CHAPTER I. THE WARNING.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 276, 27 June 1888, Page 6

CHAPTER I. THE WARNING.

An<.u-s. Earl of Strathspey, was in London at the House of Lords', and in the great crimson state-chamber at, the Toweis his countess k\y dying. Yes, d\ing, as everyone believed, and she bayley onc-nnd-twenty, and the fairest woman in wide England. The Towers was a grand old cattle, way up upon the Scottish border, hoar\ and ancient like the rugged heights, that siir- j rounded it. For centuries it had been the home of the Strathspeys, and had descended in regular entail from one haughty Saxon haned earl to another. A proud, e\chisive race, these Strathspeys, with the best blue blood of England in their \eins : blood that might be traced clear and untainted to its loyal source. Since time immeiuonal, it had been a custom with these Strathspey carls to ce'ebrate their bridals and their births in this old home of their ancestors.. The oldest retainer in their sen ice could not call to mind a single instance when a biidal night was passed, or a Strathspey heir bom, outside of that grand old state-chamber, with its fretted ceilings, and stained window-, and gorgeous crimson tapestiy. A bundled earls, perhaps, had iiis-t -een the lisrht in the golden gloom of that princely apartment ; and no w onder t hat Angus, the last earl, desired to follow the custom of his ancestors. Little more than a year before, he had brought hi 5 ! young bride to the Towers, but only to remain for a shot t time. Later, in the dreamy Indian summer weather, when he found that the one hope ot his life was about to be consummated, the \oung eail shut up his handsome residence at Auklnnd Oaks, and with his lovely countess journej ed back to Strathspey Toweis, that his heir, if fortune pleased to give him one, might be borne in the old ciinison state-chamber. For a couple of weeks he lingered, making his counted comfortable, and then, leavinu her in the care of old Doctor Renfrew, the friend and plnsician of his dead father, Lord Strathspey went back to London, to look after hit duties in the House of Loi ds, never dreaming that the event toward which he looked with such ardent hope would take place for a month or «o, at least. Rut onl} one or two weeks after his loid»hip"> departuie, a sudden and tenible {'i^ht had pro? traced her, ami on that -tmu v night the counter hung a- it were between life and death, and half-a-do/en me— ages had followed each other down to London to bring her hut-band home. Tno flight happened in^ this way. The <<jiint«>j. \ra>. n- perfect in health a- in beauty, and she delighted in nothing bettet than a 1 amble amid the picturesque heights that -(mounded the Towers. E\ery morn ing, accompanied by her maid, »he took a loner walk. But it chanced that she ventuied out one morning without suiiicient wrap*, and finding the tall winds keen and fiosty, she sat down beneath the shelter of a rock, ami sent hei attendant back to the castle foi hea\ icr shawls. Foi five minutes she tat in a icverie, her 'hou^hts far away in busy London, with her hu-band ; but pi escntly a stealth} tread t-uiitled her, and she rose to her feet, half expecting to see her maid, but instead, the confronted a creatuie the baie sight of w horn made her blood curdle. A mad woman, if ever one existed ; a wild creature, with streaming hair and binning eyes, that <jlaied upon the astonished countess with the fury of a tigres-. 'Countess of Strathspey," she cried, thawing a -lendei daggei fiom beneath her mantle, and {lashing it befoie the tenihed woman's eyes. 'Courtess of .Stiath-pey, Id strike you down at my feet, without mercy, only it would spoil my ie\engc. I can aft'oid" to wait, as I ha\e waited foi years, for the hour of my tiiumph i-> at hand. ' Counter of Straihspev , indeed 1" she continued, with a bitter laugh. 'Woman, the title \ ou bear belongs to me! The man you call \our husband should have been mine ! Do you hear ' Angus, Eail of Stiath-pey. wa- m> plighted husband years before he e\et looked upon \our baby face ! Think you that I w ill lesign my coronet to you .' Nevei ! Think you that child of your-, .shall e\ ci be heii to Strathspey Tower Never, I say ' You shall be robbed of your titles and grandeur, an outcast, scorned by \om husband, dended by the woild ; and the heir, whose coming you &o proudly hope for, where shall he be ? Well, never mind, we shall see! JNJy re\enge will be sweet • I can wait, Counte-a of Stiathspey.' All through this wild, lierce tirade, Lady Strathspey stood like one struck dumb, fascinated and held poweiless by the woman's! burning eyes But as the mad cieatuie, 01 whatcvoi she was, (led away, brandishing her dagger, w ith peals of horrible laughtei, with a low cry of terror, she dropped down white and houseless, at the foot of the rock that had sheltered her. In this condition, Judith, her maid, found her, and she soon alarmed the household with her cries. The countess, was borne back to the castle, and up to the grand state bed in the ciimson chamber, where she lay in the gloom of a .stormy midnight, hanging as it were between time and eternity ; and yet, the earl did noc come. Doctor Renfrew was in attendance, pacing up and down the anteroom adjoining her ladyship's chamber, with his watch on his palm and a look of tenible anxiety on his face. The train was due half-an-hour ago, and the carriage .sent down to meet the earl had not yet returned. The old doctor ground his teeth in impatience, as. he reentered the sufferer 'i? chambei. The young councebs was white as death, her golden hair fetreaming over her bosom like waves of sunlight, her blender hands locked in agony. She opened her sapphire blue eyes Doctor Renfrew approached. ' Has he come ?' she whispered. The doctor shook his head. ' Nay, my child, but we expect him every minute,' he replied, soothingly. ' Ah, if he would only come, my husband, my Angus !' she moaned ; ' I'm afraid I shall never see him again ; I shall die before he comes, Doctor Renfrew.' 'No, no, we'll have no talk of dying,' replied the doctor, cheerfully, but his grave face half belied the words he uttered. The nurpes sat, pallid and awe-stricken, in the dim gloom of the grand old chamber, while the fair young wife tossed and moaned in her agonies. Still the earl did not come. Doctor Renfrew left his patient, and hurried down to

the front terraco in an agony of impatience, lie was a skilful man, old in practice and experience, ycb lie did not caro to have so grave a task without advice or help. • I was biire that Strathspey would be here bv this time,' ho muttered, ' with half-a-dozen London doctor?. Not that they could do movo than I have done. Yet - •nojl — 'tis not so pleasant to have the young 1 thing's life slip through my fingers, and not a soul to see that she received skilful attention. I should like to know what keeps the carl V ILe stood with uncovered head, gazing out into the black storm. How dismally the winds wuiled amid the black turrets I How the mastitis bayed and howled in their kennels below! xV thrill of superstitious tear stirred the old Scotchman's heart. It seemed such a fitting night tor death. At that instant, an icy hand touched his arm, and a weird, shadowy tiguic rose up at lu\ >'u\c. The old siugeon retreated a &tcp or two in dismay. ' Doctot Renfrew," spoke a musical voice at his elbow, 'is it over ?' Is Lord Strathspey's heir born V The old man shook the icy touch from his arm, and retieatcd a step or two in genuine toiror. Then, recovciing hims-eU : ' What i* it to yon ? and who are you ?' he answered, jirutlly. ' Nothing in the world to me,' loplicd the same voice,' ' but more than you think to the Kai lof Strathspej . lam an astrologer, Doctor Renfrew, and I tell you if Lord Strathspey's heir is bom within this hour, his bhth will come under the most baleful ' planet that roams the heavens/ 'Stand out ot my way, you prating idiot '' stormed the old Scotchman ; ' what f\in \ou tell of planets on a pitch-black night like this IJ< '1 understand my ait.' leplied the a«troloyer. ' 1 know what planets rule and reign, no matter whethci the sky is clear or clouded: and 1 am here to warn you. Speak to the countess, and take heed % >oui--elf to my words. It human ,-^kill can pievent it, </o not let Lord Strathspey's heir be born before the midnight hour ' The doctor turned sharply, and threw open the entrance door. ' Heic, Jeflrie?,' he called tothefootman, \\\\o stood within, ' take this fellow in charge till your master airives; he is a burglar, or an escaped lunatic, I suspect.' The footman achanced to do his bidding, but the strange creature Hed past him like a shadow, and disappeared before their c.nc^. Uttering something that sounded like an oath, the old doctor hlUlied back to theciimson chamber, leaving the bewildered lootman alone. • Will he never come ? Oh, Angus, Angu* !' moaned the countess. The doctor looked at his watch. It wa-? half-past eleven to the minute, lie fat down, and locked his hnncK together in grim impatience. The little French clock on the mantel ticked on, and the storm ia\ed and beat below. One quarter of an hour went by, and another, and then, at the very moment, when the iron tongue, away up in the windy tunet, was the midnight hour, a feeble, yet a double wail, resounded through the old state chambei ; the hen to Strath&pey Towers was bom, and with him a little twin .-ister.