A TERRIBLE MISTAKE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10069, 15 June 1910, Page 2

A TERRIBLE MISTAKE

BY I'. L. DACB.E, Author of—The Doctor's Secret, A Case for the Court, Sir John's Heiress, A Marriage, Trer'holice's Tru':t, ttc.

CHAPTER XXV,

MRS FKOST'S SAD STORY. j When the doctor came, there was ! nothing for him to do in t'le way of saving life; tha veriest novice would not have doubted for one moment that Hr Dudley was dear". The white, set face, the tightly clinched hands, i the glazed, upward-turned eyes, all told the terrible truth only too clearly. The doctor promptly declared that it was a case of murder. The poor old man had received a severe blow directly under the heart, and one jaw was fractured. The shock alone was sufficient to kil! a man of hi?! advanced age and physical weakness. When a police inspector arrived with one of his men, the grounds were thoroughly searched, but with little result. The evergreens where the body had been discovered were crushed "and broken dowr, and the doctor propounded a theory which was listened to in stolid silence. "It is evident," he said, "that some person or persons intended to commit a burglary by effecting an entrance through the French window of the drawing-room. Mr Dudley clearly followed, and was stricken down. It is not certain that anything but the fist was employed. The clinched hands of a powerful man are, under many conditions, almost as dangerous as a stick or other blunt instrument." The servants were questioned by the inspector; but nothing of importance was elicited. No stranger had been seen that day in the vicinity of the Woodlands, and they had no reason to suspect any one. of foul play. John Pitt, the gardener, was the only person who had had any I quarrel with the murdered man, and I that was only as to a matter of opinion between master and servant. The inspector eyed Pitt keenly, and the old gardener resented the look with an anj?ry gesture. Day was breaking /when the doctor and the inspector drove away, leaving the policeman in charge of the body. The servants discussed thp tragedy in whispers, and Hackett became unduly excited whon he found himself alone with Pitt, upon whose rugged face a deep gloom had settled. "I've known you for thirty years, John," Hackett said, "and I'm not going to stand by and see you hurried by. the police. If the inquest is unfairly conducted, I shall speak i" Pitt looked completely dazed. "Do they think that I hurt that old man, Hackett?" he asked. "Why, I'm as innocent as a baby." "Don't I know it? Don't I know who I see go into the shrubbery? Why, the master himself, while the carriage was waiting at the doot 1 to take him to the railway station!" "Hush!" Pitt whispered in awed tones. "I can't believe it of master* He hasn't done it any more than me. It's what the doctor said. A tramp killed the poor old man. Don't you mention master's name in the same breath with this murder." Hackett's lips quivered. He was greatly distressed. "I don't want to; but they mustn't t-y to take away the character of the wrong nan!" He could not forget Clifford's pale, agitated face. It seemed to him now that guilt'! had been written upon every line of it. „.Iu the meantime Hildred was nursing her misery, her terrible grief, in the loneliness of her own room. She had gazed upon the" dead face of her grandfather, and she knew that the horror of it would live with her for many years. The beautiful yuung life which had opened so fairly was clouded with gloom. Through all the darkness there was not one hopeful ray of light, her marriage had been a mistake from first to last—it meant ruin for the being 6he loved best on earth, it meant disappointment and burning p*un for the woman to whom he had already pledged himself. As for herself—poor Hildred!—what , was she but a miserable unit among millions? Far belter now if she were out of the world! In time her huabaud would forget her—indeed, her present loss might be an immediate relief to him. This was ever the burden of her thoughts.For a little while he might mourn her, and then the

' ])mu wtvM become a mere memory, j ■ a '.r; ...m of impulsive youth. , j let' companion offered sympathy, j and consolation, but the unhappy J girl could not listen. "You ate kind, Mrs Fcost," she said, with a burst of passionate tears which the .companion never forgot—"yon are very kind; but you do not understand! There is no happiness for me in this world again—never again!" "Your giief ia only natural, Mra Clifford," the lady replied. "It is a terrible thing that has happened to your grandfather; but time will soft en your pain." "I have no wish to live," Hildred said despairingly. "You have your husband and ynur home to live for. I hope that Mr Clifford will return to the Woodlands to-morrow, ft is not right that you should b-j alone." "My hubsand will not come back. He will be glad to jiear that I am dead." "My dear child," Mrs Frost cried in alarm, "I am afraid that you are going to be ill!" "I hope so—l want to die!" The companion comforted her with the tenderness of a mother, and the young wife sobbed hysterically. "Yon have so much to be thankful for," the lady said. "But you are only a child; you- do not yet realise that life has more of sorrow than of joy; that the way grows darker with advancing years, only illumined by intermittent pleains of sunshine. Sometimes the cross is very hard to bear!" "Don't—don't!" Hildred answered despairingly. "You do not know the bitterness at my heart. My life is ended. Everv one believes their own i sorrow to be the greatest." "iviy dear," Mrs Frost said'gently, "I will tell you a little of my own sad story, and you shall judge if your trouble is equal to mine." "I can find no consolation in the misfortune of other people," the young wife replied. "Butfjyou may tell me what you please I know that I am the most miserable of mortals." Mrs Frost regarded her sadly for a minute, and then began: "You have given me permission to speak, Mrs Clifford, and you shall judge who is most favoured by fate—you or I," There was a catch in her voice, and there were tears in her eyes. "When I was eighteen years of age I believed myself to be one of the happiest girls in England. I was beloved by a doting father, who delighted to lavish upon me everything that money could buy. I had a beautiful home, I had servants and horses; but, above all, the lover of my choice seemed to me to be a king among men. The picture is one of roseate hues and golden sunshine. Then clouds began to gather; my father had heard something to the discredit of the man whom I loved, and told me that the engagement must end. 1 had never seen him so stern and so distressed before, and it struck a chill to my heart. 1 could not believe that my lover was other than grand and noble. It was some cruel mistake—it was an insult which he disdained to I listen to, disdained even to deny. I heard his passionate words, and swore that nothing should part us, and a little later we were secretly married. When the news reached my father's ears he was" seized with a fit,, and died without r o»ice recovering consciousness. My act of disobedience had killed him, and I was thrust from the house by my only brother, who never forgave me. TO BE CONTINUED Three doctors rrom over the sea, Afctr trying their pills upon me, Sard "Laxo Tonic prevails, Where our skill often fails, You'd better try them and see." LAXO-TONIC PILLS, IOJd and 1/6Obtainable everywhere. TOOTHACHE. There is nothing so good for toothache rs Chamberlain's Pain Balm. When the gums and face are rubbed freely with this liniment the pain soon disappears, When the tooth ia deaayed saturate a piece of cottonwool with Chamberlain's j Tain Balui, place it in the cavity of the tooth, and immediate reliaf will result. Being an antiseptic, this preparation I will cleanse the tooth and thus in a I measure arrest decay. Sold by all chemists and storekeepers.