Lady Trebor's Secret, OR THE MYSTERY OP CECIL ROSSE.

Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 240, 28 July 1877, Page 4

Lady Trebor's Secret, OR THE MYSTERY OP CECIL ROSSE.

o fßv Mas. llakiuet Lkwts.] CIIA PT E R X X .—cm til. Til K SUCCESS OF THE (JONSI’IUAToTIS. “ You arc very cruel and unjust to me. I am friendless and alone!” murmured Lady Trevor, iu passionate reproach. ££ Do you call this reconciliation, my Lord ? 1 cannot bear such scenes as these. I will not. If you will treat me ns your grandchild whom you have forgiven, 1. will devote my life to your happiness, but to be accused of horrible crimes is more than I cun bear.” “ We w’ill Lave no more of such accusations, Edith,” said the Marquis, in a subdued voice, repenting his outhreak. “ The sight of Miss Posse brought it all back to me, my grief and loss, and the memory of the little dead child in her baby-beauty and sweetness. I live a lonely life, full of haunting memories. If I had only a family about me I should be content. lam oh!; I was made for domestic life. I go homo to great desolate rooms, where only servants enter to break my solitude. I sit alone at my table, with my butler and footman to wait upon me, but with no friendly face near, no kindly voice to speak to me. It’s a hard, barren, miserable life.” ££ You need some one to cheer you, dear grandpapa,” said Lady Trevor, changing her seat for one nearer to him. Let me come to St. Leonards. I would ask nothing better than to devote my life to securing your comfort and happiness.” “ Very prettily said, but I cannot have you there yet. I should break out upon you iu stormy scenes like this one, until your life became a burden. I feel very bitterly towards you still at times. I suspect yon of crime towards your innocent little stepsister. Heaven grant I wrong you, Edith ! But for the present you must see that we are better apart. I loved the carl of Gleuham as if ho were my son. If lie can be weaned from his foreign adventuress, and if you and he should marry, I shall bo glad to have a place at your fireside, Gordon’s presence will turn our antagonism into harmony. Until that marriage, I shall come to see you often, and desire your visits, but we will not have one homo!”

££ And you will continue to bear your loneliness, grandfather ? ”

The Marcpiis Hushed with a now idea. ££ I do not know that it is quite necessary, Edith,” he answered. “ You say that Miss Posse belongs to an obscure family, and that she is well educated, fjhe is out of her proper place whore she is. She is made for a life of refinement. Edith, I will adopt her, if she will consent.” “ Grandfather !”

<£ Does my project seem wild ? I will adopt her as my grandchild, ward—whatever she may choose. She shall brighten my lonely home, sing to mo, write my letters, and fill out my desolate existence with new interests. I think she could not refuse my offers.” “It is not proper. The world will talk,” ejaculated Lady Trevor, in a pan ic.

li lam seventy-five years old. People do not imagine evil of one so near the grave. The child is but seventeen or so. And I will legally adopt her, Edith, and settle upon her a fortune sufficient to keep her properly after lam gone. I wish I had her address.”

“ 1 slinTl Imvo it next week when she brings home my work. I will then send it to yon,” said the widow, hoarsely, “Thank yon. I will go down now and see my lawyer about it. He must see the father, and arrange affairs legally. I will myself see Miss Posse.” “ You don’t seem to anticipate a refusal.” “1 do not. I saw that she liked me as I liked her. It was a mutual attraction, Edith, although I am so old and she is so young. I know I could win her daughterly Icvo. I intend to make the effort, at any rate. Send mo her address as soon as you receive it. I’ll go down now to see Baker.” He arose, and the widow followed his example. “ Ah, by the way,” said Lord St. Leonards, halting midway to the door. “ I noticed your confusion, Edith, when 1 entered thq room. And I knew its cause.” “ Imposssiblo 1” breathed Lady Trevor. “ I expressed my disapprobation of that man Pulford when I was at Castle Cliff. He was the friend and companion of your dissolute husband, and you should not permit him to visit you. No wonder yon were confused at having me find him so familiarly in your presence. You must close your doors upon him, I know faces. His is a bad one !” “ You do him injustice, my lord. He is my man of business —” “ Get rid of him, then. Some one asked me yesterday at my club if it were true that the fellow were your lover. Think of that. You may imagine how I resented the insinuation. After your mad folly in running away with Sir Albert Trevor, people suspect you capable of any amount of idiocy, I think. Get rid of Pulford. I’ll find you another man cf business who won’t presume on his place !”

“1 can’t discharge Pulford at present, grandfather, but I will do so before ] marry Lorel Glenham. Come and see me often. lam always delighted to see jou !” and the widow bestowed an embrace ami kiss upon the marquis, who received it as if it were distasteful.

“ Good-morning, Edith. Don’t forget Miss Posse’s address !’’ and the old lord formally took his leave. Lady Trevor had scarcely resumed her seat when Mr Pulford rejoined her. ££ Did you hear what the marquis said ?” demanded the widow'. “ Every word, including his complimentary mention of myself,” replied Pulford, his florid face burning with his auger. “ Proud as lie is, lie’ll hud that I shall be grandson-in-law in spite of him ! That will he. my revenge upon him, Edith. I thought your reply to him very good.” “ He wants to adopt that girl !” ££ Can he suspect ? ’ ££ No. He is in Ids dotage. He has taken a fancy to her, but he cannot possibly have the most remote suspicion of the truth, else he would have killed me in his fury, lie in awful in his rages. Put what a complication ! Who could have foreseen that lie w'ould encounter her ? Do you know, Pulford, I feel as if I were fighting against invisible beings—as if I were struggling wfth fate itself iu this matter? Just see what has happened. The girl was hidden in the depths of the Black Forest, and Lord Glenham found her there and fell in love with her. Her guardian died and she came to England, and Lord St. Lcouords encounters her strangely, and wants to adopt her. Do you believe in Providence ?” i£ I am tempted to do so now 7 .”

£< And so am I. There is something iu all tins I can’t understand. The gill has not decided to accept my proposition. Suppose she refuses ?” ££ Then we’ll cany her off by force. Wc have gone too far to stop now.”

“ She hesitated because she believes me engaged to marry Lord Glenham, and she docs not want my money, and she does want to avoid seeing him. 1 offered a handsome bait. I think the old servant will prove a prudent sort of person and advise her to accept the offer. She was brought up in the forest and I saw her eyes sparkle at the mention of the country. I think my pretty gudgeon will swallow my bait.”

“ I Avill have a yacht ready to-morrow for the trip. I can charter one easily enough. The other arrangements will also be made to-day !” Lady Trevor's prophecy proved correct. Old Gretchen had a longing, even greater than that of her young mistress, for the country, and strenuously urged Cecil to accept Lady Trevor’s offer.

££ We shall never see Lord Glenham there,” the old woman urged. £l Her ladyship’s money is as good as anybody’s. Do consent, Miss Cecil.” ££ lt is something to live for an entire winter in the house he will hereafter inhabit,” thought the girl, drearily. ££ And the work I do will meet bis eyes often and often in the years to come, and he will never know whose hands restored his tapestry. Yet she may tell him, and he will look on the work with tenderness, for her he once loved. I’ll go.”

££ I’ll leave a letter for Mr Grafton,” thought old Gretchen, £< He can follow ns if he likes. He’ll have a better chance of winning Miss Cecil iu the country,” And so it happened that Cecil, suspecting no deep-laid design against herself, feeling no misgiving, sent that very afternoon a letter to Lady Trevor accepting the situation offered her. If she could have seen the evil joy of the two conspirators when that letter reached them she would have trembled with terror. ££ It’s all right now,” said Mr Pulford. 11 Write to her to come here with her luggage and her servant iu a cab at live o’clock to-morrow afternoon, She will come—she will go away again—and she will disappear from the knowledge of all who have known her, and be beyond the search of the keenest detective iu all England. It will be only another of the ‘ mysterious disappearances’ that now and then are recorded iu the newspapers. I am impatient for to-morrow ! We shall sleep in safety to-morrow night! Wc shall then have never more reason to fear £ Miss Posse !’ ” ["TO BE CONTINUED. J