THE TRAGEDY OF REDMOUNT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 283, 28 November 1896, Page 6

THE TRAGEDY OF REDMOUNT.

BY MRS E. M. HOLMES.

Soabhoi' of ' A Woman's Love,' * Her Fatal

Sin,' Etc., Sto.'

CHAPTER XXXII. You gave mo your word, cried Hilda, 'that you would Boay without the gate 3 until my return. Go, now, and wait) I 1

Bornsrd did not answer her, bat; pushed her roughly away, and caught bold of Mona with all the sbrongih of hia powerful fram9 ; in another instant) he had her in his bold," and she struggled rainly to escapo from him. Then Mona übbered a shrill cry that let* her with a strained, death-like look ; the next iHstant a crimson stream ebbed slowly from her pale mouth. But Bernard did not notice this. The eight of that pallid down-drooped face lying helplessly againab Bernard's arm, tilled Duke with strong shudderi; the ghastly eighb of blood made his brain rael with a otrange giddineee. He made an effort to move forward ; he extended hiß arms in readiness to snatch her from her tyranb master ; bub he could not m«ve as he wished—hia steps faltered, his limbs gnve way, and be staggered heavily. ' Oh, my God ! I am dipping back into darkness. 1 cannob rescue her from that) wretch ! He—' fie sank back ; though he strove hard for self mastery, he fell to bhe ground, and lay there quite still. Hilda flow to him, flinging herself down beaide him. She lifted hia head, and entreated him to apeak ; but his eyes were closed—he waß deaf to the sound of her voice. ' The shock has killed him,' she moaned. • He will never recover from this !' She touched him reverently with her slender hands—she felt for the life-throba of his heart; ib was still beating. A great, glad rush of relief flooded her aoul. While she beat over him, eho did nob notice that Bernard was dragging Mona in the direction of the lake. 'You are nob a man, but a fiend! she said, with a wiidness that seemed terrible. ♦ Loo mo go—you are driving mo mad.' He did not open his lipa to speak, bub moved on nearer to the winding banks of the smooth, motionless water. She seemed to understand the immediate paril into which she was being wilfully dragged. Sue was too oxbausted feo struggle long ; she was compelled to let him carry her whither he chnee. Barnard walked rapidly towards the boat house ; there was a desperate glo.w on his face, and he looked often at bis burden witii fierce, cruel eyee. 1 You shan't have a chance of offending tne a^uin !' he muttered. Mona started, and seemed suddenly to realise the terrible truth. Bernard meant to murder her—to take her unhappy life,

instantly eho felt a strong desire to live. Sho rallied from tha semi-stupor that had nearly mastered her, and once caoro tried to free herself.

She managed somehow, with all hor weakness, to slip from hia hold. She wound her arms around the wooden columns of the quain6 Gothic building, and clung there for her life.

11 am not; oo easily thwarted !' Bernard ejclaimed, hia face convulsed with passion. She had fallen almost fainting against the clustering leaves. She felt his rough hands pulling her back, his hot breath oa her faco.

Sho grew sick with dread ; she prayed for life and strength, and pressed her white anna frantically ahout tho twisted columns that supported tho narrow entrance to the

boat-houso,

The knotted wood bruised her fair skin in tho effort to hold out against Bernard, Sho seatnad a strange figure standing there, hor blue oyas wild wita fear, her pale hiiir scattered aboub her slight shoulders, and the red blots shining in fearful contrast agaiuab the delicate lace ruffles aboub her throat.

How coon she had been snatched from thoae blissful stolen moments of rare happiness ! It seemed as if the past) hour, spens in tho sunshine with Duke ab her feet, had never really beea, bub ia some fleeting dream had come and passed to show her all that she had missed. Tho more fiercely Bernard straggled to pain poasesaion of her, the more resolutely she clung to her place of refuge. The lako was vory near to her, serene and glisbeninar, bub ready to receive her in a foul death-clasp. She knew that is his present state of mind he would nob hesitate to throw her down to die before his eye?. ' Do you imagine that I shall not master you? he muttered. ' You may as well lei go. You will see that I shall force you to directly.' Tho frail light building almost shook sa he triad to gob her away. She resisted with all her will, bub gradually the wild strength that had aided her wavered and failed.

SuJrienly sho heard Hilda's voice ; with » blind, unguarded moveinonb she stretched out her arms to her, and Bernard seized them and dragged her closer to the water's sdee.

1 Aro you mad V Hilda askad, breath'easly, approaching. ' What are you going '.o do with her? VVhaS have you already 3one?' she added, frightened by the sijhb jf the livid ptain ahe row waw tor the firßt

simo on Mona'a dress,

' Leb her alone,

Bernard, or I will rouse the household and !ell them to havo you guarded. You must »c out ot you mind.'

•Very likely,' ho retorted in his teeth

■Bub 1 know what T intend to do. Too oii£ have I been burdened with a falae rife.'

Mona once moro attempted to catch ab

.he protruding part of the boat>house, but iow her strength utterly failed her; she :qld fchitt there was no escape.

Death hovered near, but fell nob upon ihe victim Bernard sought to deutroy in

jis mad passion

Ib etune like a judgment from Heaven, And without warnioK Bernard staggered beneath the unexpected shock.

Sornething1 struck him with crushing force; he released Mona, uob knowing what he did. Hia faco grew rigid aa hie stricken figure heavily touched the grou'ad; his fierce eyea were dull with the strange miats of death.

Ib scarcely seemed possible that the strong, powerful man, in whose grasp Mona bad felb herself helplessly doomed, could have so suddenly changed positions with her.

She stood above him with her life unharmed, whilst) be lay gasping in the last agonies of mortal pain. She crept towards him, startled and shocked, and still afraid of him, but with a passionate cry, Hilda flung herself down to discover how far he had been hurt.

A heavy wooden rafter from the roof of tho boat-house, long since dislodged, had fallen dowp, striking him on fclia head in its dangerous descent),

Half-Bbunued by tlit blow, he could only look vaguely into the white, drawn, bent faco of the one being in the whole s?«rld who honestly regretted that this horrid accident had cut short his existence.

His ashen lips moved, bub were voiceless, and the dim, glassy look in hia eyes; grew moro pronounced avid dreadful. 4He 18 dying !' Hilda Baid, brokenly ; 'he can never recover from this. God pisy ua, our miseries have no end." Mona trsmblingly dragged her failing limbs across to where her husband lay, and clapping her hands painfully together, whispered, in a faint), frightened voice: 'I never wasted any harm to eosna to him—l never wished him to die, through all I suffered. This i« ro horrible, ho sudden. Can nothing be dose?' 1 Nob bow,' Hilda answered, huskily. • Are you sure ?' she queßtioaed, shivering, aad feeling miserably guilty, startled with remorse to think that she had disobeyed and infuriated him that day. The white face of Hilda quivered, and then grevr sbill with the resolution to remain calm.

Her voice had a atraiaod sound of repressed tearß whan sho replied : ' Yes, ib is useless bo hope bhab his life will be spared, if it i« poseible that you can hold that wiah in your heart) after what you have endured from him. He ia beyond help. You have little cause to complain of your bondage now ; the tie is almost broken.' 1 Don'b blnmo me just now !' she pleaded in a distressed way. 'If I deserve your rebuke ib is because he made me sea the difference between them ; because 1 had from one hareh driving discouragement. while all the tenderness came from Duke. Hilda, don'b misjudge me—in my worsb moods, I never wished for this.' •I am not blaming you,' Hilda answered ; 4 you have had much bo boar with. Bub all that is over now.' She spoke quite calmly, but her eyea were heavy with tsar?, and her pale face went whiter as her lips uttered tbo painful truth. Mona crunched down lower to the earth : an icy hand seemed to hold her soul in a frozen clasp. She felt that; she had nob t>son altogether blameless. She had allowed her thoughts bo stray to and dweli with Duke. She acknowledged her weakness now that it waa too late bo repair the wrong. She had been self-willed and reckless, thinking too much of her own pain, showing too much fear for Bernard, and not enough strength of spirit when necoseary in eelf-dofence. She could nob look at him, bub shudderIngly asked Hilda if they were to expect the worst. Tha asßvror almost terrified her. * You need nob be afraid, Mona. There is nothing to startle you now ; the worafc is over.' For Hilda's sake Bhe forced herself to look on the dark face, whose fierce and broodful expression had often alurmed her. She turned away almost instantly, cold and trembling, and Roarly fainted. She was free. Death had severed her from her tyrant, had given her release from a hated bondage ; but sho waa nob glud, or even relieved. There is something in death that stills resentment, and stifles unworthy thought Mona forgot all that the future held our, to her in tha presence of her dead husband ; sho only wished that he could bo recalled from death—that he might live again.

When Sidney came out from the house, he stopped, and gazed in despair ab the scene before him : then, noticing Duke, he rushed forward with a beating heart.

He found him rallying, just a? Mona sank into complete unconsciousness, and, setting a firm guard over her feeling, Hilda rose and went to mccl him, and told him all that had occuired.

(To be Continued.)