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The Brussels Post, 1888-1-13, Page 6PUT ASUNDER; lady Castlemaine's Divorce 1 By BERTHA. M. CLAY, AUTO= OV Efftentell Lift," "The Horn. /Atoms, motet,. A Struggle for ft etc., etc., ett. •not her normal act, but that she is in an excited state, which will pass away fend leave you both so happy that you will forget all past troubles," In Heaven's name, Randal, what are , you talking taiking about. s "Wley, about your wife's health. She 'is trembling on the verge of unmet. ;You eau save her from it by these itt. etant cares, this atmosphere of love mei :approval, that 1 suggest. My fears were first aroused by an abnormal date of Lady Castlemaine's feelings wheu 1 'suggested to her the natural, even hale py CMSO of her discomforts ; and when ',tow her in the park, walking alone, evidently highly overwrought, I say I feared some transient loss of mental balance." "Randal, speak out 1 What do you mean by her health, and her mental ' balance ?" You do not mean to tell mo that you are still ignorant .that Heaven le about to bless you with a child ?" Lord Castleniaine leaped to his feet with a loud cry. He turned his wild eyes and haggard face to Randal. His voice•was hoarse and broken. "Randal t—have you not heard 2— the eloped ten days ago I" "Eloped I I could . strangle you for the false, wicked word 1 cried Randal, dashing at him as.if to take him by the • throat. Then he fell back. "Lord Cas- tlemaine, you look like a man just out of his grave l" "The grave of my joy—of my love I" "Answer me, man 1" exclaimed Ran- dal, taking him by the arm. "Where Lady Castlemaine 2" "Gone 1—fledl—el—" ' • "Hush !—not that sacrilegious word I Is your wife gone? Do you not know .where she is ?" • . "No. It is ten days cies—' "Enough! And you have never had search made for her ?—never followed • he ?—never hunted these woods and poolsanor sought to trace her ? You accused her—that angel 1 that innocent, lovely child I—abandoned her to her !abel Oh, Heaventhat such a thing could be I Lord Castlemaine, what I feared has come—your poor wife was mad 1 Mania had , seized her 1—she tied. This especial mania often takes the form of hate or fear of home and -friends. Love is its antidote; and you have deserted her—have let her go to die alone--Castlemaine I" ',Randal, hear mcI You are mis- taken. She admitted to me that she had been meeting, alone, secretly, by eoppointment, that reprobate, Colonel .Lennox." "Stay, Lord Castlemaine! Answer .,icae carefully. Did you not charge her with these things, severally? You were ieslous and angry 2" "Yes ; and she owned it." "Owned it !" cried Randal, in scorn and fury. •"The peer woman was mad 1 —she was out of her mind 1 If you had asked her if she had killed her Mother, or committed treason—if you had asked as suspecting—she would have paid 'yes.' If she bas gone, she went alone, in frantic terror of everybody ; and you are to blame; and Lady Cas- tlemaine may be noviekstray pauper in en alms -house, or shut up in an insane .asylurn, or lying, dead in some wild, or teendering, a mad woman, in the coun- try I" Lord Castlemaine's answer to this terrible charge was a wild cry, as he fill prostrate and senseless. When, under ellandal's care, he strug- egled back to consciousness, his first words wore : "Baudal, have her sought for !" Before night a force of searchers was exploring the 'Neath (estates and the adjoining country, and the rural and cosmopolitan police had been applied • to, to seek the lost Lady Ca,stilemaine. ' Randal, hearing that Colonel Lennox was the man accused, and that he had dived at the organist's cottage, sifted the evidence therm "I find that on those two occasions •slated, Miss Hyde was with Lady CM. thimaine and the meeting seemed ordi. • nary and accidental." This was the next morning. Lord Castlemaine, inspired by the effort to think his wife guiltless, was again in • the library with Dr. Randal. "If you please, my lord," said a set. ,'ant, entering, "that poacher win, see you—wants to see' you alone, he says." "Bring him in I" cried Lord Code- r:mine. "This man might have news." Doctor Randal stopped flat to the ter- race as the poacher entered. "Well, what do you want ?" asked Mord Castlemaine of his visitor. -"My lord, I wants to go to Amerida, and 1 -wants money to go. Hem I can- not keep from poachin', an', though yotfre easy on me, my lord, °Riots might not 'be, an' I think I'd be safer Aare game is free—me an' my gun. • A hundred pone', my lord, would Make •a man of me. .And SO I make bold to • see if what I know is worth the hum .dred poen'. It's 00M0 to my ears that • there's a stir about him as lodged down hove ; and I've got it all set down when she mot him, whether by early mornin' •:ter ha the even& ; for I meant, 111 ad- mffe,le make het pay me so ranch as a 'poun' a time for keepin' "White lady ?" hissed Lord Castle. mine. • ' "The han'soule lady with the black eyes, ant black hair, ries' smilin' face• , that mostly wore tad roses on her dress." "Bid you ever see my—Lady Castle- =eine?' gasped his lordship. 'Oh, yes; I Seed My lady often, when I was laid up along of a eut faettlest winter. She stopped eo Or eight times, with things for Ate! --al. waya somethie' for me in her little baelme. Lord love you, eir, she didn't care for my poachin—sho only laughed, like it was a little joke." i Then you losew the difference between Lady Castlemaine and this other lady?" I Certain. And this other lady—the dark one—met the lodger from the cot' titee—a millingtary figure of a man ; and they didn't seem lovers; there was no kissin', nor hand boldin', only just welkin' up and down, aetalkin' ; so 1 lwas s'erised the night she ran away with him." "Who ran away ?" thuudered Lord ',Caatlemaine. 1 61 The dark ono, you know, as 1 WO 'you. I'll admit I was slippin' round from behin' that broken cabin, to go! !through the 'Nun's Gate' aud look at s few traps, when out she come from the cabin. That s'prised mo, for I had sot her leave, a couple o' days before that by train. Then out of the shade of the trees the millingtary men stepped, and the two walked every mortal step tc Redmoss, and got on the Lun'uu train. ' For I see 'em, so be as I followed 'ma' "Enough!" said Lord Castlemaine "I may need you. Stay here until 3 •give you leave to go to America, and you shall have two hundred pounds Don't get yourself into trouble poach. ing. Stop—I might give you a permit.' "0h, my hid!" said the poacher it Amoy, "don't do thee! You'd take el' the pleasure clean out of getting game.' "Mr. Grimheld, my lord!" cried * servant, at the door. The poacher vanisbed. The lawysi entered. "What news ?" demanded Lord Cas tlemaine, eagerly. "I entered suit—filed my evidence But we haven't a case—" Lord Castlemaine signed him to gc on. "The fact is, Colonel Lennox is ir London. I've seen his counsel, and] have seen himself, You say Lady Cas. tlemaine disappeared on Friday, the eleventh. That •night Colonel Lennox slept at his pleb. He got in late, went to Ised, breakfasted there—has been there ever since. I have seen hien. He says he never had the honor of being more than, a transient •friend*of Lady Castlemaing; never had the least rea- son to suppose that she cared for him; doesmot lenbw 'where she is ; has not seen her since the fourth or fifth of the month, I'll admit, he said, too, that he admired Lady Castlemaine above all women that he ever sew. He thought she was not happy; that he was sure you were a tyraut, and not worthy of your wife; that Lady Castlemaine was an angel, and ee model, of purity and dignity—and so much the worse foe him. Ho says lie saw her casually at Reath, walking , about the estate, but almost ale, aye with Miss Hyde. If you want anything he is at your service; but really, Otl his honor, he has no idea of the whereabouts of Lady Castle - maim)." CHAPTER LIX. WITHOUT A FRIEND. Wheu Gertrude Castlemaine fled from her house she was by no means a victim 1 of mania, as Doctor Randal supposed. She was, however, in a highly excited mental state, which debarred her of reasonable and cool judgment, and pre. seated all troubles to her in an exag- gerated form. This nervous exaltation intensified her natural faults —pride, self-will, resentment. If Gertrude had been in a normal state of mind, she would have gone to her mother at Eastdale, sent for her friend and lawyer, Mr. Grimbeld, and, by means of these two intermediaries, the married couple might have come to a clear aud friendly understanding. Instead of this, Gertrude had brooded over every unkind and arbitrary act of her husband until she was filled with anger, and desired neither to see him nor speak to him; her sick fancy turn. ed against all her friends, and she mor- bidly desired to fly from all wham she had ever known. And though she was in a state of unreasoning antagonism to those who had loved her best, and whom she had loved, she was by no means in- competent to plan her future and take care of herself. Yet she was in a siu- gular position. Women accustomed to take care of and wait upon themselves, and to tra- vel alone, can soarcily understand the feeling of loneliness and helplessness that came upon Gertrude when sho found herself at Calais, standing on the deck of the Dover boat, knowing that now she must choose her route and go somewhere by herself, whon she had never been from home before -without a maid, a groom, and either mother, governess or friend. She kept her grey tissue veil doubled over her face; her lips were firmly pressed together. Lady Castlemaine was resolved to work hor own plans, but it was very hard. The drivers on the quay were bellow- ing "More Macre I" She signed to one of them, and he came up on the deck, She told him te take her to the railway station foi Paris. He little imagined the great value of the two small satchels she gave him to carry. At , the station ske sent the man to buy. her a guideibook, and while in thee tram she chose a small French hotel ill Paris, where ib was unlikely that Eng, lish people would be. ' Arrived there on Saturday afternoon, she ordered her meals to be sent to her room : and, &ugly, safe from pursuit, and exhausted with watching, anxiety and sorrow, she gave herself up to re- quired rest. At first the very desolation and si. lenge seemed sweet to her. The room was neat a.nd the best in the house. Sho could ring for what she wanted, but she only wanted to be lot elone, flour after hoe she Tay with hands clasped, resting, not even allowing her- self to think. •Finally, when exhaustion had passed, came reantion, and also reaction of sem timed, She tealizernet desolate con- TNE BRUSSELS POST dition. She mourned over her dna love MI one mourns a prologs, lately buried friend. She longed for hor mother; sho pitied herself for her iso. Wien and forlornness. You will think film was out of her raincl, thus latueut. ing what she might et right, yet stub- bornly refusing to alter It. Well, she was, perhaps, tn a measure. Grieved and despondiug, atm lay on her coubh 00 Sunday afternoon, realizing that she must soon make up her mind 08 to her future outfits, when the sound of weep- ing came to her cars:' The room where she was had form- erly occupied the eutire depth of the first floor of the house, but had boon divided to make front and baok chem. bars, of unequal size. The partition wall was cheap and thin, little more Lady Castlemaine had the frontroom; the weeping was of some ono in the back room. It was a sound of passion- • ate, horiebroken, unrestraine,ble woe, as if some one had repressed sorrow until all power of self-control was ex- hausted, and now alone, and believing that no one could hear or see the exhi- bition of grief, yielded to its overwhelm- iniaTi41°Leestlemaine could not shut out from her ears this bitter crying. It seemed like the voice of her desolation and disappointment; some one was weeping over the tomb of her buried love, aud hope, and youth, and home. Stid—still that bitter, wailing pain ; it drove ber frantic; she could not endure it ; her aching heart seemed joining its moans with this unknown weeper. She could restrain herself no more, She rang the bell. The waiting maid eatne. . . "Madame wants something 2" Gertrude held up her hand. "Listen 1" "Alas! she weeps 1" "You hear that pitiful crying? It has gone on a long time." "Indeed, yes, my lady; it is heart- rending." "And who is it, and why does she en, 2" is Mademoiselle Justine Rabat. Poor soul, why should she not weep? She is alone in the world; her aunt, her last relation, she buried yesterday. e has no home, no friends, no money. It is her aunt's fault, for she was proud and very siugular ; she would not find a husband for her niece, nor would she have any friends. Madame aims, she expected to live for years, and meant madeinoiselle to be devoted only to her. But so it is; she was ill; it must be a surgical operation. She has had that •next room this six weeks, waiting. It is done. Instead of living 4r years she dies under the hands of the doc- tors. Yestorder she was buried. Her pension dies with her. Mademoiselle is alone. She must go out as nursery governess, or waiting -maid, or seams. tress, what nob? She does not know how to look for a plane. Wednesday her paid week here will be out. She bas no money. Alas 1 the world is en- tirely full of pitiful things! She is a most sweet young lady, I assur0ou, madame. Such a nurse I She witelike an angel to her cross aunt. She can do anybhing. Oh, it goes to my soul to hear her mourn I" Gertrude sat up. "I am going to her." "She disturbs madame ?" "I shall go and comfort her." "Heaven will bless madame for an aot of charity." "Show me to the door of her room." "It cannot be missed; it is next to this; it is not looked." Gertrude tapped at the door indicated. There was no reply. The weeper did not hear the gentle sound. Then Gertrude opened the door and drew near tho prostrate figure of a girl Dti the bed, het face buried in the pil- low, her frame shaken with her sobs, "Justine," she said, softly. eJustine, I have cot_ ' o comfort you. I hoard you crying ; I asked about you. The servant has told me all. I feel for you, for L too, am lonely." The girl started, sat up on the bed, and pushed the heavy dark hair from her flushed, tear -web facie. Gertrude sat down by her on the boa, and gently hold her hand. This haughty Gertrude Castlemaine coulcl be very tender and sweet when her charitable heart was moved to pity. "You have lost your aunt, your only relative 9 You have no home and no means, they tell me ?" "It is true, madame. "I mourn my munt, and I am so afraid of my future. I must seek work, a home • and no one is respected who has no frisods or re- commenda,tions; and I do not know where to turn for any. My aunt was very singular; she would not allow us any friends." "I, too, am alone," said Gertrude. 11 have no home nor friends ; but I am better off than you it having money to live on. I will try and help you. One consoles one s own sorrow in helping others." "Ob. you do not look like one who should have sorrow," said Justine. "You are so lovely, your life should bo all joy." "It has had its jay, and now it has had its misory," said Gertrude. "(knee to my loom. You add to your grief staying here in this room where your aunt suffered and died. Here therels no sunshine tor brightness. The sun shines in net, room. I am alone there. Come there and tell mo your etery." In a little time Justine was in Ger. Grade's room, sitting on a low stool at Certrude's feet, telling the simple, un- eventful story of her orphaned life, ending So pathetically in poverty as isolation. Justine wan twenty-three, somewhat older than Gertxude in years, and very much older in business capacity and practical knowledge of lite, for the French girl had grown up thinking and acting for „hereelf Mad othem, and the English gief had been petted and wait- ed on from infancy. flerbrude wag strongly drawn to Jus- tine. They had theit Supper together le Otirtrucle's room, After Justine had left her for the night, Gertrude rang for the landlady, and made some further enquiriee. Tbe landlady had known the girl and her aunt' for years, as they had stopped ab hor home always during their visits to Paris She said "Her aunt was shamefully sellish. She deumuded the girl's whole time. She would not secure her a marriage, Sho 'ma up no dot for her. She knew that her pension would perish with her, aud she made no savings; she spout all on herself, though she knew she must some day leave the girl destitute. If she finds nothing to do, I shall lot her stay here and help me, though I do not need her." "I think 1 will take her myself, if she Will coma to Ino, for companion, nnrse, maid, friend, seentstress, evervithiug." "Madame, it would be most gracious," •Raid the landlady, impressed by Ger. tivado's rich dross, great beauty, and fluent French. Gertrude sent for Justine to break- fast with her, and made her proposal. "Justine, 10111 •'English, but I have come to live in France. I are married, but misfortunes that I will not explain have driven mo to leave my home. 1 have moans to live upou, and I wish to sook out some very quiet place in Southern Franco and live in peace, since I can no longer expect happluese. Even the name I give here of Madame Band is nob my own name.Now, knowing nothing of me or my histoey, are you willing to come with mo, to help me find a home, to live with me, wait on nee, comfort me, bear with my whims and ill -temper, trust me, know- • ing nothing of me?" "Madame," said Justine, earnestly, "I would trust your face and your voice anywhere." "I may prove very wearisome and disagreeable." Justine shook her head as if that were impossible. • ' "And yen will cast your lot in with mine 9" "And bless and thank madame with all.my heart." "Then that ie settled. I will tell you my plan. I must, here in Paris, get my English money changed to French, and ethen I meet make a good many pur- chases of clothes. You must help me, for lam not used to going about alone. Probably, you. too, have business to do for yourself." "I have some bills to pay, madame, and a few old jewels of My aunt's to sell, and to complete a little mourning garb, if madame will kindly grant me to -day." By all means," said Gertrude; "and as you will bo 10 black, Justiue, and I must purchase clothing, I think I too, will buy black; it will suit my altered fortunes and my buried happiness and love." Gertrude was quite interested in Jus - tine's negotiations in old jewels. The girl might some time have business of that kind to do for her. She found that Justine was a thorough Frenchwoman in business—quick, accurate, shrewd turning all to the best account. Justine went with her new mistress or rather friend—for the two lived on the footing of companions, not of mis- tress and maid—to exchange the Eng- lish money for French, and that evening Gertrude took Justine more into her confidence, showing her the store of jewels. Justine was astonished at the glitter- ing treasure. She had just been remon- strating at the amount of money Ger. trude carried with her. Bob all these gems 1 "Madame, this le rash! It is so un- wise 1" "Bob what can I do with it, Justine ?" "We should express it to a banker, madame, taking the express company' receipt, and having the company take & receipt, and give you some identifi- eation." "But, to do that, 1 must know where I am to be." "And whore does madame wish to be 2" "In some place very quiet, entirely, French, not invaded by English, at the South of France, where I shall have sun to cheer me even in winter; some- where where I can have books and flowers, and where we oan live quite unmolested." "Why, then, should not madame go with me to the very little cottage, now vacant, and well furnishedovhere my 'tent and I lived for three years? As 1 am kuown near there, it will MVO us trouble • but as I had no intimates, VG shall ebe moleeted." "And where, then, is that cottage, Yustiue 2" "Near Oareaseonne, in a: lady." CHAPTER LX. "THE PLEASANT LAND OP FRANCIE." Smitten with her sudden suspicion of, Isabel, Gertrude had not only rejected, the name which she and Isabel had chosen for her flight, but the had re. solved on taking some other direction in France than the one that Isabel had, planned in the gracious Burgundian district of the Coto d'Or. Gertrude had made up her mind to hide herself from all her former and she was resolved that Isabel should not now be able to betray her course. There was in this intention, in this strong passion for concealment, some- thing of nutdnese. Gertrude's mind might have lot bal. ansa at this juneture had it not been for the gentle companionship of Jo, tine. The history of this girl had diverted Gertrade to other interests than her own. To heal the wounds of other hearts always pours a balm upon our own Jestine, fall of gratitude, repaid Ger- toude's kindness with passionete dove. tion. Love soothed the wounded heart, co givon to loving. Then, too, Justine thowod a capacity for business and helpfulness that caused Gertrude to rely on ber; she was the staff that Gertrude needed, ited, finally, the no. ossify of going about Paris, and making nerehaste and preparations for her J,,w.13, 1888, fame distracted Gertrudoie attention from her miseries and lately.past mien adventures. When Gertrude and Jas. tine Were uot going about in it More, or walking in quiet streets, they Must dio- cese what they were to buy and do, and these thiugs forced Gertrude's mind from dangerous Antrosperitions and re- ininollrieternureai Gneisted in her intention of buying black clothing, of a style suited to a lady of middle circumstances. She was no loneer, in hor own mina, Lady Castlemaine. Justine helped hoe 10 these unusual purchases. "I am skilful with my needle," the said, "I will make up all these things for you, I atu like an artist in modes, and in the cottage I told you of there an angel of a sowing machine. Maclaine will see what wonders I will do. I will read to madame, and I will sing to her, and I have a little guitar to accompany my songs, My one idea shall be to comfort madame and indicate to her my gratitude. dadame shall see that laiiNivrayo.psoling bounty was not thrown Then there Was the cottage to talk about. Justine had written to the land. lord to continuo hor the lease as her aunt had had it. "It is a quiet piece," said Justine; "no ono will ask questions. I know, merely to speak to, a few people there, so we shall be known in the neighbor- hood as respectable. Tbere is a good elderly woman near who attended to the heavy work for my aunt and me, and she does well in the ausine ; but I can make marvelous dainty dithes, and madame shall not suffer if her appetite is capricious. The cottage," continued Justine, "is in a deep dell, perfectly sheltered from the west winds that visit Carcassonne. It has a lovely little gar- den, with arbors, roses, almond tress; the cottage is bowored in vines, and stands back from the road; all around are olives, vines, almond, apple and other fruit orchards. The little child• ren lead forth flocks of sheep, goate, and geese to restate on 'the slopes of the Pyrenees. • The mountains lift high about the valley; the mountain people are honest, innocent, industrious, and tearTlTiehtdallYaeyLb remain° ridor.etd1 eiyn 1:fat r iGs e rf rnr ad ew eesen'k Justine out to buy sonseEnglish papers Justine brought back several. Gertrude looked them over with fever isle haste. In 'Truth,' always fond o startling paragraphs, she found, as a sens&temal item: "It is whispered that Lord Rudolph, Earl Castlemaine, has entered suit be. fore the London Divorce Court for a divorce from his wife, Lady Gertrude Cravou Castlemaino. The reason for this proceeding bas not yet transpired, It is expected to create a sensation, as Lady Gertrude was for two years the leading beauty of London society, and until lately Lord Castlemaine and his wife have seemed passionately devoted to each other." Poor Gertrude! All hope was then ended for her in England. Her name was already defiled by envious, scandal - loving tongues. Nothing less than di- voroe and her infinite disgrace world satisfy the revenge of her offended has. baud and Isabel—Isabel, who had been her friend, to whom she had confided all her hopes, fears, loves joys, tom bles—Isabel, whose counsels she had followed—Isabel. who had aided all her intimacy with Colonel Lennox, knew well how innocent it was, and who, if she had chosen, could have borne teeth- mony to Gertrude's integrity, and to her lonely flight—Isabel had kept silent, and had not sought to stay her ruin. Vainly endeavoring to control her agony, overwhelmed by the puree; vengeance of her husband, the pc of her friend, and the holpleosiu her mother to ward off this blot fate, Gertrude broke into hysterica. sobbing., and at last went iuto long and euccessme faintieg fits. Justine here showed herself worthy of confidence. She took care of Ger- trude with ekill and discretion. Mad- ame was over -fatigued. "Maclaine was suffering sorrow and loss of dear friends," she explained to the landlady and physician. But Justine had seen that it was something in 'Truth' that had affected Gertrude's spirits and brought on her weeping. Justine read English well, spoke it a little. When she watched by the side of the sleeping Gertrude that night, she care. fully examined the pages of 'Truth,' end was not long in fiuding and noting the importance of the item which had overpowered her friend. Justine was a loyal, loving Emil. She felt sure at once that Weis lovely mourn- er was no guilty woman; sho was the victim of cruelty or misconception ; and Justine's whole soul rose up to comfort and help her. She thought that now they sbould go as speedily as possible to the quiet home whites they had chosen, - There this tired aptit could rest ; and if the time came when Gertrude should tell her story to JIM - tine, she would by that time have learned the disposition of this charmin and unhappy creature, and .could tell better what to advise. Now it was her duty to console. and encourage, to be nurse and Wend, She laid away the papere, and as Gertrude never seized for them again, she finally cub out , the paragraph from 'Truth' and hid it in a sealed enveleepe in the writing -desk.. Two days later, as September gave way to Cotobet, Gertrude and Justine reached their cottage home, not tar from Carcassonne. Neat and simple to its arrangements, no greater contrast tonic' be imagieed than between this severely plaiu abode mid the dories of Reath Abbey, or of Eastdalo Path, lees it was the coetrast' batsmen the life that Certitude now led and her life es the heitess of Craven, or the Crain. tem of Centime& e Her only friend and attendant was Wile quiet, eneophisticated French girt; her only pleasures wore walking in the stinny, flowee-slitesve pathways about (te 3111 CONTIMMO.) 'ee a e 3et' 0 td w 0 0 0 ta