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October 19, 1916
THE WINGHAM TIMES
Page 7
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WIFE INNoi
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BY BERTHA M. CLAY
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xiocent;• you "Wo flTi •riaeery 'tier NI you
cannot—what, then? Am I right?"
All the piide of his nature rose in
rebellion against this coarse speech.
He, an Arleigh of Beechgrove, to hear
this reprobate sneering at his love!
His first impulse was an angry one,
'but he controlled himself. After all,
jit was Madaline's father—for Mada-
line's sake he would be patient.
"Am I right?" the prisoner repeat -
..ed, with the same mocking smile.
"No," replied Lord Arleigh, "you
are not right. There is no need for me
to offer any explanation, as I have
failed in my object, I will go."
'You might just as well tell me if
you are in love with my little Made-
line. I might make it worth your
while to let rile know."
It was with great difficulty that
Lord Arleigh controlled his indigna-
• tion; but he replied calmly:
"I have nothing to tell you."
A look of disappointment came over
the dark handsome face.
"You can keep your secrets," he
said—"so can I. If you will tell me
nothing, neither shall I; but I might
make it worth your while to trust
me."
"I have nothing to confide," re-
turned Lord Arleigh; "all I can say
to you on leaving is that I hope you
will come to your senses and repent
• of your past wickedness."
"I shall begin to think that you are
c„a missionary in disguise,” said Henry
,Dornham. "So you will not offer me
anything for my secret?" he interro-
• gated.
"No secret of yours could interest
!me," rejoined Lord Arleigh, abruptly,
as he went away.
So for the second time in his life,
he was at the door of the mystery,
yet it remained unopened. The first
time was when he was listening to
Lord Mountdean's story, when the
mention " of the name of Dornham
-should have led to a denouement;
the second was now, when, if he had
listened to the con"ict he would have
heard that Madeline was not }lis
-child.
He left Chatham sick at heart.
There was no help for him—his fate
was sealed. Never, while he lived,
• could he make his beautiful wife his
own truly—they were indeed parted.
for evermore. There remained to him
to write that letter; should he con-'
sent to Madaline's mother living with
her or should he not?
He reflected long and .aux:iously,'
:and then having well weighed the)
smatter- he ---decided that he would not
refuse his wife her request. He must
run the risk, but he would caution
her.
He wrote to Madeline, and told her
that he would be pleased if she .were
pleased, and that he hoped she would
be happy with. her mother, adding
the caution that he trusted she would
impress upon her mother the need
, of great reticence, and that she must
not mention the unfortunate circum-
, stances of the family to any creature
I.living.
Madaline's answer touched him. She
-assured him that there was no fear—
^that her mother was to be implicitly
trusted. She told him also how en-
tirely she had kept the secret of his
separation from her, lest it should
•add'to her mother's trouble.
"She will know now that I do not
live with you, that I never see you,
that we are as strangers; but she will
never know the reason." you; I might see some way out. of
He was deeply moved. What a no- the difficulty, that bas not yet pre -
tie girl she was, bearing her troubles 8ented itself to you. Please yourself
so patiently, and confiding them to
no human soul!
Then he was compelled to go to
Beechgrove—it was so long since he
had'Fbeen there, and so much requir-
ed attention, he was obliged to go,
sorely against his will, for he dreaded
:the sight of the place, haunted as it
'was by the remembrance of the love
•.and sorrow of his young wife. He
avoided going as long as possible,
' but the place needed the attention!
of a master.
It was June when he went.—bright,!
-smiling, perfumed, sunny June—ani
Beechgrove was at its best; the trees!
. were in full foliage, the green woods!
reeounwft0song of
ithe ard ifietlello>
the e eallble ea cats wart l'ooi lug anal
fair. He took up his abode there. It
was soon noticed in the house that
he avoided the picture-gallery—no-
thing ever induced him to enter it.
More than once, as he was walking,
through the woods, his heart beat and!
his face flushed; there, beyond the,
trees lived his wife, his darling, from:
whom a fate more cruel than death(
had parted him. His wife! The long-:
ing to see her grew on him from dart,
to day. She was so near him, yet sol
far away—she was so fair, yet her!
beauty must all fade and die; it wase
not for him.
In time he began to think it strange,
that he had never heard anything oft,
her. He went about in the neighbor
hood, yet no one spoke of bovine seen!
her. He never heard of her being aattli
church, nor did he ever meet her on'
the high road. It was strange how',
completely a veil of silence and mys-'
tery had fallen over her.
When he had been some time at
Beechgrove he received one morning;
a letter from the Earl of Mountdean,
saying that he was in the neighbor-
hood, and would like to call. Lord'
Arleigh was pleased at the prospect.'
There was deep and real cordiality.
between the two men—they thorough-
ly uncle -stood and liked each other;
it was true that the earl was older
by marry years than Lord Arleigh,
but that did not affect their friend-
ship.
They enjoyed a few days together
very much. One morning they rode,
through the wood» -the sweet, _frag-
rant June woods—when, from be-
tween the trees, they saw the square
turrets of the Dower House. Lad
Mountdean stopped to admire the
view.
"We are a long distance (nom
iseec hgrove,��he said: what is that
pretty place?"
Lord Arleigh's face flushed hotly.
"That," he replied, "is the Dower
House, where my wife lives."
The earl looked with great interest
at Lady Arleigh's dwelling -place.
"It is very pretty,," he said—"pretty'
and quiet; l
a young gar; you said she was young.
did not not?"
"Yes, she is years younger than I
am," replied Lord ,Arleigh.
"Poor girl!" said the earl, pitying-
ly; "it must be rather a sad fate—
so young and beautiful, yet condemn-'
ed all her life to live alone. Tell me,
'Arleigh, did you take advice before
you separated yourself so abruptly
from her?"
"No," replied Lord' Arleigh, "I did
not even seek it; the matter appeared
plain enough to me.
I should not like you to think metoo what she could be like, this con
-
"I
friends now, the earl "We are' vict's daughter who had been gifted
tine now, and we can Crud- with a regal dower of grace and
each other.nYou have ,every confide beauty—this lowly -born child of the
'encs in me,uand I havencomplete people who had been !fair enough to
the inyou Y would intrust heart. you charm the fastidious Lord Arleigh.
lethe dearest secret of know have Meanwhile Madeline was all uncon-
toldtell me humannt I gyou scious. of the strides that destiny were
told to se being—the reason making in her favor. She had thought
of year separation from the wife you her husband's letter all that was
love." most kind; and, though she felt that
(sore Arleigh hesitated for one half there was no real grounds for it, she
minute.' impressed upon her mother the need
"What good can it possibly do?" the utmost reticence. Margaret
he oldsaid. Dornham understood from the first.
"I proverbm a gthat two heads eat believer in the eood e better "Never have a moment's uneasi-
thaone," replied the earl. "I think nese, Madslitle." she said. "From
it is just possible that I .might have the hour I cross your threshold until
some idett that has not occurred to I leave your father's name shall nev-
er pass my lips."
It was a little less dreary for Mada-
line when her mother was with her.
Though they did not talk much, and
had but few was all devotion, Margaret
all•attentiotes alike, to her
child.
She was sadly at a loss to under-
stand matters. She had quite expect-
ed to find Madeline living at Beech-
grove—she could not imagine why she
was alone at Winston House. The
arrangement had seemed reasonable
enough while Lord Arleigh was
abroad, but now he had returned to
England, why did he not come to his
wife, or why did she not go to him?
She could not understand it; and as
Madeline volunteered no explanation,
her mother asked for none.
But, when day after day she saw
her daughter fading away ---when she
saw the gal shrink from the sunshine
and the flowers, from all that was
bright and beautiful, from all that
was cheerful and .exhilarating—she
knew that her soul was sick unto
death. She would look with longing
eyes at the calm. resigned face, wish-
ing with all her heart that she might
speak. yet not daring to do so."
What seemed to her to be even more
surprising was that no one appeared
to think stick a state of things strange;
and when she had been at Winston
some few Weeks, she discovered that,
as far as the occupants of the house
were concerned, the condition of mat-
ters was not viewed as extraordinary.
She offered no remark to the servants,
and they offered none to her, but
from casual observations she gather-
ed that her daughter had never been
to Beechgrove, but had lived et Win-
iston all her married life, and that
Lord Arleigh had never been to visit
her.
How was this? What did the ter-
rible pain in her daughter's face
0
i'
The reason of his separation from mean? Why was her bright young
g
his wife revealed, Lord Arleigh again life so slowly but surely fading away?
ut the question: She noted it for some time in silence,
and then she decided to speak.
p "Do ou think, Lord Mountdean, One morning when Madeline had
turned with a sigh from the old -fish-
loved garden with its wilderness of
flowers, Margaret said, gently:
"Madeline, T never hear you speak
of the Duchess of Hazlewood, who
„
KEEP THE BOWELS REGULA1
AND AVOID
CONSTIPATION.
tg--- no ;-'T'i'le mothero`51"—M- enIIat-'
ren. I coold not let my children
point to a felon's cell as the cradle
of their origin. I could not sully my
name, outrage a long line of noble
ancestors, by making my poor wife
mistress of Beechgrove. Say, if the
same thing had happened to you,
would you not have acted in like man-
ner?"
"I believe that I should," answered
the earl, gravely.
"However dearly you might love a
woman, you could notplace your cor-
onet on the brow of a convict's daugh-
ter," said Lord Arleigh. "I love my
wife a thousand times better than my
life, yet I could not make her mistress
of Beechgrove."
"It was a cruel deception," observ-
ed the earl—"one that it is impossible
to understand. She herself—the lady
you have made your wife—must be
quite as unhappy as yourself."
"If it is possible, she is more so,"
returned Lord Arleigh; "but tell me,
if I had appealed to you in the di-
lemma—if I had asked your advice—
what would you have said to me?"
"I should have had no resource
bat to tell you to act as you have
done," replied the earl; "no matter
what pain and sorrow it entailed, you
could not have done otherwise."
"I thought you would agree with
me. And now, Mountdean, tell me,
do yon "see any escape from my dif-
ficulty?"
"I do not, indeed," replied• the earl.
"I had one hope," resumed Lord
Arleigh; "and that was that the fath-
er had perhaps been unjustly sen-
tenced, or that he might after all
prove to be innocent. I went to see
him—he is one of the convicts work-
ing at Chatham."
'You went to see him!" echoed the
earl in surprise.
"Yes; and I gave up all hope from
the moment I saw him. He is simply
a handsome reprobate. I asked him
if it was true that he had committed
the crime, and he answered me, quite
frank, 'Yes.' I 'asked him if there
were an extenuating circumstances;
he replied 'want of money.' When I
had seen and spoken to him, I felt
convinced that the step I had taken
with regard to my wife was a wise
one, however cruel it may have been.
No man in his senses would voluntar-
ily admit a criminal's (laughter into
his 'family."
"No; it is even a harder case than
I thoueht it." said the earl. "The
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Lord Mountdean thought to himself
that he would like to see the hapless
young wife, and learn if she suffered
her husband did. He wondered
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to the white brow, to be speedily re-
placed by a pallor terrible to behold.
"My darling," she cried. in dis-
tress, "I did not expect to grieve
you !"
"My should I be grieved?" said the
girl, quietly. "The duchcsa does net
come to see me because she acted to
me very cruelly; and I never write
to her now."
Then Margaret for awhile was si-
lent. How was she to bring forward
the subject nearest her heart? She
cast about for words in which to ex-
press her thoughts.
"Madeline," she said at last, "no
one has a greater respect than I have
for the honor of husband and wife—
I mean for the good faith and confi-
dence there should be between them.
In days gone by I never spoke of your
poor father's faults—I never allowed
any one to mention them to me. If any
of the neighbors ever tried to talk
about him, I would not allow it. So,
my darling, do not consider that there -
is any idle curiosity in what I am
about to say to you. I thought you
were so happily married, my dear;
and it is a bitter disappointment to
me to find that such is not the case."
There came no reply from Lady
Arleigh; her hands were held before
her eyes.
I am almost afraid, dearly as I
love you, to ask you the question,"
Margaret continued; "but, Madeline,
will you tell the why you do not live
with your husband?"
"I cannot, mother," was the brief
reply.
"Is its --oh, tell Brie; dear !--is it any
fault of yours? Have you displeased
him?"
"It is through no fault of mine,
mother -he says so himself."
"Is it from any fault of his? Has
he done anything to displease you?"
"No," she answered, with sudden
warmth, "he has not—indeed be could
not, I love him so."
"Then, if you have not displeased
each other, and really love each oth
er, why are you parted in this strange
fashion? It seems to me, Madeline.
that you are his wife only in name,"
"You are right, mother—and I shall
never be any neverore; but tell you. not ask
The
me why—I
must live and die with me."
"Then I shall never know it, Made -
liner'
Never, mother," she answered.
"But do you know, my darling, that
it is wearing your life away?"
"Yes; I know it, but I cannot alter
matters. And, ,mother," she contin-
ued; be good
riends
and"if we axe live together, you must f never
mention this to me again."
"I will remember," said Margaret.
kissing the thin white hands, but to
herself she said matters should not
so continue. Were Lord Arleigh twen-
ty times a lord, he should not break
his wife's heart in that cold, cruel
fashion.
A sudden resolve came to Mrs.
Dornham--she would go to Beech -
grove and see him herself. If he were
angry and sent her away from Wins-
ton House, it would not matter—she
would have told him the truth. And
the truth that she had to tell him
was that the separation from him was
slowly but surely killing his wife.
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about it; either trust me or not, as
you will; but if you do trust me, rely
upon it I shall find some way •,f
helping you."
It is a hopeless case," observed
Lord Arleigh, sadly. "I am quite sure
that even if you know all about it,
you would not see any comfort for
me. For my wife's sake I hesitate
totell you, not for my own."
"Your wife's secret will be as safe
with ane as with yourself," said the
earl.
I never thought that it would pas
my lips, but I do trust you," declared
Lord Arleigh; "and if yon can see
any
for the first day I
Heaven thank
met you.
You must: hold my wife blameless,
Lord Mountdean," he went on. '''She
never spoke untruthfully, she never
deceived me, but on our wedding -day
I discovered that her father was a
convict--a'man of the lowest criminal
!Lord Mountdean looked as he felt,
shocked.
"But how,, , he asked, eagerly,
"could you be so deceived?"
"That T can never tell you; it was
an act of „fiendish revenge—cruel,
ruthless, treacherous. I cannot reveal
the perpetrator. My wife did not de-
ceive me, did not even know that I
had been deceived; she thought, poor
child, that I was aequainted with the
whole of her father's story, but I was
not. And now, Lord Mountdea.n, 1011
uta, do you think I did wrong?"
He raised his care -worn, haggard
face as he asked the question,nd
the earl was disturbed at sight of the
terrible pain in it.
CHAPTER XXXVIT.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Margaret Dornham knew no peace
until she had carried out her inten-
tion, It was but right, she said to
herself, that Lord Arleigh should know
that his fair young wife was dying.
"What right had he to marry herr
she asked herself, indignantly, "if be
meant to break her heart?"
What could he have left her for?
It could not have been because of
her poverty or her father's crime—
he knew of both beforehand. What
was it? In vain did she recall all that
Madeline had ever said about her hus-
band—she could see no light in the
darkness, And no solution to the mys-
tery;
ys-tery; therefore the only course open
to her was to go to Lord Arleigh, and
to tell him that his wife was dying,
"There may possibly have been some
slight misunderstanding between them
which one little interview might re-
move," she thought.
One day she invented some excuse
for her absence from Winiston House,
and started on her expedition, strong
with the love that makes the weak-
est heart brave. She drove the great-
er part of the distance, and then dis-
missed the carriage, resolving to walk
the remainder of the way—she did
not wish the servants to know whith-
er she was going. It was a delight-
ful morning. warm, brilliant, sunny.
The hedge -rows were full of wild
roses, there was a faint odor of new-
ly -mown hay, the westerly wind„ was
soft and sweet,
As Margaret Dornham walked
through the woods, she fell deeply
into thought. Almost for the first
time a great doubt had seined her. a
doubt that made her tremble and fear.
Through many long years she had
clung to Madeline—she had thought
her love and tender care of more
consequence to the child than any-
thing else. Knowing nothing of her
father's rank or position, she had flat-
tered herself into believing that she
had been Madaline's best friend in
childhood. Now there came to her
a terrible daaubt. What if she had
stood in Madaline's light, instead of
being her friend? She had not been
informed of the arrangements be-
tween the doctor and his patron, but
people had said to her, when the
doctor died, that the child had bet-
ter be sent to the workhouse—and
that had frightened her. Now she
wondered whether she had done right
or wrong. What if she, who of all
the world had been the one to love
Madeline best, had been her great-
est foe?
Thinking of this, she walked along
the soft greensward. She thought of
the old life in the pretty cottage at
Ashwood, where for so short a time
she had been happy with her hand-
some ne'er-do-well husband, whom at
first she had loved so blindly; she
thought of the lovely golden -haired
child whom she had adored so wild-
ly, and of the kind, clever doctor,
who had been so suddenly riled to'
his account; and then her thoughts
wandered to the stranger who had
intrusted his child to her dare. Had
she done wrong in leaving him all
these years in such utter ignorance
of his child's welfare? Had she
wronged him? Ought she to have
waited patiently until he had either
returned or sent? If she were ever
to meet him again, would be over-
whelm her with reproaches? She
thought of his tall, erect figure, of
his handsome face. so sorrowful and
sad, of his mournful eyes, which al-
ways looked as though his heart lay
buried with his dead wife.
Suddenly her face grew deathly
pale, her lips flew apart with a ter-
rified cry, her whole frame trembled.
She raised her hands as one who
would fain ward off a blow, f or,
standing just before her, looking
down on her with stern, indignant
eyes, was the stranger who had in-
trusted his child to her.
For some minutes—how many she
never , knew—they stood looking at
each other—he stern, indignant,
haughty; she trembling, frightened,
cowed.
"I recognize you again," he said
at length, in a harsh voice.
Cowed, subdued, she fell on her
knees at his feet.
"Woman," he cried, "where is my
child?"
She made him no answer, but cov-
ered her face with her hands.
"Where is my child?" he repeated.
"I intrusted her to you—where is
she?"
The white lips opened, and some
feeble answer came which he could
not hear.
"Where is my child?" he demand-
ed. "What have you done with her?
For Heaven's sake, answer. nee!" he
implored.
Again she murmured something he
could not catch, and he bent over
her. If ever in his life Lord Mount -
dean lost his temper, he lost it then.
He could almost, in his impatience,
have forgotten that it was a woman
who was kneeling at his feet, and
could have shaken her until she
spoke intelligibly. His anger was so
great he could have. struck her. But
he controlled himself.
"I am not the most patient of men,
Margaret Dornham," he said, "and
your are trying me terribly. In the
name of Heaven, I ask you, what
have you done with my child?"
"I have not injured her," she sob-
bed.
"Is she living or dead?" asked the
earl. with terrible calmness.
"She is living," replied the weep-
ing woman.
Lord Mountdean raised his face
reverently to the summer sky.
"Thank Heaven!" he said devoutly,
and then added, turning to the wo-
man: "Living and well?"
"No, not well; but she will be in
time, Oh, sir, forgive me! I did
wrong, perhaps, but I thought I was
acting for the best."
"It was a strange 'best,'" he said,
"to place a child beyond its parent's
reach."
"Ohs sir," cried Margraet Dorn -
ham, I never thought of that! She
came to me in my dead child's place
—it was to me as though my own
child was come back again. You
could not tell. how I loved her. Iler
little head lay on my breast, her lit-
he fingers caressed me, her little
voice murmured sweet words to me.
that I have done wtong?
The earl looked at him.
"No," he replied, "I cannot say
that you have."
"I loved her," continued Lord Ar -
Leigh ; "but I could not make the was so very )cine to you. Does s
d;tug?1teT. of I4 convict the. tUistreas yf 13.V.fir tc)-neo vourt,. . _•.. -
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CASIOr'i•;
.r;IA
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world was hard and cruel and cold
to me—the child never was; all the
world disappointed me—the child nev-
er did. My heart and soul clung to
her. And then, sir. when she was
able to run about, a pretty, graceful,
loving child, the very joy of my heart
and sunshine of my life, the doctor
died, and I was left alone with her."
She paused for some few minutes,
her whole frame shaken with sobs.
The earl, bending down, spoke kindly
to her.
"I am quite sure." he said, "that
if you erred it has been through love
for my child. Tell me all—have no
fear."
"I was in the house. sir," she con-
tinued, "when the poor doctor was
carried home dead—in his sitting -
room with my—with little Madeline—
and when I saw the confusion that
followed upon his death, I thought
of the papers in the oaken box; and,
without saying a• word to any one, I
took it and hid it under my shawl."
"But tell me," said the earl, kindly,
"why did you do that?"
"I can hardly remember now," she
replied—"it is soslong since. I think
my chief motive was dread lest my
darling should be taken from me. I
thought that, if strangers opened the
box and found out who she was, they
would take her away from me, and I
should never see her again. I knew
that the box held all the papers re-
lating to her, so I took it deliberate -
Y
"Then, of course," said the earl,
"you know her history."
No," she replied, quickly; "I have
never opened the box."
"Never opened it l" he exclaimed,
wonderingly.
"No, sir—I have never even touch-
ed it; it is wrapped in my old shawl
now just as I brought it away."
"But why have you never opened
it?" he asked, still wondering.
"Because, sir, I did not wish to
know who the little child really was,
test, in discovering that, I should
discover something also which would
compel me to give her up."
Lord Mountdean looked at her in
astonishment. How woman-like she
was ! How full of contradictions!
What strength and weakness, what
honor and dishonor, what love and
(;elfishness did not her conduct re-
veal!
"Then," continued Margaret Dorn -
ham, "when the doctor died, people
frightened me. They said that the
child must go to the work -house. My
husband soon after got into dreadful
trouble, and I determined to leave
the village. I tell the truth, sir. I was
afraid, too, that you would return and
claim the child; so I took her away
with me to London. My husband was
quite indifferent—I could do as I
liked, he said. I took her and left
nc, trace behind. After we reached
London, my husband got into trouble
again; but I always did my best for
the darling child. She was well dress-
ed, well fed, well cared for, well edu-
cated—she has had the training of a
lady."
"But," put in Lord Mountdean,
"did you never read my advertise-
ments?"
"No, sir," she replied; "I have not
been in the habit of reading newspa-
pers."
"It is strange that you should re-
main hidden in London while people
were looking for you," he said. "What
was your husband's trouble, Mrs.
Dornham?"
"He committed a burglary, sit; and
as he had been convicted before, his
sentence was a very heavy one."
"And my daughter. you say, is liv-
ing, but not well? Where is she?"
"I will take you to her, sit," was
the reply—"at once, if you will go."
"I will not lose a minute,' said the
earl, hastily. "It, time,
isMrs. D
ern-
ham, that you know my name, and
my daughter's also. I ani the Earl of
Mountdean, and she Lady Madeline
Charlewood."
On hearing this Margaret Dom -
ham was more frightened than evet.
-"If 1 'Have done wrong, my-lorii,'41
she said, "I beg of you to pardon me�
—it was all, as I thought, for the
best. So the child whom I have loved
and cherished was a grand lady, after(
all?
"Do not let us lose a moment," hef
said. "Where is my daughter?" !
"She lives not far from here, but!
we cannot walk—the distance is too,
great," replied Margaret.
"Well, we are near to the town eft
Lynton—it is not twenty minutes'
walk; we will go to an hotel, and gett
a carriage. II can hardly endure).
this suspense."
He never thought to ask her howl=
she had come thither; it never oo-a
curred to him His whole soul was!
wrapped in the one idea—that he w
to see his child again—Madaline's
child—the little babe he had held in
his arms, whose little face he had be-
dewed with tears—his own child—:
the daughter he bad lost fort
long years and had tried so hart
to find. He never noticed the summer)
woods through which he was passing;
he never heard the wild birds' songs;`
of sunshine or shade he took no note.
The heart within him was on fire, for!
he was going to see his only child—,
his lost child—the daughter whose!
voice he had never heard.
"Tell me," he said, stopping abrupt -1
ly, and looking at Margaret, "you save
my poor wife when she lay dead—is!
my child like herr'
Margaret answered quickly:
"She is like her; but, to my mind,(
she is a thousand times fairer."
They reached the principal hotel at
Lynton, and Lord Mountdean called
hastily for a carriage. Not a moment
was to be lost—time pressed.
"You know the way," he said tot
Margaret; "will you direct the driv-'
er?"
He did not think to ask where his
daughter lived, if she was married!
or single, what she was doing, or any
thing else; his one thought was that
he had found her—found her, never
to lose her again.
He sat with his face shaded by his!
hand during the whole of the drive,
thanking Heaven that he had found!
Madaline's child. He never noticed!
the woods, the high -road bordered
with trees, the carriage -drive with'
its avenue of chestnuts; he did not;
even recognize the picturesque, quaint
old Dower House that he had admir-
ed so greatly some little time before.
She was as nay own child --«I loved She rose from her knees and stood
her so, sir 1" and the poor won'ian's bemire }iiia, - • .
voice was broken with sobs. "All the !
Xeres rittelanuesill%
He saw a large mansion, but it never
occurred to him to ask whether his
daughter was mistress or servant; be
only knew that the carriage had stop-
ped, and that very shortly he should
see his child.
Presently he found himself in a
large hall gay with flowers and cover-
ed with Indian matting, and Mar-
garet Dornham was trembling before
him.
"My lord," she said, "your daughter
is ill, and I am afraid the agitation
may prove too much for her. Tell me,
what shall I do?"
He collected his scattered thoughts.
"Do you mean to tell me," he ask-
ed, "that she has been kept in com-
plete ignorance of her history all
these years?
"She has been brought up in the
belief that she is my daughter," said
Margaret; "she knows nothing else."
A dark frown came over the earl's
face,
"It was wickedly unjust," he said;
"cruelly unjnst. Let me go to her
at once."
Pale, trembling, and frightened,
Margaret led the way. It seemed to.
the earl that his heart had 'stopped
beating. that a thick mist was spread'
before his eyes, that the surging or
a deep sea filled his ears, He stag-
gered It:: a drunken man. 01, Heav-
en, could it be that after all these
years he was really going to see Made -
line's child, his awn lost daughter?
Very soon he found himself looking
on a fair face framed in golden hair,
with dark blue eyes, full of passion,.
poetry, and sorrow. sweet crimson
lips, sensitive and delicate. a face sod
lovely that its pure. saint -like eiC '
•,:r, evi n almost frightens djjeseee lege
t;(To BE Coi'insitmA.)„