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

Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 290, 26 January 1878, Page 4

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

fßv Mas. L'auiukt Lewis.]

CHAPTER LVl.— c.ontd. “ No, no,” said Miss Rosse. “We will not wait hero to be seized by our enemies. Tell us what to do, Mr, Grafton. We arc so ignorant of the country. TV hat can wc do ?” “ I should advise our seeking private lodgings in some quiet, respectable house,” said Grafton, reflectively. “If we could find some motherly old landlady like Mrs Thomas, who would keep ns a few days until your enemies would be thrown off the scent, you would be quite safe !” “ Can you find us such lodging ?” “ There is an ole lady, a very distant relation of my own, who might receive you as her guest for a few day,” continued Grafton. “ Let me take you to her. She lives out of town, in a very lonely and secluded house, and, being of a very reserved disposition, has few visitors. No une would find you in her house. No one would dream of looking for you there.” “ You are very kind. Let us go now,” said Cecil, thoroughly alarmed. “ I dare not remain here another hour.” “ Then we will go. But wo must not take a cab, or leave any clew by which we can be traced. Put on your vails. You must take my arm, Cecil, and we will walk out and mingle with the crowds in the street. I have settled the bill, and am ready to go. Wo need not delay an instant, unless yon wish !” Cecil needed no second hint. She put on her hat and wrappings, Gretchen followed her example, and the three descended to the private door and passed out into the street. After walking'- a few blocks, Grafton unfolded the plaid he carried and wrapped it around the girl’s slender figure, which it emipletcly enveloped, serving as a disguise. A similar plaid, and a new bonnet, which Grafton paid for, transformed Gretclieii into a seeming Scotchwoman of the lower class. • The journey was pursued in a cab, which, when it had entered a green lane shut in by high hedges, Grafton stopped, and assisted ins companions to alight. They wailed until the cab had disappeared upon its return to town, and Grafton led them a little distance, and finally stopped before a small gate cut in a high brick wall. “ Here we arc,” lie said, exultantly; “ and you are safe, Miss Cecil. Come in.” Ho opened tiio small door, and Cecil ami Gretehcn passed through. He followed ilium. Had they but seen the sinister exultation on Ids face at that moment they would have turned and fled from him as from a demon. CHAPTER LYII. THE HEMLOCKS. Upon passing through the little gate or door in (be high brick wall, as we have described, Miss Rosso found herself in an old, neglected garden, dark, dank, and overgrowni—a very wilderness of weeds and tangled shrubbery, overhung and perpetually shadowed by thick-growing evergreen trees. The place was chill, damp, and unwholesome. A narrow footpath Jed amongst the trees and shrubs from the little door to the house, which from that point was not perceptible. 'The young girl halted until Gretchen and Cration bad also entered the garden, and the latter had. secured the door by heavy holts upon its inner side. Although so near the towm, we are completely out of the world, you see, Miss Cecil,” said Grafton, loooking around him with a satisfied glance. The girl shivered. “ Who lives here?” asked Gretchen, abruptly.

“ An old lady, a very distant cousin of my father,” replied Carlton. “ She is a widow, and her name is Mrs Millson. Being childless also, and alone in the world, she has grown very peculiar in her ways, but she is good at heart and will befriend von, Miss Cecil.” “ Does she live here alone ?” asked Cecil. {< Alone, except that she has one woman servant, a crabbed old creature entirely devoted to her, sharing her peculiarities to a great degree. Old Sally is very like her mistress. There is no man-servant, which accounts for the condition of the grounds. But, come ; let rue take you to the house.” He offered her his arm. Cecil gently declined his support, and motioned him to precede her. He led the way. “ Tiie place is called The Hemlocks,” said Grafton. “It deserves the name, as you see.” He ascended the steps and opened the door overlooking the side yard, lie seemed quite at home, as both Cecil and Gretchon noticed. He did not deem it necessary either to state that Miss Eosse was expected to arrive at The Hemlocks that morning, and that preparations' had been made for her reception, and that the garden door had been left unlocked purposely to afford them speedy ingress. He entered a small hall or passage, with doors opening from either side.

The hall was at right angles with the

main hall, and joined it. • Grafton opened a door at his right hand, and ushered Cecil and her attendant into a sitting-room. “ It you will wait here, Miss Cecil,” he exclaimed,” I will find Mrs Malson and acquaint her with your presence, and secure her friendship and'protection for you. Excuse me for a few moments. I will return as soon as possible.” He boivod and retired, closing the door behind him. Cecil and Gretchen looken at each other, half in misgiving, and then glanced about the room. They wanted patiently for some minutes. Then a heavy tread was heard in the passage, the door opened, and a woman entered the room. She was Sally, the housekeeper and general servant of the establishment. She was a large, gaunt Scotswoman, a very grenadier in petticoats, with a soldierly tread and martial aspect. She had bright red hair, a pair of keen, gray eyes, high ehock-boncs, and an extremely long visage, and her heavy upper lip was adorned by an unmistakable moustache.

She looked at Cecil sharply. The girl’s pallor, delicacy of appearance, and slight figure, evidently inspired her with contempt. She turned her gaze upon Gretehcn, and the sturdy frame of the German peasant-woman appeared to impress her as more worthy of respect. Her glance returned to Cecil. “ My mistress will see you,” she said, in a gruff, heavy voice, that startled her hearers. “ I will conduct you to her !” The visitors arose and followed her guidance. She led them to the main hall of the dwelling - , and to a room opening off it which was large and wellfurnished, with relics of prosperous days. A meagre fire burned in the grate. Before it, in a straight-backed chair, sat an old woman, the mistress of the house. As Grafton had declared, she was Mrs Malson, a very distant relative of his family. She was past eighty years of age, toothless, with a yellow face mapped with a thousand wrinkles, a deeplyfurrowed forehead, and a scanty amount of hair of a peculiar yellow white. In vivid contrast to her apparent age, were her eyes, which were small, hard, and black, like those of Grafton, hut her eyes were brighter than his, sharp in their glances, penetrating, and vivid ns burning coals. She was dressed in a frayed and worn black satin gown of ancient style, raid a frilled cap, that flared away from her face. Her eyes snapped at sight of Cecil, and she arose with an alacrity that surprised the new-comers, and took a stop forward, displaying a shrunken figure which was yet wiry and strong, and full of vitality. “ So this is the young lady ?” she exclaimed, in a cracked voice. “ You are welcome, my dear, very welcome. Eh ? What did you say ? Speak a little louder. You can stay here as long as you like. Won’t you sit down ?” Cecil murmured a response and took her scat. Gretchen dropped into a chair near the door. There’s a room up-stairs all ready to be occupied,”, said Sally. “ It’s curious,” and she smiled grimly, “ but there’s a fire in it! It’s all aired and wanned, and at any time the young lady wishes to go up, I’ll show her the way.”

“ Let her be for the present, Sally,” crocked the old Indy. “ Let her be. I like to look at a young face now and then. I was pretty myself once, Miss Cecil. I was indeed.” It was plain that she told the truth. That withered, wrinkled old visage, •which wore a strange look of cunning in every feature, which betrayed greed and avarice as her predominant characteristics, had been beauiful once, and in spite of the repnlsivencss of her expression some faint vestige or reminder of that beauty still lingered, as the perfume clings faintly to the rose when the flower is withered and spoiled. Grafton accomplished the conventional form of introduction between his aged kinswoman and Miss Eosse, Then, as Mrs Malson showed considerable vivacity and inclination to talk, he settled himself comfortably in a tall-backed chair, and regarded both rpuietly.

This was his second visit to the Hemlocks. Until the previous evening he had never seen his elderly relative, but during his boyhood he had beard much of her, had learned her history, and her place of residence. Upon presenting himself to her upon the previous evening, with the knowledge he possessed of her character and peculiarities, he had had no difficulty in winning her consent to aid and abet his plans. It must not be supposed that Crafion had come to his kinswoman with full avowal of his villainy, or with a frank statement of his schemes. Ho had told her that he loved a young lady named Miss Eosse, that Miss Eosse desired to hide from an enemy, and that he sought a secure asylum for her, for which lie would pay liberally. He had dropped a hint, however, which he expected to 'spring up like seed dropped upon fertile

soil ami to bear fruit in good time, to the effect that he would gladly pay one hundred pounds to any one who would assist him to induce or constrain Miss Rosse to become his wife. That hint had lingered in Mrs Malson’s mind ever since, and she had discussed it at great length with her old servant. “ The hoy has money and a home,” she had finally declared, “ and the girl has not. She is a fool if she refuses to many him. How can people live without money ? I wouldn’t do a dishonorable thing for the world, Sally—you know me well enough for that. I am a gentlewoman and I trust I have a proper sense of honor, but I can see no barm in persuading this young lady lor her own good.” “ Or in constraining her either,” said the bolder Sally. “ A young thing like that don’t know what’s good lor her, and ought to be thankful to older and wiser persons for compelling of her. That’s what I think. And a hundred pounds is a lot o’ money !” she added, reflectively. “ A large sum—a very large sum !” sighed the old lady. “ tVnd somehow, Sally, with all I’ve saved, I’ve got an idea I shall come to want yet. I ought to have that hundred pounds. I might starve, for all my son cares since his marriage. I ought to look out for myself. And it is not doing wrong to secure to this foolish girl a handsome husband, a good home, and plenty of money, A little constraint, such as parents often use, would be quite proper in so good a cause !” “ Certainly, nuun. And the young lady’ll live to thank you for it,” declared Sally, who bad no sense of honor and whose bolder spirit generally contrived to lead that of her mistress. “Mr Grafton, your nevvy, ma’am, wouldn’t advise you to a wrong thing. I’d carry out his wishes.” pro 15 E CONTINUED. J