IN
TER OF PIIBILWATION.
•
The IMADTOED EZPOILTIE 1$ pobtLihed livery
Thursday morning by GOODRICU # HITCIIOI4C/4
at One Dollar per annum. in advance.
/fir Advertising In ail cases exclusive of sale."
. ser piton to the paper. • •
SPEC' AI. N OT WES inserted at Tax CExTs per
line for first insertion, and rive Cain's perline for
each subsequent insertion, but ; no notice inserted:
for less than fifty cents. •
YEARLY ADVERTISEMENTS wilibetnsert
ed at reasonable rates.
Administrator's and Execnter'S Notices, I: ;
Auditor's Notices,l2.s o : B n.stnesa Cards, five linos,
•(per year) #5, additional lines #1 each. •
- Yearly advertisers are entitled to , giarterly
changes. Transient ad earthen:tents Bleat be paid
for Da advance. . -
AU resolutions' of associations;-Communications
of limited or individual Interest, and notices of
• -'te serfage' or deaths,exceedlng fire ilnesare charg
ed TiVa cENTB per line, but simple notices of mar
riages and deaths vrlll be published withoutcharge.
The Baron - ran having a larger ctreulationthan
any other paper in the county, mates: it the best
. dvi•rtbsing medium in Northern Pennsylvania. •
JOB P Win NO of every kind, in, plain and
fancy colors, done with neatness and dispatch.
Handbills, Blanks, Cards, Pamphlets, BlM:wade,
Statemrata, &c., of every variety and style, printed
at the shortest - notice. The VotrOnTgis °Ste la
well supplied with power preases. a good assort
ment of new type, and everything in the printing
1 Ina ran be executed bathe most artistic manner
and at the lowest rates. TERMS INVARIABLY
CASH'.
13,us1ness frarbs.
D A.VIES, CARNOCHAN & 111 ALL,
ATTORNETE;AT-LAW,.
SOUTH SIDE OF WARD HOUSE.,
Dec 23=7.5
AI ADILL & KINNEY,
ATTORNETS-AT-LAW.
Office—Rooms formerly occupied by T. M. C. A
Reading Raoul,
IL J. MADILL,
3,15,50
MRS. E. J. PERRIcI9,
TEACIIEVL OF RkANO ANI). onnAlt.
Lessons given In Thorough Bass and Harmony
(7ultivatlon of ill, voice a specialty. Located at T
3I ullnclt'. Pine St.' Ite fere:lee & Passage
Towanda, Pa., March 4, Ib3U.
JOHN W. CODDING,
ATTOIMET-AT-lAW , , TOWANDA," PA.
Office over Ktrby's Drug, Store
TIIOMAS E. M 1 ER
TTOTI '
TOW AND I'A.
•:Icn with Patrick" and Foyle
IiECK & OVERTON
A TT° tiN EY S.* T LOC,
TOWAN DA, I'A.
OVKI1TO,;.
It"" NEY A. I?ROUR,
ATP/u`3.:l" A4 -1,1. W,
•
TOWANDN, P 4„
S,.licitor of Patfults. Particular attention paid
I.u , ine,s to the Orphans Court and to the &Sato
h:cut of estates.
ori . co In Montanyi4 Block
OVERTON & SANIERSO.N,
ATTonNEf. 7 . - LIK;
ToWXNDA,
AIIiF.SANDERSON
E.OVERTONIft.
W 11. JESSUP,
, , ATTORNEY' ANT) COrNCE.I.LOII-AT-LAW,
•
• : movritosp., PA.
Judge .h•ssup Inc!lig rosined i ie practlreof the.
law msylvania, ill attend ph, Northern reiuny
1..`%.1 business intruidcd to Mullin Iradford (Monty.
Verson; wishing to consalt him; can call on 11.
St r...etc r. Esq.. Towanda, l'a.„, whim an appointment
can 1Y3,3*1..iff.
,
FIENRY STRV.F.7II.,
ATTORNEY ANI.) cOUNSF.LLOR-AT-LAW, ,
TO . "(V N PA.
Feb `27,'79
1 1. L.I4LLIS,
ATTMiNEY•AT7LkW,
T+ INV AN DA. I'A.
-P• GOFF,
•
ATTOI:N EY-AT-LAW,
WY.ALUSING, PA
A c , acy for the ,ftle and par..lkfr•O bt all 1;laels nf
P‘e.;tritics aa•l for Li on In•al Estale.
will lye ca re NI and t•riaapi.
• [June 4. 1K79.
•
W.
IL. Zll th-(3a,nEt
I \
( " -3 1 :-‘1 : 1- : S t
c :44‘ P A . a ttc nd
to all Itit•inet.s entr.c..te.l t;) hi , . care In Bradford,
Flnlivatt tant Wyoming Coantics. Onice with Et,q.
P,•rter. , n0y1944.
HIRAM E. -BULL,
SURVEYOR.
, F.,;(;IN,Er111!: ( ;, Si'I:VEYING ANT) INIZAVTING.
intro with G. F. Me. , on. over Patch S. Tracy,
1.1:011 hirer Z. T,Av•lnti:l4
IV; KIMBERLEY,
ATTORNTEV-A.T.L.NW,
TowANDA, PA
•
drxor south -of First' tintiqnal,
Augustrl2,
LSBREE S SON,
ATT.)fIN EY AW,
TOVAN DA, PA. •
ELsr.r.r:v:
FIRE INSURACE:
aejt`pted the azenev of tho
INSVRANCE f (.011.A.Ny,
(Assetts over, $13,000.000 00.1
I ;Int rr,p.trvtl po!tch, atenrrrnt rates,
Ms D., ....w..tr,T, ,,, 4,% , ,f0rit.
Ofllee with 'Wm. Vltivent, 'rowatitUt, Pa. •lyr.
•
I 01IN'W. MIX; • _
1
A UTOItSIi.Y•AT-L .kNILO T . S. COY.MISSIONEIro
rtv A N , PA. •
(nee—North ';' , lkle i'u'oac.s4ciare.
J5.11.1,1E75
LIAM IV: -11 LT,
:TOR NET-z 1 T- h.IIV ,
1
--S•olth I'4 Dior Ftreit, opp , ,slte IWard
Dll E WILT;
111
ATTA , W.I:Y = AT - 1. !VA%
`,fain-st..ovt.r .1. L. Rent's
St Mt.e c j t et! In German.
•
[April 12,'76.}
IXT J. YOUNG,
1Y • "
Arr4,I:NFA-Ai-I , Aw, ! • ,
TOWANDA, l'A.
ilni.-,—ientA (1 ,,, .r ,01101 ,-,! the Firct .Nat'.9l - 41,
flint . , Maln 'sr., up :• , tairF. .
S. M. .Nr:00D1 - 31. 7 11. N,
clan acrd r,tirgt,On. °Mix' ati
le street. East of M3!:I.
Ntay 1. ly•
11.. -,-- e „„.
r B. ,F,I,L --I . .miY, DENTIST.ce
' a over M. E. tioittiel.rs. Toc.ait , la.ll',?.
'l',:etla L:,seried ' ,e
oil t.4(;:.1, tiilver. Rubber, and Al
. I rillrli um ba.a. Teeth ex..l r.,cted without 1.31 u. '
`.... , .0(1.34-72.
. ,
F A. D.I'AY ,NE M. P.
~
I'llYl^ , lt'lAN AND : 4 1 : 1trii.ON.
0 nee over Mektnnyes.,' Store. ()Mee bolus from 10
10 12'A. m.. Ntol front 2 to 4 P. )t. .
- - Special 114 tort ion given to
I - 41.11-'.Stit) .. . i DISF.AtUitz
~ t ••
, ' r , •: and % t• r
TILE 1:1:Y 1: 1 : f T 111: 'EAR
.
W. ltcy A N ,
kfi •
't.:ol - KTV SCrEItINTCNIIIS
T.Ve dal' last S3turdily of e3vit molith, rmer Turner
tha,ll:rn's Ilrt4; Store,iiro*awki, '•
To A'
E S. IttSSELL'S
INSURANCE AGENCY
Xsy'2B-70t!.. , TONVA,.IDA, PA.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK,
TONVANDA, PA
CAPITAL PAID IN
SURPLUS FUND...
This Bank offers unusual facilldes for the trans
action of a general banking business.
JOS. POW ELL, President
PEET,
TEACMER OF PIANO MtSIC,
TEI . •
(Residence Third street, Ist ward.)
Tovranda, Jan. i3,-;?-1y.
1 12 .
:1)!u11 -- ignal havingl\ll,the:la,o,l: y lil .
would Follett
th , patronage of the i•intonunlty. I'ust4ini Work
diii,elluniedla;ely and In good order. All leaks In
the Mill hare been tepalred abeltereatter It wIII
he kept In good order. Fend— Flour, Beal and
Tltali constantly on hand. Cat .1) paid for gratin at
iMationtown. ilEtiltY W. WELLS.
Mwir"eton, June 17. lihci. '
•
persoris are forbid
1.1 cutting Tint tlw hinds of the latv:E.l.
.Ir.l in (ivertob
rittell rl , ll- , 11: ,•; th,:uLtlet;)lgtctl, under the
hl.lty of the 1r..,
JoIIN McGOVERIC, Eiecutur
Vrcrtoa,Jlay 3d, Ibtu-lyt•
COODRICH do HITCHCOCK. Publishers.
' VOLUME XLI. ,
t
- , - A WORD BOUT WORDS.
.kh mo 1 those terribl tourists of ours! „
Are we half aware of heir mightypowers? ' •
Do we ever trouble otfr beads atal i _ •
Whet - ti the jest may strike or the
Hint mar fall?
The latest , chlrp of that "little bird" 1-
- That spicy story, you must hate beat t r—
We jerk away lu our gossip rash, . ! . -
And somebody's glass, of course, ices smash.
' What fames hate been hiastod`and tirokani
What pestilent sinks hive ts;dn stirred
By a word In lightness spoken,
14 only an idle word. • .
TOWANDA, PA.
A sneer—a shrug—a whisper low, •
They are Tolsono!I shafts from as ambushed bolt,
Shot by the coward, the fool,
_the knaire
They pierce the mall of the great or bravo..
Vain Is buckler or wisdom and pride
To turn the pitiless point aside
. .
The lips may curl with's' careless smile, . •
Bet the heart drips blood—drips blood the while.
Ah me what hearts have been broken,
What rivers of blood been stirred
By a word In malice sppken,
ll,y only a bitter word.
0. D. pIiNZY
A kindly word and a tender tone—
To only God Is:their virtue. known
The.* can lift from the dust the abject head,.
They can turn a foe to a friend Instead ; -
The heart close-barred with paision and pride
Will fling at their knock Its portals whIP,
Arid the hate that , blights and the acorn That ware
Will melt In the fountain of childilk4 - tgarS„
.What Ice-lona:1 griefs have beenlbroken, .
`What rivers of.love been ktlrtecl
Ty a word In kindness spoken,.
By only a gentle, word
,'
5ep.25,19
BENJ BUCK
May 1,'79
" Large and roomy; well furnish 7
ed . ; good garden; healthy neighbor
hood ; within easy reach
,of rail
way station; good boys' school near;
not far from ;London; cheapl' ,Thu 4,
with something more than a sitsideieu
Lot scorn in her• voice, my sister Mar
garet ran off* on her fingers the list'
of my requirements fora house.
I had jiist . returned from India
with my six children, and I- was,anx.
'thus to settle—them comfortably be
i fore their. father's return, •
" You want e<ery . comfort;" con,
tinned my , : sister, "and You - "don't
want to pdy for every comfort. I be-.
lieve yon Anglo-Indians think .we
live upon ikothing in England."
Her husband came in as'she spoke.
Turning t9•lllin, she ran over again,
with a slight- . exaggeration and a
deeper ip fiv ion Of contempt, thd cata
_l ogue given above. - • •
He, took a seat.- "Difficult," lie
. oracularly ; " - hut it • might be
done. I have it!" said he, turning
to his wife.
Dinvll-75
ELsr:insx
TO W A .yp.t, PENX,A
O:NETIAL
*125,000
• 66,000
N. N. BETTS, Cashier
Aril 1, 187.9
- '',. ,
~;':..;- ,. , t ‘;'-s', i '47.!t:',7?!
0 •
—Su4day Maga:ine
The Mysterious House.
- ]N THREE CHArrERS.
CHAPTER L
" W4t ?: The right house„! Then
you are eleVerer than I thong* you."
. "-DO you remember. the story Will'-
jams told us yesterday'?" " . •
"Now, James," - said: nt3" , 'sister,'
rising to her feet; and lookinglat her
husband severely, '" it 1 -yon,.4tdVise
Elanor to take that lionke; you do it.
On your own responsibility, I wash
my hands of it." -• •:. ..- •-
" Sit.downagain,i Margaret;" he
said.- ." Be reaSonable thyllear. -is
there - any sufficient reason why Elea
mit should not 'take that houser' - '•
"There fs one very good reason—
she will have to do all the hoinse
work herself. No - . servant will istay
a week."
.: ' . ' . . , .
"-She his an Indian servant at any.
rate, who niust stand by her.": • .
" But think of herself, of .her fee -
ings You sinile, James. Oh', yes;
I ,knoW you'think me absurd. 1 - ery
likely I am abs'urd; but remember
this—there's no smoke witliout - some
tire.. Besides, I -knew. the last ten
ants.• - Mrs: Green is, nut an idiot.
She told me—" - ..
" Stay a moment," said my brother
in-law, nITd he addressed himself fo
me : " Eleanor, tell the truth ; are
von a believer in ghosts?" '
• " I hoes this mean that,the eligible
houce is halinted??' . I exclaimed, .
much stimulated by what
..I—heard:
" Mso, I will Cake it : at once. • Write
to the agent-for i!ne,James." .
" I do 'believei: you are all going
mao," said my wOrthY'sister, holding
up Ir hands in horror, . JarneS; : you•
area sensible.than. You know things. •
ought not to be done in' .a
. 11ffiry.
Eleanor, listen to what I heard from
the laSt tenant. - She told me with
her own . 'lips;• it is note or" - your
;.sccond-hand stories—"° i
____ ~,-
4'..N . 45," . I--interrupted ;- " don't tell
ine...4 If thme-i's a ghost:-it will show
.
it4ellr",ll•• there is not, I
. might be
set- - thinking of your story, and might
imagine it; or at least"—correcting' )
miself—;" 1 might be . • betrayed into
i
tell ng somebody '.else.. - Somebody
else might imagine it." . . -.
.'N ' y hroiher-in-law-ithereupon en
tered •into an ;elaborate description of
the house; which . had 'everything - 1
could desire, and he befieved i could
ha've it for a rent which
: was soSmall f
considering its advantages, as to seem
nkrely nominal. "The fact is," he said,
"their principal, object .is- to have
the, thing:.'off their hands. Tenant 4
hale been coming and tenants have
bee 1 going; and some have paid.and
sonic have not paid. - The placelhas
got a bad name in the neighborhood.
The owners, however, think-.that if a
respectable tenant comes 'and stays
for some time;• it will'. haVe a good
effect on the ft , pt4)lic mind. ' But, as
Margaretsap, you must count the
cost. Your servants will be Sure to
hear - theghoq ory. They will .see
visions
visions.; and (.1' ea dreams. You may'
have to do a? pod deal of -the work
yobrself. By he by,:titere 'is an old
housekeepef, a - Mrs. Weevil, whO
lives in the lower rooms." -
"'Could w not get.rid.of her?" I
said. "She Might_tell the servants."
"I am afraid that wotild be easier
said than dotierhe.answered. "She
has some claim upon the family. But
they say she is a quiet old soul, who
interferes with nobody: You migb
warn her,-you know." . ' -
"Well," I -- said, "let ns write to
'the agent,' and
. see what: canoe done." '
The result of all this was that, a
week - or two later, on.' n placid after
noon- early in the month of A ugust. I
drove up with tny.eliildren, servants,
and luggage before the deep.,porchof
one of those moderately sized country
houses Which abound: in' the County
,•of Surrey..., It was, to be'rey home
for the next twelve monthsservants
and ghosts permitting.
.
- -
.. 1
._ ~. .
i
TOr„otice;deseription Land. the ex
pectation that followed` hard upon it
were, I felt, abundantly juatified. My
earthly paradise was - a paradise-in
deed ;-and joyfully,on the evening Of
'our Arrival, I teat and wrotee -- to my
husband of ourgood fortune. The
house was beantifullY situated, and
was . itself picturesque, with its deep
porch in front and the neat balcony
that surmounted it. It was an'irreg-
War buildingi and its:red brlek walls'
were half stnothered.,with ivy- and
elematis: , Beyond the - garden in frept
was a broad lawn,„ bouilded by the
grand old beeches and ,elms which
form a belt -,roUnd. Lord B—'s PO=
tate. During the first ' few weeks,
nothing happened to change my good
_
opinion of the house. —.-
.. There was one circumstance I did
not like'; but I persuaded myself', it
was trivial andto be affected by it,
proved ultra.sensit t ivenessi; besides,j
had been warned .befcirehand..' Two
of theloweryooms were occupied by
an old *Oman. She 'was a pensioner,
I was told, of our landlord. Many
years ago, she had been housekeeper
to. some , relatives of his, who: lived in
the house, and ;he had liVed in it
ever since.' I wished to see her and
have some conversasion withler I
disliked, in, the - *lust place, that any
one Of" whom,l,ltnew nothing should
be in my lionse; \ ,antl in the 'second
place, r wa s anXions to warn her to
~ - \
keep the glitast Istorv \ (whatevertl4,te
might be) secret. - My \ three English`,
servants were north-cotintry girls. • I - '
had taken 400d . 'eare tliat'they should
be utter. siangers to the)liglibor, 1
hood ; but knew; if - the po,ibility
Of Seeing a? ghost were siagges d to
them, they would promptly make he
, possibilityla certainty; and then M ; ,
troubles would- begin.
I. sent 4 . polite message to Mrs.
Weevil, asking for an intervieW,liind
she came to, my Toom. She wag not
a iprepasseSsing„, woman.
..11er., age
might be sonieiliereAetween sixty_
and seventy, and as she dropped an
awkward :,# .. ourtesy on entering my
presence, Itfelt .she was giving me a
hohage-whichshe did not pay will
ingly. I 4iiid I understood-she had
permission' , froni the owner of. the
house to o6entiy certain} rooms itit.
" Yes, ma'am," she. said ; " but not
from the owner as -is the owner of
the 'Ouse now, ma'am." " -
.She manifested, FTthought, a cer
tain ill-cor_!ealed sulkiness asl went
on to ask herif she cOtild.not - he in
dneed,to findaeedinmodation forler
self- in some of the cottages On the
estate; so as to give us the house to
ourselves. She stubbornly refused.
' ' "No, ma'atit;" : she Went 'mho say.
." I am. an, old Wein - an — as has lived
here} for nigh twenty years; and I
never gives trouble to no One. I - only
wishes tb be let alone; and I means
to stay; ma'am—yes,l means to-stay."
I - saw that it- would serve no pur
pose at present to try to dissuade her,.
and as I did : not wish to quarrel with
her I changed the conversa'tion-' I
Said I. understood there were; some
foolish - stories. -Current 'About. the
house Wing liannted; and I hoped,
whatever :she thought of it, that she
would say nothing tien.y. servants on
the subject.",.'.
" If your'servants 'll let me alone,
ma'am, I'll let theth alone. I has no
wish tnmeddle with any lady's ser
vants." .
_., . _
. .1 then permitted her gO. -She wa g. '
certainly no troubleabout the house',
and she was very seldoni seen either
by me or the servants. - , She 'only
went out occasionally, as if to Make
spelt purchases as • .her , 'necessities
might require, locking ' the door of
her rooms - both in going in and re
turning. .
- 'A month p,asSed by: 'People in the
neighborhood. began to ealli, They
all praised
,the house andYgro*ls,
i
but they All looked . nyS'.eriousliad
One and anoiher. hinted, " Yon won't
-stay here Over the Winter." ..
My answer was a- smile. Bli(the
Winter came. Flowers faded; trees
grew • red, golden,. brown ; and at
last their shivering leaves fell to the
ground. Itwaa an early_winter." In
Noveinber; the cold was' intense, and
-the days were short and - gloomy.
Many.years had pasSed by since I
had spent a Winter in England, and
I felt the - Celd, Very much. .1 made
I • •
the Best of things, howeyer, muffling
mySelf and the , children in flannel,
keeping .the - doers and . windows
closed; and having large fires in the
rooms and hall. • In. spite of all ‘, I
could do, two of them fell ill. Their
illness was • not serious; but nursing .
and looking after them gave me much
to do, for their ayah - (Indian nurse) -
- was 'suffering at the moment from a
severe cold, whiCh -rendered her.al-•
most incapable of helplngme.'
Such was my positiOn -when, one
morning., 'my house-maid asked to.
see me. I knew what this -meant;
And was not surprised 'to - - bear that'
she intended
_to leave us that very
day. Her mother wanted . her, shed
said. ,I - asked her. mother's reason.
She waS - impenetrable., I offered her
higher wages. 'She said tremblingly,
thatshewould not stay if 1 were to,
offer her a hundred pounds. I beg in
to perceive that the news
,of the!,
Ghost-story had got 'abrOad,,, and I:,
asked her - if there was anything in
tihe house of which she was afraid
but;to this question she was dumb.
' I said I would see her again, and slit
down to think, with my sick child in,
any lap. Even while I was thinking,.
'there came a knock at the door of
my room. I cried out, '" Come in,"
but my hearts sank. .-. , '
My cook
,was at- the door.. The
girl who helped in the kitchen
and house - was behtnd her. Both
looked seare4 and, - announced. that
they were going.
- I did not know 'what - to do. TO
gain time I ordered them back to
their work. 1 had. no, money in the
house, I -Said. • The bank, as they
knew, was some miles distant. ' They
had no right to leave me without due
notice ; in fact, I. would not let them
go - . • SO I said,-and. hoped they were
quieted—for .a time. But late that
evening the ayah came to me with
consternation. in her face. All the
three English servants had. left
were
I.
By tle,t time the children were in
bed, and everything was still. I bade
the ayah.. go to her room with the
younger children; and -after locking
ME
[ TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY MORNING, r iTANiTARY 13, 1881.
OM
t
, ( i
my.bedicioni door. sat alone, think
ing. I had passed through_ an ex
citing day. The night was chilly ; - I
was tired, and not very well. , That
the warnith Of the fire and the cora;
fort of my •faveitite lounging,Chair °
should presently cause •a delightful
sense. of indiffereneeto all and every
annoyance, nee& :flint- be . considered .
Wonderful. As I"That'.there,-,1 gave
way to the pleasant; compulsion;. arid
was soon ; I imagine; fast asleep.. ; I
say , I imagine, .because there was no
witness present; and of' what we do,
or. what we don't'do, in that•sttange
indefinite border-land of senSation.
.which separates waking-time from
sleeping-time, we can never be per
fectly certain. • - •
So far as I .know, Islept for Some
considerable time. If Was the sensa
tion,; I believe,! of. my feet waxing
cold that first loosened the bonds of
slumber. - While I was 'in that semi
unconseious state, Which hag a, fieeu 7
liar, discoinfort,. I became dimly
alive to the- fact: that there was . in
the room some preignee other/thin
my own, -.There was •movernent-•-a
stirring air, as if some creature had
come in. The events , of the daY re
tuttedtiL to myon which: - was
re
st half yalii•e. for
yI, started UN'
rubbing my eyes,for ' I could riot be
at all sure that-l 3 Was awake aro in
.
my right mind. '.
.. • • :.-,•-. -
When I went to sleep I was alone.
Yess certainly. 13u1 even if it were
not so, what strange pale face was
this now , gazing at ...me . across the
.dimly-lighted space of : the; shadowy
room ? 'I was but 14If awake. M
nerves iketein an excited state. 'The
1 gliostin the house had beeirMy laiit
conscious -• idea. • And' now this.
strange face, which seemed to be
. 0-
,vancing--rin me out Of the gloom,.was
•Ika creation•of my own fancy? Or
was it some one playing'a trick upon
me In my case,, was my time
to.fathota the mystery. Itying - to
be courageous - and, gather my wits
together . ,. I advanced. l Theiface re
ceeded, and Passe into 'the deeper
shadow., till it appeared-to'-be sud-.
&ply swallowed up. in the draperies
of the ,heavil'y curtained window.. I
rushed - fo rward, , but' was-trot.swift
enough. ' I.Befote I; had touched the
curtainsythefaCe had disappeared. I
' was certain, however, perficKy-cer-
Aain, that as I' drew the ' curtains
- open I felt resii t tanee •to y hand,
l.li
'and,ate same ima a gust a i r dom.
er•air rushed a g ainst my fa e, as if
• from an opened window. ; t first,
1 felt as if about to faint;-' ut fru
ni
will, fortunately, was stron g , and .I.
thieW :the Curtain aside, and plit,my
. hand on the window. It was closed.
I tried the bar, which could'only be,
fixed from the iaSide, and it was as
I had 'left it: early - in the evening.
•At ' this discovery my agitation
-overpowered me, my head Swam, and
I firinteil - When I recovered con,
sciouness; I was lying in the broad
recess of the curtained
. window, mid,
I felt a trickliew'Sensatiori .on my
forehead, and ' suspected, .what I
afterward fontid to be the. case, that
I had struck my head on some article
of furniture, and Was bleeding . This
involuntary blood-letting hel ped td
revive me, and ,I sat.up.
•,. For a few minutes I reingined.'par
tinily stunned arid. bewildered. I felt
:r creeping . . sensation, as if I had
been struck' by .a.'frost-wind: After
a .. while, my heart began to beat less
audibly, and I rose td my feet:: At
.that moment the embers of the fire
suddenly ,sank to• , ,the bottom of the
grate, sending up a faint flickering
light, which was•':•absolute cheerful
ness
i-i.; contrasted with the, horrible
semi-darkneas that - had hitherto pre
vailed. I felt my courage returning,
and managed to ring
. the bell.. 'the
ayah came, . alarmed . that I shorild
have summoned her'at an hour when
she-supposed I had retired to 'rest. - 1
I
n not tell her what I hadAitnessed,
only asked her to light a 'candle., She
did so, and lii i 4 the light fell upon my
face, she.gave a slight , screarn. I had
forgoeut>the moment te s t blood was
trickling,frdm the wotinil . I . had re
-1 celyed, or I..should: not have asked
her to light the candle. . As it was, I
had to make the best,excuse I could
in answer to herinquities. I said I
must have Slept long by the fird, and
in moving about. ; the darkened room
had, fallen and . hurt. : Myself. The
wound, however, . was found ; be a
mere scratch; and in a few minutes
the :veil: had succeeded - ia removing'
from my face all' rnarks.of• the dis
aster.. .
• . /_
I askyi her to leave the candle
With me 4 and'allow m to retire . to
rest. Sne, did' so ; andiafter the door
was closed upon I proceeded
with the candle to examine the win
dow more minutely. The mystery
was as much a Mystery as ever. The
window had certainly not been open
ed by any one,' aixi no trace was
visible on the walls of any possible
means of ingress .or egresS. I felt
more nervous - than ever, and
.-viaS
aboitt to , turn and leave the room
together, so much did my fears op
;pre-swine, when something lying on
the floor attracted my attention. • I
stOciped=and picked it np. -It wits a
small piece Of 'white - few'
ihches square- , --very frail hi'the text
ure, as if half-rottel ,with .damp= or
age, and adorned with - . a peculiar
kind of embroidery-such as I thought
Thad seen before, but cotild . .notre;
call where. • On one edge there. was
a hem, the other - three. edges "wino
irregular And jagged. It rooked like
a piece of cloth wrenched out of a
garment • by' the foot being sudden
ly placed upon it.' Ifelt I had made
a .discovery. .
. Returning to the fire-place, I . sat
down 'to think: 'lt seemed clear to
me now that - my visitant, however
he. or she had - effected an' entrance,
was no spirit. This piece Of' linen
was certainly not lying there when
I had closed and barred the win
dow for the
,night; nor could it be- .
long to the.-apparel of any member.
of my houSehold. It Was not
likelf-that 'it' was part of the. loose
,garment, 0f, , , dingy whitewhich I
' now remembered 'my strange - Nisit:
ant - wae.
I am naturally strong-minded, an=t
gradually began to' recover my coin
posure.. I said to myself:.- "I shall
find out the secret. The first link of
. the.ehain is between my fin g ers.. I
riff=
M
REGARDLESS OP DENUNCIATION FROM 'ANY Q 11013131.
never, before heard of ghosts tramp
ing bits . out of theWdrapeiy, and no
doubt the , ghost I \ 'saw had been
nearly us much afraid as myself
when I so suddenly „approached it,
and had not *ot away without a
little flurry.! This accounts, too,"
I thought, 'for i the resistance Which
I felt to my hand when I. first laid
hold of the window-curtains."
I was more' than ever persuaded
that .a trick WWI beirig played upon:
me. I did notleel, however, as if
could sleep in :the room that ffight.
If my t•iaitor was, as I suspected,
morthlslike myself, there was no say
ing what he or she might be induced
to attempt should the desire of re
venge prompt, a second visit. My
life was not safe in such circum
stances, when a' barred window and
-locked door were not sufficient to
'protect me from intrusion.' resolv
ed for that-night to occupy the bed-
room where my two eldest children
slept, which r- could reach without
disturbing: the rest of the house.
MC
, _.
.
...._,. ••••_•:•......
..
. .•
' Y c( -
1 .
. t ..
\._ ~
t .
, .....• _
- - -
I was about to take up my candle
and go, when - I imagined I - heard a
sound behind me. In state of
nervousness, I, started, and - had i al
most dropped the candle. .1 looked
toward the windoiv; but the curtains
hung motionless, and i.were parted as
I had left Ulan._ •
A thought 'Struck me. If my Nisit
tor were to return after Ibad.retired;
how should I know? I . pondered the
matter a little, and' then
_proceeded
to action.' Trickery mustfin this case'
be met by trickery., I tent up to
my work-box, --to4k:bot a --reel of
thread, and drew 'off a &iv, , yards.
There were curtain-faSteners on each
side of widow; about • two feet
front the' floor;' and between these I
stretched and. made-fast the length
:Of thread, so thatno one could enter
the room fromi the window-recess in
he course of the night without
consciously breaking, the frail battier
had .erected. This 'would afford
me sufficient proof as to whether the
privady of_ my sleeping-room had.
`again been i nvaded Taking up . my
dandle slid the bit of cloth, I then
Passed quietly out,-locking the door
of_the room, and carrying.,.the. key
with me. I felt' myself stronger in
,the presence of children, and
Soon 'managed lb fall asleep.
CIIAPTER 11.
I=
. My - first quest next .mortog on'
leqving the apartment , 'whey I .h.id
slept was for the purpose aseer- -1
taining whether- my bedroom Thad .
;been again entered after I had left it
ion the previous evening. I unlocked
;the door, and cautiously looked in:
Enough light came through between
the drawn curtain to show Ink that
the room.was apparently as I left; it.
I advanced to the window and found
the threadtherd, unbroken, and t vi
dently Untouched. . I must confess I
felt somewhat disappointed. My fears
'had prcihably exaggerated. niy con-
Ceptions 'of the danger, and I had
anticipated • a 'second Visit as . .mpre
than•probable: After thinking, how
ever, "came to the conelusion that it
was better as it was. Hag my strange
visitor for any purDose entered .my
room .ft second'time;'and - found that
I had 'quitted' it, the effect might have
heen the reverse - of favorable to a
discovery of the trickery,' which dis
epvery could best be forwarded Thy
.my making 'as little change in -my
usual habits as possible... It was not
imProbahle, seeing that no suspicion
had - been aroused by the -krtofvledge
that I had changed my- sleeping
apartment, that the ghost " might
be emboldened to pay`me a visit on.
the following night; and - by - that time
L hoped l to be able to arrange .for the
interception of my- strange visitor,
and tile detection of the trick. : _
In the course of the morning I had
made up my mind how . l should pro
ceed. :.Mrs. Weetil gengrally left
after breakfast on her errands to the
neighboring vilh.ge or elsewher i e, not
generally returning for afew. hours ;
and I thought. this a good time to
obtain - nn interviw with Andrew, laic
old- gardener, who, I
.saw, was en
o•airedlriramintr ,tte walks - in fiont of
.
14. door. I had no doubt now that
ivliat I had ken .bad been also all,
pealing to the servants who had So
stldet-tly departed On . the previous
eveniriK; and I had nolloubt also
that Andrew knew the - whoftf story
about the, ghost having been again
seen in the.hvuse. I opened the pal
lor window, and spoke with him over
the balcony. "Will you come
staire,Andrew ? I shoitld,like to see
you."
lle sto d'for a moment, scratching
Lis head. I think he would have pre
ferred anything.to.entering my house.
tat moment r- but evidently he
did not see his way to reftising. A
few moments later he was in the.
drawing-room.
"Andrew," I began, with some in-:
tentional Soleninity of Manner, "you
see the - position I am isn':" His - • ex
presSion indicated that. he'considered
the position an exceedingly„ fl unpleas4'
-ant one: " The story has got' abonci.
I went on, "that this house is haunt
ed." He turned pale., " You think
it is haunted?" I . ased, looking at
him, fixedly. .
ite- hesitated for a few moments,
shook his head slowly, and succeeded
finally in saying : " W'at is folks tei
think, ma'am ?"
" I acknowledge," answered,
"that the thing has• a queer. look.
When. people i appear; and vanish as'
suddenly as they came, it' is difficult
to think of them hscreqtureg (I flesh
and blood like ourselves."
"'Tain't possible-like," . was An
drew's. comment and I observed
.that with the Words", his face took, a
more healthy hue'. The quiet tone I
had ailumed'reassured him. .Ghosts,
wheel they can be reasoned abOut,.
lose half their terrors.
"No," I answered him ; " it-is not
possible. But Andrew, if.we look at
these things from another point - of
Nlew " •
" Be there another?" he eagerly
askedra,s . I paused to allow time /for
expression of .opinion. .
/ - •
"Yes," I said ; " there is another.
Belbre I believe in your inteiprjta
tion, Andrew-!—before I beliet it .
possible that spirits canwander about
the world for no other 'reason than.
M=E
111
. .
.
to frighten people,lrnuattest mine."
• *His - eyes, awakening to now, inter:
est, were loOkingA Mine iniviringly.
I explained- A' once. "What - I'
Mean is .this. I suspect a - trick.
Sometuidy_ has a spite against the
o,wnenof this shorse—somebody has
janinterest in l$ eeping.it empty." .
Andrew Was naturally shrewd.' As
I spoke there- came into his face a
new look of keenneas.; ,Ho smiled,
" There-has been queer things done,"
he ' observed with a: cautious impar
tiality. , . --- •, . .
.
" You have been here some weeks,"
I said. ' " Have you. beard anything
during that time about this s house,
about the people who Own it? if am
told they lived here once." . 1.-- 4 - •
° Thus stimulated, Andrewjtold me
tbat,.the house and grounds-had orig=
inally,helonged to Lord B—,fattier
of the present lord, whose park was
cominanddd by - our' front - windows.
On the marriage - of . ' a 'favorite . sister
with Mr: Roupel, a man somewhat
beneath her iu positiOn, he'gave her.
the house. Here . the married fair
lived, in . ' much unhappiness it was
said - and here their only, child, a
daughter, was horn. After' running
.throligh ,his.. Wife's money . ; the hus
band died. W,h,cn . left alOne, - the
widow, and her !now grown 11P-daugh
ter,. determined - to' let. their house
and: live ' abroad. The .rent 'of Abe
furnished - house, with its- excellent
garden, would bring them in, an in
come sufficient - to enable ;them to
live quietly ins, some foreign , town.
But while this project was being dis
cussed, the widow died, suddenly and,
mysteriously. !An inquest was held
over her; for strange Suspicions *ere
circulated . - abroad. The verdict was
.that she had 'died Of the famiily . - cam
plaint—heart
,disease. BUt there were
those who still ,spoke ..mysteriously
.shout the circumstances of the:death,
and declared that the lady had ' met
with foul Play: , . ,•
' Now, this, was the ge rm of , the
ghost story. for it was said far and
near that. -Mrs. Roupel, if she had
really been murdered—And murdered
by her owti child, as some dared' to
whisper—would'never rest in 'her
grave. And whenJ. singular -appear
ances carne .and' went, snit strange
sounds were- heard in the house, mow
empty save :for fili. ancient house
he;ner, the suspicion, scarcely spoken
of !at first abdvelireath, so . dark it
*4 and, monstrous,,was! by and by
openly discussed.. =. . .
On thia_part'of the story-old An
-drew Was ready to dilate. Rewarmed
to the theme, indeed, and-=would
willingly have given Me; bad' I Ile
sired,it, a full and particular account
of the Various people N4o from time
to ' time.. had. been driven fro m .
the premises. Biit I, holding still to
my point, that trick had tode• with
it, , restrained his flow of -,language,
and endeavored by close questioning
toAnd out what he knew about .the
-daughter of Mrs. Roupel, who, if his
story were.true, was the present own
er of the haunted,house. ----..' -
I elicited the folloWing facts. Miss
Roupel;- 'was • nineteen years of age
aboot . l-the . . period of het mother's. l i
death. -She was then a young lady
of high spirit and cheerful temper ;
she was acconiplished,.witty, and un
usually- attractive' in appearance. I
Thus, in spite of: the - drawback - 4 en
tailed by povertY, and a*sad; rinda,n- 1
-choly '''nothe,, the, young - lady was
not withofit suitors. The suit of one
of these was, :recording-to her mother 1
and ,herself—they remembered - their
old antecedent's 'and !were' proud -1
little short of ail' Impertinence ; . for
'the man was no mor e nor less than
Lord B---;_'s lioniie - steward. The'
old housekeeper; to whom, before he
bestowed the house upon :his - *sister,
the , ohl lord had apportioned twO
towns was Mrs. W,cevi i l, the stew;
aril's Mother. '
It was natural that Miss Roilpel,
' niece' of his former . 6nployer, I should
reject his suit, with disdain. , It . was
perhaps no less 'littoral that the . re-
jection, iinbittered by contempt, I
should sink deeply iiito the steward's I
`soul. 'The fact was, that- from the I
day when he was-forbidden the house
where, his mother liVeci l thejvctimg,.. l
man changed. 'People Spoke.o - f his
black looliS ' of his hard ways, of his
-- • • -I
cruel l i. cynical . spee c hes, and so me
predicted a bad end' for him. • I
-;- Meanwhile,. Miss .Roupel, nowieft
I 'dime by her mother's death, narried,
Mr. Egerton, a. mancfrom a monetary ,
Point of
..view, scarcely more eligible !
it
4han the steward:. He . wass Lieu-
terra, tin theNs.vy ; but as he had
n‘thing in the world but' his ',pay, - 1
they carried out Mrs. Roupel's plan . ,
of letting their honsti furnished, be
lieving it, would bring them in a suf.
I ficient income to enable the young.
I'mlife to live in comfort while her hus
band- was - away from .her, But, as
Andrew remarked:, if 'this • was her
belief,. she.. must have been' often
'." sore -pinched," for the house could
havelnonght. in - very little. >,
I - 'thanked . him , .for his -- "Tstory..
." N0w,".1 said,' " you must do some
thing for me. ~Go to! i the village at
once. Find the'carperiter rilikblack
smith. Tell • them I Want them on
important business. There -must be
no delay. I Will' pay theni well for
their work__ Do' yo.u- understand ?"
For the old man was staring st .me
as if lie thought I, had taken leave of
my' senses.- . . -'
4 .-I understan'," he answered slow
ly.:"'But What will you be wanting
with them; ma'am ?" '
".You will know all in good.tinie:
They must bring !their tools. Now
go, , Anikew, go quickly. 2 And mi'iid,
Andrew, I added; "say nothing to,
any One of ,yOur‘errand, and bring
the joiner and blacksmith irOy the
back. entrance, .fer I do ,not wish
*them to-be seen coming here to-day
by everybody." - . ,
Notwithstanding thede bold words,
I "MIA _Confess that when Andrew
started on. his message, and left me
alone—for the ayiih-liad :gone dOwn
to the Village—l felt a Tittle pneasy:'
-I did not believe in/ spiritual, presen
ces, but I didheliere in wickedness
driven to desperation. I was bidding
defiance to a foe of whose resources
I - was utterly ignorant. !Whatif my
defip.nce. should be taken up? ! Men-.
tally I felt strong enough, physic:illy
I was conscious of being 'weak, but I
set about theperformance of my
EZ1213
~ . _.
L .
. I
L.
' ':- : .'.
' - •
1
household duties, which occupied me
fully till the return of-Andrew: •
I took .him, as also the joiner and
blacksmith, into the parlor, and told ;
them'my-experiences of the'previous'
evening«, Andrew exhibited 'symp
toms of alarm ; but - I-foundthe joiner
a sensible mom, and inclined, after
what I told him,;to take a sithilai
view' with - myself of the situation,
namely, that we were being-made the
subjects of some diabolical trickery,
in order to drive us out of the house.
He asked about Mrs. Weevil, and if
I had ever been in her rooms. I said
I had' not.s He proposed at once to
visit them. . The door of her apart
-rnents-was, as,usual, locked; but the
blacksmith had little difficulty; in
successfully picking the lOck, and
,effecting an entrance for us—Andrew
being meanwhile sent to keep a look
out in the garden, that no one ap
proached the house unawares,
There was nothing to :attract at
tention in firs. Weevil's apartments.
The joiner carefully examined them;
but no means_ of egress - , from, either
of the rooms :could be discovered,
save the door by which he had en
tere4the windows having iron grat
ings. outside. 4. We took - the utmost
care that • nothing wass — disarranged ;
and any piece of furniture or apparel
which we had occasion to disturb
was replaced exactly as found. Pre
vious to this, I shopldhave mention
ed, both the joiner and blacksmith
had made a particular ::examination
of the bow-window of • my bedroom ;
but had failed ; to find anything to
awaken suspicion in the slightest.
Our,search had: sofar been entirely
fruitless; and I was beginning to feel
more -perilexed than ever as, after
what Andrew had told me of Mrs.
Weevil, and of her son's - former rela
tions to the 'owner of the house, I
had somehow begun to connect her
in my,,milid with the -mysterious ap
pearance which had giyen it such a
bad fame.
We were in the act . of quitting the
housekeeper's sitting-room,.- afraid
that she might ,return 'before we had
had time to .refasten the door, when
I noticed tbe_.'blacksmith knee down
on the floor ofthe inner apartment,
and examine the foot of- one of the
It. Was an ancient Eliza
bethan; with heaVy faded - hangings,
and stood on ai floor covered with a
carpet, out of lwhich long use had'
extracted ' atmnst all traces of its
joiginal pattetin.- ',At a , signal. the'
iner stooped down beside him ;
and I- then observed that the caster
at the foot of i - the bed-post - was glis
tening with oil; as if it .had but re,
cently been lubricated ; . and we all
three then noticed that there was a
distincts.dark oily streak - along the
carpet, as if the bed had been moved
forward obliqUelt for a fevi feet from
where it stood, and then moved back
again. i The joiner at once rose,: and
taking hold of the bed found that be
could pull it forward easily and with
out making tlie. slightest noise; till iV
was about a foot ftom the wall against
;A s
which it stood. A s 'his point we no ,
' ticed that .the bed , eemed to_ dip
slightly to One side,'as if something
were .yielding to its weight; and at
the- same 'moment Ave observed a pan
eling slightly open in that part of the
wall which had tormerly been bid
behind the. hangings.. 1
I was in a high state of excitement
and with difficulty, could suppress
Any feelings, 'it - stood -silent
.as . the
two menwent round and looked into
the obeninriitits discovered. They
asked fox' a Caudle, whiph I presently
brought. them, whenNfe found. that
the recess was a small
,plate ; about
five feet high. andtwo deep, and that
it was fortned of -solid mason-work
,on all sides but the front.. A box,
rlargel enough to fill the whole space
of :the bottom; was attached to- the
wall by strongiron staples; as 'if to
prevent its removal ; but curiously
enough, the box itself was'not locked;
though supplied with .a !Asp and
padlock. The lid was at once lifts",
when we sa*
_stuffed into it, "as , it)
hurriedly, a mass of white garment,
which we',found to he an old chasuble
.or , ,aurplice, that must have formed-a
t onei time part of the ceremonial robes
I of' a priest: We brought it forth to
the light, and examined it; and there,
in the skirt of the garment, we found.
that a pfece had-been:torn out, which
was exactly fitted by the bit of white
embroideretl cloth Which Iliad picked
DP • ifi my bedroom on: the previous
.evening. This was evidence:indispu
table - that,_ whoever or whatever my
ghostly vision was ; here at least was
the garment that .had been worn ,On
that occasion ; the more so, that' at
tached to the 'upper part of the gar
-pent was a kind of hood which, When
drawn,over the head and face, would
give in a •dintand uncertain light the
grim aspect "that I had, seen on the
'previous evening. I felt within me
a .hurning indignation that for years
'the peace and happiness of successive'
families in i the house, should have
..been destryyed by the wretched
trickery of this depraved old woman,
in her malkious desire to injure the
young lady Who owned the house,
by depriving' her of the income that
would. otherwise have been -derived
fronfit. ' ~ :
My
,first impulse was to leave
things as they were in the apartment
till the arrival °tile old hag, and
csnfront.her at once. with the evi
dences we had discovered of her mai-
, evolent pratices ; but on a second ex
' amihation of the box, it was - found
that it contained a false bottom, eas
ily .removed, under which were found
a pair of leaded pistols. This struck
us - as being scarcely in keeping with
the idea that Mrs..Wsevil 'alone was
cognizant of the' mischievous opera-'
.tions which had ITen carried on here
. for.scopany tears. These were ra
ther: the weapons of a. person who
. was. both able.. and willing to use
them- . should an emergency direr.
And what was still more puzzling,
while we had thus far discovered the.
means by which the ghostly reptita
tioia of the house had been maintain-
ed, there was as yet no trace of the
manner in which access was gained,
either to the bedrOom whiCh I occu
' pied, or to - any Other ' parts of the
~ house -which had been so roysterious
: ly visited. In-These circumstances,
: it was agreed at pnc,e to replace •ev
erything as we had found them, 'ex
._
111.00 per . Annum In Advince.
cept that the. blacksmith -took the
precaution of drawing the charge out
of both pistols, stuffing the barrels
afterwafd to the required depth with
paper, so that, on being , probed, they
might still appear as if loaded. - This
done, the bed was moved back to, its
. place, - when the paneling of itself
closed asbefore. We then left the
apartment, the door of which: was,
though not without some difficulty,
so fastened as not readily to excite
the woman's suspicion that it had
been tampered with.
~
It was now two hours after noon,
and - . Mrs. Welvil might return at any .
moment. The two men therefore de
parted, but first arranging with. 'me
that they should return after dusk,
brinaing,the village constable along
with ° them, to' await with• me the
events.of the evening, , as. I felt" cer
tain somehow—that the " ghost"
would again appear, veth the object
of driving me from the i i ,
holise, as oth
er tenants had-been dri - en before. :
Like his namesake id "Rob Roy,"
the old gardener, Andre*, was not a
very good keeper of . secrets;' hence
it was proposed that the joiner and
blacksmith should take .him along
with them to the village,. and keep
him under surveillance till the' even
ing. I was glad,When I saw them
all out of the plaCe, without, so far
as I knew, being 'seen by any one ;
and still more glad when the ayah
shortly afterward returned with the
children, as I could not help feeling
alarmed in the house by myself,
considering what we had discovered,
and especially what we had fiiiiled to
discover, namely, how the person
playing the ghost could obtain access
to different parts' of the house so
freely
-as report represented, and as
I had myself in one instance painful
ly experienced. . • _
. : CHAPTER 111.
Unlike• her usual practice,: Mrs.
Weevil did not return to the - house
that day till far on in the rifternoon ;
and after slie had entered - 12er rooms
I could hey herbustlinr , about with
an Activity andivoise . , quite unprece
dented in my experience of her •hah.
its.! This rather alarmedme.- - I was
- - ,
raid she had ; suspected;_from - the
appearance, of
.her rooms, notwith
standing our care in removing -
all .
tracesprour presence , that someone
had been there. in her absenCe; and
this inighebe sufficient to defeat 'my. -
hopes.of bringing to light the tricke
ry thailiad been so long and so sys - -
tematically ;practiced. But I was
still more astonished when, atioutian
hour after return. she sent a message
to me by the ayah that she wished
to speak Iwith ine, - if I Would grant
her an interview.• At first I Scarce
, ly knew what answer to make. Wete.
I to• refuse td see her, this might
complete .the.-- suspicion . which she
perhaps-entertained and if did
see her, I was afraid that I might by
some Word or look betray the knOwl
;edge of which I had become possests
ed: • I thought: upon the whole •I had
better see her, and answered accord
ingly. •
As she entered the room , with a
basket on her arm, she: dropped -
.a
f:ot;rtesv ; and from the flow of words
with which she 3t once. opened - ths
conversation, she seethed to put on a
frankness of manner which I bad not .
before observed in any slight inter
course I had had-with her:
'‘‘ Yes, Wis:'nni," she - went on'
were just a-C2min' ma'am, :to. say as
I would be goin' from the 'ouse for a
few days,.; my - sonos is steward to
Lord being took -very badly
last night, ma'am ; as ; he have no one
to. wait . -upon.. hit ; it hold - sr:is I,
ma'am, as his mother, must do 'my
dooty—yes, ma'am." • . : •
All thit; she said; without once
stopping.tp take breath ;and I could
not help _obie_rvixig 'that' she was
slightly flurried in iny • presence und
seemed tia'keep talkinff as
hide her ii,neasiness•as to' "enlighten
me regarding her errand.:, I saiil44l
Was very 'sorry to hear that, her - -
.was ill,. and that it was very proper
she should, in the circumstances, at
tend to him. 4 But," I asked, " has
he no servant in the house ?"
"Not presently,, ma'am," she an
'swerpti ; " leastways.;:th.i 'ouse-maid
have-gone away 'over to. Brookford
fort few days, to' see her
' mother,
who stays there, ma'am --,r-yeS,-
;" and - she courtesied again in
the excess of ter
After.l had - dismissed her did
not know what to think: :This was
an' interference with_ my• plan's on
which I had not counted. I had -no
one to advise with me,.and felt much
perplexed. As evening approached,
and - The .gloom of twilight,-- ; I hid a
strange, nervous feeling, -such 'as I
had . only • once before experienced,
and , that was in India (Wring the
terrible days when the mutiny__ was
-- a its height, and every footfall made
us start as,if nest moment were to
be. our last. : As the, dusk deepened,
my anxiety increased ; and when at
length, the ayali conducted . the . join-
I Cr, as I had before - instructed her, to
'm y root:nil was almost too OVerpOW
ereel to speak. Andre* : and • the
blacksmith..were for the time detain
'
ed in' the kitchen, as I wished . th talk
the 'matter over with the joiner, as
I the most intelligent of the three, -
f Aiii he entered my rOoth - , 7- I, , ,•:was
surprised to Owl a second pers.o'n
hind him, whom he introduc e ,dito me
as-Mr;Buriows, the district Malice
tor of• Police, who had heen on' .an
official viSitto' the village that day s
I and who; when - he , heard the story,
volunteered his services in plaie • of
the constable. . His presence at &ice
gavome great relief; ; : and
. this was
entrinced when I fonndlie hail - had_
'long experience in the London
tecti,ve force, and was entering With
the enthusiasm of his profesSion• into
our plans. He had heard already
fromthe-joiner what had passed that
day; complimented me highly on the,.
I:presenpp of mind.' had displayed on
the previous eyening and expressed
acquiescence in everything .'that we
, had sincedone: ' ,
wy e n,.how s ever,.. I mentioned' to
him my unexpected . interview - that
afternoon with Mrs. Wee . vil, and that
• she had lett the Louse, hdir waS a - good
l taken back. l •j- - IloqiiestiOnedl me
closely as to her' mariner and appear
wiice when - she was in my 'room, and
pilliTil3:44l:l
ELI
as to whether she seemed much of
by her son's illness. I answer
ed his several questions to the best
of my ability; and he, after thinking
awhile, pacing up and down the
room, turned to me and said:
"Let everything be carried oit as
you formerly ;proposed. See that
your family retire to rest at their
usual time, and with as little'appear
ance as possible of anything unusual
going on. If the woman has- taken
alarm, nothing will-be lost by .wait
big till to-n2orrow,•when her rooms
can be more carefully examined by
daylight. In the first place, will you
show me the bed-room in which you
were 'disturbed last night ?"
I condticted him thither,
the•join
er following and after he had ascer
tained where,to use his own expres
sion, I had rst seen the " party,"
and wirre and how the party had
disappeared, he at once , - intimated
his' plans; Ile said I was to retire
to my roma as usual, seat myself in
my chair by the llje as on . the previ
ous evening, and either sleep or, ap
pear to sleep, as was most agreeable
"to myielf. Beyond the window stood
a large wardrobe, in . _which, after the
house was all quiet, he and the join
er would conceal themselves; the
blacksmith' and the gardener being
set, as a guard -upon•tlie door of the
housekeeper's room below. - The vil
lage constable, he bad arranged,
'would keep watch on the outside of
the house, but so as not to be readi
ly discovered.
The duties of the household . , in •
the'
,absence of my sere ants; fell
somewhat heavily on the, ayah and •
myself, and the time passed quickly
forme as' I bustled about, seeing the _
:children put to bed, after which the .
ayah also retired. During all this
time, 'everything had been carried on •
inour.enstomaty way. Mr: Burrows
and the rest of - his:helpers betook
themselves for the time to a distant
apartment upstairs, anti' the honk'
had resounded all. the evening with
the mingled sounds of - laughter and
noise inseparable from a, large fami
ly of children such .as ours. But now
all was silent; the men 'had slipped • .
quietly to their different • posts; Mr. •
Burrows and. the joiner were, I knew, ,
pia We wardrobe at the other end „of
my. bedroom (and I - was seated in
; . my lounging-chair, as on 'the previ
ous evening.'
As I sat in. this Position thinking,- .
I could not helpobierving to myself ,
how. near we were : all Making our-
Selves; ridiculous. The
_old woman
whom . I had .suspected was out of .
the
-house ;,no one else but the ordi
nary members of„the IMusehold and
the witehir could possibly ..be in ;
and here was I, sitting at my .bed.,
room fire, making believe to sleep,
with my two men concealed 'in .the
-wardrobe, all hoping "to I eatchwe
did not know'what. The humortiof -
the.situation so strongly affected me
at one time that could scarcely re
frain. from bursting into laughter. -
But_ the thought'of Mr. Burrows-bar-.
ine, put himself to so much trouble ,
on my. account . , combined with a ,
membrance i of what I had experienc-;
ed during the' past twenty-four hours, t•
.gradually'scibered my .feelings. and
shortlY•remild my thoughts' floating
away in dim remembrance to my life:
itr - India—t - o my distant husband; •
to Our long separation.; to the tern- • ,
ble nights and 'days of that fearful
mutiny, 'whose 'horrors still rose up , •
before me ; toL-•-
. There was a thud on the floor, and
'1 started. I had been asleep, and in
my slumber . had-knocked 'a book off
the small. table at my elbow. The
Aire was burning low, and I rose in a
e,onfiised - statetto trim it, when my
eye§ fell-nfpe what I 'had seen on . •. •
' the previous &ening... hi the imper
feet lightrit seemed taller and more
;hasty-looking than before,.'and was
approaching me from behind. As .
my eyes fell :upon it I gave a loud
, shriek, and•eaught hold of the, chair
Ito support me. As I , ,did so, I saw
the ferure, gradually - recede from me,
and the room seemed to grow sud
denly darker. lam certain that, left :
:to
:to myself,
„I should at - that, moment •
have fainted right, away, for. 'the
whole thing had been so sudden, and /
'found me 'so unprepared, that, in ink,/ _
confusion I forgot all about the bus- _
Bless
. or the night. lint just as the.
white figure, se ?ed to be' approach
ing the curtained . windoirs, saw
two duck figures dash quickly upon
it from behind . , then.a sharp and 1,10- .
lent struggle, in which all three roll-•
ed on the -floor, as if locked together
in - deadly embrace. - The white fig-
Ure had managed to wrench one arm
loose, and in.another momerkt_ there
was - - the.. sharp' click of a' pistol.
Thanks, to.our forethOught, the wea
, pon was. harmless. • By this time the
noise of. struggle that. was . opine. -
on had brolight the, blacksmith and
Andrew, up to my apartment; and
with thafthelp the white figure was
iala few seconds manacled and led
forward , tothe light, his white gar
ment—an old surplice—hanging in '
tatters about him. He was at once
.knOwn to the majority of the compa
ny—it was the steward!: He turned '
his Una on me with a stifled oath.
, him ' no* helpless, with -
his hands fast behind his - back, in
charge of the blacksmith, Mr.. 13tir- -
rOwslled the way to the housekeep-,.
er's ileonf below,: the door of which
was foundto be locked. It was' at; ,
once -burst open, and,. taking a can
; die With us; we entered: The outer
'room was in the same -condition.as I
had, seen it during the day, but the
Inner room showed the bed. drawn
forward, and.,.the paneling of the re-.
eess, which we 'had discovered 'stand
ing open. Nobody was there. iTak
ling the candle forward' to examine ~
the recess, Mr. Burrows found that•
1 , the box had a.movable bottom, - in ad- -
dition to that which we had diseov
' ered,.:and that‘ - by: its removal an
opening sufficient for one person -et
a time'led down - a trap-stair Into the
cellars below. Mr. Burrows and the
joiner at once descended,' taking the
light with them, the rest of us wait ,
ing, as directed, in .the outer apart
anent, or the lobbies that . led to it.
In a few. minutes I heard sudden
footsteps in my bed-room, and; rush- -
ing thither, found that- Ift." Burrows _
and 'the joiner had reached it from
the cellars, into which. the trap-dtior
led, the whole of the' wood-work of
one side of the window of my room_
being ingeniously made to move back
,upon hinges like a door; yet so 'con- .
strutted that it could not he opened' .
by any cue in the ;room:- When the
steward was searched there was
found on him; besides the pistols, a
bunch of duplicate-keys, whizlrcould
open any chamber or any other lock
fast place in the house.'
The constable having been called
in from the garden, the at'evitirdiWho
'had. hitherto stood silent .and•sulten;
;with a dark expression of malice and
revenge, upon his face, was handed.
over to him, and"be was instructed by
his superior to convey him 'to the lo
cal Police officetincl place him in a
cell.. 'The blacksniith he ordered to
ECONCLtDED FOUBTIL PAGE.]
ISM