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VOL. XIV. NEW BLOOMFIELD, PA., TUESDAY, AUGUST 18BO. NO. 34.
THE TIMES.
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TEMPTED TO MURDER.
IF I were to tell you that you are a
potential murderer, you would not
even be angry with uie you would
simply smile at such an absolutely pre
posterous notion. And so, in the face
of such an accusation, should I have
smiled once upon a time.
Judge for yourself If I should not have
had the right to smile. My name, by
the way, la Alfred Lambourn, and I
consider my name as of some conse
quence to my argument, because I hap
pen to be one of a family which can
carry back its history for an exception
able number of generations, and without
being able to name a single member of
it who was not perfectly respectable and
perfectly sane not taking into account
a certain hereditary tendency to let our
selves be imposed on and our money
slip unaccountably through our fingers
in the most contented manner.
My friend was Sir Reginald Gervase
of course you must allow just as much
accuracy to my proper name's as you
please. He had one of the largest
-estates in Foamshire, and lived mostly
at St. Moor's, a splendid place near
Spendrith, which is on the wildest and
rockiest part of that grand and magnifi
cent coast, as all the world knows. My
description of him is short he was,
literally, the best and finest fellow in
the whole world. Were Lady Gervaae
writing this fctory, I have no doubt she
would say a great, deal more of him ;
mine must be a man's praise of a man.
He had not a single fault that I could
ver discover, and yet Was as far from
being a prig as the South is from the
North Pole. He was nearly my match
which is saying something in point
of chest and biceps, and infinitely more
than mine, or most men's, in brains ;
and his heart was larger still. I some
times used to think it his single mis
fortune that he was .so rich and so
happy and so full of sense of all the
duties that his birthright had .thrown
upon him. Had the fortune left him the
struggling barrister that he was when
I first met him in London, he would
have made himself a great man, instead
of merely growing Into something much
greater. For he had by no means been
born to a Baronetcy and the ownership
of St. Moor's. He unexpectedly inher
ited It from a cousin of about his own
age, and apparently as strong and as
healthy as himself, who had been struck
down by death when hardly thirty
years old. It was a change to turn most
men's brains, and to send half of them
to the devil. Sir Reginald took his
wealth and his position with less elation
than he had taken his first brief, went
abroad for a while, and then came back
to settle down for good at St. Moor's.
The first thing he did which was in an
hour or two was to become first favor
ite of the whole country, and that
among his poorer, even more than
among his richer, neighbors. The next
was to send for me, then managing
clerk to a London firm, to be his friend
and counselor. The next was to marry
as wisely as man ever did in this world.
He had fallen over head and ears In love
with the best girl in all England, and
she with him. Before long they had a
family of two boys and two girl?, and
were fortunate In Ineni all. The eldest
was called Reginald, of course, being a
first-born Gervase. - The next was called
Marlon, after her mother. Then came
my own god-son, Alfred, and then Nora.
Their names have nothing to do In the
matter, but It is pleasant for myself to
write them. It 1 hardly more to the
purpose than to say that I, too, was on
the eve of marriage, after a long and
weary waiting, but this, too, I like to
tell, because this also wus due to the
position in which Sir Reginald had
placed me. What did I not owe to
him ?
For two months every summer St.
Moor's was left empty while the master
aud mistress were in town, for they
were by no means people who looked
upon rusting and falling out of the great
world's stream as one of the duties of
those who have to do their best with the
course of a comparatively small one.
Though I missed them I approved of
their absence, for I could not get rid
of my ambition for my friend ; it would
be something If, os member of Foam
shire, lie could have the chance of doing
for England some little of what he was
doing for one of her remoter corners.
One warm afternoon, while they were
away in town, I waa engaged alone In
my office with some drainage plans,
half at work upon them, and half think
ing about what I could do, In the face
of an approaching election, to get Sir
Reginald Gervase to stand for Foam
shire. It was too hot to work very
desperately after an early dinner; and I
am afraid I must confess that the rich
blue of the sky without, the Boft wind
that scarcely took the trouble to carry
the weight of its own scent through the
window, the caw of the rooks on their
way home, and the regular heave and
and rush of the sea against the wall of
rocks close by united to set me dreaming
of anything but of drains. I was myself
in love, remember, and Venus came
from the sea much on such an after
noon. I had a clerk in the outer office, who
was also in love, and whom I strangely
suspect of having been sleeping, too.
Our office was certainly not conducted
on the ordinary principles of hurry
and open eyes a client from the
outside world did not call once a
quarter, and was not particular wel
come when he came. At any rate, Tom
Brooks looked as if he was still dream
iug when he stumbled into my own
room and startled me with
"A strange lady, Sir; and to see
you "
It is hard to wake up all at once. For
a moment I almost took forgranted that
it could be no one but my Lottie, who
had managed to fly through the window
all the way from Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
at the other end of the Kingdom ; what
other lady, a stranger to Tom Brooks,
could want to see me ? But a moment
more told me the absurdity of such a
fancy ; so I stretched myself, rubbed my
eyes, and said sharply, " Then wake up
and show her in."
Shecame in with asilky rustle; and I
had certainly never seen her before.
She Lottie, indeed I I never can guess
a woman's age, bo I must content my
self with saying that my visitor could
not possibly have been more than thirty
six or less than twenty years old. She
was of a moderate height and graceful
figure, and was dressed much more
fashionably than we were used to round
Spendrith. He face was a pretty one,on
the whole, clear complexioned, fair, and
brightly-colored ; but her mouth was,
at the same time, too small and too full,
her nose too long, and her dark eyes a
very great deal too large, as well as be
ing too closly set together. Still, the
general effect was decidedly good, and
had to be called pretty, whatever else it
might be called, and however much it
differed from my own two standards of
beauty Lottie Vane and Lady Gervase.
My visitor looked grave and sad by
nature, as it she had a story, and that
an interesting one. I showed her a seat,
and she sat down.
" You are Mr. Lambourn, and you are
a lawyer V" she asked In a voice that
made her prettlness suddenly change
into something more. It was a clear,
liquid voice, with some sort of special
accent in it, and a kind of singing
quality about her first words.
" My name is Lambourn, and I am a
solicitor. You call on business, I sup
pose ? Whom have I the honor"
She opened a mother-of-pearl case and
handed me a card "AdrlenneLavalle."
"I come to ask your advise, " said she.
The name looked French; and yet,
though she did not speak quite - like an
Englishwoman, her accent waa by no
means distinctly that of a foreigner.
Who could she be, that she came for
legal advice to Spendrith ? It Is true
that if anybody does happen to be sud
denly lu want of legal advice at Spend
rith, he Is bound to come to me.
I bowed and waited, and she went
on.
"Iam told tliat you are able and
holiest," she said, "and, therefore, I
come to you. You asked my name, and
I gave you my card. It Is one of my
names, the name by which I am known.
I have one mote. My birth-name is
Ray Juliet Ray. Did you ever hear
the name before ?"
" Never in my life," said I.
" Then, before I tell you more, may I
ask if you are prepared to undertake, as
a lawyer and a gentleman, the cause of
a woman against the most cruel wrong
that ever was done by a man ? A cause
that will give you honor and glory
throughout the land ?"
" Never mind the honor aud glory,"
said I. " The question is, whether I
could find the time and spare the pains.
Of course, I shall be glad to help to get
justice done, just for the sake of the
thing, lawyer though I am. But I
must hear the story first"
" You shall hear it; and you shall
hear why I come to Spendrith for a
lawyer. I did not sappose you would
know the name of Juliet Ray. But I
had my reason for asking, all the same.
Iwas born in London. I had a mother,
Mi1. Lambourn, but naother relative in
the world. My mother was on the
stage. I cannot tell you all, for I do
not know ; but we were id Paris when
my mother died, and I was seventeen
years old without any means, to live,
but with the need to live you under
stand. Perhaps you find it hard to be
lieve, but I was as innocent then as a
young girl can be."
I let silence imply assent; but I was
certainly beginning to wake up, and to
call my professional wits together.
" It was in Paris that I met a young
man if I muBt call him so who made
love to me. I took him for a man of
honor. He swore, Mr. Lambourn, a
million times to make me bis wife, in
the sight of heaven and in the Bight of
man. In the sight of heaven he did
make me his wife ; and when we were
soon after in Lopdon, he married me in
church, as he should have done before.
He is a scoundrel 1"
"But if he married you at any time,
he did his best to right you, It seems to
me. Well?"
"I must not call him 'scoundrel J"
Walt ; see what you will call him, If you
are a man 1 We went abroad again to
Paris, to Vienna, to twenty places
and then one day he left me, never to
return."
" He deserted you ? You did not hear
from him again V"
"From him ? No ; never one word.
Of him ? No ; not for many years ! He
left me to live as best I could, without
the means, but with all the need, once
more. Perhaps you will not find It
hard to believe that I was no more as
innocent a fool as at seventeen."
Again I let assent be implied in
silence ; as much I did not find it hard
to believe.
" But I hear of him at last, and he Is
married again 1
" You mean that you wIbIi your hus
band to be prosecuted for bigamy ?"
"No, Mr. Lambourn. I mean that
I will have my rights, and that I will
have my revenge! That is what I
mean!"
And I could see, beyond any question,
that it was what she did mean. If her
story was true, she had certainly been
Ill-used ; but, all the same, I wished she
had not come to me. I felt that, from
the beginning, I had not liked Miss, or
Mrs., Lavalle.
" I don't care about taking criminal
matters," I said, raiher coldly. " There
are plenty of solicitors in the county.
And if you want since you speak of
your rights to make auy sort of profit
able compromise, I must decline your
case on any terms. However, as you
come for present advice, I suppose you
can prove your marriage V"
" I can prove It as surely as that I
live!" said she. "I have my lines.
Will that do "("'
" Certainly they will do. You will
have to prove the second, marriage,
too"
"He won't deny that," Bald she, with
a smile. "And he won't deny that I
am I ; and If he does, he can't deny that
I was alive when his crime was com
mitted ; and if he does, there are scores
and scores who will know. You ask
me why I come to Spendrith? It Is to
make sure to have him under my
hand. I have not found him out and
tracked htm down to let him go again.
And I come to you because you are
here; because you can watch for me.
When I have my rights, you will have
yours too, never fear,"
So she had set down my reluctance to
undertake her case to a fear of not being
sufficiently well paid? If I had not
much liked her before, I liked her ex
ceedlngly little now. And who at
Spendrith could possibly have been
guilty of bigamy, and of deserting a
wife abroad ? I knew every living
creature in the place there was not one
whom I could connect in the wildest
fancy with Mrs. Lavalle.
" Who is the man you say is your
husband?" asked I.
I suppose she thought that her last
words had refreshed my Interest in
her.
" The scoundrel who in my husband?"
said she. "There!"
A little theatrically she laid a docu
ment before me. It was a perfectly good
and authentic copy of a register of mar
riage solemnized at a London church
between Juliet Ray, spinster, and
Reginald Gervase !
My e,yes seemed to darken and swim.
What could it mean ? As she sat there,
triumphant in her coming vengeance or
in her greed, I thought and thought;
and the more I thought, the more clear
the meaning grew. Some months before
the date of the marriage my friend had
been in Paris, I knew. Just befere the
same date he had returned to town.
And then there was his long subsequent
absence abroad for nearly a whole year.
But, still, was Reginald Gervase, who
held duty even above honor if such a
thing can be a man who, under any
circumstances, would, when he found
himself suddenly rich and in a high
position before the world, rid himself of
any woman whether his wife or not,
and even if he had learned to hate and
scorn her by leaving her to starve ?
No doubt she must have been false to
him first. But even so, the pride of my
own life had gfine; every illusion I bad
darkened at euch a shadow as this must
be. Perhaps he had thought her dead.
But no, that could not be, unless he
had willed very hard indeed to think
her so.
" Leave me this paper," said I. " Call
on me again to-morrow at ten ; I will
think over what you have told me.
Excuse me now."
" You will undertake the case, then ?"
" I will try to do whatever is for the
best, Miss Lavalle."
"Who is Miss Lavalle?" asked she,
as she left me. " I am Lady Gervase."
I locked the copy of the register in a
safe, where I kept my own private per
sonal papers, shut up my office, and
went out to walk myself cool. I had
met with a (skeleton from St. Moor's,
indeed ! I could see the whole misera
ble history as if it had been written out
forme. The young barrister had made
a fool of himself, as many otherwise
wise men have done. He had been en
trapped by this woman in Paris. Per
haps the pitifulness of her unprotected
condition had imposed upon him quite
as much as her bright cheeks and her
great black eyes. She had stuck to him
and drawn him into marriage ; no doubt
his sense of honor had helped her, how
ever much his reason must have opposed
her. It was she, no doubt, who had
swallowed up the whole of his . little
fortune and kept him under water. It
was she who had been the cause of those
long vacations in Paris, which he used
to make even during his term time.
And then, when fortune came to him,
he had gone abroad to hide what had,
no doubt, proved a disgraceful marriage.
And then, no less beyond doubt, he had
discovered unfaithfulness, in her and
had left her, half ashamed, half relieved,
as such a man would have left such a
woman, simply, utterly, and without a
word of blame. And then true love had
come Into his heart. Perhaps he really
believed bis first wife dead. Perhaps,
the belief was too much due to the wish
who knows ? It was not for me to
Judge Reginald Gervase. I knew the
man as he was, whatever he had done,
however weak he might have shown
himself in one thing.
And what was I to do ? Nothing ?
Nothing ? . When I and I only real
ized the nature of the blow that was
about to full ? On the one hand, there
was the true Reginald Gervase, my
more than friend, brother and father,
who had plainly been able to free him
self of the old shadow', trusted, honored,
loved by all tbe world, whose whole life
was a growth. In goodness and useful
ness, and whose loss would be public as
well as private, and felt, none; could
guess how far round his home. There
was the wife, who believed in him as a
hero, and who loved him with her whole
heart and soul. There were his young
children what need I say of them ?
On the other hand, there was ruin,
scandal, the dock, the prison cell, a
wife's broken heart, and four children's
lives blasted for all their days ; and only
because a worthless woman had not -died.
The thing looked too hideous to
be possible ; and I dreamed of such a
word as nothing ! Well, thank God
that he was not at St. Moor's. Every
day delayed was a day gained, if only"
for thinking what could be done.
I was walking along the narrow coast
guard path overhanging the sea, which
was the shortest cut from Spendrlft to
(.he nearest market town, when I was
met by a lad who acted as rural post
man, and who stopped me with a letter.
I took it with scarcely a word of good
evening, and opened it absently.
"Dear Lambourn" I read without
even taking heed of lb handwriting
One line in haste to say that we shall
all be home to-morrow evening, almost
as soon as this reaches you. Every
thing's all rlght,but Jenny would rather
be safe at home just now,and so would L
Look me up for a weed, there's a good
fellow, about nine, and we'll have a
good big talk about the drains. I feel
like a school-boy off for the holidays.
R. G."
It was like destiny. He and his wife
yes, I would still her so were hurry
ing back full Ball into the storm. I
knew what their coming back sooner
thau usual meant; it was one of Ger
vase's crotchets that all his children
i should be of Foamshire, and - of their
home bred and born. Well, that made
matters worse a thousand times. He
was coming where that woman I could
not call her his wife was waiting to
lay hands upon him and to destroy him
more terribly than even she could
dream. I was not to see her again till
the next day, and I did not know where
she was to be found. I suppose I had
acted stupidly ; but it is hard to keep
one's presence of mind where one's
heart is concerned too deeply. How
could I meet Gervase this very night
with this terrible secret upon me ? I
could not. And yet what right had I
to leave him in his fool's paradise for a
single avoidable hour ? I tried to ask
myself what I should have done had. I
been simply his lawyer instead of his
friend. And I could find no answer. It
seemed Btrange that the thunder of the
sea, as it rose higher and higher with
the advancing tide against the cliffs, did
not change its tone.
The letter-carrier could not have left
me many minutes long as they seemed
when he came running back breath
lessly, shouting and pointing behind
him with his arm,
"Mr. Lambourn!" he panted out,
" there be some un down yonder on the
Carricks as lone as lone, and not half
an hour o' tide!"
I was startled out of such thoughts as
even mine. I knew every inch of that t
coast as well as if I had been a smuggler
of the old times, and nobody who knows
the cllffd about Spendrith needs telling
what being alone on the Carricks means -within
even an hour of high tide. The
Carricks are a point of rather low rocks,
projecting something like the blade of a
scy the, or rather like i lie pointed ram of
an ancient galley, from the base of the
cliff, easily to be reached within about
two hours of the highest tide; but,
after that time, breaking the calmest
sea into a rage, and entirely cut off from
above or below. At absolutely full tide
the most shoreward of these rocks was a
full two fathom under high-water line.
The cliff, itself a promontory, rose up
sheer from the rocks for some dlstanoe,
then bowed out over them, and then
finished Its course of some hundred and
. fifty feet to the overhanging path ou
which I was standing. All these meant,