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The Brussels Post, 1885-2-6, Page 2A iliaraimmatmercatisvairmsaisamionocioroa THE EARL'S AiOa►: 1,1;i. BY BERTHA. 111. CLAY, ,anther of "Thrown on tho WorZ.I,t '•1l Faanrlted Lih4" els. ._.- of dread and uneasiness. Oould it bo possible that Mrs. Norman had left her purposely? and if so, why had she done it ? She reached the maguifieent mansion that was so unlike a home at last, but the mistress of it hail not arrived, and Agatha felt sick with dread, Where had she gone? ?'hat had 'become of her? Agatha thought of the Seine and the morgue, She was quite at a loss what to do, She waiters for some time near the house, but there was no sign of Mfrs, Norman. The best thing that suggested itself to Agatha's mind was that she should go back again to the theatre; in some of the streets she would be sure to dud her. Mrs. Norman would walk on, thinking deeply, without the least idea of where she was going. Sho could not have absented herself purposely ; she had wished to go home. Agatha started off again. St was some distauco to tete theatre, and she walked slowly through the streets, looking to the right and left for the dark -robed figure she hoped to meet. She was in the busier streets at last, and there seemed to her some unusual excitement going on. As sho drew ,1 ''rt'r to the boulevard in which the t1, r, • stood, she found a crowd ; as she .,•a1v nearer still, a crowd so dense she 'could not move. "What is the matter?" she asked a respectable•looking man. "Do you not know ?" he cried. "Olt, the beautifnl Freda, only to -night the very ,joy of the people's hearts, and 11001•--•" Agatha turned faint with dread and appreh100100. "And now what 2' she asked. "I cannot tell you," he said, 'with a pessionato cry. "Ask someone else." He turned away. On all sides she heard exclamations of horror, of dread curses, imprecations. What could bo wrong ? "Is Freda dead?" she asked 'another man. and a cold, iron hand seemed to clutch her as she spoke. "Dead? Ah, no, madame. It would bo a thousand times better if she were." The cries deepened. It seemed to her, on the edge of the crowd, that some one came out of the thoatro and spokoto the people, Whatever it was, what was said seemed to amaze them, to drive them almost plod; the cries and curses deepened, until they became frightful. "Would you tell mo what is the mat- ter 2" she asked. But iu the midst of that deafening noise uo ono heard her, She never for. got the some; the sky above, with its myriads of stars, the tall trees on the boulevards; the theatre with its bril- liant lights still burning; the flask. Burg. ing, maddened crowd, They parted to let a carriage pass through their midst, which drow up at the theatre door; then Agatha found herself close to a young girl, who oo-::'. weeping bitterly. "011, the beautiful Freda! She was so kind to me," "Kind to you," some ono else sail. "When ?" "Lem one of the ballet girls," said. "I was close to her when it have petted. She was kind to mo last year when I had it frill and could not dance. She kept me till I was well. Oh, the boantiud Freda 1" "Will yon tell me what is the matter with her?" said Agatha. "I have boon waiting here ever so longand cannot get any ono to tell me; te people seem very much excit-1." "They aro not only excited, the • aro mad," said tile girl, "and if they get Bold of tho one who did it, they will tear hint or her 1111111 from limb." Again that terrible heaviness of hear carne to Agatha. SS'hat was it -this terrible deed? "What is it?" sho asked. "Do you not know ?" was the reply. "Some one -some fiend in human form -ha, thrown a bottle of vitriol at her." "Vitriol!" cried Agatha, in horror. "011, Heaven, bow terrible. Aro you quite sure -vitriol'?" "Yes, and they say her beautiful face is all burned away. Sho was so kind to mel" For atone few minutes Agatha could mako no answer; sho was motionless with horror, Who had thrown it? "Is it not a horrible thing 2" said tho girl. "To•night alio was singing in the theatre there, with her beautiful face and golden hair, and now -they say that even the doctors who dressed the hounds turned faint at than. 011, the beautiful faco 1" Will it nob 18111 her?" asked Agatha, "They say not ; they say sho will live, but so disfigured that human eyes could never look upon her. I£ tho people got to know ie Paris who did it, thernwoulcl bo a scone ; they all worshiped beautiful Freda." Them came a surging of thelreat crowd, the carriage carne, driving slowly through it, and the noise 1iu had as if by magic. Mon took off their hats, and women sobbed aloud as it passed slowly by, for in it was rho 02100 beautiful Freda, two doctors, and a nurse, "They are taking het home," cried the crowd, and in silence many hundreds of them followed the oarriago. The lights of the theatre worn extinguished, tho people dispersed, and Agatha was loft standing almost alone, The people talked of notluug olso but who had done it, They won. dared if it was a jealous lover -that was the general style of thing -or some jealous profossional; but thou beautiful Freda had no enemies -ovary ono wog. shiped her. As Agatha walkod book, slowly, stunned with horror, sick with dread, she beard nothing oleo ou all sides, The news had spread, the streets were filled with people, and uo sound was hoard except that ono cry of beau- tiful Freda. "Silo had many lovers," said one woman in a group who passed by, "but not ono who would hurt a hair of her head." jealous!" said another; "uo one was jealous of Freda -the stars aro uotjnai- oas of the Bull." Ono thing Agatha gathered, that no- thing was known of the guilty one. 1' o ono had made any discovery -no one knew whom to suspect or what to thick. It Was a night never forgotten in Paris; it was like a revolution. The Parisians were' wild with regret that their favorite actress had been taken from them --they were wild, too, that a beau- tiful woman should have to suffer so terribly. "It mould Have been far more merci- ful to have killed her outright." Agatha heard those words over and over again as she walked through the streets home, When sho stood once more at the door of the great mansion, schooner of dread ' came over her, She was'afraid to ring --afraid of what she might hoar or see. She had to summou her courage, to col- , Leet her thoughts. With a sudden dos - potato resolution she pulled the bell. Seto need not have .been afraid ; the man who opened the door looked as usual; he had nothing to say. "Mrs. Norman is at bane, misa. She came very soma after Ton event away." :Niue, the maid, told her that hor mis- tress had gone to bed. CHAPTER XLIX. IIOW IT wits DONE. 'iia went to her room at once, and t".,.. off her cloak and bonnet. The terrible fear that in its vague outline had been far worse than any reality, was dying: how terrible it had been she could tell now from her shaking limbs and white face. She had not put her horror into words oven to herself ; she had not dared to give it shape. Now she could see that her ideas and thoughts were all wrong. Mrs, Norman had entered the house "almost directly " after she had gone away again ; and those words had =given to her snail a sense of relief as do words call describe, Anti yet why should they ? What was this black weightupon her ?-what:had she feared -what dreaded? She stood there in her room unable to move -her face white, her lips trembling -trying to steady her beating heart and trembling nerves, before she -could speak to auy one. A few minutes, and she was more herself ; but this vague. monstrous fear was still hovering ewer her. She rang for Aline, who cried out when she saw her; the kindly, gentle maid was devotedly attached to the beautiful young English lady, anal she Iooked now in weeder at her pale face. "You are not well, miss; you look cold. What shall I get for you 2" "I should like a cup of strong coffee," said Agatha ; anlAline quitted thesnom to get it for liar. Sho returned iu a few minntee :and said : "Do you think, Miss Brooke, that my mistress would like some of this ? She did not 50001 very well when she came in." "I sent for you to ask you if 7oc thought I could go to see her, Aline 2" "I think so, miss. She told me that she bad lost you somewhere in the 11u8 Oassagne. Sho was afraid you would be anxious, but I told her that you were in and asked for her,,and that you :had gone back." Then oamo the words that Agatha longed to hear : 'My mistress came back directly yet had gone -that is, in about seven =mutat afterward." Again that souse of relief from an in- tolerable ntolerable fear. "I do not think my mistress seems well to•night," said Aline ; "she is very restless and very feverish. Will yeti take the coffee, or shall I, niiss ?" "I will take it, Aline." Sho could not rest until sho had seou Mfrs. Norman, and the was glad of an excuse to gut into tho room. There were fervent prayers of thanksgiving on hot lips as silo wont up tho broad stair- case, with its crimson carpet, its white statues and flowers ; but oven the prayers died away whon she sale that white face, It was not s0 much white as livid, with the most terrible pallor; the oyes were not like human eyes so tench as balls of lire. Agatha placed the diver salver that hold tho cup of coffee an tho table, and then spoke to her. "My dear Mrs. Norman, you look very ill," elle sltll, "what can I do for you 7" "I am not ill -not in the least -only my enemies would. say so. I am quite well." Agatha wondered why sho spoke so hastily and resented the imputation of being ill, as thongh it were a crimp. Mrs. Norman had never spoken to her iv that fashion before. ".If I am a little unnerved," sho eon. tinned, "it is your fault, flies Brooke ; you shonll not have loft me. I do not blame yon, but it is strango you should leave 1110 in the streets of Paris." Agatha was too gonble, too grieved for the unhappy woman before her, to make any remark that could irritate her. "I was very sorry," she said, gently; "I cannot think bow I missed you." "You own that it was your own fault, that I did not go from you, butit was roally yon who lost sight of mo 2" "Yos," replied tho unsuspecting girl, "I.80u afraid it leas so." "You understand that I was in tho nonce within a very few minutes after you had loft it, Miss Brooke?" "Yos,I quite understand," said Agatha TEE BRUSSELS POS1 gently; and then a groat relaxation came over the fixed intensity of tho pallid fare, "I am glad you know it," she said. "Ono might have thoogllt it queer that I should Have boon out alone," Her head fall back on the pillow, the trembling hands clutching the bed. clothes, the Miming oyes wandering idly rounds the room, "Try to drink this coffee," said Agatha, hi the same voice she would have used to a sufforiug child, "Coffee ? No ; I do not earn for it, I am not 111, but I feel weak and nervous; strange altogether. I should like some braudy, if you will ask for it." CHAPTER L. TBE 0LPLOi(M1L11 00NOEQUENOES. Only too glad to bo of some also, Agatha wont hursolf to get what was re. quirod. Sho was glad enough t0 500 any chomp in her -to boar her ask for something ; that dread terror which seemed to oppress her was horrible, MIrs. Norman drauk the brandy, and 18 relieved her. Some little color bailie back+to her face, and. her oyes grew less wild. Agatha sat down by her side and debated long within 1(0re012 whether she should toll her what happened or not. ...Have you beard any news 2" she asked, suddenly. "Yes," was the reply. "I heard some very sad and tragical vows this evening -news that will gricv0 you, I am sure." "What is it ?" asked Mrs. Norman. 011, the hungry, clospairiug oyes that looked into hers the pallid, terrible face 1 '2t is about beautiful Freda, who will never be called beautiful Freda again." She could not tell the expression of Mrs. Norman's face, for she turned away ; but a very unsteady voice asked: "Why. not 2" "It is too horrible to repeat ; it made me quite sick and ill," said Agatha. "Still you will have to Boar it. Poor Freda is worse than dead ; some ono has thrown vitriol at her." "Thrown what 2" oriod Mrs. Norman. "Vitriol," repeated Agatha. "It made me think of that dreadful story of Mrs. Hudson's." But Mrs. Norman made n0 reply, nor did sho turu her face to the light again, "Tell me," she gasped, in a few minutes, "more about "1 do not know much," said Agatha; "but all Paris is roused as though it were a revolution." "Tell 150 more about it," sho repeated. "I heard such terrible things. I event back to the theatre ; the 'lights on the outside were all blazing, and the crowd was terrible. I have never seen one like it in all my life, and everyman and woman in it seemed to have gond mad." "Go on," said a hoarse voice, "tell me all -all -do not miss One word." "I know so little," she replied, "only that it was like a great wall; the people had but one cry, and it was of beautiful Freda. A man stood next to me; I asked him what was the matter ; ho said: ' Ask some one else, I cannot toll you.'" "How was it done ?" asked the same hoarse, low voice. "No outs seemed to know. There is a dant passage running from the stage to the door that is used by the loading professionals. Generally speaking, beautiful Freda had a host of admirers with her ; to -night, by some strange co- incidence, sho had had some jest 1n the groeuroom, and she hastened away, pretending that she would nob speak to any of tbom again. It was 111 that moment it happened. She ran quickly tbrongh the dark passage, the gentle- men iiae#ening after her, her footman stair ins, with the carriage door open in hit bands, the usual crowd of people waiting to see her go off. "It was dons in a moment, and so cleverly done, that uo one knows whether it was done by man, woman, or child. No ono knows, no one sale it, and the one who (Edit must have mixed adroitly with the crowd. It was hor- rible 1 Tho bottle was thrown in her face, and they say it was burned almost away." She 1viI1 nob stand ou the stage, and look liko a beautiful queen again," said Mrs. Norman, "No, indeed she will nob. But what a horrible thing to do 1 The people 'round m0 were saying that her screams -here so horrible, strong men turned faint when they heard them." "Will she die 2" asked Mrs. Norman. "No, not at once. Poor Freda 1 to think how lovely she looked to -night, now sho is lying in Bach anguish that dee fib would bo a relief." "She will not sing again," said Mrs. Norman, "tor drive men mad with hor beautiful voice." "No, novor again," replied Agatha. "Poor, beautiful Freda!" "I should not think you would be sorry for leer," oriod Mrs, Norman; "ail the Piro that could burn her could never inflict half the pain on her body she has Melded on the Hearts of others." " bo not say cruel things, Mfrs. Nor. loan!" crick Agatha. "I cannot hear to hoar them. Surely that which has driven Paris mad with sorrow and anger is worth a sigh," "Who did it 2" she asked again. "No one knows; but whoever it is will meet with a sudden and violent death, if the Parisians have their way." "Why ?" sho asked, briefly, "Bootiose the people have resolved to tear the guilty one limb from limb, they said; they would tear down the 13astilo itself to get at the one who diel it." "They aro curious people, these Parisians," said Mrs. Norman, "They loved Freda," said Agatha. "Why was it done ?" asked Mors. Nor. man, "Dons any ono know the nasal?" "Iavory imaginable reason was given among the crowd. Some said it was professional jealousy. 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MARTIN, Toronto DR, SULLIVAN, President Rfo0. Asso,. Canada CHIEF JUSTICE MACDONALD. MS. SENATOR AIRCHIBALD G. A. DEAD " • is