CHAPTER LXXII.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 199, 16 April 1887, Page 6

CHAPTER LXXII.

" I GO TO SAVE Ml' CHILD Nobman, Earl of Leigh, was as a man stunned by a heavy blow. He could not rouse himself to contend with his fat<?. He could not even hops for a happy issue out of his distresses. His ancestral land, his title, his privileges as a belted earl were the stronghold and chief aim of his life. To be cast out of these— branded, rejected, a theme for the wonder and gosaip of England — was a prospect that weighed him into a hopeleus stupor.. He came home aged, and bowed, and blighted, by hia London experience. Violet brought the child to him, but the child was au added misery. It was the second day before he roused himself to call Violet to the library, where he had locked himself in, moody with rage, When she camo in, ho looked at her gloomily, without speaking. " Did you want me, Norman ?" she asked, gently. " You said you would stand by me, in trouble and evil, in the worst that could come, but I do not hold you to your promise. I should not blame you if you fled from me. I would like to fly from myself." " What is it, Norman— what has happened ?" said Violet, trembling with vague terror. '• Hartington is about to contest my title, my earldom." "But how can he, Norman? You are Lord of Leigh " "He says not. He has secured some evidence." "But what evidence? You were surely the son of hte late Lord Leigh. Adam and others know all about it." " But the colonel has secured evidence, first, that my mother had been married before ehe met Lord Loigh, and second, that her husband did not die until nine days after her marriage with my father. So it is not a learal marriage, but bigamy ; and consequently I am not the lawful heir, nor Lord of Leigh. That is what Hartington proposes to prove." " Oh, Norman, he cannot show such a cruel, wicked thing !" "He has the grace to admit that it was done on a mistake ; that ray mother was sure she wa3 a widow —had been a widow for months," said Leigh, grinding bis teeth. " But, Norman, do you mean that when they really thought they were lawfully married, that this mistake makes the marriago illegal, and disinherits their child ?" " That if law," eaid Leigh, gloomily. "Oh, Norman, I hope, I hope, for Rupert's sake, that our marriage was valid !" cried Violet, pale with terror, "Of course it was," retorted Leigh. "But what good will ;t; t do Rupert? He can never be Lord of Loigh. He is not even a Leigh : nor am I " " What !"' cried Violet, her brown eyes wide and terrified, as the terrible mystery grew upon her. " What are you ? What is he?" "I ? I am the beggared son of a person named Kemp, I have nothing, and I am nothing, except, as your husband, I have the use of the Ainslie millions." "Tell me did you dream of this when you married me ?" asked Violet, going a step nearer to him, " Beiore Jieaven, no : It has all come upon me aa a thunderbolt !'' •'But the name ? I do not understand the name !" "Consider that as my mother was not legally married, I only boar her legal name, Kemp, at your service— the name of the beggarly attorney, who died and came to life, to my ruin, and by a fiction of the law I am eupposod to be bis son, not the son of the Earl cf Loigh, though Kemp had not seen my mother for two years before I was so unfortunate to be born." " And Rupert ?" faltered Violet. "He is Rupert Kemp — a little, lowlived beggar, unless he gets some millions from his mother." Violet reeled, and caught hold of the tall back of one of the library chairs to sustain herself. Leigh was too lost in hia own misery , to heed. hers. For herself, Violet felt inured to suffering, but this blow fell on her idol, her beautiful child, In her own lonely sorrow it had, been her conaolation to think of the bright and noble possibilities before, her son.' She had pictured him grown to be one of England's worthiest peers, When she remembered her ill-sped marriage, ehe thought .that it had won a coronet, not for herself, but for her boy. How that fair dream crumbled and faded, like air castles built in Spain ! She could only murmur • 11 1 cannot understand— l cannot !" ** You soon will understand," cried Loigh, roughly, " when you are turned out of the Tower* to make room for Clare ; when the plate and the Leigh jewels are resigned to her, and we can go back fco London, Mr and Mrs Kemp, to live among the city people, perhaps you'll understand. Here, can. you understand this?" and he thrust into her hand a letter from his lawyer. It contained a copy of the statements to be put in evidence, and a note begging Leigh to look over his family papers, and Send aM that referred to his parents oi* their marriage. "Norman," eaid Violet, faintly, <r y,ou will defend yourself, you wi}l contest this, you will prove, all these things false and forgeries*; you will, not yield to the colonel. I do riot, I cannot believe these things.". , "My lawyer* will v do wliat they can," said Leigh. " But^ for me', I bolieve it all. I have felt that' spine terrible blow, was over me j it fits falJe^V lam ruined !'i At this singular hopeless apathy of his air and words, Violet roused herself. She exclaimed :

"But you will do what you can; Hare you looked over these* papers ?""" [ VV ' H ' "It is useless. There is nothirig 1 there., I oan understand nothing of them. It will do no good." "Norman, what are you 1 thinking of^" oried Violet, seizing him by the arm. " Fight for your inheritance to the' last \' X But he threw himself down in a limp state in his great ohair, ard covered his face with his hands. ' "Do you see, Violet, with the estate 1 must restore all the income of these yeare sinoe I succeeded." " So much the more need to defend yourself," said Violet. " I can do nothing," said Leigh, drearily. "Lot me send for your lawyers to come, and search the papers for themselves," cried Violet. " You may do as you like — take any measures," said Leigh. "Do you mean that? Then I shall defend my child." exolairaed Violet, with spirit. Leigh flung himself on a couch and hid his face Violet summoned old Adam, and told him the Btory. " Adam, you wore at the marriage. You knew both parties." Violet had called the old man to her boudoir. Ha looked about cautiously, " My lady the late countess was a reckless one, to stop at nothing, and her father, the major, was like her. I knew there had been a marriage in Ireland. It would not have been unlike her, my lady, to do this thing knowingly. But Lord Leigh was surely in the dark about it. He never knew." Violet sent for the lawyer. He came, but could find no papers to help the case. He admitted to Violet that Mr Storms had been to Shields, in Ireland, and had found the grave stone dated as asserted, and the undertaker positive as to the burial. " In fact, though we shall fight hard, the case looks very bad for Lord Leigh. That doctor's certificate is terrible evidence on which all the rest hangs, and as he ia dead, it) is testimony that cannot be broken down by cross-examination." After the lawyer had gone, Violet in vain tried to rouse Leigh to take some active measures on his own behalf. "My lady," said the reluctant Adam, "don't look for help from him. He has been taking opium since tho affair came up. I cannot make him stop the opium, and I believe ho is trying to kill him* self." " Adam, telegraph at once for Sir Roger Parker, and when he comes give Lord Leigh entirely into his hands, and act just as Sir Roger says, for he may be able to save him," Then ringing the bell, she said : " Nurse, get yourself and Rupert ready at once to go with me to London. I have sent for a physician for Lord Leigh. Now I am going to save my child's name and inheritance. My Rupert shall still be heir of Leigh." (To be Continued.)