CHAPTER III.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11503, 4 July 1900, Page 2 (Supplement)

CHAPTER 111.

Hannah was a cros?-grained, sharp.' I tounged old woman, but she had no, vir- 1 tue, at anyrate. She was' sincerely I attached to her mistress, whom the had ' served with great devotion for thirty ■ years. She let Margaret lie 'where she had fallen, and ran upttairs to the drawingroom, and was down on tho floor beside .- Miss Moore, and had 1 the heavy head on ;, her lap in less than tiatfa minute, while her tears fell f asr. -', 4 P66r dear, poor dear I' she kept murmuring as she kissed the unconscious face,' lavishing on her those caresses which tke indifference of their station had prevented her irom showing before. , Tbe self-wcrificing affection of thu \ woman had always been a wonder tp Margaret seeing what' a di»ag/eea'ble object it had. For Miss < Mooro-Hanj-nah had given up the lover of her ywf q, and slaved and pinched, rarely getting a kind word in return, but treasuring np the few she had received as if. they were, pearls of great price. She had known her miatress when she was young, and lovely, too — ebb declared; though this seetaud hari to believe. Margaret thought. And she would talk of her past sorrows with tears of sympathy in her eyes, though she would never say what those troubles had been. But they and tbe •' then* antics' accounted for and excused all Miss Moore's irritability, according to Hannah', and prevented Margaret from having any cause for- complaint if the were ever so harsh. It was strango, bat these adorn alies are sometimes seen, and to sacrifice herself was a necessity of' Hannah's taatare. Certainly, as shtt looked on the doad distorted face in her lap, and covered it with the rain of her tears, aba had no need for eelf-wpreaoh, for "She had been a faithful and devoted servant, although s')e vronl'J tortnrft hir««lf in the years to corns with the thought that she might have dune inure. Hannah sit where she wag for full ten minutes; an 1 then «>>• UH a cu«hr ion und"r SlUs Mo^re'i hi-ml, covered her body with a rug and ~w#ni downstairs. Margaret had recovered somewhat by : this time, and hud crawled towards tbe tabte, where a jag of water' W-is stand* ing, drank a little, unit bathed her forehead and wrists with tne rest. She had managed t» lift herself on to the 8-ttlO when Hannah appeared. She looked ghastly, ani her teeth chattered in her head. •Is-'-tB she bettttr ?' ihe a^kfd. ' 'Better, site h dea.l, you tolil me io yourself. •Yes, I know — but I don't on— an* derstand those things. £ h-boped that I might have b-b>en mistaken.' lidiinah shook her hea I. 'BKb it gone, but I will go for the doctor firs'., altuou«h it is of ho n»e; ani thon for the p»'ioe.' ' The police.' Margaret «tarod at her tn horrur. 'Why.' •She has been intir lered.' 'O;i, no, no, impoisiblp,' cried the girl. 'What could have ' made yon think of suoh a thing/ 'I saw it,' replied Hannah. 'Saw what,' ga^p"d Margaret. 1 'Why I aaw tlw ivo'jnd and the mnrdorer too.' •Ob, my (T ul,« sho cried, as if she were praying. 4 'As plain as I see jon now,' continued Hannah; so plain that I could pick him! out from amongst a hundred. He came down the stairs on tip-too — he didn't want to be heard of course — and I was at the kitchen door. I had not lighted my lamp here. Mistress was complaining we burnt at) much oil, and as I was only resting [ didn't want a light, so I could not be pi'cn., He stood uodtr tue half-lamp for a fen seconds, and he beld something glittering in his hands that might nave been a gold chain. I am not sure about that , but I am sure about his face, anyhow.' 'Why didu't you run up and see what was the matter V inquired Margaret, more calmly. , 'Because he looked like a gentleman — and I thought he was your lover. I heard poor mistress scolding aa if something wal going on she did not like, and 1 knew abe woDldn't approve of conning, under her very nose, too. If she , had wanted me she would have rang. I never went tip without, though I had lived with her thirty years. 'You say yen saw the man who come down quite plainly Hannah. What was he like.

. -f-Very tall, very straight, with a pale face (he might well look pile) closely -•'opped light hair, and a soft goldlycoloured moustache that hid all et hit - .Upper lip. He had j broad white hands and ho wore a thin gold ring on one of •'• his little fingers. If I had only known . what he had don* to poor mistress I wonld Tiave caught hold of him and held him tight antil someone came/ the aided with a neir bnrat of tear*, 'and Twill settle the police on him at it is. You had better lock the door after joo or he may come back ,and inonUr yo» next/ . , 'I cannot atay here alone,*, replied Margaret ihuddering. «I wilt $6: with yon.' - ■ • ! ■ • . 'Ii Un!tthrdead th»t harmg vi, bnt .the living,' laid the oli woman; 'What | coald mistrcii do to yon, lying 'so skill np there?' ' * .... I know,* qbe «id gtraigbtemng ,her«elf. *ft is drily the ieitisg when you are not; accostomed to deith. Peeple get hardened after awhilev' Hannah had never been actually tin* kind to Margaret. She had mads ker work hard, certainly,' bnt then" Miss Moore had told her that the chili had oome there for that; and was well paid for what »h<* did, so ' that the Itemed it i no iwrong] .bat- otherwiir «he : was 1 amiable enough. Indeed, bnbr,' ia a moment of epanebetaeat she hadeonfeated.ithat it was pleiiaftt to hare somothing- young aboit- theopkee^ adding that she reminded her lomenfoat of Misi :Mdot* when: ska wat a ' girl. 'Although 1 , 1 *k« centinned, 'yeit-aii 1 not so betntifal/: Margarei hid: been out of fevear for nearly* fortnight for: expressing her convinclion that Miia Moore had seier b«n beautiful at all. 'She eerd* act be ■o ogly now ,if eke had been;* fake added. •Ugly, mistress- nglyj* ihV lripfr «• peetinjr and. made the kitchen io nnpleasant- for Margaret defter tins that she was glad to make herself scarce. .( Still, on the whole they kadjogfed on. pretty weU 'together, and' Hautak was truly sorry fer her now, though she whs stil! more sorry' for herself t' 'Oome into tVe dining-room and here a glass of wihe,« she: aaid; •ttte'eedwe should both be the better for one. I was never so npset in all my life before/ „ , , ■• •Bat the keys; 1 said Margaret;- ' There, in tke basket* Home* v . These keys had always been jeabmsly gvarded bj ili« Moore; and onlyi taken oat in a furttTe • sus'pido'ua j way which offended ifarfraret'a pride.; ' ' (To be continued.) "