CHAPTER LVII.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2200, 14 August 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

CHAPTER LVII.

'Ami moody madness laughing wild, A n».(l »e\ t *n\st w oe. ' The iuqu<'>t mi the body of Captain Hugh Cl.ivt.Mi. late of H,x\l. 3rd Regt , was ln'ld u Niirbroiiirh the day after hia do.it h, :md the Vioav then g.ivo the following evidence — He w.us sitting, ho stated, on the proMinis cveiiuiif, in the dining-room of the Vnai.i<, f p, along with tho young" 'lady — who was o died, in his h6usehold, Miss AYilhnms ; but who, ho was aware, was in reality tho .vifoof Captain Clayton — when tho fiout door-boll rang 1 , and presently a MU'vant ejMne and informed them that a gentleman outride wished to speak to Mi>s Willi.ims. She at once became exceedingly agitated on hearing this, and on seeing that she was so, the Vicar proposed to go and enquire who it was ; he himself believing it ,to be somo joke of his son's sending in euch a message, as he had been abroad, but had returned to they knew a few days before. On going to the front entrance, however, he found a total stranger, who in a loud and excited voice dewajnded to see the lady who lived ther<\ and who bore the name of Mis.s Williams, but whom he now claimed, as hi& wife. The Vicar further .stated that he endeavoured to pacify Captain Clayton, and succeeded so 1 far 1 that he became calmer mt manner and asked at all i« vents to be allowed to see tho Hdy. To this the Vicar saw no reasonable- objection ; but he turned back to the diniug-ioom to aek Miss Williams' permission before he consented to the interview. Ho found Miss Williams standing palo and terror-stricken, for she had probably ovci heard his conversation with Captaiu Claj t m, as he had left the roomdoor slightly ajar when he went out, and she .it, once appealed to him f.o protect her, grasping his hind and trembling violenty. The. next iniqinent she gave a loud i'iy, and the Vicar turning round he saw C-ipt.iip Clayton, standing in the doorway, .lie having followed the Vicar to the room, which he now entered, 'closingthe door behind him, , l>{ Mi* Manners then detailed the terrible scene which took place between tbe unhappy husbaud! and wife— -Captain Clayton demanding her to return to him, and Mrs Clayton positively declining to do so. ' I then,' went on the Vicar, ' proposed that Captain Clayton shpuld retire with me to tho study, and there talk quietly over this miserable affair with me alone. I din this in the hope that some arrangement might be made, and also because I saw the extreme agitation and terror of the unfortunate young lady. Captain Clayton made no answer to this proposal, but after a few moments' science said, in a changed wnd hollow voiee — 'Amy, have you no fot'lmjr for mo — none — none for the miserable year9 l have t-penr — none for your husband /' • * To this appeal Mrs Clayton, who was tupping bitterly, anoworod, holding out her hand — ' Hugh, I will not deceive you. I never loved you; but would to God I had dv il beiore you and I ever mot.' ' You never loved me,' repeated Captain Clayton. ' ' I \v,ib aJlcdted,' continued the Vicar, *1)\ the utt'-r ikspur u.f. his voice and manner us he sail this, and turned- away my bead, walking towaids the window. ' You never loved me,' I heard him mutter a thud time, 'you never loved me. 1 ' Mri Clayton ma do no an&wer to this, and a moiujnl later Captain Clayton critd out, in n wild .struu«fL, voice, * then you ,sh ill love no ot.hci 1115111 !' ' ' Alaimrd 'dj, those words I turned hastily lcuud, ,md as. I did .so, hoard two rapid rop'nts horn, si revolver, which ho must hive had uonu'jaled upon hn person, while with a turible sluiek Mrs Claytou fell to the floor; and the mxt instant, before I could endcav(»ur to wrest? it from his grasp, the unfortuuatc man had fired at Irs own thioat. He did not live many minutes after this, and tried vainly to speak ; but the blood flowing into his mouth prevented him, and after a, few convulsive struggles lie died. < ' This is all I know of tho matter,' concluded the Vicar, ' excepting, as I stated before, I was awaie that the young lady 1 ■who lived in my house under the name of Mi-s Williams was in reality Captain Cl:i\ ton's wife, and that. she had left him while residing in India, in consequence of the most cruel ill-treatment, and kept her. name and residence a secret for fear of her life ; which fear, as we have seen, was only too well grounded/, > The next evidence, taken was that of Captain Claytons soldier -servant. Thia man deposed that his late master . had suffered from two attacks of delirium trcmens — one while living in India, and the other while lately in Scotland ; and that since the last attack he considered his' master's intellect decidedly impaired ; and he al«o spoke of the, extreme' violence and initability of his temper. This man's evidence was confirmed by Mr Mounsoy, who had arrived at Narborough in time for the inquest, and was much .shocked and shaken, for he had just seen Hugh Claytons disfigured corpse. He stated that he had noticed a great chanyo lately in his unfortunate relation, and that, hia wife, who ,was the late Captain Claytons cousin, had fre'qnently declared th.it his mind was affeuted. ' , Thi*, and the medical evidence, "was conMidcird conclusive. The jury returned a verdict of tompoiary insanity ; and after he had partaken of some luncheon, and a ronsidoi able amount of biandy to support himself, Mr Mounsey saw about the necessary arrangements for removing the nnhanpv man's remains. A relief seemed to fall on the household after they were gone — a relief which wo experience even when we have hidden from our .sight tho earthly tenement of home untimely-parted soul. There is something awful to ea'jh of us, is theie not, in the Knowledge that a form, still, cold, and harmlu-s, lies in Home locked chamber beneath 0111 loot ? If we are mourners of the dead, this strange felling is not so strong. Then we are thinking and grieving over what wp have lost. Could we have been kinder ? Ah, me — ah, me — which of us do not cry out mon culpa in those first sad hour* 1 . But tbe dead to whom in life we have been inditfeient — the dead who have been nothing to us — do we care for their silent presence ? ' It's like a shadow over the house,' people say : so wo ato glad to huny lU'iu <ml, and hasten over with dm nt i'-jri t 1 lieu paitiug obsequies The \ k ,i' iell, lln,-, naturally a> regards Captain GUy ton's body, and Mis Miinnei-v aKo ; and even George bre.ithtd a b.gh of leliet as the, hearse containing it wa,i driven slowly away from the houso towards the station, from whence it had to be forwarded to its final rest in the family vault in Lancashire. But xv.ivi* anxiety and much pain wns ft It behind. The doctor from Edinburgh, who exti acted the ball from Amy's shoulder during tho very time the inquest was being held on her late husband downstairs, did not take such a favourable Tiew of the case as Dr. Ituthyen, and thought the patient'n cou-oHtutioiA was almost too delicate to survive the shock. George

heard this, and it took all his faith and patience to endure the terrible anxiety of the Mxt few days. Amy wandered at ■I?™^^"^ would pitfouslyentreatythem ndfcito^biive her, and jUTrI& sHWSljnincW nrJEont as if trying toflBoape^K>m|||ioin* imaginary pursuer; awl Qjfiorse JP H^9| 3Kan^*a silent hour by tnfc ffedsiwVw tmr unconscious woman, who seemed even in her most violent paroxysms ..qf^pajjl. ra&, feVer'to recognise a sort of protection in his proßonco. Another anxious watcher, too, scarcely left hor hide. Mrs Manner^ after GfcQJKe'j, arrival'Tfaici "atoneo recovered from the shook which the terrible scene in the dining-room at first had gfvon , her '; arid day affct-r day, and night after 'night, she wan to Wp f6m»d afc her post by the in♦alid's bed. ' IfOor^re had not loypdhis good stepmother before, ha would suroly have lparnfc to do ho now, and indeed the simple wnv in which she accounted jfor' her devotion once nearly unmanned hi»n. 1 1 AVhy, do;ir, I look on \wr as my stepdunghtor now,' f.he putting ht-rhoud^ into sior son's, ' and am nursing her 'lor you ;' And by-aud-by all her care and attention met with his reward, for Amy began slowly hut certainly to recover.' • But it was with a. solemn, a« well as with a' thankful, feeling iv its heart, that George Manners went out for the first time after his return, having been told that morning by Dr. ftuthyen that the worst was now over, &nd that with ordinary care and peace of mind Amy, in all probability, would get well. • , ['To be continued.) '