Chapter I.

Otago Witness, Issue 1727, 27 December 1884, Page 11

Chapter I.

)U are too proud, EJiza. It is nothing but pride.' 'It is not, Bernard. People cannot control their affections.' 'Your affections have nothing to do with it,' said Bernard, bitterly. ( My brother has title and lands. lam a poor man.' ' You have no right to speak bo to me,' she said, and a light crept over the proud, handsome face, 'and I decline to listen to it any longer.' And she moved away towards the castle. Ho looked after her with a half nialediotion between his teeth. •If 'twasn't for that she would marry me,' muttered he to himself, as he strode in and out amocg the trees, in the opposite direction. Castle Rayon wa* built upon an immense plateau of solid rock, somewhat in the shape of a triangle, and rising perpendicularly out of the valley. On the one side it was separated from the main common, or " Downs," by an enormous cbaßm or gully, which, however, was not quite so perpendicular, as it was possible, by a narrow, winding path, to go down one aide of this gully and up the other. The regular mode of egress was, however, a much more pleasant one, being a Bort of viaduct of modern construction.

On the other two sides the base of the rocky precipice was washed by two rivers, which formed a junction at the outer angle, and flowed onwards into Plymouth Harbour, some few miles distant. One of those rivers, on approaching tha junction, had taken a fancy to leap down a considerable fall, the bottom of which being bßlow the level of both rivers, the other river flowed over into it. Tha waters, thus violently meeting, formed as fine a whirlpool, on b small scale, as it \va3 possible to see. Any dead thing which got into it might whirl there for days before it finally floated out. And with the plateau precipice rising sheer two hundred feet, and the jagged rocks rising like the walls of a bason round the other side of the pool— any living thing that fell into it would have small chanca of ewpQ. With the overarching trfw, and the shadow of that hopeless wall, nothing could be more weird and gloomy and death like than the Raven Pool, even at mid day. It was that part of the plateau above, overlooking the pool, to which Bernard Clifton directed his hasty steps, closely followed by tha lord of the castle, his brother Paul, who had enrao up the z ; g zasr path from his fishing, and still carried bis rod in his hand.

• I'l take a last look at tha old pool,' muttered Bernard to himself, as ha strode on, unconscious of his brother's proximity ; * I couldn't; stay another night ia the Castle, after what

Paul said to me this day. Hasn't he enough besides, that he should take my love from me too?'

•Stop]' cried Paul, out of breath. 'You (dishonourable Bcoundrel ! Are there not "enough maidens around but you mwot attempt 4o draw my betrothed wife away from nic? I heard you talking with Eliea, just now 1 No ! Not aoothar night shall you stay 1 Be off with you, or I'll set the dogs and the servants to ■chase you off ;" and he slashed at his brother with the butt-end of his fishing rod. Bernard sprang at him like a wild beast, and Btruck at him with ungovernable fury, Paul Btaggered,~reeled, sawed the air with his arms an instant in a vain effort to save himself, and then went over the edge of the precipi&e, straight down into the pool below $ Und the splash came up to Bernard's ears. A moment he peered o\it over, holding by the trunk of a. tree. The white foam of the whirlpool glimniared darkly below, but he could see nothing more in the dusky gloom. My God 1 what have I done V bo Sried, in an agony of horror. 'He provoked, me, but I didn't mean to do that. I must fly !' He noticed the fishing-rod which his brother had dropped. •That will tell tales if it is found here,' thought ha, and he flung it over. He retrace/d «ns steps to the tree under which he had parted with Eliza, picked up the valise which he had laid down while he Bpoke with her, and sped down the zigzag path as fast as the darkness allowed into the valley road. He tore along this until he came to a scrambling path, leading j up the hill into the main road, which he gained just as the stage coach came rumbling along. * Stop V cried he. ' Yer money or yer life V laughed the halftipsy coachman, as he pulled up. 'Is it you, Mr Bernard ?'

"Yes. How Is it you're so late ? You ought to have been along an hour ago. You've been drinking somewhere.' 'Well, now, Mr Bernard, don't ye go tellin' tales of me, there's a dear. Ibe a little late ; t>ut it s a fine night an' a good road, an' I've got a light load— in fact, no load but you— an' "We 11 get into Exeter in capital time. Jump in,

And Bernard jumped in ; and the coachman cracked his whip, and the four-in-hand galloped on through the darkness. And Lord Raven's dead body swashed and swirled about in the foam of. the Raven Pool, alone in the night.

And the picture of it, as it must be, rose up before Bernard's eyes, as he sat alone in the coach, and the windows rattled, and the darkness seemed like a thing that might be felt. It rose up, rose up ; and shut his eyes as he might, there was ever before him the vision of his brother's body floating and bobbing about in those foaming waters. ■A- Q d then — was it fancy ? It seemed to him that a dead white face, with raven hair— a beautiful girl face, but ghastly white 'and horror stricken— lboked iia at him through tbe" coach, window, and chanted low : Brother's blood by theo is shed, Zt shall teat upon thy head ; Keßt on Xhee, and on thy raco— Strife t>f love and strife of place. Brother's blood shall brother slain Ufce of every age remain. When the wronged give good for ill, Not till then— the curse shall still 1

' God help me II 11I 1 he murmured, as the big drops stood upon his brow. 'It is the curse of our race, and now it has fallen upon me. What shall I do ! Oh, what shall Ido !' And Lord Raven's dead body was tossed about in the remorseless waters through the remorseless night.