CHAPTER XII.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 397, 28 August 1889, Page 3

CHAPTER XII.

THE FIRS!' ENDING OF THE TJK'AG'EDY. ' Eioht days , after the burial k of' Lady Catheron, several events occurred' thaV wrought ' the seething excitement of Cheaholm -to boiling-over ! priin'b-- events talked of for many an after year, by cottage •fireside and manor heavbh. ! •«' ; ••' The first of these was Miss Catlujfoh'^' before the *p6lioe niasfiatfate, and her committal "to gaol, until the-as-sizes. . The justice before whom the young lady appeared was ' the same who- had already issued his warrant for her arrest — a man likely to show her ( ', little favour on account of her youth,' her beauty, or her rank. Indeed, the latter made him doubly bitter; he was

a virulent hater ot the k bloated aristocracy,' Now that he had one of them in his power, he was determined to let the world at large, and Chesholm in small, see that neither station nor wealth could be shielded for crime. ' ■ She took her place in the prisoner's dock, pale, proud, disdainful. She glanced over the dark sea of threatening faces that thronged the court-room, with calmly haughty eyes— outwardly unmoved. Her few friends were there— few indeed, for nearly all believed that if hers was not the hand that had struck the blow, she had .been at least her- brother's abettor. Many were brought forward who could swear how she had hated my lady ; how she had taken every opportunity to insult and annoy her ; how again and again my lady had been found crying fit to break her heart after the lash of Miss Inez's stinging tongue. She had loved Sir Victorshe was furiously jealous of his wife — she had fiery Spanish blood in her veins, and a passionate temper that stopped at nothing< Jane Pool was there, more bitter thati ever 7— more .deadly in her evidence! Hooper was there, and his reluctantly extorted testimony told dead against her. The examinatjpn jasted two days. Inez Cabheron was re - committed to prison to stand her trial for murder at the next assize*. The second fact worthy of note was, that despite' the efforts of the Cheeholm police, in spite of the London detectives, k no tale or tidings of Juan Catheron were to be found. The earth might have opened and swallowed him, sa completely had he disappeared. The third fact was, that Sir Victor Calherpn had reached the crisis of his disease and passed it safely. The fever was slowly but steadily abating. Sir Victor wns not to die, but to * take up the burden of life again ' -a dreary burden, with the wife he had loved so fondly, sleeping in the vaults of Chesholm Church. The fourth fact was, that the infant heir of the Catherons had been removed from Catheron Royals to Powyss Place, to be brought up under the watchful eye and care of his grand-aunt, Lady Helena, On the evening of the day that saw Inez Catheron committed fot trial, the post brought Lady Helena a letter. The handwriting, evidently disguised, wasunfamiliar, and yet something about it set her heart throbbing. She tore it open ; it contained an inclosure. There were but three lines to herself*:' -' ' Dear Lady H. : If you will permit a rcpr°' Dalo to be on such familiar terms with you l ' highly " respectablo name, I address J , under cover to you. as per order. • J.C The inclosure was sealed. Lady Helena destroyed her own, and nextday drove to the prison with the other. She found her niece sitting comfortably enough in an arm-chair, reading, and except that she had grown thinner and paler, looking little the worse. All thati 6 rtras possible to do to make, her comfortable had been. done. Without a word the elder woman presented the letter —without a 'word the younger took it. She turned to the window and read its brief contents. i Thank HeavenJ' her aunt heard her fervently say. •* May .I: see it, Inez ? What does he say ? Is he-coming here to — ' ' Coming hexe !' The girl's dark eyes looked at .her .in grave astonishment. ' Certainly nob. He is safe avv\v, I am thankful to say, and but of their reach.' . { And he leaves you here to suffer irk his stead, atid yotr thank Heaven for it ! Inez Catherorv, you- are the most egregious — Give me" that n6te I' Inez smiled as ahe gave 'it. Her aunt? pub upjier doublo eye-glass, and read :

' O^r Board the Tiiree Be^ls, 1 ' ' Off PlyAioutii, Oct. — / 'Deau I. :-r-I've dodged the beaks, you see. ,1 bought a disguise that, would hdve baffled Fetiche himself, and— hero I am.< In twenty minutes we'll have weighed anchor and away to the West Indies. I've read Lho papers, and I'm sorry* td see they've taken you on suspicion. Inez, you re a trump, by Jove! I can say no mqre; but. mind you, only I know they can't commit you, I'd coino back and confess all. I w ould, by jingo. I may be a scoundrel, but I'm not such a scoundrel as that. •I see the baronet's down -with brain fever. If I c goes off the hooks, there will be only the young 'un between me and the succession. Suppose he goes off the hooks too, then I'll be a tull-fledged buronet ! But of course he, won't. I'm always an unlucky beggar. You :nay write me on board the Three Bells, v at Martinique, and iet me know how things go on in England.

A flush— a deep angry flush reddened the face of Lady Helena Powyss, as she finished bhia cool* epistle. She crushed it in her hands as" though ifc were a viper. , ''The coward! the dastard ! And ib is for bjie • hearble"s3 writer of bhis insolenb letter that you ' suffer call this. Inez 'dabheron, I command ' you — speak out. 'lei! me whab you know. Let the guilty Wretch you ' call brother suffer for his own crime. ' | Inez looked ab her, wibh something of the stern, haughty glance she had casb upon bhe rabble of bhe court room. t ' Enough, Lady Helena ! You don'b know what you are talking about. I have told yOu before : all I had to say I said ab bhe inquest. It is of no use our talking about iti Come whab may, I will never say one word more.' 'And looking at her stern, resolute face, Lady Helena knew she never would. She tore the letter she held into minutest raprsels, and tied them up in heir handkerchief. „ j I'll burn them when I get home, and I neVer want to hear his name again. For you,' lowering her voice, 'we must save you in spite of yourself. You shall never stand your brial at the assizes.' Miss Cabheron looked wistfully ab bhe heavily bolbed and barred window. ■ 'i I should like bo be saved,' she said, wearily, 4at Yiny other price' than that of speaking. Once -I 'thought I would die sooner than stoop' to run away — a fortnight's, imprisonment changes all that". Save nic if you can, Aunt Helena- it will , kill me to face that horrible mob again.' j ' Her' voice died out in a choking sob." She was thoroughly brave, but' she shlid- ' dered wibh sick fear and loathing, from head td foot, as she recalled the dark/ vindictive faces; the merciless eyes that had' confronted her yesterdaytn evfcry side. Lady Helena kissed her quietly" and turned to go. 'Keep up heart,' she said; 'before tho week ends you shall be free.' Two days later, Lady Helena and. the warden of Chesholm goal sab closeted together in deep and. mysterious conference. On the table between! them lay a crossed cheque for seven thousand pounds. I " The gaoler sab with knitted brows' and troubled, anxious face. He had been for years a- servant' in' Lady Helena's family. Her influence had procured hira his present situation. He had a sick wife and a large family, and seven -thousand was an immense bempbabion. . „ . ' You risk nothing,' Lady Helena was saying, in' an agitated whisper, ' and you gain every tHing." 'They, will blame ydu for nothing worse' than carelessness in the discharge .of y.our duty. * You may lose your' situation". 'Very 'well, lose ib. Hero 'are seven thousand pounds fofr you. In all life, grdbbing here, you would never accumulate 1 half or quarter this sum. You can remove to London ; trust to my influence to procure .you a better, situation .there than this. And oh, think of her — young, guiltless— think what her life has been, think what it is now destined to be. She is innocent — I swear ib. You have

. daughters of your' own, about her age3 think of theqa and yield !' "'" ' I He stretched forth his hand and an I; Bwered, resolutely : I ' Say no more, my lady. Let good or il betide— l'll do it.' t The issue of the 'Chesholm Courier r four days.later contained a paragraph thai I created, the profoundeat excitement^ front r end to. end of the town. We quote it : • • ■ ' Escape on Miss Inez Catheron from ■ Chesholm Goal— No Trace . of Heb ' to be Found— Suspected Foul, Pla^ 1 — The Gaoler Threatened by th* 1 Mob. i 1 Early on the morning of Tuesday the i under gaoler, going to Miss Catheron's cell with her breakfast, found, to his astonishment and dismay, that it' was empty, and his prisoner flown. ' A moment's investigation showed him the bars of ' the window cleanly filed through and removed. A rope" ladder and a friend without; it is quite-evident, did the rest. The man instantly gave the ■ alarm and aid came. The head gaoler appears to be as much, at a loss as his underling, but he is Suspected. He Jived in his youth in the' Vowyss family, and was suspected of a strong attachment to the prisoner. He says he visited Miss Catheron last night as usual when on his rounds, and saw nothing wrong or suspicious then, either about the filed bars or the young lady. It was a very dark night, and no 'doubt her escape was easily enough effected. If any proof the prisoner's guilt were needed, her ilight from justice surely renders it. Miss Catheron's friends have been permitted from the first to visit her at their pleasure, and bring her what they chose — the lesult is to be seen to - day. The- police, both of our town and metropolis, are diligently, at work. It is .hoped that their labours-will be more productive of success in the case of the sister than they have been in that of the brother. ' The head gaoler, it is said, will be dismissed from his post. No doubt, pecuniarily, this is a matter of indifference to him now. He made his appearance once in the street this morning, and came near toeing mobbed. Let this escape be rigidly investigated, and let all implicated be punished.' The escape created even more intense and singry excitement than the murder. The rabble were furious. It is not every day that a young lady of the upper ten thousand conies before the lower ten million in the popular character" ot a murderess. They had been lately favoured with such rich and sensational disclosures in high life — love, jealousy, quarrels, assassination. Their victim was safely in their hands ; they would try her, condemn her, hang her, and teach the aristocracy law was a game two couW play at And lo !in the hour of their triurop'h she slips from between their hands, and, like her guilty brother and abettor, makes good her escape. The town of Chesholm was furious. If the gaoler had shown his face he stood in danger of being torn to pieces. They understood thoroughly how it was — that he had been bribed. In the dead of night, the man and his family shook the dust of Chesholm oft their feet, and went to hide themselves in the busy world of London. Three weeks passed. October, with its mellow days and frosty nights, was gone. And still no trace of the fugitive. All the skill of the officials of tho town and country had .betfn j baffled by the cunning of awoman. Inez Catheron might have flown with the dead summer's swallows for all . the trace she had left behind. * The first week of November brought still another revelation. Sir Victor Catheron had left the Royals ; Lady Helena, the squire, the baby, - the nurse, Powyss Place. They were all going to the south of France Tor the young baronet's spirits and health.. Catheron Royals, in charge of Mrs Marsh and Mr Hooper, and two servants, on board wages, was left to silence and gloom, rats and evil repute, autumnal rain and wind. The room of the tragedy was shut up, a doomed room, ' under the ban ' forever. I And so for the present the ' tragedy of Catheron Royals ' has ended. Brother and sister had fled in their guilt, alike from justice and vengeance. Ethel, Lady Catheron, lay with folded hands and" sealed lips in the grim old vaults, and a parchment and a monument in Cheshalin Church recorded her name and age — no more. So for the present it had ended.