THE STORY-TELLER. 0HE HAIR OF THE CROWESTS.

Te Aroha News, Volume 1, Issue 18, 6 October 1883, Page 4

THE STORY-TELLER. OHE HAIR OF THE CROWESTS.

Thb order to prepare r'ie roam was given, and caused some, littl" exciiernpnt among the servants. But inasiuuch as the apartment had been oeopionally entered in the day-time, and its evil reputation was only vaguely known, there was uo difficulty in srttint* the necessary preparations nvule. When it was ready, the occupants of the smokingroom trooped in a body alonsr the corridor to inspect it. Younar Bafhurst led the van, evidently prowl of hi* undertaking, and could not. forbear expressing disappointment .it the homely asp"ct of the room. It was of fair size, and had apparently been vepnpered at no very distant date, though the walls were » good deal discoloured with damp. An antiqnate I four-poster, devoid of huntings, stood in a corner, but. most of the rest of the furniture had evidently been gathered promiscuously from other bedrooms. A huge fire blazed up the chimney, and, considering the short time at their disposal, the servants had done wonders in m iking the room cheery and comfortable. f 'Pon my word, it's a capital room,' said the "Professor, standing in the middle of it and looking around approvingly. ' That tire has driven away the damp already.' 1 I hope so,' said Mr Palmer, who was fussing about superintending all the arrangements. * But I shouldn't sleep here, my boy, if I were you. A room that hasn't been slept in for years cunt be healthy.' * Well, here! am, and here I'm goins: to stay/ returned th« lad, taking up his eUudin front of the fire witii an amu*insr air of proprietorship. ' Til bet you a sovereign, Mr Palmer, I shall sleep as well as you do.' The host laughed good-humouredly, and having exchanged 'Goad night' with every one, young B.ithur-t at length found himself in possession of the apartment. He carefu'ly locked the door, and then made a short tour of inspection. He began to feel a litrto bit nervous now that he was left alone, for, to tell the truth, the ghost stone* be bad heard had rather upset las nerves. His purpose of sleeping in the room was a piece of hoyi^'i bravado, arising partly from love of alwntme and partly from a desire to distinguish himself. He was rather relieved therefore, now that *t bad come to the point, to find nothing in the aspect of t'te ..rooin calculated to inspire alarm. He rtook ;tb« jpreciiation, however, noon : turning into bed, ,-to ipUca \m lejr his pillow a neut little evolver, which as a newly-fled^el officer, he carriei auout wit i hbn a^ pal tof 'ii& personal lu_jg:\»je. Being thoroughly tired out with the exertions of the day, he soon becaui * drow?y, an X in a nmarki'-ly shori space of time, was sound asleep. Break f .<st at Crovvest, un {or the Palmer's regime, was a pleasant, dawdling meal, which Listed till mil-day. The next tno.'uini* nearly every one had assembled round the table at ten o'clock. but Charlie Bathurst was one of fie absentees. TIiQ younger Mi-s Palmer pouted ut this, for she cherished a sentimental attachment for the lad, and frit slighted at his being late on hid last morning. But no one else thoui> li»l i» anything of the circumstance — or, indee \, noted it, for he wa- not famous for beiiu an early liser. In the mil 'k of breakfast tin po-t-bag was brought in, and a lull occurred in the conversation, broken only by desultory com ments uttered by the different members of the party in reference to their correspondence. AH of a sudden t!>e hosn-Sb looked up from a letter she was ie<idi»g, and uttered an exclamation w'lich attracted general attention. ' Wuat is it, my dear ?' inquired her husband. ' This is dreadful 1 I have a letter from La iy Blanche Marchmond — jon know who I mean, John ; the Earl of Lindo's daughter, who was so civil to the girls last season — containing the most startling news. This is what she says,' a <} So proceeded to read a? follows : — 4 You know, dear Mrs Palmer, that I am not a purveyor of ac^n-lai ; l>«fc I cannot help telling you the latest, because it will interest you very much, aR you are living at Crmvest, and I aui afraid ther is no doubt it is perfectly true. You Unow we all t'noyg'rt. Lad) Crowest veiy strange, and confid^ivd it odd of !ier to ba\e })rei'-»'rre '• to liv .abroad so iimcli, as she was well off There Mas always a mystery about he/ antecedents, but an ->!ie was an Anierican, nobody took any trouble to make inquiries.' It now transpires that she had yeen wanied before, and what is worse., he 1 , first husband has turned up He went to the Cr-owest family solidiors, and wished to be heavily bribed. but this was; of course, refused, and the affair is known all over London. No -one" believes Lady Crowest wilfully committed bigamy ; but I fear she discovered that her husband was alive soon after she married a second time, and ■concealed the fact from the E.irl. People s«y the man is a great scoundiel, aud Lady Crowest ib raf her pitied; but the mo.et dreadful part is the position of the Earl's poor children.' Here Mrs P.ilmer ca-ne to an abrupt stop, and hurriedly folded up the letter, apparently recollecting all of a sudden that there were younj; people present at the table. For thes-une reason no disciibsion .ensued, but ti»e men exchanged £jl h. cs. There had been vague rumour.Lady Crowest for a Jonfi iiun', and the news was more startling ,tli».A

1 Wiio get* t\e ti<l« now, then ?' iuqnirotl the Professor, in a matter-of-Fact lone, as he turned to, another part, of the paper be was roar! in ft . 1 Hum 1 Ha 1 Very snd/ murmured Mij Palmer, rather 9 hockei at the Professor's bluntness. 4 I suppose ife will #'o to tlie tats Savl'i brother — poor Jim,' replied a local Squire, pleased to ho able to supply the information. ' Poor chap ! H» won't* \] ye to enjoy it. long, lie i* pnralysed, imd -has softening -of the brain. His life isn't worth a year's i purchase.' ' Any family ?' inquired the Professor, who always liked to thoroughly sift a subject. ' No ; not even married, nor likely to be, considering he is in a private asylum,' returned the Squire. * Who, then, is the next heir?' inquired Mr Palmer, with sudden interest. « Why- — let mo see? I don't know miif-h about the ramifications of the family, but it must be — why, of course! It s the young gentleman who is now stnyingin the house here — Mi Bntbnrsl,'* said the Squire, looking up with the air of a, man who has made a pleasing discovery. *Mv goodness me ! Do you hear that Professor V said Mr Palmer, looking rather uneasy. (He h the heir of the Oowests, and he slept in that room last night. He doesn't seem to have come down yet. Here. Jakes, 1 he added,' turning- to the butler, 'go at ; once to Ur BaHnirst's roo-n — the blccj room in the north wing — and ask when lie is coining down.' ' It is rather a singular coincidence, now you mention it,' returned fie Pro- ; fessor, evidently struck. ' iiut, of course, theleirenl is all nonsense. H* will tell us presently that be never slept better ■ in his life,' he added, in a reassuring tone. But almost before he had finished speaking the butler returned, looking rather scared. He had met one of tU<> footmen, who was just coming to sa\ that Mr Bathurst's room was locked on t ie inside, and he could not m.ike him hear. 'Come, some of you;' cried Mi Palmer/ starting up, his ruddy fan* turnin" suddenly p,tle. * 1 hope to Got no ill lias hetallen him.' I Followed by several of the guest-?, 1 Mr Palmer hurried to the corridor in which the young man's room was situ1 ale, and mado a vigorous ousUught J upon tlw panels of the door with hi> 1 knuckles, at the same time calling the jla 1 by nam<\ No answer being rej turned, a liurriel con^uli.ttion wis l»el !, ! and it was decided to burst open the I fit/or-; bflt, ere tnis eou'Ul be done, th* 1 | honsokcepev appeared with a duplicate kcv. uh some dffificuitv, the key on the insi l e was dislodged, and the doo 1 Ojipned from without. The host \vuthe lirst to ent >i r the room, ami, nb h> i di I so, he uttered an exolam.ition o relief. The young man was appap'ntlt sleeping eal r.ly, hi> fair head hn3. bnrjail in the pi lion*. But a closer in qjection L'Xcitel a dreadful su^picivjn and it then transpired that poor la 1 w^cold and A<a<\d. On turning down the bt'd-clothes, the cause of his deat . wsis at once revealed. By his side la\ • his little rm'olvov, which had eviduntlv ; been discharged, for the white sheets uf tne lie I bore a crimson st r un. i Of course, this painful tragedy was tne r«.ault of r. pi.j acei lent, winch j might hue happfaed to any out' j imprudent enough to sleep wif.h n lode f revolver under his pillow, The Professor, whoj>e nerves were stronget t.i in those of t ie rest of the party, procee led to prove this to demonstration tnen aii'l there. A tiny fragment oi the sheet was torn and adhered to the trigger of the revolver. Evidently the weapon had slippe 1 down from under tlie pillow, nnd a fold of the sheet had caught in the trigger. A. sudden move ment of t li e "lepper \\i\c\ caused a strain on thi<* parficular fold, which brought about the explosion of the weapon, with fatal result*. The poor hoy's nij»ht shirt was scorche * and blackened where the jtain of blood app°ared, showing that the muzzle of tSe revolver must have been almost touching his bo ly when the fatality occumd. The Professor's theory was pbmsible enough, aivtj in fact, there seeme 1 little doubt that tha sad event had com" about in the manner suggested ; yef ; there vyas not a person present who <!i! not imnic Mately recall to mind the sinister fact that the poor young man had met his death in the room which was said to be fatal to the heirs of the Crowds. ' There will be an inquest, of course,' concluded the Professoi, 'and then thectuse of death will bo so clearly proved, that to connect it with that absurd superstition will be out of the question.'