Chapter 11.

Otago Witness, Issue 1727, 27 December 1884, Page 12

Chapter 11.

Eliza, when ehe turned away from her angry and rejected lover, walked proudly back to the arch entrance of the castle hall, where her father stood, watching the approach of a servant man.

' Did you find Lord Raven ?' inquired he, as the man came near.

• Yes, sir. He was down in the valley, fishing, I told him you and Miss PoHieroy were here, and he drew in his line, and said he'd be here directly, sir.' ' Is Mr Bernard at home ?'

' No, sir. He went away an hour ago, to meet the coach. He was going to Exeter for a few days, sir.' Eliza had but just parted from him. On seeing her coming he bad recrossed the viaduct on the chance of speaking to her alone. But by some unaccountable impulse, she said nothing. They went back together, father and daughter, into the room they had quitted in their impatience and sat down again to wait. They waited in vain. No Lord Raven made his appearance. After waiting till they grew tired, Mr Pomeroy rang the bell, left a message with a servant, and drove away — he feeling indignant and offended — and his daughter angry and insulted— at the supposed neglect of the man they were never more to see in life.

Mr Pomeroy commented upon it when they were alone in the drawing-room after dinnor — father and daughter* 'It was ill bred, to say the least of it,' said he, ' and you there, to ! ' * They are neither of them very courtley,' said Eliza.

' The maid who went to send the valet to look for his master told me they had had words to-day.' • Who had ?' ' The two brothers— Paul and Bernard.' • Servants seem to know everything. What about?' 1 About you.' ' Abcut me !' echoed Eliza, looking and feeling uncomfortable. Yes. Do you know,' said her father, walking up and down the room, ' I am half sorry you are going to marry him.' ' It was you persuaded me to take Paul,' said Eliza. ' You thought he was the better of the two.'

' I think so still. And the position — he has the title and lands.'

' What are you sorry for, then ?' * I don't care for them, now I know more of them, There's bad blood in them. They are a family with a curse upon them.' 'Who says bo?* * There's a legend about them.' * Legends are nothing. What ib the legend ?' ' I suppose you know that the Cliftona of Raven came from Normandy — came over with the Conqueror,' 'They all did that,' said Eliza, somewhat scornfully. ' We did,' said her fatber. 'Of course. I don't see that it's anything to be proud about. But what's the legend ?' When the lande were divided Captle Raven and its' estates fell to the Cliftons. Tbare were four of them, two brothers— Paul and Bernard —and two Bisters, Brunhaud and Hilda. Brunhaud seeuiß to have been an incarna<e fiend; and Hilda a little saint— a girl with white face and raven hair, and soft dovo's eyes — a little peacemaker among them, for they were a rough, quarrelsome lot.' ' People generally were in those days, weren't they

'Pretty generally, I suppose. You know that the valley the castle overlooks is like a wide deft between two downs. At that time

there stood another castle on the ddwh nearly opposite Raven Castle, on the other side of the river. Th}s was held, by a Saxon family, consisting of a brother, Cuthbert, and two sisters, Gundred and Adiltrude. Odd as it might seem in that day, the two families, instead of fighting, struck up a friendship, and soma of thorn fell in love with eaoh other. The attachment of Gutlibfirt and Hilda was straightforward enough ; and if the two brothers had taken to the two sisters things would have gone on all right. But both the brothers fell in love with the younger, Adilfcrudo, who appears to have been a fair amiable sort of a girl' ' po,_ I suppose,' said Eliza. ' A pretty piece of insipidity, such as you men always run after.' * Not always,' said her father, with a half laugh. * You've been run after enough, and you're no piece of insipidity.' ' Never mind me ; go on with the legend.' 1 Brunhaud was an exception. She hated the Saxon family from first to last, ,She was so enraged at the passion of her brother tor Adiltrude, and so provoked theiu fct> strife about the girl with her tvicked tchgue— in spite of Hilda's efforts to inalse peace — that one v night the brotlieta had a deadly quarrel, and the younger toss up against the elder, where he thought no one could see him, and slew him, But Hilda had seen him, and the loving, gontlo, giil became a stern prophet of evil to him, and day and night her prophetic chant rang in his ears', * What was the chant ?' asked Eliza. ' If I remember rightly, this was it : Brother's blood by theo is ahed, It shall rest upon thy head ; Best ou thee and on thy race, 'Strife of love, and strife of place. Brother's blood shall brother stain, One of every ago remain ; When the Wronged givo good for ill, Not till then the curse shall Still 1 * What makes you crouch so close to the fire ? it isn't so cold as that .surely !' 414 1 think it is very cold to-night. Go on.' Brunhaud appears to have seen the murder, too. She was mad at hßr own wicked work.' ' Perhaps" it wasn't her work more than their own,' said Eliza. Very likely they didn't need any prompting.' ' Perhaps not. But she accribed it all to Adilfcrude, and full of fury she went over to the Saxon castle, taking some of her retainers with her. As the two castles wero on friendly terms they .found easy access. And as no -enemy was feared the Saxon retainers were all at supper in their ball, and no notice was taken that the Norman retainers did not join them*. Brunhaud had given them instructions to fire the place while ahe sought Adiltrude. She found her, and stabbed her to death without a word. But Gundred came upon her during the desd, and fell upon her without mercy ; and they fought like liscera.' ' Which conquered ?' asked Eliza. ' Nobody knows. The flames compassed them round, and they couldn't oscape, and both perished.' ' Whafc a chapter of horrors !' said Eliza. ' But how came the place to burn so quckly ? I thought castles were always built of solid stone.' ' The Saxons didn't build quite so strongly as the Normans. The outer walls would be strong, and there might be a tower in the midst, wheije they could k9ep prisoners or take refuge. But most of the rest, I fanoy, was of wood. And this particular one might not have been a regular fortress.' ' What became ,of Outhbert and Hilda ? Did they marry ? ' Not after all that, certainly. Cuthbert entered the nearest monastery, and Hilda went back to Normandy, and entered a convent there. Bernard disappeared no one knew whither. It was not till after a generation or two, when the horror of all this had worn off, that the Cliftons came back again to Castle Haven. But the curse seems to have rested on them from that day to this. In every generation there have been the two boys— Paul and Barnard — no more. And no little girl has ever since been born of the race to soften or civilize them. And in every generation, one of the brothers — generally the elder — has mysteriously disappeared, murdered or otherwise, nobody knows.' ' Perhaps nobody has cared enough about them to find out,' said Eliza, ' Perhaps not. But it is said that whenever the brother's hand has done the de6d, the spirit of Hilda— looking just as she did when she saw her brother do his deed of murder — appears to him, and chants her prophecy to him over again.' * ' It is said,' but where did you hear all this legend?' said Eliza. ' Paul told me, himself, a week ago,' I ' I don't know what makes me shiver so tonight.' said Eliza, rising ; ' I think I will go to bed.' And she went to bed. And she spoke no word of what Bernard had said to her thnt evening ; nor that she had seen him at Castle Raven, after the servants thought bs had gone away. And the dead body of Paul Clifton, Lord Raven, dashed about among the jagged rocks, and the cruel waters, all through that cruel night.