CHAPTER VI.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 207, 18 June 1887, Page 6

CHAPTER VI.

A FEAIU'UL MYSTFRY. Thou tremblest ; ami the of thr cheek Is aptor than thy tongue to U-ll thy cvrand! Even such n m;ili, •-o faint, so spimloss. So dull, so (load in look, so wuc-begonc, Drow I'riam's curtain in the cl ml of night, I And won d have told him lialf his Iroy was , burned. SHAKESPEARE. " Sjilly ! Oh, lam so glad you have come. Though you needn't havo butted me over for all thao !" exclaimed Patricia, recovering the balance that Mr Sallusst Rowley's impetuous entrance had nearly oversei. " But where is Colonel Fitzgerald ? Why doesn't lie come in ?" she inquired, peeling beyond him into the darkness of the early dawn. "Don't ask me, Tat! that's a brick!" cried the young man, in a tremor. " Why, Sallubt Rowley, what is the matter with you 'i You look as white as a sheet, and you tremble like n leaf. What on earth ails you?" demanded Fatiieia,noticing for the iirst time his panic-btiicken aspect. " Don't ask me, Pat ; that's a trump !' exclaimed Sallust, between his chattering teeth. '* I will ask you, and you shall tell me. What have you been tip to? You look as if you expected to bo shot the next minute. What have you done ? Have you slain a man in your « rath, and a young man to your hurling ?'' sharply persisted Patiicia. The youth turned paler than lie v> as bofore, but he did not reply. "What in the deace ail=» you, boy? Hare you robbed a bank?' 5 demanded Patricia. "Ko; but I diead to meeb her.'" exclaimed Sallust, shaking. "To meet who f ciied Patiieia, impatiently. " Her — GeiTv. What can 1 say to lier ?" he groaned, shivering. " If you have anything to say to we, Mr Salluofc Rowley, you had better &ay it at once," suggested a calm, stern voice, as Geraldine Fitzgerald came fiom the draAV-ing-room and confronted him. Sallust Rowley drew back, aghast " Why is not Colonel Fit/gerald with you ? Where did you leave him ?" inquired Geraldine, in a voice forced by her own strong will into tones of calmness. " Don't ask me, (Jer — Mi&& Fit/Gerald, I mean. And don't look at me so, please. Your eyes go through and through me like a knife. Don't, please, that's a brick !— I ,mean a lady. Let me go in and rest myself, please. lam tired almost to death, indeed i /mi.' 1 nd in his agitation, Sallust Rowley forgot L i & politenet-, pushed past the young ladies, ""tercel the draw ing-room, and threw himself down in the arm-chair lately occupied by Goraldine. They folk " vvec^ him— Geraldine speechless in astonishing nifc aml indignation— Patricia noisy with friO fc and anxiety. " fSally !"' &he exclaimed, peremptorily, " you talk and ac, ' like a lunatic, and 1 urn not no-oin^ to stanu it~ tucro ! You shall tell us, this \ cry moi, " venfc > hat y° u mean bj your mysterious ie»^ rr L V( r \" , T ' kT can't tell you, Pa. ™ ia '■ leant indeed , Upon my soul ana h< ? n . ou , r ' \ c f n , , fc ! Don't ask me '-that's ab. nek cncd the victim, in despair. .„ , "I mil ask you, and Iw, U m^ c 0 " tell, too! you red-headed ape! Uli y. (lld not Colonel Fit/gerald keep his a PP oint ' ment and come dow n with you ?" , (< I can't tell you! Indeed, go^ dness knows I can't !"' whimpered Sallust. " Where did you leave him ?" j ft What's the use of asking me, if can't tell you !" It only torments me and enrages you, for nothing !" " I'll torment you ! Since Colonel Fitzgendd has nob come down to-night, when is he coming down? This morning? This evening ? When ? persisted the girl. "I cannot tell you," persevered the youth. " Has anything happened to him ? If so, what is it ? What has happened to him ?" stubbornly continued Patricia. "I cannot tell you," stolidly repeated Sallust. " And I will not ! There now, Miss Patricia ! I would not—no, not if I were to be put upon the rack and screwed limb from limb !" " Wish I had the power to do it ! Fd put you to the test. I'd screw you," muttered Patricia, grinding her teeth; "but hever mihu. Uncle Fitzgerald will make you tell, I'll bet !" " No, he won't neither. And even if ho should you would wish he hadn't, now mind ■"ou. If ever there was a case where ip-no-ranee is bliss this is one But he won't, Ftt bet. I shall be off from this place in ten mimutes. lam going away. I am going to leave the country !" he exclaimed, in great emotion. u It may be for years, And it may be for ever I only dropped in to tell you to put off the wedding-guests as well as you can. For there can be no wedding without tho bridegroom, and the bridegroom won't put in an appearance." Geraldine Fitzgerald had up to this time stood silent and motionless, with her hands resting on the back of her chair, and her dark eyes fixed steeidily on the face of the speaker. Now she addressed him in a tone of quiet authority. " One thing I think you will tell me, Mr Rowley. Does Gerald Fitzgerald Etill live ?" "Yes, he still lives," answered Salluat sulkily. "So far good. Another question I trunk you will answer me : lo Colonel Fitzgerald in good health ?" " Yes, he is in good health." " Has he sent, by you, any message, or any note of explanation as to his failure to kepp his appointment here ?" u No, ma'am, he has not sent by me any message or any note of explanation as to his failure to keep his appointment here ; nor, if he had, would I, under fchc circumstances, have delivered it. There, I have answered three questions. Now, tho rack shall not wring another word of information from me on that subject, "exclaimed Sallust Rowley, grimly. "It is quite enough. I do not wish to ask you another question," muttered Geraldine, between her set teeth and white ips. " Colonel Fitzgerald is alive- and well, and yet he comes not to keep his engagement on his wedding day, and sends no explanation of his conduct." And with these words she sailed out of the room. "There, you little villain, boo what you have done !" exclaimed i- atr jcia, t n <» fury. " Upon my soul, I didn't do anything," pleaded Sallust, " You have said too little or too much." " I didn't mean to say anything, but she compelled mo." "Better you had kept silence than j said what you did."

"I know it; and I wanted^ to keep silence, but she^vjouid not let me." "Then, since you were forced to speak, it would have been better that you had told the worst, whatever that worst may be, than to leave such vague horrors to be infened from your reserve," said Patricia, sternly. " Ay, that's because you don't know anything about it. But I say, / must be off - " Stop ! You told your cousin that Colonel Fitzgerald is alive and well, and yet sends no note or message explanatory of his strange conduct. Now, answer mo ibis question, which, I think, could never have occurred to Geraldine, or she would have asked it: is Golond Fitzgerald at liberty '"' . . "Now look here, Miss Pat. t sec what you are up to. You want to get at the case by a method that examining detectives call exclusion, and by finding out what is not, to discover what *v. No, I thank you. 1 shall answer no more questions. Goodbye, Pal. I'm sorry to leave you, but the best of friends must part," said the young man rising and taking his hat. "Stop! You shall not go until you have seen my uncle and given him some explanation, if you will not give it to any one else !" cried Patricia, Hying to the bell and ringing it sharply. "What is tho u«cof your doing that; There ib not a servant in the house out of bed at this time of the morning, said Sallust, drawing on his gloves. ( "True! True! 1 will go to uncles room myself !'* exclaimed* Patricia, Hying out of the parlour and up tho stairs. But before she knocked at her uncles door she remembered that she must not alarm him, so she moderated her haste and knocked softly. "Who is that?" inquired the voice of Mr Fit/gerald from within. "It is I, uncle -Pat." " What did you want, my dear ?" " Only to toll you that Sallust has arrived, and that there is some little delay in the coming of Coubin Gerald." '• Delay in the coming of Gerald ! Is he ill ?'' demanded Mr Fitzgerald, in anxious tones. " Oh, no. Ho is quite well, I assure you. But bomcthing has occurred to delay his arrival." '• What has occurred? Can't you speak, Patricia ?" "L do not know, uncle. Sallust refused to explain to me or to Geraldine, but perhaps lie will to you." " Will Gerald be here this evening, then, in time for the wedding ?" "I do nob know, sir. Sallust can explain. Shall J send him to you ?" " Yen ; tell him to come up at onee.^ All this ia very strange and disagreeable !" exclaimed Mr Fitzgerald, moving as if he were about to rise from his bed. j'atiicia ilew down staiis to intercept the departure of the visitor, but when she reached the drawing-room she found that visitor gone and his place empty. She rushed out into the hall and tore open the fi out door only in time to hear the ringing hoofs of the rider's horse as he galloped furiou&ly away by the bridle-path that led clown the mountain side to the turnpike road leading to Wildeville. "He'll bieak hib neck, and a good job, too, for a mean scamp ! It may save Jack Ketch some trouble. Fled— actually fled like a criminal and a coward rather than stay and meet Mr Fitzereiald with any explanation of this strange my&tery !" muttered Patricia, as she peered through the faint light of the early dawn in the direction of the ilying horse and his mad rider. "What can be the matter ?"she asked herself, as she retreated into the hou?e. " What can have happened to Gerald Fitzgeralcl to keep him from bis appointment with his promised bride upon her weddingday ? If he were dead, or if he were ill, one could understand it ; but he is alive and well. And his conduct is quite incomprehensible. It is a great mystery; And it is said that where there is mystery theie is alw ays guilt. But guilt in connection with Gerald Fitzgerald's name ? Impossible I For never. ' Has falsehood or disgrace Boen seen to soil Fitzgerald's plume, Or mantle in his face.' \ng the old family minstrels, and it b0 s ; \ave been true ; and lam prouder of ™. k sullied honor than their lineage of a their un years/ , thousand . , ia re . en f, cre a the drawing-room As 1 atrn. „ servant, apparently just bhe found a t "(l" (l [n opening t h* shutters, risen, and eng 6 M SaUust Kowley this « Did you se 4ired. Liormngr'shein^ uu f; & tt > Jeft his horse in the " Yes, Miss-. &% fresh one, Flash o' stable and borrowed Z with his oompliLiyhtning, and he says, '% at WikleviHe ments, as he will leave * - fl«<i we can stables to be sent back here, **» replied , keep his horse until called fo*, the man. \ " That is cool, upon my word and Ik >V y I wonder if he thinks they keep a liv. j stable here 1" muttered Pat to herself At this moment Mr Fitzgerald's old bodyservant entered the room, saying respectfU "Please, Miss, old marster say how he is waiting for Mr Sallusfc." • » Toll your master that Mr Sallust has left the house. Or, stay 1 Is Mr Fitzrrerald up and dressed !" . g '« Yes, Miss. Ijetf done put him m his will go to him myself. Go on m £tf£?U way to easy-chair by the front window, with his gouty foot upon its rest. "Oh t is ib you, my dear? Where is Sallust?" said the old gentleman, putting out his hand and drawing a chair near his own, and pointing for Patricia to take it. , n The young girl sat down, and answered, cautiously : , , "Sallust has gone, uncle. He had aiready gone when I returned to the draw- "^ Bub that is very strange," said the old gentleman, in a displeased tone. And then ho commenced and questioned Patricia closely as to all that passed in her interview with the mysterious visito* Patricia answered with all tho tact and discretion of which she was mistress, and found, to her great relief, that the invalid was not nearly so upset by the news, or the lack of news, as she had expected to hnd li 'lb is all very strange; but, of course, Gerald is right. It is probably some other man's interest or honor that is somehow involved, and Gerald cannot explain without some breach of trußt. I hope Gerald will be able to reach here this evening before the hour appointed for the wedding ceremony But however that may be, or whatever the mystery may be, my confidence in my son's honor is immovable," exclaimed the old gentleman emphatically. # # " So is mine, uncle,'* added Patricia, earne» /thank you, ny dear. But what does Geraldine say ?" he anxiously inquired. # " She says very little, uncle," Patricia cautiously replied. "I fear she is vexed." " She did nob say so." " Oh, no, she would never say so ! bhe would die first ! Ah, well, it will all I*

right when Gerald comes this evening. If he does not know how to soothe a sulky sweetheart, he is no true Fitzgerald! There, my dear, you need not wait. Tell them to send me up my cup of chocolate." So dismissed, Patricia left the room and went down stairs, and gave her uncle's order to the housekeeper. She now found all the rooms open, and the rays of the rising sun streaming into all the tfast windows that faced the river, and lighting up the house. She passed out of the front-door and went down upon the terrace overhanging the river, to walk there for a while, to rid herself, if possible, of the anxious and gloomy thoughts inspired by the strange demeanour of her cousin, Sallust Rowley. The summer morning succeeding the storm was splendid beyond description. The scenery was magnificent. The sun was just sparkling up from behind the EagleRoost Ridge, and irradiating all the wooded hills, mountains, brooks and river into a dazzling conflagration of morning glory.