THE HOUSEHOLD OF McNEIL.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5968, 22 October 1890, Page 4

THE HOUSEHOLD OF McNEIL.

[B V AMELIA E. BARR.J

CHAPTER Xllf.

JIAXWmii MAHKIKS AGAIN

After Helen's death, Colin had found a smull comfort in visiting her grave every day and leaving there a sprig , of boxor h. cluster of rowan berries, or even n trailing spray of some of tho pale cold flowers of the sea. However simple tho offering, it was a token of his '.remurnbrance. Thoao who havo made such offerings will understand. Tho laird did not speak of theso visits, but he was aware of them, and when Colin went to Rome, ho frequently carried the token in his place. And as the mystery that surrounds posthumous humanity is co great, surely it Is the part of love to live with regard to tho dead as if they were obsorvaut of our memory of thorn.

Odb afternoon, about two woeks after Colin had left him, the laird went to the kirk-yard on this orrand. Ho had bonn singularly niisernblo and restless all day ; perhaps ho hoped in this solitary communion to find oomio:rt. But if comfort come not from within, nature is usually hostilo to grief ; and this afternoon the solemn mountains, tho misty moorlands, the melancholy waves had no token of hope in them. In tho mournful light which brooded abovo the fallen sun, his tall, maesivo figure, standing solitary on the cliff, was tho imago of desolatiou. Thero was a cry in tho sea nlso that the cry in his heart answered. Ho knew that there was trouble in the air.

Fortunately, Dr. Brodiok was sitting with him when the news of Grizelda's death came. He took it with a terriblo calmness, His faoe seemed to turn to granite. He was angry at the tears in Brodiok's eyes. " I will have no tears," ho cried ; " this is no time for them. I will have revenge !"

The terrible vacillation of his suspicions would give him no rest. At one moment he was certain his child had been murdered. Again, he was certain she was alivo and calling to him for help. Hβ thought of lonely convents, of tho" horrors of insano asylums and forgotten prison rooms, and felt as if impossibilities would be easy for her relief.

But, oh ! how quickly love is made to feel tho limitations of its physical conditions.

" Go to Rome '." said Brodick. pitifully. " Man, what will you do in Rome P Get yourself into trouble likowiso. Colin will have left ere you got there. No one but priests and papists and singing men and vromon to ask a question of. And they won't understand you, nor you thorn. Think of this, McNeil; if Grizolda is abovo tho ground, she has wit enough and strength euongh to find her way back, fiither to her home or to her husband. If it is still to her husband, what is thoro for you to do or to say ? If she comes to you, then tbe way for interference will be made plain." " She has money, thank God ! When I say her Inst, I gave her money ; two thousand pounds. Monoy can work wonderh."

" If she happened to have it with her. But monoy in a desk or drawer, lam feared, there would bo little help in that."

And McNeil spoke not. lit was thinking of, he was really sceinc , , a slip of paper in tho suoret drawer of his own desk. It. represented thousands of pounds, and it was doing no more good than if it wero blank. But at this hour the. thought angered him. Tho poor! What in his great sorrow wero they to him ': Could they trive him help, or bring him word of his child ? No Tho trouble in his own house was surtieJent for him to bear.

•' My two dear girls," ho cried out, " both taken from me in threo months ! rjh, Brodiek, it is inoro than any mortal can bear."

"Laird, gird U P yourself like a man. There arc fathers out-ido your gates who Imvo lost three children in throe days. There is one fiithor, Alexander Muir, who lost his wholo huu-ehold in it week—wife and five bairns. Ho is handling his nets asraia Tlio others uro about their daily work.' The Lord gave, and tho Lord took W » Don't finish, Brodick! When God Rives a blessing, in it god-like to bo taking it back again ? If I was to take back tho land I gave to tho village, what would you bo saying of moV" '• You cannot forsoo tho future, Jjaird ; God can. Man, whiles, turns gifts into losses, irad blessings into curses. The grift idbv bo best for us this year, on eurth : next year it may be hotter for us to have it in heaven. Shall not tho judge of tho wholo earth do right ?'* But McNeil was not to bo reasoned with. Ho agreed, indeed, to wait for CoiinV return, but tho weeks intervening were jrrptit inxioty. Ah they paH.-ed, on(! by one, and no word came from Grizelda, Brodiek wan curtain «f her death If hlivh, she would have contrived to ko/»1 hurfathur word. If a ransom had been asked, who would iv»ve appealed to him. And wiionover this conclusion was reached, the men looked at ouch otLer with a dreadful inrellijrrnco : "if Grizi-lda were dead, Maxwell hud compa-*od her death." Colin did nut return until March wan nearly over. Hut fortunately for McNeil, he had bum compelled ere th.it time to resume work on the hotel. The inwi at their dismissal in the fnver time had been ti.ld to bo ready on the first of March, and MoNoil found them waiting hiH orders. It whs h relief to his perpetual thoughts of wrong and plans of vengeance. For such corroding sorrow work in thn okU'flt evangel preached , Carrying earn for others, he lorgot himself. His'wu:i!'ied body mimpi-Hed him to sleep, and sleep insanwibly hrousrht him eomethinir H'-o patience. He "iv* His beloved in their sl<-ej); nivv* them uonsolatiou by nugolie influences mid hopeful dret'in* : tJenda i-ome to put right what they have put wrong; to influence the hearts of those who have them in their power in any way. Ho reproves their enemies. He strengthen their friends). He gives them iv their sleep r.ho blessing they need; for, perhaps, when wo aro waking wo hinder tho gift by the fearful eoinplainintr influences we call around us. And McNeil, though chafing at Colin's failure, was compelled, at W fur a while, to defer his own efforts. Dw detectives and other parties employed must have a reasonable time given thorn for investigations, us the futuro efforts of GrizeWa'e frioud* munt depend upon what th.n- accomplished or failed to accomplish. For NOinu wcciin iheir reports were hopeful They wero finding new clues ; they wuro on the Hno <>f success; they had seen w ,me one. wh<» hud seen Crizeld-i in »<,,«,, distant village. Thus beguiled, McNeil and Colin saw the hummer slip away. The hotel had been opened in June and realised even more than the laird's hopes. Never Imd there been such prosperity in fcdderloch The fUhermon ha'i a market, at their hands. Their toil was well repaid. Their wives nmdo knitted goods and sold them ; their children were fillies to tho gentlemen on the hills, or maids to the ladies in the hoM Ready money wa* plentiful with those who hud thought a shilling a largo sum, and contentment ami uu air of happy employment wero on every face. The laird felt his own anxious, fearful griof all the more bitterly. This was the very stato of things ho had dreamed about and planned and worked for ; and, though it hud come, ho was not able to enjoy the fruition of his hop«s. His private griefs were in every success a dark and drifting

shadow. Bnt when the hotel closed for thoßummor, he was determined to uo himself to Rome. Then oven Dr. Brodick thouirlit it would be bent to Hanction this personal Tbo journey might divert bis tniud iuto new chaunuli", and und a imspeiise which }>ad lost all clomonte of hope and become worHe than tbo certainty of death. But the journey was as fruitless of comfort iiH Colin'a worst fear.-. They found Grizolda'H dinappoaranco nearly forgotten. Half a dozen lator tragedies bad pushed it outwdo tho sympathies and memories of men. Besides*, sympathy h for tlio living, forgetfuliieiiM for the _ Whatever interest tbero was in an aii'uir that was nearly v year old went naturally to Lord Maxwell. Such a polity, bauda')ine young lord ! And how ho had tmffored ! Ho had been carried to the seaside for tho summer, and had just returned to Home. A few people had rfoen him, so white, so weak, so broknn down with puffering .' And aa for ttio lady, was aho not vory peculiar 'i Alre Polbam had a maid who had nerved Lfidy Muxwtll for a month, and sho was Hiiro Ludy Muxwell bated hor hußband. Tho next suggestion followed oaeily—perhaps, indeed, who had another 10/er ! This suspicion wus natural ani not unreasonable to the Italian mind. It aee'mod the most likely solution of tbo mystery. Th* protuuded robber iv.»e a. lover ; eh* had !;eon willingly abducted, ,-tnd, if found, would probably refuse to return. [TO liß CONTrSUKD.I