HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Herald, 1909-10-08, Page 7CF.1.4PTER I.
I who tell this story am Constance
Neville, of Neville's Cross. My husband
died when I vas, twenty -nevem: leaving
the whole of his vast fortune to me,
without restraint or restriction, to en-
joy as I would, to bequeath according
to 'my own will and pleasure. ,He was
not "of blue blood," rn yhusband. His
father had been one of the richest mer-
chant princes in England. and. he, at his
death, transmitted his fortune to my
husband, Richard. Neville.
It happened by a strange coincidence
that the ancient mansion and estate of
Neville's Cross soon came afterward,
through the death of the heir, into the
market. My husband decided upon buy-
ing it., "I shall be Richard Neville, of
Neville's Cross, then" he said, "and my
highest ambition will be gratified."
I fancy he had some vague idea that,
in buying the estate, he would become
at once a country gentleman of ancient
pedigree and long descent. How many
thousands of pounds he spent in putting
the grand old place into order I should
not like to say; but, when all arrange-
ments had been made, it was one of the
most magnificent houses in England.
Every country had been placed under
requisition. The most superb pictures
and statues, wonders of ancient and
modern art, the choicest fiewere, the
richest hangings, the most costly furni-
ture, seemed to have been gatheredfrbm
all parts of the world.
We lived there happily enough for
some years, going to London for the
season and abroad for the winter, but
spending the early spring and part of
the autumn for the shooting at Neville's
Cross.
.At twenty-seven the whole of my hus-
band's vast fortune, and his large es-
tate, with its innumerable responsibili-
ties, became mine. I had 110 children,
no relatives, few with whom I could
claim kith or kin, and I was at a loss
bow to act. I had loved my husband
so well that the idea of a second marri-
age was hateful to me. What. then,
was I to do with my money and my
life? I desolved upon -living at Neville's
Cross, and being as happy as possible
under the eircumstances. So -years glid-
ed away.
One fine day in ,Tune I was sitting
alone when steward. James Payne,
4011111. ,
to see me. He had news, I felt sure,
from the expression of his face. After
his usual bow and some preliminary' re-
marks, he said:
"You will he pleased to hear that we
have a tenant at Teat for the River
House." "An eligible tenant?" I inter-
posed.
"That is a point I must ask you to
decide, madame," was the cautious re-
, ply. "I cannot undertake to settle it.
I will lay the whole natter before you
—the decision, of course, rests with
you."
I bowed. My man of business contin-
ued:
"I was in my office yesterday—my
office in Daintree—when one of my
clerks came to say that a lady wished
to see me. There came into the office a
respectable -looking woman, dressed in
black silk and a Paisley shawl. I am
pretty quick at coming to conclusions,
but I could not for the world tell at
first whether she wanted the house for
herself—whether she was a lady's maid
or companion, or what. She spoke well,
and seemed to have a good head for
business."
"'I understand, Mr. Payne,' she be-
gan, 'that you have the letting of the
house known as the River House. I
should like to know the rent, terms of
letting,, and other particulars'
"Briefly enough I gave them to her.
Perhaps, =demon one respect I have
done wrong. She seemed so like one
who would bargain, and make the best
possible terms for herself, that I asked
twenty pounds per annum more than
you decided on asking, quietly expecting
that she would want me to take it off;
but, to my surprise, she made no com-
plaint at all about the rent"
"You are a good man of busbies," I
put in, "but we must not take more for
the house, Mr. Payne, than
it is honestly worth. Yes
must manage so that the twenty pounds
per annum are made up to her." My
"that yoti will find the tenant an eligi-
ble one. My visitor, whose name latter -
wards found to be Mrs. Jane Lewis, con-
tinued:
"'My mistress has been for some
weeks looking for re, very quiet' and re-
tired house. It struck her at once,when
she read your advertisement, that she
would like the River House. It is, I sup-
pose, quite out of the public way—quite
solitary?'
"I said. `Yes,' and that our chief dif-
ficulty in letting the house had always
been its isolated situation. Her face
beamed with satisfaction, madame, when
she heard that.
"'ham sure it will do,'.she said. 'You
hear no sounds but the rushing of the
river, the songs of the' birds and the
murmur of the trees?'
"'You hear no other sounds,' I re-
plied.
"'The voices of the men, and the laugh-
ter of children at play, the distant mur-
mur of traffic, the roll of carriage -
wheels, the steps of passers-by`*, are all
absent?'
"All absent,' I answered. 'When the
leaves are on the trees, the house is shut
in completely.'
"'It is the very thing,' she remarked,
'that my mistress wants.'
"And then I remembered, madame,
your chief motive in letting the house,
and I said to her: •
"'I should tell you, Mrs. Lewis, that
the River House belongs to Mrs. Neville,
of Neville's Cross. It has been used in
by -gone times as a dower -house. Mrs.
Neville lets it in order that she niay
find an agreeable friend in the tenant.
The neighborhood is lonely, and it makes
a great difference to her not to be able
to visit at the River House.'
"Mrs. Lewis looked embarrassed.
"'Then the owner, whom you call Mrs.
Neville, wccild expect to be on what is
called visiting terms with the tenant of
the River House?'
CURED
+IN ea HOURS'
You can painlessly remove any cern, enter
hard, soft or bleeding, by applying Putnam's
(bin ]Extractor. et never earns, leaves no sear,
contains no acids; is harmless because composed
any of healing gums and balms. Fifty years in
nse. Cure guaranteed.Sold oy all 4rugests
sec. bottles. Refuse substitutes.
PUTNAM'S 'PAINLESS
CORN EXTRACTOR
"`Certainly,' I replied; `that • is her
chief object in letting it. The neighbor-
hood is a dull one, and she likes society.
"'In that case,' said Mrs. Lewis, 'I may
give up all thought of it; it will not
do for my mistress. She wishes to be
quite alone—quite solitary. She would
not care to take it on those terms.'
"You may imagine my embarrassment,
madame," continued air. Payne. "I
took the liberty of ,saying that Mrs.
Ne ' was hi lily accompl__is__h�,s�d. and
fter, but • 21'•'topped1
me Quite abruptly.
solitude, if that Is ail she requires."
Many people were puzzled to know
why the River House had ever been,
built. It was so remote that even the
chiming of the church: bells did not
reach it; no other habitation was new,
and no one ever approached it except on
business. In the annals of Nevi),le's
Cross there was a tradition to the effect,
that the house had been erected by one
of the Ladies Neville, who, having sud-
denly lost her husband, built for herself
such a retreat, vowing that she would
never look upon the face of man again.
Whether she kept her vow tradition -did
not sa .
Well, I had a tenant at last, but cera
teinly one who was of the stamp of the
Dame Neville who so long ago had built
the house as a place of refuge irom all
mankind—one 1 was anther to see liar
hear. Nevertheless, I must plead guilty
to the truly feminine sin of curiosity,
for I resolved by some means or other,
at some time or other, to see what she
was like.
I arranged to meet Mrs. Lewis at Mr.
Payne's office... I found her a comely,
shrewd, homely woman, but, like my
agent, I was puzzled. to know whether
she was lady's maid, or what. She seem-
ed to be a well-spoken, well-educated
woman, frank in every way except where
her mistress was eoneerned, and then
she was very reserved. "Any docu-
ments," she said, "that want signing I
will take with me to my mistress."
She was most civil and deferential to
me, at the same time insisting on her
demands. She looked at me fixedly with
her large, bright eyes.
"You will pardon my mentioning it
again, Mrs. Neville," she said, "but rs it
clearly and distinctly understood that
my mistress will have perfect freedom
from all intrusion?"
"It is quite understood, Mrs. Lewis," 1
replied.
That no visitor need call under any
pretext whatever? She has no wish that
the clergyman of the parish even should
wait upon her."
"I am sure that her wishes will be
respected," 1 returned, again wondering
more and more what it was that cause
this singular desire for solitude. "1
hope that your mistress does not suffer
from ill -health?" I added, impulsively.
"No," she answered, slowly. "If you
will pardon me, Mrs. Neville, 1 should
prefer not to speak of my mistress; she
does ont wish it, I know."
I felt rebuked. Some people might
have disliked the blunt honesty of such
speech; I liked the woman the batter
for it. She told us that if all was eetis-
factory her mistrresv . del, like to take
possession of the house on. the week
following. And thee, as we parted, I
said to her that I respected her atten-
tion and devotion to her mistress' or.
dere, but that, if ever she found herself
dull or lonely, I hoped she would visit
my housekeeper at Neville's Cross.
She thanked me without saying whe-
ther she would accept the invitation. She
took the needful documents away with
her, and in a few days they were re-
turned. The lease was signed "Huldah
Vane."
I have a business -like method of care-
fully reading my papers, and this signa-
ture struck me very much. "Huldah
Vane" the name was an uncommon one
to begin with, the writing strange and
peculiar; it was the writing either of
one who was old or of a person whose
force of character was all repressed -
which of the two it was I could not tell.
I heard during the week that followed
of the arrival of the stranger at River
House. Dr. Rawson was the first who
mentioned it.
"I am so delighted, my dear madame,
he said, "to know that we have neigh-
bors at last. I hear that your new ten-
ants have arrived."
"Yes," I returned, "but I fear they
will not prove to be of much advantage.
The lady—Miss Vane -objects to soci-
ety."
oci-
ety"
"What a strange thing!" he said. "Ob-
jaets to society—why, madame Y'
"I know of no other reason save she
docs not ease for it."
"Not care for it! But, Mrs. Neville,
she will receive me."
"I think not," was my answer.
"I shall most certainly wait upon her.
I intended doing so.. She may be per-
haps a sensible lady, of middle age, and
who cares little for the frivolities of
life; she will surely not refuse to re-
ceive me. She must understand that my
duty eompeis me to see every person un-
der my charge, rich or poor."
"jrTit, doctor," I said, laughingly,
picturing to myself the face of Mrs.
Lewis. And then I remembered sudden-
ly that I had pledged my word no one
should intrude upon my tenant. Full of
contrition, I turned hastily to him.
"Doctor Rawson," I said, "I had quite
forgotten, but I promised when this lady
took the house, that her wishes should
be respected, and that no one should call
upon her."
"My dear Mrs. Neville," he said, smil-
ing blandly, "you are exceedingly kind,
but pex-nult me to say that this is a
matter about widen you could net pos-
sibly make any pronuse—you could not,
indeed. This lady is now one of my
nook, under my charge. Indeed, the more
you say, the more eertain am 1 that I
am needed there.. Sin and sorrow must
be gently dealt with"
"Perhaps there is neither, doctor—
nathing but disinclination for society."
"We shall see," was the concise reply.
And we did see. „
I met the doctor a week afterward
them was in thein a certain —
at Lady Glendon's, and I am
glad that as his eyes inet mine
there was in them a deoidesily
nbeehed expression. "Did you call at
the River house?" I asked,
"`That does not matter at all,' she
said. 'You had better consult Mrs.
Neville. Say that my mistress, Miss
Vane, is looking for a house where she
can live in complete solitude and retire-
ment, that she cannot receive visitors,
and that she does not go into soeiety.
If, knowing this, Mr. Neville consents to
receive her as a tenant, the rent will be
paid punctually, the house kept in ex-
ble'
cellent repair, and she will have no trou-
.
"'It seems strange' I remarked. 'I
suppose, Mrs. Lewis;, your mistress can
give satisfactory references?'
"Her face clouded with a look almost
of indignation.
"`References, she repeated. 'Certainly
not! I have told you that my lady's
object is complete isolation—entire soli-
tude. She would not wish that solitude
to be broken even by a letter. If she
gave you references, that would make
her address known. Yott can tell Mrs.
Neville all these things, and let us know
her decision. My mistress ie not "exactly
an invalid. but she objects to society of
every kind: she wishes to live in retire-
ment and seclusion. I will call to -mor-
row for Mrs. Neville's answer'"
"And now, madame." concluded my
agent, "it is for you to decide. I have
an impression that Miss Vane has plenty
of money, and that she will not eere
what her 'object costs her, if she can but
attain it," I felt puzzled—at a loss how
to decide.
"What should you imagine to be the
reason of her wish for solitude Mr.
Payne?" My agent again looked daiseon-
eerted.
" "There nifty be several reasons,
madame. Possibly the lady is old and
dislikes society; or she may be an in-
valid and not care to see anyone; or she
ntay be troubled with some kind of
mania; or she may have had some ter-
rible trouble. Any of these reasons will
account for it"
agent bowed. '.'Let her have the house," I directed.
"I am not sure, madame," he said, "Say that I undertake to respect her
7e1diadtatp/e 3espeopJe
PURE e WHOLESOME
MADE INCANADA.
E�,�+N�� �.. GILLEITT C®.LTD.TORONTO,ONT.
}Xis face flushed, and something
stronger than clerical indignation quiv-
ered round his lips.
"I called, madame," he replied, "but 1.
did not see your tenant."
It would not have been generous to
cry out, "I told you so," but I felt
your reception was at least courteous,"
strongly inclined to do so. "I hope that
I ventured to observe.
"Moderately so. I drove over to
River House three days ago, and re-
quested to see Miss Vane. I was some-
what startled by the aspect of the
house, which is Oriental in its magnifi-
cence. I was shown into the library—
the room that looks over the river on
the west, I cannot tell you what strange
fancies came into my mind as I sat there
waiting, Presently the sound of foot-
steps startled me. I do not know what
I expected to see, or what my idea of
Miss Vane was, but when the door open-
ed I felt a thrill of disappointment.
There entered a stout, comely, shrewd
woman, with keen, bright eyes—eyes
that seemed to look me through. I bow-
ed and murmured something nouut Miss
Vane.
"'I am not Miss Vane,' she said, quiet-
ly. 'I am her maid.'
'"I look for the pleasure of seeing
Miss Vane,' I observed.
"'It is impossible, sir,' she said. 'My
mistress receives no visitors:
"'My good woman I do not come as a
visitor, but as one intrusted with the
souls of all under his charge. Go back
to Miss Vane and tell her from me that
it is not as a visitor, but as the rector
of the parish in which she resides that 1
wish to see her:
"'I will go,' she said, doubtfully, 'but
I tell you candidly, sir, I do not think
it will be of the least use.'
"I looked verse stern, and she hasten-
ed away, only to return in a few min-
utes looking brighter and more deter-
mined than ever:"
"My mistress, sir, wishes me to say
that if she could break through her rule
for anyone she would do it for you—
but she cannot. She regrets that you
have had the trouble of coming, and
regrets also that Mrs. Neville's agent
did not make her wishes on the matter
known."
"So I came away without seeing your
tenant, Mrs. Neville. I felt annoyed,
but I managed to say that if Miss Vane
ever found herself ill or in distress I was
at her service"
"That was very good of you, doctor.
She is a strange person."
"I only hope, madame, that it may be
all right, and that you may not repent
of having taken such a tenant."
A Mofhe is Breakdown
Her Health . So Shattered Her Child-
ren Were Taken From Her,
It is' a sad story, one that is not of-
ten heard now -a -days that is told in the
following letter by Mrs. Marion R. Char-
lotte, written from her home in Pitts-
burg: "Por about five years I suffered
from a complication of disorders, the ori-
gin of which my doctor was unable to
discover. It was undoubtedly owing to
imperfect action of the liver and sto-
mach, ]; am sure of this because there
was a continual weight and painful full-
ness in my right side and scarcely any-
thing rate eves digested. I also suffer-
ed agony with hemorrhoids. A succession
of sleepless nights, cruel pains in my
side and back, combined with the ter-
rible state of my nerves made me wish
for death.
"I could do no housework, my sisters
took my small children and I despaired
'of ever getting on my feet again.
"..no memorable day a neighbor
brought me a box of Dr. Hamiltin's
Pills which had eared her of troubles
similar to mine. To my astonishment,
1 felt better next day. Gradually all
my pains disappeared, I put on flesh,
looked healthy, had lots of spirit and
a desire to work. Dr. Hamilton's Pills
cured me and I know they will work
marvels for every woman that t' ees
them." -
The one safe dependable medicine lee
men and women in poor health is Dr.
Hamilton's Pills —refuse any substitute.
At all dealers, 25c per box, or free
for $1.00. By mail from The Catarrho-
zone company, Kingston, Ont.
CHAPTER I1.
Three years had passed since my silent
and. mysterious tenant had taken up her
abode at the River House, and during
that time the silence that surrounded
her had no been disturbed. At first
she had proved _a marvel in the neigh-
borhood:
As there was generally round Dain -
tree a deg$ i elopice for, seselp
one gave new life to our social me
ing t. Who was the lady?. Why did she
choose to live in that peculiar way?
What was the mystery surrounding her?
These problems continued to be discuss-
ed until time showed the utter futility
of doing so. All inquirieos and curiosity
were baffled.
Every week the confidential maid,
Jane Lewis, went over to Daintree and
gave her orders. They were such lib-
eral ones as to prove that, whatever
else might be deficient at the River
House, there was plenty of money there.
Front the tradesmen who executed these
orders, it was gleaned that besides .Jane
Lewis, or rather under her, there were
two other servants, and there was a
gl'ay-headed butler.
Front the servants no information
could be gained—they knew nothing,
except that their mistress was an in-
valid and declined all society. The ser-
vants appeared at church, the mistress
never—indeed, Miss Vane herself might
have been a myth.
Time modified opinion. Lady Glendon
said there was no doubt the poor lady
suffered from spinal complaint, and was
unable to leave her room. Airs. Con-
yers was inclined to think it at case of
melancholia—sire had known e few such.
Miss Hurst had a theory of ber own,
and it was that the strange tenant of
the River house was a political refugee.
But as time passed on, and new sources
of interest arose in the neighborhood,
the curiosity about my strange tenant
died away. I myself never ceased to
think of her—the very name, "Huldah
Vane," had a charm for are,
One morning 1 was shopping in
Daintree 'when I met Jane Lewis,
and I stopped immediately to in-
quire about her mistress. The
comely face was clouded and anxious;
it seemed to me that she was even re
lieved by my eddressinr her. She did
not this time refuse to answer my
question, but told me frankly that Miss
vane was not at all well. "Has she long
been ill?" I asked.
"No; she is not exactly ill, but seems
to be fading slowly away."
She looked at me with wistful eyes,
and thea seemed to regret her candor.
'Can I do anything to help your I
asked, aburptiy. dlhe sighed deeply.
"No; there is no help possible."
"I can do one thing, Mrs. Lewis," .I
said. "The summer- is a very hot and
exhausting- one; at Net die's Cress we
have some exquisite fruit—grapes,
peaches and aprieots. I will :•send some
—:Miss Vane will find them refreshing.".
She shook her head doubtfully..
"You need not tell her that they
hive come froth me," I said.- "She will
think you have provided them."
"It is not that, Mrs, Neville—may mis-
tress- never notices what is set before
her. 1 was only wondering if she would
take the trouble to eat them."
• "I -am quite sure she will - when. she
sees how fine they are. I shall send
them, and you cn.n try."
Later it nthat same morning, having
business at Daintree railway station.
was Surprised to see Jere Lewis coming
Dirt of the telegraph nfffee. She looked
so dismayed for the moment that I pre-
tended not to have seen her. After-
ward I heard that the eminent London
physician, Sir John Emmett, had passed
through Daintree, and I felt a certain
conviction that he had been hastily
summoned to the River House.
(To be continued.)
What
We Have to Learn From Ger-
man Schools.
Dr. George Parton Haney, director
of art and manual training in the
New York public schools, who made
a study of European educational in-
stitutions during a foreign trip, says
that one of the chief things we have
to learn from Europe is to teach work-
ers how to improve their work.
"Definite means will soon be de-
vised," he says, "for educating the
best equipped pupils in drawing in
the public schools in higher drawing
classes or schools by means of scholar-
ships. This is a system used in the
English schools, the pupils who show
the greatest proficiency being ad-
vanced to the art school at the great
South Kensington museum. 1 found
e9'sasdtxnetti ,? :1elan
dustrial -Schools. 1 ere". are three
'continuation schools' in Munich,
each with a score of rooms devoted
to various industries. In the day-
time they give instruction in theory
to those who are at work in a trade,
each apprentice being required to at-
tend for one day a week, from 7 in
the morning till 6 at night, failure to
do so being punishable with a fine
for his employer. The evening and
Sunday classes are devoted to instruc-
tion for advanced workers. lir We -
third year they go into the workshops.
"There are cooking schools, where
gas stoves are used. Often there is a
kitchen garden, to be cared for by the
pupils. Advanced classes in domestic
science for girls are also popular.
Printing is another branch that re-
ceives much Ittention."
AFTER SIX YEARS
OF INDIGESTION
4
Dr. Williams' Pink Pills Made a
Permanent Cure.
There are many medicines that will
relieve indigestion for a time— there
are few that will make a permanent
cure. But there is one medicine that
is a sure cure—that medicine is Dr.
Williams' Pink Pills. They have cured
thousands of cases --many of them of
years' standing. Cases like that of Mr.
John E. Seale, of Montreal, Que., after
many other medicines have been tried
and found worthless. Mr. Seale says:
"For nearly six years I suffered with
indigestion. During all that time I was
constantly taking medicine for the trou-
ble, but never got more than temporary
relief. Finally I decided to try Dr, Wil-
liams' Pink Pills and after using them
for some timethe trouble disappeared,
and I stn now able to eat heartily with-
out the least trace of the suffering I
formerly endured. I can, from my own
experience, strongly recommend Dr,
Williams' Pink Pills as a permanent
cure for indigestion."
Dr. Williams' Pink Pills for Pale
People are gond for every disease that
good blood is good for, simply because
they make good blood --that is why they
cure rheumatism', heart palpitation, in-
digestion, neuralgia, St. Vitus' dance
and the ailments of girlhood and wo-
manhood. Dr. Williams' Pink Pills for
Pale People are sold by all medicine
dealers or direct by mail at 5Q cents a
box or six boxes for $2.50 from The Dr.
Williams Medicine .Co., Brockville. Ont.
orn
The Retort Corteous.
Bat ber (to customer)--•-Rauor an right,
sir? ;
Customer—My dear man, if you hadn't
mentioned it, I'd never have known there
was a razor on my fate.
Barber—Thank you, en.'
Customer (eontinuieg)---1 ehought you
were using a file!