of duty pointed ahead. Striking her hands together, as if thereby crushing her reluctance toenter, she waited a moment, with closed eyes, while her lips moved insilent prayer; then ascending the terrace, she crossed the stonepavement, walked up the stops and slowly advanced to the threshold. Thedark mahogany door was so glossy, that she dimly saw her own image onits polished panels, as she lifted and let fall the heavy silverknocker, in the middle of an oval silver plate, around the edges ofwhich were raised the square letters of the name "Darrington. " Theclanging sound startled a peacock, strutting among the verbena beds, and his shrill scream was answered by the deep hoarse bark of someinvisible dog; then the heavy door swung open, and a gray-headed negroman, who wore a white linen apron over his black clothes, and held awaiter in one hand, stood before her. "I wish to see Mr. Darrington. " "I reckon you mean Gin'l Darrington, don't you? Mr. Darrington, MarsePrince Darrington, is in Yurope. " "I mean Mr. Luke Darrington, the owner of this place. " "Jess so; Gin'l Luke Darrington. Well, you can't see him. " "Why not? I must see him, and I shall stay here until I do. " "'Cause he is busy with his lie-yer, fixin' of some papers; and when hetells me not to let nobody else in I'de ruther set down in a yallerjacket's nest than to turn the door knob, after he done shut it. Betterleave your name and call ag'in. " "No, I will wait until he is at leisure. I presume my sitting on thesteps here will not be a violation of your orders. " "To be shore not. But them steps are harder than the stool ofrepentance, and you had better walk in the drawing-room, and restyourself. There's pictures, and lots and piles of things there, you canpass away the time looking at. " He waved his waiter toward a long, dim apartment, on the left side ofthe hall. "Thank you, I prefer to sit here. " She seated herself on the top of the stone steps, and taking off herstraw hat, fanned her heated brow, where the rich waving hair clung indamp masses. "What name, miss, must I give, when the lie-yer finishes his bizness?" "Say that a stranger wishes to see him about an important matter. " "Its mighty uncertain how long he will tarry; for lie-yers live bytalking; turning of words upside down, and wrong side outards, andreading words backards, and whitewashing black things, and smutting ofwhite ones. Marse Lennox Dunbar (he is our lie-yer now, since his patook paralsis) he is a powerful wrastler with justice. They do say downyonder, at the court house, that when he gets done with a witness, andturns him aloose, the poor creetur is so flustrated in his mind, thathe don't know his own name, on when he was born, or where he was born, or whether he was ever born at all. " Curiosity to discover the nature of the stranger's errand hadstimulated the old man's garrulity, but receiving no reply, he finallyretreated, leaving the front door open. By the aid of a disfiguringscar on his furrowed cheek, Beryl recognized him as the brave, faithful, family coachman, Abednego, (abbreviated to "Bedney")--who hadonce saved his mother's life at the risk of his own. Mrs. Brentano hadoften related to her children, an episode in her childhood, when havinggone to play with her dolls in the loft of the stable, she fell asleepon the hay; and two hours later, Bedney remembering that he had heardher singing there to her dolls, rushed into the burning building, groped through the stifling smoke of the loft, and seizing the sleepingchild, threw her out upon a pile of straw. When he attempted to jumpafter her, a falling rafter struck him to the earth, and left anhonorable scar in attestation of his heroism. Had she yielded to the promptings of her heart, the stranger wouldgladly have shaken hands with him, and thanked him, in the name ofthose early years, when her mother's childish feet made music on thewide mahogany railed stairs, that wound from the lower hall to the oneabove; but the fear of being denied an audience, deterred her fromdisclosing her name. Educated in the belief that the utterance of the abhorred name ofBrentano, within the precincts of "Elm Bluff, " would produce an effectvery similar to the ringing of some Tamil Pariah's bell, before thedoor of a Brahman temple, Beryl wisely kept silent; and soon forgot herforebodings, in the contemplation of the supreme loveliness of theprospect before her. The elevation was sufficient to command an extended view of thesurrounding country, and of the river, which crossed by the railroadbridge north of the town, curved sharply to the east, whence she couldtrace its course as it gradually wound southward, and disappearedbehind the house; where at the foot of a steep bluff, a pretty boat andbath house nestled under ancient willow trees. At her feet the foliageof the park stretched like some brilliant carpet, before whose gorgeoustints, ustads of Karman would have stood in despair; and beyond thesea-green, undulating line of pine forest she saw the steeple of achurch, with its gilt vane burning in the sunshine, and the red brickdome of the ante bellum court house. Time seemed to have fallen asleep on that hot, still afternoon, andBeryl was roused from her reverie by the sound of hearty laughter inthe apartment opposite the drawing-room--followed by the tones of aman's voice. "Thank you, General. That is my destination this afternoon, and I shallcertainly expect you to dance at my wedding. " Quick, firm steps rang on the oil-cloth-covered floor of the hall, andBeryl rose and turned toward the door. With a cigar in one hand, hat and riding-whip in the other, theattorney stepped out on the colonnade, and pausing involuntarily, atsight of the stranger, they looked at each other. A man, perhaps, more, certainly not less than thirty years old, of powerful and impressivephysique; very tall, athletic, sinewy, without an ounce of superfluousflesh to encumber his movements, in the professional palaestra; with alarge finely modeled head, whose crisp black hair closely cut, was(contrary to the prevailing fashion) parted neither in the middle, noryet on the side, but brushed straight back from the square forehead, thereby enhancing the massiveness of its appearance. Something in this swart, beardless face, with its brilliantinquisitorial dark blue eyes, handsome secretive mouth veiled by nomustache--and boldly assertive chin deeply cleft in thecentre--affected Beryl very unpleasantly, as a perplexing disagreeablememory; an uncanny resemblance hovering just beyond the grasp ofidentification. A feeling of unaccountable repulsion made her shiver, and she breathed more freely, when he hewed slightly, and walked ontoward his horse. Upon the attorney her extraordinary appearanceproduced a profound impression, and in his brief scrutiny, no detail ofher face, figure, or apparel escaped his keen probing gaze. Glancing back as he untied his bridle rein, his unspoken comment was:"Superb woman; I wonder what brings her here? Evidently astranger--with a purpose. " He sprang into the saddle, stooped his head to avoid the yellow poplarbranches, and disappeared under the elm arches. "Gin'l Darrington's compliments; and if your bizness is pressin' youwill have to see him in his bedcharmber, as he feels poorly to-day, andthe Doctor won't let him out. Follow me. You see, ole Marster remembersthe war by the game leg he got at Sharpshurg, and sometimes it lays himup. " The old servant led Beryl through a long room, fitted up as a libraryand armory, and pausing before an open door, waved her into theadjoining apartment. One swift glance showed her the heavy canopiedbedstead in one corner, the arch-shaped glass door leading out upon theiron veranda; and at an oblong table in the middle of the floor, thefigure of a man, who rose, taller and taller, until he seemed a giant, drawn to his full height, and resting for support on the hand that wasrested upon the table. Intensity of emotion arrested her breath, as shegazed at the silvered head, piercing black eyes, and spare wasted frampof the handsome man, who had always reigned as a brutal ogre in herimagination. The fire in his somewhat sunken eyes, seemed to biddefiance to the whiteness of the abundant hair, and of the heavymustache which drooped over his lips; and every feature in hispatrician face revealed not only a long line of blue-blooded ancestors, but the proud haughtiness which had been considered always asdistinctively characteristic of the Darringtons as their finely cutlips, thin nostrils, small feet and unusual height. Unprepared for the apparition that confronted him, Luke Darringtonbowed low, surveyed her intently, then pointed to a chair opposite hisown. "Walk in, Madam; or perhaps it may be Miss? Will you take a seat, andexcuse the feebleness that forces me to receive visits in my bed-room?" As he reseated himself, Beryl advanced and stood beside him, but for amoment she found it impossible to utter the words, rehearsed sofrequently during her journey; and while she hesitated, he curiouslyinspected her face and form. Her plain, but perfectly fitting bunting dress, was of the color, popularly dominated "navy-blue, " and the linen collar and cuffs werescarcely whiter than the round throat and wrists they encircled. Theburnished auburn hair clinging in soft waves to her brow, was twistedinto a heavy coil, which the long walk had shaken down till it restedalmost on her neck; and though her heart beat furiously, the pale calmface might have been marble, save for the scarlet lines of herbeautiful mouth, and the steady glow of the dilated pupils in her greatgray eyes. "Pray be seated; and tell me to whom I am indebted for the pleasure ofthis visit?" "I am merely the bearer of a letter which will explain itself, and mypresence, in your house. " Mechanically he took the preferred letter, and with his eyes stilllingering in admiration upon the classic outlines of her face and form, leaned back comfortably against the velvet lining of his armchair. "Are you some exiled goddess travelling incognito? If we lived in the'piping days of Pan' I should flatter myself that 'Ox-eyed Juno' hadhonored me with a call, as a reward for my care of her favorite bird. " Receiving no reply he glanced at the envelope in his hand, and as heread the address--"To my dear father, Gen'l Luke Darrington"--the smileon his face changed to a dark scowl and he tossed the letter to thefloor, as if it were a red-hot coal. "Only one living being has the right to call me father--my son, PrinceDarrington. I have repeatedly refused to hold any communication withthe person who wrote that letter. " Beryl stooped to pick it up, and with a caressing touch, as though itwere sentient, held it against her heart. "Your daughter is dying; and this is her last appeal. " "I have no daughter. Twenty-three years ago my daughter buried herselfin hopeless disgrace, and for her there can be no resurrection here. Ifshe dreams that I am in my dotage, and may relent, she strangelyforgets the nature of the blood she saw fit to cross with that of abeggarly foreign scrub. Go back and tell her, the old man is not yetsenile and imbecile; and that the years have only hardened his heart. Tell her, I have almost learned to forget even how she looked. " His eyes showed a dull reddish fire, like those of some drowsy cagedtiger, suddenly stirred into wrath, and a grayish pallor--the whiteheat of the Darringtons--settled on his face. Twice Beryl walked the length of the room, but each time therecollection of her mother's tearful, suffering countenance, and theextremity of her need, drove her back to the chair. "If you knew that your daughter's life hung by a thread, would youdeliberately take a pair of shears and cut it?" He glared at her in silence, and leaning forward on the table, pushedroughly aside a salver, on which stood a decanter and two wine glasses. "I am here to tell you a solemn truth; then my responsibility ends. Your daughter's life rests literally in your hands; for unless youconsent to furnish the money to pay for a surgical operation, which mayrestore her health, she will certainly die. I am indulging in noexaggeration to extort alms. In this letter is the certificate of adistinguished physician, corroborating my statement. If you, the authorof her being, prefer to hasten her death, then your choice of an awfulrevenge must be settled between your hardened conscience and your God. " "You are bold indeed, to beard me in my own house, and tell me to myface what no man would dare to utter. " His voice was an angry pant, and he struck his clenched hand on thetable with a force that made the glasses jingle, and the sherry dancein the decanter. "Yes, you scarcely realize how much bravery this painful erranddemands; but the tender love in a woman's heart nerves her to bearfiery ordeals, that vanquish a man's courage. " "Then you find that age has not drawn the fangs from the old crippledDarrington lion, nor clipped his claws?" The sneer curved his white mustache, until she saw the outline of thenarrow, bloodless underlip. "That king of beasts scorns to redden his fangs, or flesh his claws, inthe quivering body of his own offspring. Your metaphor is an insult tonatural instincts. " She laid the letter once more before him, and looked down on him, withill-concealed aversion. "Who are you? By what right dare you intrude upon me?" "I am merely a sorrowful, anxious, poverty-stricken woman, whose heartaches over her mother's sufferings and vho would never have endured thehumiliation of this interview, except to deliver a letter in the hopeof prolonging my mother's life. " "You do not mean that you are--my--" "I am nothing to you, sir, but the bearer of a letter from your dyingdaughter. " "You cannot be the child of--of Ellice?" After the long limbo of twenty-three years, the name burst from him, and with what a host of memories its echo peopled the room, where thaterring daughter had formerly reigned queen of his heart. "Yes, Ellice is my dear mother's name. " He stared at the majestic form, and at the faultless face looking soproudly down upon him, as from an inaccessible height; and she heardhim draw his breath, with a labored hissing sound. "But--I thought her child was a boy?" "I am the youngest of two children. " "It is impossible that you are the daughter of that infernal, low-born, fiddling foreign vagabond who--" "Hush! The dead are sacred!" She threw up her hand, with an imperious gesture, not of deprecation, but of interdict; and all the stony calm in her pale face seemedshivered by a passionate gust, that made her eyes gleam like steelunder an electric flash. "I am the daughter of Ignace Brentano, and I love, and honor hismemory, and his name. No drop of your Darrington blood runs in myveins; I love my dear mother--but I am my father's daughter--and I wantno nobler heritage than his name. Upon you I have no shadow of claim, but I am here from dire necessity, at your mercy--a helpless, defenseless pleader in my mother's behalf--and as such, I appeal to theboasted southern chivalry, upon which you pride yourself, for immunityfrom insult while I am under your roof. Since I stood no taller thanyour knee, my mother has striven to inculcate a belief in the nobility, refinement, and chivalric deference to womanhood, inherent in southerngentlemen; and if it be not all a myth, I invoke its protection againstabuse of my father. A stranger, but a lady, every inch, I demand therespect due from a gentleman. " For a moment they eyed each other, as gladiators awaiting the signal, then General Darrington sprang to his feet, and with a bow, stately andprofound as if made to a duchess, replied: "And in the name of southern chivalry, I swear you shall receive it. " "Read your daughter's letter; give me your answer, and let us cut shortan interview--which, if disagreeable to you, is almost unendurable tome. " Turning away, she began to walk slowly up and down the floor; andsmothering an oath under his heavy mustache, the old man sank back inhis chair, and opened the letter. CHAPTER III. Holding in leash the painful emotions that struggled for utterance, Beryl was unconscious of the lapse of time, and when her averted eyesreturned reluctantly to her grandfather's face, he was slowly tearinginto shreds the tear-stained letter, freighted with passionate prayersfor pardon, and for succor. Rolling the strips into a ball, he threw itinto the waste-paper basket under the table; then filled a glass withsherry, drank it, and dropped his head wearily on his hand. Five leadenminutes crawled away, and a long, heavy sigh quivered through Gen'lDarrington's gaunt frame. Seizing the decanter, he poured the contentsinto two glasses, and as he raised one to his lips, held the othertoward his visitor. "You must be weary from your journey; let me insist that you drink somesherry. " "Thank you, I neither wish nor require it. " "I find your name is Beryl. Sit down here, and answer a few questions. "He drew a chair near his own. She shook her head: "If you will excuse me, I prefer to stand. " In turning, so as to confront her fully, his elbow struck from thetable, a bronze paper-weight which rolled just beyond his reach. Instinctively she stooped to pick it up, and in restoring it, herfingers touched his. Leaning suddenly forward he grasped her wrists ereshe was aware of his intention, and drew her in front of him. "Pardon me; but I want a good look at you. " His keen merciless eyes searched every feature, and he deliberatelylifted and examined the exquisitely shaped strong, white hands, thedainty nails, and delicately rounded wrists with their violet traceryof veins. It cost her an effort, to abstain from wrenching herselffree; but her mother's caution: "So much depends on the impression youmake upon father, " girded her to submit to his critical inspection. A grim smile crossed his face, as he watched her. "Blood often doubles, like a fox; sometimes 'crops back, ' but neverlies. You can't play out your role of pauper; and you don't look aprobable outcome of destitution and hard work. Your hands would fitmuch better in a metope of the Elgin Marbles, than in a wash-tub, or abake-oven. " Drawing away quickly, she put them behind her, and felt her palmstingle. "It is expected I should believe that for some time past, you haveprovided for your own, and your mother's wants. In what way?" "By coloring photographs; by furnishing designs for Christmas andEaster cards, and occasionally (not often), by selling drawings usedfor decorating china, and wallpaper. At one time, I had regular pay forsinging in a choir, but diphtheria injured my throat, and when I partlyrecovered my voice, the situation had been given to another person. " "I am informed also that before long, you intend to astonish the worldwith a wonderful picture, which shall distance such laggards as Troyon, Dore, and Ary Scheffer?" She was looking, not at him, but out through the glass door, at theglowing western sky, where distant pine trees printed theirsilhouettes. Now her gaze came back to his face, and he noted a faintquiver in her full throat. "If God will mercifully spare my mother to me, my loftiest and holiestambition shall be to distance the wolfish cares and woes that havehunted her, ever since she became a widow. Any and all honest laborthat can contribute to her comfort, will be welcome and sweet to me. " "The laws of heredity must be occult and complex. The offspring of arebellious and disobedient child, is certainly entitled to no filialinstincts; and some day the strain will tell, and you will overwhelmyour mother with ingratitude, black as that which she showed me. " "When I do, may God eternally forsake me!" A brief silence ensued, and the old man drummed on the table, with thefingers of his right hand. "Who educated you?" "My dear father. " "It seems there are two of you. Where is your brother?" "At present, I do not know exactly where he is, but I think in the farWest; possibly in Montana--probably in Canada. " "How does he earn his bread? By daubing, or fiddling?" "Since he earns it honestly, that is his own affair. We have not heardfrom him for some months. " "I thought so! He inherits the worthless vagabond strain of--" "He is his mother's idol, and she glories in his resemblance to you, sir; and to your father; hence his name--Robert L. Darrington. " "Then she must have one handsome child! I am not surprised that he isthe favorite. " "Bertie certainly is her darling, and he is very handsome; not in thevery least degree like me. " For the first time, their eyes met in a friendly glance, and a covertsmile stirred the General's lips; but as he put out his hand towardher, she moved a step beyond his reach. "Beryl, you consider me a dreadful, cruel old tyrant?" She made no reply. "Answer me. " "You are my mother's father; and that word--father, means so much tome, that it shall shield even you, from the shadow of disrespect. " "Oh! very dutiful indeed, but dead as the days when daughters obeyed, and honored their fathers! Beggarly foreign professors wiped all thatout of the minds of wealthy girls at boarding schools--just as theychanged their backwoods pronunciation of French and Italian. Don'tevade my question. " "I did not come here, sir, to bandy words; and I ended my mission bydelivering the letter intrusted to me. " "You regard me as a vindictive old bear?" "I had heard much of the Darringtons; I imagined a great deal more; butnow, like the Queen of Sheba, I must testify--'Behold, the half was nottold me. '" He threw back his lion-like head, and laughed. "That will do. Shake hands, child. " "No, thank you. " "And you will not sit down?" "Frankly, I prefer not. I long to get away. " "You shall certainly be gratified, but there are a few things which Iintend you shall hear. Of course you know that your mother was my onlychild, and an heiress; but you are ignorant probably of the fact thatwhen she returned to boarding school for the last session, she wasengaged in marriage to the son of my best friend--a man in everyrespect desirable, and thoroughly acceptable to me. " "So my mother told me. " "Indeed? She should blush to remember it. While she wore his engagementring, she forgot her promise to him, her duty to me, her lineage, herbirth, her position--and was inveigled by a low adventurer who--" "Who was my own precious father--poor, but noble, and worthy of anyprincess! Unless you can refer to him respectfully, name him not atall, in his child's presence. " She suddenly towered over him, like some threatening fate, and heruplifted arm trembled from the intensity of her indignation. "At least--you are loyal to your tribe!" "I am, to my heart's core. You could pay me no higher compliment. " "Ellice wrote that she had bestowed her affections on--on--the 'exiledscion of a noble house, ' who paid his board bill by teaching languagesand music in the school; and who very naturally preferred to marry arich fool, who would pay them for him. I answered her letter, which wasaddressed to her own mother--then quite ill at home--and I told herprecisely what she might expect, if she persisted in her insane folly. As soon as my wife convalesced sufficiently to render my departureadvisable, I started to bring my daughter home; but she ran away, a fewhours before my arrival, and while, hoping to rescue Ellice, I was inpursuit of the precious pair, my wife relapsed and died--the victim ofexcitement brought on by her child's disgrace. I came back here to adesolate, silent house;--bereft of wife and daughter; and in the graveof her mother, I buried every atom of love and tenderness I everentertained for Ellice. When the sun is suddenly blotted out at noon, and the world turns black--black, we grope to and fro aimlessly; butafter awhile, we accommodate ourselves to the darkness;--and so, Ibecame a different man--very hard, and I dare say very bitter. Theworld soon learned that I would tolerate no illusion to my disgrace, and people respected my family cancer, and prudently refrained fromoffering me nostrums to cure it. My wife had a handsome estate of herown right, and every cent of her fortune I collected, and sent with herjewelry to Ellice. Did you know this?" "I have heard only of the jewels. " "As I supposed, the money was squandered before you could recollect. " "I know that we were reduced to poverty, by the failure of some bankinghouse in Paris. I was old enough when it occurred, to remember everafterward, the dismay and distress it caused. My father no doubt placedmy mother's money there for safety. " "I wrote one long, final letter when I sent the checks for the money, and I told Ellice I wished never to see, never to hear from her again. I told her also, I had only one wish concerning her, and that was, thatI might be able to forget her so completely, that if we should meet inthe Last Judgment, I could not possibly know her. I assured her sheneed expect nothing at my death; as I had taken good care that myestate should not fall into the clutches of--her--'exiled scion of anoble house. ' Now do you consider that she has any claim on me?" "You must not ask me to sit in judgment on my parents. " "You shall decide a question of business facts. I provided liberallyfor her once; can you expect me to do so again? Has she any right todemand it?" "Having defied your parental wishes, she may have forfeited adaughter's claim; but as a heart-broken sufferer, you cannot deny herthe melancholy privilege of praying for your help, on her death-bed. " The proud clear voice trembled, and Beryl covered her face with herhands. "Then we will ignore outraged ties of blood, and treat on the ground ofmere humanity? Let me conclude, for it is sickening and loathsome to aman of my age, to see his long silent household graves yawn, and giveup uncalled--their sheeted dead. For some years the money sent, was aquietus, and I was left in peace. I was lonely; it was, hard work toforget, because I could never forgive; and the more desolate the grayruin, the more nature yearns to cover it close with vines and flowers;so after a time, I married a gentle, pure hearted woman, who made thebest of what was left of me. We had no children, but she had one son ofa former marriage, who proved a noble trustworthy boy; and by degreeshe crept into my heart, and raked together the cinders of my deadaffections, and kindled a feeble flame that warmed my shivering oldage. When I felt assured that I was not thawing another serpent tosting me for my pains, I adopted Thorton Prince, and with the aid of aLegislative enactment, changed his name to Prince Darrington. Only afew months elapsed, before his mother, of whom I was very fond, died ofconsumption and my boy and I comforted each other. Then I made mysecond and last will, and took every possible precaution to secure myestate of every description to him. He is my sole heir, and I intendthat at my death he shall receive every cent I possess. Did you knowthis?" "I did, because your last endorsement on a letter of my mother'sreturned unopened to her, informed her of the fact. " "Why? Because in violation of my wishes she had persisted in writing, and soon began to importune me for money. Then I made her understandthat even at my death, she would receive no aid; and since thatendorsement, I have returned or destroyed her letters unread. My Willis so strong--has been drawn so carefully--that no contest can touchit; and it will stand forever between your mother and my property. " As he uttered these words, he elevated his voice, which had a ring ofsavage triumph in its harsh excited tones. Just then, a muffled soundattracted his attention, and seizing his gold-headed cane, he limpedwith evident pain to the threshold of the adjoining room. "Bedney. " Receiving no reply, he closed the door with a violence that jarred thewhole room; and came slowly back to the table, where he stood leaningheavily on his stick. "At least we will have no eavesdropping at this resurrection of mydead. That Ellice is now a miserable woman, I have no doubt; for truly:'Quien se casa por amores, ha de vivir con dolores. ' Of course youunderstand Spanish?" "No, sir; but no matter; I take it for granted that you intend somethrust at my mother, and I have heard quite enough. " "Don't know Spanish? Why I fancied your--your 'exiled scion of a noblehouse'--taught all the languages under the sun; including that used bythe serpent in beguiling Eve! Well, the wise old adage means: 'Whomarries for love, lives with sorrow. ' Ellice made her choice, and sheshall abide by it; and you--being unluckily her daughter--will sharethe punishment. If 'fathers WILL eat sour grapes, the children's teethMUST be set on edge. ' I repudiate all claims on my parental treasury, save such as I have given to my son Prince. To every other draft I ambankrupt; but merely as a gentleman, I will now for the last time, respond to the petition of a sick woman, whose child is so loyal as toarouse my compassion. Ellice has asked for one hundred dollars. Youshall have it. But first, tell me why she did not go to the hospital, and submit to the operation which she says will cure her?" "Because I could not be with her there, and I will never be separatedfrom her. The aneurism has grown so alarmingly, that I becamedesperate, and having no one to aid us, I reluctantly obeyed mymother's requirement that I should come here. I could not summon mybrother, because I have no idea where a letter would reach him; andwith no friend--but the God of the friendless--I am before you. Thereis one thing I ought to tell you; I have terrible forebodings of theresult of the operation, from which the Doctor encourages her to hopeso much. She will not be able to take anesthetics, at least notchloroform, because she has a weak heart, and--" "Yes--a very weak heart! It was never strong enough to hold her to herduty. " "If you could see her now, I think even your vindictive hatred would besufficiently gratified. So wasted, so broken!--and with such aceaseless craving for a kind word from you. One night last week painmade her restless, and I heard her sob. When I tried to relieve thesuffering, she cried bitterly: 'It is not my poor body alone--it is thegnawing hunger to see father once more. He loved me so fondly once andif I could crawl to his feet, and clasp his knees in my arms, I couldat least die in peace. I am starving for just one sight of him--onetouch. ' My poor darling mother! My beautiful, bruised, broken flower. " Through the glittering mist of unshed tears, her eyes shone, likesilver lamps; and for a moment Gen'l Darrington covered his face withone hand. "If you could realize how bitterly galling to my own pride and selfrespect is this appeal to a man who hates and spurns all whom I love, Ithink, sir, that even you would pity me so heartily, that your hardenedheart would melt into one last farewell message of forgiveness to yourunfortunate daughter. I would rather carry her one word of love thanall your fortune. " "No--I come of a flinty race. We never forgive insults; never condonewrongs; and expecting loyalty in our own blood, we cannot live longenough to pardon its treachery. Once, I made an idol of my beautiful, graceful, high-bred girl; but she stabbed my pride, dragged my namethrough the gutters, broke her doting mother's heart; and now, I tellyou, she is as dead to me as if she had lain twenty-three years in hergrave. I have only one message. Tell her she is reaping the tares herown hand sowed. I know her no more as child of mine, and my son fillsher place so completely, I do not even miss her. That is the best I cansay. No doubt I am hard, but at least I am honest; and I will not feignwhat I cannot feel. " He limped across the floor, to a recess on one side of the chimney, where a square vault with an iron door had been built into the wall. Leaning on his cane, he took from his pocket a bunch of keys, fittedone into the lock, and pushing the bolt, the door slid back into agroove, instead of opening on hinges. He lifted a black tin box fromthe depths of the vault, carried it to the table, sat down, and openedit. Near the top, were numerous papers tied into packages with redtape, and two large envelopes carefully sealed with dark-green wax. Inremoving the bundles, to find something beneath them, these envelopeswere laid on the table; and as one was either accidentally orintentionally turned, Beryl saw the endorsement written in bold blackletters, and heavily underscored in red ink: "Last Will and Testamentof Robert Luke Darrington. " Untying a small chamois bag, the ownercounted out five twenty-dollar gold pieces, closed the bag, andreplaced it in the box. "Hold out your hand. Your mother asked fur one hundred dollars. Here isthe exact amount. Henceforth, leave me in peace. I am an old man, and Iadvise you to 'let sleeping dogs lie. '" If he had laid a red-hot iron on her palm, it would scarcely have beenmore scorching than the touch of his gold, and only the vision of a wanand woeful face in that far off cheerless attic room, restrained herimpulse to throw it at his feet. An almost intolerable humiliation dyed her pale cheeks a deep purplishcrimson, and she proudly drew herself to her utmost height. "Because I cannot now help myself, I accept the money--not as a gift, but as a loan for my mother's benefit; and so help me God! I will notowe it to you one moment longer than by hard labor I can earn andreturn it. Goodbye, Gen'l Darrington. " She turned toward the closed door leading to the library, but raisinghis cane, he held it out, to intercept her. "Wait a moment. There is one thing more. " He took from the tin box an oblong package, wrapped in letter paper, yellowed by age, and carefully sealed with red wax. As he held it up, she read thereon: "My last folly. " He tore off the paper, lifted an oldfashioned morocco case, and attempted to open it, but the catch wasobstinate, or rusty, and several ineffectual efforts were made, ere hesucceeded in moving the spring. The once white velvet cushion, haddarkened and turned very yellow, but time had robbed in no degree, thelustre of the magnificent sapphires coiled there; and the blue firesleaped out, as if rejoicing in the privilege of displaying theirsplendor. "This set of stones was intended as a gift to your mother, when she was graduated at boarding-school. The time fixed for the closeof the session was only one month later than the day on which sheeloped with that foreign fraud, who should never have been allowed inthe school. My wife had promised that if your mother won the honor ofvaledictorian, she should have the handsomest present ever worn at acommencement. These costly sapphires were my poor wife's choice. PoorHelena! how often she admired them!" His voice faltered, and he bit hisunder lip to still its quiver. Was there some necromancy in the azure flames, that suddenly revealedthe beloved face of the wife of his youth, and the lovely vision oftheir only child? His eagle eyes were dim with tears, and his handshook; but, as if ashamed of the weakness, he closed the jewel casewith a snap, and held it out. "Here--take them. I had intended to give them as a bridal present to myson's wife, when he marries to suit me--as he certainly will; butsomehow, such a disposal seems hard on my dear Helena's wishes, and forher sake, I don't feel quite easy about leaving them to Prince's bride. Your mother never saw them, never knew of their existence. They arevery valuable, and the amount they will bring must relieve all presentnecessities. Tell Ellice the sight of the case disturbs me, like athorn in the flesh, so I send them away, to rid myself of an annoyance. She must not thank me; they come from her--dead mother. " "A knowledge of their history would give her infinitely more pain thanthe proceeds of their sale could bring comfort. I would not stab heraching heart for twenty times the value of the jewels. " "Then sell them, or do as you like. It matters not what becomes ofthem, if I am spared in future all reminders of the past. Put them inyour pocket. What? The case is too large? Where is your trunk--yourbaggage?" "I have none, except my basket and shawl. " She picked them up from the carpet near the library door, and droppedthe case into her basket. "You are a brave, and a loyal woman, and you appear to deserve farbetter parents than fell to your lot. Before you go, let me offer you aglass of wine, and a biscuit. " "Thank you--no. I could not possibly accept it. " "Well, we shall never meet again. Good-bye. Shake hands. " "I will very gladly do so if you will only give me just one gentle, forgiving kind word to comfort mother. " He set his teeth, and shook his head. "Good-bye, Gen'l Darrington. When you lie down to die, I hope God willbe more merciful to your poor soul, than you have shown yourself toyour suffering child. " He bowed profoundly. Her hand was on the knob of the door, when he pointed to the westernveranda. "You are going back to town? Then, if you please, be so good as to passout through that rear entrance, and close the glass door after you. Aside path leads to the lawn; and I prefer that you should not meet theservants, who pry and tattle. " When she stood on the veranda, and turned to close the wide archedglass door, whence the inside red silk curtain had been looped back, her last view of the gaunt, tall figure within, showed him leaning onhis stick, with the tin box held in his left hand, and the dyingsunlight shining on his silver hair and furrowed face. Along the serpentine path which was bordered with masses of brilliantchrysanthemums, Beryl walked rapidly, feeling almost stifled by thepressure of contending emotions. Recollecting that these spice censersof Autumn were her mother's favorite flowers, she stooped and brokeseveral lovely clusters of orange and garnet color, hoping that alingering breath of perfume from the home of her girlhood, might affordat least a melancholy pleasure to the distant invalid. Advancing into the elm avenue, she heard a voice calling, and lookingback, saw the old negro man, Bedney, waving his white apron and runningtoward her; but at that moment his steps were arrested by the sudden, loud and rapid ringing of a bell. He paused, listened, wavered; thenthrew up his hands, and hurried back to the house, whence issued theimpatient summons. The sun had gone down in the green sea of far-off pine tops, but thewestern sky glowed like some vast altar of topaz, whereon zodiacalfires had kindled the rays of vivid rose, that sprang into the zenithand cooled their flush in the pale blue of the upper air. Under theelms, swift southern twilight was already filling the arches withpurple gloom, and when the heavy iron gate closed with a sullen clangbehind her, Beryl drew a long deep breath of relief. On the sultryatmosphere broke the gurgling andante music of the "branch, " as iteddied among the nodding ferns, and darted under the bridge; and theweary, thirsty woman knelt on the mossy margin, dipped up the amberwater in her palms, drank, and bathed her burning face which stilltingled painfully. Having learned from the station agent, who had already sold her areturn ticket, that the north bound railway train, by which she desiredto travel home, would not depart until 7. 15, she was beguiled by thebrilliance of the sky into the belief that she had ample time, tocomply with her mother's farewell request. Mrs. Brentano had tied witha scrap of ribbon the bouquet of flowers, bought by her daughter on theafternoon of her journey south, and asked her to lay them on hermother's grave. Anxious to accomplish this sacred mission Beryl took the faded blossomsfrom her basket, added a cluster of chrysanthemums, a frond of fernfrom the "branch" border, and hurried on to the cemetery. When shereached the entrance, the gate was locked, but unwilling to returnwithout having gratified her mother's wish, she climbed into aspreading cedar close by the low brick wall, and swung herself easilydown inside the enclosure. Some time was lost in finding the Darrington lot, but at last she stoodbefore a tall iron railing, that bristled with lance-like points, between the dust, of her ancestors and herself. In one corner rose abeautiful monument, bearing on its front, in gilt letters, theinscription "Helena Tracy, wife of R. L. Darrington. " Thrusting her hand through a space in the railing, Beryl dropped hermother's withered Arkja tribute on the marble slab. Her dress wascaught by a sharp point of iron, and while endeavoring to disengage it, she heard the shrill whistle of the R. R. Engine. Tearing the skirtaway, she ran to the wall, climbed over, after some delay, and findingherself once more in the open road, darted on as fast as possiblethrough the dusk, heedless of appearances, fearful only of missing thetrain. How the houses multiplied, and what interminable lengths thesquares seemed, as she neared the brick warehouse and office of thestation! The lamps at the street corners beckoned her on, and whenpanting for breath she rushed around the side of the tall building thatfronted the railway, there was no train in sight. Two or three coal cars stood on a siding, near a detached engine, whereone man was lighting the lamp before the reflector of the headlight, and another, who whistled merrily, burnished the brass and copperplatings. In the door of the ticket office the agent lounged, puffedhis cigar, and fanned himself with his hat. "What time is it?" cried Beryl. "Seven-forty-five. " "Oh! do not tell me I have missed the train. " "You certainly have. I told you it left at 7:15 sharp. It was tenminutes behind time on account of hot boxes, but rolled out just twentyminutes ago. Did you get lost hunting 'Elm Bluff, ' and miss your trainon that account?" "No, I had no difficulty in finding the place, but having no watch, Iwas forced to guess at the time. Only twenty minutes too late!" "Did you see the old war-horse?" Beryl did not answer, and after a moment the agent added: "That is Gen'l Darrington's nick-name all over this section. " "When will the next train leave here?" "Not until 3:05 A. M. " Beryl sat down on the edge of a baggage truck, and pondered thesituation. She knew that her mother, who had carefully studied therailway schedule, was with feverish anxiety expecting her return by thetrain, now many miles away; and she feared that any unexplaineddetention would have an injurious effect on the sick woman's shatterednerves. Although she could ill afford the expense, she resolved to allay allapprehension, by the costly sedative of a telegram. Only a wall separated the ticket office from that of the "telegraph, "and approaching the operator, Beryl asked for a blank form, on whichshe wrote her mother's address, and the following message: "Complete success required delay. All will be satisfactory. Expect meSaturday. B. B. " When she had paid the operator, there remained in her purse, exclusiveof the gold coins received that afternoon, only thirty-eight cents. Where could she spend the next seven hours? Interpreting the perplexedexpression of her face, the agent, who had curiously noted hermovements, said courteously: "There is a hotel a few blocks off, where you can rest until traintime. " "I prefer to remain here. " "We generally lock up this office about half-past eight, and re-open athalf-past two, which gives passengers ample accommodation for the 3:05train. " "Would you violate regulations by leaving the waiting-room opento-night?" "Not exactly; as of course we are obliged to keep open for delayedtrains; but it will be lonesome waiting, for no one stays here, exceptthe Night Train Despatcher, and the switch watchman. Still if it willoblige you, miss, I will not lock up, and you can doze away the time byspreading your shawl on two chairs. I am going to supper now, and shallturn down the lights. One burner will be sufficient. " "Thank you very much. Where can I find some water?" "In the cooler in the ladies' dressing-room. It is most unaccountablyhot tonight, and I never knew anything like it in October. There mustbe a cyclone brewing somewhere not far off. " He lifted his hat, as he passed her, and disappeared; and the tiredgirl seated herself near a window and stirred the dense, impure air byfanning herself with her straw hat. Gradually the few stragglersloitering about the station wandered away; the engineer stepped uponthe locomotive; a piercing whistle broke suddenly on the silencesettling down over the whilom busy precincts, and as the rhythmicmeasure of the engine bell rang farewell chimes, a pyramid of sparksleaped high, and the mighty mechanism fled down the track, hunting itsown echoes. The man in charge of the express office came out, looked upand down the street; yawned, lighted his pipe, and after locking theoffice, wended his way homeward. From the adjoining room came the slow monotonous clicking of thetelegraph wires, as messages passed to other stations, and only theswitch watchman was visible, sitting on an inverted tub, and playingsnatches from "Mascotte" and "Olivette" upon a harmonicon. Heat seemed radiating from the brick pavement outside, from the innerwalls of the waiting-room; and Beryl, finding the atmosphere almoststifling, went out under the stars. Up and down she paced, until wearyof the dusty thoroughfare, she turned into the street which, earlier inthe day, had conducted her toward the suburbs. She knew that a fullmoon had climbed above the horizon, and some malign Morgana lured heron, with visions of cool pine glades paved with silver mosaics, andbalmy with breath of balsam; where through vast forest naves echoed themelodious monody chanted by the reddish gold wavelets of the "branch. "In the eastern sky the florid face of a hunter's moon looked down, fromthe level line of a leaden cloud, which striped the star emblazonedshield of night, like a bar sinister; and the white lustre of her rayswas dimmed to a lurid dulness solemn and presageful. As Beryl crossed the common near the station, and entered the pillaredaisles of the pines, the air was less oppressive, but a dun haze seemedon every side to curtain the horizon, and the stars looked bleared andtired in the breathless vault above her. A man driving two cows towardtown, stared at her; then a wagon drawn by four horses rattled along, bearing homeward a gay picnic party of young people, who made the woodsring with the echoes of "Hold the Fort. " The grandeur of toweringpines, the mysterious dimness of illimitable arcades, and the peculiarresinous odor that stole like lingering ghosts of myrrh, frankincenseand onycha through the vaulted solitude of a deserted hoary sanctuary, all these phases of primeval Southern forests combined to weave a spellthat the stranger could not resist. After a while, fearful of straying too far, the weary woman threw hershawl on the brown straw, and sat down quite near the road. She leanedher bare head against the trunk of a pine, listened to the katydidsgossiping in a distant oak that shaded the "branch, " to the quaveringstrident song of a locust; and she intended, after resting for a fewmoments, to return to the station-house; but unexpected drowsinessoverpowered her. Suddenly aroused from a sound sleep, she heard theclatter of galloping hoofs, and as she sprang up, the horse, startledby her movement, shied and reared within a few feet of the spot whereshe stood. The moon shone full on the glossy black animal, and upon hispowerful rider, and Beryl recognized the massive head, swarthy face andkeen eyes of the attorney, Lennox Dunbar. He leaned forward and said, as he patted the erect ears of his horse: "Madam, you seem a stranger. Have you lost your way?" "No, sir. " "Pardon me; but having seen you this afternoon at 'Elm Bluff, ' Ithought it possible you had missed the road. " Standing so straight and tall, with the sheen of the moon on herfaultless features, he thought she looked the incarnation of someprescient Norn, fit for the well of Urda. She made no reply; and he touched his hat, and rode rapidly away in thedirection of the town, carrying an indelible impression of themysterious picture under the pines. The sky had changed; the face of the moon had cleared, but tatters andscuds of smoke-colored cloud fled northward, as if scourged by a stormycurrent too high to stir the sultry stagnation of the lower atmosphericstratum. From its vaporous lair somewhere in the cypress and palmjungles of the Mexican Gulf borders, the tempest had risen, and beforeits breath the shreds of cloud flew like avant couriers of disaster. Already the lurid glare of incessant sheet lightning fought with themoon for supremacy, and from a leaden wall along the southeastern sky, came the long reverberating growl of thunder, that told where theelectric batteries had opened fire. A vague foreboding, which forseveral days had haunted Beryl's mind, now pressed so heavily upon her, that she hurried back to the station, which was near the edge of thetown; and more than once she started nervously at sight of grotesqueshadows cast by the trees across the sandy road. The streets were deserted, and lights gleamed only in upper windows ofapartments, where sick sufferers tossed, or tender mothers sang softlullabys to restless babies crooning in their cribs. Now and then asudden gust of wind shook the yellow berries from the china trees, thatbordered the pavements, and very soon the moonshine faded, then flashedfitfully, and finally vanished, as the blackening cloud swept over theface of earth and sky. The watchman dozed on his post of observation; aporter slept on a baggage truck under the awning, and as Beryl peepedinto the telegraph office, she heard the snoring of the operator, whosehead rested upon the table close to the silent instrument. She listenedto the ticking of a clock in the ticket office, but could not see itsface; wondered how late it was, and how long she had been absent. Feeling very lonely and restless she closed the door, and sat down inthe deserted waiting-room, glad of the companionship of atortoise-shell cat which was curled up on a chair next her own. Gradually the storm approached, and she thought that an hour hadelapsed, when the dust-tainted smell of rain came with the rush of coldair. There was no steady gale, but the tempest broke in franticspasmodic gusts, as though it had lost its reckoning, andsimultaneously assaulted all the points of the compass; while thelightning glared almost continuously, and the roar of the thunder wasuninterrupted. Now and then a vivid zig-zag flash gored the intensedarkness with its baleful blue death-light, followed by a crash, appalling as if the battlements of heaven had been shattered. Once thewhole air seemed ablaze, and the simultaneous shock of the detonationwas so violent, that Beryl involuntarily sank on her knees, and hid hereyes on a chair. The rain fell in torrents, that added a solemn sullenswell to the diapason of the thunder fugue, and by degrees a deliciouscoolness crept into the cisterns of the night. When the cloud had wept away its fury, and electric fires burned low inthe far west, a gentle shower droned on the roof, and lulled by itscadence Beryl fell asleep, still kneeling on the floor, with her headresting on the chair where the cat lay coiled. In dreams, she wandered with her father and brother upon a Tuscanhillside draped with purple fruited grape vines, and Bertie wascrushing a luscious cluster against her thirsty lips, when some noisestartled her. Wide awake, she sprang to her feet, and listened. "There ain't no train till daylight, 'cepting it be the throughfreight. " "When is that due?" "Pretty soon; it's mighty nigh time now, but it don't stop here; itgoes on to the water tank, whar it blows for the railroad bridge. " "How far is the bridge?" "Only a short piece down the track, after you pass the tank. " Beryl had rushed to the window, and looked out, but no one was visible. She could scarcely mistake that peculiar voice, and was so assured ofits identity, that she ran out under the awning and looked up and downthe platform in front of the station buildings. The rain had ceased, but drops still pattered from the tin roof, and a few stars peeped overthe ragged ravelled edge of slowly drifting clouds. By the light of agas lamp, she saw an old negro man limping away, who held a stick overhis shoulder, on which was slung a bundle wrapped in a redhandkerchief; and while she stood watching, he vanished in some cul desac. With her basket in her hand, and her shawl on her arm, she speddown the track, looking to right and left. "Bertie! Bertie!" Once she fancied she discerned a form flying ahead of her, leaping fromcross tie to cross tie to avoid the water, but when she calledvehemently, only the sound of her own voice broke the silence. Was it merely an illusion born of her vivid dream of her brother; andwhile scarcely awake, had she confounded the tones of a stranger, withthose so long familiar? She could not shake off the conviction thatBertie had really spoken only a few yards from her, and while she stoodirresolute, puzzling over the problem, the through freight train dashedby the station and left a trail of sparks and cinders. To avoid it shesprang on a pile of cross ties beside the track, and when the fieryserpent wound out of sight, she reluctantly retraced her steps. Howlong the night seemed! Would day never dawn again? She heard thetelegraph operator whistling at his work, and as she re-entered thewaiting-room, she saw the ticket agent standing in his office. "What time is it?" "Half-past two o'clock. I might as well have locked up as usual, forafter all, you did not stay here. " "Yes I did. " He eyed her suspiciously. "I came back from supper, and brought a pitcher of cold tea, thinkingyou might relish it, but you were not here. I waited nearly an hour;then I went home. " "It was so hot, I walked about outside. What a frightful storm. " "Yes, perfectly awful. Were you exposed to the worst of it?" "No, I was here. " He shook his head, smiled, and went into the next room, knowing thatwhen he returned to unlock his office she was not in the building, andthat he had seen her coming up the railway track. The bustle ofpreparation soon began; the baggage wagons thundered up to theplatform, porters called to one another; passengers collected in thewaiting-room, carriages and omnibuses dashed about; then at 2:50 thelong train of north bound cars swept in. With her shawl and basket inone hand, and the odorous bunches of chrysanthemums clasped in theother, Beryl stepped upon the platform. She found a seat at an openwindow, and made herself comfortable; placing her feet upon the basketwhich contained the jewels that constituted her sole earthly fortune. The bell rang, the train glided on, and as it passed the office door, she saw the agent watching her, with a strangely suspicious expression. The cars wound around a curve, and she sank back and shut her eyes, rejoicing in the belief that her mission to "Elm Bluff, " and its keenhumiliation, were forever ended. CHAPTER IV. "I concede that point. Your lover is amply endowed with brains, andmoreover has a vast amount of shrewdness, all that is requisite tosecure success and eminence in his profession; but to-day, it seems asmuch a matter of astonishment to me--as it certainly was six monthsago, when first you told me of your engagement--that you, Leo Gordon, could ever fancy just such a man as Lennox Dunbar. " "I am very sorry, Aunt Patty, that he finds no favor in your eyes, andI think he is aware of the fact that he is not in your good graces. Youboth look so vaguely uncomfortable when thrown into each other'spresence; but for my sake you must try to like Lennox. " Miss Gordon bent her pretty head over a square of ruby velvet, whereonshe was embroidering a wreath of pansies, and the delicate flush on herfair face, deepened to a vivid carnation. "My likes or dislikes are a matter of moonshine, in comparison withyour happiness. Because you are an orphan, I feel a sort ofresponsibility; and sometimes I am not exactly easy over the account ofmy stewardship I must render to my poor dead Marcia. The more I see ofyour lover, the more I dread your marriage. A man who makes noprofession of religious belief, is an unsafe guardian of any woman'speace of mind. You who have been reared almost in the shadow of thealtar, accustomed to hearing grace at your meals, to family prayers, tostrict observance of our ritual, will feel isolated indeed, whentransplanted to the home of a godless man, who rarely darkens the doorof the sanctuary. 'Be ye not unequally yoked together withunbelievers. '" Miss Patty Dent took off her spectacles, wiped them with the string ofher white muslin cap, and adjusting them firmly on her nose, pluckednervously at the fluted lace ruffles around her wrists. "Auntie, you are scarcely warranted in using such strong language. Because a man refrains from the public avowal of faith, incident tochurch membership, he is not necessarily godless; nor inevitably devoidof true religious feeling. Mr. Dunbar has a strong, reticent nature, habituated to repression of all evidences of emotion, but of the depthand earnestness of his real feeling, I entertain no doubt. " "I fear your line and plummet will never sound his depth. You oftenspeak of his strength; but, Leo, hardness is not always strength; andhe is hard, hard. I never saw a man with a chin like his, who was nottyrannical, and idolatrous of his own will. My dear, such men are asuncomfortable to live in the same house with, as a smoky chimney, or awoman with shattered nerves, or creaking doors, or draughty windows. They are a sort of everlasting east wind that never veers, blowingalways to the one point, attainment of their own ends, mildewing allelse. Ugh!" Miss Patty shivered, and her companion smiled. "What a grewsome picture, Auntie dear! Fortunately human taste is asdiverse and catholic as the variety of human countenances. For example:Clara Morse raves over Mr. Dunbar's 'clear-cut features, so immenselyclassical'; and she pronounces his offending 'chin simply perfect! fitfor a Greek God!'" "A very thin and gauzy partition divides Clara Morse's brains fromidiocy. In my day, all such feeble watery minds as hers were regardedas semi-imbecile, pitied as intellectual cripples, and wisely kept inthe background of society; but, bless me! in this generation they skipand prance to the very edge of the front, pose in indecent garmentswithout starch, or crinoline, or even the protection of pleats andgathers; and insult good, sound, wholesome common sense with thesickening affectations they are pleased to call 'aesthetics. ' Don'twaste your time, and dilute your own mind by quoting the silly twaddleof a poor girl who was turned loose too early on society, who falls onher knees in ecstasies before a hideous broken-nose tea-pot from somefilthy hovel in Japan; and who would not dare to admire the loveliestbit of Oiron pottery, or precious old Chelsea claret-colored china inKensington Museum, until she had turned it upside down, and hunted thepotter's mark with a microscope. I say Mr. Dunbar has a domineering andtyrannical chin, and five years hence, if you do not agree with me, itwill be because 'Ephraim is joined to his idols'--clay feet and all. " "Then follow the Bible injunction to 'let him alone. ' I see Lennoxthrough neither Clara's rosy lenses, nor your jaundiced glasses; andthese circular discussions are as fruitless as they are unpleasant. Letus select some more agreeable topic. I gave you Leighton's letter. Whatthink you of his scheme?" "That it is admirable, worthy of the brain that conceived it. What awonderful man he is, considering his age? Such a devout and ferventspirit, and withal such a marvel of executive ability. Ah! happy thewoman who can command his wise guardianship, and renew her aspirationsafter holiness, in his spiritual society. I honor, even more than Ilove, Leighton Douglass. " "So do I, Aunt Patty. He is quite my ideal pastor, and when he marries, I hope his wife will be worthy of him in every respect. Only a verynoble woman would suit my cousin. " A bright spot burned on Miss Dent's wrinkled cheek, and she knitted herbrows, and shook her head. "He is so absorbed in his holy work that he has no leisure for suchtrifles as love-making; but if he should ever honor a woman by theoffer of his consecrated hand, it must be one of large fortune, whowill dedicate herself and her money to the accomplishment of hisecclesiastical schemes. " The corners of Miss Gordon's mouth twitched mutinously, but shecontrived to throw much innocent surprise and questioning into thehandsome brown eyes, which she lifted from her gold-hearted pansies, toher Aunt's face. "Could you possibly associate mercenary motives with any step which hemight take? Such a supposition would be totally incompatible with myestimate of his character. " "When a man dedicates himself to a solemn mission, he is lifted farabove the ordinary plane, can dispense with sentimentalconventionalities, and must learn to regard all human relations asmerely means to an end. Want of money has palsied many an arm lifted toadvance the good of the Church; and zeal without funds, accomplishes aslittle as rusty machinery stiff from lack of oil. If Dr. Douglass couldonly control even a hundred thousand dollars, what shining monuments hewould leave to immortalize him! Indeed, it passes my comprehension howpersons who could so easily help him, deliberately turn a deaf ear tothe 'cry from Macedonia'. " "There is far more eclat in trips to Macedonia, but the God ofrecompense does not forget the steady, tireless help and sympathyextended to the needy, who dwell within sight of our own doors. Organized society work is good, but individual self-sacrifice and laborare much better; and if every unit did full duty, co-operative systemswould not be so necessary; still, Leighton's scheme commends itself toevery woman's heart, and when I answered his letter, I expressedcordially my approbation. " "Did you prove your faith by your works, and send him a large check?" "Auntie, dear, do you expect me to stultify all your training, bothyour example and precept--for lo! these many years--by setting my lefthand to gossip about my right? I am very sure. " "Well, Andrew, what is it?" "A boy from Mr. Dunbar's office has just galloped up, and says I am totell you he can't ride to the Falls to-day, as he expected, because ofsome pressing business; and he wants to know if the Judge will comeinto town right away? Mr. Dunbar will explain when he comes late thisevening. " "Very well. Tell Daniel I shall not want 'Rebel' saddled; and say tothe messenger that my Uncle is not at home. Aunt Patty, do you knowwhere he has gone?" "Doubtless to his office; where else should he be? He said he had apile of tiresome papers to examine to-day. " Miss Gordon folded up her work, laid it away in a dainty basket linedwith blue satin and flounced with lace; and after pausing a moment topet her Aunt's white Maltese cat which lay dozing In the sunshine, walked away toward a Small hot-house, built quite near the dining-room, and connected with it by an arcade, covered in summer by vines, inwinter by glass. Twenty-four years before that day, when a proud, fond young motherpuffed and tucked the marvel of lace and linen cambric, which wasintended as a christening robe for her baby, and laid it away withspicery of rose leaves and sachet of lavender and deer tongue, to waituntil a "furlough" allowed the child's father to be present at thebaptism, she had supposed that its delicate folds would one day adorn adimpled rosy-faced infant, for whom the name Aurelia Gordon had longbeen selected. Fate cruelly vetoed all the details of the programme, carefully arranged by maternal affection; and the lurid sun that set inclouds of smoke on one of the most desperate battles of theConfederacy, saw Colonel Gordon's brave, patriotic soul released onthat long "furlough" which glory granted her heroes; saw his devotedwife a wailing widow. The red burial of battle had precluded thesolemnization of baptismal rites at the sacred marble font; and whenfour days after Colonel Gordon's death, his frail young wife welcomedthe summons to an everlasting re-union, she laid her cold hands on herbaby's golden head, and died, as she whispered: "Name her Leo, for her father. " So it came to pass, that the clergyman who read the burial servicebeside the mother's coffin, lifted the cooing infant in the midst of aweeping funeral throng, and with a faltering voice baptized her, in thepresence of the dead, Leo Gordon. To the care of her sister Patty, and of her widowed brother, JudgeDent, Mrs. Gordon had consigned her child; and transplanted so early toher uncle's house, the orphan knew no other home. When the problem of vast numerical preponderance had solved itself inaccordance with the rules of avoirdupois, and history--fond like allgarrulous old crones of repeating even her inglorious episodes--hadtriumphantly inscribed on her bloody tablets, that once more the Fewwere throttled and trampled by the Many, then the fabled "Ragnarok" ofthe Sagas described only approximately the doom of the devastatedSouth. In the financial and social chaos that followed the invasion by"loyal" hordes, rushing under "sealed orders" on the mission of"Reconstruction, " and eminently successful in "reconstructing" theirindividual fortunes, an anomaly presented itself for the considerationof political economists. The wealthy classes of ante bellum days werethe most destitute paupers that the newly-risen Union sun shone upon. The French Revolution and its subsequent eruptions of Communism failedto destroy the value of land; and the emancipation of Russian serfs mayhave stimulated agricultural activity, but that political and socialCommunism which the Pandora of "reconstruction" let loose throughoutthe conquered States of the South, accomplished all that the victorscould have desired. Abandoned by the laborers God had fitted to endure toil under climaticconditions peculiar to the soil, vast silent fields of weeds staredblankly, and the richer a man found himself in ancestral acres, themore hopelessly was he manacled by taxes. "Reconstructionists" mostthoroughly inoculated with "Loyal" rabies, held in lofty disdain theclaims of widows and orphans, and the right of minors was as dead asthat of secession. In the general maelstrom, Colonel Gordon's largeestate went to pieces; but after a time, Judge Dent took lessons fromhis new political masters in the science of wrecking, and by degrees, as fragments and shreds stranded, he collected and secreted them. Certain mining interests were protected, and some valuable plantationsin distant sugar belts, were secured. As guardian of his sister'sdaughter, he changed, or renewed investments in stocks which rapidlyincreased in value, until an unusually large fortune had accumulated:and verifying figures justified his boast, that his niece and ward wasthe wealthiest heiress in the State. Reared in a household which consisted of an elderly uncle and aunt, anda middle-aged governess, Leo Gordon had never known intimateassociation with younger people; and while her nature was gentle andtranquil, she gradually imbibed the grave and rather prim ideas whichwere in vogue when Miss Patty was the reigning belle of her county. Although petted and indulged, she had not been spoiled, and remainedsingularly free from the selfishness usually developed in the characterof an only child, nurtured in the midst of mature relatives. Wheneighteen years old, Leo, accompanied by her governess, Mrs. Eldridge, had been sent to New York and Boston for educational advantages, whichit was supposed that her own section of the country could not supply;and subsequently the two went abroad, gleaning knowledge in the greatcentres of European Art. During their sojourn in Munich, Mrs. Eldridgedied after a very brief illness; and returning to her southern home, Leo found herself the object of social homage. Thoroughly well-bred, accomplished, graceful and pretty, she commandeduniversal admiration; yet her manner was marked by a quiet, gravedignity, and a peculiar reticence, at variance with the prevailing typeof young ladyhood, now alas! too dominant; whose premature emancipationfrom home rule, and old-fashioned canons of decorum renders "Americangirlhood" synonymous with flippant pertness. Moulded by two women whowere imbued with the spirit of Richter's admonition: "Girls like thepriestesses of old, should be educated only in sacred places, and neverhear, much less see, what is rude, immoral or violent"; the pate tendreof Leo's character showed unmistakably the potter's marks. She shrewdly surmised that the knowledge of her unusual wealthcontributed to swell the number of her suitors, and she was twenty-fouryears old when Lennox Dunbar, for whom she had long secretly cherisheda partiality, succeeded in placing his ring on her fair, slender hand. In character they differed widely, and the deep and tender love thatfilled her heart, found only a faint echo in his cold and more selfishnature, which had carefully calculated all the advantages derivablefrom this alliance. He cordially admired and esteemed his brown-eyed fair-haired fiancee, considered her the personification of feminine refinement and delicacy;and congratulated himself warmly on his great good fortune in winningher affection; but tender emotions found little scope for exercise inhis intensely practical, busy life, which was devoted to the attainmentof eminence in his profession; and the merely dynamic apparatus whichdid duty as his heart, had never been disturbed by any feelingsufficiently deep to quicken his calm, steady pulse. There were times, when Leo wondered whether all accepted lovers were asundemonstrative as her own, and she would have been happier had heoccasionally forgotten professional aspirations, in the charm of herpresence; but her confidence in the purity and fidelity of hisaffection was unshaken, even by the dismal predictions of Miss Patty, who found it impossible to reconcile herself to the failure of herdarling scheme, that Leo should marry her second cousin, LeightonDouglass, D. D. , and devote her fortune to the advancement of his church. To-day, as she sought pleasant work in arranging the ferns andcarnations of her conservatory, her thoughts reverted to the previousevening, which Mr. Dunbar had spent with her; and she could not avoidindulging regret, that he should have allowed business affairs tointerfere with their engagement for horseback riding, but her reveriewas speedily interrupted by the excited tones of her aunt's voice. "Leo! Leo! Where do you hide yourself?" "Here, Auntie, in the conservatory. " "Oh! my child, such dreadful news! Such a frightful tragedy!" Pale and panting, Miss Patty ran down the arcade, and stumbled over abarricade of potted plants on the threshold of the door. "What is the matter? Is it my Uncle, or--or Lennox?" Leo sprang to her feet, and caught her aunt's arm. "Horrible! horrible! General Darrington was robbed, and then mostbrutally murdered last night!" "Murdered! Can it be possible? Murdered--by whom?" "How should I know? The whole town is wild about it. My brother is atElm Bluff, with the body, and I shall take the carriage and drive overthere at once. Dear me; I am so nervous I can't stand still, and myteeth chatter like a pair of castanets. " "Perhaps there may be some mistake. How did you hear it?" "Your Uncle Mitchell sent a boy to tell me why he was detained. Therehas been a coroner's inquest, and of course, as an old and intimatefriend of General Darrington's, Mitchell feels he must do all he can. Poor old gentleman! So proud and aristocratic! To be murdered in hisown house, like any common pauper! Positively it makes me sick. May theLord have mercy on his soul. " "Amen!" murmured Leo. "Will you go with me to Elm Bluff?" "Oh, no! Not for worlds. Why should I? Women will only be in the way;and who could desire to contemplate so horrible a spectacle? It willmerely harrow your feelings, Aunt Patty, and you can do no good. " "It is my Christian duty as a neighbor; and I was always very fond ofthe first Mrs. Darrington, Helena Tracey. What is this wicked worldcoming to? Robbery and murder stalking bare-faced through the land. Itwill be a dreadful blow to Mitchell, because he and Luke Darringtonhave been intimate all their lives. I see the carriage coming round, soI must get my bonnet and wrap. " "I presume Mr. Dunbar is engaged in the same melancholy details whichoccupy my uncle. " "Doubtless he is, because his father was General Darrington's attorneyuntil his health failed; and Lennox is now his lawyer and businessagent. It is a thousand pities that Prince is away in Europe. " Two hours after the carriage had disappeared on the road leading to ElmBluff, Leo crossed the grassy lawn, and sat down near the gate, on arustic bench under a cluster of tall lilacs, which gave their name toher uncle's home. A keen north wind whistling through neighboring walnut tree tops, drovethe dying leaves like frightened flocks before it, and ever and anonthe ripened nuts pattered down, hiding themselves under the drift ofyellow foliage, that had sheltered them in cool greenery during summerheats. Overhead a red squirrel barked and frisked, and across thepale-blue sky, feathered nomads, teal or mallard, moved swiftly enechelon, their quivering pinions flashing like silver, as they fledsouthward. On a distant hillside cattle browsed, and sheep wandered;and the drowsy tinkle of bells, as the herd wended homeward, seemed anocturne of rest, for the closing day. How serene, harmonious and holy all nature appeared; and yet a fewmiles distant, into what a fierce seething whirlpool of conflictingpassions, of hatred and bloodthirsty vengeance, had human crime plungedan entire community. We plume ourselves upon nineteenth centurycivilization, upon ethical advancement, upon Christian progress; weadorn our cathedrals, build temples for art treasures, and museums forscience, and listen to preludes of the "music of the future;" and weshudder at the mention of vice, as at the remembrance of the torturesof Regulus, but will the Cain type ever become extinct, like the dodo, or the ichthyosaurus? When will the laws of heredity, and the by-lawsof agnation result in an altruism, where human bloodshed is an unknownhorror? The apostles of Evolution tell us, that in the genealogical ages duringwhich man has struggled upward, from the lower stages of vertebrate andmammal to the genus of catarrhine apes, he has gradually thrown offbestial instincts, and that the tiger taint will ultimately be totallyeliminated; that "original sin is neither more nor less than the bruteinheritance which every man carries with him, and that Evolution is anadvance toward true salvation. " Meanwhile what becomes of the "Survivalof the Fittest", which is only a euphemism for the strangling of thefeeble by the strong? We can understand how perfection, or permanenceof type, individual and national, demands carnage, and entails all thedire catalogue of human woes, but wherein is altruism evolved? How manyaeons shall we wait, to behold the leopard and the lamb pasturingtogether in peace? Pondering this problem, as he rode along the public road outside theboundary of Judge Dent's lawn, Mr. Dunbar caught a glimpse of hisbetrothed, sitting behind the hedge of lilacs, and he lifted his hat, hoping that she would meet him at the entrance; but although she bowedin recognition, he was forced to open the gate and admit himself. Throwing the bridle rein over one of the iron spikes of the fence, andtaking off his gloves, he approached the bench. "Dare I flatter myself, that my queen deigns to meet me half way?" He took her outstretched hand, and kissed it softly, while his glancenoted every detail of her handsome fawn-colored dress, with its jabotof creamy lace, and the cluster of crimson carnations in her belt. Thetouch of his lips on her fingers, deepened the flush in her cheeks, and, making room for him beside her, she replied: "Sit down, and tell me if this dreadful news about General Darringtonbe indeed true? I have hoped there might be some mistake, someexaggeration. " "Some horrors exceed the possibility of verbal exaggeration, and lastnight's tragedy is one of that class. General Darrington was mostbrutally murdered. " "Poor old gentleman! How incredible it seems that such awful crimes canbe committed in our quiet neighborhood? who could have been so guilty;and what motive could have prompted such a fiendish act?" "The one all-powerful evil passion of mankind--greed of gold; lust offilthy lucre. He was first robbed, then murdered by the thief, to avoiddetection and punishment. There is unmistakable evidence that theGeneral was chloroformed while asleep; but he must have awakened intime to discover the robber, with whom he struggled desperately, and bywhom he was struck down. The coroner's inquest developed some startlingfacts. " "Has any clue been discovered which would indicate the murderer?" "A handful of clues. " "Then you have a theory concerning the person who perpetrated thisawful crime?" "My dear Leo, not a theory, but a conviction; I might almost say anabsolute knowledge. " "Would it be pardonable for me to ask whom you suspect; would it be aviolation of professional etiquette for you to tell me?" "Certainly, my dearest, you can ask me anything, only--" he paused amoment; and she put her hand quickly on his arm. "I see. Do not tell me mere suspicions; they might cruelly wrong aninnocent person; and I ought not to have asked the question. " "My hesitation arose from a totally different source, and I was merelywondering whether you, my sweet saint, could believe that a womancommitted the bloody deed. " "Oh, Mr. Dunbar, impossible! A woman guilty of taking that old man'slife? The supposition is as horrible as the crime itself. " Passing his hand lightly over her crimped fair hair, and looking downinto her eyes, as brown as the back of a thrush, her lover replied: "I find that the nobler and purer a woman's heart is, the less shecredits the existence of vice and the possibility of crime among herown sex. You doubtless consider the Brinvilliers, Fredegonds, Fulviasand Faustinas, quite as fabulous as Centaurs, Sirens and Were-wolves;and I feel as reluctant to shake your fair faith in womanhood, as todash the dew from a rose-bud, or rudely brush the bloom a cluster oftempting grapes; but the grim truth must be told, that our old friendwas robbed and murdered by a woman. " "One of his servants? They all seemed devotedly attached to him. " "No, by his granddaughter, a young and very beautiful woman; BerylBrentano, the child of General Darrington's daughter Ellice, whom hehad disowned on account of her wretched marriage with a foreigner, whotaught her music and the languages. Of course you have heard from youraunt and uncle all the details of that family episode. Yesterday thisgirl Beryl suddenly presented herself at Elm Bluff, and demanded moneyfrom her grandfather; alleging that her mother's life was in danger forwant of it. I learn there was a stormy interview, part of theconversation having been overheard by two persons; and the General, whowas as vindictive as a Modoc, or a Cossack, drove the young ladythrough a door leading down to the rosery. This occurred in theafternoon, immediately after I left Elm Bluff, where I went to obtainhis signature to a deed to some lands recently sold in Texas. I saw thegirl sitting on the front steps, and when she rose and looked at me, her superb physique impressed me powerfully. She is as beautiful andstately as some goddess stepping out of the Norse 'Edda', andaltogether a remarkable looking person. It will appear in evidence, that the General harshly refused her pleadings, and made a point ofassuring her that his will, already prepared, would forever debar hermother and herself from any inheritance at his death; as he hadbequeathed his entire estate to his adopted son Prince. Unfortunately, she learned where the will was kept, as during the interview, personsin the next room distinctly heard the peculiar noise made by thesliding door of the iron vault, where General Darrington kept all hisvaluable papers. She disappeared from Elm Bluff about sunset, goingtoward town; and last night at ten o'clock, when I left you and rodehome, I saw her lurking in the pine woods not very far from the bridgeover the branch, near the park gate. She was evidently hiding, as shesat on the ground half screened by a tree; but my horse shied andplunged badly, and when she rose, the full moon showed her face andfigure distinctly. There was something so mysterious in her movements, that I asked her if she had lost her way; to which she curtly repliedthat she had not. I learn from Burk, the station agent, that heractions aroused his suspicion, and that instead of leaving town, as shesaid she intended, by the 7:15 train, she hung about the station, andfinally took the 3:05 express this morning. He said she had beggedpermission to stay in the waiting-room, but that at 2:30 A. M. , when hewent back to open the ticket office, she was nowhere to be found; andthat later, he saw her coming down the railroad track. She must havegone back to Elm Bluff after I passed her on the road, and effected anentrance through the window on the front piazza, as it was found open;and the awful work of robbery and murder was accomplished during thestorm, which you know was so frightful that it drowned all minorsounds. This morning when the General did not ring for his hot water atthe usual time, it was supposed that he was sleeping late, but finallyold Bedney knocked. Unable to arouse his master, he opened the door, and found our old friend lying on the floor, near the fireplace. He hadbeen dead for hours, and close to his head was a heavy brass andiron, which evidently had been snatched from the hearth by the murderess, whomust have dealt the fatal blow with it, as there was a dark spot on histemple, and also on the left side near the heart. The room was indisorder, and two glass vases on the mantel were shivered, as thoughsome missile had struck them--probably a heavy ledger which was foundon the floor. " "How horrible! But no woman could have overpowered a man like GeneralDarrington. " "Physically, his granddaughter was more than a match for him, especially since his last illness; and I assure you she looks like somedaughter of the Vikings. She certainly is a woman of grand proportions, and wonderfully symmetrical. " "What is her age?" "About eighteen, I should think; though her size and a certain majesticbearing might convey the impression that she was older. " "How can you connect so dreadful a crime with a young and beautifulwoman, of whom you know absolutely nothing?" "My theory is, that she intended merely to get possession of the will, the contents of which had been made known to her--and of the money, that she knew or surmised was kept in the vault. When the effect of thechloroform wore off, and the General waked to find her at the vault; astruggle evidently took place, and in desperation at the thought ofbeing detected, she killed him. You do not understand all the bearingsof even slight circumstances in a case like this, but we who make astudy of such sad matters, know the significance of the disappearanceof the will; the destruction of which could benefit only her mother andherself. The vault was open; the gold, silver, some valuable jewelry, and the will are missing from the tin box. All the other papers wereleft, even a package of bonds, amounting to thousands of dollars. Sheseemed to know that the bonds might lead to detection, hence she didnot take them. On the floor, and in the bottom of the tin box werefound two twenty-dollar gold pieces. We are collecting all theevidence, and it constitutes a powerful array of proof. " "We? Do you mean that you are hunting down a woman?" Miss Gordon withdrew her hand from her lover's, and instinctively movedfarther from him. "I am most diligently hunting down the author of a foul and awfulcrime; and it is my duty to my friend and client to use every possibleexertion, in discovering and bringing to punishment the person whorobbed and murdered him--be it man, woman or child. Feminine youth andbeauty are no aegis against the barbed javelins of justice and theDistrict Solicitor (Mr. Churchill) and I, have no doubt of the guilt ofthe woman, who will soon be put on trial here for her monstrous andunnatural crime. " CHAPTER V. In a deep, narrow "railway cut, " through Virginia hills, a south-boundfreight train had been so badly wrecked in consequence of a "washout, "that the southern passenger express going north was detained fourteenhours; thereby missing connection at Washington City, where thepassengers were again delayed nearly twelve hours. Tired and veryhungry, having eaten nothing but a sandwich and a cup of coffee forthree days, Beryl felt profoundly thankful when the cars rolled intoJersey City. In the bustle and confusion incident to arrival in thatBabel, she did not observe the scrutiny to which she was subjected by aman genteelly dressed, who gave her his hand as she stepped down fromthe train, and kept by her side while she hastened in the direction ofthe ferry. Reaching the slip where the boat awaited passengers, she was vexed tosee it backing out into the stream, and leaned against the chain whichbarred egress until the next trip. "You have only five minutes to wait for the boat. You seem to have hada long and trying journey, madam?" Glancing at him for the first time, Beryl perceived that he held a slipof yellow paper from which he looked now and then to her face. Hisfeatures were coarse and heavy, but his eyes were keen as a ferret's;and without answering his question, she turned away and looked acrossthe water which teemed with craft of every description, laden withfreight animate and inanimate, passing to and from the vast city, whosespires, domes and forest of masts rose like a gray cloud against thesky, etching there their leaden outlines. "You live at No. --West--Street, between 8th and 9th Avenue?" "You are a stranger, and your questions are offensive and impertinent. " As she turned and confronted him haughtily, he stepped closer to her, threw back his blue overcoat, and pointed to the metal badge on hisbreast. "I am an officer of the law, and have a warrant for your arrest. Youare Beryl Brentano. " "I am Beryl Brentano, yes; but there is some blunder, some mistake. Howdare you annoy me? Arrest me? Me!" "Do not make a scene. My instructions are to deal with you as gently aspossible. Better come quietly into the station near, and I will readyou the warrant, otherwise I shall be obliged to use force. You see Ihave two assistants yonder. " "Arrested for what? By whom?" "I am ordered to arrest you for the murder of General Darrington. " "Murder! General Darrington is alive and well. I have just left him. Stand back! Do not touch me. I will call on the police to protect me. " Laying his fingers firmly on her arm, he beckoned to two men clad inpolice uniform, who promptly approached. "You see resistance is worse than useless, and since there is noescape, come quietly. " "You are insulting me, under some frightful mistake. I am a lady. Do Ilook like a criminal?" "General Darrington has been robbed and murdered, and I havetelegraphic orders to arrest and hold a woman named Beryl Brentano, whocorresponds in every respect with the description of the personsuspected of having committed the crime. " Hitherto she had attributed the insult of the interview to somequestion of mistaken identity, but as she slowly comprehended thepossibility that she was the person accused, and intended for arrest, asickening horror seized and almost paralyzed her, blanching her faceand turning her to stone. As he led her along the street, she staggeredfrom the numbness that possessed her, and her eyes stared blankly, likethose of a somnambulist. When she had been ushered into a room whereseveral policemen were lounging and smoking, the intolerable sense ofshame and indignation shook off her apathy. "This is a cruel and outrageous wrong, and only base cowards couldwantonly insult an unprotected and innocent woman. You call yourselvesmen? Have you no mothers, no sisters, whose memory can arouse somereverence, some respect for womanhood in your brutal souls?" Electric lamps set in the sockets of some marble face, might perhapsresemble the blaze that leaped up in her eyes, as she wrenched her armfrom the officer's profaning touch, and her voice rang like the clashof steel. "Madam, we are allowed no discretion; we are only the blind and deafmachines that obey orders. Read the warrant, and you will understandthat our duty is imperative. " Again and again she read the paper, in which the sheriff of the countywhere Elm Bluff is situated, demanded her arrest and return to X---, onthe charge of robbery and murder committed during the night which shehad spent at the station. Then several telegrams were placed beforeher. The description of herself, her dress, even of the little basketand shawl, was minutely accurate; and by degrees the horror of hersituation, and her utter helplessness, became frightfully distinct. Thepapers fell from her nerveless fingers, and one desperate cry brokefrom her white lips: "O just God! Will you permit such a shameful, cruel outrage? Save mefrom this horrible injustice and disgrace!" Seeing neither the men, nor the room, her strained gaze seemed in hergreat agony fixed upon the face of Him, who, silvering the lilies ofthe field and watching the flight of sparrows, has tender care for allwho trust Him. Even in this terrible trial, the girl's first thoughtwas of her mother; and of the disastrous effect that the misfortunewould produce upon the invalid. "I am sorry to tell you, that we are required to search all personsarrested under similar charges, and in the next room a female detectivewill receive and retain every thing in your possession, except yourclothing. You are suspected of having secreted money, jewelry and somevery valuable papers. " "Suspected of being a common thief! I am as innocent as any angelbeside the throne of Christ! Save me at least from the degradation ofbeing searched. Here is my basket, and here is my purse. " She handed him the worn leather pocket-book, which contained only thefew pennies reserved to pay her passage across the ferry, and turnedthe pocket of her dress inside cut. At the tap of a hand-bell, a tall, angular woman opened the door of anadjoining room. "Mrs. Foster, you will very carefully examine the prisoner, and searchher clothing for papers, as well as valuables. " "Spare me at least this indignity!" cried the shuddering girl. "Come with me, madam. We have no choice. " When the door closed behind her, the constable walked up and down thefloor. "How deceitful appearances are! That woman looks as pure and innocentas an angel, and I half believed her protestations; but here in thebasket, sure enough, hidden at the bottom, are the jewelry and thegold. No sign of the papers, but she may have destroyed them. "Thief or not, she is a grand beauty; and if her heart was not in thatprayer she put up just now, she is a grand actress also. This is abeastly trade of ours, hunting down and trapping the unwary. SometimesI feel no better than a sleuth-hound, and that girl's eyes went throughand through me a while ago like a two-edged dirk. " As he vented his views of his profession, one of the policemen lightedhis pipe and puffed vigorously. Mrs. Foster came back, followed by her victim. "I find absolutely nothing secreted on the prisoner. " "No papers of any description?" "None, sir. " "Madam, your basket contains the missing jewelry and money, at least aportion of it, and I shall place it in the hands of the sheriff. " "The money and jewels are not mine. They belong to my mother, to whomthey were given by her father; and she needs the money at this moment--" "Let me advise you to say as little as possible for your own sake;because your words will be weighed against you. " "I speak only the truth, and it will, it must, vindicate me. Whatpapers are you searching for?" "General Darrington's will. It was stolen with the money. Here isyesterday's paper, with an account of the whole affair, telegraphedfrom X----. If you need to learn anything, you will understand when youread it. " The sight of the capital letters in the Telegraphic Despatches, coupling her name with a heinous and revolting crime, seemed to stabher eyes with red-hot thrusts; and shivering from head to foot, sheslowly realized the suspicious significance of the disappearance of thewill, which was the sole obstacle that debarred her from hergrandfather's wealth. Although sustained by an unfaltering trust in theomnipotence of innocence, she was tormented by a dread spectre thatwould not "down" at her bidding; how could she prove that the money andjewels had been given to her? Would the shock of the tidings of herarrest kill her mother? Was there any possible way by which she mightbe kept in ignorance of this foul disgrace? Beryl hid her face in her hands, and tried to think, but the wholeuniverse appeared spinning into chaos. She had opposed the trip Southso steadily and vehemently: had so sorrowfully and reluctantly yieldedat last to maternal solicitation, and had been oppressed with such direforebodings of some resultant evil. So bitter was her repugnance to theapplication to her grandfather, that she had set out on her journeyfeeling as though it were a challenge to fate; and this was the answer?The vague distrust, the subtle sombre presentiment, the haunting shadowof an inexplicable ill, had all meant this; this bloody horror, dragging her fair name down to the loathsome mire of the slums ofcrime. Had some merciful angel leaned from the parapets of heaven andwarned her; or did her father's spirit, in mysterious communion ofdeathless love and prescient guardianship, stir her soul to oppose hermother's scheme? Sceptical and heedless Tarquins are we all, whom ourpatient Sibylline intuitions finally abandon to the woes which theysought to avert. In the maddening rush and whirl of Beryl's reflections, her mother'simage was the one centre around which all things circled; and atlength, rallying her energies, she turned to her captor. "You intend to take me to prison?" "I am obliged to detain and deliver you to the officer who has comefrom X---with the warrant, and who will carry you back there for trial. He knew from the detentions along the route, that he could easilyoverhaul you here, so he went straight to Trenton with a requisitionfrom the Governor of his State upon Governor Mansfield, for yoursurrender. It is but a short run to the Capital, and he expects to gethere in time to catch the train going South to-day. We had a telegram awhile ago, saying the papers were all right, and that he would meet usat the train, as there will be only a few moments to spare. " "But I must first see my mother. I must give her the money andexplain--" "The money will be claimed by the officer who takes charge of you. " "Have you no mercy? My mother is ill, destitute; and she will dieunless I can go to her. Oh! I beg of you, for the sake of commonhumanity, carry me home, if only for five minutes! Just let me seemother, let me speak to her!" In the intensity of her dread, she fell upon her knees, and lifted herhands imploringly; and the anguish in her white quivering face was sopiteous that the man turned his head away. "I would oblige you if I could, but it is impossible. The law is cruel, as you say, but it is intended as a terror to evil-doers. Things lookawfully black for you, but all the same I am sorry for you, if yourmother is to suffer for your deeds. If you wish to write to her, I willsee that she receives your note; but you have very little time left. " "O God! how hard! What a foul, horrible wrong inflicted upon theinnocent!" She cowered on the floor, unconscious that she still knelt; seeing onlythe suffering woman in that dreary attic across the river, where sunkenfeverish eyes watched for her return. Accidentally Beryl's gaze fell on the bunch of faded chrysanthemumswhich had dropped unnoticed on the floor, and snatching them she buriedher face in their petals. Their perfume was the potent spell that nowmelted her to tears, and the tension of her overtaxed nerves gave wayin a passionate burst of sobs. When she rose a few moments later, thestorm had passed; the face regained its stony rigidity, and henceforthshe fronted fate with an unnatural calmness. "Will you give me some paper and a pen?" "You can write here at the desk. " Mrs. Foster approached her, and said hesitatingly: "Would it comfort you at all, for me to go and see your mother andexplain why you could not return to her? I am very sorry for you, poorthing. " "Thank you, but--you could not explain, and the sight of a strangerwould startle her. In one way you can help me; do you know Dr. Grantlinof New York?" "Only by reputation; but I can find him. " "Will you deliver into his hand the note I am writing?" "I certainly will. " "How soon?" "Before nine o'clock to-night. " "Thank you--a thousand times. " After a while she folded a sheet containing these words: "DEAR DR. GRANTLIN: "In the extremity of my distress, I appeal to you as a Christiangentleman, as a true physician, a healer of the suffering, and underGod, the guardian of my mother's life. You know why I went to mygrandfather. He gave me the money, one hundred dollars, and somevaluable jewels. When in sight of home, I have been arrested on thecharge of having murdered my grandfather, and stolen his will. Need Itell you that I am as innocent as you are? The thought of my mother isthe bitterest drop in my cup of shame and sorrow. You can judge best, how much it may be expedient to tell her, and you can devise thekindest method of breaking the truth, if she must know it. Have herremoved to the hospital, and do not postpone the operation. O Doctor!be pitiful, be tender to her, and do not let her need any littlecomforts. Some day I will pay you for all expenses incurred in herbehalf, but at present I have not a dollar, as the money has beenseized. I am sure you will not deny my prayer, and may God reward andbless you, for your mercy to my precious mother. "In grateful trust, "BERYL BRENTANO. "P. S. --If you approve, deliver the enclosed note. " On a separate sheet she wrote: "MY DARLING MOTHER: "Finding it necessary to return to X---, I have requested Dr. Grantlinto take particularly good care of you for a few days. Your father willnever forgive, never receive you, but he kindly complied with yourrequest and gave me one hundred dollars. Try to be patient until I cancome and tell you everything, and believe that God will not forsake us. With these hurried lines, I send you a few chrysanthemums--yourfavorite flowers--which I gathered in the rose garden of your old home. When you smell them, think of your little girl who loves you betterthan her own life, and who will hasten home at the earliest possiblemoment, to take you in her arms. Mother, pray for me, and may God bevery merciful to you, my dearest, and to-- "Your devoted child, "BERYL. " She had bound the withered flowers together with a strip of fringe fromher shawl, and now, with dry eyes and firm white lips, she kissed themtwice, pinned the last note around them and laid the whole in Mrs. Foster's hand. "I trust you to deliver them in person to Dr. Grantlin before you sleepto-night; and if I survive this awful outrage, perpetrated under thename of law, I will find you some day, and thank you. " Looking at the lovely face, pure in its frozen calm, as some marblelily in the fingers of a monumental effigy, Mrs. Foster felt the tearsdimming her own vision and said earnestly: "Keep as silent as possible. The less you say, the safer you will be;and run no risk of contradicting your own statements. " "I appreciate your motive, but I have nothing to conceal. " Beryl laid her hand on her shawl, then drew back. "Am I allowed the use of my shawl?" "Oh, certainly, madam. " The officer would have opened and put it around her, but with anindescribable movement of proud repulsion, she shook it out, thenwrapped it closely about her, and sat down, keeping her eyes fixed onthe face of the clock ticking over the fireplace. After a long andprofound silence, the man who had arrested her, said gravely and gently: "Time is up. I must deliver you to Officer Gibson at the train. Comewith me. " She rose, gave her hand to Mrs. Foster, and stooping suddenly touchedwith her lips the withered flowers, then followed silently. In subsequent years, when she attempted to recall consecutively theincidents of the ensuing forty-eight hours, they eluded her, like theflitting phantasmagoria that throng delirium; yet subtle links fastenedthe details upon her brain, and sometimes most unexpectedly, thatpsychic necromancer--association of ideas--selected some episode fromthe sombre kaleidoscope of this dismal journey, and set it in luridlight before her, as startling and unwelcome as the face of an enemylong dead. Life and personality partook in some degree of duality; allthat she had been before she saw Elm Bluff, seemed a hopelesslydistinct existence, yet irrevocably chained to the mutilated andblackened Afterward, like the grim and loathsome unions enforced by theNoyades of Nantes. The sun did not forget to shine, nor the moon to keep her appointmentwith the throbbing stars that signalled all along her circuit. Menwhistled, children laughed; the train thundered through tunnels, andflew across golden stubble fields, where grain shocks and hay stackscrowded like tents of the God of plenty, in the Autumnal bivouac; andthroughout the long days and dreary lagging nights. Beryl was fullyconscious of a ceaseless surveillance, of an ever-present shadow, whichwas tall and gaunt, wore a drab overcoat and slouched hat, and wasredolent of tobacco. As silent as two mummies in the crypts of Karnacthey sat side by side; and twice when the officer touched her arm andasked if she would take some refreshments, she merely shook her head, and tightened the folds of her veil; shrinking closer to the windowagainst which she leaned. Not until they approached X---, and sherecognized some features of the landscape, were her lips unsealed: "What persons are responsible for my arrest?" "Our District Solicitor, Mr. Churchill, and Mr. Dunbar, the lawyer, whomade the affidavit under which the warrant was issued. I am only adeputy, acting under orders from the sheriff. " "You are taking me to prison?" "Perhaps not; it depends on the result of the preliminary examination, and you may be allowed bail. " A ray of hope silvered the shrouding gloom; there was a possibility ofescaping the stain of incarceration. "When will the examination take place?" "About noon to-day. You will have time to eat something and freshen upa little. Here we are. What a crowd to welcome us! Don't stir. We willjust wait a while, and I will get you into a carriage as quietly aspossible. " He whispered some directions to the conductor of the train, andstanding in the aisle with his arm across the seat, screened her fromthe gaze of a motley crew of men and boys who rushed in to stare at theprisoner, whose arrival had been impatiently expected. On the railwayplatform and about the station house surged a sea of human heads, straining now in the direction of the first passenger coach; and whenin answer to some question, the conductor pointed to the sleeping carwhich was at the rear of the train, the mass swayed down the track. "Quick! Now is our time!" The deputy sheriff hurried her out, almost lifted her from the steps, and pushing her forward, turned a corner of the street, and handed herinto a carriage which awaited them. CHAPTER VI. To Beryl many hours seemed to have crept away, since she had been leftalone in a small dusty apartment, adjoining the office where the chiefmagistrate of X---daily held court. Too restless to sit still, shepaced up and down the floor, trying to collect her thoughts, and atlast knelt by the side of a table, and laid her weight of dread andperil before the Throne of the God she trusted. The Father of thefatherless and Friend of the friendless, would surely protect her inthis hour of intolerable degradation. "O, Thou that hearest prayer; unto Thee shall all flesh come. " The door opened, and a venerable, gray-haired man approached the table, where her head was bent upon her crossed arms. When she lifted herwhite face, with the violet circles under her dry eyes, making themappear preternaturally large and luminous, and the beautiful mouthcontracted by a spasm of intense pain, a deep sigh of compassion passedthe stranger's lips. "I am Mitchell Dent, an old friend of General Darrington's, and of yourmother, who has often sat upon my knee. Because of my affection foryour grandfather, I have asked permission to see you for a few moments. If you are unjustly accused, I desire to befriend you, and offer yousome advice. I am told you assert your innocence of the great crime ofwhich you are suspected. I hope you can prove it; but for your own sakeI advise you to waive an examination, and await the action of the GrandJury, as you have had no opportunity of consulting counsel, orpreparing your defence. " "You knew my mother? Then you should require no other proof that herchild is not a criminal. I am innocent of every offence against GeneralDarrington, except that of being my father's daughter; and myunjustifiable arrest is almost as foul a wrong as his murder. " She drew herself proudly to her full height, and as his eyes dwelt inirrepressible admiration upon her, his manhood did homage to her graceand dignity, and he took off his hat. "I earnestly hope so; and the law holds every person innocent until herguilt be fully proved and established. " "Of the significance of law terms I know nothing; and of the usages ofcourts I am equally ignorant. If, as you suggest, I should waive anexamination, should I escape imprisonment?" "No. " "Then I must be tried at once; because I want to hurry back to mymother who is ill, and needs me. " "But you have no counsel as yet, and delay is your best policy. " "Delay might cost my mother's life. I have no money to pay a lawyer tostand up and mystify matters, and my best policy is to defend myself, by telling the simple truth. " Again Judge Dent sighed. Could guilt be masked by this fair semblanceof childlike guilelessness? "Can you summon any witnesses to prove that you were not at Elm Bluffon the night of the storm?" "Yes, the ticket agent knows I was in the waiting-room during thatstorm. " He shook his gray head. "He will be one of the strongest witnesses against you. " "Then I have no witnesses except--God, and my conscience. " The door opened, and with his watch in his hand the deputy sheriffentered. "Sorry to shorten your interview, Judge, but you know we have amartinet in yonder, a regular Turk, and he splits seconds intofractions. " As Judge Dent withdrew, Beryl realized that her hour of woe hadarrived, and she began to pin her veil tightly over her face. "Come along--You can't keep your veil on. Try to be as non-committal aspossible when they ask you crooked questions. Of course I want justicedone, and I hope I am a faithful servant of the law; but if you are asinnocent as a flock of ring-doves, the lawyers will try to confuse you. " He attempted to lead her, but she drew back. "I will follow you; but please do not hold my arm; do not touch me. " A moment later, a door opened and closed, a glare of light showed her acrowded room; a monotonous hum like the swell of the sea fell on herear; then stifled ejaculations, to which succeeded a sudden, deathlikehush. The officer placed a chair for her in front of the platform wherethe magistrate sat, and retired to the rear of the room. With somedifficulty Judge Dent made his way through the throng of spectators, and seated himself beside Mr. Dunbar. "Well, sir, how did the prisoner impress you?" asked the latter, as hefolded up a paper. "Dunbar, you have made a mistake. I have spent the best of my life inthe study of criminals; and if that woman yonder is not innocent, I amin my dotage. " "Pardon me, Judge, if I dispute both propositions. I made no mistake;and you are merely, in the goodness of your heart, and the fervor ofyour chivalry, dazzled momentarily by the glamour of extraordinarybeauty and touching youth. " When Beryl recovered in some degree from the shock of finding herselfactually on trial, she endeavored to collect her faculties; but theviolent palpitation of her heart was almost suffocating, and in herears the surging as of an ocean tide, drowned the accents of themagistrate. At first the words were as meaningless as some Sanskritformula, but gradually her attention grasped and comprehended. In astrident incisive voice he read from a paper on the desk before him: "At an inquisition held at X---, T---county, on the twenty-seventh dayof October, before me, Jeremiah Bateman, Coroner of said county, on thebody of Robert Luke Darrington, there lying dead, by the jurors whosenames are hereto subscribed; the said jurors upon their oath do saythat Robert Luke Darrington came to his death on the night of Thursday, October twenty-sixth, by a murderous assault committed upon him bymeans of a heavy brass andiron. And from all the evidence broughtbefore them, the jury believe that the fatal blow was feloniously givenby the hand of his granddaughter, Beryl Brentano. "In testimony whereof, the said jurors have hereunto set their hands, this twenty-seventh day of October, A. D. , 18--. "Signed------ "Attest, "JEREMIAH BATEMAN, Coroner. " "In consequence of this verdict, and by virtue of a warrant issued atthe request of the District Solicitor, Governor Glenbeigh made a promptrequisition for the arrest and detention of the said Beryl Brentano, who has been identified and returned to this city, to answer thecharges brought against her. The prisoner will unveil and stand up. "Beryl Brentano, you are charged with the murder of Robert LukeDarrington, by striking him with a brass andiron. Are you guilty, ornot guilty?" "Not guilty. " Her voice was unsteady, but the words were distinct. Mr. Dunbar, Mr. Burk, and a middle-aged woman lean as Cassius, camenearer to the platform, and after a leisurely survey of the girl's faceand figure, pronounced her the person whom they had severally accusedof the crime of causing the death of General Darrington. The canons that govern psychical phenomena are as occult as theabstraction of the "fourth division of space"; and they defy therealism of common-place probability, mock all analysis, and annihilatedistance. When Beryl had first met the keen scrutiny of Mr. Dunbar'sglittering blue eyes, their baleful influence made her shiver slightly;and now at the instant in which he approached, and inspected herclosely, she forgot that she was on trial for her life, becametemporarily oblivious of her dismal entourage, and stood once morebefore a marble image in the Vatican, where the light streamed full onthe cold face, that for centuries has been the synonym of blendedbeauty and cruelty. In her ears rang again the words her father hadrend aloud at her side, while she sketched: "But he does not inspireconfidence, by the smile that would like to express goodness. Thefinely cut underlip that rises from the strongly marked hollow over thechin ought to sharpen with a dash of contempt the conscious superioritythat lies upon his broad, magnificent forehead. His smile is in strongcontrast with the cold gaze of the large open eyes; a gaze thathesitates not, but without mercy verifies a judgment fixed in advance, that gives up every one to condemnation. " The dusty crowded court-room appeared to swim in the rich aromadistilled from the creamy hearts of Roman hyacinths; and the velvetlips of purple Roman violets suddenly babbled out the secret of themysterious repulsion which had puzzled her, from the hour in which shefirst looked into Mr. Dunbar's face; his strange resemblance to theChiaramonti Tiberius, which she had studied and copied so carefully. Indays gone by, the subtle repose, the marvelous beauty of that marbleface, where as yet the demon of destruction had cast no stain, possessed a singular fascination for her; and now the haunting likenesswhich had perplexed her at Elm Bluff, became associated inseparablywith old Bedney's description of Mr. Dunbar's merciless treatment ofwitnesses, and Beryl realized with alarming clearness that in hergrandfather's lawyer she had met the incarnation of her cruel fate. Standing quite near her, he gravely related, with emphatic distinctnessand careful detail, his first meeting with the prisoner on the piazzaat Elm Bluff, and the vivid impression she left on his mind; his returnto Elm Bluff about half-past nine the same evening, in order to get adeed which he had forgotten to put into his pocket at the first visit. Learning that General Darrington had not yet retired for the night, hesent in to ask for the deed, and was summoned "to come and get ithimself. " On entering the bedroom, he found his client wrapped in acashmere dressing-gown, and sitting in an easy chair by the window, which opened on the north or front piazza. He appeared much perturbedand harassed, and in reply to inquiries touching his health, answeredthat he was "completely shaken up, and unnerved, by a very stormy anddisagreeable interview held that afternoon with the child of hiswayward daughter Ellice. "When witness asked: "Did not the great beautyof the embassadress accomplish the pardon and restoration of the erringmother?" General Darrington had struck his cane violently on the floor, and exclaimed: "Don't talk such infernal nonsense! Did you ever hear ofmy pardoning a wrong against my family name and honor? Does any manlive, idiotic enough to consider me so soft-hearted? No, no. On thecontrary, I was harsh to the girl; so harsh that she turned upon me, savage as a strong cub defending a crippled helpless dam. They know nowthat the last card has been played, and the game ended; for I gave herdistinctly to understand that at my death, Prince would inherit everyiota of my estate, and that my will had cut them off without a cent. Imeant it then, I mean it now. I swear that lowborn fiddler's broodshall never darken these doors; but somehow, I am unable to get rid ofthe strange, disagreeable sensation the girl left behind her, as afarewell legacy. She stood there at that glass door, and raised herhand like a prophetess. 'General Darrington, when you lie down to die, may God have more mercy on your poor soul than you have shown to yoursuffering child. '" Witness advised him to go to bed, and sleep off the unpleasantrecollections of the day, but he said it was so oppressively hot, hewanted to sit at the window, which was wide open. Witness havingsecured the deed, which was on the table in the room, bade his clientgood-night, and left the house. He was riding toward town, and thought it was about ten o'clock, whenhe saw the prisoner sitting under a pine tree near the road, and notmore than a half a mile from the bridge over the "Branch" that runs atthe foot of Elm Bluff. His horse had shied and plunged at sight of her, and, the moonlight being bright as day, witness easily recognized heras the same person he had seen earlier in the afternoon. Thinking herappearance there at that hour was rather mysterious, he asked her ifshe had lost her way; to which she replied "No, sir. " On the followingmorning, when the mournful news of the murder of General Darrington hadconvulsed the entire community with grief and horror, witness hadsmothered his reluctance to proceed against a woman, and a solemn senseof duty forced him to bring these suspicious circumstances to theknowledge of the District Solicitor. While he gave his testimony, Mr. Dunbar watched her closely for sometrace of emotion, but she met his gaze without the movement of amuscle, and he detected not even a quiver of the jet lashes thatdarkened her proud gray eyes. Antony Burk next testified that he had given the accused instructionsabout the road to Elm Bluff, when she arrived at X--; and that afterbuying her return ticket, she told him it was necessary she should takethe 7:15 train, and that she would be sure to catch it. The train was afew minutes late, but had pulled out of the station twenty minutesbefore the prisoner came back, when she appeared much annoyed at havingmissed it. Then she had sent a telegram (a copy of which was in the possession ofthe Solicitor), and requested him to allow her to remain in the ladies'waiting-room until the next train at 3:05. He had directed her to ahotel close by, but she declined going there. Thinking she was fatiguedand might relish it, he had, after supper, carried a pitcher of icedtea to the waiting-room, but though he remained there until nineo'clock she was nowhere visible. He went home and went to sleep, butthe violence of the storm aroused him; and when he took his lantern andwent back to unlock the ticket office, he searched the whole place, andthe prisoner was not in the building. This was at half-past two A. M. , and the pitcher of tea remained untouched where he had placed it. Itwas not raining when he returned, and a few minutes after he had huntedfor the prisoner, he was standing in the door of his office and he sawher coming down the railway track, from the direction of the water tankand the bridge. She was breathing rapidly as if she had been running, and witness noticed that her clothes were damp, and that some drops ofwater fell from the edge of her hat. A lamp-post stood in front of thestation, and he saw her plainly; asked her why she did not stay in theroom, which he had left open for her? Prisoner said she had remainedthere. Witness told her he knew better; that she was not there at ninenor yet at half-past two o'clock. The accused did not appear inclinedto talk, and gave no explanation, but got aboard the 3:05 train. Witness considered her actions so suspicious, that he had related allhe knew to Mr. Dunbar, who had summoned him before the magistrate. He(witness) was very loath to think evil of a woman, especially one sobeautiful and noble looking, and if he wronged her, he hoped God wouldforgive him; but he never dodged telling the truth. Here the female Cassius rose, and gave her name as Angeline Dobbs. "She had for several years attended to the sewing and mending at ElmBluff, being summoned there whenever her services were required. On theafternoon previous to General Darrington's death she was sitting at herneedlework in the hall of the second story of his house. As the day wasvery hot, she had opened the door leading out to an iron balcony, whichprojected just over the front hall door downstairs; and since thepiazza was open from the roof to the floor, she had peeped over, andseen the prisoner when she arrived and had watched her while she sat onthe steps, waiting to be admitted. After the accused had been insidethe house some time, she (witness) recollected that she had seen a holein one of the lace curtains in the library downstairs, and thought thiswould be such a nice time to darn it. The library was opposite thedrawing room, and adjoined General Darrington's bed-room. The door wasopen and witness heard what she supposed was a quarrel, as GeneralDarrington's voice was loud and violent; and she distinctly heard himsay: 'My will is so strong, no contest can touch it! and it will standforever between your mother and my property. ' Soon after, GeneralDarrington had slammed the door, and though she heard loud tones forsome time, she could not make out the words. The impression left onwitness's mind was that the prisoner was very impudent to the oldgentleman; and not long afterward she saw accused standing in the rosegarden, pretending to gather some flowers, but really looking up anddown at the front windows. Witness knew the prisoner saw the vaultwhere the General kept his papers, because she heard it opened whileshe was in the bed-room. The door of the vault or safe did not open onhinges, but was iron, and slid on a metal rod, which made a verypeculiar squeaking sound. When she heard the noise she thought thatGeneral Darrington was so enraged that he got the will to show prisonerit was all fixed forever, against her and her mother. " When Miss Dobbs sat down, a lame man, disfigured by a scar on hischeek, learned upon a stick and testified: "My name is Belshazzar Tatem. Was an orderly sergeant attached toGeneral Darrington's staff dtiring the war; but since that time havebeen a florist and gardener, and am employed to trim hedges and vines, and transplant flowers at Elm Bluff. " On the afternoon of theprisoner's visit there, he was resetting violet roots on a border underthe western veranda, upon which opened the glass door leading out fromthe General's bed-room. He had heard an angry altercation carried onbetween General Darrington and some one, and supposed he was scoldingone of the servants. He went to a shed in the barn yard to get a spadehe needed, and when he came back he saw the prisoner walk down thesteps, and thought it singular a stranger should leave the house thatway. Wondered whom she could be, and wondered also that the General hadquarrelled with such a splendid looking lady. Next morning when he wentback to his work, he noticed the glass door was shut, but the redcurtain inside was looped back. He thought it was half-past eighto'clock, when he heard a loud cry in the bed-room, and very soon after, somebody screamed. He ran up the steps, but the glass door was lockedon the inside, and when he went around and got into the room, the firstthing he saw was General Darrington's body lying on the floor, with hisfeet toward the hearth, and his head almost on a line with the ironvault built in the wall. The servants were screaming and wringing theirhands, and he called them to help him lift the General, thinking thathe had dropped in a fit; but he found him stone cold and stiff. Therewas no sign of blood anywhere, but a heavy, old-fashioned brass andironwas lying close to the General's head, and he saw a black spot like abruise on his right temple. General Darrington wore his night clothes, and the bed showed he had been asleep there. Some broken vases were onthe floor and hearth, and the vault was wide open. The tin box wasupside down on the carpet, and some papers in envelopes were scatteredabout. Witness had picked up a leather bag carefully tied at the top with redtape, drawn into hard knots; but in one side he found a hole which hadbeen cut with a knife, and at the bottom of the bag was a twenty-dollargold piece. Two more coins of the same value were discovered on thefloor, when General Darrington's body was lifted; and on the bolster ofthe bed lay a bottle containing chloroform. Witness immediately sentoff for some of General Darrington's friends, and also notified thecoroner; and he did not leave the room again until the inquest washeld. The window on the front piazza was open, and witness had searchedthe piazza and the grounds for tracks, but discovered no traces of theburglar and murderer, who had escaped before the rain ceased, otherwisethe tracks would have been found. Witness was positive that theprisoner was the same person whom he had seen coming out of thebed-room, and with whom General Darrington had quarrelled. The sheriff here handed to the magistrate, the gold pieces found on thefloor at Elm Bluff, by the last witness; then the little wicker basketwhich had been taken from the prisoner when she was arrested. The coinsdiscovered therein were taken out, and careful comparison showed thatthey corresponded exactly with those picked up after the murder. Thecase of sapphires was also shown, and Mr. Dunbar rose to say, that "Theprosecution would prove by the attorney who drew up GeneralDarrington's will, that these exceedingly valuable stones had beenbequeathed by a clause in that will to Prince Darrington, as a bridalpresent for whomsoever he might marry. " A brief silence ensued, during which the magistrate pulled at thecorner of his tawny mustache, and earnestly regarded the prisoner. Shestood, with her beautiful white hands clasped before her, the slenderfingers interlaced, the head thrown proudly back. Extreme pallor hadgiven place to a vivid flush that dyed her cheeks, and crimsoned herdelicate lips; and her eyes looking straight into space, glowed with anunnatural and indescribable lustre. Tadmor's queen Bath Zabbai couldnot have appeared more regal in her haughty pose, amid the exultingshouts that rent the skies of conquering Rome. The magistrate clearedhis throat, and addressed the accused. "You are Beryl Brentano, the granddaughter of General Darrington?" "I am Beryl Brentano. " "You have heard the charges brought against you. What have you to sayin defence?" "That I am innocent of every accusation. " "By what witnesses will you prove it?" "By a statement of the whole truth in detail, if I may be allowed tomake it. " Here the Solicitor, Mr. Churchill, rose and said: "While faithfully discharging my official duties, loyalty to justicedoes not smother the accents of human sympathy; and before proceedingany further, I hope your Honor will appoint some counsel to confer withand advise the prisoner. Her isolation appeals to every noble instinctof manhood, and it were indeed puerile tribute to our lamented GeneralDarrington, to bring his granddaughter before this tribunal, withoutthe aid and defence of legal advisers. Justice itself would not bewelcome to me, if unjustly won. My friend, Mr. Hazelton, who ispresent, has expressed his desire to defend the prisoner; and while Iam aware that your Honor is under the impression she refuses to acceptcounsel, I trust you will nevertheless commit her, until she can conferwith him. " Mr. Hazelton rose and bowed, in tacit approval. Beryl advanced a few steps, and her clear pure voice thrilled everyheart in the crowded room. "I need no help to tell the truth, and I want to conceal nothing. Timeis inexpressibly valuable to me now, for a human life more preciousthan my own is at stake; and if I am detained here, my mother may die. May I speak at once, and explain the circumstances which you considerso mysterious as to justify the shameful indignity put upon me?" "Since you assume the responsibility of your own defence, you mayproceed with your statement. Relate what occurred from the hour youreached Elm Bluff, until you left X---next morning. " "I came here to deliver in person a letter written by my mother to herfather, General Darrington, because other letters sent through themail, had been returned unread. It contained a request for one hundreddollars to pay the expense of a surgical operation, which we hopedwould restore her health. When I reached Elm Bluff, I waited on thesteps, until General Darrington's attorney finished his business andcame out; then I was led by an old colored man to the bed-room whereGeneral Darrington sat. I gave no name, fearing he might refuse toadmit me, and he was very courteous in his manner until I laid theletter before him. He immediately recognized the handwriting, and threwit to the floor, declaring that no human being had the right to addresshim as father, except his son Prince. I picked up the letter, andinsisted he should at least read the petition of a suffering, andperhaps dying woman. He was very violent in his denunciation of myparents, and his voice was loud and angry. So painful was the wholeinterview, that it was a bitter trial to me to remain in his presence, but knowing how absolutely necessary it was that mother should obtainthe money, I forced myself to beg him to read the letter. Finally heconsented, read it, and seemed somewhat softened; but he tore it intostrips and threw it from him. He drank several glasses of wine from adecanter on the table, and offered me some, expressing the opinion thatI must be tired from my journey. I declined it. General Darrington thenquestioned me about my family, my mode of living; and after a fewmoments became very much excited, renewing his harsh invectives againstmy parents. It was at this stage of the interview that he uttered theidentical words quoted by the witness: 'My Will is so strong, nocontest can touch it, and it will stand forever between your mother andmy property. ' "Immediately after, he went to the door leading into the library andcalled 'Bedney!' No one answered, and he shut the door, kicking it asit closed. When he came back to his chair, he said very bitterly: 'Atleast we will have no eavesdroppers at this resurrection of my dead. 'He told me all the story of my mother's girlhood; of her marriage, which had infuriated him; that he had sent her a certain proportion ofproperty, and then disowned and disinherited her. Afterward hedescribed his lonely life, his second marriage which was very happy, and his adoption of his wife's son, who, he repeatedly told me, hadusurped my mother's place in his affections. Finally he said: "'Your mother has asked for one hundred dollars. You shall have it; notbecause I recognize her as child of mine, but because a sick womanappeals to a Southern gentleman. ' "He took a bunch of keys from his pocket, and with one of them opened asafe or iron closet on the wall near the chimney, and from that vaulthe brought a square black tin box to the table, where he opened it. Hetook out a leather bag, and counted into my hand five gold pieces oftwenty dollars each. The money was given so ungraciously that I toldhim I would not accept it, save as a loan for mother's benefit; andthat as soon as I could earn it I would return the amount to him. I wasso anxious to get away, I started toward the library door, but hecalled me back, and gave me the morocco case which contains thesapphires. He said my mother's mother had bought them as a gift for herdaughter, to be worn when she was graduated at school; but as shemarried and left school without his knowledge, the jewels had neverbeen seen by her. He told me he had intended to give them to his sonPrince, for his bride, but that now he would send them to mother, whocould sell them for a handsome sum, because they were valuable. Heshowed so much sorrow at this time, that I begged him to give me somemessage of pardon and affection, which she would prize infinitely morethan money or jewels; but he again became angry and bitter, and so Ileft him. I came away by the door leading out on the iron veranda, because he directed me to do so, saying that he did not wish me to meetthe servants, who would pry and tattle. When I closed the glass door Isaw him standing in the middle of the room, leaning on his cane, and hehad the black tin box in his hand. The sun was setting then, and now--" She ceased speaking for some seconds, then raised her hands towardheaven, and with uplifted eyes that seemed in their strained gaze topierce beyond the veil, she added with solemn emphasis: "I call God to witness, that was the last and only time I ever sawGeneral Darrington. That was the last and only visit I ever made to ElmBluff. " There was a general movement among the spectators, and audibleexcitement, which was promptly quelled by the magistrate. "Silence there in front, or I shall order the room cleared. " Turning toward Beryl, he said: "If you left Elm Bluff at sunset, why did you not take the 7:15 train?" "I tried to do so, but missed it because I desired to obey my mother'sinjunctions as strictly as possible. She gave me a small bunch offlowers, and asked me to be sure to lay them for her on her mother'sgrave. When I reached the cemetery, which you know is in sight of theroad from Elm Bluff, the gate was locked, and it required some time toenable me to climb over the wall and find the monument. It was growingdark, and when I arrived at the station, I learned the train had justgone. " "Why did you not go to a hotel, as you were advised to do?" "Because after sending the telegram to my mother, I had no money to payfor lodging; and I asked permission to stay in the ladies'waiting-room. " "State where and how you spent the night. " "It was very hot and sultry in that room, and as there was a brightmoon shining, I walked out to get some fresh air. The pine woods hadappeared so pretty and pleasant that afternoon, that I went on and ontoward them, and did not realize how far they were. I met peoplepassing along the road, and it did not seem lonely. The smell of thepines was new to me, and to enjoy it, I sat down on the straw. I wastired, and must have fallen asleep at once, for I remember nothing tillsome noise startled me, and there I saw the same man on horseback inthe road, whom I had met at Elm Bluff. He asked me if I had misled myway, and I answered 'No, sir. ' The height of the moon showed me it waslate, and as I was frightened at finding myself alone in the woods, Ialmost ran back to the railway station, where I saw no one, except atelegraph operator, who seemed to be asleep in his chair. I cannot saywhat time it was, because I could not see the clock. Soon after, itbegan to thunder, and all through that terrible storm I was alone inthe waiting-room. So great was my relief when the wind and lightningceased, that I went to sleep, and dreamed of a happy time when I livedin Italy, and of talking with one very dear to me. Just then I awokewith a start, and heard a voice talking outside, which seemed veryfamiliar. There were two persons; one, a negro, said: "'There ain't no train 'till daylight, excepting the through freight. ' "The other person asked: 'When is it due?' The negro answered: "'Pretty soon, but it don't stop here; it goes to the water tank whereit blows for the railroad bridge; and that is only a short distance upthe track. ' "I think I must have been only half awake, and with my mind fixed on mydream, I ran out in front of the station house. An old negro manlimping down the street was the only person visible, and while Iwatched him he suddenly vanished. I went along the track for somedistance but saw no one; and when I came back, the ticket agent wasstanding in the door of his office. I cannot explain to you thesingular impulse which carried me out, when I heard the dialogue, because it is inexplicable to myself, save by the supposition that Iwas still dreaming; and yet I saw the negro man distinctly. There was alamp-post near him, and he had a bundle on his shoulder. When the 3:05train came, I went aboard and left X---. " A smile parted Mr. Dunbar's lips, and his handsome teeth glittered ashe whispered to Judge Dent: "Even your chivalrous compassion can scarcely digest this knottysolution of her movements that night. As a fabrication, it does littlecredit to her ingenuity. " "Her statement impresses me differently. She is either entirelyinnocent, or she had an accomplice, whose voice she recognized; andthis clue should be investigated. " The District Solicitor rose and bowed to the Magistrate. "With your Honor's permission, I should like to ask the prisoner whomshe expected to see, when she recognized the voice?" "A person who is very dear to me, but who is not in the United States. " "What is the name of that person?" Her lips moved to pronounce his name, but some swift intuitive warningrestrained the utterance. Suddenly a new horror, a ghastly possibility, thrust itself for the first time before her, and she felt as thoughsome hand of ice clutched her heart. Those who watched her so closely, saw the blood ebb from cheeks andlips; noted the ashy pallor that succeeded, and the strange gropingmotion of her hands. She staggered toward the platform, and when theMagistrate caught her arm, she fell against him like some totteringmarble image, entirely unconscious. * * * * * So prolonged and death-like was the swoon, and so futile the usualmethods of restoration, that the prisoner was carried into the smallante-room, and laid upon a wooden bench; where a physician, who chancedto be in the audience, was summoned to attend her. Finding restorativesineffectual, he took out his lancet: "This is no ordinary fainting fit. " He attempted to roll up one of her sleeves, but seeing this wasimpracticable, would have unfastened her dress, had not Judge Dentarrested his hand. "No, doctor; cut out the sleeve if necessary, but don't touch herotherwise. " "Let me assist you; I can easily bare the arm. " As he spoke, Mr. Dunbar knelt beside the bench, and with a small, sharppen-knife ripped the seam from elbow to shoulder, from elbow to wrist, swiftly and deftly folding back the sleeve, and exposing the perfectmoulding of the snowy arm. "Just hold the hand, Dunbar, so as to keep it steady. " Clasping closely the hand, which the physician laid in his palm theattorney noted the exquisite symmetry of the slender fingers and ovalnails. He bent forward and watched the frozen face. When the heavilylashed lids quivered and lifted, and she looked vacantly at the gravecompassionate countenances leaning over her, a certain tightening ofthe hold upon her fingers, drew her attention. Her gaze fastened on thelawyer's blue eyes as if by a subtle malign fascination. The veil thatshrouded consciousness was rent, not fully raised; and as in some dreamthe solemn eyes appeared to search his. A strange shivering thrill shotalong his nerves, and his quiet, well regulated heart so long thedocile obedient motor, fettered vassal of his will, bounded, strainedhard on the steel cable that held it in thrall. "You feel better now?" asked the physician, who was stanching the flowof blood. Still her gaze seemed to penetrate the inmost recesses of the lawyer'snature, calling into sudden revolt dormant elements that amazed anddefied him. A shadowy smile curved her pale lips. "At the mercy of Tiberius. At the mercy of Tiberius. " Those present looked inquiringly at each other. "Her mind wanders a little. Sheriff, give her some of that brandy. Sheis as weak as a baby. " Judge Dent raised her head, and the officer held the tumbler to hermouth; while the former said gently: "My poor girl, drink a little, it will strengthen you. " With a gesture of loathing, she rejected it; and as she attempted toraise herself, all the dire extremity of her peril rushed back upon hermind, like a black overwhelming tide from the sea of the past. "Lie still, until I have bandaged your arm. Here, Dunbar, you acquittedyourself so dexterously with your knife, just lend a hand. Hold the armuntil I secure the bandage. " To find herself surrounded by men, helpless in the grasp of strangers, with no womanly touch or glance to sustain her, served to intensify hermisery; and wrenching herself free, she struggled into a sittingposture, then staggered to her feet. The heavy coil of hair loosenedwhen they bore her from the court-room, now released itself fromrestraining pins, and fell in burnished waves to her knees, clothingher with a glory, such as the world's great masters in art reserve forthe beatified. Had all the blood that fed her heart been drained, shewould not have appeared more deadly pale, and in her wide eyes was thedesperate look of a doomed animal, that feels the hot fangs of thehounds, and the cold steel of the hunters. "Be persuaded for your own sake, to swallow some stimulant, of whichyou are sadly in need. You will require all your strength, and, as aphysician, I insist upon your taking my prescription. " "If I might have some water. Just a little water. " Some one brought a brown stone pitcher, and she drank long andthirstily; then looked for a moment at the faces of those who crowdedabout her. "What will be done now?" Every eye fell to the floor, and after a painful silence Judge Dentsaid very gently: "For the present, the Magistrate will retain you in custody, until theaction of the Grand Jury. Should they fail to indict you, then you willat once be released. " "I am to go to prison? I am to be thrust among convicts, vilecriminals! I--? My father's Beryl? O, righteous God! Where is Thyjustice? O, Christ! Is Thy mercy a mockery?" She stood, with her chin resting on her clenched hands, and twice along violent shudder shook her from head to foot. "I hope your imprisonment will be only temporary. The Grand Jury willbe in session next week. Meantime diligent search may discover thepersons whose conversation you overheard at the station; and if you beinnocent, we are all your friends, and the law, which now seems sostern, will prove your strongest protector and vindicator. " Judge Dent stood close beside her, as he essayed these words ofcomfort, and saw that she caught her breath as though in mortal agony. Her face writhed, and she shut her eyes, unable to contemplate somehideous apparition. He suspected that she was fighting desperately animpulse that suggested succor; and he was sure she had strangled it, when her hands fell nerveless at her side, and she raised her bowedhead. If the finger of paralysis had passed over her features, theywould not have appeared more hopelessly fixed. Mechanically she twistedand coiled her hair, and took the hat and shawl which the officer heldout to her. "If I can assist you in any way, you have only to send for me. " She looked at Judge Dent intently, for an instant, then shook her head. "No one can help me now. " She tied her veil over her face, and silently followed the deputysheriff to a carriage, that stood near the pavement. When he would have assisted her, she haughtily repelled him. "I will follow you, because I must; but do not put your hands on me. " CHAPTER VII. In ante bellum days, when States' Rights was a sacred faith, a reveredand precious palladium, State pride blossomed under Southern skies, andState coffers overflowed with the abundance wherewith God blessed theland. During that period, when it became necessary to select a site fora new Penitentiary, the salubrity and central location of X---had sostrongly commended it, that the spacious structure was erected withinits limits, and regarded as an architectural triumph of which the Statemight justly boast. Soon after this had been completed, the old countyjail, situated on the border of the town, was burned one windy Marchnight; then the red rain of war deluged the land, and when the ghastlysun of "Reconstruction" smiled upon the grave of States' Rights, Municipal money disappeared in subterranean channels. Thus it came topass, that with the exception of a small "lockup" attached to PoliceHeadquarters, X--had failed to rebuild its jail, and domiciled itsdangerous transgressors in the great stone prison; paying therefor tothe State an annual amount per capita. Built of gray granite which darkened with time and weather stains, itsmassive walls, machicolated roof, and tall arched clock-tower liftedtheir leaden outlines against the sky, and cast a brooding shadow overthe town, lying below; a grim perpetual menace to all who subsequentlyfound themselves locked in its reformatory arms. Separated from thebustling mart and busy traffic, by the winding river that divided thelittle city into North and South X--, it crested an eminence on thenorth; and the single lower story flanking the main edifice east andwest, resembled the trailing wings of some vast bird of prey, anexaggerated simulacrum of a monstrous gray condor perched on a "coigneof vantage, " waiting to swoop upon its victims. Encircled by a tallbrick wall, which was surmounted by iron spikes sharp as bayonets, thatdefied escalade, the grounds extended to the verge of the swift streamin front, and stretched back to the border of a heavily timbered tractof pine land, a bit of primeval forest left to stare at the encroachingarmies of Philistinism. Within the precincts of the yard, the tender conservatism of ourgreat-hearted mother Nature, gently toned the savage stony features;and even under the chill frown of iron barred windows, golden sunshinebravely smiled, soft grasses wove their emerald velvet tapestriesstarred and flushed with dainty satin petals, which late Autumn rosesshowered in munificent contribution, to the work of pitying love. In a comfortably furnished room situated in the second story of themain building, sat a woman apparently thirty-five years old, who wassinging to a baby lying face downward on her lap, while with one handshe rocked the wicker cradle beside her, where a boy of four years wastossing. Her hazel eyes were full of kindly light, the whole faceeloquent with that patient, limitless tenderness, which is the magicchrism of maternity, wherewith Lucina and Cuba abundantly anointMotherhood. The blessed and infallible nepenthe for all childhood'sills and aches, mother touch, mother songs, soon held soothing sway;and when the woman laid the sleeping babe on her own bed, and coveredher with a shawl, she saw her husband leaning against the partly opendoor. "Come here, Susie. The kids are snug and safe for the present, and Iwant you. " "For shame, Ned! To call our darlings such a beastly name. Kids, indeed! My sweetest, loveliest lambs!" "There! Hear yourself! If I can see any choice of respectabilitybetween kids and lambs, may I turn to a thoroughbred Southdown, andtake the blue ribbon at the next Fair. Beasts of the field, all ofthem. The always-wide-awake-contrariness of womankind is a curious andfearful thing. If I had called our beloved towheads, lambs, you wouldhave sworn through blue ruin that they were the cutest, spryest pair ofspotted kids, that ever skipped over a five-railed fence!" "So much the worse for you, Ned Singleton, that you are such a hopelessheathen; you do not even know where the Elect are appointed to stand, at that great day when the sheep come up on the right hand of the Lord, and the goats go down to the left. If you read your Bible more, Ishould have less to teach you. " "Oh! but let me tell you, I thought of all that before I made up mymind to marry the daughter of a Presbyterian preacher. I knew your dearlittle blue-nose would keep the orthodox trail; and being one of theElect you could not get the points of the celestial compass mixed. Don't you forget, that it is part of the unspoken marriage contract, that the wife must not only keep her own soul white, but bleach herhusband's also; and no matter what a reprobate a man may be, he alwaysexpects his better-half, by hook or by crook, to steer him into heaven. " He put his hands on his wife's shoulders, shook her, in token ofmastery, and kissed her. "What do you want of my 'always-wide-awake-contrariness'? I have half amind not to help you out of your scrape; for of course you have miredsomewhere. What is the matter now, Ned?" "Yes--stuck hard and fast; so my dear little woman, don't you go backon your wedding-day promises, but just lend a helping hand. I don'tknow what is to be done with that poor young woman in No. 19. One ofthe under-wardens, Jarvis, sleeps this week right under her cell, andhe tells me that all night long she tramps up and down, withoutcessation, like some caged animal. This is her third day in, and shehas not touched a morsel; though at Judge Dent's request I ordered someextras given her. Jarvis said she was not sullen, but he thought itproper to report to me that she seemed to act very strangely; so I wentup to see after her. When I opened the door she was walking up and downthe floor, with her hands locked at the back of her head, and Ideclare, Susie, she looks five years older than when she came here. There are great dark hollows under her eyes, and two red spots likecoals of fire on her cheeks. I said: 'Are you sick, that you rejectyour meals?' To which she replied: 'Don't trouble yourself to send mefood; I cannot eat!' Then I told her I understood that she was restlessat night, and I advised her to take a mixture which would quiet hernerves. She shook her head, and I could not bear to look at her; theeyes seemed so like a wounded fawn's, brimful of misery. I asked her ifthere was anything I could do, to make her more comfortable; or if sheneeded medicine. All this time she kept up her quick walk to and fro, and she answered: 'Thank you. I need nothing--but death; and that willcome soon. ' Now what could I say? I felt such a lump in my throat, thatif Solomon had whispered to me some kind speech, I could not haveuttered it, so I got out of the room just as fast as possible, to drythe tears that somehow would blur my eyes. When they are surly, orsnappish, or violent, or insolent, I know exactly what to do, and haveno trouble; but hang me, if I can cope with this lady--there it is out!She is a lady every inch, and as much out of place here as I should bein Queen Victoria's drawing-room. Men are clumsy brutes, even in kidgloves, and bruise much oftener than they heal. Whenever I am in thatgirl's presence, I have a queer feeling that I am walking on eggs, andtip-toe as I may, shall smash things. If something is not done, shewill be ill on our hands, and a funeral will balk the bloodhounds. " "O, hush, Ned! You give me the shivers. My heart yearns toward thatbeautiful young creature, and I believe she is as innocent as my baby. It is a burning shame to send her here, unless there is no doubt of herguilt. Judge Dent is too shrewd an old fox to be baited with chaff, andI am satisfied from what he told you, that he believes her statement. There is nothing I would not do to comfort her, but I would rather havemy ears boxed than witness her suffering. The day I carried to her achange of clothes, until her own could be washed, and sewed up herdress sleeve. I did nothing but cry. I could not help it, when shemoaned and wrung her hands, and said her mother's heart would break. Ihave heard all my life that justice is blind; I have learned to believeit, for it stumbles, and gropes, and lays iron claws on the wrongperson. As for the lawyers? They are fit pilots: and the courts arelittle better than blind man's buff. Don't stand chewing your mustache, Ned. Tell me what you want me to do, while baby is asleep. She has avexatious habit of taking cat naps. " "Little woman, I turn over the case to you. Just let your heart loose, and follow it. " "If I do, will you endorse me?" "Till the stars fall. " "Can you stay here awhile?" "Yes, if you will tell Jarvis where he can find me. " "Mind you, Ned, you are not to interfere with me?" "No--I swear I won't. Hurry up, or there will be much music in thisbleating fold; and you know I am as utterly useless with a cryingchild, as a one-armed man in a concert of fiddlers. " The cell assigned to the new prisoner was in the centre of a line, which rose tier above tier, like the compartments in a pigeon house, orthe sombre caves hewn out of rock-ribbed cliffs, in some lonely Laura. Iron stairways conducted the unfortunates to these stone cages, wherethe dim cold light filtered through the iron lattice-work of the upperpart of the door, made a perpetual crepuscular atmosphere within. Thebare floor, walls, and low ceiling were spotlessly clean and white; andan iron cot with heavy brown blankets spread smoothly and a woodenbench in one corner, constituted the furniture. Scrupulous neatnessreigned everywhere, but the air was burdened with the odor of carbolicacid, and even at mid-day was chill as the breath of a tomb. Where thedoors were thrown open, they resembled the yawning jaws of rifledgraves; and when closed, the woful inmates peering through the blacklattice seemed an incarnation of Dante's hideous Caina tenants. When Mrs. Singleton stopped in front of No. 19, and looked through thegrating, Beryl was standing at the extremity of the cell, with her faceturned to the wall, and her hands clasping the back of her neck. Theceiling was so low she could have touched it, had she lifted her arms, and she appeared to have retreated as far in the gloomy den as thebarriers allowed. Thinking that perhaps the girl was praying, thewarden's wife waited some minutes, but no sound greeted her; and somotionless was the figure, that it might have been only an alto rilievocarved on the wall. Pushing the door open, Mrs. Singleton entered, anddeposited on the iron bed a waiter covered with a snowy napkin. At thesound, Beryl turned, and her arms fell to her side, but she shrank backagainst the wall, as if solitude were her only solace, and humanintrusion an added torture. Mrs. Singleton took both hands, and held them firmly: "Do you believe it right to commit suicide?" "I believe in everything but human justice, and Divine mercy. " "Your conscience tells you that--" "Am I allowed a conscience? What ghastly mockery! Thieves and murderersare not fit tenements for conscience, and I--I--am accused of stealing, and of bloodshed. Justice! What a horrible sham! We--her victims--whoadored the beneficent and incorruptible attribute of God Himself--weare undeceived, when Justice--the harpy--tears our hearts out with herhideous, foul, defiling claws. " She spoke through set teeth, and a spasm of shuddering shook her fromhead to feet. "Listen to me. Suspicion is one thing, proof something very different. You are accused, but not convicted, and--" "I shall be. Justice must be appeased, and I am the most convenient andavailable victim. An awful crime has been committed, and outraged law, screaming for vengeance, pounces like a hungry hawk on an innocent andunsuspecting prey. Does she spare the victim because it quivers, anddies hard?" "Hush! You must not despair. I believe in your innocence; I believeevery word you uttered that day was true, and I believe that ourmerciful God will protect you. Put yourself in His hands, and His mercywill save, for 'it endureth forever. '" "I don't ask mercy! I claim justice--from God and man. The wickedgrovel, and beg for mercy; but innocence lays hold upon the very throneof God, and clutches His sword, and demands justice!" "I understand how you feel, and I do not wonder; but for your own sake, in order to keep your mind clear and strong for your vindication, youcertainly ought to take care of your health. Starvation is the surestleech for depleting soul and body. Do you want to die here in prison, leaving your name tarnished, and smirched with suspicion of crime, whenyou can live to proclaim your innocence to the world? Remember thateven if you care nothing for your life, you owe something to yourmother. You have two chances yet; the Grand Jury may not find a truebill--" "Yes, that tiger-eyed lawyer will see that they do. He knows that thelaw is a cunning net for the feet of the innocent and the unwary. Heset his snare dexterously, and will not fail to watch it. " "You mean Mr. Dunbar? Yes, you certainly have cause to dread him; buteven if you should be indicted, you have twelve human hearts full ofcompassion to appeal to--and I can't think it possible a jury of sanemen could look at you and condemn you. You must fight for your life;and what is far more to you than life, you must fight for your goodname, for your character. Suspicion is not proof of crime, and there isno taint on you yet; for sin alone stains, and if you will only bebrave and clear yourself as I know you can, what a grand triumph itwill be. If you starve yourself you seal your doom. An empty stomachwill do you more harm than the Grand Jury and all the lawyers; for itutterly upsets your nerves, and makes your brain whirl like a top. Forthree days and nights you have not tasted food: now just to please me, since I have taken so much trouble, sit down here by me, and eat what Ihave brought. I know you would rather not; I know you don't want it;but, my dear child, take it like any other dose, which will strengthenyou for your battle. It is very fine to rant about heroism, butstarvation is the best factory for turning out cowards: and even thecourage of old Caesar would have had the 'dwindles, ' if he had beenstinted in his rations. " She removed the napkin, and displayed a tempting luncheon, served inpretty, gilt-banded white china. What a contrast it presented, to thesteaming tin platter and dull tin quart cups carried daily to theadjoining cell? Beryl laid her hand on Mrs. Singleton's shoulder, and her mouthtrembled. "I thank you, sincerely, for your sympathy--and for your confidence;and to show my appreciation of your kindness, I wish I could eat thatdainty luncheon; but I think it would strangle me--I have such aceaseless aching here, in my throat. I feel as if I should stifle. " "See here! I brought you some sweet rich milk in my little boy's cup. He was my first-born, and I lost him. This was his christening presentfrom my mother. It is very precious, very sacred to me. If you willonly drink what is in it, I shall be satisfied. Don't slight my angelbaby's cup. That would hurt me. " She raised the pretty "Bo-Peep" silver cup to the prisoner's lips, andseeing the kind hazel eyes swimming in tears, Beryl stooped her headand drank the milk. The warden's wife lifted the cup, looked wistfully at it, and kissedthe name engraved on the metal: "You know now I must think you pure and worthy. I have given you thestrongest possible proof; for only the good could be allowed to touchwhat my dead boy's lips have consecrated. Now come out with me, and getsome pure fresh air. " Beryl shrank back. "These close walls seem a friendly shelter from the horrible faces thatcluster outside. You can form no idea how I dread contact with the vilecreatures, whose crimes have brought them here for expiation. Thethought of breathing the same atmosphere pollutes me. I think theloathsomeness of perdition must consist in association with thedepraved and wicked. Not the undying flames would affright me, but thedoom of eternal companionship with outcast criminals. No! No! I wouldsooner freeze here, than wander in the sunshine with those hideouswretches I saw the day I was thrust among them. " "Trust me, and I will expose you to nothing unpleasant. Take your hatand shawl; I shall not bring you back here. There is time enough forcells when you have been convicted and sentenced; and please God, youshall never stay in this one again. Come. " "Stay, madam. What is your purpose? I have been so hunted down, I amgrowing suspicious of the appearance of kindness. What are you going todo?" Mrs. Singleton took her hand and pressed it gently. "I am going to trust, and help, and love you, if you will let me; andfor the present, I intend to keep you in a room adjoining mine, whereyou will have no fear of wicked neighbors. " "That will be merciful indeed. May God bless you for the thought. " Down iron staircases, and through dim corridors bordered with darkcells, gloomy as the lairs of wild beasts whom the besotted inmatesresembled, the two women walked; and once, when a clank of chains and ahoarse human cry broke the dismal silence, Beryl clutched hercompanion's arm, and her teeth chattered with horror. "Yes, it is awful! That poor woman is the saddest case we have. Shewaylaid and stabbed her husband to death, and poisoned his mother. Wethink she is really insane, and as she is dangerous at times, it isnecessary to keep her chained, until arrangements can be made to removeher to the insane asylum. " "I don't wonder she is mad! People cannot dwell here and retain theirreason; and madness is a mercy that blesses them with forgetfulness. " Beryl shivered, and her eyes glittered with an unnatural and ominousbrilliance. The warden's wife paused before a large door with solid iron panels, and rang a bell. Some one on the other side asked: "What is the order? Who rang?" "Mrs. Singleton; I want to get into the chapel. Let me out, Jasper. " The door swung slowly back, and the guard touched his hat respectfully. Through an open arcade, where the sunlight streamed, Mrs. Singleton ledher companion; then up a short flight of stone steps, and they foundthemselves in a long room, with an altar railing and pulpit at one end, and rows of wooden benches crossing the floor from wall to wall. Evenhere, the narrow windows were iron barred, but sunshine and the sweet, pure breath of the outside world entered freely. Within the altarrailing, and at the right of the reading desk where a Bible lay, stooda cabinet organ. Leaving the prisoner to walk up and down the aisle, Mrs. Singleton opened the organ, drew out the stops, and after waitinga few moments, began to play. At first, only a solemn prelude rolled its waves of harmony through thepeaceful sunny room, but soon the strains of the beautiful Motet "Castthy burden on the Lord, " swelled like the voice of some divineconsoler. Watching the stately figure of the prisoner who wandered toand fro, the warden's wife noticed that like a magnet the music drewher nearer and nearer each time she approached the chancel, and at lastshe stood with one hand on the railing. The beautiful face, sharpenedand drawn by mental agony, was piteously wan save where two scarletspots burned on her cheeks, and the rigid lips were gray as somegranite Statue's, but the eyes glowed with a strange splendor thatalmost transfigured her countenance. On and on glided the soft, subtle variations of the Motet, andgradually the strained expression of the shining eyes relaxed, as ifthe soul of the listener were drifting back from a far-off realm; thewhite lids quivered, the stern lines of the pale lips unbent. At thatmoment, the face of her father seemed floating on the sunbeams thatgilded the pulpit, and the tones of her mother's voice rang in herears. The terrible tension of many days and nights of torture gave waysuddenly, like a silver thread long taut, which snaps with one lastvibration. She raised her hands: "My God! Why hast Thou forsaken me?" The cry ended in a wail. Into her burning eyes merciful tears rushed, and sinking on her knees she rested against the railing, shaken by astorm of passionate weeping. Mrs. Singleton felt her own tears falling fast, but she played for awhile longer; then stole out of the chapel, and sat down on the steps. Across the grass plot before the door, burnished pigeons cooed, andtrod their stately minuet, their iridescent plumage showing everyopaline splendor as the sunlight smote them; and on a buttress of theclock tower, a lonely hedge-sparrow poured his heart out in thatpeculiarly pathetic threnody which no other feathered throatcontributes to the varied volume of bird lays. Poised on the point ofan iron spike in the line that bristled along the wall, a mocking birdpreened, then spread his wings, soared and finally swept downward, thrilling the air with the bravura of the "tumbling song"; and over therampart that shut out the world, drifted the refrain of a paean topeace: "Bob White!" "Peas ripe?" "Not quite!" In the vast epic of the Cosmos, evoked when the "Spirit of God movedupon the face of the waters"--an epic printed in stars on blue abyssesof illimitable space; in illuminated type of rose leaf, primrose petal, scarlet berry on the great greenery of field and forest; in therainbows that glow on tropical humming birds, on Himalayan pheasants, on dying dolphins in purple seas; and in all the riotous carnival ofcolor on Nature's palette, from shifting glory of summer clouds, to thesteady fires of red autumn skies--we find no blot, no break, no blurredabortive passages, until man stepped into creation's story. In thematerial, physical Universe, the divine rhythm flows on, majestic, serene as when the "morning stars sing together" in the choral ofpraise to Him, unto whom "all seemed good"; but in the moral andspiritual realm evolved by humanity, what hideous pandemonium ofdiscords drowns the heavenly harmony? What grim havoc marks the swath, when the dripping scythe of human sin and crime swings madly, where thelilies of eternal "Peace on earth, good will to man, " should lift theirsilver chalices to meet the smile of God? A vague conception of this vexing problem, which like a hugecarnivorous spectre, flaps its dusky wings along the sky of sociology, now saddened Mrs. Singleton's meditations, as she watched thelengthening shadow cast by the tower upon the court-yard; but she wasnot addicted to abstract speculation, and the words of her favoritehymn epitomized her thoughts: "Though every prospect pleases, and onlyman is vile. " The brazen clang of the deep-throated bell rang out on the quiet air, and a moment later, the piercing treble of a child's cry made herspring to her feet. She peeped into the chapel all was still. On tiptoe she passed swiftly down the aisle to the chancel, and saw thefigure crouched at the altar, with one arm twined through the railing. For many days and nights the tortured woman had not known an instant ofrepose; nervous dread had scourged her to the verge of frenzy, but whenthe flow of long-pent tears partly extinguished the fire in her brain, overtaxed Nature claimed restitution, and the prisoner yielded tooverwhelming prostration. Death might be hovering near, but her twinsister sleep intervened, and compassionately laid her poppies on thesnowy eyelids. Stooping close, Mrs. Singleton saw that tears yet hung on the blacklashes which swept the flushed cheeks, but the parted lips were atrest, and the deep regularly drawn breath told her that at last theweary soul reposed in the peaceful domain of dreams. Deftly, and softlyas thistledown falls, she spread her own shawl over the droopingshoulders, then noiselessly hurried back to the door. Locking it, shetook the key, ran across the grass, into the arcade, and up to thegreat iron barrier, which the guard opened as she approached. Withflying feet she neared her own apartments, whence issued the indignantwail of her implacable baby girl. As she opened the door, her husbandheld the disconsolate child toward her. "You are in time for your share of the fun; I have had enough and tospare. How you stand this diabolical din day in, day out, passes mycomprehension. You had not been gone fifteen minutes when Missy tunedup. I patted and, 'She-e-d' her, but she got her head above cover, squinted around the room, and not finding you, set up a squall thatwould have scared a wildcat. The more I patted, the worse she screamed, and her feet and hands flew around like a wind-mill. I took her up, andtrotted her on my knee, but bless you! she squirmed like an eel, andher little bald head bobbed up and down faster than a di-dapper. Then Iwalked her, but I would as soon try to swing to a greased snake. Shewriggled and bucked, and tied herself up into a bow knot, and yelled--. Oh! a Comanche papoose is a dummy to her. As if I had not hands full, arms full, and ears full, Dick must needs wake up and pitch headforemost out of the cradle, and turn a double summerset before helanded upside down on the floor, whereupon he lifted up his voice, andthe concert grew lively. I took him under one arm, so, and laid Missyover my shoulder, and it struck me I would join the chorus in selfdefence, so I opened with all my might on 'Hold the Fort'; but greatTecumseh! I only insulted them both, and finding my fifth fiddle wasnowhere in the fray, I feared Jarvis would hear the howling and ringthe alarm bell, so I just sat down. I spread out Dick in a soft place, where he could not bump his brains out, and laying my lady across mylap, I held her down by main force, while she screamed till she wasblack in the face. If you had not come just when you did, I should haveturned gray and cross-eyed. Hello, Missy! If she is not cooing andlaughing! Little vixen! Oh! but--'lambs'!--I believe they are!Hereafter tend your own flock; and in preference I will herd youngpanthers. " He wiped his forehead where the perspiration stood in drops, andwatched with amazement the sudden lull in the tempest. Clasped in her mother's arms, the baby smiled and gurgled, and Dick, drying his eyes on the maternal bosom, showed the exact spot where shemust kiss his bruised head. "Ned, what have you done? This baby's hair is dripping wet, and so isthe neck of her dress. " "Serves her right, too. I sprinkled her, that's all. " "Sprinkled her! Have you lost your senses?" "Shouldn't wonder if I had; people in bedlam are apt to be crazy. Yes, I sprinkled Missy, because she turned so black in the face, I thoughtshe was strangling; and my step-mother always sprinkled me when I had afit of tantrums. But let me tell you, Missy will never be a zealousBaptist, she doesn't take to water kindly. " "When I want my children step-mothered I will let you know. Give methat towel, and baby's woollen cap hanging on the knob of the bureau. Bless her precious heart! if she does not keep you up all night, withthe croup, you may thank your stars. " "Susie, just tell me how you tame them, so that next time--" "Next time, sir, I shall not trust you. I just love them, and they knowit; that is what tames the whole world. " Edward Singleton stooped over his wife, and kissed her rosy cheek. "Little woman, what luck had you in No. 19?" "The best I could wish. I have saved that poor girl from brain-fever, Ihope. " "How did you manage it?" "Just simply because I am a flesh and blood woman, and not ablundering, cast-iron man. " "How does she seem now?" "She has had a good, hearty spell of wholesome crying; no hysterics, mind you, but floods of tears; and now she is sound asleep with herhead on the altar railing, in the chapel. I locked her up there, andhere is the key. When she wakes, I want her brought up here, put inthat room yonder, and left entirely to me, until her trial is over. Inever do things half way, Ned, and you need not pucker your eyebrows, for I will be responsible for her. I have put my hand to the plough, and you are not to meddle with the lines, till I finish my furrow. " CHAPTER VIII. In one of the "outhouses" which constituted the servants' quarters, inthat which common parlance denominated the "back-yard" at "Elm Bluff, "an old negro woman sat smoking a pipe. The room which she had occupied for more than forty years, presented asingular melange of incongruous odds and ends, the flotsam of a longterm of service, where the rewards, if intrinsically incommensurate, were none the less invaluable, to the proud recipient. The floor wascovered by a faded carpet, once the pride of the great drawing-room, but the velvet pile had disappeared beneath the arched insteps and highheels of lovely belles and haughty beaux, and the scarlet feathers andpeacock plumes that originally glowed on the brilliant buff ground, were no longer distinguishable. An old-fashioned piece of furniture, coeval with diamond shoe-buckles, ruffled shirts and queues, a brass bound mahogany chiffonier, withbrass handles and tall brass feet representing cat claws, stood in onecorner; and across the top was stretched a rusty purple velvet strip, bordered with tarnished gilt gimp and fringe, a fragment of the coverwhich belonged to the harp on which General Darrington's grandmotherhad played. The square bedstead was a marvel in size and massiveness, and the heavymahogany posts nearly black with age, and carved like the twistedstrands of a rope, supported a tester lined with turkey-red pleatings, held in the centre by the talons of a gilt spread-eagle. So tall wasthe bed, that three steps were required to ascend it, and the spacethus left between the mahogany and the floor, was hidden by a valanceof white dimity, garnished with wide cotton fringe. Over this spaciousplace of repose, a patchwork quilt of the "rising sun" patterndisplayed its gaudy rays, resembling some sprawling octopus, ratherthan the face of Phoebus. The contents of a wide mantel board flounced with fringed dimity, (venerable prototype of macrame and Arrasene lambrequins), would havefilled with covetousness the soul of the bric-a-brac devotee; andgraced the counters of Sypher. There were burnished brass candle-sticks, with extinguishers in theshape of prancing griffins, and snuffers of the same metal, fashionedafter the similitude of some strange and presumably extinct saurian;and a Dresden china shepherdess, whose shattered crook had long sincedisappeared, peeped coquettishly through the engraved crystal of a tallcandle shade at the bloated features of a mandarin, on a tea-pot with acracked spout--that some Darrington, stung by the gad-fly of travel, had brought to the homestead from Nanking. A rich blue glass vasepoised on the back of a bronze swan, which had lost one wing and partof its bill in the combat with time, hinted at the rainbow splendors ofits native Prague, and bewailed the captivity that degraded itsultra-marine depths into a receptacle for cut tobacco. The walls, ceiled with curled pine planks, were covered with a motleyarray of pasted and tacked pictures; some engraved, many colored, andranging in comprehensiveness of designs, from Bible scenes cut frommagazines, to "riots" in illustrated papers; and even the garish gloryof circus and theatre posters. In one corner stood an oak spinning-wheel, more than centenarian inage, fallen into hopeless desuetude, but gay with the strings ofscarlet pepper pods hung up to dry, and twined among its silent spokes. On a trivet provided with lizard feet that threatened to crawl away, rested a copper kettle bereft of its top, once the idol of threegenerations of Darringtons, to whom it had liberally dispensed "hotwater tea, " in the blessed dead and embalmed era of nursery rule andparental power; now eschewed with its despised use, and packed to thebrim with medicinal "yarbs, " bone-set, horse mint, life everlasting, and snake-root. In front of the fire which roared and crackled in the cavernouschimney, "Mam' Dyce" rocked slowly, enjoying her clay pipe, andmeditatively gazing up at an engraved portrait of "Our FirstPresident, " suspended on the wall. It was appropriately framed inblack, and where the cord that held it was twined around a hook, a bowand streamers of very brown and rusty crape fluttered, when a draughtentered the apartment. Obese in form, and glossy black in complexion, "Mam' Dyce" retained inold age the scrupulous neatness which had characterized her youth, whenpromoted to the post of seamstress and ladies' maid, she had ruled theservants' realm at "Elm Bluff" with a sway as autocratic as that ofCatherine over the Muscovites. Her black calico dress, donned asmourning for her master, was relieved by a white apron tied about theample waist; a snowy handkerchief was crossed over the vast bosom, anda checked white and black turban skilfully wound in intricate foldsaround her gray head, terminated in a peculiar knot, which was thepride of her toilet. A beautiful spotted pointer dog with ears likebrown satin, was lying asleep near the fire, but suddenly he lifted hishead, rose, stretched himself and went to the door. A moment later itopened, and the whilom major-domo, Abednego, came in; put his stick inone corner, hung his hat on a wooden peg, and approached the fireplace. "Well, ole man; you know I tole you so. " "You wimmen would ruther say that, than eat pound cake. Supposin' youdid tell me, what's the upshot?" "That gimlet-eyed weasel is snuffing round you and me; but we won'tturn out to be spring chickens, ready picked. " "Which is to signify that Miss Angerline smells a mouse? Don't talkparables, Dyce. What's she done now?" "She is hankering after that hankchiff. 'Pears to me, if she only wenton four legs 'sted of two, she would sell high for a bloodhound. " "Great Nebuckadanzer! How did she find out?" "Don't ax me; ax the witches what she has in cahoot. I always tole you, she had the eyes of a cunjor, and she has sarched it out. Says she sawyou when you found it; which ain't true. Eavesdrapping is her trade;she was fotch up on it, and her ears fit a key-hole, like a bung plugsa barrel. She has eavesdrapped that hankchiff chat of our'n somehow. Wuss than that, Bedney, she sot thar this evening and faced me down, that I was hiding something else; that I picked up something on thefloor and hid it in my bosom, after the crowner's inquess. Sez I:'Well, Miss Angerline, you had better sarch me and be done with it, ifyou are the judge, and the jury, and the crowner, and the law, and havegot the job to run this case. ' Sez she, a-squinting them venomous eyesof her'n, till they looked like knitting needles red hot: 'I leave thesarching to be done by the cunstable--when you are 'rested andhandcuffed for 'betting of murder. ' Then my dander riz. Sez I, 'Crackyour whip and go ahead! You know how, seeing you is the offspring of aYankee overseer, what my marster, Gin'l Darrington, had 'rested forbeating one of our wimen, on our 'Bend' plantation. You and your pa isas much alike, as two shrivelled cow peas out'en one pod. Fetch yourcunstable, and help yourselves. '" Dyce rose, knocked the ashes out of her pipe, and stood like a duskyimage of an Ethiopian Bellona. "Drat your servigerous tongue! Now the fat's in the fire, to be sho!Ever since I tuck you for better for wuss, I have been trying to larnyou 'screshun! and I might as well 'a wasted my time picking a banjofor a dead jackass tu dance by; for you have got no more 'screshun thanold Eve had, in confabulating with the old adversary! Why couldn't youtemperlize? Sassing that white 'oman, is a aggervating mistake. " Under ordinary circumstances, Bedney and Dyce prided themselves on thepurity of their diction, and they usually abstained from plantationdialect; but when embarrassed, frightened or excited, they invariablyrelapsed into the lingo of the "Quarters. " "Hush! What's that? A screech owull! Bedney, turn your pocket. " With marvellous swiftness she plunged her hand into her dress pocket, and turned it wrong side out, scattering the contents--thimble, thread, two "scalybarks, " and some "ground peas" over the floor. Then stooping, she slipped off one shoe, turned it upside down, and hung it thus on ahorseshoe fastened to the mantel board. "Just lem'me know when you have appinted to hold your sarching, and Iwill make it convenient to have bizness consarning that bunch of horgsand cattle, I am raising on shares in the 'Bend' plantation: and youcan have your sarching frolic, " said Bedney, too angry to heed thesuperstitious rites. Dyce made a warning gesture, and listened intently. "I am a-thinking you will be chief cook and bottle-washer at thatsarching, for the appintment is at hand. Don't you hear Pilot bayingthe cunstable?" She sank into her rocking-chair, picked up a gray yarn sock, and beganto knit unconcernedly; but in a significant tone, she added, noddingher head: "Hold your own hand, Bedney; don't be pestered about mine. I'll hoe myrow; you 'tend to yourn. " Then she leaned back, plying her knitting needles, and began to chant:"Who will be the leader when the Bridegroom comes?" Hearing the knock on the door, her voice swelled louder, and Bedney, the picture of perplexity, stood filling his pipe, when the bolt wasturned, and a gentleman holding a whip and wearing a long overcoatentered the room. "Good evening, Bedney. Are you and Dyce holding a camp meeting all byyourselves? I hallooed at the gate till your dog threatened to devourme, and I had to scare him off with my buggy whip. " "Why, how'dy, Mars Alfred? I am mighty glad to see you! Seems like oldtimes, to shake hands with you in my cabin. Lem'me take off yourovercoat, sir, and gim'me your hat, and make yourself comfortable, hereby the jam of the chimbly. " "No, Bedney, I can't spare the time, and I only want a little businessmatter settled before I get back to town to my office. Thank you, Dyce, this is an old-time rocker sure enough. It is a regular 'SleepyHollow. '" Mr. Churchill pushed back his hat, and held his gloved hand toward thefire. "Bedney, I want to see that handkerchief you found in your master'sroom, the day after he was murdered. " "What hankchuf, Marse Alfred? I done tole everything I know, to theCrowner's inquess. " "I dare say you did; but something was found afterward. I want to seeit. " "Who has been villifying of me? You have knowed me ever since you wasknee-high to a duck, and I--. " "Nobody has vilified you, but Miss Dobbs saw you examining something, which she says you pushed up your coat sleeve. She thinks it was ahandkerchief, but it may have been valuables. Now it is my duty, asDistrict Solicitor, to discover and prosecute the person who killedyour master, and you ought to render me every possible assistance. Anyunwillingness to give your testimony, or surrender the articles found, will cast suspicion on you, and I should be sorry to have you arrested. " "Fore Gord, Marse Alfred, I--" "Own up, husband. You did find a hankchef. You see, Marse Alfred, wehelped to raise that poor young gal's mother; and Bedney and me was'votedly attached to our young Mistiss, Miss Ellie, and we thought oleMarster was too hard on her, when she run off with the furrin fiddler;so when this awful 'fliction fell upon us and everybody was cusing MissEllie's child of killing her own grandpa, we couldn't believe no suchonlikely yarn, and Bedney and me has done swore our vow, we will standby that poor young creetur, for her ma's sake; for our young mistisswas good to us, and our heart strings was 'rapped round her. We doesnot intend, if we can help it, to lend a hand in jailing Miss Ellie'schild, and so, after the Crowner had 'liceted all the facts as he said, and the verdict was made up, Bedney and me didn't feel no crampings inour conscience, about holding our tongues. Another reason why we wantedto lay low in this hiere bizness, was that we didn't hanker aftersitting on the anxious seats of witnesses in the court-house; and beingcalled ongodly thieves, and perjured liars, and turned wrong side outby the lie-yers, and told our livers was white, and our hearts blackerthan our skins. Marse Alfred, Bedney and me are scared of that court;what you call the law, cuts curous contarabims sometimes, and when thebroad axe of jestice hits, there is no telling whar the chips will fly;it's wuss than hull-gull, or pitching heads and tails. You are alie-yer, Marse Alfred, and you know how it is yourself; and I beg yourpardon, sir, for slighting the perfession; but when I was a little gal, I got my scare of lie-yers, and it has stuck to me like a kuckleburrow. One Christmas eve jest before ole Marster got married, he had a egg-nogparty; and a lot of gentlemen was standing 'round the table in thedining-room. One of 'em was ole Mr. Dunbar, Marse Lennox' father, andhe axed ole Marster if he had saved that game rooster for him, as hepromised, Marster told him he was very sorry, but some rogue had donegone and burnt some sulphur the week before in his henhouse, and baggedthat 'dentical rooster. Presently Mr. Dunbar axed if Marster would lethim have one of the blue hen's roosters, if he would catch the roguefor him before midnight. Of course Marster said he would. Mr. Dunbar(Marse Lennox' pa), he was practicing law then, had a pot full of smuton the bottom, turned upside down on the dining-room flo', and he andMarster went out to the hen-'ouse and got a dominicker rooster andshoved him under the pot. Then they rung the bell, and called everydarkey on the place into the dining-room, and made us stand in a line. I was a little gal then, only so high, but I followed my daddy in thehouse, and I never shall disremember that night, 'cause it broke up ourhome preachment. Mr. Dunbar made a speech, and the upshot of it was, that every darkey was to walk past the pot and rub his finger in thesmut; and he swore a solemn oath, that when the pusson that stole thatfine game rooster, touched the pot, the dominicker rooster would crow. As Marster called our names, we every one marched out and rubbed thepot, and when all of us had tried, the rooster hadn't crowed. Mr. Dunbar said there was some mistake somewhere, and he made us step upand show hands, and make prints on his hankcher; and lo, and behold!one darkey had not touched the pot; his forefinger was clean; so Mr. Dunbar says, 'Luke, here is your thief?' and shore 'nuff, it was ourpreacher, and he owned up. I never forgot that trick, and from that day'till now, I have been more scared of a lie-yer, than I am of a maddog. They is the only perfession that the Bible is agin, for you knowthey jawed our Lord hisself, and he said, 'Woe! woe! to you lie-yers. 'Now, Marse Alfred, if you have made up your mind you are gwine to havethat hankcher, it will be bound to come; for if it was tied to amillstone and drapped in the sea, you lie-yers would float it intocourt; so Bedney, jest perduce what you found. " "That is right, Dyce; I am glad your opinion of my profession hasforced you to such a sensible conclusion. Come, Bedney, no balking now. " Perplexed by Dyce's tactics, Bedney stood irresolute, with hishalf-filled pipe slipping from his fingers; and he stared at his wifefor a few seconds, hoping that some cue would be furnished. "Bedney, there's no use in being cantankerous. If you won't perduce it, I will. " Plunging her hand into the blue glass bowl, she pushed aside thetobacco, and extracted a key; then crossed the room, lifted the valanceof the patriarchal bed, and dragged out a small, old-fashioned hairtrunk, ornamented with stars and diamonds of brass tack heads. Drawingit across the floor, she sat down near Mr. Churchill, and bending over, unlocked and opened it. After removing many articles of clothing, andsundry heirlooms, she lifted from the bottom a bundle, which she laidon her lap, and edging her chair closer to the Solicitor, proceeded tounfold the contents. The outside covering was a richly embroideredCanton crape shawl, originally white, now yellow as old ivory; but whenthis was unwrapped, there appeared only an ordinary sized brown gourd, with a long and singularly curved handle, as crooked as a ram's horn. Bending one of her knitting needles into a hook, Dyce deftly insertedit in the neck, where it joined the bowl, and after manoeuvring a fewseconds, laid down the needle, and with the aid of her thumb andforefinger slowly drew out a long roll, tightly wrapped with thread. Unwinding it, she shook the roll, and a small, gray object, about twoinches long, dropped into her lap. Mr. Churchill sat leaning a littleforward, as if intent on Dyce's movements, but his elbow rested on thearm of the rocking chair, and holding his hand up to screen his facefrom the blaze of the fire, he was closely watching Bedney. When Dyceshook out and held up a faded, dingy blue silk handkerchief, the lawyernoted a sudden twinkle in the old man's eyes, but no other featuremoved, and he stooped to take a coal of fire from the hearth. "There is the hankchuf that Bedney found. But mebbe you don't know whatthis is, that I wrapped up in it, to bring us good luck?" She spread the handkerchief over his knee, and held up the small grayfurry object, which had fallen from its folds. "Rabbit's foot? Let me see; yes, that is the genuine left hind foot. Iknow all about it, because when my regiment was ordered to the front, my old colored Mammy--Ma'm Judy--who nursed me, sewed one just likethat, inside the lining of my coat skirt. But, Dyce, that rabbit's footwas not worth a button; for the very first battle I was in, a cannonball killed my horse under me, and carried away my coat tail--rabbit'sfoot and all. Don't pin your faith to left hind feet, they are fatalfrauds. You are positive, this is the handkerchief Bedney found? Itsmells of asafoetida and camphor, and looks like it had recently beentied around somebody's sore throat. " "Marse Alfred, I will swear on a stack of Bibles high as the 'Piscopalchurch steeple, that Bedney Darrington gim'me that same blue hankcher, and he said he found it. I wasn't with him when he found it, but Ihardly think he would 'a stole a' old rag like that. I have perducedit! now if you want to sarch behind it, you must tackle Bedney. " She resumed her knitting and her lips closed like the spring of a steeltrap. "Dyce, I haven't heard the rooster crow yet. Somebody has fought shy ofthe pot. See here, I am in earnest now, and I will give you both afriendly word of warning. Your actions are so suspicious, that unlessyou produce the real article you found, I shall be obliged to send youto jail, and try you for the murder. How do I know that you and Bedneyare not the guilty parties, instead of General Darrington'sgranddaughter? This soiled rag will impose neither upon me, nor uponthe court, and I give you five minutes to put into my possession thereal genuine handkerchief. I shall know it when I see it, because it iswhite, with red spots on the border. " "Paddle your own 'dug out, ' Bedney, and show your s'creshun. If MarseAlfred wants to set the red-eyed hounds of the Law on an innocent'oman, let him blow his horn. " She knitted assiduously, and looked composedly at her husband, whoselower jaw had suddenly fallen, while his eyelids blinked nervously, asthough attacked by St. Vitus' dance. "Only five minutes, Bedney. " Mr. Churchill took out his watch, and held it open. "You see, Marse Alfred, I--" "I don't see anything but an infernal fraud you two have planned. Onlythree minutes more. There is a constable waiting at the gate, and if hecan not persuade you to--" "Bedney, step and fetch him in, and let Marse Alfred see the sarchingjob done up all right. " "No, I don't hunt foxes that way. Instead of searching this cabin, wewill just march you both instanter out of these comfortable quarters, and let you try how soft the beds are, at the 'State boarding-house. 'You will sleep cold on iron bunks, and miss your feathers and yourcrazy quilts. Time's up. " He closed his watch, with a snap, and rose as he returned it to hispocket. "Hold on, Marse Alfred! My head ain't hard enough to run it plum into awolf's jaws. I ain't 'sponsible for nobody's acts but my own, and ifDyce have committed a pius fraud, in this here hank'cher bizness, toscreen Miss Ellie's child, why, you see yourself, I had no hand in it. I did find that blue 'rag, ' as you seen fit to call it, but it was nighon to twenty years ago, when I pulled it out of the breast pocket of adead Yankee officer, we found lying across a cannon, what my oldMarster's regiment captured at the battle of Manassas. I gin it to mywife as a screw-veneer o' the war and she have treasured it accordin'. You are a married man yourself, Marse Alfred, and you are obleedged toknow that wedlock is such a tight partnership, that it is an awfullyresky thing for a man to so much as bat his eyes, or squint 'em, towardthe west, when the wife of his bosom has set her'n to the east. I havealways 'lowed Dyce her head, 'pecially in jokes like that one she wasplaying on you just now, 'cause St. John the Baptist said a man mustforsake father and mother and cleave unto his wife; but conjugularharness is one thing, and the law is another, and I don't hanker afterforsaking my pine-knot fire, and feather bed, to cleave unto jail bars, and handcuffs. I see you are tired of Dyce's jokes, and you meanbizzness; and I don't intend to consume no more of your valuablesolicitous time. Dyce, fetch me that plank bottom cher to stand on. " "Fetch it yourself. Paddling your own canoe, means headin' for the milldam. " Bedney hastened to procure the designated chair, which he mounted infront of the mantel piece, and thence reaching up to the portrait ofPresident Lincoln, took it carefully down from the hook. With the bladeof his pocket-knife, he loosened some tacks which secured the thin pineslats at the back of the picture, and removed them. He took everythingfrom the frame, and blank dismay seized him, when the desired objectwas nowhere visible. "Marse Alfred, I swear I tacked that hank'cher in the back of this hereportrait, between the pasteboard and the brown paper, only yestiddy;and 'fore Gord! I haint seen it since. " Grasping his wife's shoulder, he shook her, until her tall turbanquivered and bent over like the Tower of Pisa, and Mr. Churchill sawthat in his unfeigned terror, drops of perspiration broke out on hiswrinkled forehead. "Have you turned idjut, that you want us both to be devoured by theroarin' lion of the Law? My mammy named me Bedney, not Dani-yell, andshe had oughter, for Gord knows, you have kept me in a fiery furnaceever since I tuck you for better for wurser, mostly wurser. I want thathank'cher, and you'd better believe--I want it quick. I found it, andI'm gwine to give it up; and you have got no right to jeppardy my life, if you are fool enough to resk your own stiff neck. Gim'me thathank'cher! Fantods is played out. I would ruther play leap frog over abuzz-saw than--than--pester and rile Marse Alfred, and have thecunstable clawing my collar. " "You poor, pitiful, rascally, cowardly creetur! Whar's that oath youdone swore, to help 'fend Miss Ellie's child? And you a deacon, high inthe church! If I had found that hank'cher, I would hide it, tillGabriel's horn blows; and I would go to jail or to Jericho; and beforeI would give testimony agin my dear young Mistiss's poor friendlessgal, I would chaw my tongue into sassage meat. That's the diffuncebetween a palavering man full of 'screshun, and a 'oman who means whatshe says; and will stand by her word, if it rains fire and brimstone. Betrayin' and denying the innercent, has been men's work, ever sincethe time of Judas and Peter. Now, Marse Alfred, Bedney did tack thehank'cher inside the portrait of President Linkum, 'cause we thoughtthat was the saftest place, but I knowed the house would be sarched, soI jest hid it in a better place. Since he ain't showed no more backbonethan a saucer of blue-mange, I shall have to give it up; but if I hadfound it, you would never set your two eyes on it, while my head iswarm. " She stooped, lifted the wide hem of her black calico skirt, andproceeded to pick out the stitches which held it securely. When she hadripped the thread about a quarter of a yard, she raised the edge of theunusually deep hem, and drew out a white handkerchief with a coloredborder. Bedney snatched it from her, and handed it to the Solicitor, who leanedclose to the fire, and carefully examined it. As he held it up by thecorners, his face became very grave and stern, and he sighed. "This is evidently a lady's handkerchief, and is so important in thecase, that I shall keep it until the trial is over. Bedney, come to myoffice by nine o'clock to-morrow, as the Grand Jury may ask you somequestions. Good bye, Dyce, shake hands; for I honor your loyalty toyour poor young mistress, and her unfortunate child. You remind me ofmy own old mammy. Dear good soul, she was as true as steel. " As Mr. Churchill left the house, Bedney accompanied him to the gate. When he returned, the door was locked. In vain he demanded admittance;in vain tried the windows; every entrance was securely barred, andthough he heard Dyce moving about within, she deigned no answer to hisearnest pleadings, his vehement expostulations, or his fierce threatsof summary vengeance. The remainder of that night was spent by Pilotand his irate master in the great hay bin of the "Elm Bluff" stables. When the sun rose next morning, Bedney rushed wrathful as Achilles, toresent his wrongs. The door of his house stood open; a fire glowed onthe well swept hearth, where a pot of boiling coffee and a plate ofbiscuit welcomed him; but Dyce was nowhere visible, and a vigoroussearch soon convinced him she had left home on some pressing errand. Two hours later, Mrs. Singleton opened the door of the small roomadjoining her own bedchamber, to which she had insisted upon removingthe prisoner. Beryl stood leaning against the barred window, and did not even turnher head. "Here is a negro woman, begging to see you for a few moments. She saysshe is an old family servant of General Darrington's. " Standing with her back toward the door, the prisoner put out one handwith a repellent gesture: "I have surely suffered enough from General Darrington and his friends;and I will see nobody connected with that fatal place, which has been acurse to me. " "Just as you please; but old Auntie here, says she nursed your mother, and on that account wants to see you. " Without waiting for permission, Dyce darted past the warden's wife, into the room, and almost before Beryl was aware of her presence, stoodbeside her. "Are you Miss Ellie's daughter?" Listlessly the girl turned and looked at her, and Dyce threw her armsaround her slender waist, and falling on her knees hid her face inBeryl's dress, sobbing passionately. In the violence of her emotion, she rocked back and forth, swaying like a reed in some fierce blast thetall form, to whom she clung. "Oh, my lovely! my lovely! To think you should be shut up here! To seeMiss Ellie's baby jailed, among the off-scourings of the earth! Oh, youbeautiful white deer! tracked and tore to pieces by wolves, and hounds, and jackalls! Oh, honey! Just look straight at me, like you was facingyour accusers before the bar of God, and tell me you didn't kill yourgrandpa. Tell me you never dipped your pretty hands in ole Marster'sblood. " Tears were streaming down Dyce's cheeks. "If you knew my mother, how can you think it possible her child couldcommit an awful crime?" "Oh, God knows--I don't know what to think! 'Peers to me the world isturned upside down. You see, honey, you are half and half; and while Iam perfectly shore of Miss Ellie's half of you, 'cause I can alwaysswear to our side, the Darrington in you, I can't testify about yourpa's side; he was a--a--" "He was as much a gentleman, as my mother was a lady; and I wouldrather be his daughter, than call a king my father. " "I believe you! There ain't no drop of scrub blood in you, as I cansee, and if you ain't thoroughbred, 'pearances are deceitful. I lovedyour ma; I loved the very ground her little feet trod on. I fed her outof my own plate many a time, 'cause she thought her Mammy's vittils wassweeter than what Mistiss 'lowed her to have; and she have slept in mybosom, and these arms have carried her, and hugged her, and--and--oh, Lord God A'mighty! it most kills me to see you, her own little babyhere! In this awful, cussed den of thieves and villi-yans! Oh, honey!for God's sake, just gin me some 'surance you are as pure as you look;just tell me your soul is a lily, like your face. " Beryl stooped, put her hand on the turbaned head, and bending it back, so as to look down into the swimming eyes, answered: "If I had died when I was a month old, my baby soul would not havefaced God any more innocent of crime then, than I am to-day. I had nomore to do with taking General Darrington's money and his life, thanthe archangels in Heaven. " "Bless God! Now I am satisfied. Now I see my way clare. But it sets myblood afire to see you here; it's a burning shame to put my dear youngMistiss' child in this beasts' cage. I can't help thinking of that poorbeautiful white deer, what Marster found crippled, down at our 'Bend'Plantation, that some vagabond had shot. Marster fotch it up home, andof all the pitifulist sights!" Dyce had risen, and covering her face with her white apron, she weptfor some minutes. "Are you not the wife of Bedney, who saved my mother's life, when thebarn burned?" "Yes, honey, I am Mam' Dyce, and if I am spared, I will try to saveyour'n. That is what has brung me here. You are 'cused of the robb'ryand the murder, and you have denied it in the court; but chile, thelie-yers are aworking day and night fur to hang you, and little is madeof much, on your side, and much is spun out of little, on theirn. Theyare more cunning than foxes, and bloodthirstier than panters, and theyno more git tired than the spiders, that spin and piece a web as fastas you break it. Three nights ago, I got down on my knees, and I kisseda little pink morocco slipper what your Ma wore the day when she tookher first step from my arm to her own mother's knees, and I swore asolemn oath, if I could help free Miss Ellie's child, I would do it. Now I want to ask you one thing. Did you lose anything that day youcome to our house, and had the talk with old Marster?" "Nothing, but my peace and happiness. " "Are you shore you didn't drap your hank'cher?" "Yes, I am sure I did not, because I wrapped it around somechrysanthemums I gathered as I went away. " "Well, a lady's hank'cher was found in Marster's room, and it did smellof chloryform. Bedney picked it up, and we said nothing and laid low, and hid the thing; but that Godforsaken and predestinated sinner, MissAngeline, kept sarching and eavesdrapping, and set the lie-yers on thescent, and they have 'strained Bedney on peril of jailing him, toperduce it. When it got into their claws, and I thought it might belonkto you, my teeth chattered, and I felt like the back of my frock was aice-warehouse. Now, honey, can you testify before God and man, thathank'cher ain't yourn?" "I certainly can. I had only three handkerchiefs with me when I lefthome, and I have them still. Here is one, the other two lie yonder. Butthat handkerchief is worth everything; because it must belong to thevile wretch who committed the crime, and it will help to prove myinnocence. Where is it?" "The Grand Jury is setting on it. " Here Dyce looked cautiously around, and tip-toed to the door; findingit ajar, closed it, then stole back. Putting her lips close to Beryl'sear, she whispered: "Did you lose a sleeve button?" "No. I did not wear any. " "Thank God! I feel like all the bricks in the court-house was liftedoff my heart, and flung away. I was in fear and trimbling about thatbutton, 'cause I picked it up, just under the aidge of the rug, whereole Marster fell, when he got his death blow; and as sure as the comingof the Judgment Day, it was drapped by the pusson who killed him. I wasso afeared it might belonk to you, that I have been on the anxious seatever since I found it; and I concluded the safest way was to bring ithere to you. I am scared to keep it at home, 'cause them yelping wolvesas wears the sheepskins of Justice, are on my tracks. I would nevergive it up, if I was chopped to mince meat; but Bedney ain't got nomore than enuff backbone for half of a man, and the lie-yersdiscomfrizzle him so, I could not trust him, when it comes to thescratch. Now that button is worth a heap, and I am precious careful ofit. Look here. " She took from her pocket two large pods of red pepper, which lookedexactly alike, but the end of one had been cut out around the stem, then neatly fitted back, and held in place by some colorless cement. Beckoning Beryl to follow, Dyce went closer to the window, and with theaid of her teeth drew out the stem. Into her palm rolled a circularbutton of some opaque reddish-brown substance, resembling tortoiseshell, and enamelled with gilt bunches of grapes, and inlaid leaves ofmother-of-pearl. Across the top, embossed in gilt letters ran the word"Ricordo. " The old woman lifted her open palm, and as Beryl saw the button, agasping, gurgling sound broke from her. She snatched it, stared at it. Then the Gorgon head slipped through her fingers, she threw herselfagainst the window, shook the iron bar frantically; and one desperatecry seemed to tear its way through her clinched teeth, over her ashylips: "Oh, Mother! Mother--Mother! You are nailing me to a cross. " CHAPTER IX. Nowhere in the vast vista of literature is there an episode moreexquisitely pathetic than that serene picture of the Grove at Colonus, sacred to the "Semnai Theai;" where the dewy freshness, the floralloveliness, the spicery, and all the warbling witchery of nature paytribute to the Avenging Goddesses. Twenty-two centuries have sifted their dust over the immortal figuresseated on the marble bench within the precincts consecrated to theEumenides, but in deathless tenacity, the rich aroma of Sophocles'narcissus, and the soft crocus light linger there still; while fromthickets of olive, nightingales break their hearts in song, asthrilling as the melody that smote the ears of doomed and dying Oedipus. So in all ages, we, born thralls of grief, lift streaming eyes, andchant elegies to stony-hearted Mother-Earth, but her starry orbs shineon, undimmed by sympathetic tears; her smiling lips show only sunshinein their changeless dimples, and her myriad fingers sweeping the keysof the Universal Organ, drown our De Profundis in the rhythmic thundersof her Jubilate. Wailing children of Time, we crouch and tug at themoss-velvet, daisy-sprinkled skirts of the mighty Mater, praying somelullaby from her to soothe our pain; but human woe frets not hersublime serenity, as deaf as desert sphinx, she fronts the future. Some echo of this maddening mystery sounded in the ears of the lonelywoman, who clutched the bars of her dungeon, and stared through itsiron lattice, at the peaceful, happy, outside world. At her feet layX---, divided by the silvery river, which, here rushed with arrowyswiftness under the gray stone arches of the bridge, and there widenedinto glassy lakelets, as if weary from the mad plunge over a distantrocky ledge in mid-stream, whence the dull steady roar of the "falls"thrilled the atmosphere, like the "tremolo" in a dim cathedral, wherefading daylight dies on painted apse and gilded pipes. As a chessboardthe squares of buildings were spread out, defined by wide streets, where humanity and its traffic sped, busy as ants. In a green plot, thesombre facade of the court-house surmounted by an eyeless stone statueof Justice, frowned on the frivolous throng below; and along the vergeof the common, marble fingers pointed up to the heaven of blue thatbent above "God's Acre"; while now and then, bulbous towers, andglittering steeple vanes, caught the sunshine on their polished crests. Beyond the whole, and bounding the valley filled with a billowy sea ofbluish-green pine tops, rose a wooded eminence, wearing still itsPersian robe of autumn foliage, and on its brow the colonnade andchimneys of "Elm Bluff" blotted the southern sky, like a threateningphantom. To-day forest, stream, earth and sky, appeared branded with one fatalword, as if the world's wide page held only "Ricordo! Ricordo!" Beryl shut her eyes and groaned; but the scene merely shifted to a dellunder the shadow of Carrara hills, where olives set "Ricordo" amongtheir silver leaves; and lemons painted "Ricordo" in their pale gold;and scarlet pomegranates and nodding violets, burning anemones andtender green of trailing maiden-hair ferns all blazoned "Ricordo. " The fierce tide of wrath, that indignation and her keen sense ofoutraged innocence had poured like molten lead through her throbbingarteries, was oozing sluggishly, congealing under the awful spell ofthat one word "Ricordo. " Hitherto, the shame of the suspicion, thedegradation of the imprisonment had caught and empaled her thoughts;but by degrees, these became dwarfed by the growing shadow of apossibly ignominious death, which spread its sable pinions along therosy dawn of her womanhood, and devoured the glorious sun of her highhopes. The freezing gloom was creeping nearer, and to-day she couldexpect no succor, save by one avenue. Islam believes that only the cimeter edge of Al Sirat divides Paradisefrom perdition. Beryl realized that in her peril, she trod an equallynarrow snare, over yawning ruin, holding by a single thread of hopethat handkerchief. Weak natures shiver and procrastinate, shunningconfirmation of their dread; but to this woman had come a franticlonging to see, to grasp, to embrace the worst. She was in a deathgrapple with appalling fate, and that handkerchief would decide theissue. Physical exhaustion was following close upon the mental agony that hadstretched her on the rack, for so many days and nights. To sit stillwas impossible, yet in her wandering up and down the narrow room, shereeled, and sometimes staggered against the wall, dizzy from weakness, to which she would not succumb. Human help was no more possible for her, than for Moses, when heclimbed Nebo to die; and alone with her God, the brave soul wrestled. Wearily she leaned against the window bars, twining her hot fingersaround them, pressing her forehead to the cold barrier; and everywhere"Ricordo" stabbed her eyes like glowing steel. The door opened, some words were uttered in an undertone, then the boltclicked in its socket, and Mr. Dunbar approached the window. Mechanically Beryl glanced over her shoulder, and a shiver crept acrossher. "I believe you know me. Dunbar is my name. " He stood at her side, and they looked into each other's eyes, andmeasured lances. Could this worn, pallid woman, be the same person whoin the fresh vigor of her youthful beauty, had suggested to him on thesteps of "Elm Bluff, " an image of Hygeia? Here insouciante girlhood wasdead as Manetho's dynasties, and years seemed to have passed over thisauburn head since he saw it last. Human faces are Nature's highest typeof etchings, and mental anguish bites deeper than Dutch mordant;heart-ache is the keen needle that traces finest lines. "Yes, I know you only too well. You are Tiberius. " Her luminous deep eyes held his at bay, and despite his habitual, haughty equipoise, her crisp tone of measureless aversion stung him. "Sarcasm is an ill-selected arbiter between you and me; and your fatefor all time, your future weal or woe is rather a costly shuttlecock tobe tossed to and fro in a game of words. I do not come to bandyphrases, and in view of your imminent peril, I cannot quite understandyour irony. " "Understand me? You never will. Did the bloodthirsty soul of Tiberiuscomprehend the stainless innocence of the victims he crushed forpastime on the rocks below Villa Jovis? There is but one arbiter foryour hatred, the hang-man, to whom you would so gladly hurry me. Hunting a woman to the gallows is fit sport for men of your type. " Unable to withdraw his gaze from the magnetism of hers, he frowned andbit his lip. Was she feigning madness, or under the terrible nervousstrain, did her mind wander? "Your language is so enigmatical, that I am forced to conclude youresort to this method of defence. The exigencies of professional dutycompel me to assume toward you an attitude, as painfully embarrassingto me as it is threatening to you. Because the stern and bitter law ofjustice sometimes entails keen sorrow upon those who are forced toexecute her decrees, is it any less obligatory upon the appointedofficers to obey the solemn behests?" "Justice! Into what a frightful mockery have such as you degraded herworship! No wonder justice fled to the stars. You are the appointedofficer of a harpy screaming for the blood of the innocent. How dareyou commit your crimes, raise your red hands, in the sacred name ofjustice? Call yourself the priest of a frantic vengeance, for whom somevictim must be provided; and libel no more the attribute of Jehovah. " Scorn curled her lips, and beneath her glowing eyes, his grew restless, as panoplied in conscious innocence she seemed to defy attack. "You evidently credit me with motives of personal animosity, whichwould alike disgrace my profession and my manhood. For your sake, rather than my own, I should like to remove this erroneous impressionfrom your mind. If you could only understand--" She threw up her hand, with an imperious gesture of disdain. "Save your sophistries; they are wasted here. Why multiply cobwebs? Iunderstand you. If doves have a sixth sense that warns them before theyhear the hawk's cry, or discern the shadow of his circling wings, andif mice, dumb in a cat's claws, surmise the exact value of thepreliminary caresses, the graceful antics, the fatal fondling of thevelvet paw, so we, the prey of legal 'Justice' know instinctively whatthe swinging of censers, and the chanting of her high priest mean, whenhe draws near us. I understand you. You intend to hang me if you can. " He drew his breath with a hissing sound, and a dark flush Stained hisbroad smooth brow. "On my honor as a gentleman, I came here to-day solely to--" "Solely to assure yourself of some doubtful link you must weld intoyour chain; solely to plunge the scalpel of some double-edged question. If there must be an ante mortem examination, we will wait, if youplease, for the legal dissection when I am stretched before thejury-box. Until then, you have no right to intrude upon the misery youhave brought on an innocent woman. " They stood so near each other, that he could count the fierce throbbingof the artery in her round snowy throat, and see the shadow of her longlashes; and again some electric current flashed from her feverishlybright eyes, burning its way to the secret chambers of his selfishheart, melting the dross that ambition and greed had slowly cemented, and dropping one deathless spark into a deep adytum, of the existenceof which he had never even dreamed. Unconsciously he leaned toward her, but she pressed back against the iron bars, and drew her dress aside asif shunning a leper. There was no petulance in the motion, but itssignificance pricked him, like a dagger point. "It was the hope of finding you an innocent woman, that must plead mypardon for what you consider an unwarrantable 'intrusion. ' Will youbelieve me, if I swear to you, that I have come as a friend?" "As a friend to me? No. As a friend to General Darrington and hisadopted son Prince? Yes. Oh, Tiberius! Your rosy apples are flavoredlike those your forefather offered Agrippina. " "Do you regard me as an unscrupulous, calculating villain, whopretending kindness, plots treachery? Do you deliberately offer me thiswanton insult?" His swart face reddened, and the fine lines of his handsome mouthhardened. She shrank a few inches closer to the window, and compressed her lips. "If you were a man, I should swiftly resent the affront you have thrustupon me, and suitable redress would be peculiarly sweet and welcome;but you are a defenceless and unfortunate woman, and my hands are tied. I desire to help you; you repulse me and insult my manhood. I will domy painful duty, because it is sternly and inexorably my duty; but, Iwish to God, I had never set my eyes on you. " The sudden passionate ring in his voice surprised her, and she lookedsearchingly at him, wondering into what pitfall it was intended to lureher. "If you had never set your eyes on me? Ah, would to God I had died tenthousand times before I encountered their evil spell! If you had neverset your eyes on me? I should be now, a happy, hopeful girl, with lifebeckoning me like the rosy Syrian plains that smiled on thedesert-weary. The world looked so bright to me that day, when first Ismelled the sweet resinous pines, and dreamed of my work, and all theglory of the victory, I knew that I should win over poverty and want. Iwas so poor in worldly goods, but oh!--Croesus could not have bought myproud hopes! So rich, so overflowing with high hope! As I think of myfeelings that day, among the primroses and pine cones, it seems ahundred years ago, and I recall the image of a girl long dead; such aproud girl; so happy in the beautiful world of the art she loved! Thensome strange awful curse that had lain in wait, ambushed among theflowers I gathered that last day of my dead existence, fell upon me--Isaw you! No wonder I shivered, when you met me. I saw you. Then my sunsickened and went out, and my hopes crumbled, and my youth shrivelledand perished forever; and the wide world is a rayless dungeon, and thegirl Beryl is buried so deep, that the Angels of the Resurrection willnever find her!--and I?--I am only a withered, disgraced woman, hurledinto a den; trampled, branded; with a soul devoured by despairingbitterness, with a broken heart, a brain on fire! If you had drawn aknife across my throat, or sent a bullet through my temples, my spiritmight have rested in the Beyond, and I could have forgiven that whichhastened me to heaven; but you strangled my hopes, and mutilated myyouth, and dishonored my father's name!--You robbed me of my stainlesscharacter, and cast me among outlaws and fiends!--Worse yet, oh!blackest of all your crimes!--you have almost throttled my faith inChrist. You have torn away my hold upon the eternal God! You are thecurse of my life. You wish you had never set your eyes on me? Takecourage, finish your work; the best of me is utterly dead already, andwhen you have taken my blood, and laid my polluted body in a convict'sshallow grave, your enmity will be satiated. Then I, at least, I shallbe free from my hideous curse. If there be any comfort left me, itlurks in the knowledge that when you succeed in convicting me, the sameworld will no longer hold us both. " Was it the fever of disease, or incipient madness that blazed in hereyes, flamed on her cheeks, and lent such thrilling cadence to her pureclear voice? Was she a consummate actress, or had he made a frightfulmistake, and goaded an innocent girl to the verge of frenzy? Someoccult influence seemed clouding his hitherto infallible perceptions, melting his heart, paralyzing his will. He walked up and down thefloor, with his hands clasped behind him, then came close to theprisoner. "If I have unjustly suspected and persecuted you, may God forgive me!If I have wronged you by suspicion and accusation of a crime which youdid not commit, then my atonement shall be your triumphant vindication. I would give a good deal to know that your hands are as pure as theylook, and innocent of theft and murder. Tell me--tell me the truth. Iwill save you, I will give you back all that you have lost, and tenfoldmore. For God's sake, for your own sake, and for mine, I entreat you totell me the truth. Did you go back to 'Elm Bluff' that night, after Imet you in the pine woods?" His dark face was close to hers, and his keen blue eyes seemed to probethe recesses of her soul. If she answered, would the steel springs ofsome trap close upon her? "I did not go back to 'Elm Bluff. ' My hands, my heart, my soul are asfree from crime as they were when God sent them into the world. I aminnocent--innocent--innocent as any baby only a week old, lying dead inits little coffin. Innocent--but defiled, disgraced; innocent as theLord Jesus was of the sins for which He died; but you can not save whatyou have destroyed. You have ruined my life. " He was a strong man, cold, collected, priding himself upon his superbphysique, his nerves of steel; but as he watched and listened, hetrembled, and the girl's eyes dilated, sparkled through the suddenmoisture that so strangely and unexpectedly gathered in his own. "Then you must prove the truth of your solemn words; and it was thisfaint hope that induced me to come here to-day. Only one circumstancestands between the Grand Jury and your indictment for murder; and timepresses. Now tell me, do you know this?" He took from his coat pocket a small parcel wrapped in paper, and toreoff the covering. Beryl stood faint and dizzy, resting against thewindow, but erect, on guard and defiant. He shook out and held up asquare of fine linen, daintily hem-stitched. Along the border rangraceful arabesques, swelling into scallops and dotted with stars, embroidered in some rich red thread; and in one corner, enclosed in awreath of exquisitely designed fuchsias, the large, elaborately ornatecapitals "B. B. " were worked in fadeless scarlet scrolls to match thewreath. Above the drooping flowers, poised the red wings of adescending butterfly. Artistic instincts had outlined, and deftdelicate touches filled in, with the glowing embroidery. Did she know it? Could she ever forget that serene May day when the airwas liquid gold, and the Mediterranean molten sapphire, wreathed withpearls, as the wavelets crested; when the rosy oleanders and silveryflakes of orange blossoms floated down upon the ferny cliff, wheresitting by her father's side, she had drawn this design, spreading thelinen on the back of her father's worn copy of Theocritus? If she liveda thousand years, would it be possible to forget the thin, almosttransparent white hand, with its blue veins swollen like cords, whichhad gently taken the pencil from her fingers, and retouched and roundedthe sweep of the curves; the dear wasted hand that she had stooped andkissed, as it corrected her work? As on the golden background of a cherished Byzantine picture, memoryheld untarnished every tint and outline of that blessed day, when sheand her father had looked for the last time on the sunny sea they lovedso well. Did fell fate hover, even then, in that sparkling perfumed air, and insinister prescience trace this tangling web of threads, with grimintent to snare her unwary feet? Savants tell us, that ages ago, in the dim dawn, primeval rain dropsmade their pattering print, and left it to harden on the stone pages, awaiting decipherment by human eyes and human brains, not yet "Born of the brainless Nature, Who knew not that which she bore. " Is there an analogous iron chain linking the merest trifles, thefrivolous accidents, the apparently worthless coincidences that swellthe sum of what we are pleased to call the nobly independent life ofthe "free-agent" Man? In the matrix of time, do human tears and humanblood-drops leave their record, to be conned when Nemesis holds herlast assize? As the handkerchief swayed in the lawyer's grasp, Beryl saw the red "B. B. " like a bloody brand. At that instant she felt that the death clutchfastened upon her throat; that fate had cast her adrift, on the blackwaves of despair. In her reeling brain kaleidoscopic images danced; herfather's face, the lateen sail of fishing boats rocking on bluebillows, white oxen browsing amid purple iris clusters; she heard hermother's voice, her brother's gay laugh; she smelled the prussic acidfragrance of the vivid oleanders, then over all, like tongues ofdevouring flames, flickered "Ricordo. " "B. B. " In the frenzy of her desperation she sprang forward, seized the armsthat held up the fatal handkerchief, and shook the man, as if he hadbeen an infant. Her eyes full of horror, were fixed on the scrap oflinen, and a frantic cry rang from her lips. "Father! Father! There is no hereafter for you and me! Prayer is butthe mockery of fools! There is no heaven for the pure, because there isno God! No God!--to hear, to save the innocent who trusted in Him. Oh--no God!" Mr. Dunbar dropped the handkerchief, and as the irresistible convictionof her guilt rolled back, crushing the hope he had cherished a momentbefore, a spasm of pain seized his heart, and with a groan that wouldnot be repressed, he covered his eyes to shut out the vision of thedespairing woman, whose doom seemed sealed. Her right hand whichunconsciously clutched his left shoulder, shivered like an aspen, andhe knew that for the moment she was entirely oblivious of his presence;blind to everything but the assurance of her ruin. After all, he had made no mistake; his keen insight was well nighinfallible; but his triumph was costly. The luscious fruit ofprofessional success left an acrid flavor; the pungent dead sea ashessifted freely. He set his heel on the embroidered butterfly, and in hisheart cursed the hour he had first seen it. His coveted bread waspetrifying between his teeth. The grasp on his shoulder relaxed, the hand fell heavily. When helooked in the face of his victim, he caught his breath at the strange, inexplicable change a few minutes had wrought. Protest and resistancehad come to an end. Surrender was printed on every feature. The wildfury of the passionate struggle that convulsed her, had spent itself;and as after a violent wintry tempest the gale subsides, and the snowcompassionately shrouds the scene, burning the dead sparrows, thebruised flowers, so submission laid her cold touch on this quiveringface, and veiled and froze it. From afar the sound of rushing waters seemed to smite Beryl's ears, tosurge nearer, to overflow her brain. She sank suddenly to the floor, clinging with one hand to the window bar, and her auburn head fellforward on the up-lifted arm. Thinking that she had fainted, Mr. Dunbar stooped and raised her face, holding it in his palms. The eyesmet his, unflinching but mournful as those of a tormented deer whom thehunters drag from worrying hounds. She writhed, freed herself from histouch; and resting against the window sill, drew a long deep breath. "You have succeeded in your mission today. You have the only clue youneeded. You have no occasion to linger. Now--will you leave me?" He picked up the handkerchief. "This is your handkerchief?" She made no answer. A leaden hand was pressing upon her heart, herbrain, her aching eyes. "You have basely deceived me. You did go back that night, and you leftthis, to betray you. Saturated with chloroform you laid it over yourgrandfather's face. Load your soul with no more falsehoods. Confess thedeeds of that awful night. " "I did not go back. I never saw 'Elm Bluff' after I met you. I know nomore of the chloroform than you do. I have told the truth first andlast, and always. I have no confession to make. I am as innocent as youare. Innocent! Innocent! You are going to hang me for a crime I did notcommit. When you do, you will murder an innocent woman. " She spoke slowly, solemnly, and at intervals, as if she found itdifficult to express her meaning. The passionless tone was that of one, standing where the river of death flowed close to her feet, and herbeautiful face shone with the transfiguring light of conscious purity. "Hold up your hand, and tell me this is not your handkerchief; and Iwill yet save you. " "It was my handkerchief, but I am innocent. Finish your work. " "How can you expect me to believe your contradictory statements?" Wearily she turned her head, and looked at him. A strange drowsinessdimmed her vision, thickened her speech. "I expect nothing from you--but--death. " "Will you explain how your handkerchief chanced to be found on yourgrandfather's pillow? Trust me, I am trying to believe you. Tell me. " In his eagerness he seized her hand, clasped it tightly, bent over her. She made no reply, and the silky black lashes sank lower, lower tillthey touched the violet circle suffering had worn under her eyes. Likea lily too heavy for its stem, the glossy head fell upon her breast. Her hot fingers throbbed in his palm, and when he felt her pulse, therapid bounding tide defied his counting. Kneeling beside her, he laidthe head against his shoulder. "Are you ill? What is the matter? Speak to me. " Her parched lips unclosed, and she muttered with a sigh, like a childfalling asleep after long sobbing: "My handkerchief--Tiberius--my--han--" She had fought against fearful odds, with sleepless nights and fastingdays sapping her strength; and when the battle ended, though the willwas unfaltering, physical exhaustion triumphed, and delirium mercifullytook the tortured spirit into her cradling arms. CHAPTER X. When Leo Gordon celebrated her twenty-second birthday, Judge Dent, appreciating the importance of familiarizing her with the businessdetails and technicalities of commercial usage, incident to themanagement of her large estate, had insisted upon terminating hisguardianship, and transferring to her all responsibility for the futureconduct of her financial affairs. New books were placed in her hands, in which he required her to keep systematically and legibly all heraccounts; she drew and signed her own checks, and semi-annuallyfurnished for his inspection a neat balance-sheet. As adviser, and agent for the collection of dividends and rents, thechange or renewal of investments, he maintained only a generalsupervision, and left her untrammelled the use of her income. As adangerous innovation upon time-honored customs, which under the antebellum regime, had kept Southern women as ignorant of practicalbusiness routine, as of the origin of the Weddas of Ceylon, Miss Pattybitterly opposed and lamented her brother's decision; dismallypredicting that the result must inevitably be the transformation oftheir refined, delicate, clinging "Southern lady", into that abhorredmonster--"a strong-minded independent business woman". Intensely loyal to the social standard, usages and traditions of anaristocracy, that throughout the South had guarded its patrician rankswith almost Brahmin jealousy, she sternly decried every infringement ofcaste custom and etiquette. Nature and education had combined todeprive her of any adaptability to the new order of things; and sherejected the idea that "a lady should transact business", with the samecontemptuous indignation that would have greeted a proposition to wear"machine-sewed garments", that last resort of impecunious plebeianism. However unwelcome Leo had found this assumption of the grave duties ofmature womanhood, she met the responsibility unflinchingly, andgathered very firmly the reins transferred to her fair hands forguidance. Judge Dent and Miss Patty were the last of their family, except the orphan niece who had been left to their care, and as theirearthly possessions would ultimately descend to her, she had beenreared in the conviction that their house was her only home. Study and travel, potent factors in the march of progress, had soenlarged the periphery of Leo's intellectual vision, that shefrequently startled her prim aunt, by the enunciation of views much tooextended and cosmopolitan to fit that haughty dame's Procrustean limitsof "Southern ladyhood". Blessed with a discriminating governess andchaperon, who while fostering a genuine love of the beautiful, hadendeavored to guard her pupil from straying into any of thosefashionable "art crazes", which in their ephemeral exaggerationapproach caricatures of aestheticism, Leo became deeply imbued with thespirit of classic literature and art; and grew especially fond of thestudy of Greek and Roman architecture. Believing that the similarity of climate in her native State, justifiedthe revival of an archaic style of building, she ardently desired andfinally obtained her uncle's consent to the erection (as an addition tothe Dent mansion), of a suite of rooms, designed in accordance with hertaste, and for her own occupancy. Hampered by no prudential economicconsiderations, and fearless of criticism as regarded archaeologicalanachronisms, Leo allowed herself a wide-eyed eclecticism, thatresulted in a thoroughly composite structure, eminently satisfactory atleast to its fastidious owner. A single story in height, it containedonly four rooms, and on a reduced scale resembled the typical house ofPansa, except that the flat roof rose in the center to a dome. Constituting a western wing of the old brick mansion which it adjoined, the entrance fronting north, opened from a portico with clusteredcolumns, into a square vestibule; which led directly to a large, octagonal atrium, surrounded by lofty fluted pillars with foliatedcapitals that supported the arched and frescoed ceiling. In the centre, a circular impluvium was sunk in the marble paved floor, where insummer a jet of spray sprang from the water on whose surface lily padsfloated; and in winter, shelves were inserted, which held blooming potplants, that were arranged in the form of a pyramid. The domeoverarching this, was divided into three sections; the lower frescoed, the one above it filled with Etruscan designs in stained glass; theupper, formed of white ground glass sprinkled with gilt starsrepresenting constellations, was so constructed, that it could beopened outward in panels, and thus admit the fresh air. On the east side of this atrium, Leo's bed-room connected with thatoccupied by Miss Patty in the old house; and opposite, on the west, wasa large square Pompeian library, with dark red dado, daintily frescoedpanels, and richly tinted glowing frieze. At the end of this apartment, and concealed by purple velvet curtains lined with rose silk, an archopened into a small semi-circular chapel or oratory, lighted by stainedglass windows, whose brilliant hues fell on a marble altar upheld bytwo kneeling figures; and here lay the family Bible of Leo'sgreat-grandfather, Duncan Gordon, with tall bronze candelabra on eachside, holding wax candles. At the right of two marble steps that led tothe altar, was spread a rug, and upon this stood an ebony reading-deskwhere a prayer-book rested. Filling a niche in the wall on the leftside, the gilded pipes of an organ rose to meet a marble console thatsupported a Greek cross. In order to secure an unobstructed vista from the front door, thatportion of the building which corresponded to the ancient tablinum, wasused merely as an aviary, where handsome brass cages of various shapesshowed through their burnished wires snowy cockatoos, gaudy paroquets, green and gold canaries, flaming red and vivid blue birds, and one hugewhite owl, whose favorite perch when allowed his freedom, was a bronzePallas on a projecting bracket. Conspicuous among these, was a peculiar cage made of tortoise shell, ivory and silver wire, which Leo had assigned to a scarlet-crested, crimson-throated Australian cockatoo. Beyond this undraped rearvestibule stretched the peristyle, a parallelogram, surrounded by alofty colonnade. The centre of this space was adorned by a rockerywhence a fountain rose; flower beds of brilliant annuals and coleusencircled it like a mosaic, and the ground was studded with orange andlemon trees, banana and pineapple plants; while at the farther sidedelicate exotic grape vines were trained from column to column. In summer this beautiful court was entirely open to the sky, but at theapproach of winter a movable framework of iron pillars was erected, which supported a glass roof, that sloped southward, and garnered heatand sunshine. Neither chimneys nor fireplaces were visible, but ahidden furnace thoroughly warmed the entire house, and in eachapartment the registers represented braziers of classic design. Except for the external entrances, doors had been abolished; portieresof plush, satin, and Oriental silk closed all openings in winter; andduring long sultry Southern summers were replaced by draperies of lace, and wicker-work screens where growing ivy and smilax trained their coolgreen leaves, and graceful tendrils. Wooden floors had accompanied thedoors to Coventry; and everywhere squares of marble, and lemon and bluetiles showed shimmering surfaces between the costly rugs, and fur robesscattered lavishly about the rooms. Surrounded by a gilded wreath ofolive leaves, and incised on an architrave fronting the vestibule, thegolden "Salve" greeted visitors; just beneath it, on an antique shapedtable of topaz-veined onyx, stood a Vulci black bowl or vase, decoratedin vermilion with Bacchanal figures; and this Leo filled in summer withcreamy roses, in winter, with camellias. Where the shrines and Laresstood in ancient houses, a square, burnished copper pedestal fashionedlike an altar had been placed, and upon it rose from a bed of carvedlilies, a copy in white marble of Palmer's "Faith". From the front portico, one could look through the vestibule, theatrium, the aviary, and on into the peristyle, where among vinebranches and lemon boughs, the vista was closed by a flight of stonesteps with carved cedar balustrade, leading up to the flat roof, whereit sometimes pleased the mistress to take her tea, or watch the sunset. In selecting and ordering designs for the furniture, a strict adherenceto archaic types had been observed; hence the couches, divans, chairs, and tables, the pottery and bric-a-brac, the mirrors and draperies, were severely classic. An expensive whim certainly, far exceeding the original estimate of itscost; and Miss Patty bewailed the "wicked extravagance of squanderingmoney that would have built a handsome church, and supported for lifetwo missionaries in mid-China"; but Judge Dent encouraged and approved, reviving his classical studies to facilitate the successfulaccomplishment of the scheme. When the structure was completed and Leodeclared herself perfectly satisfied with the result, it was her unclewho had proposed to celebrate her twenty-fourth birthday by a mask-ballin which every costume should be classic, distinctively Roman or Greek;and where the mulsum dispensed to the guests should be mixed in agenuine Cratera. To this brilliant fete, one cloudless June night, friends from distantStates were invited; and fragrant with the breath of its glowing roses, the occasion became memorable, embalmed forever in Leo's happy heart, because then and there, beside the fountain in the peristyle, she hadpledged her hand and faith to Mr. Dunbar. Sitting to-day in front of the library window, whence she had loopedback the crimson curtains, to admit the November sunshine, Leo wasabsorbed in reading the description of the private Ambar-valiacelebrated by Marius at "White Nights". Under the spell of the Apostleof Culture, whose golden precept: "BE PERFECT IN REGARD TO WHAT IS HEREAND NOW, " had appealed powerfully to her earnest exalted nature, shefailed to observe the signals of her pet ring-doves cooing on the ledgeoutside. Finally their importunate tapping on the glass arrested herattention, and she raised the sash and scattered a handful of rice andmillet seed; whereupon a cloud of dainty wings swept down, and into thelibrary, hovering around her sunny head, and pecking the food from heropen palms. One dove seemed particularly attracted by the glitter ofthe diamond in her engagement ring, and perched on her wrist, maderepeated attempts to dislodge the jewel from its crown setting. Playfully she shook it off several times, and amused by itspertinacity, finally closed her hands over it, and rubbed her softcheek against the delicate silvery plumage. "No, no, you saucy scamp! I can't afford to feed you on diamonds frommy sacred ring! Did you get your greedy nature from some sable Dodoneanancestress? If we had lived three thousand years ago, I might besuperstitious, and construe your freak into an oracular protest againstmy engagement. Feathered augurs survive their shrines. Clear out! youheretic!" As she tossed it into the garden and closed the window, the portiere ofthe library was drawn aside, and her maid approached, followed by afemale figure draped in a shawl and wearing a lofty turban. "Miss Leo, Aunt Dyce wants to see you on some particular business. " "Howdy do, Aunt Dyce? It is a long time since you paid us a visit. Justine, push up a chair for her, and then open the cages and let thebirds out for an hour. What is the matter, Aunt Dyce, you looktroubled? Sit down, and tell me your tribulations. " "Yes, Miss Leo, I am in deep waters; up to my chin in trouble, and myheart is dragging me down; for it's heavier 'an a bushel of lead. Youdon't remember your own ma, do you?" "I wish I did; but I was only five months old when I lost her. " "Well, if she was living to-day, she would stretch her two hands andpull me out of muddy waves; and that's why I have come to you. You see, Miss Marcia and my young Mistiss, Miss Ellice, was bosom friends, playmates, and like sisters. They named their dolls after one another, and many a time your ma brought her wax doll to our house, for me todress it just like Miss Ellice's, 'cause I was the seamstus in ourfamily, and I always humored the childun about their doll clothes. Theyhad their candy pullins, and their birthday frolics, and their shetlan'ponies no bigger 'an dogs, and, oh Lord! what blessed happy times themwas! Now, your ma's in glory, and you is the richest belle in theState; and my poor young mistiss is in the worst puggatory, the onethat comes before death; and her child, her daughter that oughter beliving in style at 'Elm Bluff', like you are here, where is she? Whereis she? Flung down among vilyans and mallyfactors, and the veryoff-scourings of creation, in the penitenchery! Tears to me like, ifold mistiss is as high-headed and proud as she was in this world, herspeerit would tear down the walls and set her grandchild free. When Isaw that beautiful young thing beating her white hands agin the ironbars, it went to my heart like a carving knife, and--" Dyce burst into tears, and covered her face with her apron, Leo pattedher shoulder softly, and essayed to comfort her. "Don't cry so bitterly; try to be hopeful. It is very, very sad, but ifshe is innocent, her stay in prison will be short. " "There ain't no 'ifs'--when it comes to 'cusing my mistiss' child ofstealing and murdering. Suppose the sheriff was to light down here thisminute, and grab you up and tell folks 'spectable witnesses swore youbroke open your Uncle Mitchell's safe, and brained him with a handi'on?Would you think it friendly for people to say, if she didn't they willsoon turn her aloose? Would that be any warm poultice to your hurtfeelin's? It's the stinging shame and the awful, disgrace of being'spicioned, that you never would forgive. " "Yes, it is very dreadful, and I pity the poor girl; but it seems thatappearances are all against her, and I fear she will find it difficultto explain some circumstances. " "If your ma was here to-day, she wouldn't say that. When she was afriend, she was stone deaf and mole blind to every evil report aginthem she loved. Miss Marcia would go straight to that jail, and put herarms 'round Miss Ellice's child, and stand by her till her last breath;and the more she was pussecuted, the closer she would stick. Miss Leo, you must take your ma's place, you must heir her friendship just likeyou do her other property. I have come to you, 'cause I am going awayto New York, and can't feel easy 'till you promise me you will do whatyou can. Miss Ellice is laying at the pint of death, and her poor childis so deestracted about her needing comforts, that I tole her I'de goon an' nuss her ma for her, 'till she was sot free and could hurryback. I dreampt last night that ole mistiss called me and Bedney, andsaid 'Take good care of Ellice'; and I got right out of bed and packedmy trunk. I'm just from the penitenchery, and that poor tormented childdon't know me, don't know nothing. Trouble have run her plum crazy, andwhat with brain fever and them lie-yers, God only knows what's tobecome of her. Handi'ons ain't the only godforsaken things folks aremurdered with. Miss Leo, promise me you will go to see her while I amgone, and 'tend to it that she has good nussing. " "I will do what is possible for her comfort; and as it will be anexpensive journey to you, I will also help you to pay your passage toNew York. How much money--" "I don't want your money, Miss Leo. Bedney and me never is beholdin' tonobody for money. We was too sharp to drap our savings in the'Freedman's Bank', 'cause we 'spicioned the bottom was not sodderedtight, and Marster's britches' pocket was a good enough bank for us. Wedon't need to beg, borrow, nor steal. As I tole you, I was theseamstress, and just before Miss Ellice run away from the school, olemistiss had a fine lot of bran-new clothes made ready for her when shecome home to be a young lady. She never did come home, and when olemistiss died I jist tuck them new clothes I had made, and packed 'em ina wooden chist, and kept 'em hid away; 'cause I was determed nobody butMiss Ellice should wear 'em. I've hid 'em twenty-three years, and nowI've had 'em done up, and one-half I tuck to that jail, for that pooryoung thing, and the rest of 'em I'm gwine to carry to Miss Ellice. They shan't need money nor clothes; for Bedney and me has got too muchfamly pride to let outsiders do for our own folks; but Miss Leo, youcan do what nobody else in this wide world can. I ain't a gwine to walkthe devil 'round the stump, and you mustn't take no 'fence when I jumpsplum to the pint. Mars Lennox is huntin' down Miss Ellice's child likea hungry hound runs a rabbit, and I want you to call him off. If hethinks half as much of you as he oughter, you can stop him. Oh, MissLeo, for God's sake--call him off--muzzle him!" Leo rose haughtily, and a quick flush fired her cheek; but as shelooked at the old woman's quivering mouth and streaming eyes, compassion arrested her displeasure. "Aunt Dyce, there are some things with which ladies should not meddle;and I cannot interfere with any gentleman's business affairs. " "Oh, honey! if Miss Marcia was living, she wouldn't say that! She wouldjust put her arm round Miss Beryl and tell Mars Lennox: 'If you help tohang my friend's child, you shan't marry my daughter!' Your ma hadpluck enuff to stop him. Mark what I say; that poor child is innercent, and the Lord will clear up everything some day, and then He willrequire the blood of them that condemned the innercent. Suppos'nappearances are agin her? Wasn't appearances all agin Joseph's bruthrenwhen the money and the silver cup was found in their bags, and themafleein home? And if the 'Gyptian lie-yers could have got their clawson that case, don't you know they would have proved them innercent boysguilty, and a hung em? Oh, I am afeerd of Mars Lennox, for he favorshis pa mightily; he has got the keenest scent of all the pack; and hewent up yonder, and 'cused, and 'bused, and browbeat and aggervated andtormented that poor, helpless young creetur, 'till she fell down in adead faint on the jail floor; and sence then, the Doctor says her mindis done clean gone. Don't get mad with me, Miss Leo; I am bound toclare my conscience, and now I have done all I could, I am gwine toleave my poor young mistiss' child in God's hands, and in yourn, MissLeo; and when I come back, you must gim'me an account of yourstewudship. You are enuff like Miss Marcia, not to shirk your duty; andas you do, by that pussecuted child, I pray the Lord to do by you. " She seized Leo's hand, kissed it, and left the room. For some moments Leo sat, with one finger between the creamy leaves ofher favorite book, but the charm was broken; her thoughts wandered farfrom the stories of Apuleius, and the oration of Aurelius, and aftermature deliberation, she put aside the volume and rang the library bell. "Justine, is Mrs. Graham here?" "She is coming now; I see the carriage at the gate. " "Do not invite her into Aunt Patty's room, until I have seen her. TellAndrew to harness Gypsy, and bring my phaeton to the door; and Justine, carry my felt hat, driving gloves and fur jacket to Aunt Patty's room. " Confined to her bed by a severe attack of her chronic foe, inflammatoryrheumatism, Miss Dent had sent for her dearest friend and faithfulcolleague in church work, Mrs. Graham, who came to spend a day andnight, and discuss the affairs of the parish. "Aunt Patty, Mrs. Graham is in the parlor, and as I am well aware youcan both cheerfully dispense with my society for the present, I amgoing into town. Dyce Darrington has been here, and I have promised togo and see that unfortunate girl who is in prison. " "Leo Gordon, you don't mean to tell me that you are going into thepenitentiary!" "Why not?" "It is highly improper for a young lady to visit such places, and I amastonished that you should feel any inclination to see the countenancesof the depraved wretches herded there. I totally disapprove of such anincomprehensible freak. " "Then I will hold the scheme in abeyance, until I ask Uncle Mitchell'sadvice. I shall call at his office, and request him to go with me. " "Don't you know that the Grand Jury brought in a true bill against thatyoung woman? She is indicted for murder, robbery and the destruction ofher grandfather's will. Mitchell tells me the evidence is overwhelmingagainst her, and you know he was disposed to defend her at first. " "Yes, Aunty. I am aware that everything looks black for the unfortunategirl; but I learn she is very ill, and as it cannot possibly injure meto endeavor to contribute to her physical comfort. I shall go and secher, unless Uncle Mitchell refuses his consent to my visit to theprison. " "But, Leo, what do you suppose Mr. Dunbar will think and say, when hehears of this extraordinary procedure?" "Mr. Dunbar is neither the custodian of my conscience, nor the guardianand dictator of my actions. Good-bye, Aunty dear. Justine, show Mrs. Graham in. " "Mr. Dunbar will never forgive such a step; because, like all othermen, no matter how much license he allows himself, he is very exactingand fastidious about the demeanor of his lady-love. " "I shall not ask absolution of Mr. Dunbar, and I hope my womanlyintuitions are a safer and more refined guide, than any man'sfastidiousness. Remember, Aunt Patty, religion's holiest work consistsin ministering to souls steeped in sin. Are we too pure to follow whereChrist led the way?" CHAPTER XI. "Madam, I ordered the prisoner's head shaved. Did you understand myinstructions?" "Yes, sir. " "Why were my orders not obeyed?" "Because I don't intend you shall make a convict of her, before she hasbeen tried and sentenced. She has the most glorious suit of hair I everlooked at, and I shall save it till the last moment. Doctor Moffat, youneed not swear and fume, for I don't allow even my husband to talk uglyto me. You directed a blister put on the back of the neck, as close aspossible to the skull; it is there, and it is drawing fast enough tosatisfy any reasonable person. I divided the hair into four braids andplaited them, and you can see I have hung up the ends here just looseenough to save any pulling, and yet the hair is out of the way, so thatI keep her head cool with this India-rubber ice-bag. I will beresponsible for the blister. " Mrs. Singleton spread her arms over the sick girl, as a hen sheltersher brood from a swooping hawk. "But, Susie, the Doctor knows better what is--" "Hush, Ned. Perhaps he does; but I 'detailed' myself to nurse thiscase; and I don't propose to surrender all my common sense, and all mywomanly judgment, and maternal experience, in order to keep the Doctorin a good humor. I will have my own head shaved before hers shall betouched. " Mr. Singleton discreetly withdrew from the conference, softly closingthe door behind him; and Doctor Moffat bent over the thermometer withwhich he was testing the temperature. When he raised his head, a kindlysmile lurked in his deep set eyes: "I can't afford to quarrel with you, madam; you are too faithful andwatchful a nurse. After all, the chances are, that it will ultimatelymake very little difference; she grows worse so rapidly. I will come inagain before bed-time, and meanwhile make no change in the medicine. " The warden's wife replenished the ice in a bowl, whence a tube suppliedthe cap or bag on the head of the sufferer, and taking a child's apronfrom her work-basket on the floor, resumed her sewing. After a while, the door opened noiselessly, and glancing up, she saw Mr. Dunbar. "May I come in?" "Yes. You need repentance; and this is a good place to begin. " "Is there any change?" "Only for the worse. No need now to tip-toe; she is beyond beingdisturbed by noise. I think the first sound she will notice, will bethe harps of the angels. " "I trust the case is not so hopeless?" "Queer heart you must have! You are afraid she will slip through yourfingers, and get to heaven without the help of the gallows and theblack cap? Death cheats even the lawyers, sometimes, and seems to besnatching at your prey. You don't believe in prayer, and you have notime to waste that way. I do; and I get down here constantly on myknees, and pray to my God to take this poor young thing out of theworld now, before you all convict her, and punish her for crimes shenever committed. " "Madam, her conviction would grieve me as much as it possibly couldyou; and unless she can vindicate herself, I earnestly hope she maynever recover her consciousness. " The unmistakable sincerity of his tone surprised the little woman, andscanning him keenly as he stood, hat in hand, at the foot of the cot, her heart relented toward him. "You still consider her guilty?" "Since my last interview with her, I have arrived at no conclusion. Whether she be innocent or guilty, is known only by her, and her God. All human judgments in such cases are but guesses at the truth. Is sheentirely unconscious, or has she lucid intervals?" "Mr. Dunbar, on your honor as a gentleman, answer me. Are you herehunting evidence on a death-bed? Would you be so diabolical as to useagainst her any utterances of delirium?" The flash of his eyesreminded her of the peculiar blue flame that leaps from a glowing bedof anthracite coal; and she had her reply before his lips moved. "Am I a butcher, madam? Your insinuations are so insulting to mymanhood, that it is difficult for me to remember my interrogator is alady; doubly difficult for me to show you the courtesy your sexdemands. Sooner than betray the secrets of a sick room, or violate thesanctity of the confidence which that poor girl's condition enjoins, Iwould cut off my right arm. " "I intend no discourtesy, sir; but my feelings are so deeply enlisted, that I cannot stop to choose and pick phrases, in talking to the personwho caused that child to be shut up here. She thinks you are the mostvindictive and dangerous enemy she has; and I had no reason tocontradict her. Don't be offended, Mr. Dunbar. " He deigned no answer, but the dilation of his thin nostrils, and thestern contraction of his handsome lips, attested his wrath. Mrs. Singleton rose and laid her fingers on his coat sleeve. "If I felt sure I could trust you--" "I decline your confidence. Madam, if I could only tell you, that yourvile suspicions are too contemptible to merit the indignation theyarouse, I should to some extent feel relieved. " "Then having said it, I will let you off without an apology; and wipethe slate, and start fresh. You are sensitive about your honor, and Iam determined to find out just how much it is worth. Trusting you as anhonorable gentleman, I am going to ask you to do something for me, which may be of service to my patient; and I ask it, because I haveunlimited faith in your skill. Find out who 'Ricordo' is. " "Why? I must thoroughly understand the import of whatever I undertake, and if your reasons are too sacred to be communicated to me, you mustselect some other agent. I do not solicit your confidence, mark you;but I must know all, or nothing. " "The day she was taken so ill, I was undressing her, and she looked atme very strangely, and said she believed she was losing her mind. Thenshe raised her hands and prayed: "'Lord, be merciful! Lord, seal my lips! Seal my lips!' "Since then she has not known me, but several times she cried out'Ricordo'! Last night she sat up suddenly, and stared at something sheseemed to see right before her in the air. She shook her head at first, and said--'Oh, no! it cannot be possible'. Then she clutched at someinvisible object, and a look of horror came into her eyes. She struckher palms together, and I never heard such an agonizing cry, 'There isno help! I must believe it--oh Ricordo!--Ricordo--Ricordo'. She fellback and shivered as if she had an ague. I tried to soothe her, andtold her she had a bad dream. She kept saying: 'Oh, horrible--it was, it was Ricordo!' Once, early this morning, she pulled me down to herand whispered: 'Don't tell mother--it would break her heart to know itwas Ricordo!' She has not spoken distinctly since, though she muttersto herself. Now, Mr. Dunbar, if I did not feel as sure of her innocenceas I am of my own, I should never tell you this; but I want your aid tohunt and catch this 'Ricordo', because I am satisfied it will help toclear her. " "Was it not 'Ricardo'?" "No, sir--it sounded as if spelled with an o not an a--and it was'Ricordo'. " "Ricardo is a proper name, but I am under the impression that 'Ricordo'is an Italian word that means simply a remembrance, a souvenir, sometimes a warning. I am glad, however, to have the clue, and I willdo all I can to discover what connection exists between that word, andthe crime. Can you tell me nothing more?" "Sometimes she seems to be drawing and painting, and talks to herfather about pictures; and once she said: 'Hush! hush--mother is ill. She must not know I died, because I promised her I would beareverything. She made me promise'. " At this moment the keen wail of a young child, summoned the warden'swife to her own apartment, and Mr. Dunbar sat down in the rocking-chairbeside the iron cot. In that strange terra incognita, the realm of psychology, are therehidden laws that defy alike the ravages of cerebral disease, and theintuitions of the moral nature; inexorable as the atomic affinities, the molecular attractions that govern crystallization? Is the daydawning, when the phenomena of hypnotism will be analyzed andformulated as accurately as the symbols of chemistry, or theconstituents of protoplasm, or the weird chromatics of spectroscopy?Beryl's head, that hitherto had turned restlessly on its pillow, becamemotionless; the closed eyes opened suddenly, fastened upon thelawyer's; and some inexplicable influence impelled her to stretch outher hand to him. "Tiberius, you have come for me. " "I have come to ask if you are better to-day. " Her burning fingers closed tightly over his, and the fever flame lentan indescribable splendor to eyes that seemed to penetrate his heart. Bending over her, he gently lifted a shining fold of hair from herwhite temple, and still clasping her hand, said in a low voice: "Beryl, do you know me? Are you better?" "Wait till I finish the sketch from San Michele. After I am hung, youwill sell it. The light is so lovely. " Up and down, her right hand moved through the air, making imaginarystrokes as on canvas, but her luminous gaze, held by some powerfulfascination, never left his. The gray depths had darkened, swallowed bythe widening pupils that made them almost black; and as Mr. Dunbarrecognized the complete surrender of physical and mental faculties, herhelplessness stirred some unknown sea of tenderness in the man's hard, practical, realistic nature. Phlegmatic rather than emotional, and wholly secretive, he hadaccustomed himself to regard romantic ideality, and susceptibility tosentimentality as a species of intellectual anaemia; holding himselfalways thoroughly in hand, when subjected to the softening influencesthat now and then invaded professional existence, and melted theconventional selfish crust over the hearts of his colleagues, as thewarm lips and balmy breath of equatorial currents kiss away the jaggedledges of drifting icebergs. In his laborious life, that which isordinarily denominated "love" had been so insignificant a factor, thathe had never computed its potentiality; much less realized itstremendous importance in solving the problem of his social, financial, and professional success. Beauty had not allured, nor grace enthralledhis fancy; and his betrothal was a mere incident in the quiet tenor ofbusiness routine, a necessary means for the accomplishment of acherished plan. To-day, while those hot slender fingers clung to his, and he leanedover the pillow, watching his victim, a rising tide surged, rolled upfrom some unexplored ocean of strange sensations, and its devouringwaves threatened to demolish and engulf the stately structure pride andambition had combined to rear. A brilliant alliance that insured greatwealth, that promised a secure stepping-stone to political preferment, was apparently a substantial bulwark against the swelling billows of anunaccountable whim; yet he was impotent to resist the yearningtenderness which impelled him to forget all else, in one determinedeffort to rescue and shelter the life he had been the chief agent inimperilling. Clear eyed, keen witted, he did not for an instant deceivehimself; and he knew that neither compassion for misfortune, nor yet achivalrous remorse for having consigned a helpless woman to a dungeon, explained this new emotion that threatened to dominate all others. Cool reason assured him that under existing entanglements, the girl'sspeedy death would prove the most felicitous solution of this devouringriddle, which so unexpectedly crossed his smooth path; then what meantthe vehement protest of his throbbing heart, the passionate longing tosnatch her from disease, and disgrace, and keep her safe forever in theclose cordon of his arms? The door was cautiously opened and closed, and noiselessly as aphantom, Leo Gordon stood within the room. One swift survey enabled herto grasp all the details. The small, comfortless, dismal apartment, thebarred narrow window, the bare floor, the low iron cot in one corner, with its beautiful burden; the watching attitude of the man, who foryears had possessed her heart. Resting one elbow on his knee, his chinleaned on his left hand, but the light fell full on his handsome face, and she started, marvelled at the expression of the brilliant eyesfixed upon the sufferer; eyes suffused and eloquent with tenderness, never before seen in their cold sparkling depths. Mighty indeed must be the compassion, evocative of that intenseyearning look in his usually guarded, irresponsive countenance. Apainfully humiliating sense of her own personal incompetence to arousethe feeling, so legibly printed on her lover's features, jarred uponLeo's heart like a twanging dissonance breaking the harmonious flow ofminor chords; but a noble pity strangled this jealous thrill, and shesoftly approached the cot. The rustle of her dress attracted his attention, and glancing up, hesaw his betrothed at his side. One might have counted ten, while theysilently regarded each other; and as if conscious of having unmaskedsome disloyalty, scarcely yet acknowledged to himself, haughty defiancehardened and darkened his face. Involuntarily his hold on Beryl'sfingers tightened. "Prison wards are not proper fields for the cultivation and display ofMiss Gordon's amateur kid glove charity. I hope, at least, it was aspecies of exaggerated high-flown sentimentality, rather than merefeminine curiosity that tempted you to precincts revolting to thedelicacy and refinement with which my imagination invested you. " "My motives I shall not submit to the crucible of your criticism; and alittle reflection will probably suggest to you, that perhaps you areunduly enlarging the limits, and prematurely exercising the rights ofanticipated censorship. There are blunders that trench closely upon theborders of crime, and if professional zeal has betrayed you into thecommission of a great wrong upon an innocent woman, it is a sacred dutyto your victim, as well as my privilege as your betrothed, to alleviateher suffering as much as possible, and to repair the injury for whichyou are responsible. When human life and reputation are at stake, hypercritical fastidiousness is less pardonable than the deplorablemistake that endangers both. " "And if I have not blundered; and she be guilty?" "Then your presence here, can only be explained by motives so malignantand contemptible, that I blush to ascribe them to you. " "If I am morbidly sensitive about your line of conduct you shouldunderstand and pardon my jealous espionage. " "If I, realizing that you are act infallible, entertain a nervous dreadthat unintentionally you may have inflicted an irreparable wrong, youat least should not feel offended, because I am sensitive as regardsreflections upon your honor as a gentleman, and your astuteness as alawyer. " Her fair face had flushed; his grew pale. "Leo, is this to be our first quarrel?" "If so, you are entitled to the role of protagonist. " He put out his left hand, and took hers, while his right was closelyclasping one that lay upon the chintz coverlid. What strange obliquity of vision, what inscrutable perversity possessedhim, he asked himself, as he looked up at the slight elegant figure, clad in costly camel's-hair garments, with Russian sables wrapped abouther delicate throat, with a long drifting plume casting flickeringshadows over her sweet flowerlike face; the attractive embodiment ofpatrician birth and environment of riches, and all that the worldvalues most--then down at the human epitome of wretchedness, represented by a bronze-crowned head, with singularly magnetic eyes, crimsoned cheeks, and a perfect mouth, whose glowing, fever-rouged lipswere curved in a shadowy smile, as she muttered incoherently ofincidents, connected with the life of a poverty-stricken adventuress?Was friendly fate flying danger signals by arranging and accentuatingthis vivid contrast, in order to recall his vagrant wits, to cement hiswavering allegiance? He was a brave man, but he shivered slightly, as he confronted his owninsurgent and defiant heart; and involuntarily, his fingers droppedLeo's, and his right hand tightened on the hot palm throbbing againstit. On that dark tossing main, where delirium drove Beryl's consciousnessto and fro like a rudderless wreck, did some mysterious communion ofspirits survive? Did some subtle mesmeric current telegraph her soul, that her foul wrongs were at last avenged? Whatever the cause, certainly a strangely clear, musical laugh broke suddenly from herlovely lips, mingled with a triumphant "Che sara, sara!" The heavy lidsslowly drooped, the head turned wearily away. Smothering a long drawn sigh, which his pride throttled, Mr. Dunbarrose and stood beside his fiancee. "You have been feeling her pulse, how is the fever?" asked Leo. "About as high as it can mount. The pulse is frightfully rapid. I didnot even attempt to count it. " "Mrs. Singleton tells me she is entirely unconscious--recognizes noone. " "At times, I think she has partly lucid glimpses; for instance, alittle while ago she called me 'Tiberius', the same appellation sheunaccountably bestowed on me the day of her preliminary examination. Evidently she associates me with every cruel, brutal monster, and evenin delirium maintains her aversion. " Miss Gordon's hand stole into his, pressing it gently in muteattestation of sympathy. After a moment, she said in a low tone: "She is very beautiful. What a noble, pure face? How exquisitely turnedher white throat, and wrists, and hands. " He merely inclined his head in assent. "It seems a profanation to connect the idea of crime with so lovely andrefined a woman. Lennox?" He turned, and looked into her brown eyes, which were misty with tears. "Well, my dear Leo, what is burdening your generous heart?" "Do you, can you, believe her guilty? Her whole appearance is apowerful protest. " "Appearances are sometimes fatally false. I think you told me, that thepurest and loveliest face, guileless as an angel's, that you saw inEurope, was a portrait of Vittoria Accoramboni; yet she was veritablythe 'White Devil', 'beautiful as the leprosy, dazzling as thelightning'. Do I believe her guilty? From any other lips than yours, Ishould evade the question; but I proudly acknowledge your right to anexpression of my opinion, when--" "I withdraw the question, because I arrogate no 'rights'. I merelydesire the privilege of sympathizing, if possible, with your views; ofsharing your anxiety in a matter involving such vital consequences. Privilege is the gift of affection; right, the stern allotment of law. Tell me nothing now; I shall value much more the privilege of receivingyour confidence unsolicited. " He took both her hands, drew her close to him, and looked steadily downinto her frank tender eyes. "Thank you, my dear Leo. Only your own noble self could so delicatelyseek to relieve me from a painful embarrassment; but our relationsinvest you with both rights and privileges, which for my sake at least, I prefer you should exercise. You must allow me to conclude mysentence; you are entitled to my opinion--when matured. As far as I amcapable of judging, the evidence against her is--overwhelminglycondemnatory. I thought so before her arrest; believed it when herpreliminary examination ended, and subsequent incidents strengthen andconfirm that opinion; yet a theory has dawned upon me, that maypossibly lighten her culpability. I need not tell you, that I feelacutely the responsibility of having brought her here for trial, andespecially of her present pitiable condition, which causes me sleeplessnights. If she should live, I shall make some investigation in adistant quarter, which may to some extent exculpate her, by proving heran accessory instead of principal. My--generous Leo, you shall be thefirst to whom I confide my solution--when attained. I am sorelypuzzled, and harassed by conflicting conjectures; and you must bepatient with me, if I appear negligent or indifferent to the privilegesof that lovely shrine where my homage is due. " "If you felt less keenly the distressing circumstances surrounding you, I should deeply regret my misplaced confidence in your character; andcertainly you must acquit me of the selfishness that could desire toengross your attention at this juncture. " Desirous of relieving him of all apprehension relative to a possiblemisconstruction of his motives and conduct, she left one hand in his, and laid the other with a caressing touch on his arm; an unprecedenteddemonstration, which at any other time would have surprised and charmedhim. "Ah, what a melancholy sight! So much delicate refined beauty, in thishorrible lair of human beasts! Lennox, let us hope that the mercy ofGod will call her speedily to His own bar of justice, before shesuffers the torture and degradation of trial, by earthly tribunals. " She felt the slight shudder that crept over him, the sudden start withwhich he dropped her hand, and bent once more over the cot. "God forbid she should die now, leaving the burden of her murder on mysoul!" His countenance was averted, but the ferver of his adjuration filledher with a vague sense of painful foreboding. "Is it friendly to desire the preservation of a life, whose probablegoal seems the gallows, or perpetual imprisonment? Poor girl! In thechoice of awful alternatives, death would come here as an angel ofmercy. " Leo took Beryl's hand in hers, and tears filled her eyes as she notedthe symmetry of the snowy fingers, the delicate arch of the blackbrows, the exceeding beauty of the waving outline where the richmahogany-hued hair touched the forehead and temples, that gleamed likepolished marble. "Is it friendly to wish an innocent girl to go down into her grave, leaving a name stained for all time by suspicion, if not absoluteconviction of a horrible crime?" Mr. Dunbar spoke through set teeth, and Leo's astonishment at theexpression of his countenance, delayed an answer, which was preventedby the entrance of Mrs. Singleton. "Miss Gordon, your uncle wishes to know whether you are ready to gohome; as he has an engagement that calls him away?" Did Leo imagine the look of relief that seemed to brighten Mr. Dunbar'sface, as he said promptly: "With your permission, I will see you safely down stairs, and commityou to Judge Dent's care. " Standing beside the cot, she watched Mrs. Singleton measure themedicine from a vial into a small glass. When the warden's wife kneltdown, and putting one arm under the pillow elevated it slightly, whileshe held the glass to the girl's lips, Beryl attempted to push it aside. "Take it for me, dear child; it will make you sleep, and ease yourpain. " The beautiful eyes regarded her wistfully, then wandered to the face ofthe lawyer and rested, spellbound. "Here, swallow this. It is not bad to take. " Mrs. Singleton patted her cheek and again essayed to administer thedraught, but without success. "Let me try. " Mr. Dunbar took the glass, but as he bent down, the girl began toshiver as though smitten with a mortal chill. She writhed away, put outher shuddering hands to ward it off; and starting up, her eyes filledwith a look of indescribable horror and loathing, as she cried out: "Ricordo! Oh, mother--it is Ricordo! I see, it! Father--it was my Peglihandkerchief!--with the fuchsias you drew! Father--ask Christ to pityme!" She sank back quivering with dread, pitiable to contemplate; but aftera few moments her hands sought each other, and her trembling lips movedevidently in prayer, though the petition was inaudible. Mrs. Singletonsponged her forehead with iced water, and by degrees the convulsiveshivering became less violent. The wise nurse began in a subdued toneto sing slowly, "Nearer my God to Thee, " and after a little while, thesufferer grew still, the heavy lids lifted once or twice, then closed, and the laboring brain seized on some new vision in the world offevered dreams. Mrs. Singleton took the medicine from the attorney, and put it aside. "Sleep is her best physic. When these nervous shivers come on, I find ahymn chanted, soothes her as it does one of my babies. Poor child! shemakes my heart ache so sometimes, that I want to scream the pain away. How people with any human nature left in them, can look at her andlisten to her pitiful cries to her dead father, and her dying mother, and her far-off God, and then believe that her poor beautiful handscould shed blood, passes my comprehension; and all such ought to go onfour feet, and browse like other brutes. I am poor, but I vow beforethe Lord, that I would not stand in your shoes, Mr. Dunbar, for all thegold in the Government vaults, and all the diamonds in Brazil. " Tears were dripping on the costly furs about Leo's neck, as she movedcloser to the attorney, and linked her arm in his: "Mr. Dunbar, we will detain my uncle no longer. Mrs. Singleton has toldme, that one of her children is ill, had a spasm last night; and sincematernal duties are most imperative, it is impossible for her to giveundivided attention to this poor sufferer. If you will kindly take medown stairs, I will call at the 'Sheltering Arms', and secure theservices of one of the 'Sisters' who is an experienced nurse. This willrelieve Mrs. Singleton, and we shall all feel assured that our poorgirl has careful and tender watching, and every comfort that anxioussympathy can provide. " CHAPTER XII. It was midnight in November, keenly cold, but windless; and in thepurplish sky, the wintry crown of stars burned with silvery lustre, unlike the golden glow of constellations throbbing in sultry summer, and their white fires sparkled, flared as if blown by interstellarstorms. The large family of Lazarus huddled over dying embers ondarkening hearths, and shivered under scanty shreds of covering; butthe house of Dives was alight with the soft radiance of wax candles, fragrant with the warm aroma of multitudinous exotics, and brimmingwith waves of riotous music, on which merry-hearted favorites offashion swam in measured mazes. The "reception" given by Judge Parkmanto the Governor and his staff, on the occasion of a review of Statetroops at X--, was at its height; and several counties had been skimmedfor the creme de la creme of most desirable representatives of wit, wealth and beauty. Miss Gordon had arrived unusually late, and as she entered the room, leaning on her uncle's arm, she noticed that Mr. Dunbar was the centreof a distinguished group standing under the chandelier. He was gentlyfanning his hostess, who stood beside the Governor, and evidently hewas narrating some spicy incident, or uttering some pungent witticism, whereat all laughed heartily. The light fell full on his fine figure, which rose above all surrounding personages, and was faultlesslyapparelled in evening dress; and Leo's heart filled with tender pride, at the consciousness that he was all her own. The exigencies ofetiquette prevented for more than an hour any nearer approach, but whenMr. Dunbar had rendered "Caesar's things" to social Caesar, and paidtribute of bows, smiles, compliments and persiflage into the coffer ofcustom, he made his way through the throng, to the spot where hisbetrothed stood resting after her third dance. "Will Miss Gordon grant me a promenade in lieu of the dance, whichmisfortunes conspired to prevent me from securing earlier in theevening?" He drew her hand under his arm, and his eyes ran with proprietorialfreedom over the details of her costume, pale blue satin, creamy foamof white lace, soft sheen of large pearls, and bouquet of exquisitehalf blown La France roses. Since their betrothal, he had claimed the privilege of sending theflowers she wore, on special occasions, and she had invariablyexpressed her appreciation through the dainty lips of a boutonnierearranged by her own fingers. Now while he recognized the roses restingon her corsage, her eyes dwelt on her favorite double lilac violets, nestling in the buttonhole of his coat. "You were very late to-night. I loitered in ambush about the precinctsof the dressing-room, hoping for the pleasure of conducting youdown-stairs; but 'the best laid schemes o' mice and men gang aftaglee', and I became the luckless prey of similar tactics. Thatmarauding Tomyris, Mrs. Halsey, sallied out at the head of her columnof daughters, espied me lurking behind the portiere, and proclaimingher embarras de richesse, 'paid me the compliment' of consigning onefair campaigner, Miss Eloise Hermione, to my care. Fancy the strain oncourtesy, as I accepted my 'quite unexpected good fortune'!" He spoke with a nervous rapidity, at variance with his usualimperturbable deliberateness of manner, and she thought she had neverseen his eyes so restless and brilliant. "I was unusually late, owing to the fact that the Governor and staffdined with Uncle Mitchell, and they lingered so long over their cigarsand wine, that I was delayed in the drawing-room, waiting for them;consequently was very late in changing my dress. We were sorry you wereprevented from joining us. Uncle pronounced the dinner a perfectsuccess; and certainly Governor Glenbeigh was in his happiest mood, andparticularly agreeable. " "Given his hostess, and entourage, could he possibly have been less?Rumor's hundred tongues wag with the announcement, that his Excellencyis no longer inconsolable for his wife's death; and desires to testifyto the happiness of conjugal relations, by a renewal of the sweetbondage; a curiously subtile compliment to the deceased. If I may bepardoned the enormity of the heresy, I think Shakspeare blunderedsupremely, when he gave Iago's soul to a man. Diabolical cunning, shrewd malevolence pure and simple, armed with myriads of stings forhypodermic incisions that poison a man's blood, should be appropriatelycostumed in a moss-green velvet robe, should wear frizzled bangs asyellow as yonder bouquet of Marechal Neils, so suggestive of thewarning flag flying over pest-houses!" "It is very evident you are not equally generous in surrendering theamiability of Timon, along with the depravity of Iago, to the arsenalof feminine weapons. What corroding mildew of discontent has fallenfrom Mrs. Parkman's velvet dress, and rusted the bright blade of yourchivalry?" "The very breath of Iago, filling my ears and firing my heart with thearchitectural details of her coveted 'castle in Spain. ' Glenbeigh isher cousin. The ladder of his preferment is set up before my eyes, andhis Excellency springs up the rounds, from Governor to Senatorship, thence to a place in the Cabinet, certainly to an important foreignembassy; where, in the eternal fitness of things, somebody, somebodywith tender brown eyes like a thrush's, and the voice of a siren, andthe red lips of Hebe--will be invited to reign as l'ambassadrice! If Iam not as mad with jealous despair as Othello, attribute my escapeeither to a sublime faith in your adorable constancy andincorruptibility, or to my own colossal vanity, fatuous beyondabsolution. " He pressed her arm closer to his side, and covered with one hand thegloved fingers resting on his sleeve; then added: "You must permit me to congratulate you upon your beautiful toiletteto-night. The harmony of the dress, and the grace of the wearer leavenothing to be desired. Although debarred the pleasure of dining withyou, I had hoped to enter, at least, with the coffee, but the freighttrain upon which I returned, was delayed; and I had no choice but toawait your arrival here. " He indulged so rarely in verbal compliments, that she flushed withprofound gratification at flip fervor of his tone. "I am glad you like my dress, to which your roses lend the loveliestgarniture. I was not aware that X--could furnish at this season suchsuperb La France buds. Where did you find them?" "They travelled several hundred miles, for the privilege of nestlingagainst my Leo's heart. " Spartan thieves are not the only heroic sufferers who smile and make nomoan, clasping close the hidden fangs ravening on their vitals. "As you mentioned in your note that very important business had calledyou unexpectedly away, I hope your mission proved both pleasant andsuccessful. " A shadow drifted over his countenance, like that cast by some summercloud long becalmed, which sets sail before a sudden gust. "Only a modicum of success to counterbalance the disagreeable featuresof a journey in a freight train caboose. " "Why do you hazard that dangerous schedule, instead of waiting for thepassenger express?" "Business exigencies narrow the limits of choice; moreover, had Iwaited for the express, I should have missed the coveted pleasure ofthis meeting with you. The rosy glamour of happy anticipation conquerseven the discomfort of a freight caboose. " Did she suspect that some sullen undercurrent of intense feeling drovethese eddying foam bells of flattery into the stream of conversation;or was her reply merely a chance ricochet shot, more accuratelyeffective than direct fire? "This afternoon I had a note from Sister Serena, asking for a fewarticles conducive to the comfort of a sick room; and I really cannotdetermine whether we should feel regret, or relief at the tidings thatthat unfortunate girl--can scarcely--" "Spare me the Egyptian mummy at my feast! The memento mori when I wouldfain forget. Let me inhale the perfume of your roses, without hearingthat possibly a worm battens on their petals. Will you ride with metomorrow afternoon?" "I am sorry that an engagement to dine will prevent, as the afternoonsare so short. " "Are you going to the Percy's?" "Yes. Will you not be there?" "Too bad! I have just declined attending that dinner, because I hadplanned the horseback ride. Formerly fate seemed to smile upon me; nowshe shows herself a scowling capricious beldam. I have lost thisevening, waiting to see you, and now, I must steal away unnoticed;because of an important matter which admits of no delay. Have youpromised to dance with Mayfield? Here he comes. Good-night, my dearLeo, expect to see me at 'The Lilacs' at the earliest possible moment. " Unobserved he made his escape, and hurried away. At a livery stable hestopped to order his horse saddled, and brought to his door, and a fewmoments later, stood before the grate in his law office, where the redglow of the coals had paled under ashy veils. From the letter-rack overthe mantel, he took a note containing only a line: "She has reached the crisis. We have no hope. " "SINGLETON. " In the hot embers, it smoked, shrivelled, disappeared; and the attorneycrossed his arms over his chest to crush back the heavy sigh strugglingfor escape. The long overcoat buttoned from throat to knee, enhancedhis height, and upon his stern, handsome features had settled anexpression of sorrowful perplexity; while his keen eyes showed thefeverish restlessness that, despite his efforts, betrayed heartache. Above the heads of the gay throng he had just left, he had seen allthat evening a slender white hand beckoning to him from the bars of adungeon; and dominating the music of the ball room, the laughter of itsdancers, had risen the desperate, accusing cry: "You have ruined my life!" Was it true, that his hand had dashed a foul blot of shame upon thefall pure page of a girl's existence, and written there the fatalfinis? If she died, could he escape the moral responsibility of havingbeen her murderer? Amid the ebb and flow of conflicting emotions, onegrim fact stared at him with sardonic significance. If he had ruinedher life, retribution promptly exacted a costly forfeit; and hishappiness was destined to share her grave. He neither analyzed nor understood the nature of the strangefascination which he had ineffectually striven to resist; and he groundhis teeth, and clinched his hands with impotent rage, under thestinging and humiliating consciousness that his unfortunate victim hadgrappled his heart to hers, and would hold it forever in bondage. Noother woman had ever stirred the latent and unsuspected depths of histenderness; but at the touch of her hand, the flood burst forth, sweeping aside every barrier of selfish interest, defying the rampartsof worldly pride. Guilty or innocent, he loved her; and thewretchedness he had inflicted, was recoiling swiftly upon himself. Unbuttoning his overcoat, he took from an inside pocket, the torn halfof a large envelope, and unlocking the drawer of his desk, hunted for asimilar fragment. Spreading them out before him, he fitted the zigzagedges with great nicety, and there lay the well-known superscription:"Last Will and Testament of Robert Luke Darrington. " One corner of thelast found bit was brown and mud-stained, but the handwriting was inperfect preservation. As he stooped to put it all back in a secretdrawer, something fell on the floor. He picked up the daintyboutonniere of pale sweet violets, and looked at it, while a frowndarkened his countenance, as though he recognized some plenipotentiarypleading for fealty to a sacred compact. "Poor Leo! how little she suspects disloyalty. How infinite is hertrust, and what a besotted ingrate I am!" He tossed the accusing flowers into the grate, took his riding-whip andwent down to the door, where his horse was champing the bit, and pawingwith impatience. Along the deserted streets, out of the sleeping town, he rode toward the long stone bridge that spanned the winding river. When he had reached the centre, his horse darted aside, because of thesudden leap of a black cat from the coping of the nearest pier, whenceshe sped on, keeping just ahead of him. The spectral sickle of a waningmoon hung on the edge of the sky, and up and down the banks of thestream floated phantoms of silvery mist, here covering the water withimpalpable wreaths, and there drifting away to enable Andromeda toprint her starry image on the glassy surface. Behind stretched the city, marked by lines of gas lamps; in front rosethe hill clothed with forests; and frowning down upon the rider, thehuge shadow of the dismal dungeon crouched like a stealthy beast readyto spring upon him. Dark as the deeds of its inmates, the mass of stoneblotted the sky, save in one corner, where a solitary light shonethrough iron lattice work. Was it a beacon of hope, or did the raysfall on features cold under the kiss of death? Spurring his horse up the rocky hill, Mr. Dunbar was greeted by thebaying of two bloodhounds within the enclosure; and soon after, Mr. Singleton conducted him up the steps leading to the room where Berylhad been placed. "She is alive; that is all. The doctor said she could not last tillmidnight, but it is now half-past one; and my wife has never lost hope. She has sent the nurse off to get some sleep, and you will find Susiein charge. " The hazel eyes of the gaoler's wife were humid with tears, as sheglanced up at the attorney, and motioned him to the low chair shevacated. "I knew you would come, and when I heard you gallop across the bridge, I sent Sister Serena off to bed. There is nothing to be done now, butwatch and pray. If she ever wakes in this world she will be rational, and she will get well. The nurse thinks she will pass away in thisstupor; but I have faith that she will not die, until she clears hername. " Nature makes some women experts in the fine art of interpretingcountenance and character, and by a mysterious and unerring divination, Mrs. Singleton knew that her visitor desired no companion in hisvigils; hence, after flitting about the room for a few moments, sheadded: "If you will sit here a while, I can look after my babies. Should anychange occur, tap at my door; I shall not be long away. " What a melancholy change in the sleeper, during the few days of hisabsence; how much thinner the hollow cheek, how sunken the closed eyes;how indescribably sharpened the outlines of each feature. The facewhich had formerly suggested some marble statue, had now the finertracery as of an exquisite cameo; and oblivion of all earthly ills hadset there the seal of a perfect peace. She lay so motionless, with herhands on her breast, that Mr. Dunbar bent his head close to hers, tolisten to her respiration; but no sound was audible, and when his eartouched her lips, their coldness sent a shiver of horror through hisstalwart frame. Pure as the satin folds of an annunciation lily pearledwith dew, was the smooth girlish brow, where exhaustion hung heavydrops; and about her temples the damp hair clung in glossy rings, framing the pallid, deathlike face. At her wrist, the fluttering thread eluded his grasp, and kneelingbeside the cot, he laid his head down on her breast, dreading to findno pulsation; but slow and faint, he felt the tired heart beat feeblyagainst his cheek; and tears of joy, that reason could neither explainnor justify, welled up and filled his eyes. Leaning his head on herpillow, he took one hand between both his, and watched the profoundsleep that seemed indeed twin sister of death. Softened by distance came the deep mellow sound of the city clockstriking two. Down among the willows fringing the river bank, somelonely water-fowl uttered its plaintive cry, whereat the bloodhoundsbayed hoarsely; then velvet-sandalled silence laid her soothing touchupon the world, and softly took all nature into her restful arms. In the searching communion which he held with his own heart, duringthat solemn watch, Mr. Dunbar thrust aside all quibbles and disguises, and accepted as unalterable, two conclusions. She was innocent of crime, and he loved her; but she knew who hadcommitted the murder, and would suffer rather than betray the criminal. The conjecture that she was shielding a lover, was accompanied by sokeen a pang of jealous pain, that it allowed him no room to doubt thenature or intensity of the feeling which she had inspired. In her wan loveliness, she seemed as stainless as a frozen snowdrop, and while his covetous gaze dwelt upon her he felt that he could layher in her coffin now, with less suffering, than see her live to giveher brave heart to any other man. To lift her spotless and untrampledfrom the mire of foul suspicion, where his hand had hurled her, was thesupreme task to which he proposed to devote his energies; butselfishness was the sharpest spur; she must be his, only his, otherwisehe would prefer to see her in the arms of death. So the night waned; and twice, when the warden's wife stole to thedoor, he lilted his head and waved her back. When the clock in thetower struck four, he felt a slight quiver in the fingers lying withinhis palm, and Beryl's face turned on the pillow, bringing her headagainst his shoulder. Was it the magnet of his touch drawing herunconsciously toward him, or merely the renewal of strength, attestedalready by the quickened throb of the pulse that beat under his clasp?By degrees her breathing became audible to his strained ear, and once asigh, such as escapes a tired child, told that nature was rallying herphysical forces, and that the tide was turning. Treacherous to hisplighted troth, and to the trusting woman whom he had assiduously wooedand won, he yielded to the hungry yearning that possessed him, andsuddenly pressed his lips to Beryl's beautiful mouth. Under thatfervent touch, consciousness came back, and the lids lifted, the dulleyes looked into his with drowsy wonder. Stepping swiftly to the doorwhich stood ajar, he met Mrs. Singleton, and put his hand on hershoulder. "She is awake, and will soon be fully conscious, but perfect quiet isthe only safeguard against relapse. When she remembers, leave her asmuch alone as possible, and answer no questions. " Holding her baby on her breast, Mrs. Singleton whispered: "Put out the lamp, so that she can see nothing to remind her. " As he took his hat, and put his hand on the lamp, he looked back at thecot, and saw the solemn eyes fixed upon him. He extinguished the light, and passed into the room where Susie Singleton stood waiting. "She will not know Sister Serena, and for a day or two I will keep outof sight when she is awake. Mr. Dunbar, God has done His part, now seethat you do yours. Have you found out who 'Ricordo' is?" "Certainly, it is a thing; not a person. As yet the word has given noaid. " "Then you have discovered nothing new during your absence?" "Yes, I have found the missing half of the envelope which containedGeneral Darrington's will; but ask me no questions at present. For hersake, I must work quietly. Send me a note at twelve o'clock, that I mayknow her exact condition, and the opinion of the doctor. Has nothingbeen heard from Dyce?" "As far as I know, not a syllable. " They shook hands, and once more Mr. Dunbar sprang into his saddle. Overhead the constellations glowed like crown jewels on black velvet, but along the eastern horizon, where the morning-star burned, the skyhad blanched; and the air was keen with the additional iciness thatalways precedes the dawn. Earth was powdered with rime, waiting tokindle into diamonds when the sun smote its flower crystals, and thesoft banners of white fog trailed around the gray arches and mossypiers of the old bridge. At a quick gallop Mr. Dunbar crossed theriver, passed through the heart of the city, and slackened his paceonly when he found himself opposite the cemetery, on the road leadingto "Elm Bluff. " As the iron gate closed behind him, he walked hishorse, up the long avenue, and when he fastened him to the metal ringin the ancient poplar, which stood sentinel before the deserted House, the deep orange glow that paves the way for coming suns, had dyed allthe sky, blotting out the stars; and the new day smiled upon a sleepingworld. The peacock perched upon the balustrade of the terrace greetedhim vociferously, and after some moments his repeated knock wasanswered by the cautious opening of the front door, and Bedney's grayhead peered out. "Lord--Mars Lennox! Is it you? What next? 'Pears to me, there's nothingleft to happen; but howsomever, if ther's more to come, tell us what'sto pay now?" "Bedney, I want you to help me in a little matter, where your servicesmay be very valuable; and as it concerns your old master's family, I amsure you will gladly enter into my plan--" "Bless your soul, Mars Lennox, you are too good a lieyer to be shore ofanything, but the undertaker and the tax collector. I am so old andbroke down in sperrits, that you will s'cuse me from undertaking of anyjobs, where I should be obleeged to pull one foot out'en the gravebefore I could start. I ain't ekal to hard work now, and like the restof wore-out stock, I am only worth my grabs in old fields. " Sniffing danger, Bedney warily resolved to decline all overtures, bytaking refuge in his decrepitude; but the attorney's steady prolongedgaze disconcerted him. "You have no interest, then, in discovering the wretch who murderedyour master? That is rather suspicious. " "What ain't 'spicious to you, Mars Lennox? It comes as natchal to youto 'spicion folks, as to eat or sleep, and it's your trade. You believeI know something that I haven't tole; but I swear I done give upeverything to Mars Alfred; and if my heart was turned inside out, andscraped with a fine-tooth comb, it wouldn't be no cleaner than what itis. I know if I was lying you would ketch me, and I should own upquick; 'cause your match doesn't go about in human flesh; but all thelancets and all the doctors can't git no blood out'en a turnup. " "You are quite willing, then, to see General Darrington's granddaughtersuffer for the crime?" "'Fore Gord! Mars Lennox, you don't tote fair! 'Pears to me you areriding two horses. Which side is you on?" "Always on the side of justice and truth, and it is to help your pooryoung mistress that I came to see you; but it seems you are toosuperannuated to stretch out your hand and save her. " "Ain't you aiming to prove she killed old marster? That's what you sotout to do; and tarrapin's claws are slippery, compared to your grip, when you take holt. " The old negro stood with his white head thrown back, and unfeignedperplexity printed on his wrinkled features, while he scanned the swartface, where a heavy frown gathered. "I set out this morning to find a faithful, old family servant, whosedevotion has never before been questioned; but evidently I have wastedmy confidence as well as my time. Where is Dyce? She is worth a hundredsuperannuated cowards. " "Don't call no names, Mars Lennox. If there's one mean thing I nachallydespises as a stunnin' insult, it's being named white-livered; and myConfederate record is jest as good as if I wore three gilt stars on mycoat collar. You might say I was a liar and a thief, and maybe I wouldtake it as a joke; but don't call Bedney Darrington no coward! Itbruises my feelins mor'n I'le stand. Lem'me tell you the Gord's truth;argufying with lie-yers is wuss than shootin' at di-dappers, and thatis sport I don't hanker after. I ain't spry enuff to keep up with thedevil, when you are whipping him around the stump; and I ain't such aforsaken idjut as to jump in the dark. Tell me straight out what youwant me to do. Tote fair, Mars Lennox. " "I am about to offer a reward of two hundred and fifty dollars, and Ithought I would allow you privately the opportunity of securing themoney, before I made it public. Where is Dyce?" "You might as well ax the man in the moon. The only satisfaction shegin me when she left home, was--she was gwine to New York to hunt forMiss Ellie. I tole her she was heading for a wild goose chase, and heranswer signified she was leaving all of them fowls behind. If she washere, she'd be only a 'clean chip in your homny pot'; for she wouldn'tnever touch your job with a forty-foot pole, and what's more, she'd tiemy hands. I ain't afeard of my ole 'oman, but I respects her too highto cross her; and if ever you git married, you will find it's a mightygood rule to 'let sleeping dogs lay'. Who do you expect me to ketch fortwo hundred and fifty dollars?" "A lame negro man, about medium size, who was seen carrying a bundle onthe end of a stick, and who was hanging about the railroad station onthe night of General Darrington's death. He probably lives on someplantation south of town, as he was travelling in that direction, afterthe severe storm that night. I want him, not because he had anyconnection with your master's murder, but to obtain from him adescription of a strange white man, whom he directed to the railroadwater-tank. If you can discover that lame negro, and bring him to myoffice, I will pay you two hundred and fifty dollars, and give him anew suit of clothes. The only hope for General Darrington'sgranddaughter is in putting that man on the witness stand, tocorroborate her statement of a conversation which she heard. This isWednesday. I will give you until Saturday noon to report. If you do notsucceed I shall then advertise. If you wish to save Miss Brentano, helpme to find that man. " He swung himself into the saddle, and rode away, leaving Bedney staringafter him, in pitiable dubiety as to his own line of duty. "Wimmen are as hard to live peaceable with as a hatful of hornets, butthe'r brains works spryer even than the'r tongues; and they do think asmuch faster 'an a man, as a express train beats er eight ox-team. Dyceis the safest sign-post! If she was only here now, I couldn't botchthings, for she sees clare through a mill-stone, and she'd shove me theright way. If I go a huntin', I may flounder into a steel trap; if Istand still, wuss may happen. Mars Lennox is too much for me. Iwouldn't trust him no further 'n I would a fat possum. I am afeard ofhis oily tongue. He sot out to hang that poor young gal, and now he iswilling to pay two hundred and fifty dollars to show the court he was aidjut and a slanderer! I ain't gwine to set down on no such spring gunas that! Dyce ought to be here. When Mars Lennox turns summersets inthe court, before the judge, I don't want to belong to his circus--but, oh Lord! If I could only find out which side he raily is on?" CHAPTER XIII. During the early stages of her convalescence, Beryl, though perfectlyrational, asked no questions, made no reference to her gloomysurroundings and maintained a calm, but mournful taciturnity, verypuzzling to Mrs. Singleton, who ascribed it at first to mentalprostration, which rendered her comparatively obtuse; but ere long, adifferent solution presented itself, and she marvelled at the silencewith which a desperate battle was fought. With returning consciousness, the prisoner had grasped the grievous burden of her fate, unflinchinglylifted and bound it upon her shoulders; and though she reeled and bentunder it, made no moan, indulged no regret, uttered no invective. One cold dismal day, when not a rift was visible in the leaden sky, anda slanting gray veil of sleety rain darkened the air and pelted thedumb, shivering earth, Beryl sat on the side of her cot, with her feetresting on the round of a chair, and her hands clasped at the back ofher head. Her eyes remarkably large from the bluish circles illness hadworn beneath them, were fixed in a strained, unwinking, far-away gazeupon the window, where black railing showed the outside world asthrough some grim St. Lawrence's gridiron. From time to time the warden's wife glanced from her sewing toward themotionless figure, reluctant to obtrude upon her revery, yet equallyloath to leave her a prey to melancholy musing. After a while, she sawthe black lashes quiver, and fall upon the waxen cheeks, then, as shewatched, great tears glittered, rolled slowly, dripped softly, butthere was no sigh, no sound of sobs. Leaning closer, she laid her armacross the girl's knee. "What is it, dearie? Tell me. " There was no immediate reply; when Beryl spoke, her voice was calm, lowand measured, as in one where all the springs of youth, hope, andenergy are irreparably broken. "Every Gethsemane has its strengthening Angels. The agony of the Gardenbrought them to Christ. I thank God, mine did not fail me. If they hadnot come, I think I could never have borne this last misery that earthcan inflict upon me. My mother is dead. " "Why distress yourself with sad forebodings? Weakness makes youdespondent, but you must try to hope for the best; and I dare say in afew days, you will have good news from your mother. " "I shook hands with Hope, and in her place sits the only companion whowill abide with me during the darkness that is coming on--Patience, pale-browed, meek-eyed, sad-lipped Patience. If I can only keep my holdupon her skirts, till the end. To me, no good news can ever come. Aslong as mother lived, I had an incentive to struggle; now I am alone, and they who thirst for my blood are welcome to take it speedily. Iknow my mother is dead; I have seen her. " "Wake up, child. Your brain is weak yet and full of queer deliriousvisions, and when you doze, realities and dreams are all jumbledtogether. You have a deal too much sense to harbor any crazy spiritualcrankiness. Take your wine, and lie down. You have sat up too long, andtired yourself. " "No. I have wanted to tell you for several days, because you have beenso good, and I have heard you praying here at night that God would bemerciful to me; but I waited until I had strength to be calm. I havelain here day after day, and night after night, face to face withdesolation and despair, and now I have grown accustomed to the horror. I know that in this world there is no escape, no help, no hope; so--theworst is over. When you consent to fate, and stretch out your arms tomeet death, there is no more terror, only waiting, weary waiting. I amnot superstitious, and unfortunately I am not one of the victims ofdementia, whose spectral woes are born of disordered brains. I am sadlysane; and what I am about to tell you is no figment of feverish fancy. I do not know how long I have been sick, but one night great peace andease came suddenly upon me. I swung in some soft tender arms, close tothe gates of Release, and the iron bars melted away, and my soul wasborne toward the wonderful light; but suddenly a shock, a strangethrill ran through me, and the bars rose again, and the light faded. Then all at once my father and my mother stood beside me, bent over me. Father said: 'Courage, my daughter, courage! Bear your cross a littlelonger, ' My mother wept, and said, 'My good little girl. So faithful, so true. I died in peace, trusting your promise. For my sake can youendure till the end?' They faded away; and sorrow sat down once more, clutching my heart; and death, the Angel who keeps the key of the Gateof Release, turned his back upon me. I had almost escaped; I was closeto the other world, and I was conscious. I saw my mother's spirit; itwas no delirious fancy. I know that she is dead. Even in the world ofthe released, she grieves over the awful consequences of my obedienceto her wishes. Mortal agony of body and soul brings us so near to theborderland, that we have glimpses; and those we love, lean across theboundary line and compassionate us. So my Gethsemane called down theone strengthening Angel of all the heavenly hosts, who had most powerto comfort my heart, and gird me for my fate, my father, my noblefather. God, in pity, sent him to exhort me to bear my cross bravely. " The low solemn voice ceased, and in the silence that followed, only thedull patter of the rain, and the persistent purring of a kitten curledup on the cot were audible. Mrs. Singleton finished the buttonhole inDick's apron, and threaded her needle. "If it comforts you at all to believe that, I have no right to sayanything. " "You think, however, that I am the victim of some hallucination?" "Not even that. I think you had a very vivid dream, and beingexhausted, you mistook a feverish vision for a real apparition. I can'tbelieve your mother is dead, because if such were the case, Dyce wouldhave returned at once, and told us. " "Dyce has a kind heart, and shrinks from bringing me the sad news; forshe knows my cup was already full. I know that my mother is dead. Timewill show you that I make no mistake. The veil was lifted, and I sawbeyond. " "Maybe so; may be not. I am stubborn in my opinions, and I never couldthink it possible for flesh to commune with spirits. Don't let us talkabout anything that disturbs you, until you regain your strength. Whywill you not try a little of this port wine? Miss Gordon brought ityesterday, and insisted I should give it to you, three times a day. Itis very old and mellow. Look at things practically. God kept you alivefor some wise purpose, and since you are obliged to face trouble, is itnot better to arm yourself with all the physical vigor possible? Drinkthis, and lie down. " As Beryl mechanically drained the glass and handed it back, Mrs. Singleton added: "I believe I told you, Miss Gordon is Mr. Dunbar's sweetheart. Theirengagement is no secret, and he is a lucky man; for she is as good asshe is pretty, and as sweet as she is rich. She has shown such a tenderinterest in you, and manifests so much sympathy, that I am sure shewill influence him in your favor, and I feel so encouraged about yourfuture. " A shadowy smile crossed the girl's wan face, "Invest no hope in my future; for escape is as impossible for me, asfor that innocent victim foreordained to entangle his horns in thethicket on Mount Moriah. He could have fled from the sacrificial fire, and from Abraham's uplifted knife, back to dewy green pasturespoppy-starred, back to some cool dell where Syrian oleanders flushedthe shade, as easily as I can defy these walls, loosen the chain offate, elude my awful doom. " "It is because you are not yet yourself, that you take such adespairing view of matters. After a while, things will look verydifferent, and you are too plucky to surrender your life without abrave fight. A great change has come over Mr. Dunbar, and there is notelling what he cannot do, when he sets to work. If ever a lawyer'sheart has been gnawed by remorse, it is his. He and Miss Gordontogether can pull you out of the bog, and I believe they will. " "Mr. Dunbar's professional reputation is more precious in his sightthan a poor girl's life; moreover, even if he desired to undo his work, he could not. I am beyond human succor. Fate nails me to a cross, butGod consents; so I make no struggle, for behind fate stands God--and myfather. " Wearily she leaned back on her pillows, and turned her face to thewall. Mrs. Singleton drew the blankets over her, folded her own shawlabout the shoulders, and smoothing away the hair, kissed her on thetemple; then stole into the adjoining room, where her children slept. Before the fire that leaped and crackled in the wide chimney, andleaning forward to rest her turbaned head against the mantelpiece, while she spread her hands toward the blaze, stood a much muffledfigure. "Dyce!" Mrs. Singleton had left the door ajar, and the old woman turned andpointed to it, laying one finger on her lips; but the warning came toolate. "Hush! I don't want her to know I am here. Your husband told me she wassitting up, and in her right mind, but too weak to stand any moretrouble. I wish I could run away, and never see her again, for when Igo in there, I feel like I was carrying a knife to cut the heart out ofa fawn, what the hounds had barely left life in. I can't bear thethought of having to tell her--" Dyce covered her face with her shawl, to stifle her sobs, and her largeframe shook. Mrs. Singleton whispered: "Tell me quick. What is it. " "Miss Ellie is dead. I got there three days after she was buried. " The warden's wife sank into a chair, and drew the weeping negro intoone beside her. "Do you know exactly what time she died?" "Yes--I had it all put down in black and white. She died on Tuesdaynight, just as the clock struck two; and the hospital nurse says--Lord, amercy, Miss Susan! are you going to faint? You have turned ashy!" As Mrs. Singleton's thoughts recurred to the fact that it was at thathour that Beryl lay in the stupor of the crisis, from which she awokeperfectly conscious, and recalled the dream that the sick girl held asa vision, she felt a vague but bewildering dread seize her faculties, in defiance of cool reason, and scoffing scepticism. "Go on, Dyce. I felt a little sick. Tell me--" She paused and listened to an unusual and inexplicable noise issuingfrom the next room; the harsh sound of something scraping the barefloor. "You must pick your time to break this misery to that poor young thing. I can't do it. I would run a mile sooner than face her with the news, that her ma is dead; and I have grieved and cried, till I feel like mybrains had been put in a pot and biled. The Lord knows His bizness, ofcourse; yes, of course He knows the best to do; but 'pears to me, Hismercy hid its face behind His wrath, when He saw fit to let that poorinnercent young creetur in there get well, after her ma was laid in thegrave. It will be a harder heart than mine what can stand by, and tellher she is motherless. " "There is no need to tell her. She knows it. " "How? Did she get the letter the Doctor said he wrote?" "No. She thinks her mother--" The noise explained itself. Too feeble to walk alone, Beryl had pusheda chair before her, until she reached the door, and now stood graspingit, swaying to and fro, as she endeavored to steady herself. One handheld at her throat the black shawl, whose loosened folds fell like amourning mantle to her feet, the other clutched the door, against theedge of which she leaned for support. "Dyce, I have known for some days that I have no mother in this world. I have seen her. Your kind heart dreads giving me pain, but nothing canhurt me now. I cannot suffer any more, because I am bruised and beatento numbness. I want to see you alone; I want to know everything. " At sight of her, the old woman darted forward and caught the tall, wasted, tottering form in her strong arms. Lifting her as though shehad been a child, she bore her back to her small bleak room, laid hersoftly on her cot, then knelt down, and burst into a fit of passionatecrying. As if to shut out some torturing vision, Beryl clasped her hands overher eyes, and when she spoke, her voice was very unsteady: "Did you see mother alive?" "Oh, honey, I was too late! I was three days too late to see her atall. When I got to New York, and found the Doctor's house, he was notat home; had just gone to Boston a half hour before I rung the bell. His folks couldn't tell me nothin', so I had to wait two days. When Igive him your note, he looked dreadful cut up, and tole me Miss Elliehad all the care and 'tention in the world, but nothin' couldn't saveher. He said she didn't suffer much, but was 'lirious all the time, until the day before she died, when all of a sudden her mind cleared. Then she axed for you, honey--God bless you, my poor lamb! I hate toharrify your heart. The Doctor comforted her all he could, and tole herbizness of importance had done kept you South. Miss Ellie axed how longshe could live; he said only a few hours. She begged him to prop herup, so she could write a few words. He says he held the paper for her, and she wrote a little, and rested; and then she wrote a little mereand fell back speechless. He pat the piece of paper in a invellop andsealed it, and axed her if she wished it given to her daughter Beryl. She couldn't talk then, but she looked at him and nodded her head. Thatwas about four o'clock in the evening of Tuesday. She had a sort ofspasm, and went to sleep. At two o'clock, she woke up in Heaven. Hesaid he felt so sorry for you--dear lamb! He wouldn't let them burryher where most was hurried that died in the hospital. He had her laidaway in his own lot in some graveyard, where his childun was burried, 'till he could hear from you. He tole me, she was tenderly handled, andeverything was done as you would have wanted it; and he cut off some ofthe beautiful hair--and--" Dyce smothered her sobs in the bedclothes, but Beryl lay like a stoneimage. "Oh, honey! It jest splits my heart in two, to tell you all this--" "Go on, Dyce. " "The doctor gin me a note to the nuss at the hospital, what 'tended theward Miss Ellie was in, and I got all her clothes, and packed 'em in abox and brought 'em home. She told me pretty much what the doctor hadsaid, only she was shore your ma spoke jest before she died, and calledtwice--'Ignace! Ignace!' She said she was beautiful as a angel and herhair was a wonder to all who saw her, it was so long and so lovely. Shetole me the doctor hissef put a big bunch of white carnations andtuberoses in her hand, after they put her in the coffin, and she lookedlike a queen. The doctor wrote you a letter 'splainin' everything, andsent it to the postmaster here. He seemed dreadfull grieved and'stonished when I tole him how I had left you, and said if he couldhelp you, he would be very glad to do it. I tole him we would pay hisbill, as soon as this here trial bizness was over; and he answered:'Tut--tut; bill indeed! That poor unfortunate girl need never worryover any bill of mine. I did all I could for her mother, but the bestof us fail sometimes. Tell that poor child to come and see me, as soonas she gets out of the clutches of those fire-eating devils downSouth. ' Honey, I couldn't be satisfied without seeing for myself, wherethey had laid my dear young mistiss. I got 'rections from the doctor, and I spent good part of a day huntin' the cemetery, and at last a manin a uniform showed me Doctor Grantlin's lot. Oh, my lamb! That was thefirst and only comfort I had, when I stood in front of that grandlovely marble potico--with great angels kneeling on the four corners, and knew my dear young mistiss was resting in such a beautiful place. Ifelt so proud that ole mistiss' chile was among the best people, sleeping with flowers in her hands, in that white marble house! Iwanted to be shore there warn't no mistake, and the keeper of thegraveyard tole me a lady had been put 'temporary' in the vault, fourdays before. I had bought a bunch of violets from a flower shop, but Icould not get nearer than the door, where some brass rods was stretchedlike a kind of a net; so I laid my little bunch down on the marblesteps, close as I could push it agin the rod; and though I couldn't seemy dear young mistiss, maybe--up in heaven--she will know her poor olemammy did not forgit her, and--" The old woman cried bitterly, and one thin hand, white as a snowflake, fell upon her bowed head, and softly stroked her black wrinkled face. After some minutes, when the paroxysm of weeping had spent itself, Dycetook the hand, kissed it reverently, and pressed into it a package. "The doctor tole me to put that into your hands. He said he knew itwould be very precious to you, but he felt shore he could trust me tobring it safe. Now, honey, I know you want to be by yourself, when youread your ma's last words. I will go and set in yonder by the fire, till you call me. My heart aches and swells fit to bust, and I can'tstan' no more misery jest now, sech as this. " For some moments, Beryl lay motionless, then the intolerable agonyclutched her throat with an aching sense of suffocation, and she satup, with nerveless hands lying on the package in her lap. She wasprepared for, expectant of the worst, but the details added keenerstings to suffering that had benumbed her. At last, with a shudderingsigh, she broke the seal, and took from folds of tissue paper, a longthick tress of the beautiful black hair. Shaking it out of its satincoil, she held it up, then wrapped it smoothly over her hand, and laidit caressingly against her cheek. Prison walls melted away; she stood again in the New York attic, andcombed, and brushed, and braided those raven locks, and saw the wanface of the beloved invalid, and the jasmine and violets she had pinnedat her throat. What had become of the proud, high-spirited ambitious girl, who laughedat adverse fortune, and forgot poverty in lofty aspirations? How longago it seemed, since she kissed the dear faded cheek, and knelt for hermother's farewell benediction. Was it the same world? Was she the sameBeryl; was the eternal and unchanging God over all, as of yore? She hadshattered and ruined the sparkling crystal goblet of her young life, scattering in the dust the golden wine of happy hope, in the effort toserve and comfort that loved sufferer, who, languishing on a hospitalcot, had died among strangers; had been shrouded by hirelings. That anyother hand than hers had touched her sacred dead, seemed a profanation;and at the thought of the last rites rendered, the loyal child shiveredas though some polluting grasp had been laid upon herself. Out of theenvelope rolled a broad hoop of reddish gold, her mother's weddingring; and in zigzag lines across a sheet of paper was written the lastmessage: "My dear, good little girl, so faithful, so true, my legacy of love isyour mother's blessing. You must be comforted to know I am dying inpeace, because I trust in your last promise--" Then a blot, some unintelligible marks, and a space. Lower still, scarcely legible characters were scrawled: "Tell my darling--to wear my ring as a holy--" In death as in life, the last word, and the deepest feeling were notfor her; the sacred souvenir was left for the hand that had so oftenstabbed the idolatrous heart, now stilled forever. In all ages the ninety and nine that go not astray, never feel thecaressing touch which the yearning Shepherd lays on the obstinatewanderer, who would not pasture in peace; and from the immemorial dawnof inchoate civilization, prodigals have possessed the open sesame toparental hearts that seemed barred against the more dutiful. By whatperverted organon of ethics has it come to pass in sociology, that thebadge of favoritism is rarely the guerdon of merit? To the orphaned, forsaken, disgraced captive, sitting amid the sombreruins of her life, drinking the bitter lees of the fatal cup a mother'shand had forced to her reluctant lips, there seemed nothing strange inthe injustice meted out; for had not the second place in maternal lovealways been hers? As the great gray eyes darkening behind their tears, like deep lakes under coming rain, read and re-read the blurred lines, the frozen mouth trembled, and Beryl kissed the hair, folded it away inthe letter, and pinned both close to her heart. Staggering to her feet, she held up the ring, and said in a broken, half audible voice: "When I am dead, your darling shall have it; until then lend it to yourlittle girl, as a strengthening amulet. The sight of it will hold mefirm, will girdle my soul with fortitude, as it girdles my finger; willset a yet holier seal to the compact whereby I pledged my life, thatyou might die in peace. If, in the last hour, you had known all myperil, all that my promise entails, would you have released me? Wouldyou have died content knowing that your idol was guarded and safe, behind the cold shield of your little girl's polluted body? The bloodin my veins flowed from yours; I slept on your heart, I was the lastbaby whose lips fed at your bosom. Mother! Mother, if you had knownall, could you have seen the load of guilt and shame and woe laid onyour innocent child, and bought the life of your first-born, by thesacrifice of a scapegoat? Dear mother, my mother, would you shelterhim, and leave your baby to die?" Slipping the ring on her finger, she kissed it twice. The hot flood oftears overflowed, and she fell on her knees beside the cot, claspingher hands above her bowed head. "Alone in my desolation! Oh, father! keep close to my soul, and praythat I may have strength to bear my burden, even to the end. My God! MyGod! sustain me now. Help me to be patient, and when the sacrifice isfinished, accept it for Christ's sake, and grant that the soul of mybrother may be ransomed, because I die for his sins. " CHAPTER XIV. "Well, dear child, what is the trouble? Into what quagmire have yourlittle feet slipped? When you invite me so solemnly to a privateconference in this distractingly pretty room, the inference isinevitable that some disaster threatens. Have you overdrawn your bankaccount?" Judge Dent leaned back, making himself thoroughly comfortable in a deepeasy chair in Leo's luxurious library; and taking his niece's hand, looked up into her grave, sweet face. "I want you to honor my draft for a large amount. I am about to drawupon your sympathy; can I ever overdraw my account with that royalbank?" "Upon my sympathy, never; but mark you, this does not commit me tocompliance with all your Utopian schemes. If you were raving mad, Ishould sympathize, but nevertheless I should see that the strait-jacketwas brought into requisition. When your generosity train dashesrecklessly beyond regulation schedules of safety, I must dischargeengineer sympathy, and whistle down the brakes. What new hobby do youintend that I shall ride?" "I have no intention of sharing that privilege even with you; I merelydesire you to inspect the accoutrements, to examine reins, and girth, and stirrup. I lend my hobby to no one, and it is far too mettlesome to'carry double'. Uncle Mitchell, I feel so unhappy about that poor girl, that I must do something to comfort her, and only one avenue presentsitself. I want you to have her brought into court on a writ of HabeasCorpus, and to use your influence with Judge Parkman to grant her bail. I desire to give the amount of bond he may require, because I think itwould gratify her, to have this public assurance that she possessed theconfidence of her own sex; for nothing so strengthens and soothes atrue woman as the sympathy and trust of women. " "Looking at the case dispassionately from a professional point of view, I am sorry to tell you that the judge would scarcely be warranted ingranting bail. Were I still upon the bench, I could not conscientiouslyrelease her, in the face of constantly accumulating evidence againsther, although she has my deepest compassion. Conceding, however, forthe moment, that Parkman consents to the petition and the girl is setat liberty, are you prepared to pay the large forfeit, if she, realizing the fearful odds against her acquittal, should take permanentbail by absconding before the trial? Abstract sympathy and generoussentiments are one phase of this matter; positively paying a fifteen ora twenty-thousand-dollar-bond is quite another. Weigh it carefully. Wepity this unfortunate prisoner, but we know absolutely nothing in herfavor, to counterbalance the terrible array of accusing circumstancesfate has piled against her. If she be guilty, can she resist thetemptation to escape by flight; and if indeed she be innocent, how muchmore difficult to await all that is involved in this trial, and abidethe issue? Because she is beautiful, has a refined and noble air, andseems unsullied as some grand snow image, do not blind yourself to thefact, that for aught we can prove to the contrary, she may have a heartas black as Tullias', hands as bloody as Brunehaut's. " "You believe that as little as I do. I have pondered the matter in allits aspects, and I take the risk. " "You can afford to pay for her flight?" "I will pay for her flight, no matter what it may cost. " Judge Dent took her hand between both his. "Let us be frank. " "'The things we do-- We do; we'll wear no mask, as if we blushed!'" "Are you so assured of the woman's fidelity; or do you deliberatelyleave the door ajar, foreseeing the result, deeming this the mostexpedient method of cutting the Gordian knot?" For a moment she hesitated, then her soft brown eyes looked downbravely into his. "I believe she is innocent, and that she will be loyal if released onbail; but if I mistake her character, and she should flee for her lifefrom the lifted sword of justice, then I shall gladly pay the expenseof playing Alexander's role; and shall feel rejoiced that she lives torepent her crime; and that the man to whom I have promised my hand, hasbeen relieved of the awful responsibility of hunting her to death. " "Have you made him acquainted with this scheme?" "Certainly not. I owed it to you to secure your approbation andco-operation, before mentioning the matter to him. " "Have you considered the opposition which, without inconsistency, hecannot fail to offer? As prosecuting attorney for the Darringtons hewould be recreant to his client, if he consented to release on bail. " "His sympathy is deeply enlisted in her behalf, and I do not anticipateopposition; nevertheless, it would not deter me from the attempt tofree her, at least temporarily from prison. As you have no connectionwith the trial, I can see no impropriety in your telling Judge Parkman, that the girl's health demands a change of air and scene, and that itis my desire to furnish any bond he may deem suitable, and then bringthe prisoner under my own roof, until the day fixed for her trial. Ifyou are unwilling to speak to him, will you permit me to mention thesubject to him?" "I fear enthusiasm is hurrying you into a proposal, the possibly graveconsequences of which you do not realize. You would run a great risk inbringing here that unfortunate woman, over whose head has gathered soblack a cloud of suspicion. In becoming her gaoler, you assume afearful responsibility. " "I fully comprehend all the hazard, and with your permission, I shallnot shrink. I have a conviction, for which I can offer no adequategrounds, that this girl is as innocent as I am; and if all the worldhissed and jeered, I should stretch out my hand to her. Do yourecollect Ortes' booty when Antwerp fell into Alva's hands? The keys ofthe dungeons. I would rather swing wide the barred doors of yonderhuman cage across the river, and lead that woman out under God's freesky, than wear all of Alva's jewels, own his gold. Uncle, will youspeak, or shall I?" "I must first talk with Churchill and Dunbar. Your effort might resultonly in injury to the prisoner; because if she were brought into Courton writ of Habeas Corpus, and refused bail, as I fear would be thecase, the failure would operate very unfavorably for her cause, onpublic opinion, of which after all, in nineteen cases out of twenty, the jury verdict is a reflection. Some new evidence has been presentedsince the preliminary examination, and its character will determine thequestion of bail. If I can see any chance of your success I will speakto Parkman; for, indeed, my dear child, I honor your motive, and shareyour hope; but unless I find more encouragement than I expect, I willnot complicate matters by a futile attempt, which would certainlyrecoil disastrously. " "Thank you, Uncle Mitchell. Please act promptly. I have set my heart ofhearts on having that poor young woman here to spend Christmas. Herfreedom to walk about in the sunshine, is the one Christmas gift Icovet; and I know you will gratify me if possible. You have only fourdays in which to secure my present. " "When do you expect to see Dunbar?" "I promised to ride with him this afternoon; but I prefer not todiscuss this subject, as he has earnestly requested me 'to abstain fromany reference to that gloomy business during his hours of recreation;'and I have no intention of setting black care en croupe to share ourcanter to-day. Having told me that when he leaves his office to visitus, he locks his professional affairs in his desk, you can readilyunderstand that good taste enforces respect for his wishes, at least inthe matter of avoiding tabooed topics. " "Does it occur to you that he will object very strenuously to seeingthe personification of 'that gloomy business' sitting at yourhearth-stone? That he may refuse to lock up in his law office thesignificant and disagreeable reflection, that the woman whom hearrested find prosecutes for a vile crime, is championed and housed byone whom he claims as his promised wife? Dunbar has a keen eye for the'eternal fitness of things, ' and, where you are concerned, is a jealousstickler for social convenance. I warn you he will be bitterlyoffended, if you bring General Darrington's granddaughter under thisroof. " Her delicate flower-like face flushed; and the slight figure becameproudly erect. "It is my house, and I acquit him of the presumption of desiring todictate to whom its doors shall be opened. If he has no confidence inmy discretion, no respect for my motives, no tolerance for differenceof opinion in a matter of vital importance, then the sooner ourengagement is annulled the better for both of us. When I have taken myvows, I hope I shall steadfastly keep them, but meantime I am still aGordon. The irrevocable ubi tu Caius, ego Caia, has not yet beenuttered, and while it would grieve me very much to wound his feelings, I claim the exercise of my own judgment. I am not indifferent to hiswishes; on the contrary, I ardently desire, as far as is consistentwith my self-respect, to defer to them; but when I pledged him myfaith, I did not surrender my will, nor obliterate my individuality. " Judge Dent rose, put his arm around her shoulders, and drew the sunnyhead to his breast. "Leo, listen to me. There is no heaven on earth, but the nearestapproach to it, the outlying suburbs whence we get bewildering glimpsesof beatitude beyond, is the season of courtship and betrothal. In themagical days of sweetheartdom, a silvery glorifying glamour wraps theworld, brims jagged black chasms with glittering mist, paves ruggedpaths with its shimmering folds, and tenderly covers very deep in roseleaves, the clay feet of our idols. That wonderful light shines onlyonce full upon us, but the memory of it streams all along thesucceeding journey; follows us up the arid heights, throws its mellowafterglow on the darkening road, as we go swiftly down the slipperyhill of life. It comes to all, as hope's happy prophecy, this sparklingprologue, and we never dream that it is the sweetest and best of thedrama that follows; but let me tell you, enjoy it while you may. Beautiful, hallowing sweetheart days, keep them unclouded, guard themfrom strife; hold them for the precious enchantment they bring, andtake an old man's advice, do not quarrel with your sweetheart. " He kissed her cheek, and when the door closed behind him, she sat downand covered her face with her hands. Was that witching light already fading in her sky? Was the storm evennow muttering, that would rudely toss aside the rose leaves thatgarlanded the feet of her beloved? In the midst of her eloquentprologue would darkness smite suddenly, and end the drama? Life hadpoured its richest wine into the cup she held to her lips; should sherisk spilling the priceless draught? She could turn a deaf ear toteazing whispers of suspicion, she could shut her eyes to the spectrethat threw up warning hands, and so drift on; but the dream would bebroken perhaps too late, and all time could not repair the possibleshipwreck. Into the chill shadow of this problem plunged Miss Patty, bringing through the room the penetrating spicery of an apron full ofpinks, which she was sorting and tying in star-shaped clusters. "An extraordinary and most unexpected thing has happened, and I knowyou will be surprised. " "What is it, Aunt Patty? Something very pleasant, I hope. " "I have actually changed my opinion; and you know how tenacious Iusually am of my well-matured views, because they are always founded onsuch sound reasons. Quite surprised, aren't you, dear?" "That is far too mild and inadequate a term to express my sensations. Your views and opinions bear the same royal, inviolable seal as thoseof the Medes and Persians, and from their unchangeableness must havefloated down the stream of Aryan migration, from some infalliblefountain in Bactria. I should not be much more astonished to hear thatCynosure had grown giddy, had swung down and waltzed in the arms ofSirius. " "Leo, that sounds very pedantic, and there is nothing I dislike more. Awoman bedecked with rags and tags of farfetched learning, is about asattractive an object as if she had turned out a full beard andmustache. I am very sure you have heard me assert more than once, thatI verily believe Venus herself would scare all the men intomonasteries, if she wore blue stockings. Too much learning in a lady'sconversation is as utterly unpardonable as a waste of lemon and nutmegin a chicken-pie; or a superfluity of cheese in Turbot a la creme; justa hint of the flavor, the merest soupcon is all that is admissible ineither. I came in to tell you, that I have experienced quite a changeof feeling with reference to that poor young lady, whom Mr. Dunbar withsuch officious haste arrested and threw into gaol. I am now convincedthat a great wrong has been committed. " For a moment Leo stooped to stroke the head of her Siberian hound, crouching on the velvet rug at her feet; then she frankly met thetwinkling black eyes that peered over their gold-rimmed spectacles. "I am glad to hear it; but to what circumstance is so deckled arevulsion of sentiment attributable?" "You know I have great confidence in Sister Serena's sagacity, andduring the past fortnight she has talked frequently with me on thesubject of the prisoner. When she undertook to nurse the poor child, she too considered her guilty of the unnatural crime; but by degreesshe began to doubt it. About ten days ago, she says she went to thepenitentiary, and found the prisoner reading a Bible which she hadborrowed from the gaoler's wife. She asked her if she would like her tooffer up a prayer, in her behalf, and they knelt down side by side. Sister Serena prayed that God would melt her heart if she was guilty, and help her to repent. While they were still on their knees, SisterSerena put one arm around her and said: "'God knows whether you are the criminal; and if so, let me beg of youto make a full confession; it will unload your conscience, and may bethe means of arousing more sympathy in the public heart. ' She says thatthe poor girl looked at her a moment so reproachfully, and answered:'When we meet in heaven, you will understand how cruelly your wordshurt me. I know that appearances are hopelessly against me, and Iexpect to die; but I am so innocent, I keep my soul close to God, forHe who knows the truth, will help me to bear man's injustice. ' Then sheprayed aloud for herself, that she might endure patiently and meekly anawful punishment which she did not deserve; and while she prayed, hercountenance was so pure, so angelic, and there was such unmistakablefervor and sincerity in her petition, that Sister Serena says she couldnot help bursting into tears, and she actually begged the girl's pardonfor having doubted her innocence. She has fallen completely in lovewith the poor young creature, and tells me she finds her wonderfullytalented and cultivated. This morning she showed me some of the mostbeautiful designs for decorating our altar on Christmas, which theprisoner sketched for her. She cut all the models for her, and gave hersuch lovely suggestions, and when Sister Serena thanked her, she saysthe most touching smile she ever saw came into that child's face, asshe answered: 'I ought to thank you for the privilege of decorating mySavior's altar, at the last Christmas I shall spend on earth. Nextyear, I shall spend Jesus' birthday with Him. ' I felt so uncomfortablewhen I heard all that passed between her and Sister Serena, that Icould not be easy until I had seen for myself; and as Sister Serena wasgoing over to carry some letters to be painted and gilded, I went withher. I have seen her, and talked with her, and I pity the hard, bitter, unregenerate and vindictive heart of the man who is prosecuting her formurder. I do not believe that in all the world, Mr. Dunbar can findtwelve men idiotic and vicious enough to convict that beautiful orphangirl; and his failure will do as little credit to his intellect, assuccess would to his moral nature. " "While I prefer to exclude Mr. Dunbar's name from our discussions, Ithink it merely bare justice to the absent, to assure you that hedesires her conviction even less than you or I; and will do all in hispower to avert it. I feel more interest in this matter than you canpossibly realize, and, believing her innocent, I will befriend her tothe last extremity. Did Sister Serena succeed in fitting the blackdress I sent?" "The poor child had on a mourning dress, but I was not aware you sentit. Losing her mother seems almost to have broken her heart. PoorEllice Darrington! Petted and fostered like a hot-house flower, andthen to die a pauper in a hospital! What an awful retribution for herdisobedience to her parents? There is the bell. " "Yes, Auntie, and I must ask you to excuse me. Some of my Sunday-schoolclass are coming to practise their carols, and conclude a littleholiday preparation, and I hear them now on the steps. " "Did Mitchell show you Leighton's telegram?" "He told me the good news, that at the last moment Leighton had filledhis pulpit for the holidays, and would preach for us on Christmas. Howdelightfully it will revive the dear old days to have him back? Fancyour hanging up our stockings once more at the foot of Uncle Mitchell'sbed! Your letter must have been eloquent, indeed, to entice him fromthe splendors of the metropolis, to the yule log at our quiet 'Lilacs';and his coming is a tribute of gratitude to you, for all your lovingcare of him. I know you are so happy at the thought of taking the HolyCommunion from the hand of your dear boy, that it will consecrate thisChristmas above all others; and I congratulate you heartily, dear AuntPatty. " It was late in the afternoon of Saturday, Christmas Eve, when Leoknocked at the door of Mrs. Singleton's room. A dispirited expressioncharacterized the countenance usually serene and happy, and between herbrows a perpendicular line marked the advent of anxious foreboding. Herhopeful scheme had dissolved, vanished like a puff of steam on icy air, leaving only a teazing memory of mocking failure. Judge Dent'sconference with the District Solicitor, had convinced him of thefutility of any attempt to secure bail; moreover, a message from theprisoner earnestly exhorted them to abandon all intercessory designs inher behalf, as she would not accept release on bail, and preferred toawait her trial. "Good evening, Miss Gordon. If you want to see her, Ned will show youthe way to the chapel, where I left her a while ago. Since her mother'sdeath, the only comfort she gets, is from the organ; so we let her gothere very often. I would go with you, but I want to finish a blackshawl I am crocheting for her. " The warden escorted his visitor through the chill dim corridors thathad formerly so appalled Beryl's soul, and upon the steps of thechapel, both paused to listen. On the small cabinet organ, a skilfulhand was playing a grand and solemn aria, which Leo had heard oncebefore in the cool depths of Freiburg Cathedral. It had impressed herthen most powerfully, as the despairing invocation of some doomedTitan; to-day it thrilled her with keen and intolerable pain. Wavingthe warden back, she softly entered the chapel, closed the door, andsat down. Through the narrow windows, the afternoon sunlight, fettered by shadowybars, fell on the bare floor, and the radiance smote the organ and thewan face of the musician, gilding the dark reddish-brown hair coiledloosely on her nobly poised head. Her black dress enhanced the extremepallor of delicate features, which, outlined against that goldenbackground, bore a strong resemblance to the lovely portrait ofTitian's wife in the Louvre. Unmindful of the keys, across which herfingers strayed, she was gazing off into space, as if seeking somefriendly face; and to the same sombre, passionate, plaintive melody shesang: "The way is dark, my Father! Cloud upon cloud Is gathering thickly o'er my head, and loud The thunders roar above me. O, see--I stand Like one bewildered! Father, take my hand-- And through the gloom lead safely home Thy Child! The day declines, my Father! and the night Is drawing darkly down. My faithless sight Sees ghostly visions. Fears like a spectral band Encompass me. O, Father, take my hand, And from the night lead up to light Thy Child! The cross is heavy, Father! I have borne It long, and still do bear it. I cannot stand Or go alone. O, Father, take my hand, And reaching down, lead to the crown Thy Child!" The voice was wonderfully sweet and rich, vibrating with the intensepathos of minor chords in a mellow old violoncello, and either fromphysical weakness, or the weight of woe, it quivered at last into athrilling cry. Tears were dripping over Leo's cheeks, as she went up tothe chancel railing, and leaning across, put out her hand. Beryl roseand came forward, and so, with only the pine balustrade between, thetwo stood palm in palm. No moisture dimmed the prisoner's eyes, butaround her beautiful mouth sorrowful curves betokened the fierceness ofthe ordeal she was enduring; and her lips trembled a little, like roseleaves under a sudden rude gust. "I have wanted very much to see you, Miss Gordon, to thank you for thegreat kindness that prompted your effort to help me; and yet, I have nohope of expressing adequately the comfort I derived from thismanifestation of your confidence. The knowledge that you offeredsecurity for me, above all, that you were willing to take me--anoutcast, almost a convicted criminal--into the holy shelter of your ownhome, oh! you can never realize, unless you stood in my place, how itsoothes my heart, how it will always make a bright spot in theblackness of my situation. The full sympathy of a noble woman is thebest tonic for a feeble sufferer, who knows the world has turned itsback upon her. If I were unworthy, your goodness would be the keenestlash that could scourge me; but forlorn though I seem, your friendshipbrings me measureless balm, and while I could never have accepted yourgenerous offer, I thank you sincerely. " "Why were you so unwilling that I should try to release you?" "I have not a dollar to pay my expenses anywhere, and I appreciated toofully all that was involved in your hospitable offer, to take me underyour roof, to be willing to avail myself of it. Here I am provided for, by those who believe me guilty; and here I have the kind sympathy ofMr. And Mrs. Singleton, who were my first friends when the storm brokeover my doomed head. To go out of prison into the world now, would betorturing, because I am proud and sensitive; and these dark wallsscreen me from the curious observation from which I shrink, as frombeing flayed. To the desolate and homeless, change of place brings norelief; and since there is no escape for me, I prefer to wait here forthe end, which, after all, cannot be very distant. " "Do you refer to the trial next month?" "No, to that which yawns behind the trial; a shallow gash out thereunder the pines, where the sound of the penitentiary bell tollsrequiems for the souls of its mangled victims. " "Hush! hush! You wrong yourself by imagining the possibility of suchhorrible results. Gloomy surroundings, coupled with your greatbereavement, render you morbidly despondent; and it was the hope ofcheering you, that made me so anxious to get you away. If I could onlytake you home, even for one week!" "The wish has cheered me inexpressibly. How good, how noble, how tenderyou are! Miss Gordon, because I am so grateful, let me now say onething. You cannot help me in future, and it would grieve me to thinkthat I fell, as an unlifting shadow, between your heart and thesunshine that warms it. In the night of my wretchedness, you havegroped your way to me, and in defiance of the circumstances that are socruelly leagued to strangle me, you throw your confidence like a warmmantle around my shivering soul; you have courageously laid your pure, womanly hands in mine--oh, God bless you! God reward you! Do you thinkI could bear to know that I had caused even a hand's breadth of cloudto drift over the heavenly blue of your happy sky? The bow of promisethat spans your life is no secret. Let no thought of me jar the harmonythat reigned before I came here. Leave me to my doom, which human handscannot avert now; and be happy without questioning. Inexorable fatestands behind men; makes them, sometimes, irresponsible puppets. " A deep flush had risen to Leo's temples, and withdrawing her hand, sheshaded her face for a moment. The great bell below the tower clock rangsullenly. "Good-bye, Miss Gordon. I had permission to stay here only till thebell sounded. Pray for me, but do not come again. Visits to me couldbring you nothing but sorrow in return for your compassion, and thatwould add to my misery. I wish you a pleasant Christmas, a happy NewYear, and as cloudless a life as your great goodness deserves. " Once more their hands met, in a long close clasp, then Leo laid on thechancel railing a large square envelope. "It is only a Christmas card, but so lovely, I know your artistic tastecannot fail to admire it; and it may brighten your cheerless room. Itis the three-hundred-dollar-prize-card, and particularly beautiful. " "Thank you, dear Miss Gordon. It may help to deaden the mercilessstings of memory, which all day long has tortured me by unrolling thepast, where my Christmas days stand out like illuminated capitals onblack-letter pages. " Deaden the stings of memory? What spell suddenly evoked the image ofher invalid mother, all the details of the attic room, the litter ofpencils on the table; the windows of a florist's shop where, standingon the pavement, she had studied hungrily the shapes of the blossomspoverty denied her as models; the interior of the Creche, which she hadpenetrated in order to sketch the heads of sleeping babies, as a studyfor cherubs? Leo had almost reached the door, when a passionate, indescribablymournful cry arrested her steps. "Too late!--too late! O, God! What a cruel mockery!" Beryl stood leaning against the railing of the altar, with the light ofthe setting sun falling aslant on the gilded card she held up in onehand; on her white convulsed face, where tears fell in a scaldingflood. Retracing her steps, Leo said falteringly: "In my efforts to comfort you, have I only wounded more sorely? Howhave I hurt you? What can I do?" "No--no! you are an angel of pity, hovering over an abyss of ruin, whose darkest horrors you only imagine faintly. What can you do?Nothing, but pray to God to paralyze my tongue, and grant me death, before I lose my last clutch on faith, and curse my Creator, and driftdown to eternal perdition! It was hard enough before, but this mockerymaddens. " With a sudden abandonment, she hurled the card away, threw her armsaround Leo's neck and sobbed unrestrainedly. Tenderly the latter heldher shivering form, as the proud head fell on her shoulder; and after atime, Beryl lifted a face white as an annunciation lily, drenched bytropical rain. "I thought misfortune had emptied all her vials, and that I was nerved, because there was nothing more to dread. But the worst is alwaysbehind, and this is the irony of fate. You think that merely arhetorical metaphor, a tragic trope? How should you know? ThatChristmas card is the solitary dove I sent out to hunt a resting-placefor mother and for me, when the flood engulfed us. It was my designsent to Boston, to compete for the prizes offered. How I dreamed, how Itoiled! Haunting the flower shops for a glimpse of heartsease, andpassion flowers, and stars of Bethlehem; begging a butcher at theabattoir to spare a lamb, until I could sketch it; kneeling by cradlesin the public Creche to get the full red curve of a baby's suckinglips, as they forsook the bottle, the dimple in the tiny hands, thetendrils of hair on the satin brow! Over that card I sang, and I wept;I worked, hoped, prayed, believed! So much depended upon it! Could theChrist to whom I dedicated it, fail to answer my prayer for success?Three hundred dollars! What a mint! It would pay the doctor, and makemother comfortable, and get her a warm new suit for coming winter. Oh!it is so easy to believe in God, until He denies us; and to trustChrist, till He hurls our prayers back, and the stones crush us. Onlythree hundred dollars between life and death; between a happy, proudgirl with a noble future, and a disgraced, broken-hearted wrecktrampled into a convict's grave! It would have saved all; all the awfulconsequences of the journey here, which only dire extremity of needforced upon me. On the fatal day I started South, I went at the lastmoment, hoping that some tidings from my card would come on angelwings. The decision had been made, but the awards were not yetpublished, and so my doom was sealed. To-morrow, happy women, no moreinnocent than I am, will smile at my Christmas card, and give it withwarm kisses and loving words to their dear ones; and to-day, my whitedove of hope, flies back in my face, with the talons of a harpy, todevour me with maddening reminders of 'what might have been'. Mycoveted three hundred dollars! Three hundred taunting fiends! to jeerand torment me. The Christmas sun will shine on a pauper's empty cot ina charity hospital; on a disgraced, insulted, forsaken convict. Takeaway this last mockery, it is more than I can bear. There on the backin gilt letters--Prize Card--Three Hundred Dollars! Yet a stranger paidfor my mother's coffin, and--. Three hundred furies to lash my heartout! Too late! Take it away! too late! oh, too late! This is worse thanthe pangs of death. " CHAPTER XV. The Christmas Sabbath dawned cold and dim, and along the eastern skygray marbled masses of cloud with dun, stratified bases, builtthemselves into the likeness of vast teocallis to Tonatiuh, over whoseapex the struggling rays fell red and presageful. Dulled by the stainedglass windows, the light that filled the semi-circular chapel at "TheLilacs", was chill and sombre, until the fair sacristan held a taperover the tall wax candles on each side of the altar, whence a mellowradiance soon streamed over all; flashing along the golden lettersunder the cross, and upon the gilded pipes of the little organ. On themarble steps in front of the altar were two baskets filled with whitecamellias, and great spikes of pink and blue hyacinths, that seemed tobreak their hearts in waves of aromatic incense. The family Bible ofthe Gordons lay open, on the reading desk, and upon its yellow pagesrested a Maltese cross of snowy Roman hyacinths. Looping back thepurple velvet portiere over the arch leading into the library, Leo satdown on the organ bench to await the coming of the family, leisurelyarranged the stops, and marked in her prayer-book the Collect forChristmas. In her morning robe of crimson cashmere, with its cascade ofsoft rich lace foaming from throat to feet, and wearing a daintycluster of double white violets fastened just below one ear, where thewax light kissed her sunny hair, she appeared a St. Cecilia, very fairand sweet, to the eyes of the man who stood a moment unperceivedbeneath the arch. A figure of medium height, clad in priestly garments, with a white surplice sweeping to the marble floor; a finely modelledhead thickly fleeced with light brown hair, a serene pleasant face, with regular features, deep-set black eyes magnified by spectacles, andan expression of habitual placidity, that bespoke a soul consecrated bynoble aims, and at perfect peace with his God. Hearing his step as he crossed the floor, Leo looked over her shoulder, smiled, and began to play softly, while he ascended the steps and kneltbefore the altar. After some moments Miss Patty rustled in, sank on herknees and finally settled herself comfortably on one of thecrescent-shaped, cushioned sofas; then Judge Dent entered, followed byJustine and the aged negro butler, Joel, the two servants finding seatsjust behind their master. Doctor Leighton Douglass selected his hymns, and the leaves of five prayer-books fluttered, as Collects were found, but Leo continued to play. Twice she turned and looked around the chapel, seeking some one, delaying the commencement of the service. Finally accepting defeat, herpretty fingers fell from the keys, and with them dropped two tears, forced from her by the keen disappointment that robbed this occasion ofall its anticipated pleasure. Singularly free from fashionableelocutionary affectations, and certain declamatory stage tricks, bywhich the recitation of the Creed and the Lord's Prayer becomes acompetitive test of lungs in the race for breath, Leighton Douglassread the morning service, in a well-modulated voice, and with aprofound solemnity that left its impress on each heart. The responseswere fervent, and the Christmas hymns were sung with joyfulearnestness; then priestly arms rose like the wings of a great snowydove, and from holy, priestly lips fell the mellow music of thebenediction: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and thefellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen. " Even while he pronounced the words, a whirring rustle filled thebeautiful oratory, and two of Leo's pet ring-doves, fluttering roundand round the frescoed ceiling, descended swiftly. One perched upon herhead, cooing softly, and its mate nestled down with outspread pinions, pecking at the white muslin folds on Doctor Douglass' shoulder. "Paracletes, dun plumed! Leo, let us accept them as happy auguries, prophetic of divine blessing on our future work in the Master'svineyard. My cousin, I wish you a very happy Christmas. " He had approached the organ where she sat, and held out his hand. "Happy Christmas, Leighton, and many thanks to you for thisconsecrating service in my place of prayer. After today, it will alwaysseem a more hallowed shrine, and before you leave us, we will gatherhere as a family, and join in the celebration of the Holy Communion. " They stood a moment hand in hand, looking into each other's eyes; andwatching them, Miss Patty's heart swelled with pardonable pride in thetwo, whom her loving arms had so tenderly cradled. Pinching herbrother's hand, as she walked with him under the velvet draperies, shewhispered: "What a noble match for both! And he's only her second cousin. " Leo's eyes were wet with tears, which Doctor Douglass ascribed todevotional fervor; and withdrawing her hand, she opened one of thewindows, and called the doves to the stone ledge, putting them verygently out upon the ivy wreaths that clambered up the wall, and peepedinto the chapel. "I believe you are sacristan here?" he said, pointing to the candlesthat flared, as the wind rushed in. "Yes, here I sweep, dust, decorate daily, allowing no other touch; andhere I bring my daintiest, rarest flowers, as tribute to Him whotapestried the earth with blossoms, and sprinkled it withperfumes--when? Not until just before the advent of humanity, whosematerial kingdom was perfected, and furnished in anticipation of hisarrival. " Extinguishing the candles, she closed the old Bible, covered it with asquare of velvet, and hung the cross of hyacinths upon the folded handsof one of the marble angels that upheld the altar. "Pure-handed women are natural priestesses, meet for templeministration; and I have no doubt your exoteric labors here, merelytypify the secret daily sweeping out of evil thoughts, the dusting awayof motes of selfishness, the decorating with noble beautiful aims, andholy deeds, whereby you sanctify that inner shrine, your own soul. " "Praise from you means so much, that you need not stoop to flatter me. The very vestments of you Levites should exhale infectious humility;and I especially need exhortations against pride, my besetting sin. Ibuilt this chapel, not because I am good, but in order to grow better. Every dwelling has its room in which the inmates gather to eat, tostudy, to work, to sleep; why not to pray, the most important privilegeof many that divide humanity from brutes? After all, the pagans werewiser than we, and the heads of families were household priests, setting examples of piety at every rising of the sun. " "Let us see. Greek and Roman fathers laid a cake dripping with wine, awreath of violets, a heart of honey-comb, a brace of doves on the homealtar, and immediately thereafter, set the example of violating everyclause in the Decalogue. Mark you, paganism drew fine lines in morals, long anterior to the era of monotheism and of Moses, and furnishedimmortal types of all the virtues; yet the excess of its religiousceremonial, robbed it of vital fructifying energies. The frequency andpublicity of sacerdotal service, usurped the place of daily individualpiety. The tendency of all outward symbolical observances, undulymultiplied, is to substitute mere formalism for fervor. " "Leighton, humanity craves the concrete. All the universe is God'stemple, yet the chill breath of the abstract freezes our hearts; and wepray best in some pillared niche consecrated and set apart, I recall aday in Umbria, when the wonderful light of sunset fell on ilex andolive, on mountain snows, on valleys billowing between vine-mantledhills, on creamy marble walls, on columned campaniles; and standingthere, I seemed verily to absorb, to become saturated as it were, withthe reigning essence of beauty. I walked on, a few steps, lifted aworn, frayed leather curtain, and looked into a small gray, dingychurch, where a mist of incense blurred the lights on the ancientaltar, and the muffled roll of an organ broke into sonorous waves, likereverberations of far-away thunder; and why was it, tell me, that theuniversal glory thrilled me only as a sensuous chord of color, but inthe dark corner consecrated to the worship of our God, my soulexpanded, as if a holy finger touched it, and I fell on my knees, andprayed? Each of us comes into this world dowered with the behest tomake desperate war against that indissoluble 'Triple Alliance, theWorld, the Flesh and the Devil, ' and needing all the auxiliariespossible, I resort to conscription wherever I can recruit. Since I amtwo thousand years too young to set up a statue of Hestia yonder in myimitation prostas, I have built instead this small sacred nook forprayer, which helps me spiritually, much as the Ulah aids Islam. " "Your oratory is lovely, and I wish its counterpart adorned everyhomestead in our land; but are you quite sure that in your individualexperience you are not mistaking effect for cause? Your holy heartdemands fit shrine for--" "I am quite sure I will not allow you to stand a moment longer on thiscold floor; and I do not intend that you shall pay me undeservedcompliments. It is derogatory to your dignity, and dangerous to mymodicum of humility. As soon as you are ready for breakfast, come tothe dining-room, where Santa Klaus left his remembrances last night. O, Leighton! I had half a mind to hang up two stockings at uncle's bed, for the sake of dear old lang syne. If we could only shut our eyes, anddrift back to the magical time of aprons, short clothes, androundabouts, when a sugar rooster with green wings and pink head, and adoll that could open and shut her eyes, were considered more preciousthan Tiffany's jewels, or Collamore's Crown Derby! Can Delmonico offeryou a repast half as appetizing as the hominy, the tea cakes, the honeyand the sweet milk which you and I used to enjoy at our supper just atsunset, at our own little table set under the red mulberry trees in theback yard?" "Why should my cousin, whose present is so rose-colored, whose futureso blissful, turn to rake amid the ashes of the past?" "Because, like Lot's wife, we are all prone to stare backward. Wholives in the present? Do you? When we are young we pant for the future, that pitches painted tents before us. When we are older, we live in thepast, that wraps itself in a sacred gilding glamour, and is vocal withthe happy echoes which alone survive. Far-off fields before and behindus are so dewy, so vividly green; and the present is gray and stony, and barren of charm, and we turn fretfully. It is part of the grimtyranny of Time that it is tideless; that the stream bearsremorselessly on, and on, never back to the dear old spots; always on, to lose itself in the eternal and unknown. So, to-day's Christmas lacksthe zest of its predecessors. " Leo loosened the gilded chain that looped the curtains, and as thepurple folds fell behind her, hiding the arch, Doctor Douglass saidgently: "There is a solemn truth and wise admonition in one of Rabbi Tyra'sdicta: 'Thy yesterday is thy past; thy to-day is thy future; thyto-morrow is a secret. '" "Leo, here is a package and a note which arrived during service, and asMr. Dunbar's servant said there was no answer expected, he did notwait. " As Miss Patty delivered the parcel to her niece, the minister walkedaway to lay aside his vestments, but he noted the sudden hardening ofhis cousin's face, the flush of displeasure, the haughty curl of herlips; and on his ears fell his aunt's voice: "You expected and waited for him at morning prayer?" "I invited him to join us, if he felt disposed to do so. " "What possible excuse can he offer for such negligence, when he knewthat Leighton would read the service?" An uwonted sparkle leaped into Leo's mild hazel eyes, and withoutexamination she handed the package and note to Justine. "Lay them in the drawer of my writing-desk, and then call all theservants into the dining-room. Auntie, tardy excuses must wait longerfor an audience than we waited for the writer. Come to breakfast; unclewill be impatient, and I want to enjoy his surprise when he sees hisSanta Klaus. " She was sorely disappointed, deeply affronted by Mr. Dunbar's failureto present himself on an occasion at which she had especially desiredhis presence; and as she recalled the affectionate phraseology of hernote of invitation, her fair cheek burned with an intolerable sense ofhumiliation. Was it partition, or total loss, of her precious kingdom?In after years, she designated this Christmas as the era when the"sceptre departed from Judah;" but putting away the chagrin, andsealing the well of bitterness in her heart, she exchanged holidaygreetings, and proudly wore her royal robes throughout the day, holdingsternly off the spectre, which grimly bided its time--the hour of herabdication. Through the benevolent and compassionate efforts of Mr. And Mrs. Singleton, some faint reflection of the outside world festivitiespenetrated the dismal monotony of prison routine; and the hearts of theinmates were softened and gladdened by kind tokens of remembrance, thatcarried the thoughts of bearded convicts back to Christmas carols ininnocent youth, and to the mother's knees where prayers were lisped. Illness had secured to Beryl immunity from contact with her comrades inmisery, and except to visit the little chapel, she never left thesheltering walls of her small comfortless room, grateful for theunexpected boon of silent seclusion. Her Christmas greeting had beenlittle Dick's sweet lips kissing her cheek, as he deposited upon hernarrow bed the black and white shawl his mother had knitted, and a boxleft by Miss Gordon on the previous day, which contained half a dozenpretty handkerchiefs with mourning borders, some delicate perfume andsoaps, toilet brushes and a sachet. An hour later, when Mrs. Singleton and her babies had gone to spend theday with relatives in the city, Beryl went to the window, pushed thesash up, and listened to the ringing of the Sabbath-school bells, asevery church beyond the river called its nursery to the altar, tocelebrate the day. The metallic clangor was mellowed by distance, rising and falling like rhythmic waves, and the faint echo, filteredthrough dense pine forests behind the penitentiary, had the ghostlyiteration of the Folge Fond. A gaunt yellow kitten, with a faded red ribbon knotted about its neck, and vicious, amber-colored eyes that were a perpetual challenge, hadfled from the tender mercies of Dick to the city of refuge underBeryl's cot; and community of suffering had kindled an attachment thatnow prompted the lesser waif to spring into the girl's folded arms, andrub its head against her shoulder. Mechanically Beryl's hand strokedthe creature's ear, while it purred softly under the caress; butsuddenly its back curved into an arch, the tail broadened, the purrbecame a growl. Had association lifted the brute's instincts to theplane of human antipathies? The warden had opened the door and quickly closed it, after ushering ina tall figure, who wore an overcoat which was buttoned from throat toknees. At sight of Mr. Dunbar, the cat plunged to the floor, and spedaway to the darkest corner under the iron bedstead. "Good morning. I dare not utter here the greetings of the day, becauseyou would construe it into a heartless mockery. " He came forward hesitatingly, and she turned swiftly away, pressing herface against the bars of the window, waving him back. "Why will you persist in regarding as an enemy, the one person in allthe world who is most anxious to befriend you?" Still no answer; only the repellent gesture warning him away. "Will you allow me, this Christmas morning, to comfort myself in somedegree, by leaving here a few flowers to brighten your desolatesurroundings?" He held out a bouquet of rare and brilliant hothouse blossoms, whosedelicious fragrance had already pervaded the room. They stood side byside, yet she shrank farther, and kept her face averted, shiveringperceptibly. Lifting one arm he drew down the sash to shut out thefreezing air. "You are resolved neither to look at nor speak to me? So be it. Atleast you must listen to me. You may not care to hear that I have beenabsent, but perhaps it will interest you to know that I went in searchof the man for whose crime you are paying the penalty. " If he expected her to wince under the probe, her nerves were taut, andshe defied the steel; but the face she now turned fully to him was soblanched by illness, so hopeless in its rigid calm, that he felt a keenpain at his own heart. "Prisoners, victims of justice, have, it seems, no privileges; else myone request, my earnest prayer to be shielded from your presence, mighthave protected me from this intrusion. Are you akin to Parrhasius thatyou come to gloat over the agonies of a moral and mental vivisection?The sight of suffering to which you have brought a helpless woman, isscarcely the recompense I was taught to suppose agreeable to achivalrous Southern gentleman. If, wearing the red livery of Justice, undue zeal for vengeance betrayed you into the fatal mistake oftrampling me into this horrible place, there might be palliation; butfor the brutal persistency with which you thrust your tormentingpresence upon me, not even heavenly charity could possibly find pardon. Literally you are heaping insult upon awful injury. Is it a refinementof cruelty that brings you here to watch and analyze my suffering, as abiologist looks through lenses at an insect he empales, or Pasteurscrutinizes the mortal throes of the victims into whose veins he hasinjected poison?" If she had drawn a lash across his face, it would not have stung morekeenly than her words, so expressive of detestation. "Will you consider for a moment the possibility that other motivesactuate me; that ceaseless regret, remorse, if you choose, for aterrible mistake, impels me to come here in the hope of makingreparation?" "Such a supposition is as inconceivable as the idea of reparation. Whena reaper goes forth to his ripe harvest, his lawful labor, and wantonlyturns aside into a by-path, to try the edge of his sickle on an humble, unoffending stalk that fights for life among the grass and weeds, andstruggles to get its head sufficiently in the sunshine to bloom--whenhe cuts it off unopened, crushes it into the sod, can he makereparation? Although it is neither bearded yellow wheat, nor yet ablack tare, it proved the temper of his blade; and all the skill, allthe science of universal humanity, cannot re-erect the stem, cannotremove the stains, cannot unfold the bruised petals. There are wrongsthat all time will never repair. Your sword of justice needs nowhetting; one stroke has laid me low. " "I purpose to file it two-edged, in order to make no more mistakes. Before long I shall cut down the real criminal, the principal, whoshall not escape, and for whom you shall not suffer. " "Then 'a life for a life' no longer satisfies? How many are required?The law has need of a sacrificial stone wide as that of the Aztecs. Isjustice a'daughter of the horse-leech'?" "So help me God--" "Hush! Take not His name upon your lips. Men like you cannot afford tocredit the existence of a holy God. This is Christmas--at leastaccording to the almanac--now as a 'chivalrous Southern gentleman, 'will you grant me a very great favor if I humbly crave it? Ah, noblesseoblige! you cannot deny me. I beg of you, then, leave me instantly;come here no more. Never let me see your face again, or hear yourvoice, except in the court-room, when I am tried for the crime whichyou have told the world I committed. This boon is the sole possiblereparation left you. " She had clasped her hands so tightly, that the nails were bloodless, and the fluttering in her white throat betrayed the throbbing of herheart. "You are afraid of me, because you dread my discovering your secret, which is--" "You have done your worst. You have locked me away from a dying mother;disgraced an innocent life; broken a girl's pure, happy heart; whatelse is there to dread? Although a bird knows full well when it hasreceived its death wound, instinct drives it to flutter, drag itself asfar as possible from the gaze of the sportsman, and gasp out its agonyin some lonely place. " "When I hunt birds, and a partridge droops its wings, and hovers almostat my feet, inviting capture, I know beyond all peradventure that it isonly love's ruse; that something she holds dearer than her own life, isthereby screened, saved. You are guilty of a great crime againstyourself, you are submitting tacitly, consenting to an awful doom, inorder to spare and protect the real murderer. " He bent closer, watching breathlessly for some change in her whitestony face; but her sad eyes met his with no wavering of the lids, andonly her delicate nostrils dilated slightly. She raised her lockedhands, rested her lips a moment on her mother's ring, as if drinkingsome needed tonic, and answered in the same low, quiet tone: "Then, prime minister of justice, set me free, and punish the guilty. Who murdered General Darrington?" "You have known from the beginning; and I intend to set you free, whenthat cowardly miscreant has been secured. You would die to save yourlover; you, proud, brave, noble natured, would sacrifice your preciouslife for that wretched, vile poltroon, who flees and leaves you tosuffer in his stead! Truly, there is no mystery so profound, socomplex, so subtle as a woman's heart. To die for his crimes, were ahappier fate than to sully your fair soul by alliance with one sodegraded; and, by the help of God, I intend to snatch you from both!" He had put his hands for an instant upon her shoulders, and hishandsome face flushed, eloquent with the feeling that he no longercared to disguise, was so close to hers, that she felt his breath onher cheek. Swiftly, unerringly she comprehended everything; and the suddenness ofthe discovery dazzled, awed her, as one might feel under the blue flashof a dagger when thrust into one's clasp for novice fingers to feel theedge. Was the weapon valued merely because of the possibility offleshing it in the heart of him who had darkened her life? Did heunderstand as fully the marvellous change in the beautiful face, thathad lured him from his chapel tryst with his betrothed? He was on thealert for signals of distress, of embarrassment, of terror; but whatmeant the glad light that leaped up in her eyes, the quick flushstaining her wan cheek, the triumphant smile curving lips that a momentbefore might have belonged to Guercino's Mater Dolorosa, the relaxationof figure and features, the unmistakable expression of intense reliefthat stole into the countenance? "Will you be so good as to tell me my lover's name, and where the foxterriers of the law unearthed him?" "I will tell you something which you do not already know; that I havefound a clue, that I shall hunt him out, hide, crouch where he may;that here, where he sinned, he shall expiate his crime, and that whenyour lover is hung, your name, your honor, shall be vindicated. Somuch, Lennox Dunbar promises you, on his honor as a gentleman. " "Words, vapid words! Empty, worthless as last year's nests. My lover, "she laughed scornfully, "is quite safe even from your malevolence. Ifindeed 'one touch of nature makes the whole world kin, ' one mightexpect some pity from the guild of love swains; and it augurs sadly forMiss Gordon's future, that the spell is so utterly broken. " His dark face reddened, lowered. "If you please, we will keep Miss Gordon's name out of theconversation, and hereafter when--" "Enough! I shall keep her image in my grateful heart, the few tediousmonths I have to live; and there seems indeed a sort of poetic justicein the fact that the bride you covet, has become the truest, tenderestfriend of the hapless girl whom you are prosecuting for murder. " "Beryl--" "I forbid such insolent presumption! You shall not utter the name myfather gave me. It is holy as my baptism; it must be kept unsullied formy lover's lips to fondle. This is your last visit here, for if youdare to intrude again, I will demand protection from the warden. I willbear no more. " As he looked at her, the witchery of her youthful loveliness, heightened by the angry sparkle in her deep eyes, by the vividcarnation of her curling lips, mastered him; and when he thought of thebrown-haired woman to whom he was pledged, he set his teeth tight, tosmother an execration. He moved toward the door, paused, and came back. "Will it comfort you to know that I suffer even more than you do; thatI am plunged into a fiercer purgatory than that to which I havecondemned you? I am devoured by regret; but I will atone. I came hereas your friend; I can never be less, and in defiance of your hatred, Ishall prove my sincerity. Because I bemoan my rash haste, will you saygood-bye kindly? Some day, perhaps, you will understand. " He held out his hand, and his blue eyes lost their steely glitter, filled with a prayer for pardon. She picked up the bouquet which had fallen from the window sill to thefloor, and without hesitation put it into his fingers: "I think I understand all that words could ever explain. My shortstream of life is very near the great ocean of rest. I have ceased tostruggle, ceased to hope; and since the end is so close, I wish noactive warfare even with those who wronged me most foully. If you willspare me the sight of you, I will try to forget the added misery of thevisits you have forced upon me, and perhaps some of the bitterness maydie out. Take the flowers to Miss Gordon; leave no trace to remind meof your persecution. We bear chastisement because we must, but thesight of the rod renews the sting; so, henceforth, I hope to see you nomore. When we meet before our God, I may have a new heart, swept cleanof earthly hate, but until then--until then--" He caught her fingers, crushed his lips against them, and walked fromthe room, leaving the bouquet a shattered mass of perfume in the middleof the floor. CHAPTER XVI. Standing before Leon Gerome's tragic picture, and listening to thesepulchral echo that floats down the arcade of centuries. "Ave, Imperator, morituri te salutant, " nineteenth century womanhood frowns, and deplores the brutal depravity which alone explains the presence ofthat white-veiled vestal band, whose snowy arms are thrust in signalover the parapet of the bloody arena; yet fair daughters of the latestcivilization show unblushing flower faces among the heaving mass of the"great unwashed" who crowd our court-rooms--and listen to revoltingdetails more repugnant to genuine modesty, than the mangled remains inthe Colosseum. The rosy thumbs of Roman vestals were potent ballots inthe Eternal City, and possibly were thrown only in the scale of mercy;but having no voice in verdicts, to what conservative motive may beascribed the presence of women at criminal trials? Are the children ofCulture, the heiresses of "all the ages", really more refined than theproud old dames of the era of Spartacus? Is the spectacle of mere physical torture, in gladiatorial combats, orin the bloody precincts of plaza de toros, as grossly demoralizing asthe loathsome minutiae of heinous crimes upon which legal oratorsdilate; and which Argus reporters, with magnifying lenses at every eye, reproduce for countless newspapers, that serve as wings fortransporting moral dynamite to hearthstones and nurseries all over ourland? Is there a distinction, without a difference, between policegazettes and the journalistic press? If extremes meet, and the march of human progress be along no asymtoticline, is the day very distant when we shall welcome the Renaissance ofthat wisdom which two thousand years ago held its august tribunal inthe solemn hours of night, when darkness hid from the Judges everythingsave well-authenticated facts? The supreme aim of civil and criminallaw being the conservation of national and individual purity, to whatshall we attribute the paradox presented in its administration, wherebyits temples become lairs of libel, their moral atmosphere defiled bythe monstrous vivisection of parental character by children, theslaughter of family reputation, the exhaustive analysis of everyspecies of sin forbidden by the Decalogue, and floods of vulgarvituperation dreadful as the Apocalyptic vials? Can this generation "--in the foremost files of time--" afford to believe that a grim significance lurks in the desuetude oftypical judicial ermine? Traditions of ante bellum custom proclaimed that "good society" in thetown of X--, formerly considered the precincts of courts as unfit forladies as the fetid air of morgues, or the surgical instruments ondissecting tables; but the vanguard of cosmopolitan freedom andprogress had pitched tents in the old-fashioned place, and recruitedrapidly from the ranks of the invaded; hence it came to pass, that onthe second day of the murder trial, when the preliminaries of juryempanelling had been completed, and all were ready to launch the case, X--announced its social emancipation from ancient canons of decorum, bythe unwonted spectacle of benches crowded with "ladies", whose silkengarments were crushed against the coarser fabrics of proletariat. Despite the piercing cold of a morning late in February, the mass ofhuman furnaces had raised the temperature to a degree that encouragedthe fluttering of fans, and necessitated the order that no additionalspectators should be admitted. Viewed through the leaden haze of fearful anticipation, the horror ofthe impending trial had seemed unendurable to the proud and sensitivegirl, whom the Sheriff placed on a seat fronting the sea of curiousfaces, the battery of scrutinizing eyes turned on her from thejury-box. Four months of dread had unnerved her, yet now when the cruelactuality seized her in its iron grasp, that superb strength which theinevitable lends to conscious innocence, so steeled and fortified her, that she felt lifted to some lonely height, where numbness eased heraching wounds. Pallid and motionless, she sat like a statue, save for the slow strokesof her right hand upon the red gold of her mother's ring; and the soundof a man's voice reading a formula, seemed to echo from an immeasurabledistance. She had consented to, had deliberately accepted the worstpossible fate, and realized the isolation of her lot; but for one thingshe was not prepared, and its unexpectedness threatened to shiver hercalmness. Two women made their way toward her: Dyce and Sister Serena. The former sat down in the rear of the prisoner, the latter stood for afew seconds, and her thin delicate hand fell upon the girl's shoulder. At sight of the sweet, placid countenance below the floating whitemuslin veil, Beryl's lips quivered into a sad smile; and as they shookhands she whispered: "I believe even the gallows will not frighten you two from my side. " Sister Serena seated herself as close as possible, drew from her pocketa gray woollen stocking, and began to knit. For an instant Beryl's eyesclosed, to shut in the sudden gush of grateful tears; when she openedthem, Mr. Churchill had risen: "May it please the Court, Gentlemen of the Jury: If fidelity to dutyinvolved no sacrifice of personal feeling, should we make it thetouchstone of human character, value it as the most precious jewel inthe crown of human virtues? I were less than a man, immeasurably lessthan a gentleman, were I capable of addressing you to-day, in obedienceto the behests of justice, and in fulfilment of the stern requirementsof my official position, without emotions of profound regret, thatimplacable Duty, to whom I have sworn allegiance, forces me to hush thepleading whispers of my pitying heart, to smother the tender instinctsof human sympathy, and to listen only to the solemn mandate of thoselaws, which alone can secure to our race the enjoyment of life, libertyand property. An extended professional career has hitherto furnished meno parallel for the peculiarly painful exigencies of this occasion; andan awful responsibility scourges me with scorpion lash to a mostunwelcome task. When man crosses swords with man on any arena, innatepride nerves his arm and kindles enthusiasm, but alas, for the man! behe worthy the name, who draws his blade and sees before him a young, helpless, beautiful woman, disarmed. Were it not a bailable offence inthe court of honor, if his arm fell palsied? Each of you who has amother, a wife, a lily browed daughter, put yourself in my place, lendme your sympathy; and at least applaud the loyalty that strangles allindividuality, and renders me bound thrall of official duty. Counselfor the defence has been repeatedly offered, nay, pressed upon theprisoner, but as often persistently rejected; hence the almostparalyzing repugnance with which I approach my theme. "The Grand Jury of the county, at its last sitting, returned to thiscourt a bill of indictment, charging the prisoner at the bar with thewilful, deliberate and premeditated murder of Robert Luke Darrington, by striking him with a brass andiron. To this indictment she haspleaded 'Not Guilty, ' and stands before her God and this community fortrial. Gentlemen of the jury, you represent this commonwealth, jealousof the inviolability of its laws, and by virtue of your oaths, you aresolemnly pledged to decide upon her guilt or innocence, in strictaccordance with the evidence that may be laid before you. In fulfillingthis sacred duty, you will, I feel assured, be governed exclusively bya stern regard to the demands of public justice. While it taxes ourreluctant credulity to believe that a crime so hideous could have beencommitted by a woman's hand, could have been perpetrated withoutprovocation, within the borders of our peaceful community, nevertheless, the evidence we shall adduce must inevitably force you tothe melancholy conclusion that the prisoner at the bar is guilty of theoffence, with which she stands charged. The indictment which you areabout to try, charges Beryl Brentano with the murder. "In outlining the evidence which will be presented in support of thisindictment, I earnestly desire that you will give me your dispassionateand undivided attention; and I call God to witness, that disclaimingpersonal animosity and undue zeal for vengeance, I am sorrowfullyindicating as an officer of the law, a path of inquiry, that must leadyou to that goal where, before the altar of Truth, Justice swings herdivine scales, and bids Nemesis unsheathe her sword. "On the afternoon of October the twenty-sixth, about three o'clock, astranger arrived in X--and inquired of the station agent what roadwould carry her to 'Elm Bluff', the home of General Darrington;assuring him she would return in time to take the north-bound train at7. 15, as urgent business necessitated her return. Demanding aninterview with Gen'l Darrington, she was admitted, incognito, andproclaimed herself his granddaughter, sent hither by a sick mother, toprocure a certain sum of money required for specified purposes. Thatthe interview was stormy, was characterized by fierce invective on herpart, and by bitter denunciation and recrimination on his, is too wellestablished to admit of question; and they parted implacable foes, asis attested by the fact that he drove her from his room through a rearand unfrequented door, opening into a flower garden, whence shewandered over the grounds until she found the gate. The vital import ofthis interview lies in the great stress Gen'l Darrington placed uponthe statement he iterated and reiterated; that he had disinherited hisdaughter, and drawn up a will bequeathing his entire estate to hisstep-son Prince. "Miss Brentano did not leave X--at 7. 15, though she had ample time todo so, after quitting 'Elm Bluff'. She loitered about the station houseuntil nearly half-past eight, then disappeared. At 10 P. M. She was seenand identified by a person who had met her at 'Elm Bluff', crouchingbehind a tree near the road that led to that ill-fated house, and whenquestioned regarding her presence there, gave unsatisfactory answers. At half-past two o'clock she was next seen hastening toward the stationoffice, along the line of the railroad, from the direction of the watertank, which is situated nearly a mile north of town. Meanwhile anunusually severe storm had been followed by a drenching rain, and thestranger's garments were wet, when, after a confused and contradictoryaccount of her movements, she boarded the 3. 05 train bound north. "During that night, certainly after ten o'clock, Gen'l Darrington wasmurdered. His vault was forced open, money was stolen, and mostsignificant of all, the WILL was abstracted. Criminal jurisprudenceholds that the absence of motive renders nugatory much weightytestimony. In this melancholy cause, could a more powerful motive beimagined than that which goaded the prisoner to dip her fair hands inher grandfather's blood, in order to possess and destroy that will, which stood as an everlasting barrier between her and the estate shecoveted? "Crimes are referrible to two potent passions of the human soul;malice, engendering thirst for revenge, and the insatiable lust ofmoney. If that old man had died a natural death, leaving the will hehad signed, his property would have belonged to the adopted son, towhom he bequeathed it, and Mrs. Brentano and her daughter would haveremained paupers. Cut off by assassination, and with no record of hislast wishes in existence, the beloved son is bereft of his legacy, andBeryl Brentano and her mother inherit the blood-bought riches theycovet. When arrested, gold coins and jewels identified as thoseformerly deposited in Gen'l Darrington's vault, were found inpossession of the prisoner; and as if every emissary of fate were armedwith warrants for her detection, a handkerchief bearing her initials, and saturated with the chloroform which she had administered to hervictim, was taken from the pillow, where his honored gray head rested, when he slept his last sleep on earth. Further analysis would insultyour intelligence, and having very briefly laid before you the intendedline of testimony, I believe I have assigned a motive for thismonstrous crime, which must precipitate the vengeance of the law, in adegree commensurate with its enormity. Time, opportunity, motive, whenin full accord, constitute a fatal triad, and the suspicious andunexplainable conduct of the prisoner in various respects, furnishes, in connection with other circumstances of this case, the strongestpresumptive evidence of her guilt. These circumstances, far beyond therealm of human volition, smelted and shaped in the rolling mills ofdestiny, form the tramway along which already the car of doom thunders;and when they shall have been fully proved to you, by unassailabletestimony, no alternative remains but the verdict of guilty. Mournfulas is the duty, and awfully solemn the necessity that leaves the issueof life and death in your hands, remember, gentlemen, Curran's immortalwords: 'A juror's oath is the adamantine chain that binds the integrityof man to the throne of eternal justice'. " No trace of emotion was visible on the prisoner's face, except at theharsh mention of her mother's name; when a shudder was perceptible, asin one where dentist's steel pierces a sensitive nerve. In order toavoid the hundreds of eyes that stabbed her like merciless probes, herown had been raised and fixed upon a portion of the cornice in the roomwhere a family of spiders held busy camp; but a fascination songresisted, finally drew their gaze down to a seat near the bar, and sheencountered the steady, sorrowful regard of Mr. Dunbar. Two months had elapsed since the Christmas morning on which she hadrejected his floral offering, and during that weary season of waiting, she had refused to see any visitors except Dyce and Sister Serena;resolutely denying admittance to Miss Gordon. She knew that he had beenabsent, had searched for some testimony in New York, and now meetinghis eyes, she saw a sudden change in their expression--a sparkle, asmile of encouragement, a declaration of success. He fancied heunderstood the shadow of dread that drifted over her face; and sherealized at that instant, that of all foes, she had most to apprehendfrom the man who she knew loved her with an unreasoning andineradicable fervor. How much had he discovered? She could defy thedistrict solicitor, the judge, the jury; but only one method ofsilencing the battery that was ambushed in those gleaming blue eyespresented itself. To extinguish his jealousy, by removing the figmentof a rival, might rob him of the motive that explained his persistentpursuit of the clue she had concealed; but it would simultaneouslydemolish, also, the barrier that stretched between Miss Gordon's happyheart and the bitter waves of a cruel disappointment. If assured thather own affection was unpledged, would the bare form and ceremonial ofhonor bind his allegiance to his betrothed? Absorbed in thesereflections, the prisoner became temporarily oblivious of theproceedings; and it was not until Sister Serena touched her arm, thatshe saw the vast throng was watching her, waiting for some reply. TheJudge repeated his question: "Is it the desire of the prisoner to answer the presentation of theprosecution? Having refused professional defence, you now have theoption of addressing the Court. " "Let the prosecution proceed. " There was no quiver in her voice, as cold, sweet and distinct it foundits way to the extremity of the wide apartment; yet therein lurked nodefiance. She resumed her seat, and her eyes sank, until the long blackfringes veiled their depths. Unperceived, Judge Dent had found a seatbehind her, and leaning forward he whispered: "Will you permit me to speak for you?" "Thank you--no. " "But it cuts me to the heart to see you so forsaken, so helpless. " "God is my helper; He will not forsake me. " The first witness called and sworn was Doctor Ledyard, the physicianwho for many years had attended General Darrington; and who testifiedthat when summoned to examine the body of deceased, on the morning ofthe inquest, he had found it so rigid that at least eight hours musthave elapsed since life became extinct. Had discovered no blood stains, and only two contusions, one on the right temple, where a circularblack spot was conspicuous, and a bluish bruise over the region of theheart. He had visited deceased on the morning of previous day, and hethen appeared much better, and almost relieved of rheumatism and painsattributable to an old wound in the right knee. The skull had not beenfractured by the blow on the temple, but witness believed it had causeddeath; and the andiron, which he identified as the one found on thefloor close to the deceased, was so unusually massive, he was positivethat if hurled with any force, it would produce a fatal result. Mr. Churchill: "Did you at that examination detect any traces ofchloroform?" "There was an odor of chloroform very perceptible when we lifted thehair to examine the skull; and on searching the room, we found a vialwhich had contained chloroform, and was beside the pillow, where aportion had evidently leaked out. " "Could death have occurred in consequence of inhaling that chloroform?" "If so, the deceased could never have risen, and would have been foundin his bed; moreover, the limbs were drawn up, and bent into a positiontotally inconsistent with any theory of death produced by anaesthetics;and the body was rigid as iron. " The foregoing testimony was confirmed by that of Doctor Cranmar, aresident physician, who had been summoned by the Coroner to assistDoctor Ledyard in the examination, reported formally at the inquest. "Here, gentlemen of the jury, is the fatal weapon with which a woman'shand, supernaturally nerved in the struggle for gain, struck down, destroyed a venerable old man, an honored citizen, whose gray hairsshould have shielded him from the murderous assault of a mercenaryadventuress. Can she behold without a shudder, this tell-taleinstrument of her monstrous crime?" High above his head, Mr. Churchill raised the old-fashioned andiron, and involuntarily Beryl glanced at the quaint brass figure, cast in theform of a unicorn, with a heavy ball surmounting the horn. "Abednego Darrington!" Sullen, crestfallen and woe-begone was the demeanor of the old negro, who had been brought vi et armis by a constable, from the seclusion ofa corner of the "Bend Plantation", where he had secreted himself, toavoid the shame of bearing testimony against his mistress' child. Whenplaced on the witness stand, he crossed his arms over his chest, planted his right foot firmly in advance, and fixed his eyes on theleather strings that tied his shoes. After some unimportant preliminaries, the District Solicitor asked: "When did you first see the prisoner, who now sits before you?" "When she come to our house, the evening before ole Marster died. " "You admitted her to your Master's presence?" "I never tuck no sech libberties. He tole me to let her in. " "You carried her to his room?" "Yes, sir. " "About what time of the day was it?" "Don't know. " "Gen'l Darrington always dined at three o'clock. Was it before or afterdinner?" "After. " "How long was the prisoner in the General's room?" "Don't know. " "Did she leave the house by the front door, or the side door?" "Can't say. Didn't see her when she come out. " "About how long was she in the house?" "I totes no watch, and I never had no luck guessing. I'm shore to landwrong. " "Was it one hour or two?" "Mebbe more, mebbe less. " "Where were you during that visit?" "Feedin' my game pullets in the backyard. " "Did you hear any part of the conversation between the prisoner andGen'l Darrington?" "No, sir! I'm above the meanness of eavesdrapping. " "How did you learn that she was the granddaughter of Gen'l Darrington?" "Miss Angerline, the white 'oman what mends and sews, come to the backpiazer, and beckoned me to run there. She said ther must be a 'high olefracas', them was her words, agoin' on in Marster's room, for he wascussin' and swearin', and his granddaughter was jawing back veryvicious. Sez I, 'Who'? Sez she, 'His granddaughter; that is Ellice'schile'. Sez I, 'How do you know so much'? Sez she, 'I was darning themliberry curtains, and I couldn't help hearing the wrangle'. Sez I, 'Youpicked a oncommon handy time to tackle them curtains; they must bemighty good to cure the ear-itch'. She axed me if I didn't see thefamily favor in the 'oman's face; and I tole her no, but I would seefor myself. Sez she, to me, 'No yow won't, for the Gen'l is in atearing rage, and he's done drove her out, and kicked and slammed thedoors. She's gone. '" "Then you did not see her?" "I went to the front piazer, and I seen her far down the lawn, butMarster rung his bell so savage, I had to run back to him. " "Did he tell you the prisoner was his granddaughter?" "No, sir. " "Did you mention the fact to him?" "I wouldn't 'a dared to meddle with his fambly bizness!" "He appeared very angry and excited?" "He 'peard to want some ole Conyyac what was in the sideboard, and Ibrung the bottle to him. " "Do you remember whether his vault in the wall was open, when youanswered the bell?" "I didn't notice it. " "Where did you sleep that night?" "On a pallet in the middle passage, nigh the star steps. " "Was that your usual custom?" "No, sir. But the boy what had been sleepin' in the house while oleMarster was sick, had gone to set up with his daddy's corpse, and Ituck his place. " "Did you hear any unusual noise during the night?" "Only the squalling of the pea-fowul what was oncommon oneasy, and thethunder that was ear-splitting. One clap was so tremenjous it raised meplum off'en the pallet, and jarred me to my backbone, as if a cannonhad gone off close by. " "Now, Bedney, state carefully all the circumstances under which youfound your master the next morning; and remember you are on your oath, to speak the truth, and all the truth. " "He was a early riser, and always wanted his shavin' water promp'. Whenhis bell didn't ring, I thought the storm had kep' him awake, and hewas having a mornin' nap, to make up for lost time. The clock hadstruck eight, and the cook said as how the steak and chops was as dryas a bone from waitin', and so I got the water and went to Marster'sdoor. It was shet tight, and I knocked easy. He never answered; so Iknocked louder; and thinkin' somethin' was shorely wrong, I opened thedoor--" "Go on. What did you find?" "Mars Alfred, sir, it's very harryfyin to my feelins. " "Go on. You are required to state all you saw, all you know. " Bedney drew back his right foot, advanced his left. Took out hishandkerchief, wiped his face and refolded his arms. "My Marster was layin' on the rug before the fireplace, and his kneeswas all drawed up. His right arm, was stretched out, so--and his lefthand was all doubled up. I know'd he was dead, before I tetched him, for his face was set; and pinched and blue. I reckon I hollered, but Ican't say, for the next thing I knowed, the horsler and the cook, andMiss Angerline, and Dyce, my ole 'oman, and Gord knows who all, wasstreamin' in and out and screamin'. " "What was the condition of the room?" "The front window was up, and the blinds was flung wide open, and acheer was upside clown close to it. The red vases what stood on thefire-place mantle was smashed on the carpet, and the handi'on was closeto Marster's right hand. The vault was open, and papers was strowedplentiful round on the floor under it. Then the neighburs and theDoctor, and the Crowner come runnin' in, and I sot down by the bed andcried like a chile. Pretty soon they turned us all out and hilt theinquess. " "You do not recollect any other circumstance?" "The lamp on the table was burnin'--and ther' wan't much oil left init. I seen Miss Angerline blow it out, after the Doctor come. " "Who found the chloroform vial?" "Don't know. " "Did you hear any name mentioned as that of the murderer?" "Miss Angerline tole the Crowner, that ef the will was missin', Gen'lDarrington's granddaughter had stole it. They two, with some othergentleman, sarched the vault, and Miss Angerline said everything washiggledy piggledy and no will there. " "You testified before the Coroner?" "Yes, sir. " "Why did you not give him the handkerchief you found?" "I didn't have it then. " "When and where did you get it? Be very careful now. " For the first time Bedney raised his eyes toward the place where Dycesat near the prisoner, and he hesitated. He took some tobacco from hisvest pocket, stowed it away in the hollow of his cheek, and re-crossedhis arms. "When Marster was dressed, and they carried him out to thedrawing-room, Dyce was standin' cryin' by the fireplace, and I went tothe bed, and put my hand under the bolster, where Marster always kep'his watch and his pistol. The watch was ther' but no pistol; and justsorter stuffed under the pillow case--was, a hank'cher. I tuk the watchstraight to the gentlemen in the drawin'-room, and they come back andsarched for the pistol, and we foun' it layin' in its case in the tabledraw'. Of all the nights in his life, ole Marster had forgot to lay hispistol handy. " "Never mind about the pistol. What became of the handkerchief?" "When I picked it up, an injun-rubber stopper rolled out, and as ther'wan't no value in a hank'cher, I saw no harm in keepin' it--for a'mentoof ole Marster's death. " "You knew it was a lady's handkerchief. " "No, sir! I didn't know it then; and what's more, I don't know it now. " "Is not this the identical handkerchief you found?" "Cant say. 'Dentical is a ticklish trap for a pusson on oath. It dolook like it, to be shore; but two seed in a okrey pod is ezactlyalike, and one is one, and t'other is t'other. " "Look at it. To the best of your knowledge and belief it is theidentical handkerchief you found on Gen'l Darrington's pillow?" "What I found had red specks sewed in the border, and this seems jestlike it; but I don't sware to no dentical--'cause I means to bekereful; and I will stand to the aidge of my oath; but--MarsAlfred--don't shove me over it. " "Can't you read?" "No, sir; I never hankered after book-larnin' tomfoolery, and otherfreedom frauds. " "You know your A B C's?" "No more 'n a blind mule. " As the solicitor took from the table in front of the jury box, theembroidered square of cambric, and held it up by two corners, every eyein the court-room fastened upon it; and a deadly faintness seized theprisoner, whitening lips that hitherto had kept their scarlet outlines. "Gentlemen of the jury, if the murdered man could stand before you, forone instant only, his frozen finger would point to the fatal letterswhich destiny seems to have left as a bloody brand. Here in indeliblecolors are wrought 'B. B. '!--Beryl Brentano. Do you wonder, gentlemen, that when this overwhelming evidence of her guilt came into mypossession, compassion for a beautiful woman was strangled by supremehorror, in the contemplation of the depravity of a female monster? Ifthese crimson letters were gaping wounds, could their bloody lips moresolemnly accuse yonder blanched, shuddering, conscience-stricken womanof the sickening crime of murdering her aged, infirm grandfather, fromwhose veins she drew the red tide that now curdles at her heart?" CHAPTER XVII. As the third day of the trial wore away, the dense crowd in thecourt-room became acquainted with the sensation of having been unjustlydefrauded of the customary public peruisite; because the monotonousproceedings were entirely devoid of the spirited verbal duels, themicroscopic hair splitting, the biting sarcasms of opposing counsel, the brow-beating of witnesses, the tenacious wrangling over invisiblelegal points, which usually vary and spice the routine and stimulatethe interest of curious spectators. When a spiritless fox disdains todouble, and stands waiting for the hounds, who have only to rend it, hunters feel cheated, and deem it no chase. To the impatient spectators, it appeared a very tame, one-sided, andanomalous trial, where like a slow stream the evidences of guilt oozed, and settled about the prisoner, who challenged the credibility of nowitness, and waived all the privileges of cross-examination. Now andthen, the audience criticised in whispers the "undue latitude" allowedby the Judge, to the District Solicitor; but their "exceptions" wereinformal, and the prosecution received no serious or important rebuff. Was the accused utterly callous, or paralyzed by consciousness of hercrime; or biding her time for a dramatic outburst of vindicatingtestimony? To her sensitive nature, the ordeal of sitting day after dayto be stared at by a curious and prejudiced public, was more torturingthan the pangs of Marsyas; and she wondered whether a courageous Romancaptive who was shorn of his eyelids, and set under the blistering sunof Africa, suffered any more keenly; but motionless, apparentlyimpassive as a stone mask, on whose features pitiless storms beat invain, she bore without wincing the agony of her humiliation. Very whiteand still, she sat hour by hour with downcast eyes, and folded hands;and those who watched most closely could detect only one change ofposition; now and then she raised her clasped hands, and rested herlips a moment on the locked fingers, then dropped them wearily on herlap. Even when a juryman asked two searching questions of a witness, sheshowed no sign of perturbation, and avoided meeting the eyes in thejury-box, as though they belonged to basilisks. Was it only three dayssince the beginning of this excruciating martyrdom of soul; and howmuch longer could she endure silently, and keep her reason? At times, Sister Serena's hand forsook the knitting, to lay a soft, caressing touch of encouragement and sympathy on the girl's shoulder;and Dyce's burning indignation vented itself in frequent audiblegrating of her strong white teeth. So passed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, in the examination of witnesses who recapitulated all thathad been elicited at the preliminary investigation; and each nook andcranny of recollection in the mind of Anthony Burk, the station agent;of Belshazzer Tatem, the lame gardener; of lean and acrid MissAngeline, the seamstress, was illuminated by the lurid light of Mr. Churchill's adroit interrogation. Thus far, the prosecution had beenconducted by the District Solicitor, with the occasional assistance ofMr. Wolverton, who, in conjunction with Mr. Dunbar, had appeared asrepresentative of the Darrington estate, and its legal heir, Prince;and when court adjourned on Wednesday, the belief was generallyentertained that no defence was possible; and that at the last moment, the prisoner would confess her crime, and appeal to the mercy of thejury. As the deputy sheriff led his prisoner toward the rear entrance, where stood the dismal funereal black wagon in which she was broughtfrom prison to court, Judge Dent came quickly to meet her. "My niece, Miss Gordon, could not, of course, come into the court-room, but she is here in the library, with her aunt, and desires to see youfor a moment?" "Tell her I am grateful for her kind motives, but I wish to see no onenow. " "For your own sake, consider the--ah! here is my niece. " "I hope you need no verbal assurance of my deep sympathy, and myconstant prayers, " said Leo, taking one passive hand between hers, andpressing it warmly. "Miss Gordon, I am comforted by your compassion, and by your unwaveringconfidence in a stranger whom your townsmen hold up as a 'femalemonster'. Because I so profoundly realize how good you are, I amunwilling that you should identify yourself with my hopeless cause. Mysufferings will soon be over, and then I want no shadowy reflex castupon the smiling blue sky of your future. I have nothing more to lose, save the burden of a life--that I shall be glad to lay down; but you--!Be careful, do not jeopardize your beautiful dream of happiness. " "Why do you persist in rejecting the overtures of those who couldassist, who might successfully defend you? I beg of you, consent toreceive and confer with counsel, even to-night. " "You will never understand why I must not, till the earth gives up herdead. You tremble, because only one more link can be added to the chainthat is coiling about my neck, and that link is the testimony of theman whose name you expect to bear. Miss Gordon"--she stooped closer, and whispered slowly: "Do not upbraid your lover; be tender, cling tohim; and afford me the consolation of knowing that the unfortunatewoman you befriended, and trusted, cast not even a fleeting shadowbetween your heart and his. Pray for me, that I may be patient andstrong. God bless you. " Turning swiftly, she hurried on to the officer, who had courteouslywithdrawn a few yards distant. As he opened the door of the wagon, hehanded her a loosely folded sheet of paper. "I promised to deliver your answer as soon as possible. " By aid of the red glow, burning low in the western sky, she read: "Mr. Dunbar requests that for her own sake, Miss Brentano will granthim an interview this evening. " "My answer must necessarily be verbal. Say that I will see no one. " To the solitude and darkness of prison she fled for relief, as intosome merciful sheltering arms; and not even the loving solicitude ofMrs. Singleton was permitted to penetrate her seclusion, or share herdreary vigil. Another sleepless night dragged its leaden hours to meetthe dawn, bringing no rest to the desolate soul, who silently grappledwith fate, while every womanly instinct shuddered at the loathsomedegradation forced upon her. Face downward on her hard, narrow cot, sherecalled the terrible accusations, the opprobrious epithets, andtearless, convulsive sobs of passionate protest shook her from head tofoot. Tortured with indignation and shame, at the insults heaped upon her, yet sternly resolved to endure silently, these nights were veritablestations along her Via Dolorosa; and fortified her for the dailyflagellation in front of the jury-box. On Thursday a slow, sleeting rain enveloped the world in a gray cowl, bristling with ice needles; yet when Judge Parkman took his seat atnine o'clock, there was a perceptible increase in the living mass, packed in every available inch of space. For the first time, Mr. Dunbar's seat between his colleagues wasvacant; and Mr. Churchill and Mr. Wolverton were conversing in ananimated whisper. Clad in mourning garments, and with a long crape veil put back from herface, the prisoner was escorted to her accustomed place; and braced bya supreme effort for the critical hour, which she felt assured was athand, her pale set features gleamed like those of a marble statueshrouded in black. Called to the stand, Simon Frisby testified that "he was telegraphoperator, and night train despatcher for railway in X--. On October thetwenty-sixth, had just gone on duty at 8 P. M. At the station, whenprisoner came in, and sent a telegram to New York. A copy of thatmessage had been surrendered to the District Solicitor. Witness hadremained all night in his office, which adjoined the ladies'waiting-room, and his attention having been attracted by the unusualfact that it was left open and lighted, he had twice gone to the doorand looked in, but saw no one. Thought the last inspection was abouttwo o'clock, immediately after he had sent a message to the conductoron train No. 4. Saw prisoner when she came in, a half hour later, andheard the conversation between her and Burk, the station agent. Wasvery positive prisoner could not have been in the ladies' waiting-roomduring the severe storm. " Mr. Churchill read aloud the telegram addressed to Mrs. IgnaceBrentano: "Complete success required delay. All will be satisfactory. Expect me Saturday. B. B. " He commented on its ambiguous phraseology, sent the message to the juryfor inspection, and resumed his chair. "Lennox Dunbar. " Sister Serena's knitting fell from her fingers; Dyce groaned audibly, and Judge Dent, sitting quite near, uttered a heavy sigh. The statuethrobbed into life, drew herself proudly up; and with a haughty poiseof the head, her grand eloquent gray eyes looked up at the witness, andfor the first time during the trial bore a challenge. For fully amoment, eye met eye, soul looked into soul, with only a few feet ofspace dividing prisoner from witness; and as the girl scanned the dark, resolute, sternly chiselled face, cold, yet handsome as some faultlessbronze god, a singular smile unbent her frozen lips, and Judge Dent andSister Serena wondered what the scarcely audible ejaculation meant: "At the mercy of Tiberius!" No faintest reflection of the fierce pain at his heart could have beendiscerned on that non-committal countenance; and as he turned to thejury, his swart magnetic face appeared cruelly hard, sinister. "I first saw the prisoner at 'Elm Bluff', on the afternoon previous toGen'l Darrington's death. When I came out of the house, she was sittingbareheaded on the front steps, fanning herself with her hat, and whileI was untying my horse, she followed Bedney into the library. Theblinds were open and I saw her pass the window, walking in thedirection of the bedroom. " Mr. Churchill: "At that time did you suspect her relationship to yourclient, Gen'l Darrington?" "I did not. " "What was the impression left upon your mind?" "That she was a distinguished stranger, upon some important errand. " "She excited your suspicions at once?" "Nothing had occurred to justify suspicion. My curiosity was aroused. Several hours later I was again at 'Elm Bluff' on legal business, andfound Gen'l Darrington much disturbed in consequence of an interviewwith the prisoner, who, he informed me, was the child of his daughter, whom he had many years previous disowned and disinherited. In referringto this interview, his words were: 'I was harsh to the girl, so harshthat she turned upon me, savage as a strong cub defending a crippled, helpless dam. Mother and daughter know now that the last card has beenplayed; for I gave the girl distinctly to understand, that at my deathPrince would inherit every iota of my estate, and that my will had beencarefully written in order to cut them off without a cent. '" "You were led to infer that Gen'l Darrington had refused herapplication for money?" "There was no mention of an application for money, hence I inferrednothing. " "During that conversation, the last which Gen'l Darrington held onearth, did he not tell you he was oppressed by an awful presentimentconnected with his granddaughter?" "His words were: 'Somehow I am unable to get rid of the strange, disagreeable presentiment that girl let behind her as a farewelllegacy. She stood there at the glass door, and raised her hand: 'Gen'lDarrington, when you lie down to die, may God have more mercy on yourpoor soul, than you have shown to your suffering child. ' "I advised him to sleep off the disagreeable train of thought, and as Ibade him good night, his last words were: "'I shall write to Prince to come home. '" "What do you know concerning the contents of your client's will?" "The original will was drawn up by my father in 187-, but last May, Gen'l Darrington required me to re-write it, as he wished to increasethe amount of a bequest to a certain charitable institution. Theprovisions of the will were, that with the exception of variousspecified legacies, his entire estate, real and personal, should begiven to his stepson Prince; and it was carefully worded, with theavowed intention of barring all claims that might be presented byEllice Brentano or her heirs. " "Do you recollect any allusion to jewelry?" "One clause of the will set aside a case of sapphire stones, with thedirection that whenever Prince Darrington married, they should be wornby the lady as a bridal present from him. " "Would you not deem it highly incompatible with all you know of theGen'l's relentless character, that said sapphires and money should havebeen given to the prisoner?" "My surmises would be irrelevant and valueless to the Court; and facts, indisputable facts, are all that should be required of witnesses. " "When and where did you next see the prisoner?" Cold, crisp, carefully accentuated, his words fell like lead upon theears of all present, whose sympathies were enlisted for the desolatewoman; and as he stood, tall, graceful, with one hand thrust within hisvest, the other resting easily on the back of the bench near him, hisclear cut face so suggestive of metallic medallions, gave no more hintof the smouldering flame at his heart than the glittering ice crown ofEiriksjokull betrays the fierce lava tides beating beneath its frozencrust. "At 10 o'clock on the same night, I saw the prisoner on the roadleading from town to 'Elm Bluff', and not farther than half a mile fromthe cedar bridge spanning the 'branch', at the foot of the hill wherethe iron gate stands. " "She was then going in the direction of 'Elm Bluff?'" "She was sitting on the ground, with her head leaning against a pinetree, but she rose as I approached. " "As it was at night, is there a possibility of your having mistakensome one else for the prisoner?" "None whatever. She wore no hat, and the moon shone full on her face. " "Did you not question her about her presence there, at such an hour?" "I asked: 'Madam, you seem a stranger; have you lost your way?' Sheanswered, 'No, sir. ' I added: 'Pardon me, but having seen you at "ElmBluff" this afternoon, I thought it possible you had missed the road. 'She made no reply, and I rode on to town. " "She betrayed so much trepidation and embarrassment, that yoursuspicion was at once aroused?" "She evinced neither trepidation nor embarrassment. Her manner washaughty and repellent, as though designed to rebuke impertinence. Nextmorning, when informed of the peculiar circumstances attending Gen'lDarrington's death, I felt it incumbent upon me to communicate to themagistrate the facts which I have just narrated. " "An overwhelming conviction of the prisoner's guilt impelled you todemand her arrest?" "Overwhelming conviction rarely results from merely circumstantialevidence, but a combination of accusing circumstances certainly pointedto the prisoner; and following their guidance, I am responsible for herarrest and detention for trial. To the scrutiny of the Court I havesubmitted every fact that influenced my action, and the estimate oftheir value decided by the jurymen, must either confirm the cogency ofmy reasoning, or condemn my rash fallibility. Having under oathconscientiously given all the evidence in my possession, that theprosecution would accept or desire, I now respectfully request, thatunless the prisoner chooses to exercise her right of cross-examination, my colleagues of the prosecution, and his Honor, will grant me a finaldischarge as witness. " Turning toward Beryl, Judge Parkman said: "It is my duty again to remind you, that the cross-examination ofwitnesses is one of the most important methods of defence; as therebyinaccuracies of statement regarding time, place, etc. , are oftendetected in criminal prosecutions, which otherwise might remainundiscovered. To this invaluable privilege of every defendant, I callyour attention once more. Will you cross-question the witness on thestand?" Involuntarily her eyes sought those of the witness, and despite hislocked and guarded face, she read there an intimation that vaguelydisquieted her. She knew that the battle with him must yet be fought. "I waive the right. " "Then, with the consent of the prosecuting counsel, witness isdischarged, subject to recall should the necessities of rebuttal demandit. " "By agreement with my colleagues, I ask for final discharge, subject toyour Honor's approval. " "If in accordance with their wishes, the request is granted. " The clock on the turret struck one, the hour of adjournment, and ererecess was declared, Mr. Churchill rose. "Having now proved by trustworthy and unquestioned witnesses, a darkarray of facts, which no amount of additional testimony could eitherstrengthen, or controvert, the prosecution here rest their case beforethe jury for inspection; and feeling assured that only one conclusioncan result, will call no other witness, unless required in rebuttal. " Desiring to be alone, Beryl had shut out even Sister Serena, and as theofficer locked her into a dark antechamber, adjoining the court-room, she began to pace the floor. One tall, narrow window, dim with insidedust, showed her through filmy cobwebs the gray veil of rain fallingceaselessly outside, darkening the day that seemed a fit type of hersombre-hued life, drawing swiftly to its close, with no hope of rift inthe clouds, no possibility of sunset glow even to stain its grave. Oh!to be hidden safely in mother earth--away from the gaping crowd thatthirsted for her blood!--at rest in darkness and in silence; with themaddening stings of outraged innocence and womanly delicacy stilledforever. Oh! the coveted peace of lying under the sod, with onlynodding daisies, whispering grasses, crystal chimes of vernal rain, solemn fugue of wintry winds between her tired, aching eyes and thefair, eternal heavens! Harrowing days and sleepless, horror-hauntednights, invincible sappers and miners, had robbed her of strength; andthe uncontrollable shivering that now and then seized her, warned herthat her nerves were in revolt against the unnatural strain. The endwas not far distant, she must endure a little longer; but that lastbattle with Mr. Dunbar? On what ground, with what weapons would heforce her to fight? Kneeling in front of a wooden bench that lined oneside of the room, she laid her head on the seat, covered her face withher hands, and prayed for guidance, for divine help in her hour ofsupreme desolation. "God of the helpless, succor me in my need. Forbid that throughweakness the sacrifice should be incomplete. Lead, sustain, fortify mewith patience, that I may ransom the soul I have promised to save. " After a time, when she resumed her walk, a strange expedient presenteditself. If she sent for Mr. Dunbar, exacted an oath of secrecy, andconfided the truth to his keeping, would it avail to protect hersecret; would it silence him? Could she stoop so low as to throwherself upon his mercy? Therein lay the nauseous lees of her cup ofhumiliation; yet if she drained this last black drop, would any pledgehave power to seal his lips, when he saw that she must die? The deputy sheriff unlocked the door, and she mechanically followed him. "I wish you would drink this glass of wine. You look so exhausted, andthe air in yonder is so close, it is enough to stifle a mole. This willhelp to brace you up. " "Thank you very much, but I could not take it. I can bear my wrongseven to the end, and that must be very near. " As he ushered her into the court-room, Judge Dent met her, took herhand, and led her to the seat where Dyce and Sister Serena awaited herreturn. "My poor child, be courageous now; and remember that you have somefriends here, who are praying God to help and deliver you. " "Did He deliver His own Son from the pangs of death? Pray, that I maybe patient to endure. " One swift glance, showed her that Mr. Dunbar, forsaking his formerplace beside the district attorney, was sitting very near, just infront of her. The jurymen filed slowly into their accustomed seats, andthe judge, who had been resting his head on his hand, straightenedhimself, and put aside a book. There was an ominous hush pervading thedense crowd, and in that moment of silent expectancy, Beryl shut hereyes and communed with her God. Some mystical exaltation of soulremoved her from the realm of nervous dread; and a peace, that thisworld neither gives nor takes away, settled upon her. Sister Serenauntied and took off the crape veil and bonnet, and as she resumed herseat, Judge Parkman turned to the prisoner. "In assuming the responsibility of your own defence you have adopted aline of policy which, however satisfactory to yourself, must, in theopinion of the public, have a tendency to invest your cause withpeculiar peril; therefore I impress upon you the fact, that while thelaw holds you innocent, until twelve men agree that the evidence provesyou guilty, the time has arrived when your cause depends upon yourpower to refute the charges, and disprove the alleged facts arrayedagainst you. The discovery and elucidation of Truth, is the supreme aimof a court of justice, and to its faithful ministers the defence ofinnocence is even more imperative than the conviction of guilt. The lawis a Gibraltar, fortified and armed by the consummate wisdom ofsuccessive civilizations, as an impregnable refuge for innocence; andhere, within its protecting bulwarks, as in the house of a friend, youare called on to plead your defence. You have heard the charges of theprosecution; listened to the testimony of the witnesses; and havingtaken your cause into your own hands, you must now stand up and defendit. " She rose and walked a few steps closer to the jury, and for the firsttime during the trial, looked at them steadily. White as a statue ofPurity, she stood for a moment, with her wealth of shining auburn haircoiled low on her shapely head, and waving in soft outlines around herbroad full brow. Unnaturally calm, and wonderfully beautiful in thatsublime surrender, which like a halo illumines the myth of Antigone, itwas not strange that every heart thrilled, when upon the strained earsof the multitude fell the clear, sweet, indescribably mournful voice. "When a magnolia blossom or a white camellia just fully open, issnatched by violent hands, bruised, crushed, blackened, scarred byrents, is it worth keeping? No power can undo the ruin, and since allthat made it lovely--its stainless purity--is irrevocably destroyed, why preserve it? Such a pitiable wreck you have made of the young lifeI am bidden to stand up and defend. Have you left me anything to livefor? Dragged by constables before prejudiced strangers, accused ofawful crimes, denounced as a female monster, herded with convicts, canyou imagine any reason why I should struggle to prolong a disgraced, hopelessly ruined existence? My shrivelled, mutilated life is in yourhands, and if you decide to crush it quickly, you will save me muchsuffering; as when having, perhaps unintentionally, mangled someharmless insect, you mercifully turn back, grind it under your heel, and end its torture. My life is too wretched now to induce me to defendit, but there is something I hold far dearer, my reputation as anhonorable Christian woman; something I deem most sacred of all--theunsullied purity of the name my father and mother bore. Because I aminnocent of every charge made against me, I owe it to my dead, to lifttheir honored name out of the mire. I have pondered the testimony; andthe awful mass of circumstances that have combined to accuse me, seemsindeed so overwhelming, that as each witness came forward, I have askedmyself, am I the victim of some baleful destiny, placed in the groovesof destroying fate-foreordained from the foundations of the world tobear the burden of another's guilt? You have been told that I killedGen'l Darrington, and stole his money and jewels, and destroyed hiswill, in order to possess his estate. Trustworthy witnesses have swornto facts, which I cannot deny, and you believe these facts; and yet, while the snare tightens around my feet, and I believe you intend tocondemn me, I stand here, and look you in the face--as one day wethirteen will surely stand at the final judgment--and in the name ofthe God I love, and fear, and trust, I call you each to witness, that Iam innocent of every charge in the indictment. My hands are asunstained, my soul is as unsullied by theft or bloodshed, as yoursinless babes cooing in their cradles. "If you can clear your minds of the foul tenants thrust into them, tryfor a little while to forget all the monstrous crimes you have heardascribed to me, and as you love your mothers, wives, daughters, go backwith me, leaving prejudice behind, and listen dispassionately to mymost melancholy story. The river of death rolls so close to my wearyfeet, that I speak as one on the brink of eternity; and as I hope tomeet my God in peace, I shall tell you the truth. Sometimes it almostshakes our faith in God's justice, when we suffer terribleconsequences, solely because we did our duty; and it seems to mebitterly hard, inscrutable, that all my misfortunes should have comeupon me thick and fast, simply because I obeyed my mother. You, fathers, say to your children, 'Do this for my sake, ' and lovingly theyspring to accomplish your wishes; and when they are devoured by agony, and smothered by disgrace, can you sufficiently pity them, blindartificers of their own ruin? "Four months ago I was a very poor girl, but proud and happy, becauseby my own work I could support my mother and myself. Her health failedrapidly, and life hung upon an operation and certain careful subsequenttreatment, which it required one hundred dollars to secure. I wascompeting for a prize that would lift us above want, but time pressed;the doctor urged prompt action, and my mother desired me to come South, see her father, deliver a letter and beg assistance. As long aspossible, I resisted her entreaties, because I shrank from thedegradation of coming as a beggar to the man who, I knew, haddisinherited and disowned his daughter. "Finally, strangling my rebellious reluctance, I accepted the bittertask. My mother kissed me good-bye, laid her hands on my head andblessed me for acceding to her wishes; and so--following the finger ofDuty--I came here to be trampled, mangled, destroyed. When I arrived, Ifound I could catch a train going north at 7. 15, and I bought a returnticket, and told the agent I intended to take that train. I walked to'Elm Bluff, ' and after waiting a few moments was admitted to Gen'lDarrington's presence. The letter which I delivered was an appeal forone hundred dollars, and it was received with an outburst of wrath, aflood of fierce and bitter denunciation of my parents. The interviewwas indescribably painful, but toward its close, Gen'l Darringtonrelented. He opened his safe or vault, and took out a square tin box. Placing it on the table, he removed some papers, and counted down intomy hand, five gold coins--twenty dollars each. When I turned to leavehim, he called me back, gave me the morocco case, and stated that thesapphires were very costly, and could be sold for a large amount. Headded, with great bitterness, that he gave them, simply because theywere painful souvenirs of a past, which he was trying to forget; andthat he had intended them as a bridal gift to his son Prince's wife;but as they had been bought by my mother's mother as a present for heronly child, he would send them to their original destination, for thesake of his first wife, Helena. "I left the room by the veranda door, because he bade me do so, toavoid what he termed 'the prying of servants. ' I broke some clusters ofchrysanthemums blooming in the rose garden, to carry to my mother, andthen I hurried away. If the wages of disobedience be death, then fatereversed the mandate, and obedience exacts my life as a forfeit. Thinkof it: I had ample time to reach the station before seven o'clock, andif I had gone straight on, all would have been well. I should havetaken the 7. 15 train, and left forever this horrible place. If I hadnot loitered, I should have seen once more my mother's face, haveescaped shame, despair, ruin--oh! the blessedness of what 'might havebeen!' "Listen, my twelve judges, and pity the child who obeyed at allhazards. Poor though I was, I bought a small bouquet for my sick motherthe day that I left her, and the last thing she did was to arrange theflowers, tie them with a wisp of faded blue ribbon, and putting them inmy hand, she desired me to be sure to stop at the cemetery, find hermother's grave in the Darrington lot, and lay the bunch of blossoms forher upon her mother's monument. Mother's last words were: 'Don't forgetto kneel down and pray for me, at mother's grave. '" The voice so clear, so steady hitherto, quivered, ceased; and the heavylashes drooped to hide the tears that gathered; but it was only for afew seconds, and she resumed in the same cold, distinct tone: "So I went on, and fate tied the last millstone around my neck. Aftersome search I found the place, and left the bunch of flowers with a fewof the chrysanthemums; then I hastened toward town, and reached thestation too late; the 7. 15 train had gone. Too late!--only a half hourlost, but it carried down everything that this world held for me. Iused to wonder and puzzle over that passage in the Bible, 'The stars intheir courses fought against Sisera!' I have solved that mystery, forthe stars in their courses' have fought against me; heaven, earth, man, time, circumstances, coincidences, all spun the web that snared myinnocent feet. When I paid for the telegram to relieve my mother'ssuspense, I had not sufficient money (without using the gold) to enableme to incur hotel bills; and I asked permission to remain in thewaiting-room until the next train, which was due at 3. 05. The room wasso close and warm I walked out, and the fresh air tempted me to remain. The moon was up, full and bright, and knowing no other street, Iunconsciously followed the one I had taken in the afternoon. Very soonI reached the point near the old church where the road crosses, and Iturned into it, thinking that I would enjoy one more breath of the pineforest, which was so new to me. It was so oppressively hot I sat downon the pine straw, and fanned myself with my hat. How long I remainedthere, I know not, for I fell asleep; and when I awoke, Mr. Dunbar rodeup and asked if I had lost my way. I answered that I had not, and assoon as he galloped on, I walked back as rapidly as possible, somewhatfrightened at the loneliness of my position. Already clouds weregathering, and I had been in the waiting-room, I think about an hour, when the storm broke in its fury. I had seen the telegraph operatorsitting in his office, but he seemed asleep, with his head resting onthe table; and during the storm I sat on the floor, in one corner ofthe waiting-room, and laid my head on a chair. At last, when thetempest ended, I went to sleep. During that sleep, I dreamed of my oldhome in Italy, of some of my dead, of my father--of gathering grapeswith one I dearly loved--and suddenly some noise made me spring to myfeet. I heard voices talking, and in my feverish dreamy state, thereseemed a resemblance to one I knew. Only half awake, I ran out on thepavement. Whether I dreamed the whole, I cannot tell; but theconversation seemed strangely distinct; and I can never forget thewords, be they real, or imaginary: "'There ain't no train tilldaylight, 'cepting it be the through freight. ' "Then a different voice asked: 'When it that due?'" "'Pretty soon I reckon, it's mighty nigh time now, but it don't stophere; it goes on to the water tank, where it blows for the bridge. '" '"How far is the bridge?'" "'Only a short piece down the track, after you pass the tank. '" "When I reached the street, I saw no one but the figure of an old man, I think a negro, who was walking away. He limped and carried a bundleon the end of a stick thrown over his shoulder. I was so startled andimpressed by the fancied sound of a voice once familiar to me, that Iwalked on down the track, but could see no one. Soon the 'freight' camealong; I stood aside until it passed, then returned to the station, andfound the agent standing in the door. When he questioned me about mymovements; I deemed him impertinent; but having nothing to conceal, stated the facts I have just recapitulated. You have been told that Iintentionally missed the train; that when seen at 10 P. M. In the pinewoods, I was stealing back to my mother's old home; that I entered atmidnight the bedroom where her father slept, stupefied him withchloroform, broke open his vault, robbed it of money, jewels and will;and that when Gen'l Darrington awoke and attempted to rescue hisproperty, I deliberately killed him. You are asked to believe that I am'the incarnate fiend' who planned and committed that horrible crime, and, alas for me! every circumstance seems like a bloodhound to bay me. My handkerchief was found, tainted with chloroform. It was myhandkerchief; but how it came there, on Gen'l Darrington's bed, onlyGod witnessed. I saw among the papers taken from the tin box and laidon the table, a large envelope marked in red ink, 'Last Will andTestament of Robert Luke Darrington'; but I never saw it afterward. Iwas never in that room but once; and the last and only time I ever sawGeneral Darrington was when I passed out of the glass door, and lefthim standing in the middle of the room, with the tin box in his hand. "I can call no witnesses; for it is one of the terrible fatalities ofmy situation that I stand alone, with none to corroborate myassertions. Strange, inexplicable coincidences drag me down; not themalice of men, but the throttling grasp of circumstances. I am thevictim of some diabolical fate, which only innocent blood will appease;but though I am slaughtered for crimes I did not commit, I know, oh! Iknow, that BEHIND FATE, STANDS GOD!--the just and eternal God, whom Itrust, even in this my hour of extremest peril. Alone in the world, orphaned, reviled, wrecked for all time, without a ray of hope, I, Beryl Brentano, deny every accusation brought against me in this cruelarraignment; and I call my only witness, the righteous God above us, tohear my solemn asseveration: I am innocent of this crime; and when youjudicially murder me in the name of Justice, your hands will be dyed inblood that an avenging God will one day require of you. Appearances, circumstances, coincidences of time and place, each, all, conspire tohunt me into a convict's grave; but remember, my twelve judges, remember that a hopeless, forsaken, broken-hearted woman, expecting todie at your hands, stood before you, and pleaded first and last--NotGuilty! Not Guilty!--" A moment she paused, then raised her arms toward heaven and added, witha sudden exultant ring in her thrilling voice, and a strange raptsplendor in her uplifted eyes: "Innocent! Innocent! Thou God knowest! Innocent of this sin, as theangels that see Thy face. " CHAPTER XVIII. As a glassy summer sea suddenly quivers, heaves, billows under thestrong steady pressure of a rising gale, so that human mass surged andbroke in waves of audible emotion, when Beryl's voice ceased; for thegrace and beauty of a sorrowing woman hold a spell more potent thanvolumes of forensic eloquence, of juridic casuistry, of rhetoricalpyrotechnics, and at its touch, the latent floods of pity gushed;people sprang to their feet, and somewhere in the wide auditory a womansobbed. Habitues of a celebrated Salon des Etrangers recall thetradition of a Hungarian nobleman who, apparently calm, nonchalant, debonair, gambled desperately; "while his right hand, resting easilyinside the breast of his coat, clutched and lacerated his flesh tillhis nails dripped with blood. " With emotions somewhat analogous, Mr. Dunbar sat as participant in this judicial rouge et noir, where thestakes were a human life, and the skeleton hand of death was alreadyoutstretched. Listening to the calm, mournful voice which alone hadpower to stir and thrill his pulses, he could not endure the pain ofwatching the exquisite face that haunted him day and night; and when hecomputed the chances of her conviction, a maddening perception of herdanger made his brain reel. To all of us comes a supreme hour, when realizing the adamantinelimitations of human power, the "thus far, no farther" of relentlessphysiological, psychological and ethical statutes under which humanitylives, moves, has its being--our desperate souls break through themeshes of that pantheistic idolatry which kneels only to "NaturalLaws"; and spring as suppliants to Him, who made Law possible. We takeour portion of happiness and prosperity, and while it lasts we wanderfar, far away in the seductive land of philosophical speculation, andrevel in the freedom and irresponsibility of Agnosticism; and lo! whenadversity smites, and bankruptcy is upon us, we toss the husks of the"Unknowable and Unthinkable" behind us, and flee as the Prodigal whoknew his father, to that God whom (in trouble) we surely know. Certainly Lennox Dunbar was as far removed from religious tendencies asconformity to the canons of conventional morality and the habits of anhonorable gentleman in good society would permit; yet to-day, in theintensity of his dread, lest the "consummate flower" of his heart'sdearest hope should be laid low in the dust, he involuntarily invokedthe aid of a long-forgotten God; and through his set teeth a prayerstruggled up to the throne of that divine mercy, which in sunshine wedo not see, but which as the soul's eternal lighthouse gleams, glows, beckons in the blackest night of human anguish. In boyhood, desiring toplease his invalid and slowly dying mother, he had purchased and hungup opposite her bed, an illuminated copy of her favorite text; and now, by some subtle transmutation in the conservation of spiritual energy, each golden letter of that Bible text seemed emblazoned on the dustywall of the court-room: "God is our refuge and strength, a very presenthelp in trouble. " When a stern reprimand from the Judge had quelled all audibleexpression of the compassionate sympathy that flowed at the prisoner'sstory--as the flood at Horeb responded to Moses' touch--there was abrief silence. Mr. Dunbar rose, crossed the intervening space and stood with his handon the back of Beryl's chair; then moved on closer to the jury box. "May it please your Honor, and Gentlemen of the Jury: Sometimesmistakes are crimes, and he who through unpardonable rashness commitsthem, should not escape 'unwhipped of justice'. When a man in thedischarge of that which he deemed a duty, becomes aware thatunintentionally he has perpetrated a great wrong, can he parley withpride, or dally, because the haunting ghost of consistency waves himback from the path of a humiliating reparation? Error is easy, confession galling; and stepping down from the censor's seat to sharethe mortification of the pillory, is at all times a peculiarly painfulreverse; hence, powerful indeed must be the conviction which impels aman who prided himself on his legal astuteness, to come boldly intothis sacred confessional of truth and justice and plead for absolutionfrom a stupendous mistake. Two years ago, I became Gen'l Darrington'sattorney, and when his tragic death occurred in October last, myprofessional relations, as well as life-long friendship, incited me tothe prompt apprehension of the person who had murdered him. After acareful and apparently exhaustive examination of the authenticatedfacts, I was convinced that they pointed only in one direction; and inthat belief, I demanded and procured the arrest of the prisoner. Forher imprisonment, her presence here to-day, her awful peril, I holdmyself responsible; and now, gentlemen of the jury, I ask you as menhaving hearts of flesh, and all the honorable instincts of manhood, which alone could constitute you worthy umpires in this issue of lifeor death, do you, can you wonder that regret sits at my ear, chantingmournful dirges, and remorse like a harpy fastens her talons in mysoul, when I tell you, that I have committed a blunder so frightful, that it borders on a crime as heinous as that for which my victimstands arraigned? Wise was the spirit of a traditional statute, whichdecreed that the author of a false accusation should pay the penaltydesigned for the accused; and just indeed would be the retribution, that imposed on me the suffering I have entailed on her. "Acknowledging the error into which undue haste betrayed me, yetconfident that divine justice, to whom I have sworn allegiance, hasrecalled me from a false path to one that I can now tread with absolutecertainty of success, I come to-day into this, her sacred temple, laymy hand on her inviolate altar, and claiming the approval of herofficiating high-priest, his Honor, appeal to you, gentlemen of thejury, to give me your hearty co-operation in my effort to repair a foulwrong, by vindicating innocence. "Professors of ophthalmology in a diagnosis of optical diseases, tellus of a symptom of infirmity which they call pseudoblepsis, or 'falsesight. ' Legal vision exhibits, now and then, a corresponding phase ofunconscious perversion of sight, whereby objects are perceived that donot exist, and objects present become transformed, distorted; and suchan instance of exaggerated metamorphosia is presented to-day, in theperverted vision of the prosecution. In the incipiency of this case, prior to, and during the preliminary examination held in October last, I appeared in conjunction with Mr. Wolverton, as assistant counsel inthe prosecution, represented by the Honorable Mr. Churchill, DistrictSolicitor; the object of said prosecution being the conviction of theprisoner, who was held as guilty of Gen'l Darrington's death. Subsequent reflection and search necessitated an abandonment of viewsthat could alone justify such a position; and after consultation withmy colleagues I withdrew; not from the prosecution of the realcriminal, to the discovery and conviction of whom I shall dedicateevery energy of my nature, but from the pursuit of one most unjustlyaccused. Anomalous as is my attitude, the dictates of conscience, reason, heart, force me into it; and because I am the implacableprosecutor of Gen'l Darrington's murderer, _I_ COME TO PLEAD IN DEFENSEOF THE PRISONER, whom I hold guiltless of the crime, innocent of thecharge in the indictment. In the supreme hour of her isolation, she hasinvoked only one witness; and may that witness, the God above us, theGod of justice, the God of innocence, grant me the inspiration, andnerve my arm to snatch her from peril, and triumphantly vindicate thepurity of her noble heart and life. " Remembering the important evidence which he had furnished to theprosecution, only a few hours previous, when on the witness stand, people looked at one another questioningly; doubting the testimony oftheir own senses; and VOX POPULI was not inaptly expressed by thewhispered ejaculation of Bedney to Dyce. "Judgment day must be breaking! Mars Lennox is done turned a doublesummersett, and lit plum over on t'other side! It's about ekal to aspavinned, ring-boned, hamstrung, hobbled horse clearin' a ten-railfence! He jumps so beautiful, I am afeered he won't stay whar he lit!" Comprehending all that this public recantation had cost a proud man, jealous of his reputation for professional tact and skill, as well asfor individual acumen, Beryl began to realize the depth and fervor ofthe love that prompted it; and the merciless ordeal to which he wouldsubject her. Inflicting upon himself the smarting sting of the keenestpossible humiliation, could she hope that in the attainment of his aimhe would spare her? If she threw herself even now upon his mercy, wouldhe grant to her that which he had denied himself? Dreading the consequences of even a moment's delay, she rose, and a hotflush crimsoned her cheeks, as she looked up at the Judge. "Is it my privilege to decide who shall defend me? Have I now the rightto accept or reject proffered aid?" "The law grants you that privilege; secures you that right. " "Then I decline the services of the counsel who offers to plead in mydefence. I wish no human voice raised in my behalf, and having made mystatement in my own defence, I commit my cause to the hands of my God. " For a moment her eyes dwelt upon the lawyer's, and as she resumed herseat, she saw the spark in their blue depths leap into a flame. Advancing a few steps, his handsome face aglow, his voice rang like abugle call: "May it please your Honor: Anomalous conditions sanction, necessitatemost anomalous procedure, where the goal sought is simple truth andjustice; and since the prisoner prefers to rest her cause, I come tothis bar as Amicus Curiae, and appeal for permission to plead in behalfof my clients, truth and justice, who hold me in perpetual retainment. In prosecution of the real criminal, in order to unravel the curiouslyknitted web, and bring the culprit to summary punishment, I ask you, gentlemen of the jury, to ponder dispassionately the theory I have nowthe honor to submit to your scrutiny. "The prisoner, whom I regard as the victim of my culpable haste anddeplorably distorted vision, is as innocent of Gen'l Darrington'smurder as you or I; but I charge, that while having no complicity inthat awful deed, she is nevertheless perfectly aware of the name of theperson who committed it. Not particeps crimmis, neither consenting to, aiding, abetting nor even acquainted with the fact of the crime, untilaccused of its perpetration; yet at this moment in possession of theonly clue which will enable justice to seize the murderer. Conscious ofher innocence, she braves peril that would chill the blood of men, andextort almost any secret; and shall I tell you the reason? Shall I giveyou the key to an enigma which she knows means death? "Gentlemen of the jury, is there any sacrifice so tremendous, anyanguish so keen, any shame so dreadful, any fate so overwhelminglyterrible as to transcend the endurance, or crush the power of a woman'slove? Under this invincible inspiration, when danger threatens heridol, she knows no self; disgrace, death affright her not; she extendsher arms to arrest every approach, offers her own breast as a shieldagainst darts, bullets, sword thrusts, and counts it a privilege to laydown life in defence of that idol. O! loyalty supreme, sublime, immortal! thy name is woman's love. "All along the march of humanity, where centuries have trailed theirdust, traditions gleam like monuments to attest the victory of thisimmemorial potency, female fidelity; and when we of the nineteenthcentury seek the noblest, grandest type of merely humanself-abnegation, that laid down a pure and happy life, to prolong thatof a beloved object, we look back to the lovely image of that fairGreek woman, who, when the parents of the man she loved refused to givetheir lives to save their son, summoned death to accept her as awilling victim; and deeming it a privilege, went down triumphantly intothe grave. Sustained, exalted by this most powerful passion that cananimate and possess a human soul, the prisoner stands a pure, voluntary, self-devoted victim; defying the terrors of the law, consenting to condemnation--surrendering to an ignominious death, inorder to save the life of the man she loves. "Grand and beautiful as is the spectacle of her calm mournful heroism, I ask you, as men capable of appreciating her noble self-immolation, can you permit the consummation of this sacrifice? Will you, dare you, selected, appointed, dedicated by solemn oaths to administer justice, prove so recreant to your holy trust as to aid, abet, becomeaccessories to, and responsible for the murder of the prisoner byaccepting a stainless victim, to appease that violated law which onlythe blood of the guilty can ever satisfy? "In order to avert so foul a blot on the escutcheon of our Statejudiciary, in order to protect innocence from being slaughtered, andsupremely in order to track and bring to summary punishment thecriminal who robbed and murdered Gen'l Darrington, I now desire, andrequest, that your Honor will permit me to cross-examine the prisoneron the statement she has offered in defence. " "In making that request, counsel must be aware that it is one of thestatutory provisions of safety to the accused, whom the law holdsinnocent until proved guilty, that no coercion can be employed toextort answers. It is, however, the desire of the court, and certainlymust accrue to the benefit of the prisoner, that she should take thewitness stand in her own defence. " For a moment there was neither sound nor motion. "Will the prisoner answer such questions as in the opinion of the courtare designed solely to establish her innocence? If so, she will takethe stand. " With a sudden passionate movement at variance with her demeanorthroughout the trial, she threw up her clasped hands, gazed at them, then pressed them ring downward as a seal upon her lips; and after aninstant, answered slowly: "Now and henceforth, I decline to answer any and all questions. I aminnocent, entirely innocent. The burden of proof rests upon myaccusers. " As Mr. Dunbar watched her, noted the scarlet spots burning on hercheeks, the strange expression of her eyes that glowed with unnaturallustre, a scowl darkened his face; a cruel smile curved his lips, andmade his teeth gleam. Was it worth while to save her against her will;to preserve the heart he coveted, for the vile miscreant to whom shehad irrevocably given it? With an upward movement of his noble head, like the impatient toss of a horse intolerant of curb, he stepped backclose to the girl, and stood with his hand on the back of her chair. "In view of this palpable evasion of justice through obstinate nonresponsion, will it please the Court to overrule the prisoner'sobjection?" Several moments elapsed before Judge Parkman replied, and he gnawed theend of his grizzled mustache, debating the consequences of dishonoringprecedent--that fetich of the Bench. "The Court cannot so rule. The prisoner has decided upon the line ofdefence, as is her inalienable right; and since she persistentlyassumes that responsibility, the Court must sustain her decision. " The expression of infinite and intense relief that stole over thegirl's countenance, was, noted by both judge and jury, as she sank backwearily in her chair, like one lifted from some rack of torture. Resting thus, her shoulder pressed against the hand that lay on the topof the chair, but he did not move a finger; and some magnetic influencedrew her gaze to meet his. He felt the tremor that crept over her, understood the mute appeal, the prayer for forbearance that made hermournful gray eyes so eloquent, and a sinister smile distorted hishandsome mouth. "The spirit and intent of the law, the usages of criminal practice, above all, hoary precedent, before which we bow, each and all sanctionyour Honor's ruling; and yet despite everything, the end I sought isalready attained. Is not the refusal of the prisoner proof positive, 'confirmation strong as proofs of Holy Writ' of the truth of my theory?With jealous dread she seeks to lock the clue in her faithful heart, courting even the coffin, that would keep it safe through all thestorms of time. Impregnable in her citadel of silence, with the cohortsof Codes to protect her from escalade and assault, will the guardiansof justice have obeyed her solemn commands when they permit theprisoner to light the funeral pyre where she elects to throw herself--avicarious sacrifice for another's sins? For a nature so exalted, theProvidence who endowed it has decreed a nobler fate; and by His help, and that of your twelve consciences, I purpose to save her from aspecies of suicide, and to consign to the hangman the real criminal. The evidence now submitted, will be furnished by the testimony ofwitnesses who, at my request, have been kept without the hearing of theCourt. " He left Beryl's chair, and once more approached the jury, "Isam Hornbuckle. " A negro man, apparently sixty years old, limped into the witness stand, and having been sworn, stood leaning on his stick, staring uneasilyabout him. "What is your name?" "Isam Clay Hornbuckle. " "Where do you live?" "Nigh the forks of the road, close to 'Possum Ridge. " "How far from town?" "By short cuts I make it about ten miles; but the gang what works theroad, calls it twelve. " "Have you a farm there?" "Yes'ir. A pretty tolerable farm; a cornfield and potato patch andgyarden, and parsture for my horgs and oxin, and a slipe of woods formy pine knots. " "What is your business?" "Tryin' to make a livin', and it keeps me bizzy, for lans is poor, andseasons is most ginerally agin crops. " "How long have you been farming?" "Only sence I got mashed up more 'an a year ago on the railroad. " "In what capacity did you serve when working on the road?" "I was fireman under ingeneer Walker on the lokymotive 'Gin'lBorygyard, ' what most ginerally hauled Freight No. 2. The ingines goesnow by numbers, but we ole hands called our'n always 'Borygyard'. " "You were crippled in a collision between two freight trains?" "Yes'ir; but t'other train was the cause of the--" "Never mind the cause of the accident. You moved out to 'Possum Ridge;can you remember exactly when you were last in town?" "To be shore! I know exactly, 'cause it was the day my ole 'oman'sstep-father's granny's funeral sarmont was preached; and that was on aThursday, twenty-sixth of October, an' I come up to 'tend it. " "Is it not customary to preach the funeral sermons on Sunday?" "Most generally, Boss, it are; but you see Bre'r Green, what was topreach the ole 'oman's sarmont, had a big baptizin' for two Sundayshan' runnin', and he was gwine to Boston for a spell, on the nextcomin' Saddy, so bein' as our time belonks to us now, we was free to'pint a week day. " "You are positive it was the twenty-sixth?" "Oh, yes'ir; plum postiv. The day was norated from all the baptisschurches, so as the kinfolks could gether from fur and nigh. " "At what hour on Thursday was the funeral sermon preached?" "Four o'clock sharp. " "Where did you stay while in town?" "With my son Ducaleyon who keeps a barber-shop on Main Street. " "When did you return home?" "I started before day, Friday mornin', as soon as the rain hilt up. " "At what hour, do you think?" "The town clock was a strikin' two, jes as I passed the express office, at the station. " "Now, Isam, tell the Court whom you saw, and what happened; and be verycareful in all you say, remembering you are on your oath. " "I was atoting a bundle so--slung on to a stick, and it gaided myshoulder, 'cause amongst a whole passel of plunder I had bought, therwas a bag of shot inside, what had slewed 'round oft the balance, and Isot down, close to a lamp-post nigh the station, to shift the heft ofthe shot bag. Whilst I were a squatting, tying up my bundle, I heeredall of a suddent--somebody runnin', brip--brap--! and up kern a manfrom round the corner of the stationhouse, a runnin' full tilt; and hewould a run over me, but I grabbed my bundle and riz up. Sez I: 'Hello!what's to pay?' He was most out of breath, but sez he: 'Is the train inyet?' Sez I: 'There ain't no train till daylight, 'cepting it be thethrough freight. ' Then he axed me: 'When is that due?' and I tole him:'Pretty soon, I reckon, but it don't stop here; it only slows up at thewater tank, whar it blows for the Bridge. ' Sez he: 'How fur is thatbridge?' Sez I: 'Only a short piece down the track, after you pass thetank. ' He tuck a long breath, and kinder whistled, and with that heturned and heeled it down the middle of the track. I thought it mightycurus, and my mind misgive me thar was somethin' crooked; but I alwayspintedly dodges; 'lie-lows to ketch meddlers, ' and I went on my way. When I got nigh the next corner whar I had to turn to cross the river, I looked back and I seen a 'oman standin' on the track, in front of thestation-house; but I parsed on, and soon kem to the bridge (not therailroad bridge), Boss. I had got on the top of the hill to the left ofthe Pentenchry, when I hearn ole 'Bory' blow. You see I knowed therunnin' of the kyars, 'cause that through freight was my olestormpin-ground, and I love the sound of that ingine's whistle more 'anI do my gran'childun's hymn chunes. She blowed long and vicious like, and I seen her sparks fly, as she lit out through town; and then Ifooted it home. " "You think the train was on time?" "Bound to be; she never was cotched behind time, not while I stuffedher with coal and lightwood knots. She was plum punctchul. " "Was the lamp lighted where you tied your bundle?" "Yes'ir, burnin' bright. " "Tell the Court the appearance of the man whom you talked with. " Mr. Dunbar was watching the beautiful face so dear to him, and saw theprisoner lean forward, her lips parted, all her soul in the wide, glowing eyes fastened on the countenance of the witness. "He was very tall and wiry, and 'peared like a young man what hadparstured 'mongst wild oats. He seemed cut out for a gintleman, but runto seed too quick and turned out nigh kin to a dead beat. One-half ofhim was hanssum, 'minded me mightly of that stone head with kurly hairwhat sets over the sody fountin in the drug store, on Main Street. Oh, yes'ir, one side was too pretty for a man; but t'other! Fo' Gawd!t'other made your teeth ache, and sot you cross-eyed to look at it. Hetoted a awful brand to be shore. " "What do you mean by one side? Explain yourself carefully now. " "I dun'no as I can 'splain, 'cause I ain't never seed nothing like itafore. One 'zact half of him, from his hair to his shirt collar waswhite and pretty, like I tell you, but t'other side of his face wasblack as tar, and his kurly hair was gone, and the whiskers on thatside--and his eye was drapped down kinder so, and that side of hismouth sorter hung, like it was unpinned, this way. Mebbee he was bornso, mebbee not; but he looked like he had jes broke loose from theconjur, and caryd his mark. " For one fleeting moment, the gates of heaven seemed thrown wide, andthe glory of the Kingdom of Peace streamed down upon the aching heartof the desolate woman. She could recognize no dreaded resemblance inthe photograph drawn by the witness; and judge, jury and counsel whoscrutinized her during the recital of the testimony, were puzzled bythe smile of joy that suddenly flashed over her features, like ilieradiance of a lamp lifted close to some marble face, dim with shadows. "Do you think his face indicated that he had been engaged in adifficulty, in a fight? Was there any sign of blood, or anything thatlooked as if he had been bruised and wounded by some heavy blow?" "Naw, sir. Didn't seem like sech bruises as comes of fightin'. 'Pearedto me he was somehow branded like, and the mark he toted was onnatral. " "If he had wished to disguise himself by blackening one side of hisface, would he not have presented a similar appearance?" "Naw, sir, not by no manner of means. No minstrel tricks fotch him tothe pass he was at. The hand of the Lord must have laid too heavy onhim; no mortal wounds leave sech terrifyin' prints. " "How was he dressed?" "Dunno. My eyes never drapped below that curus face of his'n. " "Was he bareheaded?" "Bar headed as when he come into the world. " "He talked like a man in desperate haste, who was running to escapepursuit?" "He shorely did. " "Did you mention to any person what you have told here to-day?" "I tole my ole 'oman, and she said she reckoned it was a buth mark whatthe man carryd; but when I seen him I thunk he was cunjured. " "When you heard that Gen'l Darrington had been murdered, did you thinkof this man and his singular behavior that night?" "I never hearn of the murder till Christmas, 'cause I went down toElbert County arter a yoke of steers what a man owed me, and thar Ituck sick and kep my bed for weeks. When I got home, and hearn the talkabout the murder, I didn't know it was the same night what I seen thebranded man. " "Tell the Court how your testimony was secured. " "It was norated in all our churches that a 'ward was offered for a lamecullud pusson of my 'scription, and Deacon Nathan he cum down and axedme what mischief I'de been a doin', that I was wanted to answer fur. Heread me the 'vertisement, and pussuaded me to go with him to youroffice, and you tuck me to Mr. Churchill. " Mr. Dunbar bowed to the District Solicitor, who rose and cross-examined. "Can you read?" "Naw, sir. " "Where is your son Deucalion?" "Two days after I left town he want with a 'Love and Charity'scurschion up north, and he liked it so well in Baltymore, he staidthar. " "When Deacon Nathan brought you up to town, did you know for whatpurpose Mr. Dunbar wanted you?" "Naw, sir. " "Was it not rather strange that none of your friends recognized thedescription of you, published in the paper?" "Seems some of 'em did, but felt kind of jub'rus 'bout pinting me out, for human natur is prone to crooked ways, and they never hearn Iperfessed sanctification. " "Who told you the prisoner had heard your conversation with the man youmet that night?" "Did she hear it? Then you are the first pusson to tell me. " "How long was it, after you saw the man, before you heard the whistleof the freight train?" "As nigh as I kin rickolect about a half a hour, but not quite. " "Was it raining at all when you saw the woman standing on the track?" "Naw, sir. The trees was dripping steady, but the moon was shining. " "Do you know anything about the statement made by the prisoner?" "Naw, sir. " "Fritz Helmetag. " As Isam withdrew, a middle-aged man took the stand, and in answer toMr. Dunbar's questions deposed: "That he was 'bridge tender' on therailroad, and lived in a cottage not far from the water tank. On thenight of the twenty-sixth of October, he was sitting up with a sickwife, and remembered that being feverish, she asked for some freshwater. He went out to draw some from the well, and saw a man standingnot far from the bridge. The moon was behind a row of trees, but henoticed the man was bareheaded, and when he called to know what hewanted, he walked back toward the tank. Five minutes later the freighttrain blew, and after it had crossed the bridge, he went back to hiscottage. The man was standing close to the safety signal, a white lightfastened to an iron stanchion at south end of the bridge, and seemed tobe reading something. Next day, when he (witness) went as usual toexamine the piers and under portions of the bridge, he had found thepipe, now in Mr. Dunbar's possession. Tramps so often rested on thebridge, and on the shelving bank of the river beneath it, that heattached no importance to the circumstance; but felt confident the pipewas left by the man whom he had seen, as it was not there the previousafternoon; and he put it in a pigeon-hole of his desk, thinking theowner might return to claim it. On the same day, he had left X--tocarry his wife to her mother, who lived in Pennsylvania, and was absentfor several weeks. Had never associated the pipe with the murder, butafter talking with Mr. Dunbar, who had found the half of an envelopenear the south end of the bridge, he had surrendered it to him. Did notsee the man's face distinctly. He looked tall and thin. " Here Mr. Dunbar held up a fragment of a long white em elope such asusually contain legal documents, on which in large letters was written"LAST WILL"--and underscored with red ink. Then he lifted a pipe, forthe inspection of the witness, who identified it as the one he hadfound. As he turned it slowly, the Court and the multitude saw only ameerschaum with a large bowl representing a death's head, to which wasattached a short mouth-piece of twisted amber. The golden gates of hope clashed suddenly, and over them flashed adrawn sword, as Beryl looked at the familiar pipe, which her babyfingers had so often strained to grasp. How well she knew the ghastlyivory features, the sunken eyeless sockets--of that veritable death'shead? How vividly came back the day, when asleep in her father's arms, a spark from that grinning skull had fallen on her cheek, and she awoketo find that fond father bending in remorseful tenderness over her?Years ago, she had reverently packed the pipe away, with other articlesbelonging to the dead, and ignorant that her mother had given it toBertie, she deemed it safe in that sacred repository. Now, like theface of Medusa it glared at her, and that which her father's lips hadsanctified, became the polluted medium of a retributive curse upon hisdevoted child. So the Diabolus ex machina, the evil genius of eachhuman life decrees that the most cruel cureless pangs are inflicted bythe instruments we love best. Watching for some sign of recognition, Mr. Dunbar's heart was firedwith jealous rage, as he marked the swift change of the prisoner'scountenance; the vanishing of the gleam of hope, the gloomy desperationthat succeeded. The beautiful black brows met in a spasm of pain overeyes that stared at an abyss of ruin; her lips whitened, she wrung herhands unconsciously; and then, as if numb with horror, she leaned backin her chair, and her chin sank until it touched the black ribbon ather throat. When after a while she rallied, and forced herself tolisten, a pleasant-faced young man was on the witness stand. "My name is Edgar Jennings, and I live at T----, in Pennsylvania. I amticket agent at that point, of----railway. One day, about the last ofOctober (I think it was on Monday), I was sitting in my office when aman came in, and asked if I could sell him a ticket to St. Paul. I toldhim I only had tickets as far as Chicago, via Cincinnati. He bought oneto Cincinnati and asked how soon he could go on. I told him the trainfrom the east was due in a few minutes. When he paid for his ticket hegave me a twenty-dollar gold piece, and his hand shook so, he droppedanother piece of the same value on the floor. His appearance was soremarkable I noticed him particularly. He was a man about my age, verytall and finely made, but one half of his face was black, or rathervery dark blue, and he wore a handkerchief bandage-fashion across it. His left eye was drawn down, this way, and his mouth was one-sided. Hisright eye was black, and his hair was very light brown. He wore aclose-fitting wool hat, that flapped down and his clothes wereseal-brown in color, but much worn, and evidently old. I asked himwhere he lived, and he said he was a stranger going West, on apioneering tour. Then I asked what ailed his face, and he pulled thehandkerchief over his left eye, and said he was partly paralyzed froman accident. Just then, the eastern train blew for T----. He said hewanted some cigars or a pipe, as he had lost his own on the way, andwondered if he would have time to go out and buy some. I told him no;but that he could have a couple of cigars from my box. He thanked me, and took two, laying down a silver dime on top of the box. He put hishand in the inside pocket of his coat, and pulled out an emptyenvelope, twisted it, lit it by the coal fire in the grate, and lightedhis cigar. The train rolled into the station; he passed out, and I sawhim jump aboard the front passenger coach. He had thrown the paper, ashe thought, into the fire, but it slipped off the grate, fell justinside the fender, and the flame went out. There was something so verypeculiar in his looks and manner, that I thought there was some mysteryabout his movements. I picked up the paper, saw the writing on it, andlocked it up in my cash drawer. He had evidently been a very handsomeman, before his 'accident', but he had a jaded, worried, wretched look. When a detective from Baltimore interviewed me, I told him all I knew, and gave him the paper. " Again Mr. Dunbar drew closer to the jury, held up the former fragmentof envelope, and then took from his pocket a second piece. Jagged edgesfitted into each other, and he lifted for the inspection of hundreds ofeyes, the long envelope marked and underscored:-"LAST WILL ANDTESTAMENT OF ROBERT LUKE DARRINGTON. " The lower edge of the paper wasat one corner brown, scorched, somewhat burned. "Lucullus Grantlin. " An elderly man of noble presence advanced, and Mr. Dunbar met and shookhands with him, accompanying him almost to the stand. At sight of hiswhite head, and flowing silvery beard, Beryl's heart almost ceased itspulsation. If, during her last illness her mother had acquainted himwith their family history, then indeed all was lost. It was asimpossible to reach him and implore his silence, as though the oceanrocked between them; and how would he interpret the pleading gaze shefixed upon his face? The imminence of the danger, vanquished everyscruple, strangled her pride. She caught Mr. Dunbar's eye, beckoned himto approach. When he stood before her, she put out her hand, seized one of his, anddrew him down until his black head almost touched hers. She placed herlips close to his ear, and whispered: "For God's sake spare the secrets of a death-bed. Be merciful to menow; oh! I entreat you--do not drag my mother from her grave! Do notquestion Doctor Grantlin. " She locked her icy hands around his, pressing it convulsively. Turning, he laid his lips close to the silky fold of hair that had fallenacross her ear: "If I dismiss this witness, will you tell me the truth? Will you giveme the name of the man whom I am hunting? Will you confess all to me?" "I have no sins to confess. I have made my last statement. If you laidmy coffin at my feet, I should only say I am innocent; I would tell younothing more. " "Then his life is so precious, you are resolved to die, rather thantrust me?" She dropped his hand, and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. When she opened them, Doctor Grantlin was speaking: "I am on my way to Havana, with an invalid daughter, and stopped herelast night, at the request of Mr. Dunbar. " "Please state all that you know of the prisoner, and of thecircumstances which induced her to visit X----. " "I first saw the prisoner in August last, when she summoned me to seeher mother, who was suffering from an attack of fever. I discoveredthat she was in a dangerous condition in consequence of an aneurismlocated in the carotid artery, and when she had been relieved ofmalarial fever, I told both mother and daughter that an operation wasnecessary, to remove the aneurism. Soon after, I left the city for amonth, and on my return the daughter again called me in. I advised thatwithout delay the patient should be removed to the hospital, where asurgeon--a specialist--could perform the operation. To this the younglady objected, on the ground that she could not assist in nursing, ifher mother entered the hospital; and she would not consent to theseparation. She asked what amount would be required to secure at homethe services of the surgeon, a trained nurse, and the subsequenttreatment; and I told her I thought a hundred dollars would cover allincidentals, and secure one of the most skilful surgeons in the city. Icontinued from time to time to see the mother, and administered suchmedicines as I deemed necessary to invigorate and tone up the patient'ssystem for the operation. One day in October, the young lady came topay me for some prescriptions, and asked if a few weeks' delay wouldenhance the danger of the operation. I assured her it was important tolose no time, and urged her to arrange matters so as to remove thepatient to the hospital as soon as possible, offering to procure heradmission. She showed great distress, and informed me that she hoped toreceive very soon a considerable sum of money, from some artisticdesigns that she felt sure would secure the prize. A week later shecame again, and I gave her a prescription to allay her mother'snervousness. Then, with much agitation, she told me that she was goingSouth by the night express, to seek assistance from her mother'sfather, who was a man of wealth, but had disowned Mrs. Brentano onaccount of her marriage. She asked for a written statement of thepatient's condition, and the absolute necessity of the operation. Iwrote it, and as she stood looking at the paper, she said: "'Doctor do you believe in an Ahnung?' I said, 'A what?' She answeredslowly and solemnly: 'An Ahnung--a presentiment? I have a crushingpresentiment that trouble will come to me, if I leave mother; and yetshe entreats, commands me to go South. It is my duty to obey her, butthe errand is so humiliating I shrink, I dread it. I shall not be longaway, and meanwhile do please be so kind as to see her, and cheer herup. If her father refuses to give me the one hundred dollars, I willtake her to the hospital when I return. ' I walked to the door with her, and her last words were: 'Doctor, I trust my mother to you; don't lether suffer. ' I have never seen her again, until I entered this room. Ivisited Mrs. Brentano several times, but she grew worse very rapidly. One night the ensuing week, my bell was rung at twelve o'clock, and awoman gave me this note, which was written by the prisoner immediatelyafter her arrest, and which enclosed a second, addressed to her mother. " As he read aloud the concluding lines invoking the mother's prayers, the doctor's voice trembled. He took off his spectacles, wiped them, and resumed: "I was shocked and distressed beyond expression, for I could no moreconnect the idea of crime with that beautiful, noble souled girl, thanwith my own sinless daughter; and I reproached myself then, and doublycondemn myself now, that I did not lend her the money. All that waspossible to alleviate the suffering of that mother, I did mostfaithfully. Under my personal superintendence she was made comfortablein the hospital; and I stood by her side when Doctor--operated on theaneurism; but her impaired constitution could not bear the strain, andshe sank rapidly. She was delirious, and never knew why her daughterwas detained; because I withheld the note. Just before the end came, her mind cleared, and she wrote a few lines which I sent to theprisoner. From all that I know of Miss Brentano, I feel constrained tosay, she impressed me as one of the purest, noblest and most admirablecharacters I have ever met. She supported her mother and herself by herpencil, and a more refined, sensitive woman, a more tenderly devoteddaughter I have yet to meet. " "Does your acquaintance with the family suggest any third party, whowould be interested in Gen'l Darrington's will, or become a beneficiaryby its destruction?" "No. They seemed very isolated people; those two women lived withoutany acquaintances, as far as I know, and apared proudly indifferent tothe outside world. I do not think they had any relatives, and the onlyname I heard Mrs. Brentano utter in her last illness was, 'Ignace, --Ignace. ' She often spoke of her'darling, ' and her 'goodlittle girl'. " "Did you see a gentleman who visited the prisoner? Did you ever hearshe had a lover?" "I neither saw any gentleman, nor heard she had a lover. In January, Ireceived a letter from the prisoner enclosing an order on S--& E--, photographers of New York, for the amount due her, on a certain designfor a Christmas card, which had received the Boston first prize ofthree hundred dollars. With the permission of the Court, I should liketo read it. There is no objection?" "PENITENTIARY CELL, JANUARY 8TH "In the name of my dead, whom I shall soon join--I desire to thank you, dear Doctor Grantlin, for your kind care of my darling; and especiallyfor your delicate and tender regard for all that remains on earth of myprecious mother. The knowledge that she was treated with the reverencedue to a lady, that she was buried--not as a pauper, but sleeps herlast sleep under the same marble roof that shelters your dear departedones, is the one ray of comfort that can ever pierce the awful gloomthat has settled like a pall over me. I am to be tried soon for theblack and horrible crime I never committed; and the evidence is sostrong against me, the circumstances I cannot explain, are so accusing, the belief of my guilt is so general in this community, that I have nohope of acquittal; therefore I make my preparations for death. Pleasecollect the money for which I enclose an order, and out of it, take theamount you spent when mother died. It will comfort me to know, that wedo not owe a stranger for the casket that shuts her away from allgrief, into the blessed Land of Peace. Keep the remainder, and when youhear that I am dead, unjustly offered up an innocent victim to appeasejustice, that must have somebody's blood in expiation, then take mybody and mother's and have us laid side by side in the Potter's field. The law will crush my body, but it is pure and free from every crime, and it will be worthy still to touch my mother's in a common grave. Oh, Doctor! Does it not seem that some terrible curse has pursued me; andthat the three hundred dollars I toiled and prayed for, was kept backten days too late to save me? My Christmas card will at least bury usdecently--away from the world that trampled me down. Do not doubt myinnocence, and it will comfort me to feel that he who closed mymother's eyes, believes that her unfortunate child is guiltless andunstained. In life, and in death, ever "Most gratefully your debtor, "BERYL BRENTANO. " A few moments of profound silence ensued: then Doctor Grantlin handedsome article to Mr. Dunbar, and stepping down from the stand, walkedtoward the prisoner. She had covered her face with her hands, while he gave his testimony:striving to hide the anguish that his presence revived. He placed hishand on her shoulder, and whispered brokenly: "My child, I know you are innocent. Would to God I could help you toprove it to these people!" The terrible strain gave way suddenly, her proud head was laid againsthis arm, and suppressed emotion shook her, as a December storm smitesand bows some shivering weed. CHAPTER XIX. Friday, the fifth and last day of the trial, was ushered in by atempest of wind and rain, that drove the blinding sheets of sleetagainst the court-house windows with the insistence of an icy flail;while now and then with spasmodic bursts of fury the gale heightened, rattled the sash, moaned hysterically, like invisible fiends tearing atthe obstacles that barred entrance. So dense was the gloom pervadingthe court-room, that every gas jet was burning at ten o'clock, when Mr. Dunbar rose and took a position close to the jury-box. The gray pallorof his sternly set face increased his resemblance to a statue of theJulian type, and he looked rigid as granite, as he turned his brillianteyes full of blue fire upon the grave, upturned countenances of thetwelve umpires: "Gentlemen of the Jury: The sanctity of human life is the foundation onwhich society rests, and its preservation is the supreme aim of allhuman legislation. Rights of property, of liberty, are merelyconditional, subordinated to the superlative divine right of life. Labor creates property, law secures liberty, but God alone gives life;and woe to that tribunal, to those consecrated priests of divinejustice, who, sworn to lay aside passion and prejudice, and to arraythemselves in the immaculate robes of a juror's impartiality, yetprofane the loftiest prerogative with which civilized society caninvest mankind, and sacrilegiously extinguish, in the name of justice, that sacred spark which only Jehovah's fiat kindles. To the same astuteand unchanging race, whose relentless code of jurisprudence demanded'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life, ' we owe theinstructive picture of cautious inquiry, of tender solicitude for theinviolability of human life, that glows in immortal lustre on the pagesof the 'Mechilti' of the Talmud. In the trial of a Hebrew criminal, there were 'Lactees, ' consisting of two men, one of whom stood at thedoor of the court, with a red flag in his hand, and the other sat on awhite horse at some distance on the road that led to execution. Each ofthese men cried aloud continually, the name of the suspected criminal, of the witnesses, and his crime; and vehemently called upon any personwho knew anything in his favor to come forward and testify. Have we, supercilious braggarts of this age of progress, attained the prudentialwisdom of Sanhedrim? "The State pays an officer to sift, probe, collect and array theevidences of crime, with which the criminal is stoned to death; does itlikewise commission and compensate an equally painstaking, lynx-eyedofficial whose sole duty is to hunt and proclaim proofs of theinnocence of the accused? The great body of the commonwealth iscommitted in revengeful zeal to prosecution; upon whom devolves thedoubly sacred and imperative duty of defence? Are you not here to givejudgment in a cause based on an indictment by a secret tribunal, whereex parte testimony was alone received, and the voice of defence couldnot be heard? The law infers that the keen instinct ofself-preservation will force the accused to secure the strongestpossible legal defenders; and failing in this, the law perfunctorilyassigns counsel to present testimony in defence. Do the scales balance? "Imagine a race for heavy stakes; the judges tap the bell; three orfour superb thoroughbreds carefully trained on that track, laboriouslygroomed, waiting for the signal, spring forward; and when the firstquarter is reached, a belated fifth, handicapped with the knowledgethat he has made a desperately bad start, bounds after them. If by dintof some superhuman grace vouchsafed, some latent strain, some mostunexpected speed, he nears, overtakes, runs neck and neck, slowlygains, passes all four and dashes breathless and quivering under thestring, a whole length ahead, the world of spectators shouts the judgessmile, and number five wins the stakes. But was the race fair? "Is not justice, the beloved goddess of our idolatry, sometimes soblinded by clouds of argument, and confused by clamor that she failsindeed to see the dip of the beam? If the accused be guilty and escapeconviction, he still lives; and while it is provided that no one can betwice put in jeopardy of his life for the same offence, vicioustendencies impel to renewal of crime, and Nemesis, the retriever ofjustice, may yet hunt him down. If the accused be innocent as thearchangels, but suffer conviction and execution, what expiation canjustice offer for judicially slaughtering him? Are the chances even? "All along the dim vista of the annals of criminal jurisprudence, standgrim memorials that mark the substitution of innocent victims forguilty criminals; and they are solemn sign-posts of warning, melancholyas the whitening bones of perished caravans in desert sands. Historyrelates, and tradition embalms, a sad incident of the era of theCouncil of Ten, when an innocent boy was seized, tried and executed forthe murder of a nobleman, whose real assassin confessed the crime manyyears subsequent. In commemoration of the public horror manifested, when the truth was published, Venice decreed that henceforth a criershould proclaim in the Tribunal just before a death sentence waspronounced, 'Ricordatevi del povero Marcolini! remember the poorMarcolini;' beware of merely circumstantial evidence. "To another instance I invite your attention. A devoted Scotch fatherfinding that his own child had contracted an unfortunate attachment toa man of notoriously bad character, interdicted all communication, andlocked his daughter into a tenement room; the adjoining apartment (withonly a thin partition wall between) being occupied by a neighbor, whooverheard the angry altercation that ensued. He recognized the voicesof father and daughter, and the words 'barbarity, ' 'cruelty, 'death, 'were repeatedly heard. The father at last left the room, locking hischild in as a prisoner. After a time, strange noises were heard by thetenant of the adjoining chamber; suspicion was aroused, a bailiff wassummoned, the door forced open, and there lay the dying girl welteringin blood, with the fatal knife lying near. She was asked if her fatherhad caused her sad condition, and she made an affirmative gesture andexpired. At that moment the father returned, and stood stupefied withhorror, which was interpreted as a consciousness of guilt; and this wascorroborated by the fact that his shirt sleeve was sprinkled withblood. In vain he asserted his innocence, and showed that the bloodstains were the result of a bandage having become untied where he hadbled himself a few days before. The words and groans overheard, theblood, the affirmation of the dying woman, every damning circumstanceconstrained the jury to convict him of the murder. He was hung inchains, and his body left swinging from the gibbet. The new tenant, whosubsequently rented the room, was ransacking the chamber in which thegirl died, when, in a cavity of the chimney where it had fallenunnoticed, was found a paper written by this girl, declaring herintention to commit suicide, and closing with the words: 'My inhumanfather is the cause of my death'; thus explaining her dying gestures. On examination of this document by the friends and relatives of thegirl, it was recognized and identified as her handwriting; and itestablished the fact that the father had died innocent of every crime, except that of trying to save his child from a degrading marriage. "Now, mark the prompt and satisfactory reparation decreed by justice, and carried out by the officers of the law. The shrivelled, dishonoredbody was lowered from the gibbet, given to his relatives for decentburial, and the magistrates who sentenced him, ordered a flag wavedover his grave, as compensation for all his wrongs. "Gentlemen of the jury, to save you from the commission of a wrong evenmore cruel, I come to-day to set before you clearly the facts, elicitedfrom witnesses which the honorable and able counsel for the prosecutiondeclined to cross-examine. An able expounder of the law of evidence haswarned us that: 'The force of circumstantial evidence being exclusivein its nature, and the mere coincidence of the hypothesis with thecircumstances, being, in the abstract, insufficient, unless theyexclude every other supposition, it is essential to inquire, with themost scrupulous attention, what other hypothesis there may be, agreeingwholly or partially with the facts in evidence. ' "A man of very marked appearance was seen running toward the railroad, on the night of the twenty-sixth, evidently goaded by some unusualnecessity to leave the neighborhood of X--before the arrival of thepassenger express. It is proved that he passed the station exactly atthe time the prisoner deposed she heard the voice, and the half of theenvelope that enclosed the missing will, was found at the spot wherethe same person was seen, only a few moments later. Four daysafterward, this man entered a small station in Pennsylvania, paid for arailroad ticket, with a coin identical in value and appearance withthose stolen from the tin box, and as if foreordained to publish thesteps he was striving to efface, accidentally left behind him thetrumpet-tongued fragment of envelope, that exactly fitted into the tornstrip dropped at the bridge. The most exhaustive and diligent searchshows that stranger was seen by no one else in X--; that he came as athief in the night, provided with chloroform to drug his intendedvictim, and having been detected in the act of burglariouslyabstracting the contents of the tin box, fought with, and killed thevenerable old man, whom he had robbed. "Under cover of storm and darkness he escaped with his plunder, to somepoint north of X--where doubtless he boarded (unperceived) the freighttrain, and at some convenient point slipped into a wooded country, andmade his way to Pennsylvania. Why were valuable bonds untouched?Because they might aid in betraying him. What conceivable interest hadhe in the destruction of Gen'l Darrington's will? It is in evidence, that the lamp was burning, and the contents of that envelope could havepossessed no value for a man ignorant of the provisions of the will;and the superscription it was impossible to misread. Suppose that thismysterious person was fully cognizant of the family secrets of theDarringtons? Suppose that he knew that Mrs. Brentano and her daughterwould inherit a large fortune, if Gen'l Darrington died intestate? Ifhe had wooed and won the heart of the daughter, and believed that herrights had been sacrificed to promote the aggrandizement of an alien, the adopted step-son Prince, had not such a man, the accepted lover ofthe daughter, a personal interest in the provisions of a will whichdisinherited Mrs. Brentano, and her child? Have you not now, motive, means, and opportunity, and links of evidence that point to this man asthe real agent, the guilty author of the awful crime we are all leaguedin solemn, legal covenant to punish? Suppose that fully aware of theprisoner's mission to X--, he had secretly followed her, andsupplemented her afternoon visit, by the fatal interview of the night?Doubtless he had intended escorting her home, but when the frightfultragedy was completed, the curse of Cain drove him, in terror, toinstant flight; and he sought safety in western wilds, leaving hisinnocent and hapless betrothed to bear the penalty of his crime. Thehandkerchief used to administer chloroform, bore her initials; wasdoubtless a souvenir given in days gone by to that unworthy miscreant, as a token of affection, by the trusting woman he deserted in the hourof peril. In this solution of an awful enigma, is there an undue strainupon credylity; is there any antagonism of facts which the tornenvelope, the pipe, the twenty-dollar gold pieces in Pennsylvania, donot reconcile? "A justly celebrated writer on the law of evidence has wisely said: 'Incriminal cases, the statement made by the accused is of essentialimportance in some points of view. Such is the complexity of humanaffairs, and so infinite the combinations of circumstances, that thetrue hypothesis which is capable of explaining and reuniting all theapparently conflicting circumstances of the case, may escape theacutest penetration: but the prisoner, so far as he alone is concerned, can always afford a clue to them; and though he may be unable tosupport his statement by evidence, his account of the transaction is, for this purpose, always most material and important. The effect may beto suggest a view, which consists with the innocence of the accused, and might otherwise have escaped observation. ' "During the preliminary examination of this prisoner in October, sheinadvertently furnished this clue, when, in explaining her absence fromthe station house, she stated that suddenly awakened from sleep, 'sheheard the voice of one she knew and loved, and ran out to seek thespeaker'. Twice she has repeated the conversation she heard, and everyword is corroborated by the witness who saw and talked with the ownerof that 'beloved voice'. When asked to give the name of that man, whomshe expected to find in the street, she falters, refuses; love sealsher lips, and the fact that she will die sooner than yield that whichmust bring him to summary justice, is alone sufficient to fix the guiltupon the real culprit. "There is a rule in criminal jurisprudence, that 'presumptive evidenceought never to be relied on, when direct testimony is wilfullywithheld'. She shudders at sight of the handkerchief; did she not giveit to him, in some happy hour as a tender Ricordo? When the pipe whichhe lost in his precipitate flight is held up to the jury, sherecognizes it instantly as her lover's property, and shivers withhorror at the danger of his detection and apprehension. Does not thisarray of accusing circumstances demand as careful consideration, as thechain held up to your scrutiny by the prosecution? In the latter, thereis an important link missing, which the theory of the defence supplies. When the prisoner was arrested and searched, there was found in herpossession only the exact amount of money, which it is in evidence, that she came South to obtain; and which she has solemnly affirmed wasgiven to her by Gen'l Darrington. We know from memoranda found in therifled box, that it contained only a few days previous, five hundreddollars in gold. Three twenty-dollar gold coins were discovered on thecarpet, and one in the vault; what became of the remain ing threehundred and twenty dollars? With the exception of one hundred dollarsfound in the basket of the prisoner, she had only five copper penniesin her purse, when so unexpectedly arrested, that it was impossible shecould have secreted anything. Three hundred and twenty dollarsdisappeared in company with the will, and like the torn envelope, twoof those gold coins lifted their accusing faces in Pennsylvania, wherethe fugitive from righteous retribution paid for the wings that wouldtransport him beyond risk of detection. "Both theories presented for your careful analysis, are based entirelyupon circumstantial evidence; and is not the solution I offer lessrepugnant to the canons of credibility, and infinitely less revoltingto every instinct of honor able manhood, than the horrible hypothesisthat a refined, cultivated, noble Christian woman, a devoted daughter, irreproachable in antecedent life, bearing the fiery ordeal of the pastfour months with a noble heroism that commands the involuntaryadmiration of all who have watched her--that such a perfect type ofbeautiful womanhood as the prisoner presents, could deliberately planand execute the vile scheme of theft and murder? Gentlemen, she isguilty of but one sin against the peace and order of this community:the sin of withholding the name of one for whose bloody crime she isnot responsible. Does not her invincible loyalty, her unwaveringdevotion to the craven for whom she suffers, in vest her with the haloof a martyrdom, that appeals most powerfully to the noblest impulses ofyour nature, that enlists the warmest, holiest sympathies lying deep inyour manly hearts? Analyze her statement; every utterance bears thestamp of innocence; and where she cannot explain truthfully, shedeclines to make any explanation. Hers is the sin of silence, thegrievous evasion of justice by non-responsion, whereby the danger shewill not avert by confession recoils upon her innocent head. Bravelyshe took on her reluctant shoulders the galling burden of parentalcommand, and stifling her proud repugnance, obediently came--a fairyoung stranger to 'Elm Bluff. ' Receiving as a loan the money she cameto beg for, she hurries away to fulfil another solemnly imposedinjunction. "Gentlemen, is there any spot out yonder in God's Acre, where violets, blue as the eyes that once smiled upon you, now shed their fragranceabove the sacred dust of your dead darlings; and the thought of whichmelts your hearts and dims your vision? Look at this mournful, touchingwitness, which comes from that holy cemetery to whisper to your souls, that the hands of the prisoner are as pure as those of your idols, folded under the sod. Only a little bunch of withered brown flowers, tied with a faded blue ribbon, that a poor girl bought with her hardearned pennies, and carried to a sick mother, to brighten a drearyattic; only a dead nosegay, which that mother requested should be laidas a penitential tribute on the tomb of the mother whom she haddisobeyed; and this faithful young heart made the pilgrimage, and leftthe offering--and in consequence thereof, missed the train that wouldhave carried her safely back to her mother--and to peace. On themorning after the preliminary examination I went to the cemetery, andfound the fatal flowers just where she had placed them, on the greatmarble cross that covers the tomb of 'Helena Tracey--wife of LukeDarringtun. ' "You husbands and fathers who trust your names, your honor, the peaceof your hearts-almost the salvation of your souls--to the women youlove: staking the dearest interest of humanity, the sanctity of thatheaven on earth--your stainless homes--upon the fidelity of womanhood, can you doubt for one instant, that the prisoner will accept deathrather than betray the man she loves? No human plummet has sounded thedepths of a woman's devotion; no surveyor's chain will ever mark thelimits of a woman's faithful, patient endurance; and only the wings ofan archangel can transcend that pinnacle to which the sublime principleof self-sacrifice exalts a woman's soul. "In a quaint old city on the banks of the Pegnitz, history records aninstance of feminine self-abnegation, more enduring than monuments ofbrass. The law had decreed a certain provision for the maintenance oforphans; and two women in dire distress, seeing no possible avenue ofhelp, accused themselves falsely of a capital crime, and were executed;thereby securing a support for the children they orphaned. "As a tireless and vigilant prosecutor of the real criminal, theCain-branded man now wandering in some western wild, I charge theprisoner with only one sin, suicidal silence; and I commend her to yourmust tender compassion, believing that in every detail and minutiae shehas spoken the truth; and that she is as innocent of the charge in theindictment as you or I. Remember that you have only presumptive proofto guide you in this solemn deliberation, and in the absence of directproof, do not be deluded by a glittering sophistry, which will soonattempt to persuade you, that: 'A presumption which necessarily arisesfrom circumstances, --is very often more convincing and moresatisfactory than any other kind of evidence; it is not within thereach and compass of human abilities to invent a train ofcircumstances, which shall be so connected together as to amount to aproof of guilt, without affording opportunities of contradicting agreat part, if not all, of these circumstances. ' "Believe it not; circumstantial evidence has caused as much innocentblood to flow, as the cimeter of Jenghiz Khan. The counsel for theprosecution will tell you that every fact in this melancholy case stabsthe prisoner, and that facts cannot lie. Abstractly and logicallyconsidered, facts certainly do not lie; but let us see whether theinferences deduced from what we believe to be facts, do not sometimeseclipse Ananias and Sapphira! Not long ago, the public heart thrilledwith horror at the tidings of the Ashtabula railway catastrophe, inwhich a train of cars plunged through a bridge, took fire, and a numberof passengers were consumed, charred beyond recognition. Soonafterward, a poor woman, mother of two children, commenced suit againstthe railway company, alleging that her husband had perished in thatdisaster. The evidence adduced was only of a circumstantial nature, asthe body which had been destroyed by flames, could not be found. Searching in the debris at the fatal spot, she had found a bunch ofkeys, that she positively recognized as belonging to her husband, andin his possession when he died. One key fitted the clock in her house, and a mechanic was ready to swear that he had made such a key for thedeceased. Another key fitted a chest she owned, and still anotherfitted the door of her house; while strongest of all proof, she found apiece of cloth which she identified as part of her husband's coat. Aphysician who knew her husband, testified that he rode as far asBuffalo on the same train with the deceased, on the fatal day of thedisaster; and another witness deposed that he saw the deceased take thetrain at Buffalo, that went down to ruin at Ashtabula. Certainly thechain of circumstantial evidence, from veracious facts, seemedcomplete; but lo! during the investigation it was ascertained beyonddoubt, to the great joy of the wife, that the husband had never beennear Ashtabula, and was safe and well at a Pension Home in a WesternState. "The fate of a very noble and innocent woman is now committed to yourhands, and only presumptive proof is laid before you. 'The circumstanceis always a fact; the presumption is the inference drawn from thatfact. It is hence called presumptive proof, because it proceeds merelyin opinion. ' Suffer no brilliant sophistry to dazzle your judgment, noremnant of prejudice to swerve you from the path of fidelity to youroath. To your calm reasoning, your generous manly hearts, yourChristian consciences, I resign the desolate prisoner; and as you dealwith her, so may the God above us, the just and holy God who hasnumbered the hairs of her innocent head, deal here and hereafter withyou and yours. " That magnetic influence, whereby the emotions of an audience areswayed, as the tides that follow the moon, was in large measure theheritage of the handsome man who held the eyes of the jurymen in analmost unwinking gaze; and when his uplifted arm slowly fell to hisside, Judge Dent grasped it in mute congratulation, and Mr. Churchilltook his hand, and shook it warmly. Mr. Wolverton came forward to sum up the evidence for the prosecution, and laboriously recapitulated and dwelt upon the mass of facts which heclaimed was susceptible of but one interpretation, and must compel thejury to convict, in accordance with the indictment. Upon the ears of the prisoner, his words fell as a harsh, meaninglessmurmur; and above the insistent mutter, rose and fell the waves of arich, resonant voice, that surrounded, penetrated, electrified herbrain; thrilled her whole being with a strange and inexplicablesensation of happiness. For months she had fought against the singularfascination that dwelt in those brilliant blue eyes, and lurked inevery line of the swart, stern face; holding at bay the magneticattraction which he exerted from the hour of the preliminaryexamination. Of all men, she had feared him most, had shrunk from everyopportunity of contact, had execrated him as the malignpersonification, the veritable incarnation of the evil destiny that hadhounded her from the day she first saw X----. Listening to his appeal for her deliverance, each word throbbing withthe fervent beat of a heart that she knew was all her own, an exquisitesense of rest gradually stole over her; as a long-suffering child spentwith pain, sinks, soothed at last in the enfolding arms of protectivelove. That dark, eloquent face drew, held her gaze with the spell of aloadstone, and even in the imminence of her jeopardy, she recalled thestrange resemblance he bore to the militant angel she had once seen ina painting, where he wrestled with Satan for possession of the body ofMoses. Disgrace, peril, the gaunt spectre of death suddenly dissolved, vanished in the glorious burst of rosy light that streamed into all thechill chambers of her heart; and she bowed her head in her hands, tohide the crimson that painted her cheeks. How long Mr. Wolverton talked, she never knew; but the lull thatsucceeded was broken by the tones of Judge Parkman. "Beryl Brentano, it is my duty to remind you that this is the lastopportunity the law allows you, to speak in your own vindication. Thetestimony has all been presented to those appointed to decide upon itsvalue. If there be any final statement that you may desire to offer inself-defence, you must make it now. " Could the hundreds who watched and waited ever forget the sight of thatsuperb, erect figure, that exquisite face, proud as Hypatia's, patientas Perpetua's; or the sound of that pathetic, unwavering voice?Mournfully, yet steadily, she raised her great grey eyes, darkened bythe violet shadows suffering had cast, and looked at her judges. "I am guiltless of any and all crime. I have neither robbed, normurdered; and I am neither principal, nor accomplice in the horriblesin imputed to me. I know nothing of the chloroform; I never touchedthe andiron; I never saw Gen'l Darrington but once. He gave me the goldand the sapphires, and I am as innocent of his death, and of thedestruction of his will as the sinless little children who prattle atyour firesides and nestle to sleep in your arms. My life has beendisgraced and ruined by no act of mine, for I have kept my hands, myheart, my soul, as pure and free from crime as they were when God gavethem to me. I am the helpless prey of suspicion, and the guiltlessvictim of the law. O, my judges! I do not crave your mercy--that is thedespairing prayer of conscious guilt; I demand at your hands, justice. " The rushing sound as of a coming flood filled her ears, and her wordsechoed vaguely from some immeasurably distant height. The gaslightsseemed whirling in a Walpurgis maze, as she sat down and once moreveiled her face in her hands. When she recovered sufficiently to listen, Mr. Churchill had risen forthe closing speech of the prosecution. "Gentlemen of the Jury: I were a blot upon a noble profession, adisgrace to honorable manhood, and a monster in my own estimation, if Icould approach the fatal Finis of this melancholy trial, withoutpainful emotions of profound regret, that the solemn responsibility ofmy official position makes me the reluctant bearer of the last sternmessage uttered by retributive justice. How infinitely more enviablethe duty of the Amicus Curiae, my gallant friend and quondam colleague, who in voluntary defence has so ingeniously, eloquently and nobly led aforlorn hope, that he knew was already irretrievably lost? Desperate, indeed, must he deem that cause for which he battles so valiantly, whendire extremity goads him to lift a rebellious and unfilial voiceagainst the provisions of his foster-mother, Criminal Jurisprudence, inwhose service he won the brilliant distinction and crown of laurel thatexcite the admiration and envy of a large family of his less fortunatefoster-brothers. I honor his heroism, applaud his chivalrous zeal, andwish that I stood in his place; but not mine the privilege of mountingthe white horse, and waving the red flag of the 'Lactees. ' Dedicated tothe mournful rites of justice, I have laid an iron hand on thequivering lips of pity, that cried to me like the voice of one of myown little ones; and very sorrowfully, at the command of conscience, reason and my official duty, I obey the mandate to ring down the blackcurtain on a terrible tragedy, feeling like Dante, when he confrontedthe doomed-- "'And to a part I come, where no light shines. '" So clearly and ably has my distinguished associate, Mr. Wolverton, presented all the legal points bearing upon the nature and value of theproof, submitted for your examination, that any attempt to buttress hispowerful argument, were an unpardonable reflection upon yourintelligence, and his skill; and I shall confine my last effort inbehalf of justice, to a brief analysis and comparison of the hypothesisof the defence, with the verified result of the prosecution. "Beautiful and sparkling as the frail glass of Murano, and equally asthin, as treacherously brittle, is the theory so skilfully manufacturedin behalf of the accused; and so adroitly exhibited that the ingeniousfacets catch every possible gleam, and for a moment almost dazzle theeyes of the beholder. In attempting to cast a lance against the shieldof circumstantial evidence, his weapon rebounded, recoiled upon hisfine spun crystal and shivered it. What were the materials wherewith heworked? Circumstances, strained, well nigh dislocated by the effort toforce them to fit into his Procrustean measure. A man was seen on thenight of the twenty-sixth, who appeared unduly anxious to quitX--before daylight; and again the mysterious stranger was seen in adistant town in Pennsylvania, where he showed some gold coins of acertain denomination, and dropped on the floor one-half of an envelope, that once contained a will. In view of these circumstances (theprosecution calls them facts), the counsel for the defence PRESUMESthat said stranger committed the murder, stole the will; and offersthis opinion as presumptive proof that the prisoner is innocent. Theargument runs thus: this man was an accepted lover of the accused, andtherefore he must have destroyed the will that beggared his betrothed;but it is nowhere in evidence, that any lover existed, outside of thecounsel's imagination; yet Asmodeus like he must appear when calledfor, and so we are expected to infer, assume, presume that because hestole the will he must be her lover. Does it not make your head swim tospin round in this circle of reasoning? In assailing the validity ofcircumstantial evidence, has he not cut his bridges, burned his shipsbehind him? "Gentlemen, fain would I seize this theory were it credible, andsetting thereon, as in an ark, this most unfortunate prisoner, floather safely through the deluge of ruin, anchor her in peaceful securityupon some far-off Ararat; but it has gone to pieces in the hands of itsarchitect. Instead of rescuing the drowning, the wreck serves only tobeat her down. If we accept the hypothesis of a lover at all, it willfurnish the one missing link in the terrible chain that clanks aroundthe luckless prisoner. The disappearance of the three hundred andtwenty dollars has sorely perplexed the prosecution, and unexpectedlythe defence offers us the one circumstance we lacked; the lover waslurking in the neighborhood, to learn the result of the visit, toescort her home; and to him the prisoner gave the missing gold, to himintrusted the destruction of the will. If that man came to 'Elm Bluff'prepared to rob and murder, by whom was he incited and instigated; andwho was the accessory, and therefore particeps criminis? The prisoner'shandkerchief was the medium of chloroforming that venerable old man, and can there be a reasonable doubt that she aided in administering it? "The prosecution could not explain why she came from the direction ofthe railroad bridge, which was far out of her way from 'Elm Bluff'; butthe defence gives the most satisfactory solution: she was there, dividing her blood-stained spoils with the equally guiltyaccomplice--her lover. The prosecution brings to the bar of retributiononly one criminal; the defence not only fastens the guilt upon thisunhappy woman, by supplying the missing links, but provespremeditation, by the person of an accomplice. Four months have beenspent in hunting some fact that would tend to exculpate the accused, but each circumstance dragged to light serves only to swell the dismalchorus, 'Woe to the guilty'. To-day she sits in the ashes ofdesolation, condemned by the unanimous evidence of every known factconnecred with this awful tragedy. To oppose this black and frightfulhost of proofs, what does she offer us? Simply her bare, solemnlyreiterated denial of guilt. We hold our breath, hoping against hopethat she will give some explanation, some solution, that our pityinghearts are waiting so eagerly to hear; but dumb as the Sphinx, sheawaits her doom. You will weigh that bare denial in the scale with theevidence, and in this momentous duty recollect the cautious admonitionthat has been furnished to guide you: 'Cosceding that asseverations ofinnocence are always deserving of consideration by the executive, whatis there to invest them with a conclusive efficacy, in opposition to achain of presumptive evidence, the force and weight of which fallsshort only of mathematical demonstration?' The astute and eloquentcounsel for defence, has cited some well-known cases, to shake yourfaith in the value of merely presumptive proof. "I offer for your consideration, an instance of the fallibility ofmerely bare, unsupported denial of guilt on the part of the accused. Apriest at Lauterbach was suspected, arrested and tried for the murderof a woman, under very aggravated circumstances. He was subjected toeighty examinations; and each time solemnly denied the crime. Even whenconfronted at midnight with the skull of the victim murdered eightyears before, he vehemently protested his innocence; called on theskull to declare him not the assassin, and appealed to the Holy Trinityto proclaim his innocence. Finally he confessed his crime; testifiedthat while cutting the throat of his victim, he had exhorted her torepentance, had given her absolution, and that having concealed thecorpse, he had said masses for her soul. "The forlorn and hopeless condition of the prisoner at this bar, appeals pathetically to that compassion which we are taught to believecoexists with justice, even in the omnipotent God we worship; yet inthe face of incontrovertible facts elicited from reliable witnesses, ofcoincidences which no theory of accident can explain, can we stifleconvictions, solely because she pleads 'not guilty'? Pertinent, indeed, was the ringing cry of that ancient prosecutor: 'Most illustriousCaesar! if denial of guilt be sufficient defence, who would ever beconvicted?' You have been assured that inferences drawn from probablefacts eclipse the stupendous falsehood of Ananias and Sapphira! Thenthe same family strain inevitably crops out, in the loosely-woven webof defensive presumptive evidence--whose pedigree we trace to the sameparentage. God forbid that I should commit the sacrilege of arrogatingHis divine attribute--infallibility--for any human authority, howeverexalted; or claim it for any amount of proof, presumptive or positive. 'It is because humanity even when most cautious and discriminating isso mournfully fallible and prone to error, that in judging its ownfrailty, we require the aid and reverently invoke the guidance ofJehovah. ' In your solemn deliberations bear in mind this epitome of anopinion, entitled to more than a passing consideration: 'Perhaps strongcircumstantial evidence in cases of crime, committed for the most partin secret, is the most satisfactory of any from whence to draw theconclusion of guilt; for men may be seduced to perjury, by many basemotives; but it can scarcely happen that many circumstances, especiallyif they be such over which the accuser could have no control, formingaltogether the links of a transaction, should all unfortunately concurto fix the presumption of guilt on an individual, and yet such aconclusion be erroneous. ' "Gentlemen of the jury: the prosecution believes that the overwhelmingmass of evidence laid before you proves, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the prisoner did premeditatedly murder and rob Robert LukeDarrington; and in the name of justice, we demand that you vindicatethe majesty of outraged law, by rendering a verdict of 'guilty'. Allthe evidence in this case points the finger of doom at the prisoner, asto the time, the place, the opportunity, the means, the conduct and themotive. Suffer not sympathy for youthful womanhood and wonderfulbeauty, to make you recreant to the obligations of your oath, to decidethis issue of life or death, strictly in accordance with the proofspresented; and bitterly painful as is your impending duty, do not allowthe wail of pity to drown the demands of justice, or the voice of thatblood that cries to heaven for vengeance upon the murderess. May therighteous God who rules the destinies of the universe guide you, andenable you to perform faithfully your awful duty. " Painfully solemn was the profound silence that pervaded the court-room, and the eyes of the multitude turned anxiously to the grave countenanceof the Judge. Mr. Dunbar had seated himself at a small table, not farfrom Beryl, and resting his elbow upon it, leaned his right temple inthe palm of his hand, watching from beneath his contracted black browsthe earnest, expectant faces of the jurymen; and his keen, glowing eyesindexed little of the fierce, wolfish pangs that gnawed ceaselessly athis heart, as the intolerable suspense drew near its end. Judge Parkman leaned forward. "Gentlemen of the jury: before entering that box, as the appointedministers of justice, to arbitrate upon the most momentous issue thatcan engage human attention--the life or death of a fellow creature--youcalled your Maker to witness that you would divest your minds of everyshadow of prejudice, would calmly, carefully, dispassionately consider, analyze and weigh the evidence submitted for your investigation; andirrespective of consequences, render a verdict in strict accordancewith the proofs presented. You have listened to the testimony of thewitnesses, to the theory of the prosecution, to the theory of thecounsel for the defence; you have heard the statement of the accused, her repeated denial of the crime with which she stands charged; andfinally you have heard the arguments of counsel, the summing up of allthe evidence. The peculiar character of some of the facts presented asproof, requires on your part the keenest and most exhaustive analysisof the inferences to be drawn from them, and you 'have need ofpatience, wisdom and courage'. While it is impossible that you cancontemplate the distressing condition of the accused without emotionsof profound compassion, your duty 'is prescribed by the law, whichallows you no liberty to indulge any sentiment, inconsistent with itsstrict performance'. You should begin with the legal presumption thatthe prisoner is innocent, and that presumption must continue, until herguilt is satisfactorily proved. This is the legal right of theprisoner; contingent on no peculiar circumstances of any particularcase, but is the common right of every person accused of a crime. Thelaw surrounds the prisoner with a coat of mail, that only irrefragableproofs of guilt can pierce, and the law declares her innocent, unlessthe proof you have heard on her trial satisfies you, beyond areasonable doubt, that she is guilty. What constitutes reasonabledoubt, it becomes your duty to earnestly and carefully consider. It ischarged that the defendant, on the night of the twenty-sixth ofOctober, did wilfully, deliberately, and premeditatedly murder RobertLuke Darrington, by striking him with a brass andiron. The legaldefinition of murder is the unlawful killing of another, with maliceaforethought; and is divided into two degrees. Any murder committedknowingly, intentionally and wantonly, and without just cause orexcuse, is murder in the first degree; and this is the offence chargedagainst the prisoner at the bar. If you believe from the evidence, thatthe defendant, Beryl Brentano, did at the time and place named, wilfully and premeditatedly kill Robert Luke Darrington, then it willbecome your duty to find the defendant guilty of murder; if you do notso believe, then it will be your duty to acquit her. A copy of thelegal definition of homicide, embracing murder in the first and seconddegrees, and of manslaughter in the first and second degrees, will befurnished for your instruction; and it is your right and privilegeafter a careful examination of all the evidence, to convict of a lessercrime than that charged in the indictment, provided all the evidence inthis case, should so convince your minds, to the exclusion of areasonable doubt. "In your deliberations you will constantly bear in memory, thefollowing long established rules provided for the guidance of jurors: "'I. --The burden of proof rests upon the prosecution, and does notshift or change to the defendant in any phase or stage of the case. "'II. --Before the jury can convict the accused, they must be satisfiedfrom the evidence that she is guilty of the offence charged in theindictment, beyond a reasonable doubt. It is not sufficient that theyshould believe her guilt only probable. No degree of probabilitymerely, will authorize a conviction; but the evidence must be of suchcharacter and tendency as to produce a moral certainty of theprisoner's guilt, to the exclusion of reasonable doubt. "'III. --Each fact which is necessary in the chain of circumstances toestablish the guilt of the accused, must be distinctly proved bycompetent legal evidence, and if the jury have reasonable doubt as toany material fact, necessary to be proved in order to support thehypothesis of the prisoner's guilt, to the exclusion of every otherreasonable hypothesis, they must find her not guilty. "'IV. --If the jury are satisfied from the evidence, that the accused isguilty of the offence charged, beyond reasonable doubt, and no rationalhypothesis or explanation can be framed or given (upon the wholeevidence in the cause) consistent with the innocence of the accused, and at the same time consistent with the facts proved, they ought tofind her guilty. The jury are the exclusive judges of the evidence, ofits weight, and of the credibility of the witnesses. It is their dutyto accept and be governed by the law, as given by the Court in itsinstructions. ' "The evidence in this case is not direct and positive, but presumptive;and your attention has been called to some well known cases of personsconvicted of, and executed for capital crimes, whose entire innocencewas subsequently made apparent. These arguments and cases only provethat, 'all human evidence, whether it be positive or presumptive in itscharacter, like everything else that partakes of mortality, isfallible. The reason may be as completely convinced bycircumstantial--as by positive evidence, and yet may possibly notarrive at the truth by either. ' "The true question, therefore, for your consideration, is not the kindof evidence in this case, but it is, what is the result of it in yourminds? If it has failed to satisfy you of the guilt of the accused, andyour minds are not convinced, vacillate in doubt, then you must acquither, be the evidence what it may, positive or presumptive; but if theresult of the whole evidence satisfies you, it you are convinced thatshe is guilty, then it is imperatively your duty to convict her, evenif the character of the evidence be wholly circumstantial. " Such is thelaw. "In resigning this case to you, I deem it my duty to direct yourattention to one point, which I suggest that you consider. If theaccused administered chloroform, did it indicate that her originalintention was solely to rob the vault? Is the act of administering thechloroform consistent with the theory of deliberate and premeditatedmurder? In examining the facts submitted by counsel, take thesuggestion just presented, with you, and if the facts and circumstancesproved against her, can be accounted for on the theory of intended, deliberate robbery, without necessarily involving premeditated murder, it is your privilege to put that merciful construction upon them. "Gentlemen of the jury, I commit this mournful and terrible case toyour decision; and solemnly adjure you to be governed in yourdeliberations, by the evidence as you understand it, by the law asfurnished in these instructions, and to render such verdict, as yourreason compels, as your matured judgment demands, and your conscienceunhesitatingly approves and sanctions. May God direct and control yourdecision. " CHAPTER XX. Drifting along the stream of testimony that rolled in front of thejury-box, an eager and excited public had with scarcely a dissentingvoice arrived at the conclusion, that the verdict was narrowed to thelimits of only two possibilities. It was confidently expected that thejury would either acquit unconditionally, or fail to agree; thusprolonging suspense, by a mistrial. It was six o'clock when, thejurors, bearing the andiron, handkerchief, pipe, and a diagram of thebedroom at "Elm Bluff", were led away to their final deliberation; yetso well assured was the mass of spectators, that they would promptlyreturn to render a favorable verdict, that despite the inclemency ofthe weather, there was no perceptible diminution of the anxious crowdof men and women. The night had settled prematurely down, black and stormy; and thoughthe fury of the gale seemed at one time to have spent itself, the windveered to the implacable east, and instead of fitful gusts, a steadyroaring blast freighted with rain smote the darkness. The officerconducted his prisoner across the dim corridor, and opened the door ofthe small anteroom, which frequent occupancy had rendered gloomilyfamiliar. "I wish I could make you more comfortable, and it is a shame to shutyou up in such an ice-box. I will throw my overcoat on the floor, andyou can wrap your feet up in it. Yes, you must take it. I shall keepwarm at the stove in the Sheriff's room. The Judge will not wait laterthan ten o'clock, then I'll take you back to Mrs. Singleton. It seemsyou prefer to remain here alone. " "Yes, entirely alone. " "You are positive, you won't try a little hot punch, or a glass ofwine?" "Thank you, but I wish only to be alone. " "Don't be too down-hearted. You will never be convicted under thatindictment, at least not by this jury, for I have a suspicion thatthere is one man among them, who will stand out until the stars fall, and I will tell you why. I happened to be looking at him, when yourChristmas card was shown by Mr. Dunbar. The moment he saw it, hestarted, stretched out his hand, and as he looked at it, I saw himchoke up, and pass his hand over his eyes. Soon after Christmas, thatman lost his only child, a girl five years old, who had scarlet fever. To divert her mind, they gave her a Christmas card to play with, thatsome friend had sent to her mother. She had it in her hand when shedied, in convulsions, and it was put in her coffin and buried with her. My wife helped to nurse and shroud her, and she told me it was the cardshown in court; it was your card. The law can't cut out theheartstrings of the jury, and I don't believe that man would lift hishand against your life, any sooner than he would strike the face of hisdead child. " He locked the door, and Beryl found herself at last alone, in thedreary little den where a single gas burner served only to show thesurrounding cheerlessness. The furniture comprised a wooden bench alongthe wall, two chairs, and a table in the middle of the floor; and onthe dusty panes of the grated window, a ray of ruddy light from a lamppost in the street beneath, broke through the leaden lances of therain, and struggled for admission. The neurotic pharmacopoeia contains nothing so potent as despair tosteady quivering nerves, and steel to superhuman endurance. For Beryl, the pendulum of suspense had ceased to swing, because the spring ofhope had snapped; and the complete surrender, the mute acceptance ofthe worst possible to come, had left her numb, impervious to dread. Asone by one the discovered facts spelled unmistakably the name of herbrother, allowing no margin to doubt his guilt, the necessity ofatonement absorbed every other consideration; and the desire to averthis punishment extinguished the last remnant of selfish anxiety. If bysuffering in his stead, she could secure to him life--the opportunitiesof repentance, of expiation, of making his peace with God, of savinghis immortal soul--how insignificant seemed all else. The innate loveof life, the natural yearning for happiness, the once ferventaspirations for fame--the indescribable longing for the fruition ofyouth's high hopes, which like a Siren sang somewhere in the goldenmists of futurity--all these were now crushed beyond recognition in thewhirlwind that had wrecked her. Her father slept under silvery olives in a Tuscan dell, her motherwithin hearing of the waves that broke on the Atlantic shore; and ifthe wanderer could be purified by penitential tears, what mattered theshattering of the family circle on earth, when in the eternal Beyond, it would be indissolubly reformed? Over the black gulf that yawned inher young, pure life, the wings of her Christian faith bore hersteadily, unwaveringly to the heavenly rest, that she knew remained forthe people of God; and so, she seemed to have shaken hands with thethings of time and earth, and to stand on the border land, girded fordeparture. To meet her beloved dead, with the blessed announcement thatBertie must join them after a while, because she had ransomed hisprecious soul; and that the family would be complete under the heavenlyroof, was recompense so rich, that the fangs of disgrace, of physicaland mental torture were effectually extracted. By day and by night theladder of prayer lifted her soul into that serene realm, where thefountains of balm are never drained; and into her face stole thereflection of that peace which only communion with the Christian's Godcan bring to those whom grief has claimed for its own. To-night, as she listened to the Coronach chanted by the gale, and thedismal accompaniment of the pelting rain, she realized how utterlyisolated was her position, and kneeling on the bare floor, crossed herarms on the table, bowed her bead upon them, and prayed for patienceand strength. The ordeal had been fiery, but the end was at hand, andrelease must be near. She heard quick steps in the corridor, and the key was turned in thelock. Had the jury so promptly decided to destroy her? For an instantonly, she shut her eyes; and when she opened them, Mr. Dunbar wasleaning over her, folding closely about her shoulders some heavy wrap, whose soft fur collar his fingers buttoned around her throat. She hadnot known that she was cold, until the delicious sensation of warmthcrept like a caressing touch over her chilled limbs. She did not stir, and neither spoke; but after a moment he turned toward the door; thenshe rose. "There is something I wish to say, and this is my last opportunity, asafter to-night we shall not meet again. During the past four months Ihave said harsh, bitter things to you, and have unjustly judged you. Ingrateful recognition of all that you have so faithfully essayed toaccomplish in my behalf, I ask you now to forget everything but mygratitude for your effort to save me; and I offer my hand to you, asthe one friend who sacrificed even his manly pride, and enduredhumiliation in order to redress my wrongs. I thank you very sincerely, Mr. Dunbar. " He took her outstretched hand, pressed it against his cheek, his eyes, held it to his lips; then a half smothered groan escaped him, andafraid to trust himself, he went quickly out. Believing that she stood on the confines of another world, she hadpossessed her soul in patience, waiting for the consummation of thesacrifice; yet at the crisis of her fate, that singular, incomprehensible influence, long resisted, drew her thoughts to him, whom she regarded as the chosen puppet of destiny to hurry her into anuntimely grave. She had fought the battle with him, under fearful odds;conscious of sedition in the heart that defied him, warily clutchingwith one hand the throat of rebellion in her citadel, while with theother, she parried assault. Keeping lonely vigil, amid the strewn wreck of life and hope, she hadwaved away one persistent thought, that lit up the blackness with asudden glory, that came with the face of an angel of light, and babbledwith the silvery tongue of sorcery. As far as her future was concerned, this world had practically come to a premature end; but above the roarof ruin, and out of the yawning graves of slaughtered possibilities, rose and rang the challenge: If she had never come South, if she couldhave been allowed the chance of happiness that seemed every woman'sbirthright, if she had met and known Mr. Dunbar, before he was pledgedto another; what then? If she were once more the Beryl of old, and hewere free? If? What necromancy so wonderful, as the potentiality of if?Weighed in that popular balance--appearances--how stood the poorfriendless prisoner, loaded with suspicion, tarnished with obloquy, onthe verge of an ignominious death; in comparison with the fair, proudheiress, dowered with blue blood, powerful in patrician influence, richin all that made her the envy of her social world? In the dazzling zenith of temporal prosperity, Leo Gordon consideredthe heart of her betrothed her most precious possession; the one jewelwhich she would gladly have given all else to preserve; and yet, fatetore it from her grasp, and laid it at the feet, nay thrust it into thewhite hand of the woman who must die for a fiendish crime. A latter-dayseer tells us, that in all realms, "Between laws there is no analogy, there is Continuity"; then in the universe of ethical sociology, whoshall trace the illimitable ramifications of the Law of Compensation? Up and down, back and forth, slowly, wearily walked the prisoner; andwhen the town clock struck eight, she mechanically counted each stroke. As in drowning men, the landmarks of a lifetime rise, huddle, almostpress upon the glazing eyes, so the phantasmagoria of Beryl's past, seemed projected in strange luminousness upon the pall of the present, like profiles in silvery flame cast on a black curtain. Holding her father's hand, she walked in the Odenwald; sitting besideher mother on a carpet of purple vetches, she stemmed strawberries in agarden near Pistoja; clinging to Bertie's jacket, she followed himacross dimpling sands to dip her feet in the blue Mediterranean waves, that broke in laughter, showing teeth of foam, where dying sunsetsreddened all the beach. Through sunny arcades, flushed withpomegranate, glowing with orange, silvered with lemon blossoms, camethe tinkling music of contadini bells, the bleating of kids, thetwittering of happy birds, the distant chime of an Angelus; all thesubtle harmony, the fragmentary melody that flickers through anImpromptu of Chopin or Schubert. She saw the simulacrum of her formerself, the proud, happy Beryl of old, singing from the score of the"Messiah", in the organ loft of a marble church; she heard the richtenor voice of her handsome brother, as he trilled a barcarole onenight, crossing the Atlantic; she smelled the tuberoses at Mentone, thefaint breath of lilies her father had loved so well, and then, blottingall else, there rose clear as some line of Morghen's, that attic room;the invalid's bed, the low chair beside it, the wasted figure, thesuffering, fever-flushed face of the beloved mother, as she saw herlast, with the Grand Duke jasmine fastened at her throat. The door was thrown open, and the officer beckoned her to follow him. Back into the crowded court-room, where people pressed even into thewindow sills for standing room, where Judge and counsel sat gravelyexpectant; where the stillness of death had suddenly fallen. Theofficer conducted her to the bar, then drew back, and Mr. Dunbar cameand stood at her side; resting his hand on the back of her chair. In that solemn hush, the measured tramp of the jury advancing, andfiling into their box, had the mournful, measured beat as of pallbearers, keeping step to a dismal dirge; and when the foreman laid uponthe table the fatal brass unicorn, the muffled sound seemed ominous asthe grating of a coffin lowered upon the cross bars of a gaping grave. As the roll was called, each man rose, and answered in a low butdistinct tone. Then the clerk of the court asked: "Gentlemen of the jury, have you agreed upon your verdict?" "We have, " replied the foreman. "What say you! Guilty, or not guilty?" Beryl had risen, and the gaslight shining full upon her pale, Phidianface, showed no trace of trepidation. Only the pathetic patience of asublime surrender was visible on her frozen features. The eyespreternaturally large and luminous were raised far above the sea ofheads, and their strained gaze might almost have been fixed upon theunveiled face of the God she trusted. Her hands were folded over hermother's ring, her noble head thrown proudly back. "We the jury, in the case of the State against Beryl Brentano, finddefendant not guilty as charged in the indictment; but guilty ofmanslaughter in the first degree; and we do earnestly commend her tothe mercy of the Court. " The girl staggered slightly, as if recoiling from a blow, and Mr. Dunbar caught her arm, steadied her. The long pent tide of popularfeeling broke its barriers, and the gates of Pandemonium seemed toswing open. Women sobbed; men groaned. In vain the Judge thundered"Silence", "Order!" and not until an officer advanced to obey thecommand, to clear the court-room, was there any perceptible lull, inthe storm of indignation. Turning to the Judge, Mr. Dunbar said: "In behalf of the prisoner, I most respectfully beg that the Court willend her suspense; and render her return to this bar unnecessary bypromptly pronouncing sentence. " "Is it the wish of the prisoner, that sentence should not be delayed?" "She wishes to know her fate. " She had uttered no sound, but the lashes trembled, fell over the tired, aching, strained eyes; and lifting her locked hands she bowed her chinupon them. Some moments elapsed, before Judge Parkman spoke; then his voice waslow and solemn. "Beryl Brentano, you have been indicted for the deliberate andpremeditated murder of your grandfather, Robert Luke Darrington. Twelvemen, selected for their intelligence and impartiality, have patientlyand attentively listened to the evidence in this case, and have underoath endeavored to discover the truth of this charge. You have had thebenefit of a fair trial, by unbiased judges, and finally, the jury inthe conscientious discharge of their duty, have convicted you ofmanslaughter in the first degree, and commended you to the mercy of theCourt. In consideration of your youth, of the peculiar circumstancessurrounding you, and especially, in deference to the wishes andrecommendation of the jury--whose verdict, the Court approves, Itherefore pronounce upon you the lightest penalty which the law affixesto the crime of manslaughter, of which you stand convicted; whichsentence is--that you be taken hence to the State Penitentiary, andthere be kept securely, for the term of five years. " With a swift movement, Mr. Dunbar drew the crape veil over her face, put her arm through his, and led her into the corridor. Hurriedly heexchanged some words in an undertone with the two officers, whoaccompanied him to the rear entrance of the court-house; and then, inanswer to a shrill whistle, a close carriage drawn by two horses drewup to the door, followed by the dismal equipage set apart for thetransportation of prisoners. The deputy sheriff stepped forward, tryingto shield the girl from the driving rain, and assisted her into thecarriage. Mr. Dunbar sprang in and seated himself opposite. The officerclosed the door, ordered the coachman to drive on, and then enteringthe gloomy black box, followed closely, keeping always in sight of thevehicle in advance. The clock striking ten, sounded through the muffling storm a knell asmournful as some tolling bell, while into that wild, moaning Fridaynight, went the desolate woman, wearing henceforth the brand ofCain--remanded to the convict's home. She had thrown back her veil to ease the stifling sensation in herthroat, and Mr. Dunbar could see now and then, as they dashed past astreet lamp, that she sat upright, still as stone. At last she said, in a tone peculiarly calm, like that of one talkingin sleep: "What did it mean--that verdict?" "That you went back to 'Elm Bluff' with no intention of attacking Gen'lDarrington. " "That I went there deliberately to steal, and then to avoid detection, killed him? That was the verdict of the jury?" She waited a moment. "Answer me. That was the meaning? That was the most merciful verdictthey could give to the world?" Only the hissing sound of the rain upon the glass pane of the carriage, made reply. They had reached the bridge, when a hysterical laugh startled the man, who leaned back on the front seat, with his arms crossed tightly over aheart throbbing with almost unendurable pain. "To steal, to rob, to plunder. Branded for all time a thief, a rogue, amurderess. I!--I--" A passionate wail told the strain was broken: "I, my father's darling, my father's Beryl! Hurled into a living tomb, herded with convicts, with the vilest outcasts that disgrace the earth--this is worse than athousand deaths! It would have been so merciful to crush out the lifethey mangled; but to doom me to the slow torture of this loathsomegrave, where death brings no release! To die is so easy, so blessed;but to live--a convicted felon! O, my God! my God! Hast Thou indeedforsaken me?" In the appalling realization of her fate, she rocked to and fro for amoment only, fiercely shaken by the horror of a future never beforecontemplated. Then the proud soul stifled its shuddering sigh, liftedits burden of shame, silently struggled up its awful Via Crucis. Muteand still, she leaned back in the corner of the carriage. "I could have saved you, but you would not accept deliverance. Youthwarted every effort, tied the hands that might have set you free; andby your own premeditated course throughout the trial, deliberatelydragged this doom down upon your head. You counted the cost, and youelected, chose of your own free will to offer yourself as a sacrifice, to the law, for the crime of another. You are your own merciless fate, decreeing self-immolation. You were willing to die, in order to savethat man's life; and you can certainly summon fortitude to endure fiveyears' deprivation of his society; sustained by the hope that havingthereby purchased his security, you may yet reap the reward your heartdemands, reunion with its worthless, degraded idol. I have watched, weighed, studied you; searched every stray record of your fair younglife, found the clear pages all pure; and I have doubted, marvelledthat you, lily-hearted, lily-souled, lily-handed, could cast the pearlof your love down in the mire, to be trampled by swinish feet. " The darkness of the City of Dis that seemed to brood under the wings ofthe stormy night, veiled Beryl's face; and her silence goaded himbeyond the limits of prudence, which he had warily surveyed for himself. "Day and night, I hear the maddening echo of your accusing cry, 'Youhave ruined my life!' God knows, you have as effectually ruined mine. You have your revenge--if it comfort you to know it; but I am incapableof your sublime renunciation. I am no patient martyr; I am, instead, anintensely selfish man. You choose to hug the ashes of desolation; Ipurpose to sweep away the wreck, to rebuild on the foundation of onehope, which all the legions in hell cannot shake. Between you and methe battle has only begun, and nothing but your death or my victorywill end it. You have your revenge; I intend to enjoy mine. Though heburrow as a mole, or skulk in some fastness of Alaska, I will track andseize that cowardly miscreant, and when the law receives its guiltyvictim, you shall be freed from suspicion, freed from prison, and mostprecious of all boons, you shall be freed forever from the vilecontamination of his polluting touch. For the pangs you have inflictedon me, I will have my revenge: you shall never be profaned by the nameof wife. " Up the rocky hill toiled the horses, arching their necks as theystooped their faces to avoid the blinding rain: and soon the huge blotof prison walls, like a crouching monster ambushed in surroundinggloom, barred the way. In two windows of the second story, burned lights that borrowed luridrays in their passage through the mist, and seemed to glow angrily, like the red eyes of a sullen beast of prey. The carriage stopped. Amoment after, the deputy-sheriff sprang from his wagon and rang thebell close to the great gate. Two dogs bayed hoarsely, and somewhere inthe building an answering bell sounded. Beryl leaned forward. "Mr. Dunbar, there is one last favor I ask at your hands. I wantmy--my--I want that pipe, that was shown in court. Will you ask that itmay be given to me? Will you send it to me?" A half strangled, scarcely audible oath was his only reply. She put out her hand, laid it on his. "You dare caused me so much suffering, surely you will not deny me thisonly recompense I shall ever ask. " His hand closed over hers. "If I bring it to you, will you confess who smoked it last?" "After to-night, sir, I think it best I should never see your faceagain. " The officer opened the carriage door, the warden approached, carrying alantern in one hand and an umbrella in the other. Mr. Dunbar steppedfrom the carriage and turning, stretched out his arms, suddenlysnatched the girl for an instant close to his heart, and lifted her tothe ground. The warden opened the gate, swinging his lantern high to light the way, and by its flickering rays Lennox Dunbar saw the beautiful white face, the wonderful, sad eyes, the wan lips contracted by a spasm of pain. She turned and followed the warden; the lights wavered; the great irongate swung back in its groove, the bolt fell with a sullen clang; themassive key rattled, a chain clanked, and all was darkness as she waslocked irrevocably into her living tomb. CHAPTER XXI. The annual resurrection had begun; the pulse of Nature quickened, rose, throbbed under the vernal summons; pale, tender grass-blades peepedabove the mould, houstonias lifted their blue disks to the March sun, and while the world of birds commenced their preludes where silky youngleaves shyly fluttered, earth and sky were wrapped in that silvery hazewith which coy Springtime half veils her radiant face. The vividverdure of wheat and oat fields, the cooler aqua marina of longstretches of rye, served as mere groundwork for displaying in boldrelief the snowy tufts of plum, the creamy clusters of pear, and theglowing pink of peach orchards that clothed the hillsides, and brimmedthe valleys with fragrant prophecies of fruitful plenty. Dimmed by distance to fine lines of steel, wavered the flocks of wildgeese flying from steaming bayous to icy lakes in the far North, andnow and then as the ranks dipped, a white flash lit the vignettestraced against the misty, pearl-gray sky. Spring sunshine had kissed the lips of death, and universal life sprangpalpitating to begin anew the appointed yearly cycle; yet amid theflush and stir of mother earth, there lay hopelessly still and coldsome human hopes, which no divine "Come forth" would ever revivify. Into the face of Leo Gordon had crept that strange and indescribablechange, which is analogous to the peculiar aspect of the clear heavenswhen dark clouds just faintly rim the horizon, below which they heaptheir sombre, sullen masses, projecting upward weird shadows. Apparently the sun of prosperity burned in the zenith and gilded herpath with happiness, but analyzed by the prism of her consciousnessthe brightness faded, the colors paled, and grim menace crossed all, like the dark lines of Fraunhofer. To be chosen, loved, wooed and wonexclusively for herself, irrespective of all extraneous appurtenancesand advantages, is the supreme hope innate in every woman, and thedread that her wealth might invest her with charms not intrinsic, hadmade Leo unusually distrustful of the motives of her numerous suitors. That Leighton Douglass loved the woman, not the heiress, she knewbeyond the possibility of cavil or doubt, and when, after maturedeliberation, she promised her hand to Mr. Dunbar, she had felt equallysure that no mercenary consideration biased his choice or inspired hisprofessions of attachment. For a nature so proudly poised, so averse to all impulsivemanifestations of emotion, her affections were surprisingly warm andclinging, and she loved him with all the depth and fervor of hertender, generous heart; hence the slow torture of her humiliation inthe hour of disenchantment. To women who love is given a sixth sense, asubtile instinct whereby, as in an occult alembic, they discern thepoison that steals into their wine of joy; so Leo was not long inignorance that her coveted kingdom belonged by right of conquest toanother, and that she reigned only nominally and by courtesy. The evil we most abhor generally espies us afar off, chases tirelessly, crouches at our feet, grimacing triumphantly at our impotence to escapeits loathsome clutches; and Leo's pride bled sorely in the realizationthat she had sold her hand and heart for base counterfeit equivalents. In a crisis of keen disappointment, only very noble natures can remainstrictly just, yet in arraigning her lover for disloyalty, thissorrowing woman abstained from casting all the blame upon him. He hadnot intentionally deceived her, had not deliberately betrayed hertrust; he was the unwilling victim of an inexplicable fascinationagainst which she felt assured he had struggled sullenly andpersistently; and which, in destroying the beautiful edifice of theirmutual hopes, offered him nothing but humiliation in exchange. Standing to-day beside the pyramid of scarlet geraniums, and velvety, gold-powdered begonias in the centre of the octagonal room, where thewarm Spring sun shone down through the dome, falling aslant on thegreat snowy owl and the rose-colored cockatoo smoothing their plumes onthe top of the glittering brass cages--Leo contrasted the luxurious andelegant details of her lovely home with the grim and bleak cell where, in shame and ignominy, dwelt the young stranger who had stolen herthrone. A beggar by the road-side had filched from the queen in herpalace, her crown and sceptre, and the pomp and splendor of royalsurroundings only mocked and emphasized an empty sham. Merely a triflepaler than usual, and somewhat heavy-eyed from acquaintance withmidnight vigils, she proudly bore her new burden of grief with herwonted easy grace; but the pretty mouth was compressed into harder, narrower lines, and the delicate nose dilated in a haughtier curve. Sooner or later we all learn the wisdom of the unwelcome admonition:"Fortune sells what we believe she gives. " For two months Leo's relations with Mr. Dunbar had been distinctlystrained, and while both carefully avoided any verbal attempt atexplanation, her manner had grown more distant, his more scrupulouslycourteous, but pre-occupied, guarded and cold. Knowing that abdicationwas inevitable, she slowly revolved the best method of release, whichpromised the least sacrifice of womanly dignity, and the greatesteconomy of unpleasantness on the part of her betrothed. During the week of the trial, she had seen him but twice, andimmediately after he had been summoned to attend some suit in NewOrleans, and had hurriedly bidden her adieu in the presence of others. With punctilious regularity he wrote studiedly polished, graceful yetmerely friendly letters, and like ice morsels they slowly widened theglacier creeping between the two. To her council she admitted only her bruised pride, her bleeding heart, her relentless incorruptible conscience; and over the conclusion, sheshed no tears, made no moan, allowed no margin for pity. Early on thatSpring morning, she had received a glowing sheaf of La France andDuchess de Brabant roses, accompanied by a brief note announcing Mr. Dunbar's return, and requesting an interview at noon. The tone of herreply was markedly cordial, and after offering congratulations uponhis birthday, she begged his acceptance of a souvenir made for theoccasion by her own hands, a dainty "bit of embroidery which sheflattered herself, he would value for the sake of the donor. " Who doubts that Vashti made a most elaborate toilette, on that day ofhumiliation, when discarded and discrowned she trailed her royal robesfor the last time across the marble courts of Shushan, going forth tomake room for Queen Esther? Amid the loops of lace at her throat, andinto the jewelled clasp of her belt, Leo had fastened the exquisiteroses, noting the perfect harmony of her costume, as she smoothed thefolds of the sapphire velvet robe which she knew that Mr. Dunbarparticularly admired. The lofty, beautiful room was aglow with richcolor from oriental rugs strewn about the marble floor, from masses ofhyacinths and crimson camellias in stands, baskets, vases; frombrilliant tropical birds flitting to and fro; and through the giltwire vista of the aviary, the fountain in the peristyle beyond threw upits silvery hands to arrest attention, and softly beat time to themusic of the gold and green canaries. The large white owl with wide, prescient, berylline eyes, rose suddenly, and on slow wings circledround and round, flying gradually to the ceiling of the dome, thenswooped back to its perch; and the Siberian hound, a huge, dun-huedcreature, lifted his head from the velvet rug and rubbed it against hismistress' dress. As the sound of a step she knew so well, rang in the vestibule, theblood leaped to Leo's cheeks, but she walked quickly forward, and mether visitor just beneath the "Salve" in the scroll of olives, puttingout her hands across the onyx table with its red and black bowl ofviolets. Thus at arm's length, she held him a moment. "I am very glad to see you; and I wish you a happy birthday, hopingyour new year may be as bright as the sun that ushers it in; and asfull of fragrance as these lovely roses, which I wear in honor of theday. " Hand in hand, she smiled up into his handsome face, and certainly hehad never looked more kingly, more worthy of her homage. "Thank you, dear Leo. The light and sweetness of my future can beblotted out, only by losing you. You must be the fulfilment of your ownkind wishes. " He raised her left hand, kissed it lightly, and as she withdrew herfingers and resumed her seat, in front of an ottoman ablaze with atangled mass of brilliant Berlin wool, he sat down at her side. Ere she was aware of his intention, he pushed the ottoman beyond herreach, and dexterously catching her hand, took the gold thimble fromher finger and dropped it into his vest pocket. "Perish the fetich of needle-work, crochet and knitting! To-day atleast it shall not come between us;--and I claim your eyes, yourundivided attention. Now tell me how many of my rivals, how manyaudacious suitors you have held at bay, by these gay Penelope webswoven in my absence?" "Has Ulysses the right to be curious? Should not memories of Calypsoincline him to unlock the fetters of Penelope?" "Did she ever for one instant deem the silken cords she hugged to herloyal, tender heart--fetters? Sweet, patient incarnation ofunquestioning fidelity, she stands the eternal antithesis of Mrs. Caudle. From Kittie's letter, I inferred you were not well; butcertainly, my dear Leo, I never saw you look more lovely than to-day. " "Just now Kittie's perceptions are awry, dazzled by the rose light thatwrap? her world. Has Prince arrived?" "Yes, he came yesterday, and my little sister is entirely andoverwhelmingly happy, for he is literally her Prince. Physically he ismuch improved; has developed surprisingly, but has the shy, taciturnmanner of a student, and is, I fear, a hopeless bookworm. " "Why should his literary taste disquiet you? He went to Germany tofoster his scholarly inclination. " "Why? Why should a man apprentice himself to a carpenter, and become anexpert joiner, when he can never obtain the tools requisite to enablehim to work successfully? His aspirations run along the grooves ofscience; and after dear little Kittie, his favorite Goddess is Biology. Trained in the laboratory of a German scientist, where every imaginablefacility for researches in vivisection, and for the investigation ofcertain biological problems was afforded him, he lands in Americaempty-handed, and behold my carpenter minus tools. " "Having fitted himself for the profession, you surely will not attemptnow to discourage or dissuade him. " "The logic of impecuniosity will doubtless accomplish more than thedissuasion of friends. Microscopic inspection of red and whitecorpuscles, of virus, tissues, protoplasm and chlorophyl is probablyvery interesting to lovers of microbes, and students of segmentation, but such abstract pursuits appertain to purple and fine linen. Aprofession means much; but ability to practise, infinitely more. Justnow the paramount problem is, how Prince can best make his bread. Sixmonths ago, he was prospectively so rich that he could indulge the whimof blowing scientific soap-bubbles labelled with abstruse symbols; atpresent, necessity directs his attention to paying his board bills. " "I thought a liberal allowance had been settled upon him, and ampleprovision made for his future?" "So there certainly was, on paper; but the destruction of the recordinvalidated the gift. " "All the world knows that he has the rights of an adopted son. " "All the world knows equally well, that failing to produce the will, Prince has lost his legacy, and must enlist in the army of'bread-winners'. " "Then what becomes of 'Elm Bluff' and its fine estate?" "They descend in the line decreed alike by law and nature, to thenearest blood relation. " Leo felt the blood reddening her throat and cheeks, but under the quickglance of her hazel eyes, his handsome face always en garde showed noembarrassing consciousness. Fearful of silence, she said in aperplexed, inconsequent tone: "How manifestly unjust. Poor Kittie!" "Why poor Kittie? Her beaming face is eloquent repudiation of yourpity, and she verily believes her blond-headed, scholarly Prince abountiful equivalent for all Croesus' belongings. Rich little Kittie!After all, where genuine love reigns, worldly environment matterscomparatively little; love makes happiness, and happiness is thereconciler. " A throb of pain shook the woman's heart as she realized the bittertruth that he spoke from an experience born out of season: that he wasathirst for that which her fortune, her love, her own fair, gracefulself could never give him. She looked at him, with an arch smile lighting her face, but he saw thetrembling of her lips, noted the metallic ring in her voice. "'Et in Arcadia Ego?' Recent associations have rendered you idyllic. Ican recall a period when 'love in a cottage' was the target thatchallenged the keenest arrows of your satire. Rich little Kittie has mywarmest congratulations. Will Prince remain in X--?" "How can he? The demand here for amateur scientists is not sufficientlyencouraging; and I rather think he gravitates toward a collegeprofessorship, which might at least supply him abundantly with rabbits, turtles, frogs and guinea-pigs for biological manipulation andexperiment. One of the gay balloons floating through his mind, is aseries of lectures to be delivered in the large cities. Heredity is hispet hobby, and he proposes to canter it under the saddle of Weismann'stheory (whatever that may be), expounding it to scientific Americans. As yet no plans have crystallized. His allowance was paidsemi-annually, but of course it failed him last January, and noalternative presents itself but some attempt to utilize his technicallore. There is a vacancy in the faculty of C---University, and I shallwrite at once to the board of trustees. " Like a moth, Leo flitted closer to the flame. "Will he make no attempt to secure his rights?" "He is too wise to waste his time in so fruitless an endeavor. " "Have you advised him to submit tamely to the deprivation of hisfortune?" "He has not consulted me, but Wolverton, who is his cousin, convincedhim of the futility of any legal proceedings. " "Does General Darrington's granddaughter understand that Prince'scareer will be ruined for want of the money to which he is entitled?" "I am not acquainted with the views Gen'l Darrington's granddaughterentertains concerning Prince, as I have not seen her since the trialended. Have you?" Each looked steadily at the other, and under the gleam of his eyes, hers fell, and her color flickered. "I went once, but was denied admission. Even Sister Serena sees her nolonger. You doubtless know that she is recovering slowly from a severeattack of illness. " "I have heard nothing since the night she was convicted and sentenced. To-day I found a message at my office from Singleton, asking me to callat my earliest convenience at the penitentiary, on a matter of legalbusiness. To what it refers, I know not, as I came immediately here. " There was a brief silence, in which his gaze mercilessly searched herfair, proud face; then with a supreme effort she laid her hand suddenlyon his, and looked up smiling: "I believe I was growing very impatient over your prolonged absence inNew Orleans. Time dragged dismally, and I was never more rejoiced thanwhen I received your last letter, and knew that I should see youto-day. Lennox, I have set my heart on something, which only yourconsent and acquiescence will secure to me. I am about to ask for amammoth sugar-plum that has dangled temptingly before my eyes fornearly a year, and I shall enjoy it the more if you bestow itgraciously. Can you be generous and indulge my selfish whim?" He felt a quiver in the cold fingers over which his warm hand closed, saw the throbbing of the artery in her white throat, the ebbing of thescarlet in lips that bravely held their coaxing, smiling curves, and heknew that the crisis he had long foreseen was drawing near. Leaning closer, he looked down into her brown eyes. The end must come;but he would not precipitate it. Like Francis at Pavia, he acknowledgedto himself that all was lost, save honor. "Whenever my Leo convinces me she can be selfish, I promise all thatshe can possibly ask; but the selfishness must first beincontrovertibly established. " He had never been dearer to her than at that moment, when his brillianteyes seemed to search her soul and magnetize her; yet she did notfalter and the aching of her heart was a goad to her will. "You merely shower lesser sugar-plums, intending they shall surfeit. Lennox, you know how often I have longed to make the journey to Greece, Asia Minor and Egypt; you remember I have repeatedly expressed thewish? You--" "Pardon me, sweetheart, but this is the first time I ever heard it. ""You forget. At last the consummation unfolds itself as smoothly as thefourth act of a melodrama. My friend and schoolmate, Alma Cutting, ofNew York, invites a small party of ladies and gentlemen to accompanyher in a cruise through the Levant, on her father's new and elegantsteam yacht 'Cleopatra'. I have pressing letters from Alma and Mr. Cutting, kindly urging me to join them in New York by the first of May, at which time they expect to start on a preliminary cruise through theNorth and Baltic seas; drifting southward so as to reach Sicily andMalta as soon as cool weather permits. Do you wonder that so charmingand picturesque a tour tempts me sorely?" Unconsciously she had hurried her enunciation, but imperturbable as thebronze he resembled, Mr. Dunbar listened; merely passing his left armaround her, drawing her resisting form closer to him, holding herfirmly. "I am waiting for the selfish aspect of this scheme, else I shouldanswer at once, the coveted sugar-plum is yours, and we will make thetour whenever you like, with the minor difference of mere details; wewill go in our own yacht. " She caught her breath, and for an instant the world swam in a burst ofdazzling light. Beyond the reach of the usurper's witchery, was it notpossible that she might regain the alienated heart? Love chanted, itis worth the trial; take him away, win him back. Pride sternly set footupon this spark of hope, with cruel insistence answering: his love hasnever been yours; defrauded of the diamond, will you accept andpatiently wear paste? The quick revulsion was tantalizing as wouldhave been the vanishing of the ram from Abraham's gladdened sight; theswift withdrawal of Diana's stag into the miraculous cloud at Aulis. "That would be too severe a tax upon your good nature and indulgence, and involves a sacrifice of your professional plans, which I certainlyam not so intensely and monstrously selfish as to permit you to make. Iam so well aware of the reasons that necessitate your remaining inAmerica, in order to secure the appointment you are laboring to obtain, that I refuse the sugar plum if bought with your disappointment. " "Selfishness not established; you must plead on some better ground. Suppose that the happiness of the woman who has done me the honor topromise me her hand, is just now my supreme aim, paramount to everyother ambitious scheme; and that to insure it, I hazard all else?Remember the privilege of choice is mine. " It was the instinct not of affection, but of honor straining hard tohold him to his allegiance, and her proud spirit thrilled under theconsciousness of his motive in striving to spare her. A crimson spotburned on each cheek, a spark kindled in the soft, tender eyes. Shestruggled to free herself, but his clasp tightened. "Conceding the generosity that would impel you to immolate yourfeelings, in order to gratify my willies, I decline the sacrifice. Youmust indulge my desire to receive my sugar plum in the bonbonniere ofthe 'Cleopatra'. " He pressed her sunny head against his shoulder, and rested his cheek onhers. "Is it my Leo's wish to leave me, to go alone?" "Yes, to accompany Alma. " "For an absence of indefinite duration?" "Certainly for a year; possibly longer; but you must be gracious inyielding. If you really desire to promote my happiness, let me gofeeling that you consent freely. " He comprehended fully all that he was surrendering, the noble, pure, devoted heart; the refining, elevating companionship, the control of aliberal fortune, the proud distinction of calling her his wife; and yetabove the refrain of many mingled regrets, he felt an infinite reliefthat he had been spared the responsibility of the estrangement. "Whatever your happiness demands, I cannot refuse to concede, but youcan scarcely require me to receive 'graciously' the only construction Ican possibly place upon your request; that I am no longer an essentialelement in your happiness. " Knowing that he owed her every possible reparation, he was resolved toshield her womanly pride from any additional wounds. He withdrew hisencircling arm, released her hand, walked to the end of the aviary, andstood watching the shimmer of the fountain, where two of the ring-dovesheld their wings aslant to catch the spray. After some moments shejoined him, and laid her slender fingers on his arm. "Dear Lennox, I propose at least a temporary change in our relations, and even at the risk of incurring your displeasure, I prefer to beperfectly frank. When you asked me to become your wife, neither of uscontemplated the long separation involved in this cruise abroad, whichI ardently desire for many reasons to make; and I am unwilling tofetter either you or myself by an engagement during my absence. I wantto be entirely free, bound by no promise; and could I ask release, unless you accepted yours?" He put his palm under her chin, and lifted the sweet, pure face, forcing her to return his gaze. "Have I forfeited your confidence?" "No. Lennox. I have an indestructible faith in your honor. " Her clear, truthful eyes assured him she acquitted him of all intentionto violate in any jot or tittle the forms of his allegiance. "You deem me incapable of intentionally betraying your noble trust?" "I do--indeed I do. " "My peerless Leo, have you ceased to love me?" She shut her eyes an instant, and the delicate, flower face blanched;the treacherous lips quivered: "No. " "Who has supplanted me in your heart, for once I know it was all myown?" "Lennox, you are still more to me than all the world beside; but I asktime, I must be free at present. Let me go away untrammelled; consideryourself as unfettered, as before our engagement, and when the yearexpires, if you deem me absolutely necessary to your happiness, you canreadily ask a renewal of your bonds, and I can be sure by that timewhether my happiness depends upon becoming your wife. After to-day Ishall not wear your ring; and if, while away, I send it back to you, interpret it as a final decision that in the future we can only be veryfaithful and attached friends. I have sadly mistaken your character ifyou refuse me release from a compact which I now certainly desire tocancel. " A shadow fell over his face, and he sighed heavily; but whether theutterance of regret or relief she never knew. "Your heart shall no longer be burdened by bonds which I can loosen. Because your peace and happiness are more to me than my own, I grantyou complete release. When my ring affronts you with disagreeablememories of a past, which will always be hallowed and precious to me, as the one beautiful dream that brightened my youth, that crowned mefor a season at least with the trust and love of the noblest woman Ihave ever known, do not return it; let it slip from the hand it made myown, and find in the blue sea a grave as deep as the chasm--that youwill--shall divide our lives. I honor you too profoundly to questionyour course; yet there is an explanation which I owe to myself as wellas to you. Leo, no man can ever be worthy to call you wife, but perhapsI am less unworthy than you probably deem me? While in New Orleans, Iwrote a long letter, which I afterward decided not to send by mail. Ibrought it to-day, intending to put it into your hand. " He took from the inside pocket of his coat, an envelope addressed toher, broke the seal and pointed at the head of the sheet to the date, some three weeks earlier. She surmised by that wonderful instinct whichGod grants women as armor against the slow, ponderous aggressiveness ofman's tyranny, the nature of its contents. Had she merely anticipatedby an hour his petition for release? Even the bitterness of thisconjecture was neutralized by the testimony it bore to his integrity ofpurpose, his unwillingness to conceal his disloyalty. When temples areshattered and altars crumble, we save our idol and flee into thewilderness, exulting in the assurance that no clay feet defile it. Leo shook her head and gently put aside the proffered letter. "You wrote it for the eyes of one who had pledged herself to bear yourname; the revocation of that promise annuls my right to read it. " Mr. Dunbar understood the apprehension that made her shiver slightly. She was marching away proudly with flying colors, having dictated theterms of his capitulation. Should he suffer the imputation of treacheryand intentional deception, rather than turn the tide of battle, trailher banner in the dust, and add to her pain by mortally stabbing thatintense womanly pride which now swallowed up every emotion of her soul? The more thoroughly chivalrous a man's nature, the keener his cravingfor the honors of war. "Because henceforth our paths diverge, I prefer to offer you myexculpation, desiring amid the general wreck, to retain at least yourundiminished esteem. Will you read my confession?" "No; that would entail the necessity of absolution, and I might not beable to command the requisite amiability, should occasion demand it. Wehave shaken hands with the past, and you owe me nothing now but pardonfor any pain I may have given you, and occasional kind thoughts whenthe ocean divides us. I promise you my unwavering esteem; in exchangegrant me your cordial friendship. " She was growing strangely white, and her breath fluttered, but eyes andlips came to the rescue with a steadfast smile. "You allow me no alternative but submission to your will; yet remember, dear Leo, that in surrendering your pledged faith, I hold myself asfree from any intentional forfeiture, as on the day you gave me yourpromise. " "In token that I believe it, I salute and wear your roses. " She bent her head, touched with her lips the flowers at her throat, andsmiling bravely, held out both hands. He took them, joined the palms, and kissed her softly, reverently on the forehead. "God bless you, dear Leo. To have known so intimately a nature as nobleand exalted as yours, has left an indelible impression for good upon mylife, which must henceforth be very kinely. Good-bye. " With beat of drum, and blare of bugles, pride claimed the victory; butas Leo watched the tall, fine form pass out from the beautiful home shehad fondly hoped to share with him, she clasped her hands across herlips to stifle the cry that told how dearly she had bought thesemblance of triumph. When the quick echo of his horse's hoofs died away, she went swiftly toher writing desk. "Dear Uncle: Please send the enclosed telegram to Mr. Cutting. I had asad but decisive interview with Mr. Dunbar, and after obtaining hisconsent to my tour, we thought it best to annul our engagement. TellAunt Patty, and spare me all questions. I have not been hasty, and Iasked to be released, because I have deemed it best to leave himentirely free. " Sealing the note she rang for Justine. "Take this to my uncle's study, and tell Andrew to bring my phaeton tothe door at four o'clock. Until then, see that no one disturbs me. " With averted face she held out the envelope, then the curtain fell; andin solitude the aching heart went over the fatal field, silentlyburying its slain hopes, realizing the bitterness of its Cadmeanvictory. CHAPTER XXII. "Certainly, Prince, I understand your motives and applaud yourdecision, which is creditable alike to your heart and head. Atfather's death he confided Kittie to my guardianship, and I cannotconsent to her scheme of going abroad with you, until your studies havebeen completed. She has a few thousands, it is true, but her slimfortune would not suffice to accomplish your scientific object, andeven if it were larger, you are quite right to decline with thanks'. Kittie must be patient, and you must be firm, for you are both quiteyoung enough to afford to wait a few years. Loving little heart! Shelonged to aid you, and this was the only method that presented itself. If we can secure the commission I mentioned last week, your marriageneed only be deferred until Kittie is twenty-one. After all, Prince, when you bartered your name and became a Darrington, for sake of thisfair heritage, you only accomplished early in life that into whichsooner or later all men are betrayed, the sale of a birthright for amess of pottage; the clutching at the shadowy present, thereby losingthe substantial future. " "On that score I indulge no regrets. General Darrington was the onlyfather I ever knew, and since it was his wish, I shall gladly wear thename with which he endowed me, in grateful recognition of theaffection, confidence and generous kindness he lavished upon me. Thatthe rich legacy he designed for me has been diverted into the channelof all others most repugnant to him, is my misfortune, not his fault;for ho took every possible precaution to secure my inheritance. Had Ibeen indeed his own son, he could not have done more, and I have ason's right to mourn sincerely over his cruel and untimely end. " The two men sat on the front steps at "Elm Bluff", and as Prince's eyeswandered over the exceeding beauty of the "great greenery" of velvetlawn, the stately, venerable growth of forest trees, wearing theadolescent mask of tender young foliage, the outlying fields flankingthe park, the sunny acres now awave with crinkling mantles of grain, hesighed very heavily at the realization of all that adverse fortune hadsnatched away. Blond as Baldur of the Voluspa, with a wealth of golden brown beardveiling his lips and chin, he appeared far more than six years thejunior of the clear cut, smoothly shaven face that belonged to hisprospective brother-in-law; and their countenances contrasted asvividly as the portraiture of bland phlegmatic Norse Aesir, with somebronze image of Mercury, as keenly alert as his sacred symbolic cocks. Strolling leisurely through the flowery decoying fields, that beckonall around the outskirts of the vast, lonely wilderness of positiveScience, the dewy freshness of the youthful amateur still clung toPrince's garments; even as souvenirs gathered by flitting Summertourists prattle of glimpses of wild, towering fastnesses, where strewnbones of martyr pioneers whiten as monuments of failure. In the guiseof a green-kirtled enchantress, with wild poppies and primroseswreathed above her starry eyes, Science was luring him through theborderland of her kingdom, toward that dark, chill, central realmwhere, transformed as a gnome, she clutches her votaries, plunges intothe primeval abyss-the matrix of time--and sets them the Egyptian taskof weighing, analyzing the Titanic "potential" energy, theinfinitesimal atomic engines, the "kinetic" force, the chemical motors, the subtle intangible magnetic currents, whereby in the thundering, hissing, whirling laboratory of Nature, nebulae grow into astral andsolar systems; the prophetic floral forms of crystals become, afterdisintegration, instinct with organic vegetable germs, --and the SphinxLife--blur-eyed--deaf, blind, sets forth on her slow evolutionaryjourney through the wastes of aeons; mounting finally into that throneof rest fore-ordained through groping ages, crowned with the soul ofShakspeare, sceptred with the brain of Newton. Like a child with some Chinese puzzle far beyond the grasp of hissmooth, uncreased baby brain, Prince played in unfeigned delight withhis problem: "Given the Universe, to explain the origin and permanenceof Law, " without any assistance from the exploded hypothesis of a lawmaker. Equipped with hammer, chisel, microscope, spectroscope andcrucibles, he essayed the solution, undismayed by memories of hisclassics, of Sisyphus and Tantalus; seeing only the nodding poppies, the gilded primroses of his dancing goddess. Will he discover ere long, that a lesser riddle would have been tostand in the manufactory of the Faubourg St. Marcel, and abolishing thepattern of the designers, the directing touch of Lebrun, the restraintof the heddle, demand that the blind, insensate automatic warp andwoof should originate, design and trace as well as mechanically executethe weaving of the marvellous tapestries? "Prince. I learn from Kittie that you visited the penitentiary lastweek. " "Yes. I could not resist the curiosity to see the author of my recentmisfortunes; but I regret the sight. I am haunted by the painfulrecurrence of that blanched, hopeless, beautiful face, which reminds meof a pathetic picture I saw abroad--Charlotte Corday peering throughthe bars of her dungeon window. " "With a difference surely! Marat's murderess gloried in her crime; aninnocent prisoner languishes yonder, in that stone cage beyond theriver. " Mr. Dunbar pointed over the billowing sea of green tree tops, toward anirregular dark shadow that blurred the northern sky line; and his eagleeyes darkened as they discerned the prison outlines. "Did you ever see a sketch of Rossetti's 'Pandora'?" asked Prince. "No. " "The face is somewhat like that young prisoner's; the same mystical, prescient melancholy in the wide eyes, as if she realized she waspredestine to work woe. I am heartily glad I was spared the pain of theprosecution, for had I been here, compassion would almost haveparalyzed the effort to secure justice; and now, while my loss isirreparable, the law insures punishment for father's wrongs. As I walkabout this dear old place, which he intended I should possess, andrecall all that we had planned, it seems hard indeed that I find myselfso unable to execute his wishes. After a few days, when I shall leaveit, I suppose that for the next five years the house will become an owlroost and den of bats and spiders. On Thursday I go temporarily toCharleston to visit my uncle, Doctor Thornton, who offers me a place inhis office, and a home at his hearthstone. " "Why specifically for five years?" "That is the term of her imprisonment. At the expiration of hersentence, I presume Gen. Darringtor's grand-daughter will hasten totake possession of her dearly-bought domain. " A derisive smile unbent the tight lines of the lawyer's mouth. "Come here to live? She would sooner spring into the jaws of hell!" Prince Darrington's large light eyes opened wide, in a questioningstare. "If she is innocent, as you believe, why should she shrink fromoccupying the family homestead? If she be guilty, which I (having seenher) cannot credit, there is no probability that remorseful scrupleswould influence her. No conceivable contingency can ever again make itmy home, and on Thursday I go away forever. " "That which a man claims and expects, generally deserts and betrayshim; it is the unforeseen, the unexpected that comes in the form ofbenediction. Time is the master magician, and 'Tout went a qui saitattendre'. Kittie may yet trail her velvet robe as chatelaine throughthese noble old halls and galleries. Come to my office at ten o'clocktomorrow; I may have an answer to my letter to Doctor Balfour. " Six months before, Mr. Dunbar had walked down these steps, mounted hishorse and hurried away to keep tryst with the fair, noble woman, whosepromised hand was the guerdon of ambitious schemes, and years ofpatient, persistent wooing. To-day he rode slowly to a partinginterview, which would sever the last link that Bad so long held theirlives in tender association. Whatever of regret mingled with thecontemplation of his ruined matrimonial castle, lay hidden so deep inthe debris, that no faintest reflection was visible in his inscrutableface. When he reached the railway station where a special car containing asmall party, awaited the arrival of the north bound train that wouldattach it to its sinuous length, a number of friends had assembled tosay good-bye to the departing favorite. The announcement of MissGordon's extended yachting trip, had excited much comment in socialcircles, and while people wondered at the prolongation of theengagement, none but her immediate family suspected that the betrothalhad been cancelled. Leo's wonted gracious composure betrayed no hint of the truth, and shegreeted Mr. Dunbar with outstretched hand and a friendly smile. "I am indebted to your kind courtesy, Lennox, for the most auspiciousomen at the outset of my long journey; and I shall not attempt to tellyou how cordially I appreciate your tasteful souvenir. Your roses areexquisite, and fragrant as the message they bring me. " She glanced up at a large horseshoe made of her favorite pink roses, which had been hung by a silver wire directly over the seat sheoccupied. "Will you give me your interpretation of their message?" He swept aside a shawl and reticule, and sat down beside her. "It is written legibly all over their lovely petals. You wish me arose-strewn itinerary, all conceivable forms of 'good luck'; as thoughyou stood on tip-toe and shouted after me: 'Gluck auf. ' As a happyaugury, I accept it. Like the old Romans, you have offered up for me adainty sacrifice to propitiate Domiduca--the goddess who grantstravellers a safe return home. " "Meanwhile I hope you see quite as clearly, that the thorns have allbeen stripped off and set thickly along my path?" Her smiling eyes met his steadily, and the brave heart showed noquailing. "If I imagine that complimentary inference is written between thelines, is it not pardonable to welcome the assurance that you willsometimes be sharply pricked into remembrance of your absent friend?" At this moment, with clanging bells and thundering wheels the trainswept in, and Leo rose to exchange last greetings with numerous friendsJudge Dent and Miss Patty accompanied her as far as New York, and whenthe car had been coupled at the end of the long line, and all was inreadiness, Mr. Dunbar took his companion's hand. "When we parted last, I was angry and hasty. Now I desire to make onefarewell request. You ask a release from our engagement. I grant it. Ihold you perfectly free; but I will consider myself bound, pledged toyou until the expiration of one year. Nothing you can say shall altermy determination; but twelve months hence, if you can trust yourhappiness to my hands, send me this message: 'I wear your ring. ' Oncemore I offer you my letter of confession. Will you receive it now; willyou look into the heart which I have bared for your scrutiny?" "No. I voluntarily forfeited that right, when I asked my freedom. Ifyour letter contains aught that would change my high regard, myconfidence, my affectionate interest in your happiness, I am doublyanxious to avoid acquaintance with its contents. You have long held thefirst place in my esteem, why seek to impair my valuation of yourcharacter? Let us be friends, now and forever. " "Remember you broke your fetters; I hug mine--a year longer. Forget meif you will; but Leo, when your heart refuses to be strangled, sufferits cry to reach me. Whatever the future may decree, you shall alwaysbe my noble ideal of exalted womanhood, my own proud, sensitive, unselfish Leo; and from the depth of my heart I wish you a pleasanttour, and a safe and speedy return. " A premonitory thrill shook the ear, and dropping the fingers that laycold as marble in his, Mr. Dunbar swung himself to the stationplatform. The train moved off, but he knew that it would return inswitching, and so he stood hat in hand. As it slowly glided back, he stepped close to the open window, andLeo's last look at the man she had loved so long and well, showed himwith the sun shining on his superb form, and coldly locked face. He sawher hazel eyes dim in their mist of unshed tears, and the sweet, blanched lips trembling from the spasm that held her heart. She leaneddown, laid her hand on his shoulder. "Dear Lennox, open your hand carefully; there--hold it close. Good-bye. " Into his palm she dropped something; their faces almost touched, eyesmet, heart looked into heart; then Leo smiled and drew back, loweringher veil, and as the cars shivered, lurched, moved on, Mr. Dunbar puton his hat and unclosed his fingers. The white fire leaping in the diamonds destroyed the last vestige of abetrothal, that he had once regarded as the summum bonum of hissuccessful career; consumed in its incipiency the farewell compact, which his regard for Leo's womanly pride, and an honorable desire tocling as closely as possible to at least the loyal forms of allegiance, had prompted him to impose upon himself. Apparently unwounded, she would sail away victrix, with gay pennonsflying through distant summer seas, while he remained, stranded on thereefs of adverse fate, a target for cynical society batteries, a victimof the condolence of sympathizing friends. In reality he felt the benignant touch of fortune still upon his head, and thanked her heartily that Leo had taken the initiative; that noovert act of disloyalty blurred his escutcheon, and above all, that hehad been spared the humiliation of acknowledging his inability toresist the strange fascination that dragged him from his allegiance, asAuroras swing the needle from the pole. He did not attempt to underratethe vastness of his loss, nor to condone the folly which he designatedas "infernal idiocy"; yet conscience acquitted him of intentionallybetraying the trust a noble woman had reposed; and his vanity wasappeased by the conviction that though Leo had cast him out of herlife, she went abroad because she loved him supremely. Putting the ringin his pocket, he turned away as from a grave that had closed foreverover that which once held ail the promise of life. Three hours later, that carefully written letter acknowledging to hisfiancee that his heart had rebelliously swung from its moorings, underthe magnetic strain of another woman, and asking her tender forbearanceto aid him in conquering a weakness for which he blushed, had beenreduced to a drab shadow on his office hearth; and the lawyer wasengrossed by the preparation of a testamentary document, which embracedseveral pages of legal cap. Again and again he read it over, pausingnow and then as if striving to recall some invisible scroll, and atlast as if satisfied with the result, placed it in an envelope, thrustit into his pocket, and once more mounted his horse. The ceaseless andintense yearning to see again the young stranger, who seemed destinedto play the role of Ate in so many lives, would no longer be denied;and at a swift gallop he took the road leading to the penitentiary. Four or five carriages were drawn up in front of the iron gate, andwhen, in answer to the bell, Jarvis, the underwarden, came forward toadmit Mr. Dunbar, he informed him that the State Inspectors were makinga tour of investigation through the building. "I want to see Singleton. " "Just now he is engaged showing the inspectors around, and theygenerally turn everything upside down, and inside out. If you will stepinto the office and wait awhile, he will be at leisure. " "Where is Mrs. Singleton?" "She has just gone into the women's workroom. One of the sewing gang isepileptic, and fell in a fit a few minutes ago, so I sent for her. Comethis way and I will find her. " The visitor hesitated, drew back. "Is Miss Brentano there also?" "No. She is still on the infirmary list. " Jarvis opened the door of a long, well-lighted but narrow room, in thecentre of which was a table extending to the lower end; and on eachside of it sat women busily engaged in stitching and binding shoes, andfinishing off various articles of clothing; while two were ticketing apile of red flannel and blue hickory shirts. Four sewing-machines stoodnear the wall where grated windows admitted sunshine, and their hymn toLabor was the only sound that broke the brooding silence. The room wasscrupulously clean and tidy, and the inmates, wearing the regulationuniform of blue-striped homespun, appeared comparatively neat; butsordid, sullen, repulsively coarse and brutish were many of thecountenances bent over the daily task, and now and then swift, furtiveglances from downcast eyes betrayed close kinship with lower animals. At one of the machines sat a woman whose age could not have exceededtwenty-eight years, with a figure of the Juno type, and a beautifuldark face where tawny chatoyant eyes showed the baleful fire of aleopardess. Winding a bobbin, she leaned back in her chair, with theindolent, haughty grace of a sultana, and when she held the bobbin upagainst the light for an instant, her slender olive hand and roundedwrist might have belonged to Cleopatra. "Who is that woman winding thread?" "Her name is Iva Le Bougeois, but we call her the 'Bloody Duchess'. Shewas sent up here two years ago, from one of the lower counties, forwholesale butchery. Seems her husband got a divorce, and was on the eveof marrying again. She posted herself about the second wedding, andmanaged to make her way into the parlor, where she hid behind thewindow curtains. Just as the couple stood up to be married, she cut herlittle boy's throat with a razor, dragged the body in front of thebride, and before any one could move, drew a revolver, blew the top ofher husband's head off, and then shot herself. The ball passed throughher shoulder and broke her arm, but as you see, she was spared, as manyanother wildcat has been. Her friends and counsel tried to proveinsanity, but the plea was too thin; so she landed here for a term oftwenty years, and it will take every day of it to cut her claws. She isas hard as flint, and her heart is as black as a wolf's mouth. " "Medea's wrongs generally end in Medea's crimes, " answered the visitor;watching the defiant poise of the small shapely head, covered withcrisp, raven locks. Having less acquaintance with the classics thanwith the details of prison discipline, the under-warden stared. After a moment he pointed to a diminutive figure standing at the end ofthe long table, and engaged in folding some white garments. "See that pretty little thing, with the yellow head? Shouldn't you sayshe looks like an angel, and ought to be put on the altar to hear theprayers of sinners? Would you believe she is a mother? Arson is herhobby. She is a regular 'fire-bug'. She was adopted by a German couple, and one night, when the old farmer had come home with the money paidhim for his sheep and hogs, she stole the last cent he had, pocketedall the oold frau's silver spoons, poured kerosene around the floor, set fire to the house in several places, locked the door and ran forher life. A peddler happened to seek quarters for the night, andfinding the place on fire, managed to break through the windows andsave the old folks from being roasted alive. When the case came totrial it was proved that she had set fire to two other buildings, buton account of her youth had escaped prosecution. They could not hangher, though she deserved the gallows, and her child was born threemonths after she came here. Looks innocent as a wax doll doesn't she?Eve Werneth she calls herself; and she is well named after the originalmother of all sin. She is Satan's own imp, and we chain her everynight, for she boasts that when things grow tiresome to her she alwaysburns her way out. I think she is the worst case we have, except theyoung mulatto--I don't see her here just now--who was sent up for life, for poisoning a baby she was hired to nurse. There is Mrs. Singleton. " The warden's wife came forward with a vial in one hand, and at sight ofthe visitor, paused and held out the other. "How'dy do, Mr. Dunbar. You are waiting to see Ned?" "I much prefer seeing you, if you have leisure for an interview. Singleton can join us when the inspectors take their leave. " "Very well; come up stairs. Jarvis, send Ned up as soon as you can. " She led the way to the room where her two children were at play, andbreaking a ginger cake between them, dragged their toys into onecorner, and bade them build block houses, without a riot. "I have never received even a verbal reply to the note which Irequested your husband to place in Miss Brentano's hands. " "Probably you never will. She took cold by being dragged back and forthto court during that freezing weather, and two days after herconviction she was taken ill with pneumonia. First one lung, then theother, and the case took a typhoid form. For six weeks she could notlift her head, and now though she goes about my rooms, and into theyard a little, she is awfully shattered, and has a bad cough, Once whenwe had scarcely any hope, she asked the doctor to give her no moremedicine; said that it would be a mercy to let her die. Poor thing! herproud spirit is as broken as her body, and the thought of being seenseems to torture her. Dyce is the only person whom she allows to comenear her. " "Where is she?" "We were obliged to move her, after she was sentenced, but the doctorsaid one of those cells down stairs would be certain and quick deathfor her, with her lungs in such a condition; so we put her in thesmallest room on this floor; the last one at the end of the corridor. It is only a closet it is true, but it is right in the angle, and hastwo narrow slits of windows, one opening south, the other west, and thesunshine gets in. The day after her trial ended, she sent for thesheriff, who happened to be here, and asked him if solitary confinementwas not considered a more severe penalty than any other form here? Whenhe told her it was, she said: Then it could not be construed intoclemency or favoritism if you ordered me into solitary confinement?Certainly not, he told her. Whereupon she begged him to allow her to beshut up away from the others, as she would sooner sit in the dark andsee no human being, than be forced to associate with the horrible, guilty outcasts down stairs. While he and Ned were consulting about hercase, she was taken very ill. Of course you know Ned has a good deal oflatitude and discretion allowed him, and the doctor is on our side, buteven at best, the rules are stern. She takes her meals alone, and theonly place where she meets the other convicts--isn't it a shame to callher one!--is the chapel; and even there she is separated, because Nedhas given her charge of the organ. Everybody under sentence is obligedto work, but she does not go down into the general sewing room. Thesuperintendent of that department apportions a certain amount ofsewing, and her share is sent up daily to her. She really is not ableto work, but begged that we should give her some employment. " "She consented to see Mr. Prince Darrington?" "Oh, no! It was the merest accident that he succeeded in speaking toher. He happened to come the day that I took her out for the first timein the garden, for a little fresh air in the sunshine; and we met himand Ned on the walk. O, Mr. Dunbar! It was pitiful to see her face, when the young man took off his hat, and said: "'I am General Darrington's adopted son. ' "She was so weak she had been leaning on me, but she threw up her head, and her figure stiffened into steel. 'You imagine that I am the personwho robbed you of Gen'l Darrington's fortune? I suffer for crimes I didnot commit; and am the innocent victim selected to atone for yourinjuries. My wrongs are more cruel than yours. You merely lost landsand money. Can you, by the wildest flight of fancy conjecture thataught but disgrace and utter ruin remain for me?' Ned and I walkedaway; and when we came back she had stepped into the hall, and drawnthe inside door between them. He was standing bareheaded, gazing up ather, and she was looking down at him through the open iron lattice, asif he were the real culprit. That night she had a nervous chill thatlasted several hours, and we promised that no one should be allowed tosee her. Of course the inspectors go everywhere, and when Ned openedher door, I was with her, giving her the tonic the Doctor ordered threetimes a day. I had prepared her for their visit, but when the gentlemencrowded in, she put her hands over her face and hid it on the table. There was not a syllable uttered, and they walked out quickly. " "Will you do me the kindness to persuade her to see me?" "I am sure, sir, she will refuse; because she desires most especiallyto be shielded from your visits. " "Nevertheless, I intend to see her. Please say that I am here, and havebrought the papers Mr. Singleton desired me to prepare for her. " Ten minutes elapsed before the warden's wife returned, shaking her head: "She prefers not seeing you, but thanks you for the paper which shewishes left with Mr. Singleton. When she has read it, Mr. Singletonwill probably bring you some message. She hopes you will believe thatshe is very grateful for your attention to her request. " "Go back and tell her that unless she admits me, she shall never seethe paper, for I distinctly decline to put it in any hand but hers;and, moreover, tell her she asked me to obtain for her a certainarticle which, for reasons best known to herself, she holds very dear. This is her only opportunity to receive it, which must be directly fromme. Say that this is the last time I will insist upon intruding, andafter to-day she shall not be allowed the privilege of refusing me anaudience. I am here solely in her behalf, and I am determined to seeher now. " When Mrs. Singleton came back the second time, she appeared unwontedlysubdued, perplexed; and her usually merry eyes were gravely fixed withcurious intentness upon the face of her visitor. "The room straight ahead of you, with the door partly open, at the endof this corridor. She sees you 'only on condition that this is to bethe final annoyance'. Mr. Dunbar, you were born to tyrannize. It seemsto me you have merely to will a thing, in order to accomplish it. " "If that were true, do you suppose I would allow her to remain one hourin this accursed cage of blood-smeared criminals?" Down the dim corridor he walked slowly, as if in no haste to finish hiserrand, stepped into the designated cell, and closed the door behindhim. CHAPTER XXIII. The apartment eight by twelve feet possessed the redeeming feature of ahigh ceiling, and on either side of the southwest corner wall, a windowonly two feet wide allowed the afternoon sunshine to print upon thebare floor the shadow of longitudinal iron bars fastened into the stonesills. A narrow bedstead, merely a low black cot of interlacing ironstraps, stood against the eastern side, and opposite, a broad shelf, also of iron, ran along the walls and held a tin ewer and basin, a fewbooks, and a pile of clothing neatly folded. Across the angle niche between the windows a wooden bench had beendrawn; in front of it stood a chair and oval table, on which lay somesheets of paper, pen and ink, and a great bunch of yellow jasmine, andwild pink azaleas that lavishly sprinkled the air with their delicatespicery. Pencils, crayons, charcoal and several large squares ofcardboard and drawing-paper were heaped at one end of the bench, andbeside these sat the occupant of the cell, leaning with folded arms onthe table in front of her; and holding in her lap the vicious, ocelot-eyed yellow cat. Against the shimmering glory of Spring sunshine streaming down uponher, head and throat were outlined like those of haloed martyrs thatMantegna and Sodoma left as imperishable types of patient suffering. When the visitor came forward to the table that barred nearer approach, she made no attempt to rise, and for a moment both were mute. He sawthe noble head shorn of its splendid coronal of braids, and coveredthickly with short, waving, bronzed tendrils of silky hair, that heldin its glistening mesh the reddish lustre of old gold, and the deepshadows of time-mellowed mahogany. That most skilful of all sculptors, hopeless sorrow, had narrowed to a perfect oval the wan face, waxen inits cold purity; and traced about the exquisite mouth those sad, patient curves that attest suffering which sublimates, that belongalone to the beauty of holiness. Eyes unusually large and shadowy now, beneath their black fringes, were indescribably eloquent with thepathos of a complete, uncomplaining surrender to woes that earth couldnever cure; and the slender wasted fingers, in their bloodlesssemi-transparency, might have belonged to some chiselled image ofdeath. Every jot and tittle of the degrading external badges of felonyhad been meted out, and instead of the mourning garment she had worn incourt, her dress to-day was of the coarse dark-blue home-spun checkedwith brown, which constituted the prison uniform of female convicts. As Mr. Dunbar noted the solemn repose, the pathetic grace with whichshe endured the symbols that emblazoned her ignominous doom, a dark redglow suffused his face, a flush of shame for the indignity which he hadbeen impotent to avert. "Who dared to cut your hair--and thrust that garb upon you? Theypromised me you should be exempt from brands of felony. " "When one is beaten with many stripes, a blow more or less matterslittle; is not computed. They kindly tell me that illness and thedoctor's commands cost me the loss of my hair; and after all, whyshould I object to the convict coiffure? Nothing matters any more. " "Why not admit at once that, Bernice-like, you freely offered up yourbeautiful hair as love's sacrifice?" He spoke hotly, and an ungovernable rage possessed him as he realizedthat though so near, and apparently so helpless, she was yet soimmeasurably removed, so utterly inaccessible. Her drooping white lidslifted; she looked steadily up at him, and the mournful eyes held nohint of denial. He stretched his hand across the table, and all thegnawing hunger at his heart leaped into his voice, that trembled withentreaty. "For God's sake give me your hand just once, as proof that you forgivemy share in this cruel, dastardly outrage. " "Do not touch me. When we shake hands it must be as seal upon a verysacred compact, which you are not yet ready to make. " She straightened herself, and her hands were removed from the table;fell to stroking the cat lying on her knee. "What conditions would you impose upon me?" "Sit down, Mr. Dunbar, and let us transact the necessary business whichalone made this interview possible. " With an imperious gesture, befitting some sovereign who reluctantlyaccords audience, she motioned him to the chair, and as he seatedhimself his eyes gleamed ominously. "It pleases you to ignore our past relations?" "Even so. To-day we meet merely as attorney and client to arrange thefinal QUID PRO QUO. You have brought the paper?" "I inferred from your message that you desired as exact a copy asmemory permitted. Here it is. " He took from his pocket a long legal envelope. "I believe you stated that your father originally drew up this paper, and that recently you altered and re-wrote it?" "Those are the facts relative to it. " "Can you recall the date of the revision?" "Nearly a year ago. Last May it was signed in the presence of DoctorLedyard and Colonel Powell, who also signed as witnesses, thoughignorant of its contents. " "You offer me this as a correct expression of Gen'l Darrington's wishesregarding the distribution of his estate, real and personal?" "At your request I furnish from memory a copy of Gen'l Darrington'swill, which I have faithfully endeavored to recall, and Iconscientiously believe this to be strictly accurate. Shall I read it?" A severe and prolonged fit of coughing delayed her reply; and when sheheld out her hand for the paper, her breathing was painfully rapid andlabored. "I will not tax you. Let me glance over it. " Spreading the long sheets open before her, she leaned over the tableand read. In the palm of her right hand rested her temple, and the left smoothedand turned the leaves. Crossing his arms on the top of the table, theattorney bent forward and surrendered himself to the coveted delight ofstudying the face, that had made summary shipwreck of his matrimonialfortune. No slightest detail escaped him; the burnished locks curledloosely around the forehead smooth as a sleeping baby's, the broad archof the delicately-pencilled black brows, the Madonna droop of the lidswhose heavy sable fringes deepened the bluish shadows beneath the eyes, the straight, flawless nose, the perfect chin with its deeply-inciseddimple, the remarkably beautiful mouth, which despairing grief hadkissed and made its own. Pale as marble, the proud, patrician face was pure as some bending lilyfrozen on its graceful, rounded stem: and the tapering fingers withdaintily curved, polished nails would have suited better the lace andvelvet of royal robes than the rough home-spun sleeves folded back fromthe white wrists. Mr. Dunbar had met many lovely, gracious, high-bred women, yet escapedheart whole; and even the nobility and sweetness of his pretty fiancee, enhanced by the surrounding glamour of heiresship, failed to touch theflood gates of tender love that a pauper's hand had suddenly unloosed, to sweep as a destroying torrent through the fair garden of his mostcherished hopes. What was the spell exerted by the young convict whenshe grappled his heart, and in the havoc of her own life carried downall the possibilities of his future peace? Personal ambition, calculating mercenary selfishness had melted away in the volcanicmadness that seized him, and to his own soul he acknowledged that hisdominant and supreme wish was to gather in his arms and hold foreverthe condemned woman, who wore with such sublime serenity the livery offelony. After all, have we misread our classics? Had not Homer a prevision ofthe faith that Aphrodites' altar belonged in the Temple of the Fates? Beryl refolded the paper and looked up. In the face so close to hers, she saw all the yearning tenderness, the over-mastering love that hadconvulsed his nature, and before the pleading magnetic eyes thatessayed to probe her soul, hers fell. As out of a cloud, some burst of sunlight striking through the rubyvestments of apostles in a cathedral window falls aslant and suddenlycrimsons the marble features of a sculptured angel guarding the highaltar, so unexpectedly a vivid blush dyed the girl's cheeks. Her lipstrembled; she swept her hand across her eyes as though blotting outsome fascination upon which it was not her privilege to dwell; then theglow faded, she moved back on the bench, and leaned her head againstthe wall. "Where are the bonds and other securities described in this paper?" "In a compartment of the safety deposit vault of the--Bank, of whichGen'l Darrington was a large stockholder and director. His box wasopened last week in presence of his adopted son, and we hoped to findperhaps a duplicate of the lost will; but there was not even amemorandum to indicate his last wishes. " "Can you tell me whether Mr. Prince Darrington will take any legalsteps to recover the legacy which the loss of the will appears to havecancelled?" "He certainly has no such intention. " "Are you quite sure of his views?" "Absolutely sure, having talked with him this morning. I speakauthoritatively. " "He was entirely dependent on Gen'l Darrington?" "Wholly so with regard to pecuniary resources. " "At present he is as much a beggar as I was that day when I first sawX--? Is it true that want of money obliged him to quit Germany beforehe obtained the university degree, for which his studies were intendedto fit him?" "Strictly true. He sorely laments his inability to complete the courseof study, and hopes at some future day to return and reap thedistinction which he feels sure awaits him in scientific fields. " A brief silence followed, and the girl's thoughts seemed to drift farfrom her gloomy surroundings to some lofty plane of peace beyond theills of time. Once more a spasm of coughing seized her; then she lookedat the attorney. "I learned in court that the destruction of Gen'l Darrington's willwould secure to my mother the possession of all his estate. She hasentered into Rest; into possession of her heritage in Christ's kingdom. Am I, her child, the lawful heir of Gen'l Darrington's fortune? Arethere any legal quibbles that could affect my rights?" "I am aware of none. The estate is certainly yours, and the law willsustain your claims. " "Claim? I only claim the right to repair as far as possible a wrong forwhich I suffer, yet am not responsible. I sent for a copy of the willbecause--" "May I tell you why? Because in order to execute its provisions, it wasessential that you should know them accurately. " The assurance that he interpreted so correctly her motive, brought aquick throb to her tired Heart, and a faint flush of pleasure to herthin cheeks. "Had you read as accurately my intentions, six months ago, when youwoke me from my sleep under the pine trees, how different the currentof many lives! Mr. Dunbar, my ignorance of legal forms constrains me toaccept your assistance in a matter which I am unwilling to delay--" Shehesitated, and he smiled bitterly. "You need be at no trouble to emphasize your reluctance. I quiteunderstand your ineradicable repugnance. Nevertheless good luck ordainsthat only I can serve you at present, so be pleased to command me. " "Thank you. I wish you to help me make my will. " "Why?" "How long do you suppose I can endure this 'death in life?' I ampatient because I hope and believe my release is not far distant. Galloping consumption is a short avenue to freedom. " He caught his breath, and the blood ebbed from his lips, but he hurledaside the suggestion as though it were a coiled viper. "Life has for you one charm which will successfully hold death at bay. Love has sustained you thus far; it will lend wings to the years thatmust ultimately bring the recompense for which you long, the sight ofhim whose crime you expiate. " He could not understand the peculiar smile that parted her lips, northe far-away, preoccupied expression that crept into her sad eyes. "Nevertheless I have decided to make my will. I desire that in everydetail it shall duplicate the provisions of the instrument I ampunished for having stolen and destroyed; and I charge you to write itso carefully, that when all the legacies shall have been paid, theresidue of the estate cannot fail to reach the hands of the son forwhom it was intended. To Mr. Prince Darrington I give and bequeath, mark you now, ALL MY RIGHT AND TITLE to the fortune left by Gen'lDarrington. " "Before I pledge myself to execute this commission, I wish you to knowthat of such testamentary disposition of your estate, I should becomeremotely a beneficiary. Mr. Darrington has asked my only sister to behis wife, and their marriage is contingent merely on his financialability to maintain her comfortably. Mine is scarcely the proper handto pour the rich stream of your possessions into his empty coffers. " "I am well aware of the tie that binds your sister and Mr. Darrington. " "Since when have you known it?" "No prison walls are sufficiently thick to turn the stream of gossip;it trickles, oozes through all barriers. Exactly when or how I becameacquainted with your family secret is not germane to the subject underconsideration. " "Cognizant of the fact that Gen'l Darrington's adopted son was myprospective brother-in-law, you have paid me the compliment ofbelieving that selfish, pecuniary motives incited my zeal in securingyour prosecution, for the loss of the fortune I coveted? Your heartgarners that insult to me?" The only storm signal that defied his habitual control, was the intenseglow in his eyes where an electric spark rayed out through the bluedepths. "I might tell you, that my heart is a sepulchre too crowded with deadhopes to hold resentment against their slayer; but you have a right tosomething more. I pay you the just tribute of grateful admiration forthe unselfish heroism that prompted you to plead so eloquently indefence of a forsaken woman who, living or dead, defrauded your sisterof a brilliant fortune. You fought courageously to save me, and I amquite willing you should know that it is partly due to my recognitionof your bravery in leading that forlorn hope, that I am anxious byimmediate reparation to restore matters to their original status. Lifeis so uncertain I can leave nothing to chance; and when my will issigned and sealed, and in your possession, I shall know that even if Ishould be suddenly set free, Mr. Darrington and your sister will enjoytheir heritage. When you will have drawn up the paper send it to Mr. Singleton. I will sign it in his presence and that of the doctor, whichwill suffice for witnesses. " "In view of the peculiar provisions of the will, I prefer you shouldemploy some other instrument for its preparation. Judge Dent, Churchillor Wolverton, will gladly serve you, and I will send to you whomsoeveryou select. I decline to become the medium of transferring the accursedmoney that cost you so dearly, to the man whom my sister expects tomarry. " "As you will; only let there be no delay. Ask Judge Dent to prove hisfriendship for Gen'l Darrington by enabling me to execute his wishes. " "Judge Dent went this morning to New York; but by the latter part ofthe week you may expect the paper for signature. " "That relieves one anxiety, for while I was so ill I was tortured bythe thought that I could not make just restitution to innocentsufferers. Mr. Dunbar, a yet graver apprehension now oppresses me. If Ishould live, how can I put the rightful owners in immediate possession?What process does the law prescribe for conveying the property directlyto Mr. Darrington?" "Ordinarily the execution of a deed of gift from you to him, wouldaccomplish that object. " "Will you please write out the proper form on the paper in front ofyou?" "I certainly will not. " "May I know why?" "For two reasons. Personally, the deed of gift would embarrass me evenmore than the will. Professionally, it occurs to me you are not of age;hence the transfer would be invalid at present. Pardon me, how old areyou?" "I was eighteen on the fourth of July last. Grim sarcasm is it not, that the child of Independence Day should be locked up in a dungeon?" "The law of the State requires the age of twenty-one years to insurethe validity of such a transaction as that which you contemplate. " "Do you mean that my hands are tied; that if I should live, I can donothing for more than two years?" "Such is the law. " "Then the justice that fled from criminal law, steers equally clear ofthe civil code? What curious paradoxes, what subtleties of finesse lurkin those fine meshes of jurisprudence, ingeniously spread to succorwary guilt, to tangle and trip the careless feet of innocence! All theworld knows that the dearest wish that warmed General Darrington'sheart was to disinherit and repudiate his daughter, and to secure hisworldly goods to his adopted son; and yet because a sheet of paperexpressing that desire could not be produced in court, the will of thedead is defied, and the fortune is thrust into the hated hands whichits owner swore should never touch it; hands that the law says murderedin order to steal. When the child of the disowned and repudiated, holding sacred the unfortunate man's wishes, refuses to accept theblood-bought heritage, and attempts to replace the fatal legacy in thepossession of those for whom it was notoriously intended--this Tartufeof justice strides forward and forbids righteous restitution; postponesthe rendering of 'Caesar's things to Caesar' for two years, in order tosave the condemned the additional pang of regretting the generosity ofher minority! Human wills, intentions and aims, no matter how laudableand well known, are blandly strangled by judicial red tape, and laidaway with pompous ceremonial in the dusty catacombs of legal form. Grimly grotesque, this masquerade of equity! Something must be done forMr. Darrington, to enable him to finish his studies and embark on thecareer his father designed. " "He is a man, and can learn to carve his way unaided. " She sighed wearily, and a troubled look crossed her face; while thevisitor followed with longing eyes the slow motion of her delicatehand, beautiful as Herses', that softly stroked the cat purring againsther shoulder. "Surely there is an outlet to this snare. You could help me if youwould. " "I? Do you imagine that after all the injuries I have inflicted on you, I can consent to help you beggar yourself?" "You know that I would sooner handle red-hot ploughshares, than touch adollar, a cent, of that fortune. It would greatly relieve my mind andcomfort me, if you would indicate some method by which I can convey toMr. Darrington that which really belongs to him. Unless he can enjoyit, it might as well be in the grave now with its former owner. Do helpme. " The pathetic pleading of face and voice almost unnerved him, but he satsilent. "Cannot I dispose at least of the income or interest? If a definiteamount should be allowed me each year, during my minority, could I doas I please with that sum?" "Certainly you have that right. I may as well tell you, there is onemethod of accomplishing your aim, by applying to the Legislature tolegalize your acts by declaring you of age. At present the estate is inthe hands of Mr. Wolverton, whom the Probate Court has appointedadministrator; and at the expiration of eighteen months from the dateof Gen'l Darrington's death, the control of the whole will devolve tosome extent upon you. Meanwhile the administrator will allow youannually a reasonable amount. " "Do you know what sum Mr. Darrington required while abroad?" "I am told his allowance was four thousand dollars per annum. Histology, morphology, and aetiology are whims too costly forimpecunious students. Prince must reduce his stable of hobbies. " "No, he is entitled to canter as many as he likes, and the money couldnot be better spent than in promoting the noble work of the advancementof Science. The problem is solved, and my earthly cares are at an end. Leave the copy you brought, and ask Mr. Wolverton to see me to-morrow. He shall write both the will and the deed of gift, which you think canbe made valid, and meanwhile the annual allowance must be paid asformerly to the son. Whether I live or die, the wishes of the dead willbe respected, and Prince Darrington shall have his own. It is anintense relief to know that two innocent and happy lives will neverfeel the fatal chill of my shadow; and when your sister enters 'ElmBluff' as its mistress, the balance-sheet will be complete. " As if some dreaded task had been finally accomplished, she drew a deepsigh of weariness that was cut short by a spell of coughing. "There is a Scriptural injunction concerning kindness to enemies, whichamounts to heaping coals of fire on their heads; and to my unregeneratenature, it savors more of subtile inquisitorial cruelty, than ofChristian charity. " "Your sister is not my enemy, I hope, and need I so rank your sister'sbrother? There is one thing more, which even your sarcasm shall notprevent. " She drew from beneath the cardboard a paper box, placed it on the tableand removed the lid. "I presume the Sheriff meant kindly when he sent me this as myproperty, which having testified to suit the prosecution, was returnedto the burglar in whose possession it was found. The sight of it was ashumiliating as a blow on the cheek. Some gifts are fatal; nevertheless, you must ascribe no sinister motive to me, when I fulfil thatinjunction of Gen'l Darrington's last Will and Testament, which setapart these sapphires for his son's bride. They are just as I receivedthem from his hands. My mother, for whom they were intended, never sawthem; I thank God that she wears the eternal jewels that He providesfor the faithful and the pure in heart. I wish you to deliver thiscase, and the gold pieces, one hundred dollars, to Mr. Darrington; andit will be a mercy to rid me of torturing reminders. " She looked at the azure flame leaping from the superb stones, andpushed the box away with a gesture of loathing. "Beautifully blue as those weird nebulae in the far, far South; thatbrood over the ocean wastes where cyclones are born; but to me and tomine, the baleful medium of an inherited curse. Having accomplished mydoom, may they bring only benison to your sister. " "I would see adders fastened in her ears and twined around her necksooner than those--" "At least take them out of my sight; give them to Mr. Darrington. Theyare maddening reminders of a perished past. Now, to the last iota, Ihave made all possible restitution, and the account is squared; for inexchange for that life, which I am condemned as having taken, my own isthe forfeit. The expiation is complete. " She seemed to have forgotten his presence, as her gaze rested on thering she wore, and a happy smile momentarily glorified the pale face. "Beryl!--" She started, winced, shivered; and threw up her hand with the haughtydenial he so well remembered. "Hush! Only my precious dead ever called me so. You must not dare!" Something she read in the face that leaned toward her, filled her withvague dread, and despite her efforts, she trembled visibly. "Mr. Dunbar, I am very weary; tired--oh! how tired, body and soul. " "You dismiss me? Recollect I was warned that this would be the lastinterview accorded me, and I beg your indulgence. If you knew all, ifyou could imagine one-half the sorrow you have caused me, you wouldconsider our accounts as satisfactorily balanced as your settlementwith the Darringtons. Whether you have ruined my life, or are destinedto purify and exalt it, remains to be determined. To see you as youare, is almost beyond my powers of endurance, and for my own sake--markyou--to ease my own heart, I shall redouble my efforts to have youliberated. There is one speedy process, the discovery of the man whom, thus far, you have shielded so effectually; and next week I begin thehunt in earnest by going West. " He saw her fingers clutch each other, and the artery in her throatthrob quickly. "How many victims are required to appease the manes of Gen'lDarrington? Be satisfied with having sacrificed me, and waste no moretime in search that can bring neither recompense to you, norconsolation to me. If I can bear my fate, you, sir, have no right tointerfere. " "Then, like the selfish man I am, I usurp the right. What damnableinfatuation can bind you to that miserable poltroon, who skulks insafety, knowing that the penalty of his evil deeds falls on you? Oneexplanation has suggested itself: it haunts me like a fiend, and onlyyou can exorcise it. Are you married to that brute, and is it loyaltythat nerves you? For God's sake do not trifle, tell me the truth. " He leaned across the table, caught her hands. She shook off his touch, and her eyes were ablaze. "Are you insane? How dare you cherish such a suspicion? The bareconjecture is an insult, and you must know it is false. Married? I?" "Forgive me if I wound you, but indeed I could conceive of no othersolution of the mystery of your self-sacrifice; for it is utterlyincredible that unless some indissoluble tie bound you, that cowardlyknave could command your allegiance. It maddens me to think that you, so far beyond all other women, can tolerate the thought of that--" "Hush! hush! You conjure phantoms with which to taunt and torture. Youpity me so keenly, that your judgment becomes distorted, and you chasechimeras. Banish imaginary husbands, Western journeys, even the thoughtof my wretched doom, and try henceforth to forget that I ever saw X--. " "What does this mean? It was not on your hand when I held it so longthat day--in my own. Tell me, and quiet my pain. " He pointed to the heavy ring, which was much too large for the wastedfinger where it glistened. "What does it mean? A tale of woe. It means that when my broken-heartedmother was dying among strangers, in a hospital, she kissed her weddingring, and sent it with her love and blessing to the child--sheidolized. It means--" She held up her waxen hand, and into her voicestole immeasurable tenderness: "Shall I tell you all it means? Thislittle gold hoop inscribed inside 'I. B. To E. D. , ' girdles all thatthis world has left for me; memories of father, mother, sunny childhoodin a peaceful home, lofty ambitions, happy, happy beautiful hopes thatonce belonged to the girl Beryl, whom pitiless calamity has broken onher cruel wheel. Walled up, dying slowly in a convict's tomb, the onlylight that shines into my desolate heart, flickers through this littlecircle; and clasping it close through the long, long nights, whenhorrible images brood like vampires, it soothes me, like the touch ofthe dear hand which it graced so long, and brings me dreams of thefair, sweet past. " Was it the mist in his eyes that showed her almost glorified by thelevel rays of the setting sun, as like a tired child she leaned herhead against the wall, a pale image of resignation? To lose her was a conjecture so fraught with pain, that his swart faceblanched, and his voice quivered under its weight of tender entreaty. "What is it that sustains you in your frightful martyrdom? Why do youendure these horrors which might be abolished? You hurl me back uponthe loathsome thought that love, love for a depraved, brutal wretch isthe secret that baffles me. I might be able to see you die, to lay you, stainless snowdrop that you are, in the coffin that would keep yousacred forever; but please God! I will never endure the pain of seeingyou leave these sheltering walls to walk into that man's arms. I swearto you by all I hold most precious, that if he be yet alive, I willhand him over to retribution. " He had pushed aside the table, and stood before her, with the onewholly absorbing love of his life glowing in his face. She dared notmeet the gaze that thrilled her with an exquisite happiness, andinvoluntarily rose. Had she not strangled the impulse, her flutteringheart would have prompted her to lean forward, rest her head againsthis arm, and tell him all; but close as they stood, and realizing thatshe reigned supreme in his affection, one seemed to rise reproachfullybetween them; that generous, gentle woman to whom his faith waspledged. No matter at what cost, she must guard Leo's peace of mind;and to dispel his jealous illusion now, would speedily overwhelm thetottering fabric of his allegiance. Folding her arms tightly across herbreast, she answered proudly: "So be it then. Do your worst. " "You admit it!" "I admit nothing. " "You defy me?" "Defy? It seems I am always at the mercy of Tiberius. " "Can you look at me, and deny that you are screening your lover?" She quickly lifted her head, with a peculiar haughty movement thatreminded him of a desperate stag at bay, and he never forgot theexpression of her eyes. "I deny that Miss Gordon's accepted lover has any right to catechise meconcerning a subject which, were his suspicions correct, should investit with a sanctity inviolable by wanton curiosity. " He recoiled slightly as from a lash. "Miss Gordon is on the eve of sailing through the sunny isles ofGreece; and while she is absent I purpose finding my nepenthe in myhunt for murderers among Montana wilds. You have defied me, and I willdo my worst, nay, my very best to catch and hang that cowardly roguewho adroitly used your handkerchief as the instrument to aid his crime. " She walked a few steps, putting once more between them the table, against which she leaned. "If you are successful, and the mystery of that awful murder should beunravelled, you will then comprehend something of the desperation thatmakes me endure even this crucifixion of soul; and in that day, whenyou discover the fugitive lover, you will blush for the taunts aimed ata defenceless and sorely-stricken woman. " "Nevertheless, I bend my energies henceforth to his capture andpunishment. " "Because he is my lover? Or because he may be a criminal? Ask thatquestion of your honor. Answer it to your own conscience, and to thenoble heart of the trusting woman you asked to become your wife. Mr. Dunbar, you must leave me now; my strength is almost spent. " Baffled, exasperated, he approached the table and took something fromhis vest-pocket. "I hold my honor flawless, and with the sanction of my conscience Iprefer to answer to you--you alone--because he is your lover, I willhave his life. " She smiled, and her eyes drooped; but there was strange emphasis in herwords as she clasped her hands: "God keep my lover now and forever. Mr. Dunbar, when you discover him, I have no fear that you will harm one hair in his dear head. " "If you knew all you have cost me, you might understand why I willnever forego my compensation. I bide my time; but I shall win. Youasked me, as a special favor, to preserve and secure for you somethingwhich you held very valuable. Because no wish of yours can ever beforgotten, I have complied with your request and brought you this'precious souvenir' of a tender past. " He tore away the paper wrapping, and held toward her the meerschaumpipe, then dropped it on the table as though it burned his fingers. At sight of it, a sudden faintness made the girl reel, and she put herhand to her throat, as if to loosen a throttling touch. Her eyesfilled, and in a whirling mist she seemed to see the beloved face ofthe father long dead, of the gay, beautiful young brother who hadwrought her ruin. Weakness overpowered her, and sinking to her knees, she drew the pipe closer, laid it against her cheek, folded her armsover it on the table and bowed her head. What a host of mocking phantoms leaped through the portals of theBygone--babbling of the glorious golden dawn that was whitening into aradiant morning, when the day-star fell back below the horizon, andnight devoured the new-born day. Memory comes, sometimes, in the guiseof an angel, wearing fragrant chaplets, singing us the perfectharmonies of a hallowed past; but oftener still, as a fury scourgingwith serpents; and always over her shoulder peers the wan face andpitying eyes of a divine Regret. The sun had gone down behind the dense pine forest stretching beyondthe prison, but the sky was a vast shifting flame of waning rose anddeepening scarlet, and the glow from the West still defied the shadowsgathering in the cell. Beryl was so still, that Mr. Dunbar feared shehad fainted from exhaustion. He stepped to her side, and laid his hand on the bronzed head, smoothing caressingly yet reverently the short, silky hair. Ah, theunfathomable tenderness with which he bent over the only woman he everloved; the intolerable pain of the thought that after all he might loseher. He heard the shuddering sob that broke from her overtaxed andaching heart, and despite his jealous rage he felt unmanned. When sheraised her face, tears hung on her lashes. "I will thank you, Mr. Dunbar, as long as I live, for this last andgreatest kindness. If I could tell you what this precious relicrepresents to me, oh, if you knew! you would pity me indeed. " "Tell me. Trust me. God knows I would never betray your confidence, nomatter what it cost me. " It was a powerful temptation to divulge the truth, and her heartwhispered that Bertie's safety would be secured by removing all jealousincentive to his pursuit; but she remembered the fair, sweet, heroicwoman who had dared her fiance's wrath in order to unbar those prisondoors; who had faithfully and delicately thrown over the convict themantle of her friendship; and the loyal soul of the prisoner strangledits weakness. Perishing in the desert where scorching sands stifled her, she hadsurrendered to death, when love sprang to her side, lifted her into theheavenly peace of dewy palms, and held to parched lips the sparklingdraught a glimpse of which electrified her. Would starvation entitleher to drink? Over the head of pleading love stretched the arm ofstony-eyed duty, striking into the dust the crystal drops, witheringthe palms; and following her stern beckon, the thirsty pilgrim re-trodthe sands of surrender, more intolerable than before, because the oasiswas still in sight. Duty! Rugged incorruptible Spartan dame, whoseinflexible mandate is ever: "With your shield, or on it. " Beryl put up her hand, drew his from her head to her lips, kissed itsoftly. "Good-bye, Mr. Dunbar. I promise you one thing. If I find I cannotlive, I will send for you. Upon the border of the grave I will open myheart. You shall see all; and then you will understand, and deliver amessage which I must leave in your hands. Give my grateful remembranceto Miss Gordon. Make her happy; and ask her to pray for me, that I maybe patient. Now leave me, for I can bear no more. " She put aside his hand, and hid her face once more. He stooped, laidhis lips on the shining hair, and walked away. At the door he paused. The long corridor was very dim and gloomy, and the deep-toned bell inthe tower was ringing slowly. Looking back into the cell, he saw thatBeryl had risen, and against the sullen red glow on the western window, her face and figure outlined a silhouette of hopeless desolation. CHAPTER XXIV Each human soul is dowered with an inherent adaptability to itsenvironment, with an innate energy which properly directed, grapplessuccessfully with all assailing ills; and Time, the tirelessreconciler, flies always low at our side, hardening the fibre ofendurance, stealthily administering that supreme and infallibleanaesthetic whereby the torturing throes of human woe are surelystilled. Existence involves strife; mental and moral growth depend uponthe vigor with which it is waged, and scorning cowardice, Natureprovides the weapons essential to victory. The evils that afflicthumanity are meted out with a marvellously accurate reference to theidiosyncrasies of character; and no weight is imposed which cannot byheroic effort be sustained. The Socratic belief that if all misfortuneswere laid in a heap, whence every man and woman must draw an equalportion, each would select the burden temporarily laid down and walkaway comforted, was merely an adumbration of the sublimer truth, "Asthy day, so shall thy strength be. " Very slowly physical health and spiritual patience came back to Beryl;but by degrees she bravely lifted the stained and mutilated wreck oflife, and staggered on her lonely way, finding that repose which meansthe death of hope. At one time death had smilingly pushed ajar the door that opened intoeternal peace, and beckoned her bruised soul to follow; then mockinglybarred escape, and left her to renew the battle. From that doublewindow in the second story of the prison, she watched the silver offull moons shining on the spectral white columns that crowned "ElmBluff", the fire of setting suns that blazed ruby-red as Gubbio wine, along the line of casements that pierced the front facade, a bristlingperpetual reminder of the tragedy that cried to heaven for vengeance. She learned exactly where to expect the first glimpse of the slenderopal crescent in the primrose west; followed its waxing brilliance asit sailed out of the green bights of the pine forest, its waningpallor, amid the sparkling splendor of planets that lit the far east. As the constellations trod the mazes of their stately minuet across thedistant field of blue, their outlines grew familiar as humancountenances; and from the darkness of her cell she turned to the greatgolden stars throbbing in midnight skies, peering in through the ironbars like pitying eyes of heavenly guardians. Locked away from humancompanionship, and grateful for the isolation of her narrow cell, thelonely woman found tender compensation in the kindly embrace ofNature's arms, drawn closely about her. The procession of the seasons became to her the advent of so manyangels, who leaned in at her window and taught her the secret of floralrunes; the mysterious gamut of bird melodies, the shrill and weirddithyrambics of the insect world; the recitative and andante andscherzo of wind and rain, of hail and sleet, in storm symphonies. The Angel of Spring, with the snow of dogwood, and the faint pink ofapple blossoms on her dimpling cheeks; with violet censers swingingincense before her crocus-sandalled feet, and the bleating of younglambs that nestled in her warm arms. The Angel of Summer, full blown as the red roses flaunting amid thegolden grain and amber silk tassels that garlanded her sunny brow;poised languorously on the glittering apex of salmon clouds at whosebase lightning flickered and thunder growled, --watching through drowsyhalf shut lids the speckled broods of partridges scurrying with frantichaste through the wild poppies of ripe wheat fields, the brown covey ofshy doves ambushed among purple morning glories swinging in the denseshade of rustling corn; listening as in a dream to the laughter ofreapers, whetting scythes in the blistering glare of meadow slopes, yethearing all the while, the low, sweet babble of the slender stream thattrickled through pine roots, down the hillside, and added its silverytinkle to the lullaby crooned by the river to its fringe of willows, its sleeping lily pads. The Angel of Autumn, radiant through her crystal veil of falling rain, as with caressing touches she deepened the crimson on orchardtreasures, mellowed the heart of vineyard clusters, painted the leaveswith hectic glory that reconciled to their approaching fall, smiled onthe chestnuts that burst their burrs to greet her, whispered to thesquirrels that the banquet was ready; kissed into starry bloom blueasters crowding about her knees, and left the scarlet of her lips onthe kingdom of berries ordained to flush the forest aisles, wherewolfish winds howled, when leaves had rustled down to die, and verdurewas no more. The Angel of Winter, a sad, mute image, wan as her robes of snow, stretching white wings to shelter perishing birds huddled on the coldpall that covered a numb world, --crowned with icicles that clasped hersilver locks, shedding tears that froze upon her marble cheeks;standing on the universal grave where Nature lay bound in cerements, hearkening to the dismal hooting of the owl at her feet, the sharpinsistent cry of gray killdees hovering above icy marshes, the wailingtempest dirge over the dead earth; and while with one benignant handshe tenderly folded her mantle about the sleepers, the other kindled aconflagration along the western sky, that reddened and warmed even thewastes of snow, and when she beckoned, the attendant stars seemed tocircle closer and closer, burning with an added lustre that made nightglorious. Answering her call, the Auroral arch sprang out of the North, spanning the sky with waving banners of orange and violet flame, thatillumined the Niobe of the Seasons, as she hovered with out-stretchedglittering pinions, and mournful ice-dimmed eyes above her shroudeddead children. With returning health, had come to Beryl activity of those artisticinstincts, which for a time, had slumbered in the torpor of despair;and when her daily task of work had been accomplished, the prisonerleaned with folded arms on the stone ledge of the window, and studiedevery changing aspect of earth and atmosphere. By degrees the oldambition stirred, and she began to sketch the slow panorama of Julyclouds, built of mist and foam into the likeness of domes of burnishedcopper, and campaniles of silver; the opaque mountain masses, stratified along the horizon, leaden in hue, with sullen bluish gorgeswhere ravening January winds made their lair; the intricate, gracefultracery of gnaried bare boughs and interlacing twigs, that would serveas a framework when May hung up her green portieres to screen thedown-lined boudoirs where happy birds nestled; the gray stone arches ofthe bridge in the valley below, the groups of cattle couched on therocky hillside, up which the pine forest marched like ranks of giants. On sultry afternoons she watched lengthening tree-shadows creep acrossthe reddish-brown carpeting of straw, and in the long nights whensleeplessness betrayed her into the clutches of torturingretrospection, she waited and longed for the pearly lustre that pavedthe east for the rosy feet of dawn; listened to the beating of Nature'sheart in the solemn roar of the Falls two miles away, in the stropheand anti-strophe of winds quivering through pine tops, the startled cryof birds dozing in cedar thickets, the shrill droning of crickets, themonotonous recrimination of katydids, the peculiar, querulous call of afamily of flying squirrels housed in the cleft of an old magnolia, theGregorian chant of frogs cradled in the sedge and ferns, where theriver lapped and gurgled. Humanity had turned its back upon her; but the sinless world ofcreation, with all its glorious chords of beautiful color, and thesoothing witchery of the solemn voices of the night, ministeredabundantly to eye and ear. She had hoped and prayed to die; God deniedher petition; and sent, instead of His Angel of Death, two to comforther, the Angel of Health and the Angel of Resignation; whereby sheunderstood, that she had not yet earned surcease from suffering, butwas needed for future work in the Master's vineyard. If live she must, through the five years of piacular sacrifice, whyvitiate its efficacy by rebellious repining, that seemed an affront tothe divine arbiter of human destinies? She could not escape the cross;and bitterness of heart might jeopardize the crown. Beggared by time, could she afford to risk the eternal heritage? The deepest convictionof her soul was, "Behind fate, stands God"; hidden for a season, deafand blind and mute, it seemed, but always surely there; waiting His ownappointed season of rescue, and of recompense. So strong was her faithin His overruling wisdom and mercy, that her soul found rest, throughperpetual prayer for patience; and as weeks slipped into months, andseason followed season, she realized that though no roses of happinesscould ever bloom along her arid path, the lilies of peace kissed hertired feet. Somewhere in the wicked world, Bertie was astray; and perhaps God haskept her alive, intending she should fulfil her mission years hence, bybringing him out of the snares of temptation, back into the fold ofChrist's redeemed. Five years of penal servitude to ransom his soul;was the price exorbitant? One dull, wintry afternoon as she pressed close to the window, to catchthe fading light on the page of her Bible, it chanced to be the chapterin St. Luke, which contained the parable of the Pharisee and thePublican; and while she read, a great compunction smote her; aremorseful sense of having scorned as utterly unclean and debased, hersuffering fellow prisoners. Was there no work to be done for the dear Master, in that morallazaretto--the long rows of cells down stairs, where some had beenconsigned for 'ninety-nine years'? Hitherto, she had shrunk fromcontact, as from leprous contagion; meeting the Penitentiary inmatesonly in the chapel where, since her restoration to health, she wentregularly to sing and play on the organ, when the chaplain heldservice. The world had cruelly misjudged her; was she any more lenientto those who might be equally innocent? Next day she went humbly, yet shyly, down to the common work-room, andtook her place among the publicans, hoping that the soul of someoutcast might be won to repentance. Now and then messages of sympathyreached her from the outside world, in the form of flowers, books, magazines; and two of the jurors who convicted her, sent from time totime generous contributions of dainty articles that materially promotedher comfort; while a third, whose dead child had clung to her Christmascard, eased his regretful pangs by the gift of a box containing paper, canvas, crayons, brushes, paints, and all requisite appliances forartistic work. Sister Serena had gone on a labor of love, to a distant State; andfaithful Dyce, hopelessly crippled by a fall from the mule which shewas forcing across the bridge leading to the State dungeon, had beenpermanently consigned to the wide rocking chair, beside her cabinhearth at "Elm Bluff". It was a bleak night in January, and intensely cold, when Mrs. Singleton wrapped a shawl about her head, and ran along the darkcorridor to the cell, where Beryl was walking up and down to keepherself warm. Only the moonlight illumined it, as the rays fell on thebare floor, making a broad band of silver beneath the window. "I forgot to tell you, that something very dreadful happened at the'Lilacs' last week. Judge Dent had a stroke of paralysis and died thesame night. As if that were not trouble enough to last for a while atleast, the house took fire in that high wind yesterday, and burned tothe ground; leaving poor Miss Patty Dent without a roof to cover her. She had gone to the cemetery to carry flowers to her brother's grave, and when she returned, it was too late to save anything. Miss Gordon'snew wing cost thousands of dollars and was furnished like a palace, soI am told; but the flames destroyed every vestige of the beautifulhouse, and the pictures and statues. It seems that it was heavilyinsured, but money can't buy the old portraits and family silver, themahogany and glass, and the yellow damask--that have been kept in theDent family since George Washington was a teething baby; and Miss Pattywails loudest over the loss of an old, old timey communion service, that the Dents boasted Queen Anne gave to one of them, who was anEpiscopal minister. The poor old soul is almost crazy, I hear, and Mr. Dunbar carries her to New York to-morrow, where she has a nephewliving; and next month she will go to Europe to join Miss Gordon. It isreported in town, that when Judge Dent died so suddenly, Miss Pattysent a cable telegram to her niece to come home; but early yesterday, just before the fire, an answer came by cable, asking Miss Patty tocome to Europe. Some people think Mr. Dunbar intends escorting her, andthat when he meets Miss Gordon, the marriage will take place overthere; but I never will believe that, till it happens. " She peered curiously into the face of her listener, but the light wastoo dim to enable her to read its expression. "Why not? Under the circumstances, such a course seems eminentlynatural and proper. " "Do you really think he intends marrying?" "I am the confidant of neither the gentleman nor the lady; but you toldme long ago, that a marriage engagement existed between them; and sinceboth have shown me much kindness and sympathy, I sincerely hope theirunited lives may be very happy. If Mr. Dunbar searched the universe, hecould scarcely find Miss Gordon's equal, certainly not her superior;and he cannot fail to appreciate his good fortune in winning her. " Mrs. Singleton lifted her shoulder significantly. "Perhaps! but you cannever be sure of men. They are about as uncertain calculations as thehatching of guinea eggs, or the sprouting of parsley seed. What istheirs can't be worth much; but what belongs to somebody else, isinvaluable; moreover, they are liable to sudden tantrums of sheerobstinacy, that hang on like whooping-cough, or a sprain in one'sjoints. Did you never see a mule take the sulks on his way to the corncrib and the fodder rack, and refuse to budge, even for his ownbenefit? Some men are just that perverse. Mr. Dunbar is trailing game, worth more to him at present, than a sweetheart across the AtlanticOcean; which reminds me of what brought me here. He asked Ned to-day, if you saw Mr. Darrington yesterday when he came here; and learningthat you did not, he gave him this paper, which he said would explainwhat the Legislature did last month, about declaring you of age. Nedtold him you signed some document Mr. Wolverton brought here last week, which secured all the property to Mr. Darrington, and he said he hadbeen informed of the transaction, and that Mr. Darrington would soon goback to Germany. Then he added: 'Singleton, present my respects to MissBrentano and tell her, I am happy to say that my trip West last summerwas not entirely unsuccessful. It has furnished me with a very valuableclue. She will understand. ' Oh, dear! how bitterly cold it is! Come tomy room, and get thoroughly thawed; Ned is down stairs, and thechildren are asleep. " "No, thank you; I should only feel the cold more, when I came back. " "Then take my shawl and cover your ears and throat. There, you must. Good night. " She closed the door, and fled down the long black passage, to thebright cozy room, where her babes slumbered. Slowly Beryl resumed her walk from window to door, from bar to bar, butof the stinging cold she grew oblivious; and the blood burned in hercheeks and throbbed with almost suffocating violence at her heart. She comprehended fully the significance of the message, and dared notcomfort herself with the supposition that it was prompted by a spiritof bravado. To what quarter of the globe was he tracking the desperate culprit, whohad fled sorely wounded from his murderous assault? Ignorant of hismother's death, and of his sister's expiatory incarceration, might notBertie venture back to the great city, where she had last seen him; andbe trapped by those wily "Quaestores Paricidii" of the nineteenthcentury--special detectives? Fettered, muzzled by the stone walls of her dungeon, she could send himno warning, could only pray and endure, while she and her reckless, wayward brother drifted helplessly down the dark, swift river of doom. At every revival of fears for his safety, up started the mightytemptation that never slumbered, to confess all to Mr. Dunbar; but aspersistently she took it by the throat, and crushed it back, resolvedat all hazards to secure, if possible, the happiness of the woman whohad trusted her. In the midst of the wreck of her life, out of the depths of the dust ofhumiliation, had sprung the beautiful blossom of love, shedding itsintoxicating fragrance over ruin; yet, because the asp of treacherylurked in the exquisite, folded petals, she shut her eyes to thebewildering loveliness, and loyalty strove to tear it up by the roots, to trample it out; learning thereby, that the fibrous thread had struckdeep into her own heart, defying ejectment. She had forbidden his visits, interdicted letters; but she could notexpel the vision of a dear face that haunted her memory; nor exorcisethe spell of a voice that had first thrilled her pulses when pleadingwith the jury in her behalf. Sometimes she wondered whether she had been created as a mere sentientplummet to sound every gulf of human woe; then humbly recanted theimpious repining, and thanked God that, at least, she had been sparedthat deepest of all abysses, the Hades of remorse. That which comes tomost women as the supreme earthly joy--the consciousness of possessingthe heart of the man they love, fell upon Beryl like the lash offlagellation; rendering doubly fierce the battle of renunciation, whichshe fought, knowing that sedition and treason were raising the standardof revolt within the fortress. During the eight months that had elapsed since Leo sailed for Europe, Beryl had exchanged no word with Mr. Dunbar; but twice a sudden, tumultuous leaping of her heart surprised her at sight of him, standingin the door of the chapel; watching her as she sat within the altarrail, playing the little organ, while the convict congregation stood upto sing. Although no name was ever appended, she knew what hand haddirected the various American and foreign art magazines, which broughttheir argosy of beauty to divert and gladden her sombre meditations. On Christmas morning, the second of her sojourn within penitentiarywalls, the express messenger had brought to the door of her cell, twopackages, one a glowing heart of crimson and purple passion flowers, the other an exquisite engraving of Sir Frederick Leighton's "HerculesWrestling with Death"; and below the printed title, she recognized thebold characters traced in red ink: "The Alcestis you emulate. " To-night, a ray of moonlight crept across the wall, and shivered itssilver over the rigid face of the dead wife in the picture; and theprisoner, gazing mournfully at it, comprehended that her own fate wassadder than that of the immortal Greek devotee. To die for Admetusafter he had sworn on the altar of his gods, that he would spend alonethe remainder of his days, solaced by no fair successor, dedicating hisfidelity to appease her manes, was comparatively easy; but to turnaway, voluntarily resign the man she loved, and assist in forging thelinks which she must live to see chaining him to a happy rival, were anordeal more appalling to Alcestis than premature descent into the duskyrealm of Persephone. To secure to her brother immunity from pursuit, and to Miss Gordon theallegiance of the husband of her choice, was the problem that banishedsleep and kept Beryl pacing the floor, until welcome day hung herorange mantle over the quivering splendor of the morning star. Onefinal effort was all that seemed possible now; and kneeling before thetable she wrote and sealed a note, to be delivered before the expresstrain bore the lawyer away on his journey: "Your message was received, and it has so disquieted and alarmed methat I am forced to treat for peace. If you will cancel your policecontracts, cease your search, go to Europe with Miss Dent, and pledgeme your honor to marry Miss Gordon before you return, I will solemnlypromise, bind myself in the sight of the God I serve, to live and todie Beryl Brentano; and never, without your consent and permission, will I look again on the face of the man whom you are hunting to death. The assurance of his safety will atone for all you have made me suffer;will nerve me to bear whatever the future may hold. You will imagineyou understand, but it is impossible that you can ever realize thenature of the pain this proposal involves for me; nevertheless, if youaccept and keep the compact, I believe you know that, at all costs, Ishall never forfeit the pledged word of "BERYL BRENTANO. " When marriage vows had irrevocably committed Leo's happiness to hishonor, it might then be safe to tell him the truth, and solicit releasefrom the self-imposed terms. Five hours later, she received an answer: "A trifle too late, you unfurled the flag of truce. With my game insight, I decline to forego the chase. For your solicitude regarding mymarriage, I tender my thanks; and the assurance, that no magnet candraw, not all the charms of Circe lure me across the Atlantic, until Ihave accomplished my purpose. The tardiness of your proposal isunerring appraiser of its costliness; and I were a monster of crueltyto debar you the sight of your idol, though I bring him with the grimgarniture of chains and handcuffs. When I consign Miss Dent to herrelatives in New York, I go to a miners' camp in Dakota, to identify aman bearing the marks of one who fled from X---, and lost his pipe, onthe night he murdered Gen'l Darrington. "DUNBAR. " To temporize longer would be fatal to Bertie; and no alternativeremained but to tell the simple truth. Without an instant's delay she took up her pen, but ere half a line hadbeen traced on the paper, a hoarse whistle, somewhat muffled bydistance, told her the attempt was futile; and through the valleybeyond the river a trailing serpent of black smoke showed the expresstrain darting northward. The attorney had left X---, but might lingerin New York sufficiently long for a letter to reach him; and doubtlesshis address could be learned at his office: "If Mr. Dunbar will give me an opportunity of acquainting him with somefacts, he is anxious to discover, he shall find it unnecessary totravel to Dakota; and will thank me for saving him from the longjourney he contemplates. "B. B. " The sun was setting when Mr. Singleton returned from the attorney'soffice, and held out the note which he had been instructed to addressand deposit in the mail. "If it is a matter of any importance, I am sorry to tell you that thiscannot reach Mr. Dunbar immediately. He goes only as far asPhiladelphia, where Miss Dent's nephew meets her; then Dunbar travelsright on West without stopping, till he reaches Bismarck. He leftinstructions at his office to retain all mail matter here, for a coupleof weeks, then forward to Washington City; as business would detain himthere some days after his return from the west. Good gracious! howwhite your lips are. Sit down. What ails you?" She put her hand over her eyes, and tried to collect her thoughts. Tosuffer so long, so keenly, and yet lose the victory; could it bepossible that her sacrifice would prove utterly futile? "Mr. Singleton, you have shown me many times your friendly sympathy, and I am again forced to tax your kindness. It is important that Ishould see or communicate with Mr. Dunbar within the next forty-eighthours. Could you induce the telegraph operator here to have a messagedelivered to him on the train, before it reaches Washington City?" "I will certainly do my best; and to insure it I will go to therailroad operator, who understands the stations, and can catch Dunbarmore easily than a message from the general office. Write our yourtelegram, while I order my buggy. " "MR. DUNBAR. On board Train No. 2. "Please let me see you before you go West. I promise information thatwill render you unwilling to make the journey to Bismarck. " "B. " Anxiously she computed the time within which an answer might reasonablybe expected; and her heart dwelt as a suppliant before God, that themessage would avail to arrest pursuit; but hours wore wearily away, tedious days trod upon the slow skirts of dreary nights; and noresponse lifted the burden of dread. Hope whispered feebly that hisfailure to send a telegraphic reply, implied his intention of returningto X---from Philadelphia; and she clung to this rope of sand until aweek had passed. Then the conviction was inevitable that he regardedher appeal as merely a ruse to divert his course, to delay the seizureof his prey; and that while he misinterpreted the motive that promptedher message, she had merely furnished an additional goad to his jealoushatred. As helpless wrack borne on the sullen tide of destiny, she struck hertrembling hands together, and cried out in the dark solitude of hercell: "Verily! The stars in their courses fought against Sisera. " CHAPTER XXV. The winter was marked by an unusual severity of cold, which prolongedthe rigor of mid-season until late in February, and despite the effortsof penitentiary officials who made unprecedented requisitions upon theboard of inspectors, for additional clothing, the pent human herdsuffered keenly. Alarmed by the rapidly increasing rate of sickness within the "walls, "Mr. Singleton demanded a sanitary commission, which, after apparentlythorough investigation, reported no visible local cause for themortality among the convicts; but the germs of disease grew swiftly asother evil weeds, and the first week in March saw a hideous harvest ofdiphtheria of the most malignant type. At the earliest intimation of the character of the pestilence, thewarden's wife fled with her little children to her mother's home in aneighboring county; maternal solicitude having extinguished her womanlyreluctance to desert her husband, at a juncture when her presence andassistance would so materially have cheered, and lightened his labors. An attempt was made to isolate the first case in the hospital, but thecots in that spacious apartment filled beyond the limits ofaccommodation; and soon, a large proportion of the cells on the groundfloor held each its victim of the fatal disease, that as the scythe ofdeath cut a wide swath through convict ranks. Consulting physicianswalked through the infected ward, altered prescriptions, adviseddisinfectants which were liberally used, until the building seemed toexhale pungent, wholesome, but unsavory odors; yet there was noabatement in the virulence of the type. When the twenty-third case wasentered on the hospital list, the trustees and inspectors determined toremove all who showed no symptom of the contagion, to an old, long-abandoned cotton factory several miles distant; where the vacanthouses of former operatives would afford temporary shelter; and todiminish the chances of carrying infection, each prisoner was carefullyexamined by the attending physician, and then furnished with anentirely new suit of clothing. When the nature of the epidemic could no longer be concealed from theinmates, instinctive horror drove them from the neighborhood of thevictims, and like frightened sheep they huddled in remote corners, removed as far as possible from the infected precincts, and loath tominister to the needs of the sufferers. Two men, and as many women, selected and detailed as nurses in theirrespective wards, openly rebelled; and while Doctor Moffat and Mr. Singleton were discussing the feasibility of procuring outsideassistance, the door of the dispensary adjoining the hospital, opened, and Beryl walked up to the table, where medicines were weighed andmixed. "Put me to work among the sick. I want to help you. " "You! What could you do? I should as soon take a magnolia blossom toscrub the pots and pans of a filthy kitchen, " answered the doctor, looking up over his spectacles from the powder he was grinding in aglass mortar. "I can follow your directions; I can obey orders; and physicians deemthat the sine qua non in nurses. Closed lips, open ears, willing handsare supposed to outweigh any amount of unlicensed brains. Try me. " "No. I am not willing. Go back up-stairs, and stay there, " said thewarden. "Why may I not assist in nursing?" "In the first place you are not fit to mix with those poor creatures, in yonder; their oaths would curdle your blood; and in the second, youare not strong, and would be sure to take the disease at once. " "I am perfectly well; my lungs are now as healthy as yours, and I amnot afraid of diphtheria. You detailed nurses, who refused to serve; Ivolunteer; have you any right to reject me?" "Yes, the right to protect and save your life, which is worth twenty ofthose already in danger, " replied Mr. Singleton, pausing in his task offilling capsules with quinine. "Who made you a judge of the value of souls? My life belongs first toGod, who gave it, next to myself; and if I choose to jeopardize it, inwork among my suffering comrades in disgrace, you must not usurp theauthority to prevent me. " "Has it become so intolerable that you desire to commit suicide, underthe specious plea of philanthropic martyrdom?" said Doctor Moffat, whose keen black eyes scanned her closely, from beneath shaggy graybrows. "I think I may safely say, no such selfish motive underlies myresolution. My heart is full of pity, and of dread for some women here, who admit their guilt, yet have sought no pardon from the Maker theirsins insult. Sick souls cry out to me louder than dying bodies; and whodare deny me the privilege of ministering to both? The parable of thesparrows is no fable to me; and if, while trying to comfort my unhappyassociates here, God calls me out of this dark stony vineyard, His willalone overrules all; and I can meet His face in peace. We say: 'Lordwhat wilt Thou have us to do?' and when the answer comes, pointing usto perilous and loathsome labors, will He forget if we shut our eyes, and turn away, coveting the sunny fields into which He sent others totoil? Let me go to my work. " During almost eighteen months, both men had studied her character asmanifested in the trying phases of prison existence, finding no flaw;to-day they looked up reverently at the graceful form in its homespununiform, at the calm, colorless face, wearing its crown of meekness, with an inalienable, proud air of cold repose. "To keep you here is about as sacrilegious as it would have been tothrust St. Catherine among the chain-gang in the galleys, " muttered thedoctor. "No doubt duty called her to much worse places; therefore, when shedied, the angels buried her on Sinai, " answered the prisoner; beforewhose wistful eyes drifted the memory of Luini's picture. "You have set your heart on this; nothing less will content you?" "While the necessity continues, nothing less will content me. " "Remember, you voluntarily take your life in your own hands. " "I assume the entire responsibility for any risk incurred. " "Then, I wish you God speed; for the harvest is white, the laborersfew. " "Why, doctor! I relied on you to help me keep her out of reach. Ifanything happens, how shall I pacify Susie? She made me promise everypossible care of her favorite. Look here, only an hour ago I received aletter and this package marked, 'One for Ned; the other for MissBeryl. ' Two little red flannel safety bags, cure-alls, to be tiedaround our necks, close to our noses, as if we could not smell them ahalf mile off? Assafoetida, garlic, camphor, 'jimson weed, ' valerianpowder--phew! What not? Mixed as a voudoo chowder, and a scent twice asloud!" "Be thankful your wife is not here to enforce the wearing of thesanitary sachet, " said the doctor, allowing himself a grimace ofcontemptuous disgust. "So I am! but being a bachelor, answerable only to yourself, you cannotunderstand how absence does not exonerate me from the promise made whenshe started away. I would sooner face an 'army with banners, ' than thatlittle brown-eyed woman of mine when she takes the lapel of my coat inone hand, raises the forefinger of the other, turns her head sidewayslike a thrush watching a wriggling worm, and says, in a voice thatrises as fast as the sound a mouse makes racing up the treble of thepiano keys: 'Ump! whew! Didn't I tell you so? The minute my back wasturned, of course you made ducks and drakes of all your promises. Showme a "Flying Jenney, " that the tip end of any idiot's little finger canspin around, and I'll christen it Edward McTwaddle Singleton!' Seemsfunny to you, doctor? Just wait till you are married, and your Susanshuts the door and interviews you, picking a whole flock of crows, tillyou wonder if it isn't raining black feathers. When I am taken to tawabout this nursing business, I shall lose no time in laying the blameon you. " "I will assure Mrs. Singleton that you endeavored to dissuade me; andthat you faithfully kept your promise to shield me from danger. " "Which she will not believe, because she knows that I have the power tolock you up indefinitely. Besides, if you live to explain matters, there will be no necessity; but suppose you do not? You are runninginto the jaws of an awful danger, and if--" His frank, pleasant countenance clouded, he gnawed his mustache, andthe question ended in a long sigh. After a moment, a low, sweet voicecompleted the sentence: "If I should die, your tender-hearted wife is so truly and faithfullymy friend, that she could not regret to hear I have entered into myrest. " There was a brief silence, during which the physician crossed thefloor, opened a glass door and surveyed the stock of drugs. When hecame back, and took up the pestle, he spoke with solemn emphasis: "This is the most malignant type of an always dangerous disease that Ihave ever encountered; and constant exposure to it, without thecareful, persistent use of tonic and disinfectant precautions, would betantamount to walking unvaccinated into a pest-house, where people weredying of confluent small-pox. I have no desire to frighten, but it isproper that I should warn you; and insist upon the duty of watchingyour own health as closely as the symptoms of the victims you aredesirous of nursing. Will you follow the regimen I shall prescribe foryourself?" "Implicitly. " The warden finished filling the capsules, rose and looked at his watch. "As far as the chances go, it is 'heads I win, tails you lose'; andsorry enough I am to see you come down and dare the pestilence; butsince you are, I might as well say what I was asked to tell you lastnight. For your sake I kept silent; now since you persist, I wash myhands of all responsibility for the consequences. You have heard thehistory of the woman Iva Le Bougeois, better known in the 'walls' asthe 'Bloody Duchess'. Two days ago the scourge struck her down; she isvery ill, the worst symptoms have appeared, and she is almost franticwith terror. Last night, at 12 o'clock, I was going the rounds of thesick wards, and found her wringing her hands, and running up and downthe cell like a maniac. I tried to quiet and encourage her, but shepaid no more attention than if stone deaf; and when I started to leaveher, she seized my arm, and begged me to ask you to come and stay withher. She thinks if you would sing for her, she could listen, and forgetthe horrible things that haunt her. It is positively sickening to seeher terror at the thought of death. Poor, desperate creature. " "Yet you withheld her message when I might have comforted her?" "It was a crazy whim. In hardened cases like hers, death-bed remorsecounts for very little. Her conscience is lashing her; could you quietthat? Could you bleach out the blood that spots her soul?" "Yes, by leading her to One who can. " "Remember, you asked me as a special favor to keep you as far apart aspossible from all of her class. " "At that time, overwhelmed by the misery of my own fate, I was pitilessto the sufferings of others. The rod that smote me was very cruel then;but by degrees it seems to bud like Aaron's with precious promise, thatmay expand into the immortal flowers of souls redeemed. I dwelt toolong in the seat of the Pharisees; I shall live closer to God, walkinghumbly among the Publicans. Will you show me the way to the woman whowishes to see me?" "Not yet. There are some instructions that must be carefully weighedbefore I can install you as nurse, in that dismal mire of moral andphysical corruption. Singleton, send the hospital steward to me. " There are spectacles which brand themselves so ineffaceably uponmemory, that time has no power to impair their vividness; and of suchwere some of the scenes witnessed by the new nurse. Sitting on the side of her cot, from which the gray blanket had beendragged and folded half across her shoulders, where one hand held it, while the other clutched savagely at her throat; with her bare delicatefeet beating a tattoo on the white sanded floor, and her thin nostrilsdilated in the battle for breath, Iva Le Bougeois moaned in abjectterror. The coarse, unbleached "domestic" night-gown that fell to herankles was streaked across the bosom with some dark brown fluid; andsimilar marks stained the pillow where her restless head had tossed. The hot eyes and parched red lips seemed to have drained all thetainted blood from her olive cheeks, save where, just beneath the lowerlids, ominous terra-cotta rings had been painted and glazed by thedisease. As Beryl pushed open the iron door, and held up the lantern, that itsbrightness might stream into the cell, where even at five o'clock inthe afternoon of a rainy day darkness reigned, the rays flashed backfrom the glowing eyes chatoyant as a cougar's. "Your message was not delivered until to-day, and I lost no time incoming. " The small head, where short, straight, blue-black locks, rumpled anddisordered, were piled elfishly around the low brow, was thrown up withthe swift movement of some startled furry animal, alert even in thethroes of death. "Is all hope over? Did they tell you there is no chance for me?" The voice was hoarse and thick, the articulation indistinct andsmothered. "No. They think you very ill, but still hope the remedies will saveyou. The doctor says your fine constitution ought to conquer thedisease. " "I am beyond the remedy--because I can't swallow any longer. Since thedoctor left me, I have tried and tried. See--" From a bench within reach, she lifted a small yellow bowl, whichcontained a dark mixture, put it to her lips, and chafing her swollenglands, attempted several times to swallow the liquid. A gurgling soundbetrayed the futility of the effort, the medicine gushed from her nose, the eyes seemed starting from their sockets, and even the husky cry ofthe sufferer was strangled, as she cowered down. "Compose yourself; nervousness increases the difficulty. Once I haddiphtheria, and could not swallow for two days, yet I recovered. Bequiet, and let me try to help you. " Kneeling in front of her, Beryl turned up the wick of the lantern, andwith a small brush attached to a silver wire, finally succeeded incauterizing and removing a portion of the poisonous growth that wasrapidly narrowing the avenue of breath. The spasm of coughing thatensued was Nature's auxiliary effort, and temporarily relieved thetightening clutch. After a few moments, a dose of the medicine was successfullyadministered; and then the slender, shapely brown hand of the womangrasped the nurse's blue homespun dress. "Don't leave me! Save me. Oh, don't let me strangle here alone--in thedark; don't let me die! I'm not fit. I know where I shall go. It's notthe devil I dread; I have known many devils in this world, --but God. Iam afraid of God!" "Lie down, and cover your shoulders. If it comforts you to have me, Iwill stay gladly. The doctor, the warden, all of us will do what we canto cure you; but the help you need most, can come only from one whosepity is greater and tenderer than ours, your merciful God. Lift up yourheart in prayer to him; ask him to forgive your sins, and spare you tolead a better life. " "He would not hear, because He knows how black my heart has been allthese years; since I gave myself up to hate and cursing. You can'tunderstand--you are not one of us. You are as much out of place here, as one of the angels would be, held over the flames of torment till thewings singed. From the first time we saw you in the chapel, and moreand more ever since, we found out you did not belong here. I have beenso wicked--so wicked--!" She paused, panting, then hurried on. "When the chaplain tried to talk to me, and gave me a book to read, Idashed it back in his face, and insulted him. One Saturday they sent meto sweep out and dust the chapel, and when I finished, I laid down onone of the benches to rest. You went in to practise, not knowing I wasthere; and began to sing. As I listened, something seemed to stir andwake up in my heart, and somehow the music shook me out of myself. There was one hymn, so solemn, so thrilling, and the end of every versewas, 'Oh, Lamb of God! I come!'--and you sang it with a great cry, asif you were running to meet some one. I had not wept--for oh! I don'tknow how long--not since--. Then you played on the organ somevariations on a tune--'The Sweet By-and-by'--and the tears started, andI seemed but a leaf in a wild storm. That was the song my little boyused to sing! There was a Sunday-school in the basement of a churchnext to our house, and he would stand at the window, and listen till hecaught the tune, and learned the words. Oh, that hymn! Every note stungme like a whip lash when I heard it again. My child's face as I saw himthe last time I put him to bed; when he opened his drowsy eyes, andraised up to kiss me good-night, came back to me, and seemed to sing, 'In the sweet by-and-by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore. 'No--never--never! Oh, my boy! My beautiful angel Max--there is no roomfor me, on that heavenly shore! Oh! my darling--there is NO 'Sweetby-and-by' FOR MOTHER NOW. " She had started up, with arms clasped around her knees, and herconvulsed face lifted toward the low ceiling of the cell, writhed, asshe drew her breath in hissing gasps. "You loved your little boy?" "You are not a mother, or you wouldn't ask me that If ever you had feltyour baby's sweet warm lips on yours, you would know that it ismother-love that makes tigers of women. Because I idolized my littleone, I could not bear the cruel wrong of having him torn from me, taught to despise me; and so I loved him best when I slew him, and Iwas so mad, with the delirium of pain and rage and despair, that Iforgot I was putting the gulf of perdition between us. Rather thansubmit to separation in this world, than have him raised by them, toturn away from his mother as a thing too vile to wear his father'sname, I lost him for ever and ever! My son, my star-eyed darling. " "Listen to me. You loved him so tenderly, that no matter how wilful ordisobedient he might have been, you forgave him every offence; and whenhe sobbed on your bosom, you felt he was doubly dear, and hugged himcloser to your heart? Even stronger and deeper is God's love for us. Dare you call yourself more pitiful, more tender than your Father inheaven, who gave you the capacity to love your child, because He socompassionately loves His children? We sin, we go far astray, we thinkmercy is exhausted, and the door shut against us; but when we trulyrepent and go back, and kneel, and pray to be forgiven, Christ Himselfunbars the door and leads us in; and our Father, loving those whom Hecreated, pardons all; and only requires that we sin no more. God doesnot follow us; we must humbly go back all the distance we have putbetween us by our wickedness; but the heavens will fall before He failsto keep His promise to forgive, when we do genuinely repent of ourwrongdoing. " "It is easy for the good to believe that. You are innocent of anycrime, and you are punished for other people's sins, not for your own;so you can't understand how I dread the thought of God, because I knowthe blackness of my heart, when, to get my revenge, I sold my soul toSatan. Oh! the horror of feeling that I can't undo the bargain; thatpay-day has come! I had the vengeance, I snatched out of God's hands, and for a while I gloated over it; but now the awful price! My littleone in heaven with the angels; knowing that his mother is adevil--eternally. " Her head had fallen upon her knees, and in the frenzy of despair sherocked to and fro. "Don't you remember that the most sinful woman Christ met on earth, wasthe one of all others that He first revealed Himself to, when He cameout of the grave? Because she was so nearly lost, and He had forgivenso much, in order to save her, her purified heart was doubly dear, andhe honored her more than the disciples, who had escaped the depth ofher wickedness. Try to find comfort in the belief, that if sincereremorse and contrition redeemed the soul of Mary Magdalen, the sameSavior who pitied and pardoned her will not deny your prayer. " "God believed her, because she proved her repentance by leading a new, purer life. But I have no chance left to prove mine. If she had beencut off in the midst of her sins, as I am, she would have been obligedto pay in her ruined soul to the Satan she had served so long. When Iam called to the settlement, it seems an insult and a mockery to askGod, whom I have defied, to save me. If I could only have a little timeto show my penitence. " "Perhaps you may be spared; but if not, God sees your contrition justas fully now as if you lived fifty years to show it in good works. Hesees you are sincerely remorseful, and would be a true Christian, if Heallowed you an opportunity. That is the blessedness of our religion, that when Christ gives us a new heart, purified by repentance and faithin Him, He says it makes clean hands, in His sight, no matter how blackthey might have been. One of the thieves was already on the cross, inthe agonies of death, with his sins fresh on his soul, and no possiblechance of atoning for his past, by future dedication of his life togood; but Christ saw his heart was genuinely repentant, and though theman did not escape crucifixion by humanity, his pardoned soul met Jesusthat same day in Paradise. It is not acceptance of our good deeds, though they are required, it is forgiveness of our sins, that makesChrist so precious. Pray from the very bottom of your heart, to God, and try to take hold of the promise to the truly penitent; andtrust--trust Him. " For a moment the crouching figure was still, as if the sufferermentally grasped at some shred of hope; then she fell back on herpillow, and groaned. "Do you know all I have done? Do you think there is any mercy for--" "Hush, every word taxes your failing strength. Compose yourself. " "I can't! As long as I have breath let me tell you. If I shut my eyes, horrible things seem to be pouncing upon me; dreadful shapes laugh, andbeckon to me, and I see--oh! pity me! I see my murdered child, with theblood spouting, foaming, the velvety brown eyes I loved to kiss, staring and glazed as I dragged his little body to--" With a gurgling scream she paused, shivered, panted. "It is a feverish dream. Your child is safe in heaven; ask your Fatherto let you see his face among the angels. " "It's not fever; it's the past, my own crimes that come to follow me tojudgment and accuse me. The hand of my first-born pointing over thelast bar at the mother who killed him! Do you wonder I am afraid todie? I don't deny my bloody deeds--but after all it was a foul wrongthat drove me to desperation; and God knows, man's injustice brought meto my sin. I was a spoiled, motherless child, married at sixteen to aman whose family despised me, because my pretty face had ruined theirscheme of a match with an heiress, whose money was needed to retrievetheir fortunes. They never forgave the marriage, and after a few years, mischief began to brew. "I loved my husband, but his nature was too austere to deal patientlywith my freakish, petulant, volcanic temper; and when he lectured mefor my frivolity, obstinacy plunged me into excesses of gayety, that atheart I did not enjoy. His mother and sister shunned me more and more, poisoned his mind with wicked and unfounded suspicions, and so we grewmutually distrustful. He tired of me, and he showed it. I loved him. Oh! I loved him better, and better, as I saw him drifting away. Heneglected me, spent his leisure where he met the woman he had onceintended to marry. I was so maddened with jealous heart-ache, some evilspirit prompted me to try and punish him with the same pangs. That wasmy first sin of deception; I pretended an attachment I never felt, hoping to rekindle my husband's affection. Like many another heart-sickwife, I was caught in my own snare; and while I was as innocent of anywrong as my own baby boy, his father was glad of a pretext to excusehis alienation. People slandered me; and because I loved Allen sodeeply, I was too proud to defend myself, until too late. "God is my witness, my husband was the only man I ever loved; ah! howdear he was to me! His very garments were precious; and I have kissedand cried over his gloves, his slippers. The touch of his hand wasworth all the world to me, but he withheld it. When you know yourhusband loves you, he may ill treat, may trample you under his feet, but you can forgive him all; you caress the heel that bruises you. Allen ceased to show me ordinary consideration, stung me with sneers, threatened separation; even shrunk from the boy, because he was mine. "There came a day, when some fiend forged a letter, and the same vilehand laid it in my husband's desk. Only God knows whose is the guilt ofthat black deed, but I believe it was his sister's work. Allen cursedme as unworthy to be the mother of his child, and swore he would befree. On my knees I begged him to hear, and acquit me. I confessed allmy yearning love for him, I assured him I was the victim of a foulplot; and that if he would only take me back to the heaven of hisheart, he would find that no man ever had a more devoted wife. Hewanted an excuse to put me out of his way; he repulsed me with scorn, and before the sun set, he forsook me, and took up his abode with hismother and sister. Oh! the cruel wrong of that dreadful, parting scene!" She sprang from the cot, breathless from the passionate recital, beating the air with one small slender hand, while the other tore atthe swollen cords of her tortured throat. Beryl caught the round, prettily turned wrist, and felt the feeblethread of pulse that was only a wild flutter, under the olive satin ofthe hot skin. "This excitement only hastens the end you dread. Lie down, and I willpray for you. " "I shall soon lie down for ever. Let me walk a little, before my feetslide into the grave. " She staggered twice across the length of the cell, then tottered andfell back on the cot. At every respiration the thin nostrils flared, and the glazed ring below the eyes lost its sullen red tinge, took onblue shadows. "I did not know then I was to lose my child also; but before long, allthe scheme was made clear. Allen sued for a divorce. He wanted to shakeme off; and he persuaded himself all the foul things my enemies hadconcocted must be true. I had lost his love; I was too proud to show mytorn heart to the world; and men make the laws to suit themselves, andthey help each other to break chains that gall, so Allen was set free. I shut myself up in two rooms, with my boy, and saw no one. Even then, though my heart was breaking, and I wept away the lonely days--longingfor the sight of my husband's face, starving for the sound of hisvoice--I bore up; because I knew I was innocent, and unjustly censured, and I had my child to comfort me. He slept in my arms and kept mehuman; and we were all the world to each other. "Then the last blow fell. There came a note, whose every word bit myheart like an adder. Allen demanded the boy, whom the law gave to hisguardianship; and I was warned I must make no attempt to see him afterhe was taken away, because he would be taught to forget me. I refused. I dared the officer to lay hands on my little one, and I was so franticwith grief, the man had compassion, and left me. Two nights afterward, I rocked him to sleep and put him in bed. His arms fell from my neck;half aroused, he nestled his face to mine--kissed me. I went into thenext room, to finish a shirt I was making for him, and I shut the door, fearing the noise of the machine would wake him. I sewed half an hour, and--when I went back, the bed was empty, my child was gone. "I think I went utterly mad then. I can remember putting my lips to thedent on the little ruffled pillow, where his head had lain, andswearing that I would have my revenge. "That night turned me to stone; every tender feeling seemed to petrify. When I learned that Allen was soon to marry the woman for whom he hadcast me off, and that my boy was to have a new mother to teach him tohate me, it did not grieve me; I had lost all power of suffering; butit woke up a legion of fiends where my heart used to beat, and I bidedmy time. Happy women in happy homes think me a monster. With theirhusbands' arms around them, and their babies prattling at their knees, they bear my wrongs so meekly, and shudder at my depravity. When Ithought of Allen, who was my first and last and only love, giving myplace to some other woman, who was no more worthy than I knew myself tobe; and of the baby, who had slept on my heart, and was so dear becausehe had his father's eyes and his father's brown curls, growing up todeny and condemn his innocent but disgraced mother, it was more than Icould bear. I was not insane; oh, no! But I was possessed by more thanseven devils; and revenge was all this world could give me. Myhusband's family had ruined me; so I would spoil their match a secondtime. "The wedding was to be very private, but I bribed a servant and gotinto the house, and stood behind the damask curtains. Allen's motherand sister came in, leading my boy; and they were so close to me Icould see the long silky lashes resting against my baby's brow, as hisgreat brown eyes looked wonderingly at a horseshoe of roses danglingfrom the chandelier. Then my husband, my handsome husband--my darling'sfather, walked in, with the bride on his arm, and the minister metthem, saying: 'Dearly beloved--. ' I ceased to be a woman then, I was afury, a wild beast--and two minutes later my darlings were mine oncemore, safe from that other woman--dead at my feet. Then the ball Iaimed at my own breast missed its destination. I fell on my slaughteredidols; seeing in a bloody mist the wide eyes of my baby boy, and themangled face of the husband whose kiss was the only heaven I shall everknow. I meant to die with them, but I failed; so they sent me here. That was years ago; but I was a stone until that day in the chapel, when you sang my Max's song, 'By-and-By'. " There was a brief silence, and Beryl's voice wavered as she said verygently: "Your trials were fiery; and though the crime was frightfully black, God judges us according to the natures we are born with, and thetemptations that betray us; and He forgives all, if we are truepenitents and throw ourselves trustingly on His mercy. Now take thispowder; it will make you sleep. " "Will you stay with me? I shall not trouble anybody much longer. Say aprayer for my sinful soul, that is going down into the eternal night. " "Let us pray together, that your pardoned soul may find blessed andeternal peace. " Coming softly to the door, the doctor looked in through the ironlattice, saw the figure of the nurse kneeling on the sanded floor, withher bronzed head close to the pillow where the moaning victim's lay;and involuntarily he took off his cloth cap, and bowed his gray head tolisten to the brief but solemn petition that went up from the dungeonto the supreme and unerring Judge. When he returned to the same spot an hour later, Beryl sat on the sideof the cot, with one hand clasping the brown wrist thrown across herlap, the other pressed gently over the sufferer's hot, aching eyes; andwonderfully sweet was the rich voice that chanted low: "Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me. And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God! I come, I come! Just as I am, and waiting not To rid my soul of one dark blot, To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God! I come, I come!" The noon sun was shining over a wet world, kindling into diamonds thecrystal fringe of rain drops hanging from the green lances of willows, where a tufted red bird arched his scarlet throat in madrigal--whenfour men lifted a cot, and bore it with its apparently dying burden toa spot upon which the warm light fell in a golden flood. Between the Destroying Angel and his gasping prey, stepped two, anointed with the chrism of the Priesthood of Cure; and undismayed bythe strident, sibilant, fitful breath that distorted the blue lips ofthe victim, they parried the sweep of the scythe of death, with thetiny, glittering steel blade surgery cunningly fashions; and throughits silver canula, tracheotomy recalled the vanishing spirit, triumphantly renewed the lease of life. At sunset on the same day, Beryl followed the warden to the door of thelarge hospital. "Of all pitiful sights here, this has harrowed me the most. The doctorsdid all they could, and the chaplain worked hard to save her soul, butshe was like flint, till just before the end, when she raised up, andheard her child crying down in the work-room, where it had been put tosleep. We could scarcely hold her; she fought like a panther to get outof bed, till the blood gushed from her nose, and though she could notspeak plainly, she pointed, and we made out: 'Baby--Dovie'. The doctorwould not consent that we should expose the child to the risk, but Icould not hold out against that poor creature's pleading wild eyes, soI just brought the little one. What a strangling cry she gave, when Iput it in her arms, and how the tears poured! She was almost gone, andwe saw that she wanted to tell us something about the child, but wecould not understand. The doctor put a pencil in her hand, and held asheet of paper before her, and she tried to scrawl her wishes, but allwe can read is: 'Her father won't ever own her. Baptize--her Dovie--EveWerneth's baby. Don't ever tell her she was born in jail. Raise her agood--good--. ' She had a sort of spasm then, and squeezed the child sotight, it screamed. In five minutes, she was dead. Only nineteen yearsold, and the little one just two years; and not yet weaned! I don'tknow what to do; so I brought you. If I touch the child, it seemsfrightened almost to death, but maybe you can coax it away. Poor littlething! What a mercy if it could die!" "Will you let me have the care of it? Take it, and keep it up in mycell?" "I shall be only too thankful, if you will lift the load from myshoulders. " "Tell the steward to bring me a cup of warm, sweetened milk and acracker. The poor little lamb must be almost famished. " Through an open window streamed the radiance of a daffodil sky, fleckedwith curling plumes of drifting fire, and the glory fell like abenediction on the iron cot, where lay the body of the early dead; asmall, slight, blond girl wearing prematurely the crown of maternity, whose thorns had torn and stained the smooth brow of mere childhood. The half-opened eyes, fixed in their filmy blue glaze, seemed a prayerfor the pretty infant, whose head, a glistening tangle of yellow curls, was nestled down against the bare white throat of the rigid mother;while the dimpled hands pulled fretfully at the blood-spattered gown, that was buttoned across the breast. As clusters of wild snowy violets springing up in the midst of mud andmire, in a noxious swamp, look doubly pure and sweet because of fetidsurroundings, --so this blossom of the slums, this human bud, withpetals of innocence folded close in the calyx of babyhood, seemedsupremely and pathetically fair, as she stood leaning against the cot, the little rosy feet on tip-toe, pressing toward her mother; tears onthe pink velvet of the round cheeks, on the golden lashes beneath thebig blue eyes that grew purplish behind the mist. The Macedonia of suffering humanity lies always within a stone's throw;and the "cry for help" had found speedy response in more than onebenevolent heart. A gray-haired widow from the "Sheltering Arms, " to which Sister Serenabelonged, and a Sister of Charity from the hospital in X---, werealready ministering tenderly in the crowded ward; and both had essayedto coax away the little figure clutching her mother's gown; but theflaring white cap of one, and the flapping black drapery of the other, frightened the trembling child. Into the group stole Beryl; followed closely by the yellow cat, whichhad become her shadow. Kneeling beside the baby, she kissed it softly, took one of the hands, patted her own cheek with it, and lifted the catto the mattress, where it began to purr. The silky shock of yellowcurls was lifted, the wide eyes stared wonderingly first at Beryl'sface bending near, then at the cat; and by degrees, the lovely waifsuffered an arm to draw her farther and farther, while her rose-redmouth parted in a smile, that showed six little teeth, and with onehand fastened in the cat's fur, she was finally lifted and borne away;Beryl's soft cheek nestled against hers, the bronzed head bent down tothe yellow ringlets; one arm holding the baby and the cat, while theother white hand closed warmly over the child's bare, cold, dimpledfeet. CHAPTER XXVI. Fair and flowery as in the idyllic dawn when Theocritus sang itspafatoral charms, was that sunny Sicilian land where, one May morning, Leo Gordon wandered with a gay party in quest of historic sites, whichthe slow silting of the stream of time had not obliterated. Viewed fromthe heights of Achradina, whence all the vestiges of magnificence andluxury have vanished, and only the hideous monument of "man'sinhumanity to man" remains, what a vast panorama stretched far as thehorizon on every side. To the north, girding the fire-furrowed plain of Catania where olive, lemon, oleander and orange springing out of black lava, mingled hueslike paints on an ebony palette--rose vast, lonely, purple at base, snowy at summit, brooding Etna; dozing in the soft, sweet springtime, with red, wrathful eyes veiled by a silvery haze. An unlimited expanseof crinkling blue sea, shot like Persian silk with gleams of gold, andlaced here and there with foam scallops, bounded the east; smilingtreacherously above the ghastly wreck sepultured in its coral crypts, that might have told of the crash of triremes, the flames of sinkinggalleys, which twenty-two centuries ago lit the bloody waves thatclosed over slaughtered hosts. Westward lay green, wimpling vales, studded with laurel, arched withvine-draped pergolas, dotted widi flocks, dimpled with reedy marsheswhere red oxen browsed; and beyond the pale pink flush of almondgroves-- "A smoke of blue olives, a vision of towers. " Bucolic paradise of Battus and Bombyce, of Corydon and Daphnis, may itplease the hierophants of Sanskrit lore, of derivative Aryan philology, of iconoclastic euhemerism, to spare us yet awhile the lovely mythsthat dance across the asphodel meads of sunny Sicily. On the verge of the parapet of the Latomia, where the breath of thesirocco, the gnawing tooth of time, and the slow ravelling of rain hadserrated the ledge, stood Leo, gazing into the dizzying depths of thecharnel house that swarmed with the ghosts of nine thousand men, whoonce were huddled within its stony embrace. As if pitying nature had striven to appease the manes of the unburieddead, a pall of luxuriant ivy and glossy acanthus covered the bottomand sides of the quarry, one hundred feet below; but out of the dust ofcenturies stared the rayless eyes of corpses, and the gaunt despairingfaces seemed still uplifted, now in invocation, anon in imprecation tothe overarching sky, where blistering suns mocked them by day, andglittering moons and silver stars paused in their westward marchthrough dewy night, to tell them tantalizing tales of how musicallyAegean wavelets broke against the marbles at Piraeus; how loud thenightingales sang in the plane and poplar groves at home; how the whiteglory of the Parthenon smiled down on violet-crowned Athens, wheretheir wives and children thronged the temples, in sacrificial rites toinsure their safety. In crevices of the perpendicular walls lush creepers tapestried thegray stone, and far down, out of the mould of the subterranean dungeon, sprang slim lemon trees snowed over with fragrant bloom, clumps ofoleander waving banners of vivid rose, and golden-green pomegranatebushes, where scarlet flakes glowed like the wings of tropical birds. "Well, is the game worth the candle? After voyaging thousands of miles, do you feel repaid; or down there, in the heart of the desolation, doyou see only the grinning mask of jeering disappointment, whichgenerally follows American realists into the dusty haunts of Old Worldidealism?" As she spoke, Alma Cutting stepped back under the cool canopy of aspreading fig-tree, and fanned herself with a tuft of papyrus leaves. She was a tall, handsome woman, pronouncedly brunette in type, withlarge black eyes whose customary indolent indifference of expressiondid not entirely veil the fires "banked" under the velvet iris; and asquare, firm mouth, around whose full crimson lips lurked a certainhaughtiness, that despite the curb of good breeding, bordered at timesclosely upon insolence. Thirty years had tripped over this dark head, where the hair, innocent of crimp or curl, hung in a straight jetfringe low on her wide forehead; and though no lines marred the smooth, health-tinted skin, she was perceptibly "sun burnt by the glare oflife, " and the dew of youth had vanished before the vampire lips ofennui. "Disappointed? Certainly not; and I were exacting and unreasonableindeed, if I did not feel abundantly repaid. Alma, since the days whenI pored over Thucydides, Plutarch, Rollin and Grote, this spot hasbeckoned to my imagination with all the uplifted hands of the ninethousand captives; and the longing of years is to-day completelygratified. " "Am I unusually stupid, or are you rapt, beyond the realm of reason andmid-day common sense? Pray what is the fascination? It is neither sovast, nor so picturesque as the Colosseum. There, one expects to hearthe roar of the beasts springing on their human prey; the ring of steelon steel, when the gladiators have bowed like dancing-masters to thebloated old bald-headed Neros and Vespasians; and you fancy that yousmell the fountains of perfume that toss their spray from tier to tier;and see the rainbow of the silk awning flapping overhead. Better thanall, you imagine you can watch the ravishing toilettes of theFaustinas, and Fulvias and Messalinas who flirt with the handsome, straight-nosed beaux so immensely classical in their togas; and whentheir thunder-browed husbands unexpectedly step in behind, it is soeasy to conjecture the sudden change of theme, as they spread theirfans to cover the message just written on their ivory tablets, andstraightway fall to clawing the characters of all the Cornelias, andCalpurnias, and Octavias and Julia Domnas, and other respectable wives!All that I quite enjoyed because I understood. Eight years' campaigningin New York, and London and Paris would teach even an idiot thatnineteenth century 'best society' can lift you so close to thenaughtiness of the golden Roman era, that one only has to strain a verylittle on tip-toe, to feel at one's ease with the jeunesse doree ofdead ages. Here--what do you find in a huge stone well sunk into thebowels of the earth? About as enticing as a plunge into a dry cistern, suddenly unroofed? If spectres we must hunt, do let them be festive, like those Faust danced with on the Brocken!" "You should be ashamed, Alma! Miss Gordon is the very soul of courteoustoleration, or she would resent the teasing goad of your Philistinism, "cried the brother, Rivers Cutting, who in his new style yachting suitof blue cloth appeared veritably the jaunty genius of fashionablemodernity, confronting the ghost of antiquity. "You forget, Rivers, some of the sage dicta you brought back from the'Summer School of Philosophy', when you followed your last Boston flameto Concord, where she went poaching on the sacred preserves of the'Illuminati, ' hunting a new sensation. 'We must be as courteous tohuman beings as we are to a picture, which we are willing to give theadvantage of a good light. ' Now being Leo's very sincere friend, andknowing that the supreme moment of her facial triumph is when, like astartled fawn, she opens her eyes wide in horrified amazement at someinconceivable heresy, do you suppose I am so recreant to loyalty as tofail in providing her occasionally with the necessary Gorgon, ethicalor archaeolegical, as surroundings warrant? "History was never the fetich of my girlhood, and that quartette ofdry-as-dust worthies whom Leo carries around in leash, as other womencarry pugs and poodles, came near giving me meningitis in my tenderyears. My first governess, a Puritan spinster, full of zeal, andconscientiously bent on earning her wages, by exercising my brains totheir utmost capacity, undertook to introduce me to all the highlyimmoral personages and practices that made the Punic Wars famous. Byway of making Imilco a lifelong acquaintance, she illustrated the siegeof Agrigentum by a huge, hideous image of Phalaris' 'Brazen Bull, 'drawn with chalk on the school-room blackboard. "A wonderful beast it certainly was; that taurus with head lowered, tail lashing the air, one hoof pawing savagely, worthy representativeof all the horrors it typified, and which she explained with maddeningperspicuity. That night, when papa tore himself away from the club roomat one o'clock, and met mamma on the doorstep--just coming home from asupper at Delmonico's after an opera party--they were ascending thestairs, when frantic cries drove from her ears the echoes of'Traviata's' witching strain. Thinking only a conflagration wouldjustify the din, papa threw up the hall sash and shouted 'fire!' andthe police sounded the alarm, and all pandemonium broke loose. Investigation discovered me, wriggled half way down to the foot of mybed, buried under the blankets, and shrieking 'Perillus' Bull! I amroasting in the Brass Bull!' Being not very ardent disciples of Clio, my solicitous parents failed to understand the nightmare; hence crackedice was folded over my head (mid-winter), and the family physicianordered a mustard plaster half a yard long, down my spine. I vividlyremember Imilco, and the bovine fury pawing the blackboard; but of thethree Punic Wars, then and there tabooed, I recall only the brassmonster at Agrigentum. Leo, when we reach Girgenti, the remaining Meccaof your historic hopes, some time to-morrow, you will understand why, instead of climbing to the temples of the cliff, I shall lock the doorof our cabin, and drown the bellowing of the beast in Daudet's newbook. " "I wish, indeed I do, that you had staid there to-day, instead ofcoming ashore to dampen all our ardor and enthusiasm by your constantthin drizzle of scorn. One should suppose that in this idyllic region, some ray of poetic warmth must melt your frigid, scoffing soul. Daudetsuits my sister far better than Theocritus, " answered her brother, fastening a sprig of orange blossom in his button hole. Pushing back her sailor hat, Alma looked obliquely at him from beneathher drooping lids. "Try me. Perhaps infection haunts the air. Spare us the Greek, comedown from your Yale and Harvard heights to the level of my ignorance, and warble for me in English some of your Sicilian lark's melodies. Atleast I have heard of Amaryllis and Simaetha. " Mr. Cutting shook his head. "What--? Ashamed of your bucolic hobby! No wonder--since after all it'sonly a goat. I dare you, brother mine, to produce me a Theocritanfragment. " "Take the consequences of your rash levity; though I have a dawningsuspicion some 'Imp of the Perverse' has coached you for the occasion. " He stroked his mustache, pondered a moment, then struck an attitude, and declaimed: "I go a serenading to Amaryllis; what time my flocks browse on themountains, and Tityrus drives them. Tityrus beloved of me in thehighest degree, feed my flocks and lead them to the fountain, etc. " Mimicking his tone exactly, Alma finished the line: "And mind, Tityrus, that tawny Libyan he-goat lest he butt thee!' Come, Rivers; free translation is allowable, considering surroundings, butnot garbling; and every time you know you substituted flocks for goats. Proceed, and do not insult your pet author with emendations. " With his hat on the back of his head, and his thumbs in the armholes ofhis vest, Mr. Cutting resumed: "Sweet Amaryllis! though by death defiled, Thee shall I ne'er forget; dear to my heart As are my frisking goats, thou did'st depart. To what a lot--was I, unhappy, born!" Again the mocking voice responded: "But see! yon calves devour The olive branches. Pelt them off I pray. "Confound the calves! 'St--! you white-skin thief--away!' Thanks, nomore at present. Doubtless it sounds very fine in Greek, because then, I could not possibly understand that it is the melody and the rhythmicdance of bleating calves, and capering goats. Here come the stragglersladen with plunder. Oh, papa! Do give me those exquisite acaciaclusters. " "My dear, I have ordered luncheon spread down there, in that strangegarden. It is the queerest place imaginable; and looking up, the effectis quite indescribable. " "Have you had the skulls polished for drinking cups, and printed themenus on cross-bones? What shocking taste to add insult to injury byspreading all our wealth of canned dainties on the very stones wheresit the ghosts of those who perished from hunger and thirst! EminentlyDantesque, but the sacrilege appalls Leo. She would sooner attend anoyster supper, or a clam-bake in the Catacombs, or--" bowing to a youngEnglishman standing near, "lead a German in the Poets' corner ofWestminster Abbey. My dear girl, under which flag do you fight?Athenian, Roman, Carthagenian, Syracusan? "The child of a man who fell in defence of his own fireside, couldscarcely fail to sympathize with the holy cause of the invaded; yethere, in view of the horrors inflicted upon the captives, one almostleans to Athens. It seems to me the most enduring monument of Syracusanglory survives in the eloquent protest of Nicolaus against her cruelty;especially when we recollect that it came from one who, of all others, had most to forgive. Old, decrepit, unable to walk, the venerablesorrow-laden man whose only children, two sons, had died fighting tosave Syracuse--was carried on a litter into the midst of the shoutingthousands, who were drunk with the wine of victory. 'Behold an unhappyfather, who has most cause to detest the Athenians, the authors of thiswar, the murderers of my children! But I am less sensible of my privateafflictions than of the honor of my country, when I see it ready toexpose itself to eternal infamy by violating the law of nations, anddishonoring our victory by barbarous cruelty. What! Will you tarnishyour glory, and have all the world say that a nation who firstdedicated a temple in their city, to Clemency, found none in yours?Triumphs and victories do not give immortal glory to a city; but theuse of moderation in the greatest prosperity, the exercise of mercytoward a vanquished enemy, the fear of offending the gods by a haughtyand insolent pride. ' What a theme for Dore or Munkacsy?" "Thank you ever so much, Miss Gordon, for brushing away the librarydust from that historic cameo. I had so utterly forgotten it lay in themusty tomes, that it has all the charm of a curio. " Mr. Cutting tookoff his hat, and bowed. "Acknowledgments are due rather to my cousin, Dr. Douglass, who calledmy attention to the passage. The best of all things good abide withhim; and out of his overflowing store, he shares with the needy. Onlylast night he reminded me of an illustration of the vanitas vanitatumof human fame and national gratitude, to be found over yonder in thenecropolis. Less than a hundred and forty years after his death, Archimedes was so completely forgotten by the city he had immortalized, that Syracuse denied he was buried on her soil; and a foreigner had thehonor of clearing away rubbish and brambles, in order to show the graveto his own countrymen. " Leighton Douglass handed to his cousin a bunch of the delicate lilacblossoms of acanthus, tied with a wisp of some ribbon-like grass, andtaking off his spectacles, replied: "Leo unduly exalts my memory at the expense of her own; and we have alllevied heavily on her fund of topographical accuracy. " "If I travel much longer with two such learned and philosophicalscholars, I shall inevitably degenerate into an intellectual Dodder, "yawned Alma. "Into a what?" asked her father. "A Dodder, sir. Pray, papa, be more considerate than to force DoctorDouglass to believe that instead of listening to the sermon he preachedus last year, you either slept ignominiously throughout its delivery, or else allowed your unregenerate thoughts to dwell on those devices ofLucifer, 'puts, ' 'calls, 'spreads, ' 'corners, 'spots' and 'futures'. Ofcourse you remember that he believes in evolution? There was a time, even in my extremely recent day, when that word was more frightful tothe orthodox than a ton of nitro-glycerine; was to the elect, a foulerabomination even than opera bouffe and the can can. But 'the thoughtsof men are widened with the process of the suns', and now it appearsthat the immortal soul of us must be evolved, somewhat in the samefashion as protoplasm, and unless we fight for 'survival' elsewhere, weshall not be numbered among the spirited 'fittest', but degenerate intoparasites, dodders, backsliders. So, drawing nutriment from theDoctor's historic brains, and from Leo's, I fall back into worse than adodder, a torpid violator of the Law of Work, a hopeless Sacculina!Doctor Douglass, it was the bravest hour of your life when you stood upin--church pulpit, and told us the scientists whom we were wont toregard as more dreadful than the cannibals and Calmucks, are only adevoted sect of truth seekers, preaching from older texts, and drawingnearer and nearer to the kingdom of Heaven. To throw that ethical bomb, required more courage than Balaklava. " "Mine was merely a feeble attempt to follow out the analogicalreasoning of one of the most original and scientific thinkers of ourday in Great Britain; but the fact that you recall so correctly theline of argument in a sermon delivered more than a year ago, iscertainly complimentary assurance of at least approximate success in myeffort. " "After all, I am sorry I humored Leo's whim, and persuaded papa tobring us here. " "Why, my dear? We are enjoying it immensely, " said her father. "Because Syracuse has proved my 'crumpled rose leaf', by destroying theprestige of the 'Cleopatra'. Hitherto, I deemed our yacht quite themost complete and gorgeous floating palace since the days of its highlyimproper namesake's marauding sails on the Cydnus. " "And so she is; there is nothing afloat comparable to her in speed, appointments, comfort and beauty, " interrupted Mr. Cutting. "Poor papa! How he bristles at the bare suggestion of rivalry. Becomforted, sir, in the knowledge that at least we shall not be run downby a phantom cruiser. It is very humiliating to American pride--afterwinning the international prizes, and boasting so inordinately, to findout that we are only about--how many centuries, Leo?--twenty-fivecenturies behind Syracuse in building pleasure crafts. Think of asuperb cabin with staterooms containing beds (not bunks) for onehundred and twenty guests, and the floors all covered with agates andother precious stones, that formed a mosaic copy of the Iliad! If youwished to emphasize a discussion on connubial devotion, behold! thereon your right, Andromache and Hector; if one's husband objected to aharmless flirtation, lo! on the left, Agamemnon and Briseis; and topoint the moral of 'pretty is, as pretty does'--how very convenient toindicate with the tip of your satin slipper, the demure figure of Helenstanding on the walls, to watch the duel between Menelaus and Paris!Fancy the consolation a person of my indolent Sacculina temperamentmight have derived from the untimely fate of Cassandra, oppressed withknowledge in advance of her day and generation! There was the gymnasiumfor the beaux; and for the belles bona fide gardens, with walks andarbors covered with ivy and flowering vines whose roots rested in greatstone vessels filled with earth. Imagine the boudoir and bathroomspaved with precious stones, encrusted with carved ivory and statues--" "Pooh! Alma. That rigmarole is not in the guide books. Come, Dixon iswaving his handkerchief down there, as a signal that luncheon is ready. " "I prefer to wait here. Alma, bring me some anemones, and a sprig ofivy from the circular garden, when you come back, " said Leo. Doctor Douglass drew closer, and asked: "Will you let me stay also, and enjoy with you the wonderful charm ofthis opalescent air, this beautiful cincturing sea?" "I would rather be alone. Solitude is a luxury rarely allowed on ayacht cruise; and I want a few quiet moments. By day, poor Aunt Pattyhas so much to tell me; at night, Alma is a chattering owl. " There are hours when the ghost of a happy past, from which we havepersistently fled, constrains us to give audience; and Leo surrenderedherself to memories that brought a very mournful shadow into her bravebrown eyes. Thirteen months had passed since her departure from X---anddespite changing scenes and novel incidents, she could not escape thehaunting face that met her on mountains, was mirrored in every sea; thebrilliant mesmeric face set in its frame of crisp black locks, withdark blue eyes whose intense lustre had the cold, hard gleam of jewels. Sleeping or waking, always that dear, powerful face daring her toforget. When Doctor Douglass and Miss Patty joined the yacht party at Palermo, the former had brought a letter and a package, which sorely testedLeo's strength of will. Leaning to-day against the twisted body of anold olive tree, she opened and read once more, the final message. "When Leighton places this sheet in your hands, the year of releasewhich I could not refuse you, will have expired. Once your noble heartwas wholly mine; and the proudest moment of my life was, and will be, that in which you promised to be my wife. All that you ever were, youshall always remain to me; and if you can confide your happiness to mykeeping, I will never betray the sacred trust. Life has grown sombre tome, during the past eighteen months; and the only companionship that Ican hope to cheer it, you alone can bring me. I have not willingly orintentionally forfeited your confidence; but that I have suffered, Ishall not deny. If you love me, as in days gone by, our future restsonce more in your hands; and you must renew the pledges that at yourrequest I surrendered. In behalf of our past, I beg that you willretain the ring, hallowed forever by the touch of your hand; and itsacceptance will typify, if not a renewal of our engagement, at leastthe perpetuity of a sacred friendship. Awaiting your final decision, Iam, my dear Leo, "Yours as of yore, LENNOX. " All that she had ever been; no more. The graceful, well-bred heiresswhom he admired, who commanded his profoundest respect, whom he hadknown from his boyhood, and who of all others he had desired shouldpreside over his home and wear his name; but not the woman who reignedin his heart; whose touch had lighted the glowing tenderness that sotransfigured his countenance, as she saw it that day, bending over asick convict in a penitentiary. He offered her formal allegiance, and that pale phantom of affectiongrounded in reverence, which is to the ardent love that a true womandemands in exchange for her own, as-- "Moonlight unto sunlight; and as water unto wine. " She knew that he was no willing victim of a fascination, which hadaudaciously deranged his carefully mapped campaign of life; that hewould have set his heel on his own insurgent heart, had it beenpossible; and she honored him for the stern integrity that forbade hisaffectation of a warmth of feeling which she was now conscious she hadnever evoked. Accepting the theory that the young convict was sustained and animatedby her devotion to a guilty lover, Leo fully understood that Lennox, even were he mad enough to sacrifice his pride, could indulge noexpectation of ever winning the love of the prisoner; and despite herefforts to regard their rupture as final, she had faintly hoped that hewould cross the ocean, and in person urge a renewal of the betrothal. The test of absence had proved as effectual as she intended it shouldbe, and his letter proclaimed the humiliating fact, that while honorinspired him to hold out his wrists for conjugal manacles, honorequally constrained him to spare her the wrong and insult of insincereprofessions of tenderness. Had she found it possible to condemn him as unworthy, it would havediminished the pain of surrendering the brightest hope of her life; forcontempt is the balm a lofty soul offers a bruised heart, but she wasjust, even in her anguish; and that when barbed the arrow, was themortifying consciousness that compassion for her was the strongestmotive which dictated the carefully phrased letter. She was far tooproud to parley with the temptation to accept the shadow in lieu of thesubstance; and twenty-four hours after the arrival of the final appeal, her answer was speeding with wings of steam across the ocean. "DEAR LENNOX: "My heart overflows with gratitude for all the affectionate interest, the kind solicitude, the innumerable thoughtful attentions you have soindefatigably shown to Aunt Patty, in the sad complication ofmisfortunes that so suddenly overwhelmed her; and I feel the inadequacyof any attempt to express my thanks. Your letter can only rivet moreindissolubly the links of an affectionate friendship that must alwaysbind you and me; but the future can hold no renewal of pledges which Ifeel assured would conduce neither to your happiness, nor to mine. Letus embalm the past and bury it tenderly; raising no mound to trip ourfriendly feet in years to come. The serenity of our future might bemarred by retrospective gleams of the beautiful ring that once enclosedtwo lives; hence, I have ordered the diamonds reset in the form of afour-leaved clover, which will be sent to dear Kittie as an auspiciousomen. "With undiminished esteem, and unshaken confidence, and with a prayerfor your happiness, which will always be dear to me, I remain, "Your sincerely attached friend, "LEO. " The majority of men, and a large class of women, bury their dead, andstraightway begin assiduously the cultivation of all that promisesoblivion; but Leo's nature was deeper, more intense; and while she madeno audible moan, and shed no tears, she accepted the fact that earthlyexistence had lost its coveted crown, and that her aching heart was thedark grave of a beautiful hope that could know no resurrection. To-dayshe asked herself: "What shall I do with my life?" Upon the warm air, sweet with the breath of lemon flowers, floated thepeculiar, jeering, yet subdued and musical laughter, which told thatAlma had flown straight at some luckless quarry. She held in one hand acluster of crimson anemones, and purple stars of periwinkle, andwalking between two English gentlemen, whose yacht, the "Albatross", lay anchored close to the "Cleopatra" in the harbor below, slowlyapproached Leo, saying: "Don't stone your prophets. Especially one hedged about with the triplesanctity of Brasenose! 'Consider that thy marbles are but the earth'scallosities, thy gold and silver its faeces; thy silken robe but aworm's bedding; and thy purple an unclean fish. ' That is onesugar-coated pill that I administer to my humility now and then to keepit healthy. Hear him again;--'sitting on the marble bench of one of theexhedrea on the edge of the Appian Way, close to the fragrant bordersof a rose farm': 'So it is, with the philosophers; all alike are insearch of happiness, what kind of thing it is. It is pleasure, it isvirtue; what not? All philosophers, so to speak, are but fighting aboutthe ass' shadow. I saw one who poured water into a mortar, and groundit with all his might with a pestle of iron, fancying he did a thinguseful; but it remained water only, none the less. ' Stoicism, hedonism, the gospel of 'Sweetness and Light'; what is it, may I ask, that youraesthetic priests furnish, to feed immortal British souls? Kneebreeches, sun flowers, niello, cretonne, Nanking bowls, lily dados? Tous it savors sorrowfully of that which one of your prophetsforeshadowed, 'Despair, baying as the poet heard her, in the ruins ofold Rome'. " "Beg pardon, Miss Cutting; but you quite surprise me. The tone of manyAmerican papers and magazines led us to suppose, really, that the rosydawn of Culture was beginning to flush the night of Philistinismbrooding over your Western world. " "Believe it not. Primeval gloom, raw realism so weigh upon ourapathetic souls, that we rub our eyes and stare at sight of youraesthetic catechism: 'Harmony, but no system; instinct, but no logic;eternal growth and no maturity; everlasting movement, and nothingattained; infinite possibilities of everything; the becoming allthings, the being nothing. ' We have too much Philistine honesty topretend that we understand that, but like other ambitious parrots wecan commit to memory. One of your seers tells us that: 'Renaissance artwill make our lives like what seems one of the loveliest things innature, the iridescent film on the face of stagnant water!' Now it willrequire at least a decade, to train us to appreciate the subtilesymphonies of ditch slime. An English friend compassionating myAmerican stupidity, essayed to initiate me in the cult of 'culture', and gave me a leaf to study, from the latter-day gospel. I learned itafter a time, as I did the multiplication table. 'Culture steps in, andpoints out the grossness of untempered belief. It tells us the beautyof picturesque untruth; the grotesqueness of unmannerly conviction;truth and error have kissed each other in a sweet, serener sphere; thisbecomes that, and that is something else. The harmonious, the suave, the well bred waft the bright particular being into a peculiar andreserved parterre of paradise, where bloom at once the graces ofPanthism, the simplicity of Deism, and the pathos of Catholicism; wherehe can sip elegances and spiritualities from flowerets of every faith!'Fancy my crass ignorance, when I assure you that I actually laughedover that verbal syllabub, thinking it intended as a famous bit ofsatire. " "Then it is pathetically true that reverence for the Renaissance hasnot crossed the Atlantic?" asked one of the "Albatross" party, who withhis sketch book half open, was surreptitiously making an"impressionist" view of Leo's profile, as she stood listening to Alma'spersiflage, and mechanically arranging her lilac acanthus blossoms. "Devoted British colporteurs have philanthropically scattered a few artprimers and tracts, and there is a possibility that in the near future, our people may search the maps for Orvieto, and the dictionaries forCampo Santo, to compass the mysteries of the 'Triumph of Death', and of'Symmetria Prisca'. Some of us have even heard of 'Aucassin etNicolette', and of 'Nencia da Barberino', picking salad in her garden;and I am almost sure a Vassar girl once spoke to me of Delia Quercia'sIlaria; but with all my national pride, candor compels me to admitthat it is a 'far cry' to the day when we can devoutly fall on ourknees before the bronze Devil of Giovanni da Bologna. Aestheticpaupers, we sit on the lowest bench at the foot of the class, in yourDame's Art School, to learn the alphabet of the wonderful Renaissance;and in our chastened and reverent mood, it almost takes our breath awaywhen your high-priestess unrolls the last pronunciamento, and tells usher startling story of 'Euphorion!' Why? Ah!--don't you know? ThePuritan leaven of prudery, and the stern, stolid, phlegmatic decorum ofKnickerbockerdom mingle in that consummate flower of the nineteenthcentury occident, the 'American Girl', who pales and flushes at sightof the carnival of the undraped--in English art and literature. Here, Leo, take your anemones; red, are they not, as the blood once chilleddown yonder, in that huge stone kennel? Dr. Douglass has the ivy root;and he and I have concluded, that after all, Syracuse was not morecruel here in the Latomia, than some States in America, where convictsare leased to mining companies, and kept quarrying coal, without eventhe sweet consolation of staring up at this magical blue sky. We leavehideous moral and physical leprosy at home, and come here to sheddilettante tears over classic tatters twenty-five centuries old! Oimmortal and ubiquitous Tartufe!" As Leo walked with her cousin toward the spot, where the "Cleopatra"rose and fell on the crest of waves racing before Libeccio, shesuddenly laid her hand on his arm. "Leighton, I have decided to leave the yacht at Venice and take AuntPatty to Udine for rest and quiet. When summer is over, I shall beready to make arrangements for the journey to Syria and Egypt, and youmust complete your church mission to England in time to accompany us toJerusalem. " "Is this your itinerary, or Aunt Patty's?" "She has set her heart upon it; and it will be agreeable to me. " CHAPTER XXVII. Is it true that in abstract valuation, "the bird in hand, is worth twoin the bush?" We stand beneath a loaded apricot tree, and would give all the bushelwithin reach, for one crimson satin globe pendent on the extreme tip ofthe most inaccessible bough; and the largest, luscious, richest coloredorange always glows defiantly, high up, close to the body of the tree, hedged away from our eager grasp by its impenetrable chevaux de friseof bristling thorns. The wonderful water lily we covet is smiling onits green cushion of leaves just beyond the danger line, where deathlurks; the rhododendron flame that burned brightest amid surroundingfloral fires, and lured us, springs from the crevice of some beetlingprecipice, waving a challenge over fatal chasms that bar possession;and with fretful dissatisfaction we repine, because the colors of thefeathered captives in our gilt cages are so dull, so faded incomparison with their brothers, flashing wings of scarlet, and breastsof vivid blue high in the sunlight of God's free air. The gold and silver dust that powder velvet butterflies, tarnish at atouch, stain the fingers that clutch them; and the dewy bloom on purpleand amber grape clusters, never survives the handling of the vintager. Leaning back in the revolving chair in front of his office desk, Mr. Dunbar slowly tore into strips a number of notes and letters, andsuffered the fragments to fall into a waste basket somewhat faded, yetmuch too elegant to harmonize with its surroundings. When Leo quilted the lining of ruby silk and knotted the ribbons thattied it to the wicker lace work, love pelted her cheek with roses, andhappy hope sang so loud in her ear, that she could not have divined thecruel fact that she was preparing the dainty coffin, destined toreceive the mutilated remains of a betrothal, that typified supremeearthly happiness to her. One by one dropped the shreds of Leo's lastmessage from Palermo, like torn crumpled petals of a once beloved andsacred flower; and the faint, delicate perfume that clung to thefragments, was one which Mr. Dunbar recognized as characteristic of thelibrary at the "Lilacs". The contents of the farewell note had in nodegree surprised him; for though fully persuaded that her heart wasirrevocably pledged to the past, he was equally sure that only theardor he scorned to feign, would avail to melt the wall of ice heroutraged pride had built between them. There were times when hedeplored bitterly the loss of her companionship; at others he exultedin the consciousness of perfect freedom to indulge an overmasteringlove, amenable to no chastisement by violated loyalty. He hadscrupulously endeavored, by careful employment of forms of deference, to spare his betrothed as far as possible, the stinging humiliation andanguish which every woman suffers, when the man whom she loves showsher that she fills only a subordinate and insignificant place in hisaffection; and yet, while her nobler nature commanded his homage, andthe brilliancy of the alliance seems to jeer at his blind fatuity, hisheart throbbed and yearned with an intolerable longing for one uponwhom the world had set the seal of an ineradicable disgrace. Nature and education had made him a coldly calculating man, jealous ofhis honor, but immersed in schemes for his own aggrandizement, andsuperbly invulnerable to the blandishments of sentimentality; hence hisamazement, when the deep and engrossing love of his life burned awaythat selfishness which was citadel of his affections. Because hisinfatuation had cost him so much, that was alluring alike to vanity, pride, and ambition, a fierce hunger for revenge possessed him; andherein differs the nature of the love of men and women; the one cansacrifice itself for the happiness of the beloved; the other willcrucify its darling to appease jealous pangs in view of happiness itcan neither inspire nor share. "Good morning, Churchill. Come in. Glad to see you. Sit down. " "When did you get back, Lennox?" "Last night. " "Well, what luck?" "A rather leaky promise. Kneading slag or cold pig iron into Bessemersteel would be about as easy as pounding the law of evidence into theGovernor's brains. I emphasized the moral weight of the petition, bycalling his attention to the signatures of the judge, jury, prosecutingcounsel and especially of Prince, who presumably has most to forgive. The memorial of the inspectors, warden and physician was appended, andconstituted a eulogy upon the behavior and character of the prisoner;especially the heroic service rendered by her during the recent fatalepidemic. Human nature is an infernally vexing bundle of paradoxes, andwhen a man throws his conscience in your teeth, what then? The argumentfrom which I hoped most, proved a Greek horse, and well-nigh wroughtruin. When I dwelt upon the fact that the prisoner had voluntarilyconveyed to Prince all right and title to the fortune, which wassupposed to have tempted her to commit the crime, he bristled like aSkye terrier, and grandiloquently assured me he valued his 'prerogativeas something too sacred to be prostituted to nepotism!' Prince beinghis cousin, a readiness to exercise Executive clemency by pardoning theprisoner, might be construed into a species of bargain and sale; andhis Excellency could not condone a crime merely because the culprit hadrelinquished a fortune to his relative. Braying an ordinary fool in amortar is an unpromising job; but an extraordinary officialleatherhead, PLUS thin-skinned conscience, and religious scruples, requires the upper and nether mill stone. You know, Churchill, it istough work to straighten a crooked ramrod. " "I see; a case of moral curvature of the spine. When he was inauguratedlast December, I chanced to be at the Capital, and heard two oldcodgers from the piney woods felicitating the State upon having aGovernor, 'Fit to tie to; honest as the day is long, and walks sostraight, he is powerful swaybacked. ' Dunbar, did he refuse outright?" "He holds the matter in abeyance for maturer deliberation; but promisesthat, unless he sees cogent reasons to the contrary, he may grant apardon when eighteen months of the sentence have expired. That will bethe last week in August, and almost two years since she was thrown intoprison. I should have made application to his predecessor, Glenbeigh, had I not been so confident of overtaking the man who killed Gen'lDarrington; but the clue that promised so much merely led me astray. Iwent with the detective down into the mines, and found the man, whocertainly had a hideous facial deformity, but he was gray as a badger, and moreover proved an ALIBI, having been sick with small-pox in thecounty pest-house on the night of the murder. It is a tedious hunt, butI will not be balked of my game. I will collar that wretch some day, and meantime I will get the pardon. " "I hope so; for I shall never feel easy until that poor girl is setfree. The more I hear of her deportment and character, especially ofthe religious influence she seems to be exerting through some Biblereadings she holds among the female convicts, the more painfully am Ioppressed with the conviction that we all committed a sad blunder, andnarrowly escaped hanging an innocent woman. " "Speak for yourself. I disclaim complicity in the disgraceful wrong ofthe conviction. " "Well, I confess I would rather stand in your place than mine;especially since my wife's brother Garland was called in as consultingphysician, last month at the penitentiary. He has so stirred hersympathies for the woman whom he pronounces a paragon of all thevirtues and graces, that I begin to fidget now at the sound of theprisoner's name, and can hardly look my wife straight in the face. WhenI go up to court next week, I will call on the Governor, and add apersonal appeal to the one I have already signed. According to theevidence, she is guilty; but when justice is vindicated, one can affordto listen to the dictates of pity. Now, Dunbar, let me congratulate youon your recent good luck. We hear wonderful accounts of your newfortune. " "Rumor always magnifies such matters; still it is true that I haveinherited a handsome estate. " "Does your sister share equally?" "A very liberal legacy was left to her, but you are aware that I wasnamed for my mother's brother, Randall Lennox, and he has for manyyears regarded me as his heir; hence, gave me the bulk of the property. " "It is rather strange that he never married. I recall him as a verydistinguished looking man. " "He had a love affair very early in life, while at college, with thedaughter of his Greek professor. Surreptitiously he took her to driveone afternoon, and the horse became frightened, ran away and killed thegirl. He was a peculiar man, and seems never to have swerved from hisallegiance to her memory. " "I hope it is not true that the conditions of the will require you toremove from X---and settle in New Orleans? We can't afford to lose youfrom our bar. " "There are no restrictions in my Uncle Lennox's will; the legacy wasunconditional; but the obligation of complying with his urgent desireto have me live in New Orleans will probably induce me to make that myfuture home. For several years he has associated me with him in theconduct of some important suits; and I understand now, that his motivewas to introduce me gradually to a new field of professional labor. Notthe least valuable of my new possessions is his superb law library, probably the finest in the South. Of course my business will keep mehere, for the present, and I have matured no plans. " "Did you reach New Orleans before his death?" "No, I was in Dakota, and missed a letter designed to acquaint me withhis illness. While in Washington on my return, arguing a case beforethe Supreme Court, a telegram was forwarded from the office here, and Ihurried off by the first train, but arrived about ten hours too late. Another grudge I have to settle with that bloody thief, when I unearthhim. " "After all, Dunbar, you are a deucedly lucky fellow, --and--Hello!historic Hebrew! Bedney, have you seen a ghost?" "Yes--Mars Alfred--two of 'em. " Spent with fatigue, panting, with an ashen pallor on his leathery, wrinkled face, the old negro ran in to the office, and leaned heavilyagainst the oak table. "What is the matter? Positively, you are turning a grayish white. Whatis the secret of the bleaching? Police after you? Or does the Sheriffwant you?" "Mars Alfred, this ain't no fitten time to crack your on'-Gawdly jokes, for I am scared all but into fits. I started in a brisk walk, but everystep I got more and more afeered to look behind, and I struk a foxtrot, and now my wind is clean gone. " "What is the trouble? What are you running from?" "'Fore Gawd, Mars Alfred, sperrits! Sperrits, sir. " "Do you mean that you want a dram to steady your nerves?" "I'm that frustrated I couldn't say what I want; but I didn't signifybottle and jimmyjohn liquor, I mean sperrits, sir, ghosts what walk, and make the hair rise like wire all over your head. The ole house ishanted shore 'nuff; and I can't stay there. Lem'me tell you, Lord! MarsAlfred, don't laugh! It's the Gawd's truth, ole Marster's sperrit isfighting up yonder in his room with the man what killed him. I seenhim, in the broad daylight, and I have cum for you and Mars Lennox togit there, jest as quick as you kin, so you kin see it fur yourselves. I know you won't believe it till you see it; nuther should I, but it'sthere. The sperrits have cum back, to show my young mistiss' childnever killed her grandpa. " Mr. Dunbar rose quickly, handed a glass of water to the old man, andthen placed a chair for him. "Tell me at once what you saw. " "Ole Marster standin' in the flo' close to the vault, with his arm upso--and the handi'on in his own hand--" "How dare you come here, with this cock-and-bull story? You are eitherdrunk or in your dotage. Your master has been in his grave for eighteenmonths, and--" "Oh! to be shore I know'd what you'd say. Cuss me for an idjut; but Iswar, Mars Lennox, I am that scared I dasn't to tell you no lie. Theproof of the pudden is jest chawin' the bag, an' I want you both to gita carridge quick, and take me up home; and if you don't see what I tellyou is thar, you may kick me from the front door clean down to the biggate. The grave is busted wide open, and the dead walks, for I seenhim; and I'll sho' him to you. Come on, I want you to see for yourself. " "You imbecile old nincompoop! Go home, and tell Dyce to give you somecatnip tea, and tie you to a chair, " laughed Mr. Churchill. "You'll laugh t'other side of your mouth, Mars Alfred, when you seethat awful sight up yonder. Ole Marster has come back, to clare thename of his grandchile, for he and his murderer is a wrastling, and itain't no 'oman, it's a man! A tall, pretty man, with beard on his face. " Mr. Dunbar struck a bell at his side, and a clerk came promptly fromthe rear room. "Nesbitt, step over to the livery stable, and order a carriage sent upat once. " Turning to Bedney he continued: "I suppose the gist of all your yarn-spinning is, that you have found astranger prowling about the place. How did you discover him?" "Lem'me tell you, as fur as I can, how I cum to see ole Marster. Mr. Prince gin orders that the house should be opened and arred reglar, andhe pintedly enjined us to have that room well cleaned and put in order. We had all pintedly gin it a wide berth, and kep' ourselves on t'otherside of the house, 'cause all such places is harryfying; but thismorning, I thought I would open the outside blind door on the westgallery, and look in through the glass door. I know'd Mr. Prince hadstirred round considerable in there, the day before he left, but Ididn't know he had drapped the curting what was looped back the lasttime I was inside. So I went up the steps and clared away a rose vinewhat was hanging low down from the i'on pillar of the piazzar, andalmost screening the door, and I walked up, I did, and looked in. LordGawd Amighty! The red curting was down on the inside, and I seenthrough it, I swar to Gawd I did, sir! I seen clar spang through intothat room, and thar stood Marster in his night clothes, jest so--andthar stood that murdering vil'yan close to him, holding the tin boxso--and Marster with the handi'on jest daring him to cum on--and--andoh! I am glad to know my Marster was game to the last, died game! Nevershow'd no white feather while thar was breath in his body. Mars Lennox, I jest drapped on my knees, and I trimbled, and my teeth chattered, andI felt the hair as it riz straight up. I was afeer'd to stay, and I wasafeer'd to move; but I shet my eyes and crawled back'ards easy to theaidge of the steps, and then run as fast as I could. I wanted Dyce tosee, too, but the poor cretur is so crippled she can't walk, and as sheweighs two hundred and twenty pounds, I couldn't tote her; so I toleher what I seen, and she sent me straight to find Mars Alfred fust, andyou next. I run to Mars Alfred's office, and he was out, so I kep' onhere. I know'd you lie'yers was barking up the wrong tree, andwrongfully pussecutin' that poor young gal; and now the very sperritshave riz up to testify fur her. If you two can face ole Marster'sghost, and tell him you know better than he did who killed him, you'vegot better pluck and backbone than I give you credit fur. " "What did you eat last night, Bedney? Baked possum, and friedchitterlings? Evidently you have had a heavy nightmare. " Mr. Churchill drew a match across the heel of his boot, and lighted acigar; looking quizzically at the old man, who was wiping theperspiration from his face. "There's the carridg, I hear the wheels. Mars Lennox and Mars Alfred, there is one thing I insists on havin'. The law is all lop-sided fromfust to last in this here case, and I want it squoze into shape, tillt'other side swells out a little. I want the Crowner to go up yondernow, and hold another inquess. He's done sot all wrong on the body, andnow let him set on the sperrit if he kin. I'm in plum earnest. TheCrowner swore that poor young gal knocked Marster in the head with thehandi'on; and yonder stands Marster, ready to brain that man--with thathandi'on hilt tight in his own right hand. Now what I wants to know is, WHAR is the 'delectible corpus' what you lieyers argufied over?" "You doting old humbug! If you decoy us on a wild goose chase I shallfeel like cutting one of your ears off!" "Slit 'em both and welcome, Mars Alfred, if you don't find I'm tellingyou the Gawd's truth. I feel all tore up, root and branch, and if folkscould be scared to death, I should be stretched out this minute on thewest piazzar. I had my doubts about ghosts and sperrits, and I lost myreligion when I cotch our preacher brandin' one of my dappledcrumple-horned hefers with his i'on; but Bedney Darrington is a changedpusson. Come en, let's see which of you will dar to laugh up yonder. " "Are you really bent on humoring this insane or idiotic vagary?" askedMr. Churchill, as he saw his companion take his hat and prepare tofollow the negro, who had left the room. "His terror is genuine, and his superstitious tale is probably theouter shell of some kernel of fact that may possibly be valuable. Incases of circumstantial evidence, you and I know the importance oflooking carefully into the merest trifles. Come with me; you can sparean hour. " Leaving the carriage at the front entrance of the deserted and statelyold house, the attorneys crossed the terrace and walked around to thewestern veranda, preceded by Bedney, who paused at the steps, and wavedthem to ascend. "Go up and see for yourselves. I am nigh as I want to git. " The stone floor was strewn with branches of rose vine, and the pruningshears lay open upon them, just as they had fallen from the old man'shand. The sun had passed several degrees below the meridian, and theshadows of the twisted iron columns were aslant eastward, but the glareof light shone on the plate-glass door, which was rounded into an archat top, and extended within four inches of the surface of the floor, where it fitted into the wooden frame. It was one wide sheet, unbrokeninto panes, and on the outside dust had collected, and a family ofspiders had colonized in the lower corner, spinning their gray lacequite across the base. It was evident that the Venetian blinds had longbeen closed, and recently opened, as a line of dust and dried driftleaves attested; and behind the glass hung the dull red, plush curtain, almost to the floor. Both gentlemen pressed forward, and looked in; but saw nothing. "Hang your head kinder sideways, down so, and look up, Mars Lennox. " Mr. Dunbar changed his position, and after an instant, started back. "Do you see it, Churchill? No hallucination; it is as plain as print, just like the negative of a photograph. " "Bless my soul! It beats the Chinese jugglers! What a curious thing!" "Stand back a little; you obstruct the light. Now, how clearly it comesout. " Printed apparently on the plush background, like the images in acamera, were the distinctly outlined and almost life-size figures oftwo men. Clad in a long gown, with loose sleeves, Gen'l Darringtonstood near the hearth, brandishing the brass unicorn in one hand, theother thrown out and clinched; the face rather more than profile, scarcely three-quarters, was wonderfully distinct, and the hair muchdishevelled. In front was the second portrait, that of a tall, slenderyoung man who appeared to have suddenly wheeled around from the openvault, turning his countenance fully to view; while he threw up a dark, square object to ward off the impending blow. A soft wool hat pushedback, showed the curling hair about his temples, and the remarkableregularity of his handsome features; while even the plaid pattern ofhis short coat was clearly discernible. As the attorneys came closer, or stepped back from the door, the imagesseemed to vary in distinctness, and viewed from two angles they becameinvisible. Mr. Churchill stared blankly; Mr. Dunbar's gaze was riveted on the faceof the burglar, and he took his underlip between his teeth, as was hishabit in suppressing emotion. "Of course there is some infernal trick about this; but how do youaccount for it? It is beyond Bedney's sleight of hand, " said theDistrict Solicitor. "I think I understand how it came here. Bedney, go around and open thelibrary door leading into this room, and loop back the curtain for amoment. " "No, sir, Mars Lennox. Forty railroad ingines couldn't pull me in therealive. I wouldn't dar tamper with ole Marster's ghost; not for all themoney in the bank. Go yourself; I doesn't budge on no sech bizness asprying and spying amongst the sperrits. It would fling me into a fit. " "You miserable coward. Is the house open? Where is the key of thisroom?" "Hanging on the horseshoe under my chimbly board. I'll fetch it andunlock the front door, so you kin git in, and hold your inquess inside. " "Will you go, Churchill, or shall I?" "What is your idea?" "To ascertain whether the images are on the glass, as I believe, and ifthey can be seen without the background. Stand just here--and watch. When I pull back the curtain, tell me the effect. " Some moments later, the red folds shook, swayed aside, the curtain waspushed out of sight on its brass rod. The interior of the apartmentcame into view, the articles of furniture, the face and figure of Mr. Dunbar. "Is it still there; do you see it?" shouted the latter. "No. It vanished with the curtain. Drop it back. There! I see it. Nowloop it. Gone again. Must be on the curtain, " shouted the Solicitor, peering through the glass at his colleague. Mr. Dunbar turned a key on the inside, pushed back a bolt, and threwopen the door, which swung outward on the veranda. Then he carefullylet fall the plush curtain once more. "Do you see it?" "No. A blank show. I can't see into the trick. Dunbar, change placeswith me and satisfy yourself. " The solicitor went inside, and Mr. Dunbar watched from the veranda arepetition of the experiment. "That will do, Churchill. It is all plain enough now, but you cease towonder at Bedney's superstitious solution. You understand it perfectly, don't you?" "No, I'll be hanged if I do! It is the queerest thing I ever saw. " "Do you recollect that there was a violent thunder-storm the night ofthe murder?" "Since you mention it, I certainly recall it. Go on. " "All the witnesses testified that next morning this door was closed asusual, but the outside blinds were open, and the red curtain was loopedback. " "Yes, I remember all that. " "The images are printed on the glass, and were photographed by a flashof lightning. " "I never heard of such a freak. Don't believe it. " "Nevertheless it is the only possible solution; and I know that severalsimilar instances have been recorded. It is like the negative of acommon photograph, brought out by a dark background; and do you noticethe figures are invisible at certain angles? It is very evident thestorm came up during the altercation that night, and electricityprinted the whole scene on this door; stamping the countenance of themurderer, to help the instruments of justice. While the blinds wereclosed, and the curtain was looped aside, of course this wonderfulwitness could not testify; but Prince let down the folds just beforehis departure, and the moment Bedney opened the blinds, there lay thetruthful record of the awful crime. Verily, the 'irony of fate!' Anoverwhelming witness for the defence, only eighteen months too late, tosave a pure, beautiful life from degradation and ruin. Well may Bedneyask, 'where is your corpus delicti?' Alfred Churchill, I wish you joyof the verdict, you worked so hard to win. " Turning on his heel Mr. Dunbar walked the length of the veranda, andstood gazing gloomily across the tangled mass of the neglected rosegarden, taking no cognizance of the garlands of bloom, seeingeverywhere only that lithe elegant figure and Hyperion face of the manwho reigned master of Beryl's heart. The Solicitor leaned one shoulder against the door facing, and with hishands in his pockets, and his brows drawn into a pucker, pondered thenew fact, and eyed the strange witness. After a time, he approached his companion. "If your hypothesis be correct, and it seems plausible, if scienceasserts that electricity can photograph, --then certainly I am sorry, sorry enough for all I did in the trial; yet I cannot reproach myself, because I worked conscientiously; and the evidence was conclusiveagainst the girl. The circumstantial coincidences were strong enough tohave hung her. We all make mistakes, and no doubt I am responsible formy share; but thank God! reparation can be made! I will take the nighttrain and see the Governor before noon to-morrow. The pardon must comenow. " "Pardon! He cannot pardon a crime of which she now stands acquitted. The only pardon possible, she may extend to those who sacrificed her. His Excellency need exercise no prerogative of mercy; his aid issuperfluous. Churchill, go in as soon as you can, and send out theSheriff, with as many of the jurors as you can get together; and askJudge Parkman to drive out this afternoon, and bring Stafford, thephotographer, with him. Tell Doctor Graham I want to see him here, ashe is an accomplished electrician. I will stay here and guard this doortill all X---has seen it. " Winged rumor flew through the length and breadth of the town, andbefore sunset a human stream poured along the road leading to "ElmBluff", overflowed the green lawn under the ancient poplars, surgedacross the terrace, and beat against the railing of the piazza. Men, women, children, lawyers, doctors, newspaper reporters, all pressingforward for a glimpse of the mysterious and weird witness, that, in thefulness of time, had arisen to reprove the world for a grievous andcruel wrong. The hinges had been removed; the door was set up at a certain angle, carefully balanced against the hanging curtain; and there the curiouscrowd beheld, in a veritable vision of the dead, torn as it were fromthe darkness and silence of the grave, the secret of that stormy night, when unseen powers had solemnly covenanted in defence of trustinginnocence. CHAPTER XXVIII. On Saturday the regulations of prison discipline reduced the workinghours much below the daily quota, and at two o'clock the ringing of thetower bell announced that the busy convicts of the various industrialrooms were allowed leisure during the remainder of the afternoon, togive place to the squad of sweepers and scrubbers, who flooded thefloors and scoured the benches. June heat had followed fast upon the balmy breath of May, and thoughthe air at dawn was still iced with crystal dew, the sun that shonethrough the open windows of the little chapel, burned fiercely on theunpainted pine seats, the undraped reading-desk of the pulpit, thetarnished gilt pipes of the cabinet organ within the chancel railing. On one of the front benches sat Iva Le Bougeois, with a pair ofcrutches resting beside her on the arm of the seat, and her handsfolded in her lap. Recovering slowly from the paralysis resulting fromdiphtheria, she had followed Beryl into the chapel, and listened to thehymns the latter had played and sung. The glossy black head was bent inabject despondency upon her breast, and tears dripped over the smootholive cheeks, but no sound escaped the trembling mouth, once so red andriotous, now drawn into curves of passionate sorrow; and the topazgleams that formerly flickered in her sullen hazel eyes were drowned inthe gloom of dejection. For her, memory was an angel of wrath, drivingher into the hideous Golgotha of the past, where bloody spectresgibbered; the present was a loathsome death in life, the future anameless torturing horror. Helpless victim of her own outragedconscience, she seemed at times sinking into mental apathy morepitiable than that which had seized her physically; and the only solacepossible, she found in the encouraging words uttered by the voice thathad prayed for her during that long night of mortal agony, in thegentle pressure of the soft hand that often guided her totteringfootsteps. The organ stops had been pushed back, the musical echoes vibrated nolonger; and the bare room, filled with garish sunshine, was so stillthat the drowsy droning of a bee high up on the dusty sash of thebarred window, became monotonously audible. Within the chancel and to the right of the pulpit, a large reversibleblackboard had recently been placed, and on a chair in front of itstood Beryl, engrossed in putting the finishing touches to a sketchwhich filled the entire board; and oblivious for the moment of EveWerneth's baby, who, having emptied her bottle of milk, had pulledherself up by the chair, and with the thumb of her right hand in hermouth, was staring up at the picture. The lesson selected for the Sunday afternoon Bible class, which Berylhad so successfully organized among a few of the female convicts, wasthe fifteenth chapter of Luke; and at the top of the blackboard waswritten in large letters: "Rejoice with Me, for I have found My sheepwhich was lost. " She had drawn in the foreground the flock couched insecurity, rounded up by the collie guard in a grassy meadow; in thedistance, overhanging a gorge, was a bald, precipitous crag, behindwhich a wolf crouched, watching the Shepherd who tenderly bore in hisarms the lost wanderer. On the opposite side of the blackboard had beencarefully copied the Gospel Hymn beginning:-- "There were ninety and nine that safely lay, In the shelter of thefold, But one was out on the hills away, Far off from the gates ofgold--Away on the mountains wild and bare, Away from the tenderShepherd's care. " Mental processes are strangely dualistic, and it not unfrequentlyhappens that while one is consciously intent upon a certain train ofthought, some secret cunning current of association sets in vibrationthe coil of ideas locked in the chambers of memory, and long forgottenimages leap forth, startling in their pristine vividness. Absorbed by the text she was illustrating, the artist insensiblyfollowed lines she deemed imaginary, yet when the sketch wascompleted, the ensemble suddenly confronted her as a miniaturereproduction of a very distant scene, that had gladdened her childishheart in the blessed by-gone. Far away from the beaten track of travel, in a sunny cleft of the Pistoian Apennines, she saw the white fleecesgrouped under vast chestnuts, the flash of copper buckets plunged bytwo peasant women into a gurgling fountain, the curly head of Bertiebowed over the rude stone basin, as he gayly coaxed the bearers to lethim drink from the beautiful burnished copper; the rocky terraces cutin the beetling cliffs above, where dark ruby-red oleanders flouted thesky with fragrant banners; and the pathetic face of a vagrant ewetangled among vines, high on a jagged ledge, bleating for the lambasleep under the chestnuts down in the dell. Across the chasm of years floated the echo of the tinkling bell, thattold where cows climbed in search of herbage; the singular rhythmiccadence of the trescone, danced in a neighboring vineyard; the deep, mellow, lingering tones of a monastery bell, rung by hermit hands in agray tower on a mountain eyry, that looked westward upon the sparklingblue mirror of the Mediterranean. Then she was twelve years old, dreaming glorious midsummer day-dreams, as she wandered with parents and brother on one of her father'ssketching tours through unfrequented nooks; now--? A petulant cry, emphasized by the baby hand tugging at the hem of herdress skirt, recalled Beryl's attention; and as she looked down at thewaif, whom the chaplain had christened "Dovie" on the day of hermother's burial, the little one held up her arms. "So tired, Dulce? You can't be hungry; you must want your nap. Theredon't fret, baby girl. I will take you directly. " She stepped down, turned the side of the blackboard that contained thesketch to the wall; lowered the sash which she had raised to admitfresh air, and lifted the child from the floor. Approaching the figurewho sat motionless as a statue of woe, she laid a hand on the droopingshoulder. "Shall I help you down the steps?" "No, I'll stay here a while. This is the only place where I can getcourage enough to pray. Couldn't you leave her--the child--with me? Ithas been years since I could bear the sight of one. I hated children, because my heart was so black--so bitter; but now, I yearn toward thislittle thing. I am so starved for the kiss of--of--, " she swept herhand across her throat, where a sob stifled her. "Certainly, if she will stay contentedly. See whether she will come toyou. " At sight of the extended arms, the baby shrank closer to Beryl, nestledher head under the girl's chin, and put up her lower lip in ominousprotest. With an indescribably mournful gesture of surrender, thechildless mother sank back in the corner of the bench. "I don't wonder she is afraid; she knows--everybody, everything knows Ikilled my baby--my own boy, who slept for nearly four years on myheart--oh!--" "Hush--she was frightened by your crying. She is sleepy now, but whenshe has had her nap, and wakes good-humored, I will fill her bottle, and bring her down to you. Try not to torment yourself by dwelling upona distressing past, which you cannot undo; but by prayer anchor yoursoul in God's pardoning mercy. When all the world hoots and stones us, God is our 'sure refuge'. " "That promise is to pure hearts and innocent hands; not to such as Iam, steeped to the lips in crime--black, black--" "No. One said: 'The whole need not a physician; but they that aresick. ' Your soul is sick unto death; claim the pledged cure. Yonder Ihave copied the hymn for to-morrow's lesson. While you sit here, commitit to memory; and the Shepherd will hear your cry. " Glancing back from the chapel door, she saw that the miserable womanhad bowed her face in her hands, and with elbows supported on herknees, was swaying back and forth in a storm of passionate sobs. "O! my beautiful baby, my angel Max, pray for mother now. Max--Max--there is no 'Sweet By and By'--for mother--" Hurrying from the wail of anguish that no human agency could lighten, Beryl carried the orphan across the yard, and up the stairs leading tothe corridor, whence she was allowed egress at will. She noticedcasually, signs of suppressed excitement among some of the convicts, who were lounging in groups, enjoying the half holiday, and three orfour men stood around the under-warden who was gesticulatingvivaciously; but at her approach he lowered his voice, and she lived sofar aloof from the jars and gossip of the lower human strata, that thesuspicious indications failed to arouse any curiosity. The southwest angle of the building was exposed fully to the force ofthe afternoon sun, and the narrow cell was so hot that Beryl opened thedoor leading into the corridor, in order to create a draught throughthe opposite window. The tired child was fretfully drowsy, but with the innate perversity oftoddling babyhood, resented and resisted every effort to soothe her tosleep. Refusing to lie across the nurse's lap, the small tyrantclambered up, wrapped her arms about her neck, and finally Beryl roseand walked up and down, humming softly Chopin's dreamy "Berceuse";while the baby added a crooning accompaniment that grew fainter andintermittent until the blue eyes closed, one arm fell, and the thumbwas plunged between the soft full lips. Warily the nurse laid her down in a cradle, which consisted of an ovalbasket mounted on roughly fashioned wooden rockers, and drawing itclose to the table, Beryl straightened the white cross-barred muslinslip that was too short to cover the rosy dimpled feet; and smoothedthe flossy tendrils of yellow hair crumpled around the lovely face. The Sister of Charity, who, in the darkest hours of the pestilence hadshrouded the poor young mother, did not forget the human waif astray inthe world; but having secured a home for it in an "asylum, " to whichshe promised it should be removed so soon as all danger of carryingcontagion was over, had appointed the ensuing Monday on which to bearit away from the gloomy precincts, where sinless life had dawned indisgrace and degradation. This pretty toy, dowered with an immortalsoul, stained by an inherited criminal strain, had appealed to thefeminine tenderness in Beryl's nature, and she stood a moment, lost inadmiration of the rounded curves and dainty coloring. "Poor little blossom. Nobody's baby! A lily bud adrift on a dead sea ofsin. Dovie--Eve Werneth's child--but you will always be to me Dulce, mypretty clinging Dulce, my velvet-eyed cherub model. " Turning away, she bathed her face and hands, and leaned for a whileagainst the southern window; listening to the exultant song of a redbird hovering near his brooding brown mate, to the soothing murmur ofthe distant falls, borne in on the wings of the thievish June breezethat had rifled some far-off garden of the aroma of honeysuckle. Thecurrent of air had swung the door back, leaving only a hand's breadthof open space, and while she sang to the baby, her own voice haddrowned the sound of footsteps in the corridor. On the whitewashed wall of the cell, a sheet of drawing paper had beentacked, and taking her crayons, Beryl returned to the cradle, changedthe position of the child's left hand, and approaching the almostcompleted sketch on the wall, retouched the outline of the sleepingfigure. Now and then she paused in her work, to look down at the goldenlashes sweeping the slumber-flushed cheeks, and pondering the mysteryof the waif's future, she chanted in a rich contralto voice, the solemn"Reproaches" of Gounod's "Redemption. " "Oh, my vineyard, come tell me why thy grapes are bitter? What have Idone, my People? Wherein hast thou been wronged?" For weeks the elaboration of this sketch had employed every momentwhich was not demanded for the execution of her allotted daily task inthe convict workroom; and knowing that on Monday she would be bereft ofher pretty model, she had redoubled her exertions to complete it. Beside a bier knelt a winged figure, in act of stealing the rigid form, and to the awful yet strangely beautiful face of the messenger ofgloom, she had given the streaming hair, the sunken, cavernous butwonderfully radiant eyes of Moritz Retzsch's weird image of Death. Awhite butterfly fluttered upward, and in mid-air--neither descendingnor drifting, but waiting--poised on outspread pinions, hovered theAngel of the Resurrection holding out his hands. Behind and beneath theDestroyer, rolled dense shadows, and all the light in this picturerayed out from the plumes above, and fell like a glory on the baby'sface. Cut off from all congenial companionship, thrown upon her own mentalresources, the prisoner had learned to live in an ideal world; and herartistic tastes proved an indestructible heritage of comfort, whilememory ministered lavishly with images from the crowded realm ofaesthetics. Victorious over the stony limitations of dungeon walls anddungeon discipline, fetterless imagination soared into the kingdom ofbeauty, and fed her lonely soul, as Syrian ravens fed God's prophet. Fourteen months had passed since Mr. Dunbar walked away from this cell, after the interview relative to Gen'l Darrington's will; and though hislonging to see the prisoner had driven him twice to the entrance of thechapel, whence he heard the marvellously sweet voice, and gazed at thefigure before the organ, no word was exchanged. To-day, with his hand on the bolt of the door, and his heart in hiseyes, he leaned against the facing, and through the opening studied theoccupant of the cell that held the one treasure which fate had deniedhim. The ravages of disease, the blemish of acute physical suffering hadvanished; the clear pallor of her complexion, the full white throat, the rounded contour of the graceful form, bespoke complete restorationof all the vital forces; and never had she appeared so incomparablybeautiful. Oppressed by the heat, she had pushed back the hair from her temples, and though hopeless sadness reigned over the profound repose of herfeatures, the expression of her eyes told that the dream of the artisthad borne her beyond surrounding ills. Where the button of her blue homespun dress fastened the collar, shewore a sprig of heliotrope and a cluster of mignonette, from theshallow box in the window-ledge where they grew together. How long he stood there, surrendering himself to the happiness ofwatching the woman whom, against his will, he loved with suchunreasoning and passionate fervor, Mr. Dunbar never knew; but a suddenrecollection of the face printed on the glass, the face, beautiful asfabled Hylas--of the man for whose sake she was willing to die--stunghim like an adder's bite; and setting his teeth hard, he rapped uponthe door held ajar; then threw it open. At sight of him, her arm, lifted to the sketch, fell; the crayonslipped from her nerveless fingers, and a glow rich as the heart ofsome red June rose stained her cheeks. As he stepped toward her, she leaned against the wall, and swiftly drewthe baby's cradle between them. He understood, and for a momentrecoiled. "You barricade yourself as though I were some loathsome monster! Areyou afraid of me?" "What is there left to fear? Have you spared any exertion to accomplishthat which you believe would overwhelm me with sorrow?" "You cannot forgive my rejection of the overtures for a compromisewrung from you by extremity of dread, when I started to Dakota?" "That rejection freed me from a self-imposed, galling promise; andhence I forgive all, because of the failure of your journey. " "Suppose I have not failed?" She caught her breath, and the color in her cheeks flickered. "Had you succeeded, I should not have been allowed so long thecomparative mercy of suspense. " "Am I so wantonly cruel, think you, that I gloat over your sufferingsas a Modoc at sight of the string of scalps dangling at his pony'sneck?" "When the spirit of revenge is unleashed, Tiberius becomes a law untohimself. " He leaned forward, and his voice was freighted with tenderness that hemade no attempt to disguise. "Once after that long swoon in the court-room, when I held your hand, you looked at me without shrinking, and called me Tiberius. Again, whenfor hours I sat beside your cot, watching the crisis of your firstterrible illness, you opened your eyes and held out your hand, saying:'Have you come for me, Tiberius?' Why have you told me you were at themercy of Tiberius?" Hitherto she had avoided looking at him, and kept her gaze upon thesleeping child, but warned by the tone that made her heart throb, shebravely lifted her eyes. "When next you write to your betrothed, ask her to go to the MuseoChiaramonti while in Rome, and standing before the crowned Tiberius, she will fancy her future husband welcomes her. Your wife will need nobetter portrait of you than a copy of that head. " Into his eyes leaped the peculiar glow that can be likened unto nothingbut the clear violet flame dancing over a bed of burning anthracitecoal, and into his voice an exultant ring: "Meantime, like my inexorable prototype, 'I hold a wolf by the ears'. Shall I tell you my mission here?" "As it appears I am indeed always at the mercy of Tiberius, yourcourtesy savors of sarcasm. " "Oh, my stately white rose! My Rosa Alba, I will see to it, that nopolluting hand lays a grasp on you. My errand should entitle me to amore cordial reception, for I bring you good news. Will you lay yourhand in mine just once, while I tell you?" He extended his open palm, but she shook her head and smiled sadly. "In this world no good news can ever come to me. " "Do you know that recently earnest efforts have been made to induce theGovernor to pardon you? That I have just returned from a visit to him?" "I was not aware of it; but I am grateful for your effort in my behalf. " "I was disappointed. The pardon was not granted. Since then, fate, whofrowned so long upon you, has come to your rescue. The truth has beendiscovered, proclaimed; and I came here this afternoon with an orderfor your release. For you the prison doors and gates stand open. Youare as free as you were that cursed day when first you saw me androbbed my life of peace. " For a moment she looked at him bewildered; then a great dread drove theblood from her lips, and her voice shook. "What truth has been discovered?" "The truth that you are innocent has been established to the entiresatisfaction of judge and jury, prosecution and Governor, sheriff, warden, and you are free. Not pardoned for that which all the worldknows now you never committed; but acquitted without man's help, by thediscovery of a fact which removes every shadow of suspicion from yourname. You are at liberty, owing no thanks to human mercy; vindicated bya witness subpoenaed by the God of justice, in whom you trusted--evento the end. " "Witness? What witness? You do not mean that you have hunted down--" She paused, and her white face was piteous with terror, as pushing awaythe cradle she came close to him. "I have seen the face of the man who killed Gen'l Darrington. " She threw up her arms, crossing them over her head. "O, my God! Have I suffered in vain? Shall I be denied the recompense?After all my martyrdom, must I lose the one hope that sustained me?" Despite the rage which the sight of her suffering woke within hisheart, he could not endure to witness it. "Can you find no comfort in release? No joy in the consciousness ofyour triumphant vindication?" "None! If you have robbed me of that which is all I care for on earth, what solace can I find in release? Vindication? What is the opinion ofthe world to me? Oh! how have I ever wronged you, that you persecute meso vindictively, that you stab the only comfort life can ever hold forme?" "And you love him so insanely, that to secure his safety, existencehere in this moral sty is sweet in comparison with freedom unsharedwith him? Listen! That belief stirs the worst elements in my nature; itswings the whip of the furies. For your own sake, do not thrust yourdegrading madness upon my notice. I have labored to liberate you; havesubordinated all other aims to this, and now, that I have come to setyou free, you repulse and spurn me!" She was so engrossed by one foreboding, that it was evident she had noteven heard him, as moving to the bench in front of the window she satdown, shivering. Her black brows contracted till they met, and thestrained expression of her eyes told that she was revolving somepossibility of succor. "Where did you see my--my--?" "Not in Dakota mines, where I expected to find him. " "Mr. Dunbar. " She pointed to the chair at her side. He shook his head, but approached and stood before her. "I am waiting to hear you. " "I sent you a telegram, promising information that would have preventedthat journey. " "It failed to reach me. " Unconsciously she was wringing her hands as her thoughts whirled. "I will tell you something now, if you will promise me that no harmshall--" He laughed scornfully. "As if I had anything to learn concerning that cowardly villain! Thanksfor your confidence, which comes much too late. " "You do not know that--" "Yes, I know all I want to know; more than you shall ever tell me, andI decline to hear a confession that, in my eyes, defiles you; thatwould only drive me to harsh denunciation of your foul idol. Moreover, I will not extort by torture what you have withheld so jealously. Donot wring your hands so desperately. You are goaded to confession now, because you believe that I have secured your lover? Take courage, hehas not yet been arrested; he is still a wanderer hiding fromretribution. " She sprang up, trembling. "But you said you had seen his face?" "Yes, and I have come to take you where you can identify that face?" "Then, he is dead. " She covered her face with her hands. "No, I wish to God he was dead! Sit down. I will not see you suffersuch agony. He is safe for the present. If you will try to think ofyourself for a moment, and pay me the compliment of listening, I willexplain. Do you recollect that during the storm on the night of themurder the lightning was remarkably vivid and severe?" "Yes; can I ever forget any details of that night? Go on. " "Do you recall the position of the glass door on the west veranda; andalso that the crimson drapery or curtain was drawn aside?" "I recall it distinctly because, while Gen'l Darrington was reading mymother's letter, I looked out through the glass at the chrysanthemumsblooming in the garden. " "That door was almost opposite the chimney, and the safe or vault inthe wall was very near the fireplace. It appears that when thechloroform failed to stupefy Gen'l Darrington, he got up and seized oneof the andirons on the hearth, and attacked the thief who was stealinghis money. While they were struggling in front of the vault, a burst ofelectricity, some peculiarly vivid flash of lightning, sent by fate, byyour guardian angel, it may have been by God himself--photographed bothmen, and the interior of the room on the wide glass panel of that door. Forms, faces, features, even the pattern of the cloth coat, are printedplainly there, for the whole world to study. The murderer and thevictim in mortal combat over the tin box. Accident--shall I sayProvidence--unexpectedly brought this witness to light. The curtain solong looped back, was recently lowered, and when, two days ago, theoutside blinds were opened, there lay your complete vindication. Crowdshave seen it; the newspaper issued an 'extra', and so general was therejoicing, that a public demonstration would have been made here at thegaol, had not Churchill and I harangued the people and assured them itwould only annoy and embarrass you. So you are free. Free to shake thedust of X---forever from your feet; and it must comfort your proud soulto know that you do not owe your liberty to the mercy of a communitywhich wronged you. I forbade Singleton to tell you, to allow anypremature hint to reach you; for I claimed the privilege of bringingthe glad tidings. Last night I spent in that room at 'Elm Bluff', guarding that door; and the vigil was cheered by the picture hope drew, that when I came to-day you would greet me kindly; would lay your dearhands in mine, and tell me that, at least, gratitude would always keepa place for me warm in your noble heart. I have my recompense in theold currency of scorn. It were well for you if you had shown me yourhatred less plainly; now I shall indulge less hesitation in followingthe clue the lightning lays in my grasp. I warn you that your releaseonly expedites his arrest; for you can never pass beyond mysurveillance; and the day you hasten to him, seals his fate. Longimprisoned doves, when set free, fly straight to their distant mates;so--take care--lest the hawk overtake both. " Looking up at him, listening almost breathlessly to the tale of adeliverance that involved new peril for Bertie, the color came slowlyback to her blanched face, and her parted lips quivered. "If the picture means anything, it proves that Gen'l Darrington madethe assault with the brass andiron, and in the struggle that followed, the man you saw might have killed him in self defence. " "When he is brought to trial in X--he shall never be allowed thebenefit of your affectionate supposition. I promise you, that I willannihilate your tenderly devised theory. " He ground his teeth in view of the transparent fact, that she was toointently considering the bearing of the revelation upon the safety ofanother, to heed the thought of her own escape from bondage. The little cluster of flowers fastened at her throat had becomeloosened, and fell unnoticed into her lap. He stooped, picked them up, and straightened them on his palm. When his eyes returned to Beryl, shehad bowed her face in her shielding hands. How little he dreamed that she was silently praying for strength todeny the cry of her own beating heart, and to keep him from makingshipwreck of the honor which she supposed was still pledged to Leo!Security for her brother, and unswerving loyalty to the absent womanwho had befriended her in the darkest hours of the accusation, wereobjects difficult to accomplish simultaneously; yet at every hazard shewould struggle on. Because she had learned to love so well this man, who was the promised husband of another, conscience made her mercilessto her own disloyalty. Mr. Dunbar laid on the bench a small package sealed in yellow paper. "Knowing that your detention here has necessarily forfeited all theindustrial engagements by which you maintained yourself, before youcame South, I have been requested to ask your acceptance of this purse, which contains sufficient money to defray your expenses until youresume your art labors. It is an offering from your twelve jurors. " "No--no. I could never touch it. Tell them for me that I am notvindictive. I know they did the best they could for me, in view of theevidence. Tell them I am grateful for their offer, but I cannot acceptit. I--" "You imagine I am one of the generous contributors? Be easy; I have notoffered you a cent. I am merely the bearer of the gift, or rather theattempt at restitution. Your refusal will grieve them, and add to thepangs of regret that very justly afflict them at present. " "I have some money which Doctor Grantlin collected for my Christmascard. He retained only a portion of the amount, and sent me theremainder. Mr. Singleton keeps it for me, and it is all that I neednow. " "The purse contains also a ticket to New York, as it has been supposedthat you would desire to return there at once. " "Take all back, with my earnest thanks. I prefer to owe X--only theremembrance of the great kindness which some few have shown me. Theofficers here have been uniformly considerate and courteous to me; Mr. And Mrs. Singleton will ever be very dear to me for numberless kinddeeds; and Sister Serena was a staff of strength during that frightfulblack week of the trial. " She paused, and her voice betrayed something of the tumult at herheart, as while a sudden wave of scarlet overflowed her cheeks, sherose and held out both hands. "Mr. Dunbar, if I have seemed unappreciative of your great exertions inmy behalf, it is merely because there are some matters which I cannever explain in this world. One thing I ask you to believe when I amgone. I will never, so long as I live, cease to remember the debt I oweyou. I am and shall be inexpressibly grateful to you, and whenever Ithink of my terrible sojourn here, be sure I shall recall tenderly--oh!how tenderly! the two friends who trusted and believed in my innocence, when all the world denounced me; the two who generously clung to mewhen public opinion branded me as an outcast--you two--my best friends, you and Miss Gordon. It makes me proud and happy to know in this hourof my vindication, that in her, and in your good opinion, I needednone. Out of your united lives, let me pass as a fleeting gray shadow. " "Out of my life you can never pass. Into it you have broughtdisappointment, humiliation, and a keenness of suffering such as Inever imagined I was capable of enduring; and some recompense I willhave. You hope to plunge into the vortex of a great city, where you canelude observation and obliterate all traces. Do not cherish the ghostof such a delusion. Go where you may, but I give you fair warning, youcannot escape me; and the day you meet that guilty vagabond, you betrayhim to the scouts of justice. " He held her hands in a close, warm clasp, and a flush crossed his brow, as he looked down into her quivering face where a smile which he couldnot interpret, seemed only a challenge. "Would a generous man, worthy of Miss Gordon, harass and persecute avery unhappy and unfortunate woman, who asks at his hands only to beforgotten completely, to be left in peace?" "I lay no claim to generosity, and, where you are concerned, I amsupremely selfish. Miss Gordon has no need of your championship; she isquite equal to redressing her own wrongs, when the necessity presentsitself. You are struggling to free your hands, so be it. I have a closecarriage at the gate, and to make assurance doubly sure, I have come totake you to 'Elm Bluff'; to show you the face, and ask you to identifyit. Understand me, I will harass you with no questions; nor will Iintrude upon you there. I have ordered the grounds cleared, have postedpolice to prevent the possibility of any occurrence unpleasant to you;and all I ask is, that alone, you will examine this witness, producedso strangely for your justification. I shall wait for you in the rosegarden, and if you can come down from that gallery and tell me that theface is unknown to you, that the man photographed in the act ofstealing, is a stranger, is not the man you love so well that you boreworse than death to save him from punishment, then I will give up thequest; and you may flee unwatched to the ends of the earth. " "Never again will I see that place which has blasted every hope thatlife held for me. " "Not even to clear away aspersion from his beloved name?" "I pray God, his beloved and sacred name may never be associated with acrime so awful. " "You will not go to see the face? Remember, I shall ask you neither yeanor nay. I shall need only to look once into your eyes, after you haveseen the Gorgon. Beryl, my white rose! Are you ashamed to show me youridol's face?" "I will never go to 'Elm Bluff'. " "It is no longer necessary. You know already the features printedthere, and your avoidance stamps them with infamy. How can your loftysoul, your pure heart, tolerate a creature so craven, so vile?" "We love not always whom we would, or should, were choice permitted us;and to whom I have given my heart, my whole deep heart, you shall neverlearn. " The mournful smile that lent such wistful loveliness to her flushedface, seemed to him merely a renewed defiance. "I bide my time, knowing it will surely come. You are free, but becareful. Once when you lay upon the brink of the grave, unconscious, Iknelt at your side and took you in my arms; laid your head on my heart, felt your cheek touch mine. Then and there I made a covenant with mysoul; and no other man's arms shall ever enfold you. Ah, my Rosa Alba!I could dig your grave with my own hands, sooner than see that thiefclaim you. I am a proud man, and you have dragged me through the sloughof humiliation, but to-day, as I bid you good-bye, I realize how onefelt, who looking at the bust of him she loved supremely, said with herlast breath: 'Voila mon univers, mon espoir, et mes dieux!' How soon wemeet again depends solely on your future course. You know theconditions; and I promise you I will not swerve one iota. " He took her hand, drew it across his cheek, laid it on his lips; and amoment later walked away, with the faded flowers folded close in hispalm. CHAPTER XXIX. Conveniently contiguous to the busy centre of a wide and populous city, situated on the shore of one of those great inland fresh-water seas, whose lake line girdles the primeval American upheaval, the Laurentianrocks, --stands in the middle of a square, enclosed by a stone copingand an iron railing, a stately pile of brick and granite severalstories high, flanked by wings that enclose in the rear a spaciouscourt. The facade was originally designed in the trabeated style, andstill retained its massive entrance, with straight, grooved lintel overthe door which was adorned by four round columns; but subsequentadditions reflected the fluctuations of popular architectural taste, inthe later arched windows, the broad oriel with its carved corbel, andin the new eastern wing, that had flowered into a Tudor tower withbulbous cupola. The strip of velvet sward between the street and thehouse entrance, was embossed with brilliant coleus set in the form ofanchors; and a raised border, running the entire length under thewindows of the basement, was ablaze with geraniums of various hues. On a granite pediment above the portico, a large bronze anchor wassupported, and beneath it was cut, in projecting letters: "The UmiltaAnchorage". In front of the building ran a broad, paved boulevard; in the rear, theenclosure was bounded by a stone wall, overgrown with ivy, and builtupon the verge of the blue lake, whose waves broke against the base, and rolled away in the distance beyond the northern horizon. Fully in accord with the liberal eclecticism that characterized itsexterior, was the wide-eyed, deep, tender-hearted charity which, ignoring all denominational barriers, opened its doors in cordialwelcome to worthy, homeless women, whom misfortune had swept away fromfamily moorings, and whose clean hands and pure hearts sought someavenue to honest work. The institution was a memorial erected andendowed by a wealthy man, whose only child Umilta, just crossing thethreshold of womanhood, had been lost in a sudden storm on the lake;whose fair, drowned face had been washed ashore just below the stonewall, and whose statue stood, guarded by marble angels, in the smallchapel in the centre of the building, which was designed as an enduringmonument to commemorate her untimely fate, and perpetuate her name. Divided into various industrial departments, the "Anchorage" wasmaintained almost entirely by the labor of its inmates; and it hadrarely been found necessary to draw from the reserve endowment fund, that was gradually accumulating for future contingencies. Trained nurses, trained housekeepers were furnished on demand; lacecurtains mended, laundered; dainty lingerie of every description, froma baby's wardrobe to a bride's trousseau; ornamental needle-work on allfabrics; artificial flowers, card engraving, artistic designs forupholstering, menus, type-writing, all readily supplied to customers;and certain confectionery put up in pretty boxes made by the inmates, and bearing the "Anchor" stamp. A school of drawing, etching, painting, and embroidery attracted many pupils; and a few pensioners who hadgrown too infirm and dim-eyed for active work, had a warm, bright roomwhere they knitted stockings and underwear of various kinds. At one end of the long refectory was emblazoned on the wall: "Forwhosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in Heaven, the sameis my brother and sister and mother. " At the other: "Bear ye oneanother's burdens. " The chapel contained no pulpit, but on a marblealtar stood a life-size figure of a woman clinging to the cross: and onthe walls hung paintings representing the Crucifixion, the Descent, theResurrection and the Mater Dolorosa; while in a niche at the extremity, behind the altar, an Ecce Homo of carved ivory was suspended above agilt cross, and just beneath it glittered the motto "Faith, Hope, Charity". Every morning and evening the band of women gathered here, and recited the Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Prayer; but on Sabbaththe members attended the church best suited to their individual tenets. The infirmary was a cheerful, airy room, and here professional nurseswere trained under the guidance of visiting physicians; and in anadjoining kitchen were taught to prepare the articles of diet usuallybelonging to the regimen of sick rooms. Widows, maidens, Catholics, Protestants, admitted from the age ofeighteen to forty, these "Umilta Sisters" were received on probationfor eighteen months; then entered upon a term of five years, subject torenewal at will; bound by specified rules, but no irrevocable vow. Yielding implicit obedience to the matron, elected by themselves everyfour years--subject to approval and ratification by the Chapter ofTrustees, they were recognized wherever they went by the gray garb, thewhite aprons, and snowy mob caps peculiar to the institution. Fashionable women patronized and fondled the "Anchorage", for much thesame reason that led them to pamper their pugs; and since the Chapterof Trustees consisted of men of wealth and prominence, their wives, asmagnates in le beau monde, set the seal of "style" upon articlesmanufactured there, by ordering quilted satin afghans with anchors ofpansies embroidered in the centre, for their baby carriages; paintedtea gowns; favors for a "German", or fans and bonbonnieres for birthdayparties. If children of the Brahmin caste of millionairdom were seized by thePariah ills of measles, or chicken-pox, or mumps, it was deemed quiteas imperatively the duty of doting parents to provide an "Anchorage"nurse, as to secure an eminent physician, and the most costly brand ofcondensed milk. In the name of sweet charity, gay gauzy-wingedbutterflies of fashion harnessed themselves in ropes of roses, anddragged the car of benevolence; as painted papillons drew chariots ofgoddesses on ancient classic walls; so in the realm of social economythe ubiquitous law of correlation of industrial force--of conservationof energy--transmuted the arrested labor of the rich and idle into thefostering heat that stimulated the working poor. Scarcely a month previous to her unexpected release from prison, Berylhad received a letter from Doctor Grantlin, enclosing one addressed to"Sister Ruth, Matron of Anchorage". He wrote that his daughter's healthdemanded some German baths; and on the eve of sailing, he desired tosecure for the prisoner a temporary refuge, should the efforts which hehad heard were made to obtain her pardon, prove successful. As a nephewof the founder, and a cousin of the young lady for whom the "Anchorage"was intended as a lasting memorial, he had always been accorded certainprivileges by the trustees; and the letter, if presented to the matron, would insure at least an entrance into the haven of rest, until theprisoner could mature some plan for her future. Spurred away from X--by the dread of another interview with the manwhom she had assiduously shunned, and of being required to visit "ElmBluff" and scrutinize the accusing picture, Beryl had shrouded herselfin her heavy mourning, and fled from the scene of her suffering, on the3 A. M. Train Sunday morning; ten hours after receiving the certificateof her discharge. Shrinking from observation, she refused Mr. Singletonpermission to accompany her to the station house, and bade him good-byethree squares distant; promising to write soon to his still absentwife, and assured by him that a farewell letter of affectionategratitude should be promptly delivered to Dyce. Fortunately a strangerstood in the office and sold her a ticket; and in the same corner, where twenty months before she had knelt during the storm, she waitedonce more for the sound of the train. How welcome to her the shudderingshriek that tore its way through the dewy silence of the star-litsummer night, and she hurried out, standing almost on the rails, in herimpatience to depart. Several travellers were grouped near a pile of luggage awaiting thetrain, but as it rolled swiftly in and jarred itself to a standstill, she saw even through her crape veil a well known figure, leaningagainst an iron post that held an electric lamp. She sprang up thesteps leading to the platform, and took the first vacant seat, whichwas in front of an open window. The silvery radiance from the globe just opposite, streamed in, and herheart seemed to cease beating as the tall form moved forward and takingoff his hat, stood at the side of the car. Neither spoke. But when thebrass bell rang its signal and the train trembled into motion, a handwas thrust in, and dropped upon her lap a cluster of exquisite whiteroses, with one scarlet passion flower glowing in the centre. During the three days spent in New York, Beryl's wounds bled afresh, and she felt even more desolate than while sheltered behind prisonwalls. The six-storied tenement house where she had last seen hermother's face, and kissed her in final farewell, had been demolished tomake room for a new furniture warehouse. Strange nurses in the hospitalcould tell her nothing concerning the last hours of the beloved dead;and the only spot in the wide western world that seemed to belong toher, was a narrow strip of ground in a remote corner of the greatcemetery, where a green mound held its square granite slab, bearing thewords "Ellice Darrington Brentano. " With her face bowed upon that stone, the lonely woman had wept away thelong hours of an afternoon that decided her plan for the future. Dr. Grantlin had gone abroad for an indefinite period, and no one knewthe contents of his last letter. In New York her movements would besubject to the SURVEILLANCE she most desired to escape; but in thatdistant city where the "Anchorage" was situated, she might disappear, leaving no more trace than that of a stone dropped in some stormy, surging sea. To find Bertie and reclaim him, was the only goal of hope life held forher, and to accomplish this, the first requisite was to effectuallylose herself. Anxious and protracted deliberation finally resulted in anadvertisement, which she carried next morning to the "Herald" office, to be inserted for six months in the personal column, unless answered. "BERTIE, IF YOU WANT THE LOST BUTTON WE BOUGHT AT LUCCA, WHEN CANGIGINA HAND IT TO YOU IN ST. CATHERINE'S, CANADA?" She wore her old blue bunting dress, and a faded blue veil when shedelivered the notice at the office of the newspaper, and paid inadvance the cost of its publication. Later in the same day, clad in hermourning garments, she went down to the Grand Central Depot and boughta railway ticket; and the night express bore her away on her longjourney westward. It was on the fourth of July, her twenty-first birthday, that sheentered the reception room at the "Anchorage", and presented inconjunction with Doctor Grantlin's letter, a copy of the newspaperprinted at X--, which contained an article descriptive of the discoveryof the picture on the glass door; and expressive of the profoundsympathy of the public for the prisoner so unjustly punished byincarceration. For twenty years a resident of the institution, over which she hadrepeatedly presided, Sister Ruth was now a woman of fifty-five, whosewhite hair shone beneath her cap border like a band of spun silver, andwhose yellowish, dim eyes seemed unnaturally large behind theirspectacles. Thin and wrinkled, her face was nobly redeemed by aremarkably beautiful, patient mouth; and her angular, wiry figure, bysmall feet and very slender hands, where the veins rose like blue cordslacing ivory satin. Over the shoulders of her gray flannel dress wasworn the distinctive badge of her office, a white mull handkerchiefpleated surplice fashion into her girdle, whence hung by a silver chaina set of tablets; and the folds of mull were fastened at her throat bya silver anchor. Having deliberately read letter and paper, she put the former in herpocket, and returned the latter with a stately yet graceful inclinationof the head, that would have been creditable in Mdm. Recamier's salon. "I have expected you for some weeks, an earlier letter from DoctorGrantlin having prepared me for your arrival; but it appears you havenot been released from prison by the pardon he anticipated?" "No, madam; the authorities who caused my arrest and imprisonment, considered the discovery of the printed door a complete refutation ofthe accusation against me, and ordered my release. I come here not as apardoned criminal, but as an unfortunate victim of circumstantialevidence; acquitted of all suspicion by a circumstance even strangerthan those which seemed to condemn me. In the darkest days of mydesolation, Doctor Grantlin believed me innocent, honored me with hisconfidence and friendship, soothed my mother's dying hour; and he willrejoice to learn that acquittal anticipated the mockery of a pardon. Only his generous encouragement emboldened me to hope for a temporaryshelter here. " "Then you have no desire to become a permanent resident?" "At present, I shall be grateful if allowed to enjoy the privilege ofhiding my sore heart for a while from the gaze of a world that hascruelly wronged me. I want to rest where wicked men and women do notpollute the air, where I can try to forget the horrors of convict life;and the rest I need is not idleness, it is labor of some kind that willso fully employ my hands and brain, that when I lie down at night mysad, aching heart and wounded soul can find balm in sleep. Locked atnight into a dark cell has made existence for nearly eighteen months amere hideous vigil, broken by fitful nightmare. To see only pure faces, to listen to sweet feminine voices that never knew the desecration ofblasphemy, to exchange the grim, fetid precincts of a penitentiary fora holy haven such as this, is indeed a glimpse of paradise to atortured spirit. " "Have you special reasons for wishing to shun observation?" The dim eyes probed like some dull blade that tears the tissues. "Yes, madam, special cause to want to be forgotten by the public, whohave stared me at times almost to frenzy. " "You are an orphan, I am told; with no living relatives in America. " "I am an orphan; and think I have no relative in the United States. " "In the very peculiar circumstances that surround and isolate you, Ishould imagine you would esteem it a great privilege to cast your lothere, and become one of the permanently located Sisters of the'Anchorage'. Ours is a noble and consecrated mission. " "Knowing literally nothing of your institution, except that it is ahive of industrious good women, offering a home and honest work tohomeless and innocent unfortunates, I could not pledge myself to a lifewhich might not prove suitable on closer acquaintance. Take me in; giveme employment that will prevent me from being a tax upon yourhospitality and mercifully shelter me from pitiless curiosity andgossip. " "Even were our sympathies not enlisted in your behalf, DoctorGrantlin's request would insure your admission, at least for a season. Where is your luggage?" "I have only a trunk, for which I have retained the railway check, until I ascertained your willingness to receive me. " "Give it to me. " She crossed the room and pressed the knob of a bell on the oppositewall. Almost simultaneously a door opened, and to a stout, middle-agedwoman who appeared on the threshold, the matron gave instructions in anunder tone. Returning to the stranger, she resumed: "I infer from the Doctor's letter, that you are a gifted person. Inwhat lines do your talents run?" "Perhaps I should not lay claim to talent, but I am, by grace of study, a good musician; and I draw and paint, at least with facility. At onetime I supported my mother and myself by singing in a choir, butdiphtheria closed that avenue of work. With the restoration of health, I think I have recovered my voice. I am an expert needle woman, and canembroider well, especially on fine linen. " "Do you feel competent to teach a class in 'water color', in our ArtSchool? Our aquarelle Sister is threatened with amaurosis, and theoculist prohibits all work at present. " "You can form an opinion of my qualifications by examining somesketches which are in my trunk. I have furnished several designs forthe 'Society of Decorative Art', and have sold a number of paintedarticles at the Woman's Exchange. " "Then I think you have only to step into a vacant niche, and supply aneed which was beginning to perplex us. During the latter part ofSeptember, an International Scientific Congress will be held in thiscity, and one of our patrons, Mr. Brompton, who expects to entertainthe distinguished foreign delegates, has given us an order for dinnercards for eight courses, and each set for twenty-four covers. As nearlyas we can comprehend the design, his intention is to represent theorder of creation in fish, game, fruits and flowers; and each card willillustrate some special era in geology and zoology. The cream and icesset are expected to show the history of Polar regions as far as known, and at the conclusion of the banquet, each guest will be presented witha velvet smoking cap, to which must be attached a card representing'scientific soap-bubbles pricked by the last scientists' junta'. Nowwhile the 'Anchorage's' cultured art standard claims to be as high asany, East, we should scarcely venture to fill this order, had not twoof the professors in our University, promised to map out the order, andfurnish some dots in the way of engravings, which will aid theaccomplishment of the work; and we are particularly desirous ofpleasing our patron, from whom the 'Anchorage' expects a bequest. Ifyou think you can successfully undertake a portion of this order, givenus by Mr. Brompton, we shall make you doubly welcome. " "I think I may safely promise satisfactory work in the line youdesignate; and at least, I shall be grateful for the privilege ofmaking the attempt. " "You are aware, I presume, that all inmates of the 'Anchorage' arerequired to wear its regulation uniform. " "I shall be very glad to don it; hoping it may possess some spell toexorcise memories of the last uniform I wore; the blue homespun ofpenitentiary convicts. " "You must try to forget all that. The 'Anchorage' gates shut fast onthe former lives we led; here we dwell in a busy present, hoping tosecure a blessed future. Come with me to the cutting room, and bemeasured for your flannel uniform; then one of the Sisters will showyou to your own cell in this consecrated bee-hive, which you will findas peaceful as its name implies. " The first story contained the reception rooms, chapel, schoolroom, apartments for the display of sample articles manufactured; therefectory, kitchen and laundry; and one low wide room with glass onthree sides, where orchids and carnations, the floral specialties ofthe institution, were grown. On the second floor were variousworkrooms, supplied with materials required for the particular fabrictherein manufactured or ornamented; and cut off from communication, wasthe east wing, used exclusively as an infirmary, and provided with itsseparate kitchen and laundry. The third story embraced the dormitory, abroad, lofty apartment divided by carved scroll work and snowycurtains, into three sets of sleeves running the entire length of thefloor; separated by carpeted aisles, and containing all the articles offurniture needed by each occupant. On the ceiling directly over everybed, was inscribed in gilt letters, some text from the Bible, exhortingto patience, diligence, frugality, humility, gentleness, obedience, cheerfulness, honesty, truthfulness and purity; and mid-way the centralaisle, where a chandelier swung, two steps led to a raised desk, whenceat night issued the voice of the reader, who made audible to all theoccupants the selected chapter in the Bible. At ten o'clock a bell wasrung by the Sister upon whom devolved the duty of acting as nightwatch; then lights were extinguished save in the infirmary. This commondormitory was reserved for Sisters who had spent at least five years inthe building; and to probationers were given small rooms on the secondstory of the west wing. The third story of the same wing fronted north, and served as a studiowhere all designs were drawn and painted; and upon its walls hungpictures in oil and water color, engravings, vignettes, and all theartistic odds and ends given or lent by sympathetic patrons. Each story was supplied with bath-rooms, and the entire work of thevarious departments was performed by the appointed corps of inmates;the Sisters of the wash tub, and of the broom brigade, being selectedfor the work best adapted to their physical and intellectualdevelopment. Visitors lingered longest in the great kitchen with its arched recesswhere the range was fitted; where like organ pipes glittering copperboilers rose, and burnished copper measures and buckets glinted on thecarved shelves running along one side. The adjoining pastry room wastiled with stone, furnished with counters covered with marble slabs, and with refrigerators built into the wall; and here the white-capped, white-aproned priestesses of pots, pans and pestles moved quietly toand fro, performing the labor upon which depended in great degree theusefulness of artificers in all other departments. The refectory opened on a narrow terrace at the rear of the building, which was sodded with turf and starred with pansies and ox-eyeddaisies, and on the wide, stone window sills sat boxes and vases filledwith maiden-hair ferns and oxalis, with heliotrope and double whiteviolets. Three lines of tables ran down this bright pretty room, and inthe centre rose a spiral stair to a cushioned seat, where when "Grace"had been pronounced, the Reader for the day made selections from suchvolumes of prose or poetry as were deemed by the Matron elevating andpurifying in influence; tonic for the soul, stimulant for the brain, balm for the heart. Close to the rear wall overhanging the lake, ran a treillage of grapevines, and on the small grass sown plat of garden, belated paeoniestossed up their brilliant balls, as play-things for the wind that sweptover the blue waves, breaking into a fringe of foam beyond the stoneenclosure. Except at meals, and during the last half hour in the dormitory, nightand morning, no restriction of silence was imposed, and one hour wasset apart at noon for merely social intercourse, or any individualscheme of labor. Busy, tranquil, cheerful, often merry, they endeavoredto eschew evil thoughts; and cultivated that rare charity which makeseach tolerant of the failings of the other, which broadens a sympathythat can excuse individual differences of opinion, and that consecratesthe harmony of true home life. The room assigned to Beryl was at the extremity of the second story, just beneath the studio; and as the north end of the wings was built ateach corner into projections that were crowned with bell towers, thisapartment had a circular oriel window, swung like a basket from thewall, and guarded by an iron balcony. Cool, quiet, restful as anoratory seemed the nest; with its floor covered by matting diapered inblue, its low, wide bedstead of curled maple, with snowy Marseillesquilt, and crisply fluted pillow cases; its book shelves hanging on thewall, surmounted by a copy in oil of Angelico's Elizabeth of Hungary, with rapt face upraised as she lifted her rose-laden skirt. The lambrequins of blue canton flannel were bordered with trailingconvolvulus in pink cretonne, and the diaphanous folds of white muslincurtains held in the centre an embroidered anchor which dragged inward, as the breeze rushed in through open windows. An arched recess in thewall, whence a door communicated with the adjoining chamber, wasconcealed by a portiere of blue that matched the lambrequins, and thealcove served as a miniature dressing-room, where the brass faucetemptied into a marble basin. In this apartment the imperial sway of dull maroons, sullen Pompeiianreds, and sombre murky olives had never cast encroaching shadows uponthe dainty brightness of tender rose and blue, nor toned down thesilvery reflection of the great sea of waters that flashed under thesunshine like some vast shifting mirror. Travel-worn and very weary, Beryl sat down by the window and looked outover the lake, that far as the eye could reach, lifted its sparklingbosom to the cloudless dim blue of heaven, effacing the sky line;dotted with sails like huge white butterflies, etched here and therewith spectral, shadowy ship masts, overflown by gray gulls burnishedinto the likeness of Zophiels' pinions, as their wings swiftly dipped. Driven by storms of adversity away from the busy world of her earlieryouth, leaving the wrack of hopes behind, she had drifted on thechartless current of fate into this Umilta Sisterhood, this latter dayBeguinage; where, provided with work that would furnish her dailybread, she could hide her proud head without a sense of shame. DoctorGrantlin, in compliance with her request, would keep the secret of herretreat; and surely here she might escape forever the scrutiny and thedangerous magnetism of the man who had irretrievably marred her fair, ambitious youth. To-day, twenty-one, full statured in womanhood, prematurely scorchedand scarred in spirit by fierce ordeals, she saw the pale ghost of hergirlhood flitting away amid the ruins of the past; and knew thatinstead of making the voyage of life under silken sails gilded with thelight, and fanned by the breath of love and happiness, she had beenswept under black skies before a howling hurricane, into an unexpectedport, --where, lashed to the deck with "torn strips of hope", she hadfinally moored a strained, dismasted barque in the "Anchorage", whencewith swelling canvas and flying pennons no ships ever went forth. A rush of grateful tears filled her tired eyes, and soothed by theconsciousness of an inviolable security, her trembling lips moved in aprayer of thankfulness to God, upon whom she had stayed her torturedsoul, grappling it to the blessed promise: "Lo, I am with you always. Iwill never leave you nor forsake you. " CHAPTER XXX. "Why deny it, Leo? Let us at least be frankly realistic, and 'call aspade a spade' when we set ourselves to dig ditches, draining thestagnant pools of life. Each human being has a special goal towardwhich he or she strains, with nineteen chances out of twenty againstreaching it in time; and if it be won, is it worth the race? With someof us it is love, ambition, mundane prosperity; with others, intellectual supremacy, moral perfection, exalted spirituality, sublimated altruism; but after all, in the final analysis, it is onlyhedonism! Each struggles with teeth and claws for that which gives thelargest promise of pleasure to body, mind, or soul, as the individualhappens to incline. To Sybarites the race is too short to be fatiguing, and the goal is only an ambuscade for satiety and ennui; to ascetics, the race course stretches to the borders of futurity, but even for themone form of pleasure, spiritual pleasure, lights up eternity. The thingwe want, we want; not because of its orthodoxy, or its excellency orbeauty PER SE; we want it because it gratifies some idiosyncraticcraving of our threefold natures. The good things of this world arevery adroitly and ingeniously labelled, but we rummage in thebonbonniere for a certain marron glace, and if it be not there, all thecaramels in Venice, all the 'gluko' in Greece, all the rahatlicum inTurkey will not appease us. " With her arms thrown back, and clasped around the satin cushion crushedagainst her head and shoulders, Miss Cutting lay on a red plush divanin her father's picture gallery at home; and the swathing folds of atopaz-hued surah gown embroidered with scarlet poppies half concealedthe feet that beat a tattoo on the polished oak floor. "Then you have missed your marron glace?" answered Leo, turning fromthe contemplation of a new picture which Mr. Cutting had recently addedto his collection. "Of course. Do not all of us sooner or later? Where is yours? Safeunder lock and key, or hanging on some crag, ripening for theconfectioner; or filched by some stealthy white hand, devoured by someeager lips that smile derisively at you while they nibble?" From beneath drooping lids, Alma's oblique glance noted the result ofher Scipio Africanus' tactics. "Alma, too intemperate and prolonged diet of sweets has ruined yourdigestion; has rendered you an ethical dyspeptic. A surfeit of sugarbetrays itself in fermentation, and you have reached the stage of moralacidulation. " "Ah, don't drift into homiletics! I see your marron grows hard by thevineyard where sour grapes flourish. Leo, I am not so serenely proud asyou, but a trifle more honest, and I have cried for my bonbon, neverflouting its delicious flavor; hence, when I am ordered back to boiledmilk and oatmeal, I make no feint to disguise my wry faces. " Alma's low, teasing laugh stung like some persistent buzzing insect, and a slight flush tinged her companion's cheek as she replied: "Why plunge to the opposite extreme? You will starve on that porridgeyou are desperately preparing for yourself. " "What else remains? This world is a huge bazaar, a big church fair, andlike other eager-eyed children I promptly set my heart on the great'bisc' doll with its head turning coquettishly from side to side, singing snatches from 'La Grande Duchcsse', and clad like Sheba'squeen! I stake all my pennies on a chance in the raffle, which has a'consolation prize' hidden away from vulgar gaze. By and by the dicerattle, and over my head, quite out of my reach, is borne the covetedbeauty (owned now by a girl I know), bowing and singing to the newowner, who exultantly exhibits her as she departs; and into myoutstretched arms falls something hideous enough to play Medusa in atableau, a rag baby with grinning Senegambian lips, rayless owlisheyes, and a concave nose whose nostrils suggest the Catacombs! Bitterrage and murderous fury possess me, but I am much too wise to show mytempers at the fair; so I hug my 'consolation prize', and get away asfast as possible with my treasure, and once safe from observation, box, deride, trample upon it, and toss it into the garret as suitable preyfor dust, cobwebs and mildew! After a time, the keenness of thedisappointment dulls, like all other human aches that do not kill, andby degrees I think less vindictively of the despised substitute. Finally comes a day, when all else failing to amuse me, I creepsheepishly into the attic and pick up the rejected, and persuade myselfit is at least better than no doll at all, and forthwith adorn it withrags of finery; but the echoes of 'La Grande Duchesse' will always ringin my ears, and through the halo of tears I see ever and anon the prizebeauty that was withheld. The two-edged sword in the diablerie of fateis, that we are ordained to fret after 'bisc, ' when stuffed rags havebeen meted out as our share of the fair. " Leo drew a chair near the divan and seated herself; looking steadilyinto the velvety black eyes that instead of betraying hid, like adomino, the soul of their owner. "Alma, better cross empty arms forever over empty heart, than mock yourwomanhood by acceptance of a 'consolation prize'. " "We all say that the day after the fair; but wait a few years as I havedone; and like all your sisters in the ranks of the disappointed, youwill ultimately crawl back to the attic and kiss the thick lips, andtry to persuade yourself the nose is not so formidable, thoughcertainly a trifle less classic than Antinous's! We set out with oureyes fixed on Vega, blazing above, and flaunt our banner--'tout ourien!'--but when the campaign ends, Vega laughs at us from the horizon, quitting our world; and we console ourselves with a rushlight, andshelter it carefully from the wind with another flag: 'Quand on n'a pasce qu'on aime, il faut aimer ce qu'on a!' Such is the worldly wisdomthat comes with ripening years, like the deep stain on the sunny sideof a peach. Moreover, 'folding empty arms, ' is only melodrama metaphor, and 'empty hearts' are, begging your pardon, only figments of romanticbrains. Our hearts aren't empty, more's the pity! They hold deep, deep, the image of Vega, and the flare of the tallow eandle on the surfaceserves as cross lights to dazzle the world, and help us to hide thereflection of our star. I saw that metaphor in some novel, andrecognize its truth. Do you, my princess?" "I will never so utterly degrade myself. I could neither lower mystandard, nor sacrifice my ideal, " said Leo, with a touch of scorn inher usually gentle voice. "You prefer that your ideal should sacrifice you? One enjoys for aseason the wide expanse visible from that lofty emotional pinnacle; butthe atmosphere is too rarefied, and we gladly descend to the warm, denser air of the plains of common sense selfishness. If it be loweringyour standard to become the wife of a bishop (the youngest everordained in his State), clothed with the double distilled odors ofsanctity and popularity, then heaven help your standard, which onlyheaven can fitly house. " "Since you persist in assuming that so flattering an offer has beenmade me, I will set this subject at rest, by a final assurance thateven were your surmise correct, I could never under any imaginablecircumstances marry my cousin, Bishop Douglass. Although I trust andreverence him beyond all other men, 'I love my cousin cousinly, nomore, ' and he is too much absorbed by his holy office and its solemnresponsibilities, to waste thought on the frail, sweet, rosy garland ofany woman's love. Fret yourself no longer in casting matrimonialhoroscopes for me. " The flushed cheeks, and a certain icy curtness in Leo's tone, warnedher companion that she was rashly invading sacred precincts. "Eight years ago I made the solemn asseveration that I would nevermarry; and I ran as a raw recruit to swell the army of foolish virginswho lost all the wedding splendors, the hypothetical 'cakes and ale', for want of the oil of worldly wisdom. Now I am thirty-three, and mylamp is filled to the brim, and the bridegroom is in sight. Why not?Adverse weather, rain, rust and mildew spoiled my beautiful goldenharvest ten years ago, but aftermath is better than bare stubblefields, and though you miss the song of the reapers, you escapestarvation. Deny it as we may, we are hopelessly given over tofetichism, and each one of us ties around her stone image somebeguiling orthodox label. Leo, yours is pride, masquerading in the dungarb of 'religious duty'. Mine is self-love, pure and simple, theworldly weal of Alma Cutting; but nominally it is dubbed 'gratefulrequital of a life of devotion' in my lover! You grieve over myheartlessness? That is the one compensation time brings, when men andwomen have killed the best in our natures. Teeth ache fiercely; thenthe nerve dies, and we have surcease from pain, and find comfort inknowing that the darkening wreck can throb no more. There was a timewhen the pangs of Prometheus seemed only pastime to mine, but allthings end; and now I get on as comfortably without a heart, as thevictims of vivisection--the frogs, and guinea pigs, and rabbits--dowithout their brains. " "I do indeed grieve over the fatal step you contemplate; I grieve overyour unwomanliness in marrying a man whom you do not even pretend tolove; and some terrible penalty will avenge the outrage againstfeminine nature. Some day your heart will stir in its cold torpor, andthen all Dante's visions of horror, will become your realities, scuurging you down to despair. " "Because 'Farleigh Court' may lie dangerously close to 'Denzil Place'?Be easy, Leo; the cold remains of my ossified affection will lie in asdecorous repose as the harmless ash heaps of some long buried damoselof the era of Lars Porsenna, dug out of Vulci or Chiusi. To make a safeand brilliant marriage is the acme of social success. What else doesthe world to which I belong, offer me now?" "There remains always, Alma, the alternative of listening to theinstinctive monitors God set to watch in every woman's nature; and wehave the precious and inalienable privilege of being true to ourselves. Better mourn your 'bisc' than stoop to a lower substitute. Be loyal toyourself, be true to your own heart. " "I know myself rather too intimately to offer a tribute of admirationon the altar of ego; and I prefer to make the experiment of trying tobe true and loyal to some one else, with whose imperfections I am notso well acquainted. When you meet your adorable 'bisc' in society, witha wife hanging on his arm, --when as pater familias he convoys his flockof small children who tread on your toes at the chrysanthemum shows, what then? The world, my world, is generously and munificently lax, andthough the limits of respectable endurance may be as hard to find asthe 'fourth dimension of space', or the authenticity of the 'Book ofJasher', still for decency's sake we submit there are limits ofdecorum; certain proprietorial domains upon which we may not openlypoach; and mcum et tuum though moribund, is not yet numbered withbelief in the 'grail'. Female emancipation is not quite complete evenin America, and noblesse oblige! our code still reads: 'Zeus hasunquestioned right to Io; but woe betide Io when she suns her heart inthe smiles that belong to Hera!' Some women find exhilaration in theeffort to excel, by flying closest to the flame without singeing theirsatin wings; by executing a pirouette on the extremest ledge of theabyss, yet escape toppling in; female Blondins skipping across thetight rope of Platonic friendship, stretched above the unmentionable. You are shocked?" "Indeed, I am pained. I can scarcely recognize the Alma of old. " "Wait one moment, I have the floor. In the days when I wept formy--shall I say 'bisc'? for impersonality is hedged about with safety, and the consolation prize had not yet been invited to come back fromCoventry, a funny trifle set me to thinking seriously of my sin ofcovetousness. One summer at a certain fashionable resort, let us callit villeggiatura of the Lepidoptera, the amusement programme hadreached the last act, and people yawned for something new, when 'sweetcharity' came to the rescue, and proposed an entertainment to raisefunds for enlarging an ecclesiastical 'Columbary' where aged, unsightlyand repentant doves might moult, and renew their plumage. Musical, dramatic, poetic recitations, and tableaux vivants constituted themethod of collecting the money, and the selections would have madeRabelais chuckle. We had the most flagitiously erotic passages(rendered in costume) from opera and opera bouffe, living reproductionsof the tragic pose of Paolo and Francesca that would hare inspiredCabanel anew; of 'Ginevra Da Siena, ' of 'Vivien, '--a carnival of thecarnal! where nurseries were robbed to supply the mimic ballet, andwhere bald-headed clergyman, and white-haired mothers in Israel clappedand encored. One fair forsaken dame, whose indignant spouse was seekinga divorce, came to the footlights in an artistic garment so decolletethat a man sitting behind me whispered to his friend: 'What picturesdoes she suggest to you? "Phryne before the Judges"--or Long's"Thisbe?" She languorously waved a floral fan of crimson carnations, and recited with all of Siddons' grace and Rachel's fire selectionsfrom a book of poems, that were so many dynamite bombs of vicesmothered in roses. Amid tumultuous applause, she gave as encoresomething that contained a fragment of Feydeau, and its closing wordswoke up my drowsy soul, like a clap of thunder: 'Ce que les poetesappellent l'amour, et les moralistes l'adultere!' Leo, there is a moralsomnambulism more frightful than that which leads to midnightpromenades on the combs of roofs, and the borders of Goat Island; so Iwiped my tears away, and after that day, began to read the billet douxand wear the flowers of my 'consolation prize'. " "You do not love him, and your marriage will degrade you in your ownestimation. Your bridal vows will be perjury, an insult to your God, and a foul terrible wrong against the man who trusts your truthfulness. According to our church, wedlock is a 'holy ordinance'; and to me anunloving wife is unhallowed; is a blot on her sex, only a few degreesremoved from unmarried mothers. You know the difference betweenfriendship and love, and when you go to the altar, and give the formerin exchange for the latter, the base counterfeit for the true gold, youare consciously and premeditatedly dishonest. " "Thanks, for your clearness of diction, your perspicuity which leavesno cobweb of misty doubt wherewith to drape my shivering moraldeformity! To 'see ourselves as others see us' is as disappointing asthe result of plunging one's hand into the 'grab-bag', but at least itbrings the stimulating tingle of a new sensation. Suppose each knowsperfectly well that as regards the true gold, both are equallybankrupt? There is a queer moral fungus called 'honesty among thieves', and we both know that we never sang snatches from Offenbach to eachother, through pink 'bisc' lips. He loved quite desperately a mignonneof a blonde, with heavenly blue eyes and cherubic yellow hair, who, notknowing his expectations from a California uncle, jilted him for a richCuban. Look you, Leo, because I cannot wear Kohinoor, must I disportmyself without any diamond necklace? Since he can never own 'LaPeregrina, ' must he eschew pearl studs in his shield front? Wedistinctly understand that we are not first prizes; but perhaps we maybe something better than total blanks in the lottery, even though wequite realize the difference between love and friendship. Do you?Portia should know every jot and tittle of the law, and all the subtleshades of evidence, before she lifts her voice in court. " Alma pushed away her cushion, sat upright, and the slumbering fireflashed up under her jet lashes. "If I do, that knowledge which earlier or later comes to all women, iscertainly linked with the comforting consciousness that I can trustmyself to govern and protect myself, without being tied to a watch-dog, whose baying would serve much the same purpose as that picture inmosaic in the House of the Tragic Poet. I have a very sincere affectionfor you, Alma, but the day on which you sell yourself in a lovelessmarriage, will strain hard on the cable of esteem. " "Is it for this reason that you refuse to officiate as my bridesmaid?" "Solely because I will neither witness nor participate in an act whichwill give me great pain by lowering my estimate of your character. " Alma's long, supple, tapering fingers were outstretched, and takingLeo's white dimpled hands, drew them caressingly to her face, pressinga palm against each cheek. "Your good opinion is so precious, I cannot afford to lose it. Weaccept men's flattery and expect their compliments, because it is atraditional homage that survives the chivalry that inspired it; but wedon't mistake chaff for wheat, and the purest, sweetest, noblest andholiest friendship in life is that of a true, good woman. The perfumeis as different as the stale odor of a cigar, from the breath of thehoneysuckle that bleached all night under crystal dew, floats in atyour window like a message from heaven, I love you dearly, my prettyPortia, hence I wince a trifle at your harsh ascription of cave canemmotives in my marriage. In the idyllic Arthurian days, the 'Lily Maidof Astolot' made a touching picture, weeping and dying for the man whorode away, marauding on kingly preserves; but this is the era of wise, common sense 'Maud Mullers', and she and the Judge, mating as best theycan, lead peaceful lives in a wholesome atmosphere, and cause noscandal by following 'affinities' across the lines of law; as some highin literature, art, and society have done, trusting that the starredmantle of genius would hide their moral leprosy. With all my faults, atleast I am honest; and when I bow my stiff neck under the yokeconnubial, I promise you I will keep step demurely and sedately. Do youremember a sombre book we read while yachting, which contained thisbrave confession of a woman, whose marriage made her historic? 'Ithought I had done with life. I knew I had now cause to be proud ofbelonging to this man, and I was proud. At the same time I as littlefeigned ardent love for him, as he demanded it from me. ' Leo, you and Irepresent different types. You are an eagle brooding in cold eternalsolitude upon the heights, rather than be wooed by valley hawks; I amonly a very tired wren, who missed a mate on my first Valentine season, and seeing my plumage grows a rusty brown, I accept the overtures ofone similarly forlorn, and hope for serene domesticity under thesheltering eaves of some quiet, cosey barn. You are a nobler bird, nodoubt; but trust me dear, I shall be the happier. " Leo withdrew her hands, and pushed back her chair, widening the spacethat divided them. "You disappoint me keenly. I thought you too brave to crouch before thejeers hurled at 'old maidenism'. Moral cowardice is the last flaw Iexpected in one of your fibre. " "Wait till you are thirty-three, and stand as a target at Society'sarchery meeting. Yesterday Celeste was pale with horror when she showedme two white hairs pulled from my 'bangs', and added, 'Helas races! andpowdered hair no more the style!' My dear girl-- "'True love, of course, is scarcely in society, Unless in fancy dress, and masked like one of us--'" still I really am very proud of my six feet two inches prospectiveconjugal yoke-fellow; proud of his martial bearing, his brilliantreputation, 'proud of his pride'; and I think I shall grow very fond ofhim, because in a mild way I think he cares for me'; and we can make alittle Indian Summer for each other before the frosts of Winter fallupon us. What else can I do with my life? Think of it. Papa will bemarried soon, and while I don't propose to tear my hair and insult hisbride, nobody can be expected to reach such altitudes ofself-abnegation as to want a step-mother. Poor papa, I am sure I hopehe may be very happy, but it is superhuman to elect to live under thesame roof, and smile benignantly on his bliss. Rivers, too, has slippedunder the matrimonial noose, and I am absolutely thrown on my ownresources for companionship. What does society offer me? Haggard, weazen old witch, bedizened in a painted mask; don't I know the yellowteeth and bleared eyes behind the paste-board, and the sharp nails inthe claws hidden under undressed kid? Have not I gone around for yearson her gaudy wheel, like that patient, uncomplaining goat we sawstepping on the broad spokes of the great wheel that churned thebutter, and pressed the cheese in that dairy, near Udine? The dizzyingcircle, where one must step, step--keep time or be lost! In Winter, balls, receptions, luncheons, teas, Germans, theatre parties, operasuppers; a rush for the first glimpse of the last picture that emergesfrom the custom-house; for a bouquet of the newest rose that took theprize at the London Show. In season, coaching parties, tally ho! Thenfox hunting minus the fox, and later, boating and bathing and lawntennis!--and--always--everywhere heart-burnings, vapid formalities;beaux setting belles at each other like terriers scrambling after amouse; mothers lying in wait, as wise cats watching to get their pawson the first-class catch they know their pretty kittens cannot managesuccessfully. Oh! Don't I know it all! I dare say my world is the verybest possible of its kind; and I am not cynical, but oh Lord! I am sodeadly tired of everything, and everybody. " "No wonder, unless you mercilessly calumniate it; but you have onlyyourself to blame. You made social success your aim, fashionable lifeyour temple of worship, sham your only God. If you habitually drinkpoppy juice, can you fail to be drowsy?" "Oh bless you! I have been polytheistic as any other well-read pagan ofmy day, and changed the heads and the labels of the fetiches on myaltar almost as often as my ball wardrobe. I aspired to 'culture' inall the 'cults', and I improved diligently my opportunities. One yearthe stylish craze was sesthetics, and I fought my way to the front ofthe bedlamites raving about Sapphic types, 'Sibylla Palmifera' and'Astarte Syriaca'; and I wore miraculously limp, draggled skirts, thattangled about my feet tight as the robes of Burne Jones' 'Vivien. ' Nextseason the star of ceramics and bric-a-brac was in the ascendant, and Iran the gamut of Satsuma, Kyoto, de la Robbia, Limoge and Gubbio; ofniello, and millchori glass, of Queen Anne brass and Japanese bronze;while my snuff boxes and my 'symphony in fans' graced all the loanexhibitions. Soon after, a celebrated scientist from England who hadbowled over all the pins set up by his predecessors, lectured in ourBojotia; and fired with zeal for truth, I swept aside all my costlyidealistic rubbish into a 'doomed pyramid of the vanities', and sworeallegiance to the Positive, the 'Knowable', whose priests handledhammers, spectroscopes, electric batteries--and who set up for me awhole Pantheon of science fetiches. I bought a microscope and peeredinto tissues, pollen cells, diatoms, ditch ooze; and pitied my cleverand very talented grandmother who died ignorant of the family secretsrevealed by 'totemism', ignorant of 'parthenogenesis' which proved soconclusively the truth of her own firm conviction, that the faults shedeplored in her son's children were all inherited directly from herdaughter-in-law, whom she detested; ignorant of the fact that the sunwhich she regarded as a dazzling yellow fire was by bolometric measuresshown to be in reality of a restful, and refreshing blue color. By thetime I was fully convinced that teleology was as dead as the Ptolemaictheory, and that 'wings were not planned for flight, but that flighthas produced wings', hence that Haeckel's gospel of 'Dysteleology' orpurposelessness in Nature satisfactorily explained creation--a greatwave of oriental theosophy overflowed us; and a revival of Buddhisminvited me to seek Nirvana as the final beatitude, where-- "'We shall be Part of the mighty universal whole, And through all icons mix and mingle with the Kosmic Soul!'" Or to make matters clearer still: "'Om, mani Padma, Om! the dewdrop slips Into the shining sea!'" Even a sponge can hold only so much, and I fell back--or shall I sayforward--in the path of progress to rest in the dimness of agnosticism. Is it strange, Leo, that I am desperately tired; and willing to plantmy feet on the rock of matrimony, which will neither dissolve nor slipaway, and to which my vows will moor me firmly?" "If you had clung to your Bible, and prayed more, you would not havewasted so signally the years that might have brought you enduringhappiness. Forgive me, Alma, but you have lived solely for self. " "Yet now, when I propose to live solely for somebody else, you shake meoff, and repudiate me? Selfish you think? I dare say I am, but religionnow-a-day winks at that, nay fosters it. Each church is an octopus, andthe members are laboriously striving to disprove the Saviour'sadmonition: 'Ye cannot serve God and mammon. ' I am no worse than myritualistic sisters whom I meet and gossip with, under cover of theorgan muttering, and sometimes I wonder if after all we are any nearerthe kingdom of heaven that Christ preached, than the pagans whosecustoms we retain under evangelical names. 'They sacrificed a white kidto the propitious divinities, and a black kid to the unpropiticus. ' Donot we likewise? The church or one of its pensioners needs money; soinstead of denying ourselves some secular amusement, cutting short ourchablis, terrapin, pate de foie gras, gateau, Grec, Amontillado;wearing less sealskin and sables, buying fewer pigeon-blood rubies, absolutely mortifying the flesh in order to offer a contribution out ofour pockets to God, how ingeniously we devise schemes to extract thelargest possible amount of purely personal pleasure from theexpenditure of the sum, we call our contribution to charity? We buildchapels, and feed orphans, and clothe widows, and endow reformatories, and establish beds in hospitals, how? By a devout, consecratingself-denial which manifests itself in eating and drinking, in singingand dancing, at kirmess, charity balls, amateur theatricals, gardenparties; where the cost of our XV. Siecle costume is quadruple theprice of the ticket that admits to our sacrifice of black and whitekids in the same sanctuary. We serve God with one hand, and we surelyserve with the other the Mammon of selfishness and vanity. We haveLenten service, Lenten dietetics, Lenten costumes even; Lentenprogressive euchre, Lenten clubs; but where are the Lenten virtues, where the genuine humility, charity, self-dedication of body and soulto true holiness?" "The church is a school. If pupils will not heed admonition, and defythe efforts of instructors, is the institution responsible for thefailure in education? The eradication of selfishness is the mission ofthe churches; and if we individually practised at home a genuineself-denial for righteousness' sake, we should collectively show theworld fewer flaws for scoffing reprimand. " "The Shepherds are too timid to control their flocks. If they only hadthe nerve to pick us up, turn our hearts inside out, show us the blackcorners, and the ossifications, and call sin, sin, we should begin torealize what despicable shams we are. Dr. Douglass, the Bishop, is theonly one I know who lays us on the dissecting table, and who does notspeak of 'human fallibility' when he means vice. He told us one daythat the Gospel required a line of demarcation between the godly andthe ungodly, between Christians and unbelievers; but that it has becomeimaginary like the meridian and the equator; and that he very muchfeared the strongest microscope in the laboratories could not findwhere the boundary line ran between the World, the Flesh and the Devil, and the Kingdom of God in our souls. I am sorry a distant State calledhim to her Episcopal chair, for his cold steel is needed among us. Nowtell me, Leo, what you intend to do with your life?" "Spend it for God and my fellow creatures; and enjoy all the purehappiness I can appropriate without wronging others. I have so manyprivileges granted me, that I ought to accomplish some good in thisworld, as a thank offering. " "Take care you don't make a fetich of Jerusalem missions, Chinesetracts, and Sheltering Arms; and lose your dear, sweet personality in agoody-goody machine bigot. Forgive me, dear old girl, but sometimes Ifear a shadow has fallen in your sunshine. " "Sooner or later they fall into every life, yet mine will pass away Ifeel assured. 'Pain, suffering, failure are as needful as ballast to aship, without which it does not draw enough water, becomes a playthingfor the winds and waves, travels no certain road, and easilyoverturns. ' If the gloomiest pessimist of this century can extract thatcomfort, what may I not hope for my future? I am going to rebuild myhouse at X----and when it is completed, I shall expect the privilege ofreturning the hospitality you have so kindly shown me. I shall be verybusy for at least two years, and I am glad to know that Aunt Patty isbeginning to manifest some interest in my plans. " "Leo, may I ask something?" "If you are quite sure you have the right to ask, and that I can haveno reason to decline answering. " "I can't bear that you should live and die without being a happy wife. I don't want you to become a mere benevolent automaton set aside forchurch work, and charities; getting solemn and thin, with patientcurves deepening around your mouth, and loneliness looking out of-- "'Eyes, meek as gentle Mercy's at the throne of heaven. '" "To be a happy wife is the dream of womanhood, and if the day shouldever dawn when God gives me that crown of joy, I shall wear it gladly, proudly, and feel that this world has yielded me its richest blessing;but, Alma, to-day I know no man whom I could marry with the hope ofthat perfect union which alone sanctions and hallows wedded love. Imust be all the world to my husband; and he--next to God--must be theuniverse to me. There is Gen'l Haughton coming up the stairs, so Iconsiderately efface myself. Good-bye till luncheon. " As she glided away and disappeared behind the curtain leading into thelibrary, Alma looked after her, with very misty eyes, full oftenderness. "Brave, proud soul; deep, sorrowful heart. If she can't drown her star, at least she will admit no lesser light. She will never swerve one iotafrom her lofty standard, and some day, please God, she may yet wear hercoveted crown right royally. Governor Glenbeigh is worthy even of her, but will his devotion win her at last?" CHAPTER XXXI. If it be true that the universal Law of Labor, physical or mental, emanated from the Creator as a penal statute, for disobedience whichforfeited Eden, how merciful and how marvellous is the delicacy of anadjustment, whereby all growth of body, mind and soul being conditionedby work, humanity converts punishment into benediction; escapesdegeneration, attains development solely in accordance with theprovisions of the primeval curse, man's heritage of labor? Amid thewreck of sacerdotal systems, the destruction of national gods, theperiodical tidal waves of scepticism, the gospel of work maintainstriumphantly its legions of evangels; its apostolic succession directfrom Adam; its myriad temples always alight with altar fires, alwaysvocal with the sublime hymn swelling from millions of consecratedthroats. The one infallible tonic for weakened souls, the one supreme balm forbruised hearts is the divinely distilled chrism of labor. Absorbed in the round of duties that employed her hands and thoughts, and necessitated dedication of every waking hour, Beryl found moresolace than she had dared to hope; and the artistic fancies which shehad supposed extinguished, spread their frail gossamer wings andfluttered shyly into the serene sunshine that had broken rpon herfrozen life. The distinctively ornamental character of many of theindustrial pursuits at the "Anchorage", demanded originality andvariety of designs, and as this department had been assigned to her, she entered with increasing zest the tempting field of congenialemployment; yet day by day, bending over her tasks, she never lostsight of the chain that clanked at her wrist, that bound her to ahideous past, to a murky, lowering and menacing future. Weeks slipped away, months rolled on; Autumn overtook her. Winter snowsand sleet blanched the heavenly blue of the dimpling lake, and notidings reached her from the wanderer, for whom she prayed. Theadvertisement had elicited no reply, and though it had long ceased toappear, she daily searched the personal column of the "Herald", with avague expectation of some response. If her brother still lived, was theworld so wide, that she could never trace his erring passage throughit? Would no instinct of natural affection prompt him to seek news ofthe mother who had idolized him? After a while she must renew thequest, but for the present, safety demanded her seclusion; and sinceonly Doctor Grantlin knew the place of her retreat, she felt securefrom discovery. One Spring day, when warm South winds had kissed open the spicy lips oflilacs, and yellowed the terrace with crocus flakes, Beryl dismissedher class of pupils in drawing and painting, and was engaged in dustingthe plaster casts, and arranging the palettes and pencils left indisorder. The door opened, and a pretty, young German Sister looked in. "Sister Ruth have need of you to do some errands; and you must go onthe street; so you will get your bonnet and veil. Is it that you willbe there soon?" "I will come at once, Sister Elsbeth. " For several days Sister Ruth had been confined to her room byinflammatory rheumatism, and when Beryl entered, the invalid presentedthe appearance of a mummy swathed in red flannel. "I am sorry to disturb you, and equally sorry that I feel obliged toexact a reluctant service, because I know you dislike to visit thebusiness part of the city, and there I must send you. This note fromMrs. Vanderdonk will explain the nature of the business, which I canintrust to no one except yourself; and you will see that the commissionadmits of no delay. Here is your car fare. Go first to No. 100 LucreAvenue, talk fully with Mrs. Vanderdonk, and then ride down to Jardon &Jackson's and get all the material you think will be required. You willobserve, she lays great stress on the superfine quality of the plush. Order the bill delivered with the goods; and if anything be required inyour department, you had better leave the list with Kling & Turner. " Three squares south of the "Anchorage" ran a line of street cars whichcarried her away to the heart of the city; and at the expiration of anhour and a half, Beryl had executed the commission, and was walkinghomeward, watching for a car which would expedite her return. Dreadingidentification, she went rarely into the great thoroughfare; and nowfelt doubly shielded from observation by the Quaker-shaped drab bonnetand veil that covered her white cap. As she was passing the entrance ofa dancing academy, a throng of boys and girls poured out, filling thesidewalk, and creating a temporary blockade, through which a gentlemanladen with several packages, elbowed his way. A moment later, Beryl'sfoot struck some obstacle, and looking down she saw a large portfoliolying on the pavement. It was a handsome morocco case, with theinitials "G. McI. ", stamped in gilt upon the cover, which was tied withwell-worn strings. She held it up, looked around, even turned back, thinking that the owner might have returned to search for it; but thegentleman who had hurried through the crowd was no longer visible, andin the distance she fancied she saw a similar figure cross the street, and spring upon a car rolling in the opposite direction. The human clot had dissolved, the juvenile assembly had drifted away;and as no one appeared to claim the lost article, she signalled to thedriver of the car passing just then, entered and took a seat in onecorner. The only passengers were two nurses with bands of little ones, seeking fresh air in a neighboring park; and slipping the book underher veil, Beryl began to examine its contents. A glance showed her thatit belonged to some artist, and was filled with sketches neatlynumbered and dated; while between the leaves lay specimens of ferns andlichens carefully pressed. The studies were varied, and in all stages of advancement; here two elkheads and a buffalo; there a gaunt coyote crouching in the chaparral; acluster of giant oaks; far off, a waving line of mountain peaks; acanon with vultures sailing high above it; cow boys, and a shorelesssea of prairie, with no shadows except those cast by filmy cloudsdrifting against the sun. Slowly turning the leaves, which showedeverywhere a master's skilful hand, Beryl found two sheets of papertied together with a strand of silk; and between them lay a fold oftissue paper, to preserve some delicate lines. She untied the knot, andcarefully lifted the tissue, looking at the sketch. A faint, inarticulate cry escaped her, and she sank back an instant inthe corner of the seat; but the chatter of the nurses, and thewhimpering wail of one dissatisfied baby mercifully drowned the sound. The car, the trees on the Street, the belfry of a church seemedspinning in some witch's dance, and an icy wind swept over and chilledher. She threw aside her veil, stooped, and her lips whitened. What was there in the figure of a kneeling monk, to drive the blood incold waves to her throbbing heart? The sketch represented the head andshoulders of a man, whose cowl had fallen back, exposing the outlinesand moulding of a face and throat absolutely flawless in beauty, yetdarkened by the reflection of some overpowering and irremediable woe. The features were youthful as St. Sebastian's; the expression that ofone prematurely aged by severe and unremitting mental conflict; butneither shaven crown, nor cowl availed to disguise Bertie Brentano, andas his sister's eyes gazed at the sketch, it wavered, swam, vanished ina mist of tears. In one corner of the sheet a man's hand had written "Brother Luke", August the 10th. Had relenting fate, or a merciful prayer-answering-Godplaced in her hand the long sought clue? When Beryl recovered from theshock of recognition, and looked around, she found the car empty; anddiscovered that she had been carried several squares beyond the streetwhere she intended to get out and walk. Carefully replacing the tissue paper and silk thread, she tied theleathern straps of the portfolio, and left the car, holding thesketches close to her heart as she hurried homeward. When she turned acorner and caught sight of the bronze anchor over the door, sheinvoluntarily slackened her pace, and at the same moment a policemancrossed the street, stood in front of her, and touched his cap. Thesight of his uniform thrilled her with a premonition of danger. "Pardon me, Sister, but something has been lost on the street. " "A portfolio? I have found it. " "It is very valuable to the owner. " "I intend having it advertised in to-morrow's paper. " "The person to whom it belongs, wishes to leave the city; to-night, hence his haste in trying to recover it. " "I picked it up in front of Heilwiggs' Dancing Academy. How did youknow who had found it?" "The owner discovered he had dropped it, soon after he boarded a car, where Captain Tunstall of our force happened to be, and he at oncetelegraphed to all the stations to be on the look out. A boot-blackwhose stand is near Heilwiggs', reported that he saw one of the 'GrayWomen' pick up something, and get on an upbound car. Our station wastelephoned to interview the 'Anchorage', so you see we are prompt. Iwas just going over to ring the bell, and make inquiries. " "Who lost the book?" "A man named McIlvane, an Englishman I think, who is obliged to hurryon to-night, in order to catch some New York steamer where his passageis engaged. " "You are sure he is a foreigner?" asked Beryl, who was feverishlyrevolving the possibility that the sketch belonged to some detective, and was intended for identification of the picture on the glass door atX----. "You can't be sure of anything that is only lip deep, but that was theaccount telephoned to us. There is a reward of twenty dollars if thebook is delivered by eight P. M. ; after that time, ten dollars, anddirections left by which to forward it to London. He said it wasworthless to anybody else, but contained a lot of pictures he valued. " "I do not want the reward, but before I surrender the portfolio, I mustsee the owner. " "Why?" "For reasons that concern only myself. He can come here, and claim hisproperty; or I will take it to him, and restore it, after he hasanswered some questions. You are quite welcome to the reward, which Iam sure you merit because of your promptness and circumspection. Willyou notify him that he can obtain his book by calling at the'Anchorage'?" "Our instructions are, to deliver the book at Room 213, Hotel Lucullus. It is now four o'clock. " "I will not surrender the book to you; but I will accompany you to thehotel, and deliver it to the owner in your presence. Let us lose notime. " "Very well. Sister, I'll keep a little behind, and jump on the firstred star car that passes down. Look out for me on the platform, andI'll stop the car for you. " "Thank you, " said Beryl, wondering whether the sanctity of her garbexacted this mark of deference, or whether the instinctive chivalry ofAmerican manhood prompted him to spare her the appearance of policesurveillance. Keeping her in sight, he loitered until they found themselves on thesame car, where the officer, apparently engrossed by his cigarette, retained his stand on the rear platform. In front of the hotel twoomnibuses were discharging their human freight, and in the confusion, Beryl and her escort passed unobserved into the building. He motionedher into one of the reception rooms on the second floor, and made hisway to the office. Drawing her quaint bonnet as far over her face as possible, andstraightening her veil, Beryl sat down on a sofa and tried to quiet thebeating of her pulses, the nervous tremor that shook her. She hadventured shyly out of her covert, and like all other hunted creatures, trembled at her own daring in making capture feasible. Memory renderedher vaguely apprehensive; bitter experience quickened her suspicions. Was she running straight into some fatal trap, ingeniously baited withher brother's portrait? Would the Sheriff in X----, would Mr. Dunbarhimself, recognize her in her gray disguise? She walked to a mirror setin the wall, and stared at her own image, put up one hand and pushedout of sight every ring of hair that showed beneath the white capfrill; then reassured, resumed her seat. How long the waiting seemed. Somebody's pet Skye terrier, blanketed with scarlet satin embroideredwith a monogram in gilt, had defied the bienseance of fashionablecanine and feline etiquette, by flying at somebody's sedate, snowyMaltese cat, whose collar of silver bells jangled out of tune, as thecombatants rolled on the velvet carpet, swept like a cyclone throughthe reception room, fled up the corridor. Two pretty children, gay asparoquets, in their cardinal plush cloaks, ran to the piano and began afurious tattoo, while their nurse gossiped with the bell boy. With her hands locked around the portfolio, Beryl sat watching thedoor; and at last the policeman appeared at the threshold, where hepaused an instant, then vanished. A gentleman apparently forty years of age came in, and approached her. He was short in stature, florid, slightly bald; wore mutton chopwhiskers, and a traveling suit of gray tweed broadly checked. Beryl rose, the stranger bowed. "Ah, you have my sketch book! Madam, I am eternally your debtor. Intrinsically worthless, perhaps; yet there are reasons which make itinestimably valuable to me. " "I picked it up from the pavement, and though I opened and examined it, you will find the contents intact. Will you look through it?" "Oh! I dare say it is all right. No one cares for unfinished sketches, and these are mere studies. " He untied the thongs, turned over a dozen or more papers, then closedthe lid, and put his hand in his pocket. "I offered a reward to--" "I wish no fee, sir; but the policeman has taken some trouble in thematter, and without his aid I should probably not have been able torestore it. Pay him what you promised, or may deem proper; and thenpermit me to ask for some information, which I think you can give me. " She beckoned to the officer who looked in just then; and when the moneyhad been counted into his hand, the latter lifted his cap. "Sister, shall I see you safe on the car?" "Thank you, no. I can find my way home. I teach drawing at the'Anchorage', and desire to ask a few questions of this gentleman, who Iam sure is an artist. " When the policeman had left them, Beryl took the portfolio and openedit, while the owner watched her curiously, striving to penetrate thesilver gray folds of her veil. "May I ask whether you expect to leave America immediately?" "I expect to sail on the steamer for Liverpool next Saturday. " "Have you relatives in this country?" "None. I am merely a tourist, seeking glimpses of the best of this vastcontinent of yours. " "Did you make these sketches?" "I did, from time to time; in fact, mine has been a sketching tour, andthis book is one of several I have filled in America. " With trembling fingers she untied the silk, lifted the sketch, and saidin a voice which, despite her efforts, quivered: "I hope, sir, you will not consider me unwarrantably inquisitive, if Iask, where did you see this face?" "Ah! My monk of the mountains? That is 'Brother Luke'; looks like oneof Il Frate's wonderful heads, does he not? I saw him--let me see?Egad! Just exactly where it was, that is the rub! It was far west, beyond Assiniboia; somewhere in Alberta I am sure. " "Was it on British soil, or in the United States?" "Certainly in British territory; and on one of the excursions I madefrom Calgary. I think it was while hunting in the mountains betweenAlberta and British Columbia. Let me see the sketch. Yes--10th ofAugust; I was in that region until 1st of September. " Beryl drew a deep breath of intense relief, as she reflected thatforeign territory might bar pursuit; and leaning forward, she askedhesitatingly: "Have you any objection to telling me the circumstances under which yousaw him; the situation in which you found him?" "None whatever; but may I ask if you know him? Is my sketch so good aportrait?" "It is wonderfully like one I knew years ago; and of whom I desire toreceive tidings. My friend is a handsome man about twenty-four years ofage. " "I was camping out with a hunting party, and one day while they wereaway gunning, I went to sketch a bit of fir wood clinging to the sideof a rocky gorge. The day was hot, and I sat down to rest in the shadowof a stone ledge, that jutted over the cove where a spring bubbled fromthe crag, and made a ribbon of water. Here is the place, on this sheet. Over there, are the fir trees. Very soon I heard a rich voice chantinga solemn strain from Palestrinas' Miserere; the very music I hadlistened to in the Sistine Chapel, a few months before; and peepingfrom my sheltered nook, I saw a man clad in monkish garb stoop to drinkfrom the spring. He sat a while, with his arms clasped around hisknees, and his profile was so perfect I seized my pencil and drew theoutlines; but before I completed it, he suddenly fell upon his knees, and the intense anguish, remorse, contrition--what not--so changed thecountenance, that while he prayed, I made rapidly a new sketch. Thenthe most extraordinary thing happened. He rose, and turning fullytoward me, I saw that one-half of his face was nobly regular, classically perfect; while the other side was hideously distorted, deformed. Absolutely he was 'Hyperion and Satyr' combined--with one setof features between them. I suppose my astonishment caused me to uttersome exclamation, for he glanced up the cliff, saw me, turned and fled. I shouted and ran, but could not overtake him, and when I reached theopen space, I saw a figure speeding away on a white mustang pony, andknew from the fluttering of the black skirts that it was the same man. My sketch shows the right side of his face, the other was drawn downalmost beyond the lineaments of humanity. Beg pardon, madam, but wouldyou be so good as to tell me whether this freak of nature wascongenital, or the result of some frightful accident?" Beryl had shut her eyes, and her lips were compressed to stifle themoan that struggled in her throat. When she spoke, the strangerdetected a change in her voice. "The person whose countenance was recalled by your sketch, wasafflicted by no physical blemish, when last I saw him. " "His appearance was so singular, that I made sundry inquiries abouthim, but only one person seemed ever to have encountered him; and thatwas a half-breed Indian driver, belonging to our party. He told me, 'Brother Luke' belonged to a band of monks living somewhere beyond themountains; and that he sometimes crossed, searching for stray cattle. That is the history of my sketch, and since I am indebted to you forits recovery, I regret for your sake that it is so meagre. " "It was last August that you made the sketch?" "Last August. And now may I ask, to whom my thanks are due?" "I am merely an humble member of a sisterhood of working women, and myname could possess no interest for you. I owe you an apology fortrespassing upon your time, and prying into the mysteries of yourportfolio; but the beauty of your sketch, and its startling resemblanceto one in whom I have long felt an interest, must plead my pardon. I amgrateful, sir, for your courtesy, and will detain you no longer. " He bowed profoundly; she bent her head, and walked quickly away, keeping her face lowered, dreading observation. For the first time since her trial and conviction, a sensation ofperfect tranquillity shed rest upon her anxious and foreboding heart. Bertie was safe from capture, on foreign soil; and the testimony of thetraveller that he prayed in the solitude of the wilderness, brought herthe comforting assurance, that the fires of remorse had begun thepurification of his sinful soul from the crime that had blackened somany lives. Trained in his early youth at a Jesuit College, hissympathies had ever been with the priesthood to whom his tutorsbelonged; and his sister readily understood how swiftly he fled totheir penitential, expiatory system, when the blood of his grandfatherhad stained his hands, and the scouts of the law hunted him to desertwilds. Vain of the personal beauty that had always distinguished him, shecomprehended the keenness of the humiliation, which would goad him toscreen in a cloister, the facial mutilation, that punished him moreexcruciatingly than hair shirt, or flagellation. Beyond the reach ofextradition (as she fondly hoped), inviolate beneath the cowl of someOrder which, in protecting his body, essayed also to cleanse, regenerate and sanctify his imperilled soul, could she not now dismissthe tormenting apprehension that sleeping or waking had persistentlydogged her, since the day when she saw the fuchsias on thehandkerchief, and the mother-of-pearl grapes on the sleeve button, inthe penitentiary cell? In a crisis of dire extremity, overborne by adversity, terrified by therealization of human helplessness, we fly to God, and barter by promiseall our future, for the boon of temporary succor. How different, how holy the mood that brings us in tearful gratitude todedicate our lives to His service, when having abandoned all hope, Hishealing hand lifts us out of long agony into unexpected rest? When an ignominious death stared this woman in the face, she had criedto her God: "Though You slay me, yet will I trust You!" and to-nightshe bowed her head in prayer, thankful that the uplifted hand held nolonger a dagger, but had fallen tenderly in benediction. Far away in the heart of the city, the clock in its granite tower wasstriking two; yet Beryl knelt at her oriel window, with her armscrossed on the wide sill, and her eyes fixed upon the shimmering sea, where a soft south wind ruffled it into ridges of silver, beneath afull May moon. Beyond those silent waters, hidden in some lonely, snow-girt eyry, where perhaps the muffled thunder of the Pacificresponded to the midnight chants of his oratory, dwelt Bertie; and totouch his hand once more, to hear from his own lips that he had madehis peace with God, to kiss him good-bye seemed all that was left foraccomplishment. Poor and unknown, she lacked apparently every means requisite for thisattainment; but faith, patience, and courage were hers. Daily work fordaily wage was the present duty; and in God's good time she would findher brother. How, or when, so expensive and difficult a quest could besuccessfully prosecuted, disquieted her not; she had learned to laborand to trust; she remembered: "Their strength is to sit still. " The symphony of her life was set in minors, yet subtle and perfect wasthe harmony that dwelt therein; and because she had sternly shut loveout of her lonely heart, she kept votive lights burning ceaselessly onthe cold altar of duty. The solitary red rose of happiness that mighthave brightened and perfumed her thorny path, she had cut off, ere thebud expanded, and offered it as a loyal tribute to broaden the garlandthat crowned Miss Gordon. At the mandate of conscience, she hadunmurmuringly surrendered this precious blossom, but memory wastantalizingly tenacious; and in sorrowful hours of sore temptation, thebrave, pure soul came swiftly to the rescue of famishing heart: "What?Is it so hard for us to keep the Ten Commandments? Do we covet ourneighbor's lover?" In the garden of earthly existence, some are ordained to bloom as humanplantae tristes, shedding their delicate aroma like the"Pretty-by-nights", only when the glory of the day is done, andtwilight shadows coax open their pure hearts. To-night she seemed cradled in the arms of peace, soothed by anunfaltering trust that whispered: "Would I could wish my wishes all to rest; And know to wish the wish, that were the best. " While her lips moved in a prayer for Bertie, she fell asleep; like achild at ease, after long paroxysms of pain. When she awoke, the lilacswere swinging their purple thuribles filled with dew, in honor of thenew day; a silvery mist, tinged here and there with the pale pink hueof an almond blossom, wavered and curled over the quiet lake, and arobin red-breast, winging his way from the orange and jasmine boughs ofthe far sweet South, rested on the ivied wall, and poured out his happyheart in a salutatory to the rising sun. CHAPTER XXXII. "I fear, my sister, that you have made a great mistake in refusing anoffer of marriage, which almost any woman might be proud to accept. " Sister Ruth closed her writing desk, and looked at Beryl over herspectacles. "Why should you infer that any such proposal has been made to me?" "Simply because I know all that has occurred, and my cousin writes methat you decline to marry him. If you had intended to remain here andidentify yourself with this institution, I could better understand yourmotives in rejecting a man who offers you wealth, good looks, astainless reputation, an honored name, and the best possible socialposition. " "All of which tempt me in no degree. Mr. Brompton is doubtlesseverything you consider him; lives in a brown stone palace, is aninfluential and respected citizen, but comparatively, we are strangers. He bought my pictures, took a fleeting fancy to my face, and to mygreat surprise, indulged in a romantic whim. What does he comprehend ofmy past? How little he understands the barrier that shuts me out fromthe lot of most women. " "He is fully acquainted with every detail of your life that has beenconfided to me, or discovered by the public; and he has studied andadmired you ever since you came to dwell among us. In view of your verypeculiar history, you must admit that his affection is certainlystrong. If you married him, your past would be effectually blotted out. " "I have no desire to blot it out, and though misfortune overshadowed myname, it is the untarnished legacy my father left me, and I hold itvery sacred; wrap it as a mantle about me. When suspicion of any formof disgrace falls upon a woman, it is as though some delicate flowerhad been thrust too close to a scorching fire; and no matter howquickly or how far removed, no matter how heavy the dews that empearlit, how fresh and cool the wind that sweeps over it, how bright the sunthat feeds its pulses, --the curled petals are never smoothed, the hotblasts leaves its ineffaceable blight. To me, the thought of marriagecomes no more than to one who knows death sits waiting only for thesetting of the sun, to claim his own. That phase of life is asinaccessible and uninviting to me, as Antartic circumpolar lands; andeven in thought, I have no temptation to explore it. My future and mypast are so interblended, that I could as easily tear out my heart andcontinue to breathe, as attempt to separate them. I have a certain workto do, and its accomplishment bars all other paths. " "Does the nature of that work involve vows of celibacy?" "Sometimes fate decrees for us, allowing no voluntary vows. How soonthe path to my work will open before me, I cannot tell; but the daymust come, and like a pilgrim girded, I wait and watch. " "Can you find elsewhere a nobler field of work than surrounds you here?" "Certainly not, and some dross of selfishness mingles with the motivesthat will ultimately bear me beyond these hallowing precincts; yet aday may come, when having fulfilled a sacred duty, I shall travel back, praying you to let me live, and work, and die among you. " "My sister, your patient submission, your tireless application, haveendeared you to me; and I should grieve to lose you from our littlegray band, where your artistic labors have reflected so much credit onthe 'Home'. " "Thank you, Sister Ruth; praise from fellow toilers is praise indeed, and the greatest blessing one human being can bestow upon another, Iowe to you; the blessing of being helped to procure work, which enablesme to help myself. If I leave the 'Anchorage' for a season, it will beon an errand such as Noah's dove went forth from refuge to perform; andwhen I return with my olive branch, the deluge of my life will havespent its fury, and I shall rest in peace where the ark is anchored. " "Do you imagine that desertion from our ranks will be so readilycondoned? Drum-head court martial obtains here. " "Would you call it desertion, if seizing the flag of duty that floatsover us here, I forsook the camp only long enough to scout on adangerous outpost, to fight single-handed a desperate battle! If Ifell, the folds of our banner would shroud me; if I conquered, wouldyou not all greet me, when weary and worn I dragged myself back to theranks? Some day, when I tap at the ark window, you will open your armsand take me in; for then my earthly mission will have ended, and thesmoke of the accepted sacrifice will linger in my garments. " "Meantime, to-day's duties demand attention. I have a note from CyrilBrompton requesting that special courtesy be shown by us to his friend, the new Bishop, who is in the city, and who desires to inspect the'Anchorage'. Cyril declines escorting the party, because he finds itpainful to meet you now, and he wishes particularly that you shouldshow your own department. I shall not be able to climb to the thirdstory, while my ankles are so swollen, so I must deputize you to do thehonors on your floor. Hold yourself in readiness, if I should send foryou, and do not forget to give the Bishop a package of the newprospectus of the art school. That basket of orchids must be deliveredbefore five o'clock. Sister Joanna said you detained her to make asketch of it. " "I had almost finished when you summoned me. Send her up for the basketin half an hour. " The long studio was deserted, and very quiet on that sultry Saturdayafternoon in midsummer, and the drowsy air was laden with fragrancefrom the pots of white carnations, massed on the iron balcony, uponwhich the tall, plate glass windows opened to the north. Down thecentre of the apartment ran a table covered with oil cloth, and on thewalls hung pictures in oil, water-color, crayon, while upon bracketsand pedestals were mounted plaster casts, terra cotta heads, a fewbronzes, and some hammered brass plaques. In the corners of the room, four marvels of taxidermy contributed brilliant colors mixed on thefeathered palettes of a pea-fowl, a scarlet flamingo, a gold and asilver pheasant, all perched on miniature mounds, built of curiousspecimens of rock, of shells, coral and sphagnum. The slow, languid swish, swish of the waters stirred by a passingsteamer, broke on the cliff beyond the wall; and along the sky linewhere lake and atmosphere melted insensibly into blue distance, greatcumulus copper-colored clouds hooded with salmon-tinted folds, tippedhere and there with molten silver, shadowed with pearly hollows, hungentranced by their own image, over the inland sea that gleamed like amirror. At the end of the studio, near the open windows, Beryl had placed theplateau basket of orchids on the table; and she stood before an easel, transferring to the surface of a concave brass plaque, the flutedoutlines of the scarlet and orange ribbons, the vivid green, purple andgolden-brown lips, the rose velvet cups, the tender canary-hued calyxesof the glistening floral mass, whose aroma seemed a panting breath fromequatorial jungles. Having secured the strange forms of these vegetablesimulacra of the insect world, she replaced the sheathing of tissuepaper around the gorgeous mosaic of color; and just then, Sister Joannathrew open the door, and ushered in a party of visitors, consisting oftwo gentlemen and a lady. One was Mr. Kendall, a member of the Chapterof Trustees. "Good evening, Sister. Bishop Douglass, of our State, and Miss Gordon, from the South. I have been boasting to them of the perfect success ofthe 'Anchorage', as an industrial institution. Will you show us some ofthe work done in this department?" As on a swiftly revolving wheel, Beryl saw the black eyes andgold-rimmed spectacles of Leighton Douglass; the shield-shaped amethystring on his broad, white hand; the slender figure by his side, drapedin some soft brown tint of surah silk, the blond hair, the wide, startled hazel eyes of Leo, who made a step forward, then pausedirresolute. The gaze of the visitors was fastened upon the superb form wearing thegray garb of flannel, with snowy fluted frills at the rounded wristsand throat, and a ruffled white muslin mob cap crowning rich waves ofbronze hair, that framed a beautiful pale face, whose gray eyes keptalways the soft shadow of their long jet lashes. Only half a minute sufficed to gird Beryl, and with no hint ofrecognition in her tranquil countenance, she moved forward, opened thedrawers, and spread out for inspection various specimens of drawing andpainting, in all stages of advancement. A crimson tide overflowed Leo's cheeks, but accepting the cue ofsilence, she refrained from any manifestation of previous acquaintance;and bending over the pictures, listened to the grave, sweet voice thatbriefly, though courteously answered all inquiries concerning theschool, hours of classes, tuition fees, remunerative rates paid fordesigns for carpets, wall papers and decorative upholstering. Unrollingfrom a wooden cylinder a strip of thick paper, two yards long andtwenty inches wide, she displayed an elaborate arabesque pattern donein sepia for a sgraffito frieze, sixteenth century, which had beenordered by the architect of the new "Museum of Art". "A bit of your favorite Florentine facade, " said the Bishop, addressinghis cousin, and peering closely at the scroll work. "In this corner of the world, one scarcely expects a glimpse of AndreaFeltrini, " answered Leo, avoiding the necessity of looking at Beryl, byglancing at Mr. Kendall. "What are your sources of information?" inquired Bishop Douglass. "We have a carefully selected collection of engravings, and a few goodsketches and cartoons; moreover, some of our Sisterhood have been inItaly. " In attempting to roll the strip, it slipped from her fingers. Bothwomen stooped to catch it, and their hands met. Looking into Leo'seyes, Beryl whispered: "See me alone. " Then she rewound the paper, restored its oil silk cover, and shut the drawer. "Do you find that the demand for purely ornamental work renders thisdepartment self-sustaining?" asked Leighton Douglass. "I think the experience of the 'Anchorage' justifies that belief;especially since the popularization of so-called 'Decorative Art', which projects the useful into the realm of the beautiful; and bylending the grace of ornament to the strictly utilitarian, dims the oldline of demarcation. " "We are particularly interested in acquiring accurate knowledge on thissubject, because Miss Gordon hopes to establish a similar institutionnear her home in the South; where so many of our countrywomen, rendereddestitute in consequence of the late war, need training which willenable them to do faithful remunerative work, without compromisingtheir feminine refinement. While in Europe she inspected variousindustrial organizations; saw Kaiserswerth, and the Training Schoolsfor Nurses, even the Swedish 'Naas Slojd', and her visit here is solelyto verify the flattering accounts she has received of the success ofthe eclectic system of the 'Anchorage'. The South is so rich in finematerials that appear to offer a premium for carving, that we wish toinvestigate this branch of 'decorative' labor, and hope you can help usby some practical suggestions. " "Within the past twelve months, we have commenced the experiment ofwood work; make all the utensils we need, and one of our patronssecured for us some models from the school you mentioned nearGothenburg. As yet we have received only two orders; one for a base inwalnut for a baptismal font; the other an oak triptych frame for achoir in a Minnesota church. The carving is a distinct branch, thatdoes not belong to my department; but if you will knock at the archeddoor on the right hand side of the hall, Sister Katrina, who has chargeof that work, will take pleasure in exhibiting the process. Mr. Kendallknows the 'Anchorage' so well, he needs no guide to the work-rooms. Permit me to offer you some copies of our new prospectus, and also aphotograph of this building, as a slight souvenir of your visit here. " She fitted papers and picture into a square envelope stamped with ananchor in red ink, and handing it to Miss Gordon, walked to the doorand opened it. On the threshold Leo turned, and looked intently intoher face: "Are you sufficiently at leisure to allow me a little furtherconversation this afternoon; or shall I call again?" "I am entirely at your service, and shall gladly furnish anyinformation you may desire. Our matron has placed my time at yourdisposal. " "Mr. Kendall, if you will kindly accompany the Bishop to thewood-carving room, I can remain here a little while, to ask Sister somequestions, which would scarcely interest you gentlemen. I will join youthere, very soon. Leighton, please get an estimate of the cost of thenecessary outfit, and talk with Mr. Kendall concerning the feasibilityof sending one of our women here for a year. " Closing the door, Beryl put out both hands, and took Leo's. She stood amoment, holding them in a tight clasp. "Thank you, for considerately withholding a recognition that would haveembarrassed me. I hoped that the habit of our Order would in somedegree disguise me, yet, at a glance you knew me. " "Shall I infer that your history is unknown here?" "Sister Ruth, our Matron, is thoroughly acquainted with my past life, but she kindly respects my sorrows, and deems it unnecessary to publishthe details among the Sisterhood. Do you know me so little, that youimagine I am capable of abusing the confidence of the head of anestablishment which mercifully shelters an outcast?" She stepped back, and motioned her visitor to a seat near the balcony. "I should be very reluctant to ascribe any unworthy motive to you;therefore I fail to understand why you desire to preserve yourincognito, especially since the signal vindication of your innocence. The news of the extraordinary discovery of the picture on the glass, and of your complete acquittal, even of suspicion, gave me so muchpleasure that I should have written you my hearty congratulations, hadI been able to obtain your address. " "I felt assured you would rejoice with me; and because I hold your goodopinion so valuable, let me say that my happiness in the unexpectedvindication of my character was enhanced by the proud consciousnessthat in your estimation I needed none. When the blackness of anintolerable shame overshadowed me, you groped your way to the dungeon, and held out your hands in confidence and sympathy. All the worldsuspected; you trusted me. You offered your noble name as bond, andmade a place for me at your own sacred hearthstone. Do you think I canever forget the blessedness of the balm that your faith in me pouredinto my crushed, despairing heart? Do you doubt that no sun sets, without seeing me on my knees, praying God's blessing of perfecthappiness for you? What would I not do--what would I not suffer--tosecure your peace, and to prove my gratitude?" Her voice vibrated like the silver string of a deep violon-cello, andLeo, gazing up into the misty splendor of the beautiful sad eyes, ceased to wonder at the fascination which she had exerted over Mr. Dunbar. Unintentionally this woman's face had marred her life; hadunwittingly stolen her lover's heart; yet she believed no treacherysullied the pure perfection of the soft red lips, and Leo's generousnature rose above the narrow limits of ordinary feminine jealousy. Hadshe doubted for an instant the theory that Beryl was heroicallysuffering the penalty of a crime, in order to screen her guilty lover, some suspicion of the truth might have dawned upon her. "Suppose I intend to put your gratitude to the test? You haveexaggerated the debt which you acknowledge; are you prepared to cancelit? If I say to you, because I believed in you, trusted you, will yourepay me now, by granting a favor which I shall ask?" "I think Miss Gordon could express no wish that I would not gladlyexecute, in order to promote her happiness. " "Will you come back to X----and help me to establish a home for women, who are destitute alike of money and of family ties? When you presideover it I shall be haunted by no fears of failure. Once, I gave you mysympathy; now, when I need help, will you give me yours?" Beryl shivered, and looked wonderingly at her companion. Was she indeedso unsuspicious of the quicksand on which stood the fair temple of herhopes in marriage? "O, Miss Gordon! That is the one thing, in all the world, that for yoursake as well as mine, I could never do. No, no; impossible. " "Why, not for my sake, since I desire it so earnestly?" A bright flush had risen in Leo's cheeks, and she threw back her smallhead challengingly. For a moment Beryl wavered. Could she bear to wound that proud spirit? "Go back to X----? To X----! It would be a renewal of my martyrdom, andI should only be a stumbling block in the scheme you contemplate. Youdo not understand, perhaps; but believe me, I prove my gratitude byrefusing your kind offer. " "I think I understand; and if I am willing to run the risk, what then?" "Do not ask me the impossible. The very atmosphere of X----would numbme, destroy all capability of usefulness, by reviving harrowingmemories. " "Had not every shadow of suspicion vanished, and the entire communitymanifested delight in your triumphant innocence, I should never havesuggested a return to the scene of your sufferings. Certainly, I cannotpress the payment of a debt, which you volunteered to cancel; but I amsorry your refuse to oblige me. " There was a starry sparkle in the soft hazel eyes, and an involuntaryand unconscious hardening of her lips, as Leo rose. "It is hard, Miss Gordon, to be always misunderstood; but sometimesduty points to lines that subject us to harsh and bitter censure. Ibear ever a heavy burden; do not increase my load by condemning me asungrateful, God knows, you hold a warm and a holy place in my heart, and your happiness is more to me than my own; yet the one thing youask, my conscience forbids. " "How long have you been here?" "It will be two years to-morrow since I entered these peaceful walls. " "Then your probation ends, and you become permanently a Sister of the'Anchorage'?" "Not yet. I have been permitted to earn my daily bread here, uponconditions somewhat at variance with the regulations that usuallygovern the institution. I have not applied for admission to permanentmembership, because my stay is contingent upon circumstances, which maycall me hence to-morrow; which may never arise to beckon me away. Sister Ruth generously allows me the latitude of choice; not for my ownsake, but for that of a friend, whose influence secured my admission. After a while, when I have finished my work, I hope to come back; tospend the residue of my earthly days, and to die here, a faithfulUmilta Sister of the 'Anchorage', which opened its arms when I was aneedy and desolate waif. " "The peace of your new life is certainly reflected in your face. Patience has had its perfect work; and that 'peace that passeth allunderstanding' is the reward granted you. " Leo held out her hand, and Beryl took it between both hers. "Dear Miss Gordon, grapes yield no wine until they are crushed, trampled, bereft of bloom, of rounded symmetry, of beautiful color; butthe Lord of the Vineyard is entitled to His own. I was a very proud, self-reliant girl, impatient of poverty, daringly ambitious; and what Ideemed a cruel fate, threw me into the vat, to be trodden under foot. It may be, that when the ferment ends, and time mellows all, the purplewine of my bruised and broken life may be accounted worthy the seal ofa sacramental sacrifice. I have ceased to question, to struggle, toplan. Like a blind child, fearing to stumble into ruin, I stand, andstretch out my hands to Him, who has led me safely through deep waters, along frightful gorges. Each day brings its work, which I striveworthily to accomplish; but my aim is to lay my heart, mind, soul, mystubborn will, all in God's hands. You think peace the summum bonum?Sometimes we obtain it by an ignominious surrender, when we shouldpossess it by conquest. 'Peace of mind is a beautiful and heavenlything; but even peace of mind may become an idol; and there is perhapsno idol to which women bow down more passionately. ' For this reason, Iam waiting for the drum beat of duty, and my march may begin at anymoment. I asked to see you alone, in order to beg that you willincrease my debt of obligations, by promising to reveal to no one theplace of my retreat. Accident has betrayed to you that which I amanxious to keep secret; and I trust you will tell no one where you metme. " "Why should you hide, as though you were a culprit? You have been socompletely exonerated from the imputation of guilt which once hung overyou, that you owe it to yourself to front the gaze of the worldfearlessly. What have you to dread?" "The failure of something, which, though its accomplishment costs mevery dear, I shall not relax my efforts to promote. I am trying to beloyal to my duty, even when the command is to strangle my own weakheart. You do not, cannot understand. God grant you never will. Thereare reasons why it is best for me to live in strict seclusion, for thepresent. Those reasons I can explain neither to you, nor to any otherhuman being; and yet, I ask you to respect them, and to keep my secret. You trusted me in the terrible exigencies of the past; and you musttrust me now, for--oh! God knows--I do indeed deserve your confidence. " She raised the hand folded in her own, and bowed her head upon it. "You have my promise. Without your permission, I will mention ourmeeting to no one. I trust you; and perhaps if you would trust me, Imight render you some aid. " "The day may come, when I can find it compatible with duty to tell youthe secret of my life. In future years, when you are a happy wife, Ishall by God's help be able to seek you and your husband, and thank youboth for many kindnesses. I pray that you may be as happy as youdeserve. " There was no tremor in the voice that answered quickly. "If you refer to Mr. Dunbar, you have been led astray by the gossip inX----. Once, there seemed a probability that our lives might be united;but long ago, we found that ardent friendship could not take the placeof love; and rather more than three years have passed since we haveeven seen each other. " With a startled movement Beryl dropped her companion's fingers, andlaid a hand on her shoulder. "Oh! do not tell me that you have broken your engagement!" The two looked steadily at each other, and while Leo's proud face gaveno hint of pain or embarrassment, Beryl's blanched, quivered. "How did you know that any engagement ever existed?" "All X----knew it. Mrs. Singleton and Sister Serena told me. " "I dissolved that engagement before I went to Europe. " "Then you rashly wrecked your beautiful future. Why did you cast himoff? He would have made you happy; he is worthy, I think, even of you. " "Yes, he is worthy, I believe, of any woman whom he may really love;but my happiness is not in his keeping, and my future holds, I trust, something much brighter than our marriage would hate proved to me. " "You have thrown away the substance for the shadow. Before it is toolate, reconsider your decision; give him an opportunity to reinstatehimself in your affection. You have both been so kind to me, that Ihave hoped you would find life long happiness in each other. " "Dismiss that delusion. His path and mine diverge more and more, and weno longer dwell in the same State. He has inherited a large amount ofproperty in Louisiana, and now lives in New Orleans; hence you canreadily perceive how far apart the currents of our lives have drifted. I rejoice in my freedom; and he, I suspect, is not inconsolable for myloss. " Through Beryl's whirling brain darted the recollection of a rumor, thatLeighton Douglass was suitor for his cousin's hand; and that Miss Dentfavored the alliance. Was the solution of Miss Gordon's cold, calmindifference to be found in the presence and devotion of the Bishop?Could he have supplanted Mr. Dunbar in her affection? Had the worldswung from its moorings? What meant the light that broke upon her, asif the walls of heaven had fallen, and let all the glory out? After a moment she said, solemnly: "I pray God to overrule all earthly things, for your welfare, for yourheart's truest happiness; and for the realization of your dearesthopes. When my mission has been accomplished, and duty lifts her sealfrom my lips, I may try to see you once more, and explain the necessitythat forced me to seek seclusion. " "I believe I understand; and I trust your reward will not be delayed. You and I can lean with confidence upon the wisdom and the mercy of theGod we worship; but each must serve out His appointed time of bondagein the Egypt of suffering, in the famine of the desert; and must drinkat Marah, before the blessing of the manna, the grapes of Eshcol, theroses of Sharon. If ever you should need an earthly friend, rememberme; and if all other refuge fail you, my home can be always yours. " Hand in hand they walked to the door, and Leo pitied the future of thiswoman, whose lover was a wandering outlaw, with a price set upon hishead; and beneath her gray flannel habit, Beryl's heart was torn withconflicting emotions, as she watched the placid, proud face, thatshowed no vestige of the storm of disappointment which had stranded hersweetest hope in life. "Good-bye, Beryl; God keep you in His tender care. " "Good-bye, dear Miss Gordon. I will pray for your happiness, so long asI live. " She stooped, drew Leo's hands to her face, pressed her trembling lipstwice upon them; then turned quickly, and locked herself in the studio. Is it true, that "Orestes and Pylades have no sisters?" CHAPTER XXXIII. A Persian proverb tells us: "A stone that is fit for the wall is notleft in the way. " Strong artistic aspirations will plough through aridsands, leap across bottomless chasms, toil over bristling obstacles, climb bald, freezing crags to reach that shining plateau, where "beautypitches her tents", and the Ideal beckons. Favorable environment is thesteaming atmosphere that fosters, forces and develops germs which mightnot survive the struggle against adverse influences, in uncongenialhabitat; but nature moulds some types that attain perfection throughperpetual elementary warfare which hardens the fibre, and strengthensthe hold; as in those invincible algx towering in the stormy straits ofTierra del Fuego, swept from Antartic homes toward theequator, --defying the fierce flail of surf that pulverizes rock, "Breedis stronger than pasture; and no matter how savage a stepmother thecircumstances of life may prove, the inherited psychological strainwill sometimes dominate, and triumph. " According to the Talmud: "Amyrtle, even in a desert, remains a myrtle". From her tenth year, Beryl had begun to build her castle in the Spainof Art; daubed its walls with wonderful frescoes, filled its echoingcorridors with heroic men and lovely women of the classic ages; andthrough its mullioned windows looked into an enchanted land, clothedwith that witching "light that never was on sea or land". When all elseon earth was sombre and dun-hued, sunlight and moonlight still gildedthose magical towers. In darkest nights, through hissing rain andhurtling hail, she caught the glitter of its starry vanes smilingthrough murkiness, and above the wail and sob of the storms that hadswept over the waste places of her youth, she heard the divine melodieswhich the immortal harper, Hope, played always in the marvellous palaceof the Muses. In early girlhood she had followed her father into the solemn mysteriesof Greek Tragedy; and in that vast white temple dedicated to theinexorable Fates, where predestined victims moved like marble images totheir immolation, her own plastic nature had been moulded in unisonwith the classic cult. Among the throng of Attic types, an immortalstatue of filial devotion and sisterly love had attracted herirresistibly, and to Antigone she rendered the homage of a boundlessadmiration, an unwavering fealty. Intellectually, humanity cleaves to idolatry; and each of us worshipsin the Pantheon, where our favorite divinities in literature crowd theniches. To become a skilful artist, and paint the portrait of Antigone, vas the ambition that had shaped and colored Beryl's young dreams, longere she suspected that a mournful parallelism in fate would consign herto a living tomb more intolerable than that devised by Theban Creon. Our grandest pictures, statues, poems, are not the canvas, the marble, the bronze, and the gilded vellum, that the world handles, criticises, weighs, buys and sells, accepts with praise, or rejects with anathema. Invisible and inviolate, imagination, keeps our best, our ideals, locked in the cerebrum cells of "gray matter", which we are pleased tocall our workshop. What art gallery, what library can rival the sublime and beautifulimages that crowd the creased and folded labyrinth of the human brain;as far beyond the ken and analysis of the biologist's microscope, assome remote nebulae shining in blue gulfs of interstellar space, thatno telescopic Jense can ever discover, even as a faint blur of silverymist upon the black velvet vault that suns and planets spangle? In some degree, Beryl's artistic dream had been realized; and the studyof years slowly flowered into a large painting, which representedAntigone standing beside the heap of dust, strewn reverently tosepulchre the form dimly outlined at her feet. The sullen red sunset ofa tempestuous day flared from the horizon, across a desolate plain;showed the city walls in the background, the hungry vultures poisedhigh above the dead, the marauding dogs crouched in the wind-sweptsand, watching their banquet, decreed by the king. The dust had beenscattered from a black vase that bore on its front, in a circularmedallion, the lurid head of grinning Hecate; and the last rite toappease the unquiet manes was performed by the uplifted right arm thatpoured libations from a burnished brass urn, held aloft over the pallof earth that denned the figure beneath. The left hand was stretched, not heavenward, but shieldingly over the mound, and in the beautiful, stern face bent a little downward in invocation of the infernal gods, one read sublime self-surrender, grief for Oedipus, regret for Hasmon, farewell to life, --mingled with exultant consciousness that asuccessful sacrifice had been accomplished for Polynices, and that thespirit of the brother rested in peace. The soul of the artist seemed to look triumphantly through the solemn, purplish blue eyes of the young martyr, and Beryl knew that her ownheart beat under the pamted folds of the diploidion; that she hadepitomized in a symbolic picture, the history of her own joyless youth. The canvas had been framed and hung at the art exhibition of the new"Museum", opened in September; and only the "U" traced in one cornerbeneath an anchor, indicated that it was the work of the UmiltaSisters' "Anchorage". The public peered, puzzled, shook its sapient head, shrugged itsauthoritative shoulders, and sundry criticisms crept into the journals;but the prophet was judged in "his own country"; and home work, according to universal canons, rarely finds favor among home awardingcommittees, whose dulness its uncomprehended excellence affronts. One censured vehemently the masonry of the city wall; another deploredpathetically the "defective foreshortening of a dog's shoulders"; thepicture "lacked depth of tone"; the "coloring was too bizarre", the"tints too neutral". Like chemicals tested in a laboratory, or like Pharaoh's lean kine, each objection devoured the preceding one; and unanimity of blameassaulted only one salient point on the entire canvas: the red sandalsof the Greek girl--upon which outraged good taste fell with pitilessfury. Undismayed, Beryl withdrew her picture, erased the ciphers in thecorner, and shipped it to New York to Doctor Grantlin, who had recentlyreturned from Europe; requesting him to place it at a picture dealer'son Broadway, and to withhold the name of its birth-place. Two weeks later, a popular journal published an elaborate descriptionof "A painting supposed to have been obtained abroad by a New Yorkcollector, who merited congratulation upon possession of a masterpiece, which recalled the marvellous technique of Gerome, the atmosphere ofJules Breton, the rich, mellow coloring, and especially the scrupulousfidelity of archaic detail, which characterized Alma Tadema; and wasconspicuously manifest in the red shoes so distinctively typical ofTheban women". Mr. Kendall caused this article to be copied into the leading newspaperof his own city; and the first mail, thereafter, carried to New York anoffer of eight hundred dollars for the painting, from the President ofthe "Museum" Directors, who had been so shocked by the unknownsignificance of the "red shoes". After a few days, it was generallyknown, but mentioned with bated breath, that the "Antigone" had beenbought by a wealthy Philadelphian, who paid for it two thousanddollars, and hung it in his gallery, where Fortunys, Madrazos, andDiazs ornamented the walls. Why should journeying abroad to render "Caesar's things" to foreignCaesars, demand such total bankruptcy that we must needs repudiate thejust debts of home creditors, whose chimneys smoke just beyond thefence that divides us? De mortuis nil nisi bonum is a traditional andsacred duty to departed workers; but does it exhaust human charity, orrequire contemptuous crusade against equally honest, living toilers?Are antiquity and foreign birthplace imperatively essential factors inthe award of praise for even faithful and noble work? We lament thecaustic moroseness of embittered Schopenhauer, brooding savagely overhis failure to secure contemporaneous recognition; yet after all, didhe malign his race, or his age, when, in answer to the inquiry where hedesired to be buried, he scornfully exclaimed: "No matter where;posterity will find me. " It was on the 26th of October, a week subsequent to the receipt of theletter which contained the check sent in payment for the picture, thatBeryl sat down on the stone sill of her oriel window, to rest in theseclusion of her room, after the labors of the day. It was the anniversary of her ill-starred visit to X----, andmelancholy memories had greeted her at dawn, clung to her skirts, chanted their dismal refrain, and renewed the pain which time had insome degree dulled. Four years ago she had felt her mother's feverishlips on hers, in a parting kiss, and four years ago to-day the sun ofher girlhood had passed suddenly into total eclipse. Since then, movingin a semi-twilight, suffering had prematurely aged her, and she hadschooled herself to expect no star, save that of duty, to burn alongher lonely path. To-day, she thought of the pride her picture wouldhave aroused in her devoted father; of the comforts the money wouldhave purchased for her invalid mother; of the pleasure, success as anartist would have brought to her own ambitious soul, if only it had notcome so many years too late. What crown could fame bring to one, dwelling always in the chill shadow of a terrible shame? The glory ofnoble renown could never gild a name that had answered at the convicts'roll call; a name which, at any moment, Bertie's arrest might drag backto the disgrace of established felony. Of all mocking fiends, the arch torturer is that hand which draws asidethe black curtain of grim actuality, and shows us the wonderful realmof "might have been", where lost hopes blossom eternally, and thewitchery of hallowed illusions is never dispelled. Wearily Beryl closed her eyes, as though the white lids availed to shutout visions, tantalizing as the dream of bubbling springs, andpalm-fringed isles of dewy verdure, to the delirious traveller dying ofthirst, in the furnace blasts of mid-desert. If she had defied her mother's wishes, and refused to go to X--? Howdifferent the world would seem to her; but, what was a world worth, that had never known Mr. Dunbar? Over burning ploughshares she had walked to meet one destined to stirto its depths the slumbering sea of her tenderest love; and to foregothe pain, would she relinquish the recompense? During the months that elapsed after Leo's visit to the "Anchorage", Beryl had surrendered her heart to the great happiness of dwelling, unrebuked by conscience, upon the precious assurance that the love ofthe man whom she had so persistently defied and shunned, wasirrevocably hers. The sharpest pain that can horrow womanhood, springsfrom the contemplation of the superior right of another to the objectof her affection; and though honor coerces submission to the justclaims of a rival, renunciation of the beloved entails pangs that noanaesthetic has power to quiet. After the long struggle to aid Miss Gordon's accepted lover in keepinghis vows of loyalty, the discovery of his freedom, and the belief thatBishop Douglass had supplanted him in the affection of her generousbenefactress, had brought to Beryl an exquisite release; sweet as thespicy breath of the tropics wafted suddenly to some stranded, frozenArctic voyager. Heroic and patient, keeping her numb face steadfastlyturned to the pole star of duty, where the compass of consciencepointed--was the floe ice on which she had been wrecked, driftingslowly, imperceptibly, yet surely down to the purple warmth of the GulfStream, dotted with swelling sails of rescue? Like oceanic streamsmeeting, running side by side, freighted with cold for the equatorialcaldrons, with heat for the poles, are not the divinely appointedcurrents of mercy and of affliction, God's agents of compensation, toequalize the destinies of humanity? We rail at Fate as triple monsters; but sometimes it happens, that theveil of inscrutability floats aside, for an instant, and we catch aglimpse of the radiant smile of an infinite love. Hope had set in Beryl's sky, but a tender afterglow held off the comingnight, when she thought of the face that had bent so yearningly aboveher, of the passionate voice and the thrilling touch that were now hermost precious memories. The pearl which Miss Gordon had cast away asworthless, the discarded convict might surely, without sin, claim asher own for ever. To-day an intense longing to see him once more, tohear from his lips praise of her "Antigone", disturbed the tranquillitythat was spreading its robes of minever over a stony path; but she putaside the temptation. To the Sisterhood of the "Anchorage" she had given one-half theproceeds of the picture sale; and the remainder would enable her atlast to renew the search for her unhappy brother. So vague were thetopographical lines furnished by the English tourist, that prosecutingher quest in the remote wilderness of mountains, which wore their crownof snow, seemed a reckless waste of hope, time and money; nevertheless, she must make the attempt. She knew that a gigantic railway system wascrawling like an anaconda under rocky ranges, over foaming rivers, stretching its sinuous steel trail from Bay of Chaleur to Georgia Gulf;with termini that saw the sun rise from the Atlantic Ocean, and watchedits setting in the red glory of the far Pacific; and perhaps steamshovels, and iron tight-ropes might furnish her facilities on her longjourney. Winter would soon overtake her, and in the inhospitable region whereher brother had been surprised at his prayers, how could a lonely womantravel without protection? Doubt, apprehension flitted as ill-bodingbirds of night, flapping dusky wings to hide the signal beacon, whichlove and duty swung to and fro; yet the yearning to see her brother'sface again, dwarfed all barriers, and she trusted God's guidance. On a chair near her, lay, on this afternoon, a map which for many daysshe had been studying; and opening it once more, she ran a finger alongthe dotted lines, mentally debating whether it would be best to go byrail to Ottawa, by water to Sault St. Marie, whence the new railwaycould be easily reached, or whether the most direct route would be viaSt. Paul to Winnepeg. When she left the "Anchorage", her destinationmust remain a secret; hence she could ask no counsel. In view ofapproaching cold weather, economy of time seemed imperative; and sheresolved to buy a railway ticket to Fargo, where she could eludesuspicion, should the threatened invisible detective "shadow" her; andwhence another Pacific highway offered egress to western wilds. Withthis definite conclusion she closed the map, and a moment later, someone knocked at her door. "Come in. " She went forward, and met Sister Katrina, a robust dame of forty years, blond as Gerda; with the "light of the glowworm's tails" in hergolden-lashed violet eyes, and the "ruby spots of the cowslip's leaves"on her full, frank lips. "Will you sit a while with me? There is still a half hour, before yourevening work begins in the carving shop. Come in. " "I am sorry I have not time now, to indulge myself in such luxury as achat with you always proves. I came to beg the loan of your India inkcopy of the marble screens at Agra; which I have an idea would be veryeffective done in cherry, for the panels under the new bookcases we aredesigning for the library. " "The copy is up stairs in the studio; but I shall be glad to get it foryou. " "No; with your permission I can help myself, and I am going up therenow, for some red chalk. I know exactly where to find the picture, because I was examining it two days ago. What think you of my idea?" "I am afraid you will find cherry too dark. A lighter wood, I think, would be better adapted to the exceeding delicacy of the design. " "Wait till I cut out a sample scroll, and we will talk it over. SisterRuth asked me to hand to you this paper, which contains a verycomplimentary notice of your lovely picture. I read it as I came up, and congratulate you on all the fine things said. You scarcely know howproud we feel of our Sister's work. Thanks for the use of the drawing. " She smiled, nodded and closed the door; and when her bright cheerycountenance vanished, it seemed as though a film of cloud had driftedacross the sun. Beryl went back to a low chair in front of the window, and opened thepaper, which chanced to be the New York "Herald. " Unfolding it to huntthe designated article, her glance fell accidentally upon the personalcolumn. Her heart leaped, then almost ceased beating, as she read: "Important. Bertie will meet Gigina in the Museum at Niagara Falls, Canada side, any day during the last week in October. " Two years and a half had almost gone by since she inserted theadvertisement, to which this was evidently a reply. Long ago she hadceased to expect any tidings through this channel; but the seed sown infaith, watered by tears, and guarded by continual prayer had stirred tolife; blossomed in the sunshine of God's pitying smile, and after wearywaiting, the ripe fruit fell at her feet. How fair and smooth, rosy andfragrant it appeared to her famishing heart? How opportune the guidinghand that pointed her way, when cross roads baffled her. Two dayslater, she would have been journeying away from the coveted goal. Nowthe tide of battle was turning. Had the stars rolled back on theircourses to rescue Sisera? How long the happy woman sat there, exulting in the mellowness of theperfect fruit of patience, she never knew. Day died slowly; the vivid crimson and dazzling gold that fired theWest were reflected in the tranquil bosom of the lake, faded into thetender pale rose of the sacred lotus, into the exquisite tints thatgild the outer petals of a daffodil, the heart of buttercups; andthen, robed in faintest violet powdered with silvery dust, the vastpinions of Crepuscule spread over sky and water, fanning into fullflame the glittering sparks of planets and constellations that lightedthe chariot course of the coming moon. Across the sleeping lake hurried a north wind, on its long journey toblow open the snowy camellias folded close in the heart of the South, and under his winged sandals the waters crimped, rippled, swelled intowavelets that played their minor adagio in nature's nocturn, as theirfoam fingers fell on the pebbles that fringed the beach. From the deckof a schooner anchored off shore, floated the deep voice of a mansinging Schubert's "Ave Maria"; and far, far away over the weird wasteof waters, where a buoy marked a sunken wreck, its red beacon burnedlike the eye of Polyphemus, crouching in darkness, watching tosurprise Galatea. The penetrating chill of the night air aroused Beryl from her profoundtrance; and lighting the gas over her dressing table, she re-read themagical words that had transformed her narrow world. This was Mondaythe 26th, and next Saturday was the limit of the proposed interview. One day must suffice for necessary preparation, and starting by earlymorning express on Wednesday, she would arrive in time to keep thetryst that involved so much. She cut out the notice that was merely asentence in the page of social hieroglyphics, where no key fitted morethan one paragraph, and forgetting the criticism on her picture, shewent swiftly down stairs. The members of the Sisterhood were at supper, and she waited at therefectory door for an opportunity to meet the matron. On the platform raised in the centre of the long room, sat the readerfor the day, Sister Agatha; a plump, florid young woman, with brightblack eyes, and a voice sweet and strong as the flute stop of an organ. The selection that evening had been from "Agate Windows" and "IceMorsels", and the closing words were: "Alpine flowers are warmed by snow; the summer beauty of our hills, andthe autumn fertility of our valleys, have been caused by the coldembrace of the glacier; and so, by the chill of trial and sorrow, arethe outlines of Christian character moulded and beautified. And we, whorecognize the loving kindness as well as the power of God in what mayseem the harsher and more forbidding agencies of nature, ought not tobe weary and faint in our minds, if over our own warm human life, thesame kind pitying Hand should sometimes cause His snow ofdisappointment to fall like wool, and cast forth His ice of adversitylike morsels; knowing that even by these unlikely means, shallultimately be given to us also, as to nature, the beauty of Sharon, andthe peace of Carmel!" Somewhere in the apartment, a bell tapped. All rose, and each head inthe gray ranks bowed, while "thanks" were offered; then amid a subduedmurmur of conversation, the Sisterhood filed out, gathered in groups, separated for various duties. "Sister Ruth, may I see you alone?" asked Beryl, touching her arm inthe hall. "This is the night for the examination of accounts, of last week'sexpenses, and I shall be busy with Sister Elena, our book-keeper;moreover, I promised to look over the linen closet of the Infirmary, with Sister Consuelo, whose demands are like those of the daughter ofthe horse-leech. Is your business urgent?" "Yes; but I will not detain you more than ten minutes. " "Very well, come to my cabinet. " The place designated was a pigeon box in size, and adjoined thereception room on the first floor. Two desks packed with papers, threechairs and a picture of Elijah and the ravens, constituted thefurniture. The matron brightened the light, seated herself and lookedat her companion. "Well. What can I do for you? Why, Sister? Something has happened; yourface is all aglow, your eyes are great stars. " "Yes; a heavy burden I have long borne is slipping from my heart, andafter the pressure it rebounds. I have told you that my stay here wascontingent on events which I could not control; that at any moment Imight consider it incumbent upon me to go away into the world;therefore, I could bind myself by no compact to remain permanently inthe 'Anchorage'. The time has come; the drum taps, I must march away. " "And you are so glad to leave us?" said the matron, gazing in wonder atthe radiant face, usually so impassive and cold with its locked lips, and grave, sad, downcast eyes. "No, glad only in the occasion that calls me; regretting that dutyseparates me temporarily from the Sisterhood, who so mercifully openedtheir arms, when I had no spot in all the wide world where I could laymy head, but the sod on my mother's grave. This blessed haven is forthose whose first duty in life summons them nowhere beyond its walls. If conscience bade you leave these peaceful and hallowed halls, forwork far more difficult, would you hesitate to obey? It is safer andless arduous to keep step with the main army; but some must perish onpicket duty, and is the choice ours, when an order details us?" "Who signed your order?" Sister Ruth took off her spectacles, and bent closer, with a keennessof scrutiny, that was unflatteringly suspicious. "My dear mother. " "I understood that you had been an orphan for years?" "Yes, for four wretched, lonely and terrible years; but no tomb is deepenough to shut in the voice that uttered our mother's last wishes; andall time cannot hush the sound of the command, cannot hide the belovedhand that pointed to the path she asked us to follow. When my motherkissed me good-bye, she blessed me, because of a promise I gave her;and Heaven means to me the place where I can look into her saintedface, and tell her 'Hold me close to your tender heart, for oh! I haveindeed kept my word. Your little girl obeyed your last command. '" Hervoice trembled, and she passed one hand over her eyes for an instant. "Sister Ruth, the opportunity has arrived, and I go to execute the lastclause of a sacred order. When I shall have finished my mission, Ishall want to come back home. Oh! you see? I call it home. For whereelse can I ever have a home, till I join my father and mother? If Ishould come back and ask you to take me for the remainder of my life, as a sister worker, will you let me die with the 'anchor' on my breast?I shall be as worthy of your confidence then, as I am now. " "Where are you going?" "I hoped that you would not ask me, because I cannot tell you now. Willyou not trust me?" "Your extremely cautious reticence makes it difficult; and I havealways known that some distressing mystery brought you here. " "Confidence that defies suspicious appearances is precious indeed; butconfidence that crumbles like Jericho's walls at the blast of Joshua'strumpets, is as worthless a sham as a cable whose strands part at thefirst taut strain. Sister Ruth, there are reasons why I go away alone, to an unknown destination; and I am about to tax your trust yet moreseverely, when I tell you that I need the disguise of the 'Umilta'uniform. I ask your permission to wear it during my absence. " The matron shook her head. "Surely, Sister Ruth, you cannot think it possible that I should bringdiscredit upon this dear gray flannel, which I hold as sacred aspriestly vestments?" She laid her cheek against her own shoulder, with a caressing motion, and passed her fingers softly across her sleeve. "My young sister, to some extent I am responsible for those who wearthe 'Umilta' gray. If I allowed you to carry our badge under suchpeculiar circumstances beyond the limits of my supervision, I shouldhazard too much; should deserve the severity of the censure I mostcertainly should receive, if any disaster brought reproach upon ourspotless record as an institution. It was not designed as a disguise inwhich to masquerade for unknown purposes. " Beryl put up both hands, pressing her pretty white cap close to herears; and her lips trembled, as was their wont, when she was wounded. "Do not discrown me. My father's Beryl will never sully your purerecord; and it would be as impossible for me to disgrace your uniform, as defile my mother's shroud. Grant me the protection of thisconsecrated garb. " "No. The 'Anchorage' must remain as heretofore, like Caesar's wife. " "Although I have lived here so long, how little you know me. " "Very true, my Sister; therefore, as custodian of the interests of ourlittle community, I must not put them in jeopardy. When do you expectto take your departure?" "Wednesday, at 6 A. M. , on the express for New York. " "Have you received letters?" "No, Sister. Doctor Grantlin is the only person who writes to me, andas his letters are always addressed to your care, I receive them fromyour hands. " "How long do you propose to stay in New York?" "I am not going to New York, and I know not how long I may be detained;but I desire to return without needless delay. " "Then you want your money. " "Give me to-morrow five hundred dollars, and keep the remainder until Icome, or until you hear from me. Please say that I have gone on ajourney to fulfil a pledge made years ago; and try not to show theSisters that you have no confidence in me. That--would rob myhome-coming of half its pleasure. If any unforeseen accident shouldkeep me away, should cut short a life which has overflowed with greatsorrow, then retain the money and the pictures I leave behind; andbelieve that I died, as I have lived, not unworthy of all thy kindnessand true charity this dear sacred 'Anchorage' has shown to me. SisterElena is impatient; I hear her walking up and down the floor. While Iam absent, Sister Katrina, and especially Sister Anice, can take myplace in the Art School; and all my orders were finished last week, except the mirror for Mrs. St. Clair. She wished it framed in scarletbignonias, and as the painting is more than half done, Sister Anice caneasily complete it. I will not detain you longer. Good-night, SisterRuth. " No sleep visited Beryl, and as she lay at two o'clock, watching theshimmer of the moonlight reflected from the tossing waves upon thepanes of her wide window, where the tangled mesh of quivering rayscoiled, uncoiled, glided hither and yon like golden serpents, she heardthe click of the key, and the turning of the knob in a door, whichopened from the alcove into an adjoining room. That apartment wasreserved as a guest chamber; had been unoccupied for months; andpuzzled by the sound, Beryl sat up in her bed and listened. The bluefolds of the drapery hanging over the alcove arch, were drawn aside, and Sister Ruth, wrapped in a trailing dressing-gown, held up a smalllamp and peered cautiously around. "What is the matter, Sister?" "Did I frighten you? I came this way rather than knock at the otherdoor, because Sister Frances is on watch to-night; and though she is adear good soul, she is afflicted with an undue share of the femininefrailty, curiosity, and I prefer that no one should canvass myunseasonable visit to you. Do not get up. " She put the brass lamp on a chair, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Our conversation has disquieted me, and I cannot sleep. Long ago, formy own sake, I made a rule by which to govern my judgment of my fellowbeings; and it amounts to this: where I cannot be sure of evil inothers, I give them the benefit of the doubt, and sincerely endeavor tothink the best. I have watched you very closely. There is much that Icannot understand; much that it appears strange you should hesitate toexplain; yet in these years I have had no cause to question yourtruthfulness, and that is the basis of all human worth. We profess tolive here as one family, as sisters, holding each other in love, charity and trust; yet in searching myself to-night, I fear I have goneastray. I have pondered and prayed over this matter, and my heartyearns toward you. I feel as I fancy a mother might, who had toohastily slapped the face of her child; and, my sister, I have come tosay, forgive me, if I too harshly refused your request, if I woundedyou. " She held out her hand, but Beryl did not see it; she had covered herface, and unable to speak she leaned forward and laid her head on thematron's lap. Gently the thin fingers stroked the shining hair, untilthey were drawn down and pressed to the girl's lips. "Again, I asked myself, whether my decision had not been inspired by anoverweening pride in the public estimation of our home; rather than byan unselfish regard for the welfare and peace of mind of one of itsmembers? What will the world think of us, must be subordinated to, whatis the best for my young sister, whose cross it is my duty to lighten?I cannot bear to give you up; and I shall, I will trust you. Wear the'gray' armor, and remember, if any blot stain it, you will bringdisgrace upon a holy cause; you will be the first to stain the Umiltauniform; and I shall be blamed, for reposing confidence in one whobetrayed us to public scorn. My Sister Beryl, I give you 'the gray'. God grant it may shelter you from harm, and bring you home to fill myplace with honor, when I have passed into the eternal Anchorage. " CHAPTER XXXIV. Over the region of the great lakes, her favorite haunt, hung theenchanted stillness, the misty glamour of the purple-cloakedwitch--Indian Summer; whose sorcery veiled the dazzling face of thesun, and changed the silver lustre of Selene into the vast, solemn redblot that stared wonderingly at its own weird image in the glassywaters. Wrapped in that soft, sweet haze, which like the eider down of charitysmooths all roughness, rounds all angles, the world of shore and lakepresented a magical panorama of towns and villages, herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, spires of churches, masts of vessels, --all flashingpast the open window of the car, where Beryl sat, watching the shadowslengthen as the long train thundered eastward, and the tree dialsmarked the hour record on the golden brown stubble fields. When the goal is in sight, do we dwell on the hazard, the strainedmuscles, the blistered feet, and the fierce thirst the long race-coursecost us? Who know that they are weary and spent, while the prizebrightens, nears as they stretch panting to grasp it? The certainty of meeting her brother, the anticipation of all that shefelt assured he would promise concerning his future, when he learnedthe severity of the ordeal which she had endured in his behalf, blottedout the costliness of the accomplishment. Like that glorious violethaze of Indian Summer, which was drawing its opalescent drapery alongthe vanishing iron railway track blackened with cinders, and softlyshrouding the grim outlines of wreck, that told where a vessel hadfoundered on the lake in the early autumn gale, an overrulingProvidence seemed shedding peace even upon her troubled past. In theswift flash of the divine fire that sanctified the accepted sacrifice, she was too dazzled to remember the moan of the slaughtered victim, theagony of the death struggle; and now, her thoughts spanned the gulf oftime, and painted the eternal reunion of the broken and dishonoredfamily group. From these comforting reflections she was aroused by a piercing crythat made her spring forward, and scan the crowd of human facescollected close to the rails, at a small town where the cars had halted. On a side track in front of her window, was a train which had justdashed in from Buffalo, and amid the surging mass of jeeringspectators, two officers stepped down from the platform, each with ahand on the arm of a man, who was heavily handcuffed. At the sight, awhite-haired, withered woman leaning from a carriage and staring withhorror-haunted eyes, had screamed, and was falling back insensible. "That is his mother. Poor thing, why did they let her come? He is heronly boy, " said a man to his comrade, who stood near Beryl's seat. "What is the matter?" asked a gentleman, sitting immediately in frontof her. "Two of our officers winged a bird, who thought it was safe flying overyonder, with the lake between him and the county jail. Canada is handyhunting-ground, when the game happens to be runaway thieves; and wehave bagged one. He was the cashier of our Savings Bank, and notsatisfied with tampering with the books, and forcing balances, hefinally robbed the vault of a lot of gold, and flew across the line. His wife met him at St. Catherine's, and he met the iron bracelets hewas dodging. " The train moved on, and once more Beryl heard the howling of thewolves, that she had hoped were left forever behind; that now seemed infull cry bearing down upon their prey. Should she return to the"Anchorage", and advertise Bertie's danger? So vague were her ideasrelative to the limits of extradition, that she had regarded Canada asa city of refuge; considered its protection of United States' criminalfugitives as efficacious, as meeting a Vestal Priestess on the way tohis execution, proved in rescuing a Roman malefactor from the penaltyof violated law; but this shred of comfort had parted, when most sherequired its aid. "Yes, I understand extradition provisions have been arranged, which arebound to have a wholesome effect; especially in this section, where itis so easy to slip across the lakes any dark night. I am told nearlyall felonies will be embraced now--from murder to burglary--and thatHer Majesty's Secretaries are more willing to aid our officers, thanwas the case a few years ago, when no end of quibbling tied up justice. " The gentlemen on the seat in front of her, moved away to the smokingcar; and the woman in gray listened to the creak and whirr of the wheelof torturing dread, upon which some malignant fate once more bound her. Bertie had been safe in his mountain fastness, until her ill-starredadvertisement coaxed him within reach of the police Briareus. Could shediscern the hand of merciful warning in this fortuitous meeting with acaptured culprit; which so vividly recalled the maddening incidents ofher return to X---, when the sheriff had hurried her from the car? Asickening terror seized her, and along the expanse of pearly mist thatunited earth and sky, in tke snowy fringe of ripples breaking theirteeth on the shelving beach, she seemed to read the doom of herstratagem written in words of menace: "Go where you may, but I give you fair warning you cannot escape me;and the day on which you meet that guilty vagabond, you betray him tothe scouts of justice. " Far away, among the orange groves of Louisiana, would he forget histhreat, or fail to execute it? On and on darted the train; peoplelaughed and talked; a tired baby swayed from side to side on thenurse's knees, crooned herself to sleep; and a canary in a cage coveredwith pink net, broke suddenly into a spasm of trills and roulades. It was almost four o'clock when the dull roar of Niagara set the air atremble, and the few remaining passengers left the train. The littletown was unusually quiet and deserted, the tide of summer travel havingebbed; and not until the crystal fingers of the ice fairy had built herwonderful Giralda out of foam and spray, would that of Winter touristsbegin to flow. Leaving her trunk at the "baggage room" of the station, Beryl engaged acarriage driver to take her to the Suspension Bridge. Drawing her graybonnet and veil as far as possible over her face, she paid the toll, and noticed that the keeper peered curiously at her, and mutteredsomething in an undertone to a man wearing a uniform, who turned andstared at her. She hurried away along that iron mesh swinging high in air like a vastspider web, spun from shore to shore across the swirling, snarlingcaldron of hissing waters. Was the officer the wary spider watching hermovements, waiting to slip down the metal snare, and devour her hopes?Her heart beats sounded as the heavy thuds of a drum; the rush of direforebodings drowned even the roar of the Falls, and the magnificence ofthe spectacle vanished before the awful realization of the danger towhich she had invited Bertie. The bridge was deserted; no human being was visible; and now and thenshe glanced back over her shoulder, dreading she knew not what form ofpursuit. At last her flying feet touched British soil, but she knewnow, that neither Bezer nor yet Shechcm lay before her; and nosign-post rose to welcome her, with the "Refuge--Refuge"--the water andthe bread appointed of old, for spent fugitives. Canada was an ambushthat, despite all caution, might betray her. Against the last rail ofthe bridge she leaned, tried to steady her nerves; and put up onepassionate prayer: "Turn not Thy face from me, O my God! in this last hour! Guide mearight. Overrule all my mistakes, and save my repentant brother. " On the wide gallery of the "Clifton House" stood a gardener engaged inremoving the flower baskets that hung between the columns; and as hepaused in his work, to observe the quaint gray figure below, she asked, in a voice that was strained beyond its customary sweetness: "Please direct me to the Museum. " "Follow the street along the cliff, and you can't miss it. Behind thosetrees yonder, on the right hand side. To the best of my belief, it isshut up this week. " Turning south, she walked more leisurely, lest undue haste shouldexcite suspicion; and all the solemn sublimity of the scene confrontedher. The green crescent of the Horseshoe blanched to foam, as it leapedto the stony gulf below, the wreaths of mist floating up, gilded by thesunshine; the maddened rush of the tossing, frothing, whirling rapidsseething like melted gold as the western radiance smote the bubblingsurface; the scarlet flakes of foliage clinging to the trees on GoatIsland, and far above, on the wooded height beyond, the picturesqueoutlines of the Convent, lifting its belfry against the azure sky. Asdoomed swimmers lost in those rapids, swept head downward todestruction, nearing the last wild plunge catch the glimmer of thatconsecrated tower held aloft, so to Beryl's eyes it now seemed a symbolof comfort; and faith once more girded her. A woman wearing a blue plaid handkerchief tied over her head andknotted under her chin, and carrying a basket of red apples on one arm, while with the other she led a lowing cow along the dusty road, pausedat a signal, in front of the gray clad stranger. "Which is the Museum?" "Yonder, where the goats are huddled. " The building was closed, but in those days a garden lay to the north ofit; and a small gate that gave admittance to seats and flowersconnected with the Museum, now stood open. The walks were strewn with pale yellow poplar leaves, and bordered withbelated pink hollyhocks, and crimson chrysanthemums blighted by frost, shivering in their death chill; and from a neighboring willow strippedof curtaining foliage, a lonely bird piped its plaintive threnody, forthe loss of one summer's mate. At the extremity of the little garden, under shelter of an ancient, gnarled tree, that screened a semicircularseat from the observation of those passing on the street, Beryl satdown to rest; to collect her thoughts. In the solitude, she threw back her veil, leaned her head against thetrunk of the tree where wan lichens made a pearly cushion, and shut hereyes. The afternoon was wearing away; a keen wind shook the bareboughs; only the ceaseless, unchanging chant of waters rose from thevast throat of nature, invoking its God. She heard no footsteps; but some strange current attacked her veins, thrilled along her nerves, strung as taut as the wires of a harp, andstarting up she became aware that a man was standing on the cloversward close to her. A dark brown overcoat, a broad brimmed, soft woolhat, drawn as a mask down to the bridge of the nose, and a bare handcovering the mouth, was all she saw. Stretching out her arms, she sprang to meet him: "O Bertie! At last! At last!" The figure drew back slightly, lifted his hat; and where she hadexpected to see her brother's golden curls, the crisp, black locks ofMr. Dunbar met her gaze. "You! Here?" She staggered, and sank back on the bench; the realization of Bertie'speril throttling the joy that leaped up in her heart, at sight of thebeloved features. "I am here. I come as promptly to fulfil my promise as you to keep yourtryst. Do you understand me so little, that you doubted my word?" Her bonnet had slipped back, and as all the chastened beauty of herface framed in the dainty cap, became fully exposed, a heavy sighescaped him, and he set his teeth, like one nerved to endure torture. For months he had nourished the germ of a generous purpose, had triedto accustom himself to the idea of ultimately surrendering her; but inher presence, a certain bitter fury swept away the wretched figment, and he remembered only how fair, how holy, how dear she was to him. Once more the cry of his famishing heart was: "Death may part us. Iswear no man's arms ever shall. " "Why waylay and torment me? Have I not suffered enough at your hands?Between me and mine not even you can come. " "Take care! For your sake I am here, hoping to spare you some pangs; toallow you at least an opportunity to see him--" "What have you done? Don't tell me I am too late. Where is he? Oh!where--where is he?" She had sprung up, and her hands closed around his arm, shaking it inthe desperation of her dread; while her voice quivered under the strainof a conjecture that Bertie had already been arrested. "Where is your chivalrous, courageous, unselfish, devoted lover? Toascertain exactly where he skulks, is my mission to Canada; for Ithought I had schooled myself to bear the pain of--" "What do you mean? What have you done with my Bertie? Oh--" She threw herself suddenly on her knees, held up her hands, and awailing cry broke the stillness: "Save him, Mr. Dunbar! You will break my heart if you bring ruin uponhis dear head. He is all I have on earth, he is my own brother! Mybrother! my brother!" The blood ebbed from his face; the haughty mouth twitched in a suddenspasm, and he put his hand over his eyes. Could she adopt this ruse to thwart pursuit of the man whom sheidolized? For half a moment he stood, with whitened lips; then stooped, took the face of the kneeling woman in his palms, and scanned it. "Your brother?" "My brother. Do you understand at last, why I must save him? Why youmust help me to screen him from ruin?" "Great God! After all, what a blind fool I have been!" He raised her, placed her on the bench; sat down and leaned his head onhis hand. To Beryl, the silence that followed was an excruciatingtorture, beyond even her power of endurance. "Do not keep me in suspense. Where is Bertie? Let me see him, if he ishere. " "He is not here. It was to assist you in finding him, that I enticedyou here. " "You enticed me?" "I put the advertisement in the 'Herald', knowing that if you chancedto see it, all the legions of Satan could not keep you away. I havebeen here since Sunday, waiting and watching. I was obliged to see you, for your own sake, as well as to satisfy my longing to look once moreinto your face; and I felt assured the magnetic name of 'Bertie' woulddraw you here swiftly. " "Then it was only a snare, that advertisement? Oh! you are cruel!" "Not to you. It was to promote your peace of mind, by enabling you tomeet the man who, I supposed was your lover, that I invited you to thisplace. Mark you, only to see, never to marry him. " "Where is he?" "Exactly where, I do not yet know; but very soon you shall learn. " "Is he in peril?" "Not from arrest at present, by human officers of retributive justice. " "He is not coming here?" "Certainly not. " "How did you learn his name?" "I suspected that the advertisement you published in the "Herald" afterleaving X---, was a clue that would aid me. I clung to it, for I wassure it referred to the man whom I have hunted so persistently. " "You have something to tell me. Be merciful, and end my suspense. " "First, answer one question. Why did you conceal from me the fact thatyou had a brother? Why did you allow me to suffer from a false theory, that you knew made my life a slow torture?" He leaned nearer, and under the blue fire of his eager eyes, the bloodmounted into her pale cheeks. "My motive belongs to a past, with which I trust I have done forever;and you have no right to violate its buried ashes. " "I must, and I will have all the truth, cost what it may. Between youand me, no spectre of mystery shall longer stalk. If you had trustedme, and confessed the facts before the trial, you would have muzzled meeffectually, and prevented the employment of detectives whom I havehissed on your brother's track. Why did you lead me astray, and confirmmy suspicion that you were shielding a lover?" "I was innocent; but my name, my father's honored name, was in jeopardyof dishonor, and to protect it, I would not undeceive you. Had mybrother been convicted, the established guilt would have tarnishedforever our only legacy, all that father left to Bertie and to me--hisspotless name. " "You are quibbling. Did you shield the family name by enduring thepurgatory of seeing your own on the list of penitentiary convicts? Youdeliberately fastened the odium of the crime upon your father'sdaughter; and you knew, you understood perfectly, that by strengtheningmy erroneous supposition, you were lashing me to a pursuit of theperson, whom you could have best protected by frankly telling me all. If he is really your brother, what did you expect to accomplish byfostering my belief that he was your lover?" "Mr. Dunbar, spare me this inquisition. Release me from the rack ofsuspense. Tell me why you set this snare, baited with Bertie's name?" "I must first end my own suspense. If you wish to find the man, youtell me is your brother, I will aid you only when you have bared yourheart to me. You had some powerful incentive unrevealed. I will knowexactly, why you made me suffer all these years, the pangs of adevouring jealousy, keener than a vulture's talons. " With crimson cheeks, and shy, averted eyes, she sat trembling;unconsciously locking and unlocking her fingers. Her head drooped, andthe voice was a low flutter: "If I had told you that the handkerchief was one I gave to my brother, because he fancied the gay border, and that the pipe belonged to mydear father, and if you had known that for more than a year before Iwent to X---no tidings from that brother had reached me, would you havekept my secret, when you saw my life laid in the scales held by thejury? Suppose they had condemned me to death? I expected that fate; butknowing the truth, would you have permitted the execution of thatsentence?" "Certainly not; and you understand why I should never have allowed it. " "I knew that in such an emergency I could not trust you. " Five minutes passed, while he silently sought to unravel the web; andBeryl dared not meet his gaze. "You had some stronger motive, else you would have confessed all, whenI started to Dakota. Anxiety for your brother's safety would haveunsealed your lips. What actuated you then? I mean to know everythingnow. " "Miss Gordon was my friend. She showed me kindness which I could neverforget. " "Miss Gordon is a very noble woman, kinder to all the world than toherself; but did gratitude to her involve sacrifice of me?" "You were betrothed. I owed it to her, to keep you loyal to your vows, as far as my power extended. I tried faithfully to guard her happiness, while endeavoring to shield my brother. " "Knowing you had all my heart, you dared not let me learn that therival existed only in my imagination? loyal soul! Did you deem it akindness to aid in binding her to an unloving husband? Her womanlyinstincts saved her from that death in life; and years ago, she set usboth free. She wears no willows, let me tell you; and those who shouldknow best, think that before very long she will sail for Europe as wifeof Governor Glenbeigh, the newly appointed minister to Z---, abrilliant position, which she will nobly grace. She will be happier asGlenbeigh's wife than I could possibly have made her; for he loves heras she deserves to be loved. So, for Miss Gordon's sake, you immolatedme?" Only the pathetic piping of the lonely bird made answer. Like the premonitory thrill that creeps through forest leaves, beforethe coming burst of a tempest, he seemed to tremble slightly; his tonehad a rising ring, and a dark flush stained his swarthy face, deepenedthe color in his brilliant eyes. "Oh, my white rose! A wonderful fragrance of hope steals into the air;a light breaks upon my dreary world that makes me giddy! Can it bepossible that you--" He paused, and she covered her face with her hands. "Beryl, you are the only woman I have ever loved. You came suddenlyinto my life, as an irresistible incarnation of some fateful witcherythat stole and fired my heart, subverted all my plans, made havoc oflifelong hopes, dominated my will, changed my nature; overturned thecool selfishness on the altar of my worship, and set up your own imagein a temple, swept, garnished, and sanctified forever by yourin-dwelling. You have cost me stinging humiliation, years of regret, ofbitter disappointment; and the ceaselessly gnawing pain of a jealousdread that despite my vigilance, another man might some day possessyou. I have money, influence, professional success, gratified ambition, and enviable social eminence; I have all but that which a man wantsmost, the one woman in the great wide world whom he loves truly, lovesbetter than he loves himself; and who holds his heart in the hollow ofher hand. I want my beautiful, proud, pure, stately white rose. I wantmy Beryl. I will have my own. " He had risen, stood before her; took the hands that veiled hercountenance, and drew her to her feet. "You have been loyal to parents, to brother, to friends, to duty; beloyal now to your own heart; answer me truly. What did you mean whenyou once said, with a mournful pathos I cannot forget: 'We love notalways whom we should, or would, were choice permitted us?' You defiedme that day, and prayed God to bless your lover; taunted me with wordsthat have made days dreary, nights hideous: 'To whom I have given mywhole deep heart, you shall never know. ' Did you mean--ah--will youtell me now?" She bent her head till it almost touched him, but no answer came. "You will not? I swear you shall; else I shall hope, believe, knowbeyond all doubt, that during these years, I have not been the onlysufferer; and that loyal as was your soul, your rebel heart is as trulymine, as all my deathless love is surely yours. " She tried to withdraw her hands; but his hold tightened, and infiniteexultation rang in his voice. "My darling! My darling--you dare not deny it? I shall wear my whiterose to make all the future sweet with a blessed love; but have you noword of assurance for my hungry ears? Is my darling too proud?" He raised her hands, laid her arms around his neck, and folded veryclose to his heart, the long coveted prize. "My Beryl, it was a stubborn battle, but Lennox Dunbar claims his own;and will hold her safe forever. Will you be loyal to your tyrant?" Was it a white or a crimson rose that hid its lovely petals against hisshoulder, and whispered with lips that his kiss had rouged: "Have I ever been allowed a choice? Was I not foredoomed to be alwaysat the mercy of Tiberius?" The little garden was growing dusky, the gilded mist waving itsspectral banners over the thundering cataract, had whitened as the sunwent down behind the wooded crest that barred the western sky line; andthe shimmering gold on the heaving, whirling current of the Rapidsfaded to leaden tints, flecked with foam, as like a maddened suitor, parted by Goat Island from its beloved, it rushed to plunge into theabyss, where the silvery bridal veil shook her signal, and all theroaring gorge filled with purple gloom. Mr. Dunbar drew his companion's hand under his arm, and led her towardthe Clifton House. "You and I have done with shadows. On the heights yonder, the sun stillshines. Up there waits one, who will tell you that which he refuses todivulge to any one else. Ten days ago my agents notified me that a manwas searching for Mrs. Brentano and her daughter Beryl in New York; andthat he had gone to X---, where he spent several days in consultationwith the Catholic priest. Singleton sent me a telegram, and I reachedX---in time to accompany the stranger back to New York. To me he admitsonly, that he lives in Montreal; and is the bearer of a message, theimport of which, sacred promises prevent him from revealing to any onebut Miss Brentano. He is an elderly man, and so wary, no amount ofdexterity can circumvent his caution. Very complex and inexplicablemotives brought me here; chiefly the longing to see you, to learn yourretreat, your mode of existence; and also the intention to exact onecondition, before I made it possible for you to find the object of yoursearch. When you had given me your promise not to marry him, it was mypurpose to allow you one final meeting; and if you forfeited yourcompact, the dungeon and the gallows awaited him. Love makes womenmartyrs; they are the apostles of the gospel of altruism. Love revivesin men of my stamp, the primeval and undifferentiated tiger. When Ithink of all that you have endured, of how nearly I lost you, mysnowdrop, do you wonder I shall hasten to set you in the garden of myheart, and shelter your dear head from every chill wind of adversity?" They had passed through a gate, crossed a lawn, and reached a long, steep flight of steps leading straight up the face of a cliff, to thegrounds attached to a villa. With her hand clasped tightly in his, Mr. Dunbar and Beryl slowly mounted the abrupt stairway, and when theygained the elevated terrace, a man who was walking up and down thesward, came quickly forward. Pressing her fingers tenderly, Mr. Dunbar released her hand. "When your interview is ended, come to me yonder at the side gate, where I have a carriage to take you over the bridge. Father Beckx, thisis Miss Brentano. I leave her in your care. " The sun was sending his last level shafts of light from the edge of thesky, when a man dressed in long black vestments, a raven-haired, raven-eyed, thin lipped and clean shaven personage, with a placidcountenance as coldly irresponsive as a stone mask, sat down on the topstep of the long stairs, beside the woman in gray, whose eager whiteface was turned to meet his, in breathless and mute expectancy. The lingering twilight held at bay slowly marching night; the sunsetglory streamed up almost to the zenith in bands of amethyst and faintopaline green, like the far reaching plumes of an archangel's pinionsbeating the still, crystal air. Later, the vivid orange of theafterglow burned with a transient splendor, as the dying smile of a daythat had gone to its eternal grave; and all the West was one vastevening primrose of palest gold sprinkled with star dust, when Berylwent slowly to join the figure pacing restlessly in front of the gate. Across the grassy lawn he came to meet her. In mute surrender shelifted her arms, laid her proud head, with its bared wealth ofburnished bronze hair, down on his shoulder, and wept passionately. When he had placed her in the carriage, and held her close to hisheart, with his dark cheek resting on hers, where tears still trickled, he whispered: "How much are you willing to tell me?" "Only that I must start at once on a long, lonely journey to a desolateretreat, in mountain solitudes; far away in the wilderness of theNorthwest. Bertie is there; and I must see him once more. " "How soon do you wish to start?" "Within the next three days. " "You must wait one week. I cannot go before that time. " "You--?" "Do you suppose I shall allow you to travel there without me? Do youimagine I shall ever lose sight of you, till the vows are uttered thatmake you my wife? You cannot see your brother's face, until you havefirst looked into your husband's. In one week I can arrange to go, tothe ends of the earth if you will; but you will meet your brother onlywhen you are Beryl Dunbar. " "No--no! You forget, ah!--You forget. I have worn the penitentiaryhomespun, and the brand of the convict seared my fair name, scarred allmy life. The wounds will heal, but time can never efface the hard linesof the cicatrice; and I could not bear to mar the lustre of yourhonored name by--" "Hush!--hush. It is ungenerous in you to wound me so sorely. When Iremember the fiery furnace through which my wife walked unscorched, with such sublime and patient heroism, is it possible that I shouldforget whose rash hand, whose besotted idiocy consigned her to theawful ordeal? Out of the black shadow where I thrust you, sprang thehalo that glorifies you. How often, in the silence of my sleeplessnights, have I heard the echo of your wild, despairing cry: 'You haveruined my life!' Oh, my darling! If you withhold yourself, if you castme away, you will indeed ruin mine. If you could realize how I wince atthe recollection of your suffering, you would not cruelly remind me ofmy own accursed work. " "If the soul of my brother be ransomed thereby, I shall thank you, evenfor all that X---cost me. The world knows now, that no suspicion clingsto me; but, Mr. Dunbar, the disgrace blots forever the dear name Itried to shield; and my vindication only blackens Bertie. " "The world will never know. Your sad secret shall be kept, and my nameshall wrap you in ermine, and my love make your future redeem the past. Having found my darling, can I afford to run the risk of losing her?You belong to me, and I will not trust you out of my sight, until thelaw gives me a husband's claim. The mother of one of my oldest friendsis boarding here in Niagara. I will commit you to her care untilto-morrow; then some church will furnish an altar where you shallpledge me your loyalty. " "Impossible! To-night a train will take me to Buffalo, where I cancatch the express going West. There are reasons why I must make nodelay; must hasten back to explain many things to the Matron of theSisterhood, where I have dwelt so safely and so peacefully since I leftX---. " "Give me the reasons. 'Impossible' ne me dites jamais ce bete de mot!'Give me your reasons. " His arm tightened around her. "Not now. " "Then you shall not leave me. I will endure no more mysteries. " "Mr. Dunbar, I wear the uniform of a celibate Order of Gray Sisters;and the matron trusted me in an unusual degree, when she consented thatI should undertake this journey on a secret mission. I came to Niagara, as I supposed, to keep an appointment with my brother, and I met you. If I lingered one instant here, it might reflect some discredit uponthis dear gray garb, which all hold so irreproachable. Sister Ruthtrusted me. I cannot, I will not, even in the smallest iota, appear tobetray her confidence; and I must go at once, and go as I came--alone. Bid the driver take me to the railway station, and you must remain inthe carriage. I can have no escort. Your presence would subject me tocriticism, and I will guard the 'gray' that so mercifully guarded me. " "Beryl, are you trying to elude me?" "I am faithfully trying to keep my compact with Sister Ruth. Here is acard bearing the exact address of the 'Anchorage'. I am going there asquickly as possible, to make speedy arrangements for my long journeyWest, to that place almost within sound of the Pacific Ocean. " "Put your hand in mine. Promise me before God, that you will not vanishfrom me; that you will not leave the 'Anchorage' until I come and seeyou there. " "I promise; but time presses. I must hasten to find Bertie. " "Do you know exactly where to go?" "Yes. I have minute directions written down. " "Wait until I come. I trust you to keep your promise. Ah! after to-day, I could not bear to lose my 'Rosa Alba. ' God make me more worthy of myloyal and beautiful darling. After all, not Alcestis, but Antigone!" CHAPTER XXXV. White and still, lay the world of the far Northwest, wrapped in peaceas profound as that which reigned in primeval ages; when ancestralNahuas, dragging their sleds across frozen Behring Straits, or castamid other drift of the Japanese current upon the strange new Pacificshore, climbed the mountains, and fell on their faces before the sun, whose worshippers have sacrificed in all hemispheres. If civilization be the analogue of geologic accretion, how tortuous isthe trend and dip of the ethnological strata, how abrupt theoverlapping of myths. How many aeons divided the totem coyote from theshe-wolf of Romulus and Remus? Which is the primitive and parent flame, the sacred fire of Pueblo Estufas, of Greek Prytaneum, of Roman Vesta, of Persian Atish-khudahs? If the Laurentian system be the oldestupheaval of land, and its "dawn animal" the first evolution of lifethat left fossil footprints, where are all the missing links inethnology, which would save science that rejects Genesis--the paradoxof peopling the oldest known continent by immigration from thoseincalculably younger? Winter had lagged, loath to set his snow shoes upon the lingering, diaphanous train of Indian Summer, but December was inexorable, and thelivery of ice glittered everywhere in the mid-day sun. Along a well-worn bridle trail, now slippery as glass, winding aroundthe base of crags, through narrow gorges that almost overarched, leaving a mere skylight of intense blue to mark the way, moved a partyof four persons in single file, slowly ascending a steep spiral. Inadvance, mounted on a black pony, was a cowled monk, whose long, thinprofile suggested that of Savonarola; and just behind him rode aCanadian half-breed guide, with the copperish red of aboriginal Americaon his high cheek bones, and the warm glow of sunny France in his keenblack eyes. Guiding his horse with the left hand, his right led thedappled mustang belonging to the third figure; a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing an overcoat that reached to his knees, whowalked with his hand on the bridle bit of a white mule, whereon sat awoman, wrapped in silver fox furs from throat to feet. A cap or hood ofthe same soft, warm material was worn over her head, where a roll ofdark auburn hair coiled at the back; and around her white templesclustered rings and tendrils of the glossy bronze locks thatcontrasted so singularly with the black arch of the brows, and thefringe that darkened the luminous gray eyes. One month had elapsed since the Umilta Sisters of the "Anchorage", following Sister Ruth, walked in the star-lit dawn of a November day, to a neighboring church, and watched Doctor Grantlin lead down theaisle, a pale, trembling woman whose hand he placed in that of the man, waiting in front of the altar. The Sisterhood had listened to thesolemn words of the marriage service, the interchange of vows, and thebenediction, while priestly hands were laid tapon two bowed heads. When the rising sun greeted the husband and wife, they were speedingwestward, on the first stage of their long journey. To-day, the quest would end; and into Beryl's face had crept thewistful yearning that was a reflection of that strange blending ofpatience and longing, which made her so beautiful in her husband'seyes; so strong in faith, so serene in waiting resignation. Suddenlythe monk drew rein, threw up his drooping head, and listened. Clear andsweet as the silvery chime of bells ringing in happy dreams, floatedthrough the crystal air the sound of the Angelus; and fainter andfainter fell the echoes, dying in immeasurable distance. Low bent theshaven head, and through brown, fingers stole the consecrated beads, while with closed eyes the prayers were uttered; and in the pause, theguide made the sign of the cross, and Mr. Dunbar instinctively took offhis hat. "Six hours' steady climbing is a severe tax. Are you very tired?" hewhispered, laying his arm around Beryl's waist, and lifting hisbrilliant eyes eloquent with an infinite tenderness. With one hand on his shoulder as he stood beside her, she leaned downuntil her lips touched the black hair tossed back from his forehead. "After waiting so many terrible years, what are a few more hours ofsuspense? Since I have you, can I ever again feel tired?" Behind them lay a dark undulating line, where oak and cedar had madetheir last stand on the upward march; nearer, the spectral ranks ofstunted firs showed the outposts of forest advance; and a few feet fromthe narrow path, a perpendicular cliff formed one wall of a deep canon, where a glittering ribbon of water hurried to leap into the Pacific, ere pursuing Winter arrested and bound it with icy manacles to itsstony bed. To the north dazzling white peaks cut strange solemn shapes, like silver cameos on a ground of indigo sky; and overhead, burnishedlines of snow geese printed their glittering triangles on the palerblue of the zenith, as the winged host dipped southward. The monk moved on, and after a while his companions perceived that theway descended rapidly until they reached the face of a rock that rosestraight and smooth as a wall of human masonry, and apparently barredfurther progress. Taking from his bosom the twisted section of apolished horn, only a finger's length, the cowled figure raised it tohis lips, and blew three whistles, that ended in a rising inflectionwhich waked all the wolfish pack of mountain echoes into fitfulbarking. Two moments later, an answering signal seemed to issue fromthe invisible jaws of Hades; a wild, quivering sepulchral cry, as of amonster half throttled. Twenty feet beyond the spot where the party hadhalted, a steep descent led them to a shelving canon, once the bed of abroad mountain torrent, whose course some seismic upheaval had divertedto other channels. Following for a few yards the sinuous stony way, worn here and there into smooth circular cavities like miniature wells, by the eddying of the ancient current and the grinding of pebbles, thetravellers turned a sharp angle, and found themselves at the mouth ofTartarus. The force of the stream had originally cut a low arch in its egress, which human needs and ingenuity had broadened, heightened and closed byheavy iron bars, slipped into stone slots. Behind this gatewayglimmered a faint light that brightened into a red star; and soon, afigure clad in the long, black monastic gown, and bearing a huge torchof blazing pitch pine, emerged from the bowels of the earth. There wasthe rattle of a chain, the creak of a pulley, and the bars were lowered. So vividly did the scene recall that black, stormy night in February, when Mr. Dunbar had seen the lantern of the gaoler flash through thepenitentiary gates closing on the young convict, that he drew hisbreath now through clinched teeth, and quickly laid his hand upon thatof his wife, which grasped the bridle resting upon the neck of hermule. Silently the procession filed in, and with little delay the torchbearer replaced the bars, advanced to the head of the column, and withlong, swift strides led the way down a wide tunnel. Between the monksno salutation was exchanged; and only the ringing tramp of the horses'feet on the stone pavement, jarred the profound stillness. The luridglare of the torch danced on the rocky vault, and the shadows projectedby men and beasts were gigantic and grotesque. Very soon a graytwilight stole to meet them; an arch of light like a window openinginto heaven brightened, glared, and the party emerged into a courtyardthat seemed an entrance to some vast amphitheatre. Opposite the mouth of the tunnel, and distant perhaps two hundredyards, lay an oval lake, bordered on the right by a valley runningsoutheast, while its northern shore rose abruptly in a parapet of rock, that patient cloistered workmen had cut into broad terraces; and uponwhich opened rows of cells excavated from the mountain side, andresembling magnified swallow nests, or a huge petrified honeycombsliced vertically. A legend so hoary, that "the memory of man runneth not to thecontrary", had assigned the outlines of this stone cutting to that dimdawn of primeval tribal life, which left its later traces in the WatchTower of the Mancos, the Casa del Eco, and the "niche stairway of theHovenweep". In the slow deposition of the human strata, cliff dwellers disappearedbeneath predatory, nomadic modern savages, who, hunting and fishing inthis lonely fastness, had increased its natural fortifications, andmade it an impregnable depot of supplies, until Hudson Bay trapperswrenched it from their grasp, and appropriated it as a peltry magazine. To the dynasty of traders had succeeded the spiritual rule of a JesuitMission; then miners kindled camp fires in the deserted excavations, asthey probed the mountain for ores; and more recently the noiseless feetof a band of holy celibates belonging to an austere Order, went up anddown the face of the cliff, with cross and bell and incense exorcisinghaunting aboriginal spectres; while holy water sprinkled the uncanny, dismal precincts of a circular room hollowed behind and beneath allother apartments, the monumental, sacred Estufa. At a signal from the monk who had escorted them, Mr. Dunbar liftedBeryl from her saddle, and hand in hand they followed him across thecourtyard, mounted a flight of steps cut in the rock, and passed into alow, dim room, where the ceiling was crossed in squares by heavy, redcedar beams. The floor was paved with diamond-shaped slabs of purpleslate, the whitewashed wall adorned with colored lithographs of thePassion; and above the cavernous chimney arch, where cedar logs blazed, ran the inscription: "Otiositas inimica est animae. " Noiselessly as the wings of a huge bat, a leathern screen was foldedback from the corner of the room, and a venerable man advanced from thegloom. A fringe of white hair surrounded his head like a laurel chaplet in oldstatues, and the heavy, straight brows that almost met across the nose, hung as snowflakes over the intensely black eyes as glowing as lampsset in the sockets of an ivory image. Scholarly and magnetic asAbelard, with a certain innate proud poise of the head and shoulders, that ill accorded with the Carlo-Borromeo expression of seraphicserenity and meekness, set like a seal on the large square mouth, helooked a veritable type of the ecclesiastical cenobites who, since thedays of Pachomius at Tabennae, have made their hearts altars of theTriple Vows, and girdled the globe with a cable of scholasticmysticism. The pale, shrunken hand he laid on the black serge thatcovered his breast, was delicate as a woman's, and checkered withknotted lines where the blood crept feebly. Bowing low, he spoke in a carefully modulated voice, deep and resonantas a bass viol: "Welcome to such hospitality as our poverty permits. A cipher telegramforwarded from the nearest station, sixty miles hence, prepared us toexpect a newly-married woman searching for a man, known to the secularworld as Robert Luke Brentano. You claim to be his nearest bloodrelative?" "I am his sister. How is he?" "Alive, but sinking fast; sustained beyond all human calculation by thehope of seeing you. You have not come one moment too soon. The man youseek is only a lay brother here. The rules of our Order forbid theadmission of women to the cloister, but in articulo mortis! can I denyhim now the confession he wishes to offer you? Our holy ordinances havedone their divine work; the last rites of the Church have soothed andconsecrated the heart of Brother Luke, and an hour ago, extreme unctionwas administered. Follow me. " "He knows that I am coming?" asked Beryl, raising her white, tear-drenched face from her husband's shoulder. "He knows; and holds death back to see you. His self-imposed penancemakes him steadfastly refuse the comparative comfort of our meagreinfirmary, and it is his wish to die, where he has spent so many nightsin penitential prayer. For several days, the paralysis of years hasbeen gradually loosening its fetters, and this morning, the distressingand ghastly distortion of one side of his face almost disappeared. Though his voice is well nigh gone, it returns fitfully, and hisstrength seems supernatural. Fearing that you might not arrive in time, I have written down his last confession, and here commit it to you. " He placed a roll of paper in her hand, and drawing his cowl over hishead, led them up an easy stairway cut in the stone, to a secondterrace four feet wide, that projected as a roof beyond the lower tierof cells. A hundred feet below lay the lakelet, shining as a mirror; to thesoutheast stretched a valley bounded by buttes crowned with cedar, andin the undulating field, locked from fierce winds, cattle and goatssunned themselves, where in summer time grain waved, fruit ripened, andbees hummed. From the parapet of a low wall facing west, rose a round tower heavilybuttressed, where swung the bell; and through an open arch in the side, under the uplifted cross, the eye swept on and on, over a world ofsnowy peaks, dark canons, mountain minarets girding the northernhorizon; and far, far away a scintillating thread of white fire markedwhere the Pacific smiled behind the fiords that channelled therock-ribbed coast. In that still, cold and brilliant atmosphere, how dazzling the snowblink, how sharp the outline of projected shadows, how close thebending heavens seemed; but to the yearning soul of Beryl, the silent, solemn sublimity of the mighty panorama made no appeal. Through slowly dripping tears she saw only the spectral flitting of hermother's sad face, as in their last interview she had committed thesoul of the son to the guardianship of the daughter. The monk paused, and pointed to the third cell from the spot where hestood. "It is but a step farther. Yonder, where the skull is set over theentrance. " "I will wait here, " said Mr. Dunbar, relinquishing with a tightpressure, his wife's cold hand. "No, come. Are we not one?" She hurried along the terrace, and reached the low open doorwayfronting the South, where the sunshine streamed in like God's smile offorgiveness. On the stone floor was a straw pallet covered with coarse brownblankets, whereon, half propped by one elbow, with head against thegray rocky wall, lay the emaciated wreck of a man, whose pallid facemight have been mistaken for that of a corpse, but for the superhumansplendor of the wide, deep brown eyes. Beryl sprang into the cave-like recess, and fell on her knees. Shesnatched him to her heart, laid his head on her shoulder. "Bertie! My darling! my darling!--" He tried to raise one arm to her neck, but it fell back. She lifted it, held it close, and face to face with her lips on his, she broke intopassionate sobbing, rocking herself to and fro, in the tempest of grief. "Give me, give--me--air--" He struggled for breath, which her tightclasp denied him; and for some minutes he panted, while Mr. Dunbarfanned him with his hat. Then the heaving chest grew more quiet, andafter a moment, his eyes lighted with a happy smile as they fastened onBeryl's face, bent over him. "Gigina, sweet, faithful sister, it is almost heaven to see you oncemore. God is good, even to me. " "If I could have found you sooner! All these dreadful years I havelived at God's feet--with one prayer: let me help my Bertie, let me seemy brother's face, " moaned Beryl, pressing her lips to the clammy, fleshless hand she held against her throat. "I was too unworthy. I dreaded your pure eyes, and mother's, as I wouldan accusing angel's. I did not know, then, that mother was already oneof the Beatified. I know now, that neither life nor death, nor sin norshame, nor the brand of disgrace can change mother's love; for I seeher to-day, smiling at the door, beckoning me to follow where the sunshines forever. My sainted mother. " "Her last breath was a blessing for you. See, Bertie! this was herwedding ring. Her final message was, 'Give this to my darling!' Becomforted, dear Bertie, she loved you even to the end--supremely. Youwere her idol in death as in life. Our father's ring was the mostsacred relic she owned, and she left it to you. " She attempted to place the gold band on one of his fingers, but heclosed that hand, and the dark eyes so like his mother's, were for aninstant dimmed by tears. "Keep it; no sin of theft soils your hands. You can wear it without ablush. You never robbed an old man of his gold. That was my crime, I ama thief. " "Our God sees you have repented bitterly; and He has pardoned your sinsfor His dear Son's sake. Tell me, Bertie, have you made your eternalsalvation sure? Are you, in your soul, at peace with God?" "At perfect peace. I want to die, because now I am no longer afraid tomeet Him, who forgives even thieves. Gigi, wait a little--" He seemed to make a desperate effort to rally his strength, and thethin, fine nostril flared, in the battle for breath. "There has been a terrible mistake, and they made you suffer for whatthey imagined happened. When I found I had only a few months to live, Iwrote to Father Beckx, whom I had known in Montreal, and asked him totell mother where I was. I never knew till he went to X---and wrote usabout the trial, that you were suspected and punished for a crime thatwas never committed. I thought you and mother were safe in New York, all those years, and I knew that you would be sure to take care of her. I have it all written down--and I can't tell you now--but I want tolook straight into your dear eyes--my brave sister, my lovingsister--and let you learn first from me--the reward you have won--yourBertie is not a murderer. I did take the money from the vault which waswide open, when first I saw it. I did steal and destroy the will, whichI thought unjustly robbed us all of our right to the Darrington estate, but that was my sole offence. I am a thief, before God and man, butthere is no more stain of blood on my hands than on yours. GeneralDarrington was not murdered. He died by the hand of God alone--" A bluish shadow settled around his parted lips, and he panted. Mr. Dunbar raised him, fanned him, rested his head more comfortablyagainst his sister's shoulder; and again he looked intently into hereyes, as though his soul, plumed for departure, must right itself inthe presence of hers, before the final flight. "He struck me with the andiron, and broke my wrist here--then before Iever touched him--as he raised it to assault me the second time--therecame an awful blinding glare--the world was wrapped in a blue fire--andGod struck us both down. When I became conscious, my senses were allstunned, but after a while I knew I was lying on the floor, with a coldhand resting like lead on my face. I got up; the figure didn't move, and I supposed that like myself he was stunned by the shock. As Ipassed a mirror on my way to the window--I saw myself--for the lamp wasburning bright. God had branded me a thief. Do you seehere--drawn--paralyzed, oh, Gina! All these years I have worn the darkstreak, and one eye was blind, one ear stone deaf. I was a walkingshadow of my own sin; horrible to look upon--and I fled to avoid thegaze of my race. Somewhere, in Illinois I think, I heard two men on atrain speak of a large reward offered for the recovery of Gen'lDarrington's will, which had been stolen by one of his heirs, whom thepolice were hunting. I was branded--and on my breast here was printedthe face of the dead man--for he had torn my shirt open as he seized mewith one hand, and struck me with the other. I hid in mines, crossedthe plains, secreted myself in a bee ranche. Then the Canadian railroadwas partly built, and I joined the grading party and worked--until thecurse of my sin was more than I could bear. I heard of the holyBrothers here, made my last journey, confessed my theft, and entered onmy penance. Gina, General Darrington was killed instantly by thelightning. " As the burden Beryl had long borne slipped suddenly from her heart, thejoy of release from blood-stain was so unexpected, so intense, that herface blanched to a deadly pallor, and the glad eyes she lifted to herhusband's shone as those of an angel. "Bertie--Bertie--" Words failed her. She could only kiss the wastedcold hands that were innocent of bloodshed. After some moments, the dying man said almost in a whisper: "I never knew you were punished for my sin, until it was too late tosave you, but God's witness cleared your pure name. The lightning thatscorched me, printed its testimony to set you free. My sister--mysister--God will surely recompense your faithful--" The voice died in aquivering gurgle. "I have my reward, dear Bertie. Oh, how much more than I deserve! Ihave you in my arms, innocent of murder, thank God! thank God! I havethe blessed absurance that your pardoned soul goes to meet mother's inEternal Peace; and to secure that, I would have willingly died anignominious death. It was through the fiery flames of prison, and trialand convict shame, that God led me to the most precious crown any womanever wore, my husband's confidence and love. Only behind dungeon barscould I have won my husband's heart, which holds for me the whole wideworld of earthly peace and hope. For your sin, you have suffered. Itsconsequences to others from the destruction of the will, have beenaverted by the prompt transfer of all the property which Gen'lDarrington left, to his chosen heir Prince. Pecuniarily no one wasinjured by your act. Dear Bertie--Bertie, are you listening?" He smiled but made no answer, and his eyes had a strained and exultantexpression. After a long silence, he cried huskily: "The curse is taken away--out of my blinded eye I see--Agnus Dei quitollis peccata mundi--" A slight spasm shook him, and feeling his cheek grow colder, Berylthrew off the fur cloak, and folded it closely around the wasted bodywhich leaned heavily against her. The sunny short rings of hair clungto his sunken, blue veined temples, where cold drops gathered; and agray seal was set about the wan lips that writhed in the fight forbreath. "Bertie, kiss me--tell me you are not afraid. " She fancied he nestled his face closer, but the wide eyes were fixed onthe golden light that was fading fast across the narrow doorway. Pressing her quivering lips to his, she sobbed: "Tell mother, her little girl was faithful--" Another spasm shook the form, and after a little while, the eyesclosed; the panting ceased, and the tired breath was drawn in long, shuddering sighs. Mr. Dunbar beckoned to the cowled form who, rosary in hand, paced theterrace, and the two laid the dying man back on his pallet of straw. Fainter grew the slow breath, and the voice of the monk rolled throughthe silence, like the tremolo swell of an organ: "Delicta juventutis, et ignorantias ejus, quoesumus, ne memineris, Domine; sed secundum magnam misericordiam tuam memor esto illius ingloria claritatis tuoe. " On the stone floor Beryl knelt, with her brother's icy hand claspedagainst her cheek, and as she watched, the twitching of the musclesceased, the lips so long distorted, took on their old curves of beauty. A marble pallor blanched the dark stain of the branded cheek, and theBertie of innocent youth came slowly out of the long eclipse. Death, God's most tender angel, laid her divine lips upon the scars ofsin, that vanished at her touch; drew her white fingers across thelines and shadows of suffering time, and leaving the halo of eternalpeace upon the frozen features, gave back to Beryl her beautiful Bertieof old. The sun was setting; and far away the ice domes and minarets ofimmemorial mountains took on the burnished similitude of the NewJerusalem, which only the exiled saw from lonely Patmos. Lennox Dunbar lifted his wife from the form of the sleeper, whoseransomed soul had entered early into Rest; and folded her tenderly tothe heart that henceforth was her refuge from all earthly woes. At midnight, the brooding silence of the snow-hooded solitude wasbroken by the tolling of the monastery bell; and while all the mountainechoes responded to the slow knell for the departed soul, there rosefrom the chapel under the cliffs, the solemn chant of the monks fortheir dead: "Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. " "Give them eternal rest, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine uponthem. " THE END.