CHAPTER V11I

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 277, 30 June 1888, Page 4

CHAPTER VIII

V hTUAXOIi VISITOR. Lu>v iSm vtiisi'EV, hitherto a quiet and home-loving person, became all at once possessed with a perfect numiafortravelling, to her husband's unspeakable surprise. He had forgotten all about her dream, and could not divine the secret ol her unrest ; and as she was very weak, \vith white, waxen check*, and great, wistful eyes, he did not care to subject her to the many discomforts of prolonged travel In addition, Dr. Renfrew objected to it, and advised homo quiet kea-side cottage, or pleasant Alpine villa, where she would have a chance to re^t a*id gain strength. But the countess would not listen to it. She nnibt travel or she would return to the Tower,". Her loid was a little vexed at her unusuul obstinacy, and bpoke a trifle sharply. 1 I should think, Marguerite,' he said, 'you could content yourself with the bociety of your husband and child, especially when your life may be at stake. What new freak is this ? You were never before fond of travel or company.' She threw her white arms about his neck, her lovely eyes overflowing with tears. ' Don't be angry, deaiest Angus/ she entreated ; ' let me have my way this one time. ' Angus, / want tojhul oar boy.' \ The unutterable pathos in her voice brought the tears to her husband's eyes. ' My pooi- child," he replied, caressing her J sweet, white face, 'is that it '! Then you i shall have your way, if your strength does not fail. But. dear wife, you will surely be disappointed. Havo T not ottered the most tempting rewards? and the police have worked faithfully, yet we have discovered nothing. Mow then can you expect to find our babe by travelling ?' ' Never mind, my love, only let me have my way, 5 &he replied. Pie had forgotten her dream, and she was too sensitive and held it too sacred to allude to it, and her sudden desire to travel was regarded as an invalid's whim. But Lord Strathspey determined that she should be gratified. Early in June they were ready to set out, the countess herself having arranged the programme. FirsttheyworotogotoSwitzerland, and after a short sojourn amid the Alpine valleys, into the German provinces, shunning the cities and fashionable resorts, and following the rural and mountainous districts.

Lady Strathspey appeared to grow stronger and more like hei' former self as tho day of their departure drew near. She was all hope and excitement, with boundless faith in tho success of her undertaking. • When we come home again, Lady Pearl,' she would say, catching up tho little girl, and smothering her with her caresses ; ' when we come home again, you shall have a little brother. A littlo brother, Lady Pearl 1 Shall you not be glad ?' Her hope became a kind of inspiration, and watching her and listening to her plans, Lord Strathspey caught a trifle of her enthusiasm, and began to hnd himself looking forward to some strange discovery, he dare not question what, that would restore his child to him. Meanwhile, the afternoon botore the day of their departure came a chill, rainy afternoon, one of those gloomy, disagreeable days that come sometimes in midsummer, as if to remind us of the fading autumn and desolate winter that must surely follow in the wake of all the summer's golden days. Lady Strathspey sat in her private boudoir befoio a bright fire, and the earl reclined on a divan with little Marguerite between his knees. The child had grown surprisingly, and was a pertect little goddess in her infantile beauty. 'My dear love,' the carl was saying, while he caressed the child, glancinu: meanwhile with grave apprehension at hit. wife's flushed clieeks and brilliant eyes; 'you must not excite yourself so. Your life is more precious to me than anything else on earth, and you must take care of it. I have only consented to this journeying in oidei to gratity you, and it you are disappointed, as L am sure you will be, you ate not to fret yourself into a second illness We must try to accustom ourselves to our lo^s, lor I am afraid, dear, that our boy is dead. If it were not so, the rewards I havo offered would assuredly have brought some clue to his fate, ?ome tidings in regard to him.' The countess was on the point of replying, but she was interrupted by the entrance of Judith, ' I beg your pardon, my lord.' she said, 1 but you are wanted in the library : there is a— a woman there, who insists upon seeing )ou. .Jeffries did not want to admit her, but she would come in ; and she says it is something important.' The earl arose, putting little Marguerite from his knee, and something in Judith's face and manner attracting the notice of the counters, .she arose also. ' What is it, Judith ?' she asked, as> the earl left the apartment. ' Who is this person, and what docs she want V •Judith hesitated and .stammered • vMy lady, ] 'in sure 1 can't tell,' she said. ' She says — but pray sit down and compose y oursclh My lord will tell you when he icturn.s. ' Lady Strathspey grew deadly white, but her eyes shone like steel in their determination. '.Judith, * she cried, Someone has brought tiding* of my babe, and you are keeping' it t «ick : 1 can bee it in your face. But J will hear lor my.self. Take charge of Pearl till I return,' Tho girl threw hcrbolf in the doorway. ' iMy dear lady,' s-Jie implored, ' please do not. go ; wait till Lord Strathspey returns. You are not strong enough to bear it.' But the countess put her aside, and passed out without a word. She followed her husband straight to the library. The cioot was closed, and she tapped lightly. The 'earl himself opened it. ' My dear wife,' he began, 'go back, I entreat you, I will be with you in one minute. You arc not strong enough ' ' I am strong enough for anything but su^pcn.sc, Angus. Let me come in." tie threw the door wido open, buffering her to pa.? 1 - in. A woman sat in an armchair before the tire, with a child in her arms ; a tall, darkly-robed woman, with a brunette face, and large, Spanish, black eyes. She arose, at tho countess entered, still holding the child in her arms. ' This is Lady .Strathspey,' said the earl, as he led his wife to a seat. ' Now, my good woman, begin at the beginning, and let us hear yom btory.' The poor counter sank into her seat, clasping her hands together in an agony ot dieadful biibpense. But the next instant s f he started to her feet again, white as death to the very lip<. 1 For Heaven's sake !' she gasped, 'tell me, my good woman : tell me the truth, h (huf my child ' 'T really believe it ib your child, my lady,' leplied the woman, as she busied herself in removing the child's wraps ; 'at least you can look at it, and hp-ar what I have to tell you. Now you see,' she continued, as she threw back the babe's hood, and held it forward for Lady Strathspey's inspection. It was a pretty, healthy babe, with a fair, dimpled face, framed in flaxen ringlets. ' Now, see there ; isn't it a tine boy ? It needs but a glance to see the signs of good blood.' The countess might have been turned to stone, for all the signs of life she exhibited. She stood rigid and breathless, her face deathly white, nor wide, startled eyes bent upon the child. She did not utter a word or make a movement toward receiving or embracing the little waif. The mother instincc within hor made no demonstration. ' Marguerite, my wife,' gasped the earl, ' what do you say ? Is it our lost boy ? But,' he added, 'we must hear the story. Thank Heaven, we cannot be deceived. We've a sure test to prove our child's identity, if what Judith says is true. My good woman, sit down again, and let us hear your story,' The woman obeyed, seating herself and holding the child upon her knees. ' My story is simple enough, my lord,' bhe began. ' T live at Hampstead Heath, a bit out from London, when I'm not on the tramp. I belong, or did belong, co a tribe of gipsies, but 1 married a London man, and he don't like to be on the go all the time ; so we take a tramp once or twice a year, and then lay by at Hampstead. Last December it was, only a short time bctorc Christmas-tide, a division of my tribe was encamped near Hampstead, and, as usual, my husband and I shut up house and went down to join them. And it was there, my lord, that I first saw the child.' ' Lord Strahpey put his arm about his wife, and held her close. She was shaking like an aspen. 'Be calm, my love,' he whispered ; 'be calm and strong. It may be that all our prayers are about to be answered. ' ' The queen of the tribe had it,' continued the woman, as she settled the babe upon her knees and turned its little feet to the lire : ' but it was rather a trouble to 'em, being as they was on the tramp from one year's end to another, and she wanted to be rid of it. My man was fond of children, and we had none of our own, so we consented to take it if they'd pay us a fair compensation. They gavo us twenty pounds, iind we took the child home, and here he is.' \ But how did the child come in the hands of the gipsies ?' questioned the earl. 1 That I can't tell you, my lord,' replied the woman ; « all I know is, they said he came of good blood and belonged to one of tho first families of England, which 1 believe, for only sec what a pretty boy he is.' »* * And pray, my good woman/ continued tho earl, ' what led you to believe the child was mine ?'

' My husband was up in London, some time after we took bhe baby, and he heard how a child had been stolen from Sbiabhspey Towers, . and what great rewards were offered for its recovery ; and it struck me like n flash that this child was the one. Yet 1 had no thought of making it known at first, but the thing kept in my mind till it drove me wild. I was not determined about it till May, when the tribe came back to Hampstead again. They bad heard of the stolen baby and the great rewards, and the queen wanted to take tho child away from us. I knew well enough what she wanted it back for, and I refused to give it up. Then she ottered to buy ib, bub I refused still. She got terribly angry, and | sent to take the babe by force, but we got I it out of her way, and T made my escape to 1 London and hid the child there till the tribe went away. You see, my lord,' she went on, a gleaming light in her black eyes, ' I saw what they wanted of the baby ; they wanted to bring it to you and claim tho reward. So I made up my mind to fetch it myself, and here ib is. I book ib all the way to Strathspey Towers, and they sent me on here to find you.' She paused, still holding bhe boy in her arms, and glancing- keenly from the earl to his wife. They both sat pale and rigid. [ ' And do you expect me to take your .simple word for this?' said Lord Strath - I spey, at last ; 'to accept this child as mine, with no better proot than what you have told me?' i ' Here's the child, my lord,' replied the woman, with a sinister gleam in her Spanish eyes ; ' you and my lady can judge for yourselves. What proof do you want ?' ' Proof that this child is the same one that was stolon from my wife's chamber within an hour ot so of its birth,' replied Lord Strathspey. ' And, thank Heaven,' he added, after a moment, ' there is something — a test, a proof — upon which I can rely; the child I lost had a birbh-mark, a very peculiar birth-mark, upon its arm.' ' And so has this child, my lord,' replied the woman, glibly, as she began to remove the child's garments ; ' a queer mark on its arm. I've never seen anything like it.' The countess struggled to her feet with a gabping cry. 'Now, look for yourself,' cried bhe stranger, baring the babe's round, dimpled arm. Lord Strathspey and his wife bent forward in breathless suspense ; and there, distinctly defined beneath the white, satinlike skin, was a scarlet crotss! ' Oh, my baby, my baby !' cried bhe countess, extending her arms as if bo clasp the child to her bosom, bub in the effort she tell fainting at her husband's feet.