BY WHOSE HAND?

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13243, 25 March 1907, Page 2

BY WHOSE HAND?

(By Fiert T. While )

' You mamed Delahav'" Uie counter said mechanically Mud you came back to Lngl.md 1 .im lijing to leahse it I itil iln- aco'int of the inque f 1 know th it people .tie saving that IJelahaj s wite is lesponsible toi his death, but 1 did not die mi then that it was hij own M-tei whom folks weie condemning I cannot believe it now . But why did you go out thai e\enmg' If jou had lemauied m join mom nobodj would luie been - • I left the hotel to come heie ' Maua lephed ' But I found that jou weie inn m ! ondon An«' now I .mi going to (ell jmi w-hj it is tint 1 have lelused to -peill, why'it i- tint 1 kite allowed people to legale! me as a ptrijiiiti stev ens swoie .md. what i- moie lie belie\ed pveiy woid lie '•aid, and he -,iw 1/mii and mjselt togcthei m Fii/john -qu ne enlj im lint 1 it'll morning' 1 h.u.llj Know what I .im siymg,' ,lhe counie s implied Ihe whole thing n such a lemble complication 1 don I want to decei\c jou, "\t.iii«i, and I will tell jou all T can You see i* was a gieat shock to mew-hen you came in just now,' espe. n.illj as 1 hid not seen jou foi so many jeais But lam getting muddled up again. 1 am beginning to wondei which ol us 4 is which It seems 10 me that all ihis nuseiable business is metely the lesull of tlie stiong likeness which exists between us ' ' Xpvei mind thil ' Mis Delahaj ened 'lf you will lemenibei in mj evidence I s:u.l my husband li.id gone out, that he did not" return all night, and (hat 1 found him dead in Fit/]ohn Kquaie m the mom nig. 1 iia? out of ilia ho.el foi neaily l»o ho ii~ living to ,find jou, aftei I had been so stiangelj' put on join tiatk bj; (lie chanibetmaid Feihaps it was a fool is]i thing on mj- p.ut to conceal mj absei'ce, but, of comst, 1 ne>ei guc-'ed ihe lesult of my folh It ne\er occuned tome fill afteiwaids that mj absei ce fioni the hotel could be so easily pioved K\en that did no; mallei so much And when the witness -Stevens swoie that he saw me wth my husband at a time when I had said T was ra my hotel, thing* began to look senous foi me. J know peifecilj' well ihit I nuj- bi ane-ted at anj moment on a chuge of mmdeimg mj- hushind Hon hue that ebaige will he I leave jou" to judge lor youiself. Bui the mysteiy was no longei a mysteiy to me when Stevens ■ old the Coui\ most posi lvely that hi had seen me with my husband I did not know that Loins was acquainted with jou He nevei mentioned yoiu name, but dnect h Stevens had finished 1 knew thai it must have baen j'ou who was with my /husbmd; and now—to give me an et plana! ion ' " 'lhat is in easiei mat lei ilnn it seems. Countess' Fl.two said ' I knew Louis Delahay, though he lnd no acquaintance with me " ' Absuid—impossible ' "'J'lue njl the same, and to make my s.toij plain T shall have 10 go back neaily eighteen yeais Ihe events which led to my making Louis Delahaj's acquaintance took place neii Florence at the time I mentioned. '

" I hat is snangc." ATis Delahay muimuie.l. "1 vas in Floience about then, too Yes I know I told you that I na> piactualh a, X'ii~onei all those yew, but tlieie i\eie times vhen I had a < ertain latitude I was veiy ill about that tint lime, and the cine tor oulered me to FJoieiMe saying that it was good for me to .see people and nut with crowd*. 1 was supposed to be there by myself, but theie v. as no movement of mine which was not noted. 1 have nevei took even the shor.est Hialk without fieing dogged and npied upon' 'lhe people who called them<ehes my "seivants •v.ere' in lealitj my {■aoleis. Bui why do T wony jou whh Jhes.e trivial details when there is so much of impoifance to say' Go on with your stmv "'

"Well, as I -H-aw saying," Ilia counters explained.' "I was' in Florence with my husband. > We - had been married then something like Unee years.. We had rather' a lonely villa on the outskirts of the town. o,urv was not a happy life; indeed, it was miseiable. ,1. daresay there were faults on my side, too; but one night we had a violent qu.irrel and, on the spur of the moment, t made up my mind to leave the house in daiknes, and steal Uiiough the grounds to the road. 1 was diessed all in black, and I remember the night was very thick, .lust as I was congi.ituliting myself 1 >on ,my escnpa my hu-btincV overlook me-. ■He was beside him=«lf with passion.. He laid violent hand,-, upon me. I believe he would'have killed me if 1 had not managed to wiench myself free and made for the road. What we said Ido not know; but t suppose our voices must have t.mied far, loi I had only got' a little down the road, with my husband in hoc pursuit behind me, whai a man emerged Tram the cottage and/caught me by the aim. At tirst 1' thought he was one of my husband's tools, bir the Ki*t woid-- tli.it he said leassurerl me. '•'J)o not ha afiaid,' he whispered. '1 was tiespassing on the town's property just now, and I heard all that was ".aid. that man is dangeious, and it in necessary that 1 shoul'd piotect you for the present. L'i>me inhere with mo , , '"•He did not wait tor me lo"roh*ent. -tie fairly lifted me fiom the giound into flie blackness and seJusioh of Jhe tottrige. It was all done m less; time than it takes to tell. A moment l.itei 1 lieaid my husband go back, and, knew that my life

was saved. Mind you, it was altogether too dark to see my lestuer. It would have been impiudent to stiike a light. I stayed for some li tie time until I legained my tomposuie, aftei which 1 made up my mind never,to return home again. It would never do for people to think that a Descam »..s a cowaid, and there were oihtr considerations. I would go back heme and give my husband one more chance, especially as 1 had a fiiend in the person of Luigi Silva, who had followed me on my nianiage. At the same time, I did not foiget the dictates of prudence, It might be-still necessary for me to seek an asylum, and my instinct told me that I could tiust the man by my *ide. On the spur of the moment I imploied Jlim to take care ot my jewels' for me, because my instinct told me that I could trust him. He demiuied for a time on the scoie that he was a siianger to me ; then, finally, he consented, at the same time taking from his pocket a caid, which he said Oontained his name and address. ' And thus the strange interview' ended; thus >ve parted, never to meet again till that, fatal night we came togethei in Fitzjohn Fquare. I know the stoiy sounds' inu edible.' '''Not to me," said >lk<' Delahay, sadly. "Nothing could be incredible to ,i wo man who has gone thiough what I have. But go on. Youi went back home again, after entrusting your jewellery to a perfect siianger who e face you had never seen." "Jiidee.l. I did. And we should never have known one another even if we had me! 1 went-back to the villa, and afterwards we leturned to our estate. But it was not for long. A month or two latti my husband was found dead in bed. and it'w,u piove'd beyond, question that he had b;en poisoned. 'Then began a time for me —a time of tenor and anxiety so gieat thai T sometimes mm veiled Ili.it T tetuined

nn icison I\u fo.n \en> the toiiuie lifted md then i* length*l wis fiee I « i 11 so sti inge md nioibid 1 condition tint the sight ot i hunuii face was hate tul to me I w inted to go off and lne on some distmt isl md until 1 ieco\eied nu neive ind Miength vgam T succeeded it length in lindmg (he place I needed mid for twelve or 'thirteen years 1 led 1 j.fc ot ibsoli'le eclusion in l little cot t ige high ii]i the Ti ih in Alps I hul liken i cert im imount of mone\ wi'h me, but 1 voke up to the fict one dn tint nn nipins weie exlnustcd Aou must know tint I fie I sti light iw n as soon is the list ml wis finished, ind tint ill those \eiis 1 saw n single fue th if w is i mill' n to in But bv the end of th u penod 1 wis iini e nnselt igain 1 felt i >h uige longing to go into the woild and se; wlir life wis like ont e moi u Besides iheie w is m\ dtmghtu to con idei Ynui child Alis Dehlm died This is the lust time sou Ime mentioned l child Do \ott mem fo sn (hit miu could put wilh \otn own flesh ml blond in Mini nn l) callous u ' Ihe loimtesss explosion hudtned foi a moment She was; Ins child as we'l is mine she whi l peied Well, what of lint' 1 fail to see .that u make am difleience A oui liusbind might hue been i nissionile man but, put fiom (hat e\eivbod\ spoke well oi bull He wis immen«eh popul u He was cle\ei ind geneious He had hosts of fllends—l know lint tluough an Tnghsh nobleman who was gieath it ached fo the count ]"\er\hod\ spoke well of him " Oh' I know T know theiiounle-s said, wilh i bitiei smile Ihe catalogue of his Mitues w is uumpe ed high enough at the 'tml and I was no moie than m inhuman wielch not fit (o b\e ceitunlj not fit to ha\e i husbmd like Count Bous Flimo But jou shill hen m> stoij piesenth Aou sh ill lieu whit nn witness has to saj At un iate [ lnted nn husband with a deep and abiding hate so that I could not ben to look upon (he face of his child Aou maj sa\ that this is unnatural and inhuman, but jou h fie know what I had io put up with Still, twehe ot fomleen >eus will heal most wounds, and when T came back into the world I \\ is jiossessed wilh ,i longing to see mj duighfet 1 did not like to m ike inqunie Imague nn feeling when 1 heaul tint tin rlaughtei, A r eia, liacf been kidnapped dining the time of (he Hist tml, md that she hid ne\ei been seen again J hat is two \eirs ago now I lmniged to communiLafe with Buigi Silva, mil he nas just ts istonished and sinpnsed a* I was Aatmilly, he thought that I hid mule irrangement* with Vei t, and tint she was wi h me all the time One ot te i-on- foi coiiting to England was to ti\ and hud m\ child My othei leison n is to find Ah Ijouis l)e lahay, and get my jewels back fiom him This was quite impeiatne is I was il nn wits end loi monej How did jou know nn husbmd wis in Tngland ' Mam isked I clidn t the countess confessed, 1 looked foi him all ovci the Continent 1 should Ime wntten to him, onlv I had mislaid his caid, which I found at leng'h after a long seaich Seeing that the ad dress was Fitzjohn Squaie. 1 thought I world come and inleiwew Mi Delahn 11 wab quite l/i e at night ih.it 1 louud thane wis st uing it the dtuid Hotel, and as things weie piessing lpdee I, I sent him an evpies lettei asking foi an inter Mew euh in the morning hi le ponse, I ie<erVel u, teleginm tint he would see 'me it once, and if I could mintge to be af the coinei of Fitzjohn s.qnaie at one o clocksjji the moinmg I told >ou jn&t now that (lungs weie \eiv nrgent and 1 hi\e ,ttiead\ had one oi two unpleasant inteiwen's' null Ihe landloid, who nvt in ally wanted his money The telegram seemed lo be leasonable enough Vitists, aie %eiy late people, and, be*i<U, it occuud to me tht All He'ahay had pio bably had those jeneh in his house At any iate, I met him Main' lie rued, astonished, siaitmg back as though 1 weie i ghost -\c— hei si-ter / I ui sieied —md .hen 1 knew thn miu weie line

"We went along together to (he home,' continued the .counter "ami it seemed to me that, all I had to do was to get those jewels and come and call upon you. Well, naturally, 1 had not lie.ucl of you for-year'. Indeed, l.iegarded you as dead, much the same as you weie undei the impiession that I no longer lived. l\\u when we reached the studio, a light via« burning theie, ,md, looking in, 1 saw a man painting;, a handsome man whom join husband told me v.is Loid Ravenspur. You can imagine that neither of us wan.ed to bj seen. Theie -was no occasion to laise any doubts in the inmider'.s mind, and so u-e waited till lit was gone Then my ca*e of jewels vru» handed over to me, and I .came back straight" heie. Not Jill late the next .afternoon did I know what had happened." "Then there, is nothing moie you can tell me?" Mrs Delator a-ked. "I am'sorry to say there » not JJitt since you have been liere , certain suspicions, have begun to grow in my . mind which fill me with dread. It would not be fair to utter them yet, until I am moie ceit.iin of mv facts. Still, I am glad you have comemow. becauee I think you -will be of ns-isennce to me. You heard me speak ju-l now of Luigi Wilva, but, of course, you .will ■ i emember , him perfectly well." .

"I recollect him," Mrs. Delahay said. "A queer-tempered man, with strange and wayward moods, but he was' sincerely attached to."us. I should like to see him again." "You shall see him," the countess said. "This \eiy night,- if you will stay. When I di*eoveied that, my daughtei "had been stolen I got in touch wi'h Silva, who, ax 1 told you- just now, mis under the impression that I had taken /Tera away and placed her in saf% custody, lest the authorities should interfere and remove her from my influence When he found that I had barely given Tera ,i thought all these years, he was fmiously angiy with me. Indeed, . his rage knew no bound'. He had always been, faithful: he hart always worked so hard' for me, that I wa« astounded. He refused to have any more to do. with me. , He went oil without leaving his and for .some little time I have been searching for him in vain. Quite by accident 'l- found him the other night. He seemx to "have turned hi.s athletic powers to advantage, for he is peifoiming in London now as, a kind of a flying man. I "have seen the perfoimance, and it isexceedingly clevei. Hut that isn't what I want to talk (o you. about. I know ivlicia fcilva, or Vard'o, ,!(<■ he calls himself now, is to ha met with, 1 want 'you to come along and iidd yom pel suasion to mine." ' "I will do anything jou like," Mis Delahay said; anything "to get to the bottom of this singular mystery." It was nearly midnight when the coun (ess ga\e the word. "Come." she 'aid, Then she lad 'the way -to the back of the house. , ' I '• There is a way out heie," <die slid, "winch leads into a lane. Now, cothe along. We hnve not \eiv f n to go " They turned out of the line piesentlj into a quiet, secluded thoioughfue, neffhei conscious that by going out b\ the back door they had escaped the surveillance of the patiently waiting detectrVe vho wis > "inwi lg Mv< Delahay, ' |

Wuit heie, -\ul the counters I'ieseiith two figuies emit down the loid, talking enme-lK togetliti (lit li o ht was not good bui it w is_ quite sulh cient t<> show Mis Del ill n tint out ot the men wis 1 une<- Stevens Jhe witness Sevens ' she win 1 elect He must not see us logethei Iheie aie m im i ison- \ili\ it is linchisihlc tint lie should lewni the truth.'' The' oilier man 'ooks like Sih i onh it is difficult to be suie ifter ill these \eus Let me <>tand in vlns dooiw il till Mm Ime limited «o get lid of hlewnis t 11k coun e - nodded hei ippio\ il md Alnn ]")elihi\ slipped into the *h idow of the dnoi Fiom uheic she was it n.i« quite uissdjli to s Ca whu w s going on she sui hei is ei ippunch 1 tie iwo men She did not lul 10 note Stewris st m is he lecognised oi thought 1 r etognised the woman who whs. known to him us Maria Del ih u On the still m she could cauh i wind /n two Aei\ well sin. heud k ihi si\ sullen 1\ 1 hi\i one oi two things in si\ in m\ liieml hue then 1 will come link to you. Jlib two men < ime pi-t wheie the wo man wis standing in the dnmwu I he\ weie lomeismg m deep whispcis so thit the lisienei tiould onK c itch i word o s two vet woids tilled hei willf \ague i|ipiehensinn She cnight the nime of Ki\ u-ptu nine hissing fiom *-il\ i s iip llien tl °v w is s ( .nething she could >iot lollow md finilh cleaih enunciated, the one wow! to night A moment Inter Stexent. wis shuffling oft down (he stuel while >iha letuined 'o Counters l'lavio \s Mis Dehlm joined them, ihe liule Tlilnn ghnccd fiom one to the o hei So miu lie both heie he si id Iheie wis something in (he insolence of | Ins niinnei tint mined Alls Dehlm to mgei 1 should haidh hi\e known miu she said teilunh T should not Ime known aou fiom ihe (one in which v>u tie id diessing is Hn; jon quite foitrotlen what m>u owe to \om late mis ei s «.lii] dien ' ' I Ime foigotlen nothing, Silva stid '\\hv do jou come heie pei*ecuting me like this' Why cannot \ou let me alone' But foi me joui sister would Ime been in a dishonouied gia\o by now I sawid hei life ] sa\ed the good name of the famih And how am I lepud' What does he cue -o long is she sa\es hei self And I lemeinbei hei a sweet md innocent I child, lust ns I lemembei hei own li tie one Ah I was fond of hei and she w is: I fond of me 1 could have gone off land hidden lmself md left little Vet i;i to the tender mercies of the w'-orld. ■ I,;J i man no lela'ioi couldn t hue done 1 hat i But ihiti hei mothei could hue clone such; a thing—ih u seem> unnitiiiil, unwo , manly ' (I o be C ontinued ) '