A Strange Disappearance

the original of this portrait and the woman who has so long occupied the position of sewing-woman in my house, are one and the same. Y

ke it, but it was my voice which spoke.

with a return to his naturally courteous manner, "She was never acknowledged by me as my wife, nor have we ever lived

back to the wall, leaving us once more confronted

open notoriety. If I leave the subject here, a thousand conjectures will at once seize upon you, and my name if not hers will become, before I know it, the football of gossip if not of worse and deeper suspicion than has yet assailed me. Gentleman I take you to be honest men; husbands, perhaps, and fathers; proud, too, in your w

ers that do not come under the scope of police duty,"

our ma

where it profi

en, I shall co

n who, perhaps for the first time in his life finds himself forced to

a few but determined prejudices. Resolved that I should sustain the reputation of the family for wealth and respectability, he gave me to understand from my earliest years, that as long as I preserved my manhood from reproach, I had only to make

d what I should do to overcome my passion. Travel suggested itself, and I took a trip to Europe. But the sight of new faces only awakened in me comparisons anything but detrimental to the beauty of her who was at that time my standard of feminine loveliness. Nature and the sports connected with a wild life were my next res

hen a letter reached me from a friend then loitering in the vicinity, urging me to join him in a certain small town

ter journey on horseback. Not being acquainted with the route, I timed my connections wrong, so that when evening came I found myself riding over a strange road in the darkest night I had ever known. As if this was not enough, my horse suddenly began to limp and presently became so lame I found it impossible to urge her beyond a slow walk. It was therefore with no ordinary satisfaction tha

en swoop of wind that rushed by at that moment, slamming the door behind him and awakening over my head a lu

in,' said he, 'the r

r startling vision of a young girl of a unique and haunting style of beauty, who rising at my approach now stood with her eyes on my face and her hands resting on the deal table before which she had been sitting, in an attitude expressive of mingled surprise and alarm. To see a woman in that place was not so strange; but such a woman! Even in the first casual glance I gave her, I at once acknowledged to myself her extraordinary power

dden lifting of her hand, pointed towards the door as if to bid me depart-when it swung open with that shrill rushing of wind that involuntarily awakes a shudder within you, and the two men entered and came stamping up to my side. Instantly her hand sunk, not fe

wo in deep gutteral tones unmistakably German in their accent, to the other who stood shaking the

bothering,' was the sullen

or so, frowned. It was an evil frown, and the younger one seemed to f

with what he evidently intended for a conciliatory nod. 'In my time

arking, 'He is your son is he not!' seated myself before the blaze which shot up a tongue of white flame at m

aughter; I keep this inn and they help me, but it is a slow

half dozen or so hills up which I had clambered since

hurried kind of a way. 'Not far in the daytim

under a fresh gust; 'it is fortunat

a small hand bag, an over-coat and a fishing pol

ishing?'

' I re

eams and plenty of them,'

othing better to do, replied as affably as possible. 'No, I e

t me what, with my increased experience of the world, I should

tched out my feet to the blaze and began

e now asked, glancing at th

mmer,' I

ght he looked

nt on with a vague endeavor to

w Yo

there once, lots of money stored away in t

other side of the fire-place in a way to sandwich me between them. Not fancying this arrangement which I, however, imputed to ignorance, I drew back and asked if m

gested hail, while ever and anon a distant roll as of rousing thunder, rumbled away among the hills in a long and reverberating peal, that made me feel glad to be housed ev

standing in the doorway the slight figure of the youn

oceed to it at once,' said I, taking

as I departed. 'The windows are loose and the doors ill-fitting. In such a storm as this they mak

taircase. 'I shall sleep, never fear,' and without further ado followed the girl upstairs into a larg

d I, with a gesture towards the dismal draperie

. 'Is there anything more I can do for you?'

e departed with a look of still determination upo

d in some unaccountable way entirely fled. In vain I contemplated the bed, comfortable enough now in its appearance that the stifling curtains were withdrawn; no temptation to invade it came to arouse me from the chair into which I had thrown myself. It was as if I felt myself under the spell of some invisible influe

court sleep at once. Rising, I drew off my coat, unloosened my vest and was about to throw it off, when I bethought me of a certain wallet it contained. Going to the door in some unconscious

of the men below struck me as unpleasantly disagreeable but nothing more. But I not only did what I have related, but allowed the lamp to remain lighted, lying down finally in my cl

customed to the sounds around and over me. Enough that before the storm had passed its height, I awoke as if at the touch of a hand, and leaping with a bound out of the be

y experience, 'and come with me. The house is unsafe for you to remain in. Hear

which to my amazement stood aja

a look of such potent determination, I followed in spite of mysel

omfortable bed I had just left. 'These old houses are always strong. It w

a look of scorn impossible to descr

e that it seemed is if we were abo

t it is a fearful n

o with you,

ill-advised attempt at gallantry

and here is your bag. The fishing-po

I expos

ll think as you do that it is folly to leave the shelter of a roof for the uncertainties of the road on such a night as this, but

wn stairs, pushed open a door at the bottom, and stepped

he ruddy hearthstone, but it was not that which awakened my apprehension. Nor was it the loud ticking clock on the mantel-piece with its hand pointing silently to the hour of eleven. Nor yet the heavy quiet of the scantily-furnished room wi

sed in my favor, I could not but win through whatever it was that menaced me. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I mad

er brother, 'open the door and let this gentleman pass. He finds the house unsafe in such a gale and desires to leave it

is,' quoth the fellow with a dogged move; 'and so are you t

or?' she went on, not advancing a step from the

ts been locked for the night and its not

dy pale face, she turned towards her

t her brother. 'This gentleman purposes to leave and his w

towards her. In my apprehension I put up my arm for a shield, for he looked ready to murder her, but I let it

that for which I have heard you declare you would peril your very soul, fall into the heart of the flames.' An

ps of the old man, but he stopped where h

ressibly commanding. 'You may strangle me, you may kill me, it matters little; but

m those quivering lips, bu

slender form, only that I met him half way with a blow that laid him on the floor at her feet. She said nothing, b

is most vulnerable spot, the old man befor

ened it. 'There!' shrieked he, 'if you will be fools, go! an

nd for the lantern hanging at the side of the fireplace,

e old man had stepped from the door, the younger one

ed,' said she to m

I, 'we will

ed the heavy voice of m

o you on my return