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

Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 251, 5 September 1877, Page 4

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

o [Br Mrs. Harriet Lewis.] CHAPTER XXVll— cont. A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING. Lady Trevor grew pale. She knew what was coming, and gathered ail her powers of self-possession to meet the strain demanded of them. Would Lord Glenham, whom she knew to be especially keen-witted, would suspect her of having been concerned in Cecil Rosse’s disappearance? Would he suspect that a terrible crime had been committed ? And would he accuse her as the author of that crime? Would he suspect the deep and hideous secret of her life ? Would he detect the crime she had committed years before, and which, in spite of all her boldness and hardihood, had haunted and tortured her all these years like some frightful and continuous nightmare ? She trembled and her heart beat furiously, but her face was as impassive and quiet as though conscience were dead within her, and no fear of discovery and exposure ever troubled her—so great was her faculty of self-control. “I am perfectly safe,!” she said to herself. “ The girl can never be traced. Her fate will never be discovered. I have nothing whatever to fear. A bold front will carry me through ?” She assumed the bold front, and Mr Barker, who was watching her secretly and intently, was deceived by it, and changed certain opinions he had already formed. He had not been quits ready to acquit the handsome widow of all knowledge of Cecil Rosse’s present ivliereabouts, knowing- so well the capabilities of evil in her nature, and believing her madly in love with the Earl of Glenham, but now he said to himself that he had certainly misjudged her. '

“ If I can be of any assistance to you, Marquis,” responded the young earl, “ I beg yon to accept my services. You speak of a perplexing mystery—” “ Yes. Some weeks ago, the night after my return to London from the Scottish highlands, I was attacked in a quiet street just out of Regent street by two bold ruffians, who attempted to garrote and rob me. I escaped from them and ran, after a little struggle in which I found that I was no match for them. They pursued and overtook me, and hurled me to the ground. In the same instant a young girl, who had witnessed the affair from the corner ot Regent street, came flying toward me, screaming at the top of her voice. The rascals took to their heels, and I escaped their clutches with a few slight bruises.”

“ What a heroic girl!” exclaimed Lady Glenham. “Most young ladies would have fainted, or would have fled in an opposite direction.” “ I dare say that I owe my life to her,” said the old lord, with emotion, “ I did not obtain her address, perhaps owing to the bewilderment of my mind consequent upon the assault that had been made upon me. She signalled a passing omnibus and was borne away with a serving-woman who attended her. I regretted afterwards that I had not followed her home. I believed her to be the petted darling of some noble house. She was strikingly beautiful, as graceful as a willow, well-bred, and with a sort of youthful majesty that well became her. I neyer saw a young girl before with such bearing.” “ Quite a romance I” said the old countess, deeply interested. “ I suppose that you never saw her again ?” “But I-did. I saw her at Lady Trevor’s house in South Audleystreet, and she turned, out to be an embroideress —”

Lady Glenham laughed. The old marquis flushed angrily. “ She was none the less a lady because she was forced to earn her own living,” he exclaimed. “ I was even more struck than before by her splendid beauty, by her unconscious air of youthful majesty; by her pure, clear, truthful gaze, by her tender loveliness —”

The countess glanced at Mr Barker in alarm. Had Lord St, Leonards, at nearly eighty years of age, fallen in lore •with some low-born beauty ? The marquis intercepted her glance and read her thought. A sardonic smile gathered about his cynical mouth, but he continued quietly. “I inquired into the young lady’s history. Learning that she.was obliged to work for her support, and being strangely touched by her lovely face, I resolved, if she would consent, to adopt her as my grandchild, or ward, and as my • heiress!” •

“ What madness 1” murmured the countess.. . .. - . ,

“ I see many lonely hours,” said Lord St. Leonards, sorrowfully, “ I am in the full measure of my strength, both mental and physical—-but for . this accursed attack of gout. I occupy myself with politics, but I have little else to take up my mind, or time. : My home is lonely. t I brood over my little grandchild’s death.,, I think of her, by day and night and plan 'what, I would have done if little Alba had lived. My great rooms are empty and silent. My servants ; go about silently in list slippers. It is always as if. there were a the lipuse. ’ I yearn for pleasant companionship, for faces to brighten at

my coming, for filial love and care and tenderness. lam long past the years for any other love, but if I had only q grandchild to make my life brighter my last days might be fall of peace instead of utter loneliness and desolation.” The countess looked shocked." “ My dear Marquis,” she exclaimed, “ do you forget-that you have a grandchild living ? Do you forget that she is present to hear these strange words of yours ? Bun 1/ you would not wound our dear Edith so cruelly as to forget her claims ?” “ I am sure,” said Lady Trevor, with her lace-trimmed handkerchief at her eyes, “I could ask no (greater pleasure in life than to devote myself to my dear grandpapa.” The marquis smiled cynically. “ Lady Trevor and I quite understand each other, ihy dear countess,” he remarked. “ You know , how deeply she loved me when she ran away and married Sir Albert Trevor against my will and that of her father ? She has always considered herself first—let her continue to do so. Ido not crave the society of a woman of the world. I do not desire an interested affection. But I believe there is enough of good in me to win the filial regard of a young and innocent girl, whom I should grow to love and cherish as if she were of my own blood. Does my idea, seem Quixotic ? It never occurred to me until I had met this young lady of whom I have spoken. Her eyes, very like a pair I once knew and loved, have haunted me since the hour of our first meeting. I determined to adopt her, if she would consent; I confided my resolve to Barker, and he set his clerks to discover the young lady’s address.”

“ Why did yon not obtain it of Edithif the young person sewed for her ? ’ asked the countess.

“ I endeavoured to do so, and failed. Perhaps Edith will herself explain that part of the story to you. Barker’s agents discovered that the lady lived at Bayswater—” “ Number Four, Queen’s Crescent, Argyle street,” interpolated the lawyer; “ But when Barker’s clerk called at the house the young lady was gone !” “ Gone 1” repeated Lady Glenham, in a perplexed tone. “ Where had she gone ?” “ That is the mystery ! ” cried the marquis. “ Bhe quitted her lodgings, declaring to her landlady that she had engaged herself to Lady Trevor for a term of months to repair sofne tapestrywork at Gieyconrt, She left her lodgings in a cab for Lady Trevor’s house, alighted there, took another cab, and drove to Euston Square railway and has not been seen since ! She 'has mysteriously and utterly disappeared, and no clew can, be found to her fate ! ” A great and growing agitation convulsed both the carl and his mother. Lady Glenham was struck with consternation : the carl appeared too amazed for words. The story of Maldred Grafton upon the previous night tallied strangely with this. The identity of the girl who had so strangely attracted the marquis was plain to the earl. “ What was the young lady’s name ?” he asked, after a pause. i£ Miss Rosse ! ” answered the marquis. “ Miss Rosse ! ” echoed Lady Glenham, bitterly. “ She has bewitched you, my lord, it seems, as she bewitched my son. She is Cecil Rosse of Zorlitz I” The marquis started in a.manner to cause a thrill of acutcst agony in his swollen foot. His ejaculation of amazement became one of physical anguish.

“ The pastor of Zorlitz is dead,” said the earl, “ and Miss Rosse came to London to earn her bread. It is she who attracted you so strangely, Marquis. It is she whose fate has become eiir tangled in mystery ! ” The old lord looked bewildered. ;

' “ You have seen for yourself,” continued Lord Glen Ham, in a voice of agitation, that she is a pure and noble lady, and no adventuress. I heard much of this story last night in London. I came down here hoping that Lady Trevor might be able to throw some light upon the matter.” “ I cannot,” replied the baronet’s widow, her hard, black eyes harder than ever. “ The young woman was recommended to me by a Frenchwoman whq has done a great deal of work for mei I found her skilful with her needle, and remarkably ingenious and artistic, therefore I engaged her to repair some motheaten tapestry at Greycourt which I greatly value. The name of Ross is so common in England that-I never suspected her identity-with the Miss Rosse whom Lord Glenham met in the Black Forest. She came to my , house in ai cab, to obtain, explicit directions for! reaching Greycourt. The cabman de-; dared his , horse unable to f proceed farther, and he was’dismissediand another cab ordered, to“ convey jJitisjß, Rosse and her servant to Eustop, Sqpare .station.* I wrote to my. old honsekeeper at Greycourt to meet Miss Rosse at ihe, nearest railway station, and: ordered her to have rooms prepared for the young, lady and her servant. I gave no further thought to the matter, and supposed Miss Rosse to be at GreycourLuntil Mr Grafton and; Mr Barker, at|iffe^ent\timMj;,Tcame: ; to inquire after fief. This, in brief, is allj I know oFwfiat grandpapa is: pleased to! call a mystery. :;Thei case seems to be' simple enough. Miss Rosse. changed her mind'ahdnt &oihg td Yorkshire, and! turned her steps in a different direction.: Those who know her bed might be able; to tell where she would be likely to go. Or else, mistaking the directions, she

alighted at the wrong station and met with some accident or adventure that detained her.” ‘ ■ Mr Barker and Maldred Grafton could have confirmed much of Lady Trevor’s statement. Lord Glenham, who did not know her so well as did the marquis, believed her implicitly. ] TO BE CONTINUED. J