CHAPTER XXII. THE CYPHER. THE EPIPHANY.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 157, 19 June 1886, Page 3

CHAPTER XXII. THE CYPHER.

THE EPIPHANY.

Ah, my false heart, what hast thou done ? Tjus is a stovy of fact ; it is al?o a story of mental struggle. I shall not, thoroforo, bo considered too diffuso if I say that this un-looked-for ending to my unhappy adventure threw me into a strango turmoil of feeling, from which I had no rest until tho noxt day came. That they should promise to restore the will, to obtain which they had resorted to rnoasures almost criminal in their severity, awoko in me the greatest astonishment What could it mean? I waited to see the will before replying. Jt came, as Guy Pollard had promised, at noon of the following day. It was in a new envelope, and was sealed just as it had been before it left my possession. Had I not known into what unscrupulous hands it had fallen, I should havo doubted if it had been opened. As it was, I was not only confident that it had been read from end to end, but fearful that it had been tampered with, and perhaps altered. [To get it out ot my hands, and if possible, jray mind also, I carried it at once <o Mr Nicholls, who, I had ascertained that morning, had returned to town. He received me with affability, but looked a little surprised when he learned my errand. " Iwa just going to call on tho family," said he ; " I drew up Mr Pollard's will myself, and '' " You drew up Mr Pollard's will ?" I hastily interrupted. " You know, then, its contents, and can tell me " " Pardon me," he as hastily put in, <{ the family have tho first right to a knowledge of what Mr Pollard has done for them." I felt myself at a loss. To explain my rights and the great desire which I experionced to ascertain whether the tenor of the paper he now held coincided with that which he had submitted to Mr Poland for his signature, necessitated a full relation of facto which I was not yet cortain ought to "be made public. For if the will had not been meddled with, and Mr Poland's wishes stood in no danger of being slighted or ignored, what else but a most unhappy scandal could accruo from tho revelation which I should be forced to make ? Then, my own partj in the miserable affair. If not productive of actual evil, it was still something to blush for, and I had not yet

reached that stage of repentance or humility which made it easy to show the world a weakness for which I had no pity nor sympathy myself. Yet to guard the interests with which I had been entrusted, it was absolutely necessary that the question which so much disturbed me should be answered. For, if any change had been made in this important paper by which the disposition of Mr Pollard's property should be turned aside from the channel in which he had ordered it, I felt that no consideration for the public welfare or my own good fame should hinder me from challenging its validity. My embarrassment evidently showed itself, for the acute lawyer, after a momentary scrutiny of my face, remarked : " You say Mr Pollard gave you this to hand to me. Do you know the cause of this .rather extraordinary proceeding, or have you any suspicion why, in the event of his desiring me to have in charge a paper which ought to be safe enough in his own house, he chose his pastor for his messenger instead of one of his sons ?" " Air Nicholle," I returned, with inward satisfaction for the opportunity thus given me for reply, "the secrets which are confided to a clergyman are as sacred as those which are entrusted to a lawyer. I could not toll you my suspicions if 1 had any ; I can only state the facts. One thinf, however, I will add. That owing to Circumstances which I cannot explain, but greatly regret, this paper has been out of my handa for a short time, and in speaking as I did, I wished merely to state that it would be a satisfaction to me to know that no harm has befallen it, and that this is the very will in spirit and detail which you drew up and saw signed by Mr Pollard." " Oh," exclaimed the lawyer, " if that is all, I can soon satisfy you." And tearing open the envelope, he ran his eye over the document and quietly nodded. "It is the same." he declared. «« There has been no meddling here." And feeling myself greatly relieved, I rose without further conversation and hastily iooic my leave. But when I came to think of it all again in nay own room, I found my equanimity was not yet fully restored. A doubt of some kind remained, and though, in consideration of the manifold duties that pressed upon me, I relentlessly put it aside, I could not help its lingering in my mind, darkening my pleasures, and throwing a cloud over my work and the operations of my mind. The sight which I now and then caught of the Pollards did not tend to allay my. anxieties. There was satisfaction in theiv countenances, and in that of Guy, at least, a certain triumphant disdain which could only be partly explained by the victory which he had won over me through my fears. I awaited the proving of the will with anxiety. If there were no seeming reparation made in it I should certainly doubt its beiDg the expression of Mr Pollard's wishes. " For sums loaned by her to me and lost I desire to make reparation by an added request " so it read; and I found myself nonplussed and thrown entirely out in all my calculations and conjectures. The anxiety he had shown lest the will should fall into this very woman's hands did not tally with this expression of justice and generosity, nor did the large sums which he had left for his three children show any of that distrust which his countenance had betrayed towards tne one who was present with him at the time of his death. Could ifc be that he had given me the wrong paper or was ho, as Mrs Pollard had intimated, not responsible for his actions and language at that time ? I began to think the latter conjecture might be true, and was only hindered in the enjoyment of my old tranquillity by the romembrance of the fearful ordeal I had been subjected to in the mill, and the consideration which it brought of the fears and suspicions which must have existed to make the perpetration of such an outrage possible. But time, which dulls all things, soon began to efface my memory of that hideous nightmare, and with it my anxiety lest in my unfaithfulness to my trust I had committed a wrong upon some unknown innocent, Life with its duties and love with its speedy prospect of marriage gradually pushed all unpleasant thoughts from my mind, and I was beginning to enjoy the full savour of my happy and honourable position again when my serenity was again, and this time for ever, destroyed by a certain revelation that was accidentally made to me. The story of it was this. I had taken by mistake with me to a funeral the prayerbook with which Mr Pollard had presented me. I was listening to the anthem which was being sung, and being in a nervous frame oi mind, was restlessly fingering the leaves of the book which I held in my hand, when my eye, running over the page that happened to open before me, caught sight of some of the marks with which the text was plentifully bestrewed. Mechanically I noticed the words under which they stood, and mechanically I began reading them, when to my great astonishment and subsequent dismay, I perceived they made sense, in short had a connection which when carried on from page to page of the book revealed sentences which promised to extend themselves into a complete communication. This is the page I happened upon, with its lines and dots. Note the result which accrues from reading the words printed in back type alone.

with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the epistle. Euh.iii.l. the babe lying in a manger And when "DOR this cause, I Paul they had seen it, they JD „ made known aluoa& the uuisonci* of. Jesus the saying which was Christ lor you Gentiles; told them conceiving .. , the child. And all they lf yo liave neal'd ot the that heard it wondered dispensation of the at thooc things which „_, , „ , . were told them by the grace of God, winch is shenhords. But Mary given me to yoti-ward: kept all these things, XT „ . . and pondered them in How that by revelation her heart. And the he maisc Rnowiumtomo shepherds returned tho mystery (as I Avroto glorifying and m-ais- afore m few worts, ing God for all tho wbcvcb& wben ye vca*, things that they had Y>e may imfccratanb my heard and seen, as it knowledge in the msswas told unto them, tev\} of Christ) wbicb in And when eight days other ages was not were accomplished for ma j>c Imown unto the the circumcising of the sons of men, as it is }} A ™ ne i^ a i 8 ? low revealed unto his called JESUS which holy Apostles and Prowas so named ot the phots by the Spirit; angel, bctorc he was lhatthe Gentiles should concoivedmtho womb, be fcHow=l)c(vs, and of •r mi 77 x tno same body, and II The same Collect, partakers of his proIwzstlc, mid Gospel misc in Christ, by the shall serve for every Gospel: whereof 1 was day after, unto the made a minister, acEptpnany. cording to the gift of mi r, . 7 the ovacc of God given The Epiphany, unto mo by the effecO/ 1 the Manifestation tual working of hi 3 0/ Christ to the power. Unto me, who Gentiles. am less than the leastof all saints, is this grace THE COLLECT. given, that I should 0^ preach among tho GenGOD, who by the tiles the unsearchable leading of a star riches of Christ; and didst manifest thy to mako all men see only-begotten Son to what is the fellowship the Gentiles; Merci- of the mystery, whicfi fully grant that we, from tho beginning of who know tlico now the world hath beon by faith, may after this hid in God, who life have tho fruition created all things by of thy glorious God- Jesus Christ: to the head ; through Jesus intent that now unto Christ our Lord, tho principalities and Amen, powers in heavenly

It was but one of many, and you can imagine how difficult I found it to continue with the service and put the subject from my mind till the funeral was o\er and 1 could return to solitude aud my thiid and final examination into the meanirig of this mysterious gift. You can also imagine my wonder when by following out the plan I have indicated, the subjoined sentences appeared :—: — "My sin is ever before me. "(Juirect, le!<t Thou bring me to nothing. " Do those things which are requisite and necessary for a pui'e aud humble one, Grace by name, begot len by son, he born of first wife and not obedient to the law abroad a prisouer. " Revelation made known in few words whereby when ye read ye may understand the mystery which was made known unto the sons, fellow-heirs of Grace. " Go and search diligently for the young child." •'The higher powers resist and are a terror to good works. "Do that which is good and thou shalb have praise, minister to God. " Wherefore >c must needs be subject for wrath, for they are attending continually upon ihia thing, " Render therefore to all their due 3 ; tribute to whom tribute ; honour to whom honour. . " Two possessed the devils, exceeding fierce of the household, hope Grace may evermore be cast away. " They murmur againt the good man of the house, do and not agree to mercifully defend against peri s in the city an honest and good heart. •• My will leave(s) heritage to Grace " The devil is against me. " Behold a woman grievously vexed with lost sheep of the house. "Then came the, saying: 'It is not rcete to take the children's bi'ead and to casl it to the.dogs. Be untous anofferingnamed as becometh saints For this ye know, that no unclean person hath any inheritance because of disobedience and fellowship with works of dai kness. For it id a thame to speak of thosa things which are done of them in seciet.' " Beelzebub, the chief of devil?, and sons cast out man ; taketh from him all wherein ho trusteth and divideth tho spoils against me. "To purge conscience, the new testament means redemption of the trant?giersions unaer fftst te^iment. " Said a devil : ' Father, ye do dishonour me. Say ye know- him nor, thy son, and suffer that a notable prisoner, his wife and child, were not called by thy nan c ' 'I will,' taid I But I deny all here. My soul is sorrowful unto death, as I bear falso witness ag^in-^t them. "The hand that betrayeth me is with me. " I appoint you to sift as wheat. "This must ba accomplished, for the things concerning me have an end. " Words sent unto me out of pii.son, said : ! Daughter weep (s) Beseech thee graciously to fetch home to thee my child in tribulation. For 10, the ungodly bend their bow and make ready their arrows within the quiver, that they may privily shoot at them which are true of heart. Show thy marvellous lovingkindness unto an undefiled eoul forsaken on every side of mother and friendly neighbours. Make haste to deliver and &aye. I am clean forgotten, as a dead man out of mind. lam become as a broken vessel.' " Whilst I held my tongue, my bones consumed away daily. " I will inform thee and teach thee in the way wherein thou shalt go. " Blessed are folk chosen to inheritance ; the children of them that dwell undsr the king. "Poor Grac(e) come over the see (sea), unaware that I were sick. "Deliver my dariing from the lions, so will I give thee thanks. 14 O let not them that are mine enemie3 triumph that hate me. "They imagine deceitful words against them that are quiet in the land. "Child is in thy land. • f Look after daughter among honourable women. House in City of the Ea^t Wind. * "-CHARIE S-S-T R-E-E-T. "Child 1 hive looked upon not. '• 1 promised with my lips and spake with my mouth, but God turned his mercy upon me, and upon heaUh hath sent forth his voice, yea, and that a mighty voice " I sink, and the deep waters drown me. " Mine adversaries hath broken my heart. "Let the things that should ha - . e been for them be for the poor prisoner's posterity. " Break down the carved work and search out my will. " Walk to table under south-west borders of room, take tho wood that hath in it operations of the law, and cleave. " For my days are gone like a shadow, and I am withered as grass. 3 ' "Number omitted /or obvious reabona. {To be Continued.)