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

Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 263, 20 October 1877, Page 4

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

[By Mrs. Harriet Lewis.] CHAPTER XXXV.— contd. A desperate movement. Slio dropped her gaze, her hard eyes emitting a baleful light that might have betrayed the nature of her thoughts, and she set her full lips together in a hard, tense line. Mr Pulford continued to regard her triumphantly. “ You know that this marriage is distasteful to me,” said Lady Trevor, in a hard, cold voice, after a brief pause. “ I do not love yon—” Mr Pulford laughed, snoeringly. The widow flushed under her powder and rouge. “ Can I not buy off your claims ?” she asked, forcing herself to speak calmly. “ I will give you five thousand pounds a year for life, and will procure your entrance into society on the terms you crave —” Mr Pulford laughed again. “ The terms I crave are simply to enter society as Lady Trevor’s husband. Lady Edith Pulford —that doesn’t sound badly, eh ? You are safe only in yonr marriage with me.” Lady Trevor shuddered. “ I have appointed the rnarriageclay,” continued Mr Pulford, his face growing dark and terrible, bis eyes fixed upon, her in a piercing gaze, “Is it your intention to submit to my decree, to proclaim our engagement, to prepare your trousseau, and have a grand marriage at St. George’s, Hanover Square, with an entire column of glowing description in the court newspapers ; or shall I blow your secret to the winds, produce the girl, and send you to a cell in Newgate prison ? Take your choice, and let the matter be settled now for once and for ever.” “ I choose the marriage,” said Lady Trevor, liuskily. “ You choose wisely. By Jove ! I might force the girl to marry me. No doubt she’d do it to escape her prison. I need not destroy myself, yon see, to ruin you. But the matter is settled. We wall go out to-day to order certain portions of your trousseau—such as require most time. Wo won’t have any marriage settlements. I detest them. What is yours must belong unreservedly to me !” Lady Trevor lifted her eyes and hashed a look of hatred upon her suitor. “ I will have marriage settlements,” t she exclaimed. “ I will never give up all my money to you and bo left dependent upon you. The money is my ?? own — “ Bnfe how obtained ?” asked Mr ' Pulford suavely. “By a horrible crime, for which, if I were to denounce you, you would be doomed to a felon’s cell. You are a criminal, amenable to the law, though yon recline on a silken couch in your gilded drawing room, with your hair frizzled, your cheeks rouged, and your form covered with silken robes. How quickly would these frescoed walls be exchanged for the narrow prison cell—those garments for prison stripes, that chevclure for a - cropped head, if I were but to speak ?” “ You delight to torture me ! Have everything your own way. When the day arrives I will bo ready. Meantime, spare me yonr allusions to the past and your threatenings !” “It is a bargain. Learn to submit yourself to the inevitable with a good grace. Don’t give the world food for scandal. If Lord tit Leonard’s were to get wind of your reluctance to mai-ry mo, he would suspect the real truth. So make the best of the situation, my clear Edith. Order your trosscau, and remember that oar engagement is no longer to be kept secret.” He approached and bent over her and kissed her forehead, “ I’m off to spread the news,” he said lightly, “to order your bracelet, and to procure the insertion of a little para-

graph in the fashionable newspapers announcing the approaching marriage in high life. “ The die is cast my dear Edith; there is no turning back now. Ta-ta my love. I will do myself the honor of dining with you to-day !” He made a low bow, half in mokery, and departed from the room humming a tunc. As the house door closed behind him, the widow sprang to her feet. Now the repressed passion of the past hour, no longer held in check by her terrors, leaped to her eyes and mouth, and revealed itself in their quick imperious movements, as she began to walk the floor. “ I hate him ! I hate him !” she ... muttered. “ The marriage shall never • take place. I cannot prevent his announcing the engagement, but I will not many him. Either he or I will die before the marriage day. There is much to be done. I will make my preparations—hut hardly such preparations ns ho desired I But, first of all, I must arrange to see Lord Glenham before he hears the report. He must come to me immediately upon his return from the Continent!” She sat down at her writing-table and wrote a 'note to the young earl, requesting him- to call upon her immediately upon his return to London. She sealed and addressed the missive,

and despatched it to Park Lane by a I servant. Then she went upstairs to her own private rooms, and arraying herself in an unobtrusive garb, sallied out into the streets alone. The object of herjourney was to find out a chemist, of whom she had road in a newspaper report of a poisoning case, the supplier of the poison, an avaricious man who would do anything for money. Her journey was successful and on her return home her hard eyes glittered with sinister exultation, She had gained possession of two vials, which appeared to her as priceless treasures. “ Now,” she said to herself, as she glided up to her own rooms, “ now, Mr Horace Pulford, I am mistress of the situation. Before the appointed marriage day comes around, either the bride or the bridegroom will be dead.” CHAPTER XXXYI. As the stout highland ponies moved quickly out of the stablc-yard at Black Rock, and the crisp, cold, salt air blow freshly upon her, old Gretchcn revived instantly, the instinct of flight taking possession of her entire being. She leaned forward, clutching the side of the wagon, and looked backward with eager gaze. “ They’re coming ! they’re coming !” she cried, wildly, her voice halt-wailing. “ They see us, Miss Cecil. They’ll catch us.” Cecil set her lips together ; her dusky eyes blazed like burning stars. She plied the whip vigorously, keeping a firm bold upon the reins. The ponies galloped down the hill at a reckless pace ; the vehicle jolted against stones, tipped now and then into a rut or ditch threatening an overthrow, and dashed on madly, Cecil’s steady hold never once relaxing, nor her stem courage faltering. They gained the foot of the hill in safety, and plunged into a woodlandpath, into a dense gloom made by the thick overhanging trees. One mile—two miles—were gone over. Then Cecil drew a long sigh of relief. “ How many ponies did they have, Gretchcn ?” she asked, keeping the horses at a steady though not excessive speed. “ Pour,” gasped the old peasant woman. “ And there are only two to the wagon. The others must have been in tbe stable or the yard, ready to mount or lead. They must be on our track.” “ They will overtake us. With this heavy weight they will find it easy to capture us. What shall we do ?” “ We might cut the traces, mount these ponies, and get away,” responded Cecil. “ But wc arc likely to repent if we do that. We must keep to the wagon if jjossiblo. I have often seen firearms in the old kitchen. See if none of them have been put in the wagon. They would be high at the side, out of harm’s way.” The old woman groped about, and announced her discovery of firearms. “ I think I can use them, if necessary. I have seen-the men at the schulzenfests firing their rifles, and I know how the thing is clone. Do you hear our pursuers ?” “ No, Miss Cecil,” replied Gretchcn, after intently listening. Cecil again became silent. The ponies pressed on through the gloom and darkness, stumbling now and then, and jolting the wagon upon stones and in ruts. As the dawn deepened into daylight, and the cold became more perceptible, as they retreated from the sea, Gretchcn began an examination of the interior of the wagon. She found the stores which the Jarvises had prepared with a view to their own needs and comforts, and carved slices from the roasted venison, brought out slices of bread and batter, a pot of fruit jelly, and a jug of strong cold coffee. They both ate heartily, allowing the ponies to walk meanwhile. “It is singular they do not show themselves,” said Cecil, when she had finished her meal. “ Something must have happened !” In truth, something had happened. Mr Jarvis had intended to secure the two extra ponies to the rear end of the waggon, and had left them loose in the stable. Mrs Jarvis, on discovering the escape of the prisoners, had attempted to mount one of the ponies thus left, and had been thrown to the floor. No injury had been done hex-, but the ponies were not seem-ed, and in her haste she had left the stable-door open. After upsetting hei-, seeing the avenue of escape, both the ponies had gone careering into the stable yard, neighing for their late companions, had overthrown Maria, who happened to be in their way, and had then made a bold break for freedom. Jarvis set out on foot, of course, to capture them, swearing till he was hoarse, and swelling with rage and fury that was little short of maniacal. It was noon when ho found them. Throughout that long morning Cecil kept the ponies at a steady jog. At noon, after due rest and refreshment the journey was resumed. The road that during the morning had threaded a wide valley, now ran through a dangerous mountain pass. In places the path was so narrow that a sheer of the horses to the outer side, of but a few feet, would have precipitated the fugitives into eternity. [to be continued. J