A Terrible Secret

ion, park, lawn, and terraces, lay bathed in the silvery shower of moonlight. From the upper

fast asleep. He had remained for about two hours by the sick man's bedside

aid, tenderly; "lie down and rest for a lit

n of heart and soul beset him; he had no mind to slumber-it had come up

r!" the voice

aunt's voice, so hoarse, so strange? Was this

y! my boy! how shall I ever tell you? Oh, why did I se

feet, staring

e repeated

o a hysterical outbreak of tears. Edwards, standi

nnot. It seems too horrible to tell or to be

reluctantly, with a v

don't know how to tell you, but my

ea

ully, staring almost s

an repeated, solemnly. "I

Victor passed them both. They heard him clear the stairs, rush along the lower hal

ched the court-yard. They called to him-he neither heard nor heeded. He dash

or the love of Heaven! Oh, who can have done this awful deed? Edwards, you ar

red, sadly. "I saw her myself, the blood flow

ung her hands

r master!" she said. "I will

orse-he seemed if anything, better. She might le

l turrets were silvered in the moonlight, the windows sparkled in the crystal light. The sweet beauty and peace of the September

le, her eyes red with weeping. Some dim hope that up to this time had

e said, piteous

est of the household, the gentle ways, the sweet face, and sof

in her own house, surrounded by her own servants, some monster in human form stabbed her through the heart-through the heart, my lady-Dr. Dane says

ysterical. Lady Helena's

ot in through the window. And, oh, my lady!"-Mrs. Marsh wiped her eyes suddenly, and lowered her voice to an excited whisper-"I wish you would speak to Jane Pool, the nurse. She doe

Lady Helena cried, re

ez

he loved my lady. Ah! who could help being fond of her-poor, lovely young lady!-with a sweet smile and pleasant word for every one in the house? And you know Miss I

drew herself

ece no harm. The bare repetition of it is an insult. Miss Cathe

ursery a quarter of an hour before we found Lady Catheron dead. She wished to enter, and Miss Inez ordered her away. She

waived the topic

ar another word of this-it is to

dazed-like, stupefied at first; she is more like herself now. Will you not go in and see her, poor soul, befo

nt Lady He

n there-with her

o see him. If he would only speak, or cry, or fly out against

th both hands, heart-sick with all these ho

" she asked-"i

room, my lady; the doc

is with h

used a moment to nerve herself for what she mu

Lying on one of the white velvet sofas she saw a rigid figure, over which a white covering was drawn;

. He had loved her with a love that was akin to idolatrous-he had grudged th

oked up as his aunt came forward; his eyes were riveted upon that ineffab

t, in a frightened voi

ke, don't loo

ked up at her, full of inf

of voice-"dead! And last night I left her well

s dulled mind seemed lapsing into its stupefied trance of quiet. More and mo

e yourself. You must not stay here. Be a man! Wake up.

na, doesn't it, that any one could murder her? 'I must find her murderer.' Oh," he cried, suddenly, in a voice o

ouch. He drew down the white satin counterpane, and p

-through the heart! She did not suffer-the doctors say that. Th

e hair. Then with a long, low moan of utter desolatio

ll never go from her again. She was mine in life-mine only.

e had flung himself down, his

ou all come here? I will not go! Leav

t fears were indeed true, the shock of his wife's tragic death was turning Sir Victor's

id, "I will go. Don't

e in all this world as

e I leave you-shall we

moth

bring her back to life-no one can now. I don't want th

istaking. She went at once. How was it all to end she wondered, more and more sick at heart-th

"What have we done that this aw

t He

ves trembling and unstrung. Inez stood before h

me you were there." She pointed with a

helplessly. "I don't know. I feel stun

n, "and the coroner has been apprised. I su

ise. The calm, cold tone of her

lmost in a whisper. "Inez-I fear

rnful upper lip, curled wi

ll not be surprised at all. Poor wretch!" She turned away a

n have

she could not utter it. Did Inez know of the dark, sinister s

voice said again. "Of course he is better, or ev

y. "Who can have done this? She had not an ene

g from the window, and facing her

ne

whole heart. I was the last person seen coming out of the room, fifteen minutes before they found her dead. Jane Pool says I refused to let her go in-perhaps I d

-Ine

them, and they both slunk away like beaten curs. Orders have been issued, that no one is to leave the house. To-morrow these facts are to be placed before the coroner's jury. If t

o the darkness. There was a desperate bitterness

o drive me mad. It doesn't matter, what becomes of you, doesn't it? I tell you

sighed

m not likely to talk in this way before any one but you. I am only telling you the truth. They will have the

inquest or anywhere else. Ah, poor boy! he loved her so

er feelings here were as bitter as ever-that even

he answered, in the sam

orms have eaten them

ep nearer, "a rumor has reached me-is it tr

out turning round; "he has been here. He was

o be an old lover of Ethel's, poor child, and that Victor turned him out. Since then it is said he

nd suddenly-al

d him out. Since then he has been here-prowling, as you call it-trying to see me, trying to force m

was Lady Hele

He had nothing to stay fo

more at present, I will return home. Watch Victor, Inez-he needs it,

ng, Lady Helena, very heavy-hearted, returned

he house on the morrow. At eight o'clock, Jane Pool had left the nursery with the baby, my lady peacefully asleep in her chair-the Eastern poniard on the table. At half-past eight, returning to arouse my lady, she had encountered Miss Inez coming out of the nursery, and Miss Inez had ordered her sharply away, telling her my lady was still asleep. A quarter of nine, Ellen, the maid, going to the room,

e goes through the house with the velvet tread of a cat. In the course of his wanderings everywhere, he brings up presently in the stables, and finds them untenanted, save by one lad, who sits solitary among the straw.

and what is it that's troubling you? Out with

y upon him for the last hour or more, ever since he heard of the murder, in fact, and

t be the tall, black-avised man, who came first the night Sir Victor brought home my lady, and who had been seen skulking about the park once or twice since. Had heard a whisper, that the man was Miss Inez's brother-didn't know himself. All he did know was, that my lady and a man were quarrelling on the evening of the murder in the Laurel walk. What were they quarrelling about? Well, he couldn't catch their talk v

wants to find out about Miss Inez' brother," said Jimmy, "you go to old Hooper. He knows. All I know is, that they say he was an uncommon bad lot; but old Hooper, he's knowed him ever since he was a young'un and lived here. If old Hooper says he wasn't here the night

mmon bad lot," he had come to the house and forced an entrance into the dining-room the night of Lady Catheron's arrival-there had been a quarrel, and he had been compelled

s discovered quarrelling with my lady, demanding money, etc., two or three hours before the murder. The window of the room, in which she takes that fatal sleep, opens on the lawn; any one may enter wh

search of Mr. Juan Catheron. Mr. Catheron must be found, though they

here alone with his dead. And presently the coroner comes, and talks with the superintendent, and they enter softly and look at the murdere

ince. Left to himself he is almost apathetic in his quiet-he rouses into fury, when they strive to take him away. As the dusk falls, Lady Helena, passing the door, hears him softly talking to the dead,

ber, love, those nights at Margate; when we walked together first on the sands? Ah! you never lay like this, cold and still, then.

r struck, Lady Helena catch

cries, "for the love o

n't you know

her face, blind with th

" he w

asp, he falls back in her

physician is summoned-feels his pulse, hears what Lady Helena has to say, and looks very grave. The sho

lace by the stricken man's bedside, a great sadness and pity for the first time on her face. The White Room is locked-Lady Helena keeps the key-one pale light burns dimly in its glitt

s eyes rather-it is

"whoever did it. Jones,

expl

as your waist. Hidden in the midst of this unlikely place Jones has found

says again. "It's bad enough to be

done the deed. For the first time the thought strikes him-could a woman's hand, strike that one strong, sure, deadly blow? Miss Catheron is a fragile-lookin

And I'll be sworn, she hasn't been out of the house to-day. All last night they say she kept herself shut up in her room. Suppose she wasn't-suppose she went out last night and tried to hide it, is it likely-come, I say! is it likely, she would take and throw it right i

goes out of the room. In the corridor she stands a moment, with the air of one who looks, and listens. She sees no one. The dark figure of a woman, who hovers afar off and watches her, is there, but lost in a shadowy corner; a woman, who since the murder, has

re-there are none here. But the quiet figure of Jane Pool has followed her, like

misses her prey-she emerges, but in the

a low, distinct whistle to the left. It may b

e she can see anything, except the vaguely waving trees-then a fiery spark, a red eye

him the slender, slighter figure of a woman. They are talking in whispers, and she

nse whisper. "I tell you I am suspected already; do you think you can escape much longer? If you have any feeling fo

hings have been so black with me for years, that they can't be much blacker. But I'

, and hands it to him; by the glow

s; "enough to keep you for years with care. Now go, and n

some sullen, inaudible reply. Inez Cathero

tterest shame to call brother. But for you she would be alive and well. Do you thi

after all? The man retorts again-she does not hear how-then plunges into the woodland and disappears. An i