A MAD BETROTHAL.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5661, 21 October 1889, Page 4

A MAD BETROTHAL.

[BY LAURA JEAN LIBBY.]

CHAPTER XXIV. NADINE MAKES A DABING ESCAPE. When consciousness returned to Nadine she found herself in a carriage with Osmond, ■whirling swiftly over the uneven country road. Then—Heaven pity her '.—the remembered what had befallen her. But even with that knowledge her heart did not break. Hearts never break until God wills it. . . "Where are you taking me? she

moaned. " Home," he replied, grimly. " Does not tho intelligence pease you ? " She could not reply. Her heart was too full for ntterttuco. She kuew it was sinful, but she could not help crying out to Heaven to let her die there and then.

Slowly the hours passed, and the carriage rolled steadily on. Day broke pink and golden over the eastern hills, and found them still pursuing their journey. Cuptaiti Osmond stopped at a desolate •wayside tavern for breakfast, but Nadine shrank back, utterly refusing it; food from his hands would choke her.

" Suit yourself about eating," said the captain, grimly. "No doubt you'll come to your appetite sooner or later," as he ordered the driver to proceed.

For long hours they rode on again in utter silence, which was broken at length by Captain Osmond remarking , : "We make the entire journey by carriage. If you expect your etrength to last, you had better partake of that lunch I had put up for you." She turned her head away without answering. Again the darkness of night gathered over the earth, and still the carriage rolled on close by the margin of the sound, whose waters beat tha shore with a low, drenry ■wash. Once Nadino lifted her head from her hands and gazed out udod the water, tipped by the goldtm light of the stars. Ah! Heaven pity her ! what n world of misery lay before her ! How could she live her lifo out. with this man she abhorred so greatly—this man who had come buck from the grave, as it were, to part her from him whom she had learned to love too late?

A strange, dreary thought occurred to her. Ah! if she could but open the carriage door softly, upon the side on which she sat, without attracting Captain Osmond's attention ! Then, with ono swift leap, -whirl down from the carriage—down into the starlit waters bolow, and find peace and freedom there ! Amid the crunching of the rapidly reTolving wheels upon the pebbled road, Osmond did not hear the handle of the door turn ever so softly and cautiously. He must have been thinking ever co deeply that he did not feel the cool breeze wafted up from the water or hear tho waeh of the •waves.

Nadine gathered her garments oloser about her, planted one foot firmly on the carriage steps; then there was a swift, suddon movement, a lightning-like leap, followed by a heavy splash into the water below.

And in that instant Captain Osmond realised what had occurred. The quick jerk of the vehicle had frightened the mettlesome horses, and they broke into a mad gallop. " Stop those horses, will you ?" yelled the captain, wild imprecations ringing out like bugle blasts on the night air. The frightened driver did hia beet, but, to add to Mβ terror, tho reins broke under the terrible tension. The horses seized the bits in their mouths, and tore the rocking vehicle after them with Hghtaing-lilco rapidity. It soon collided with a giant oak at the fork of the road, and a moment later Captain Oamond, surrounded by the debris of the vehicle, layfacedown ward by tbo daisy-bordered roadside. Nadine had struck near the edge of the water in falling, whero it was but a few feet deep; «ho was unhurt, but lay for a moment stunned by the fall. Her first impulse, as she began to gather her scattered senses together, was—flight. To put tho whole world between the captain and herself, if she could. He would search for her vigorously ; ho must not find her there when the morning broke. Struggling to her feet, Nadine pushed on over the desolate road. How long or how far she traversed, she never knew ; the sound of voices falling on her ear caused her to stop short with fear; glancing , directly ahead of her, nhe beheld two men with lanterns in their hands, stooping over something lying in the road. as the driver's, a»ked anxiously : " Do you think ho is really hurt, doctor ? I (ittnijt)t tell how the acoidont happened; it in beyond my comprehension. There is another, —a lady, sir, who must bo lyiug somewhere back along the raad ; we must search for her." Thoy had been engaged in making n rude litter of branches, and proceeded to raise the prostrate form over which they bent, stud placed the injured man upon it, " Now for the lady," said the person who was presumably a, dootor, fortunately liyinjf thereabout*, who had been hastily summoned by the driver. " I will tell you tho truth about the gentleman. Hu has received internal injuries from which he cannot possibly recover. He may live n week—possibly a month or no, but it means death for him b}' that time, without doubt." Nadino listened almost paralysed with terror. " I havo canned his death," she murmured, her breath. " Heaven pity me ! I never meant tv do th.'it. I meant only to break awity from him."

•" he lad sunk down on her knees in the long gvneu, her heart too crushed to even sob, and kueeling there, a strange and fiudfien resolve came to her.

If Cupt'iin Osmond lay ill unto death, her place, as his lawful wedded wife, no matter Low eh« abhorred him, was at his bedside.

•'I will make what atonement I can," fche cried, holding out her white arms to heaven, " for, was it not all my fault ?" She rose slowly and made her way toward them.

They started back in affright, as they saw tho palo, iovely face and the great burning eye*, as ehe approached.

"My—my—husband!" shogapped. "He ie badly hurt!"

" I am afraid so, madame," replied the bearded, kind old doctor, " bat let us thank Heaven that you have escaped so terrible a disaster without injury. Shelter is close at hand ;wo will take him to that house, whoso chimneys can bn easily seen through the tree* yonder—it is a sort of country boMtciry."

The two men raised the litter to their shoulders, and made their way quickly to the house in question, whoso inmates, it aoemed, had been advised previously of their coming. Nadine followed.

" Bring the poor gentleman and his lady right in, «r," said the bustling landlady ; " we can accommodate you with any number of rooms; moro'e the pity of it, now that the new railway has taken traffic the other way."

"Lead the way, then, Mrs Blake, to your best chamber," isaid the doctor, impatiently. Hβ had taken in the indications of the travellers, and concluded they were amtily able to pay for the best, which wasn't much to baawt of in tboee surroundings "Can it bo possible tho gentleman is your husband?" exclaimed the landlady, " Why, you don't look much more than it schoolgirl; and if it ian't an impertinent question, are you a brido, and was this your wedding tour ?" "I am over eighteen," replied Nadine, ■wearily. "We were married a little over a year ag-o." "Rooms in close proximity were given them, and one assigned to die nurne whoai tbo doctor had promised to send around.

" The driver tells me you were travelling for two nights past," said the landlady, kindly laying her hand on the girl's boiiuy dark curls. " You must bo eerarnost tired to death ; lie down and take a bit of a sleep while tho doctors are with your huebuiid ; you could't do any good by his bedside, nohow."

" My place is by his bedside," returned Nadine, wearily. " I owe him eveiy attentioH."

£ U through the long hours of the night Nadine and the good old doctor sat by Captain Osmond's beside. To listen to his ravings was something terrible. For hours he would rave about finding some one, and when he found them ho would crush them body and soul.

Thus it went on for six long and weary weeks, while the delirious fever raged with never a lucid interval. An hundred times a day the name of Nadiue was on the captain's lips—but always accomptnied •with curses bo bitter those who heard him turned away in dread.

Nadine's lips grew vexy white, only the quivering of the eyelids betrayed she heard the words hurled at her.

" Perhaps she may love him," the landlady would K!iy, in relating this or that incident to her family, " but for tbolife of me I cannot see how she cnn. He fairly detesta her, judging from his talk ; and me, why «he sits at his bedside just like an angel, God blesd her sxveet face, tending to him and saying never a word. He'd a mighty bad man ; I'm sure ef it." At the end of the sixth wejk the dark clouds which had obscured Captain Osmond's intellect shift 1, and ho woke one jHurriing , to a knowledge of what was passing , about him, and, in a flash, remembrance of what had transpired came to him. "Have I been i'l'r" lie cxduimi'd, Larshlv, gazing in intense amazement upon ]Sadine uk though ho were greatly amazed at; eeeing her there, which was in fact the tiutii \

" You have been very ill," she answered, " to the very gates of death." "How does it happen, that I find you here with mo?" he asked, when they were quite alone. " Because I believed my place was by your side while your life hung in the balance," she answered. "I do not believe you," he answered, furiously. " Your humilation and patience are all a mockery. More likely you oame here to take advantage of my illness to poison me to get me out of the way. _ I could sooner believe that than anything else." " Captain Osmond !" gasped Nadine, recoiling in horror at the terrible suspicion he had uttered. " Heaven forgive you for Baying anything so cruel. 1 sprang from the carriage to escape you, it is true, and was unhurt. I soon disooverud that the horses ran away with you and you were seriously injured. Then I—l felt sorry for you and came back to nurse you." ' "You had some object—some scheme. You hate me too much to stand by me for duty's sake, as you are pleased to phrase it." " I am here for duty's sake, and no other," she returned, eulmly. "If you were out of danger I would go quietly away at once." (to be continued.)