CHRISTMAS TALE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3651, 23 December 1879, Page 3

CHRISTMAS TALE.

*■ I A STRANGE STORY OF CHRISTMAS ' FIRELIGHT. (London Socioty.) (Concluded.) . When sho had cleared tha. .jb.l. recess of its contents, sho carriod them in- a- hoap to tho table ; whilst Bryan, continuing to examine with his fingers tho movement and construction of the door, said, halfl ho. himself, " Why it is somo whero- hcror^outs that my dear aunt's littlo writing tablo- used to stand years ago. I have seen her eif> in this corner writing for hours wheij. I was not much bigger than Jemmy is now. As I havo often told you, Barbara, she imed to bring mo to this room to play in those happy old days. Yes, certainly, it was in this corner ; but I don't remember a p^ccl opening liko this — how should I, such, a scent contrivance, unless I bad been shown." "Of course not," cried Barbara, " but come und let us see what all theso thing 3 aro about, they aro smothered with dust, and havo not beon touchod for years, I should think." Husband and wife then set down to, examine them ; Bhe reading a word here and there, and he passing his fingers rapidly oyer ono packet after another. First thoy camo upon several bundles of letters, somo ticd-up with a blue ribbon, in a mm's handwriting* and directed to "Miss Margaret Marrell, Post office, Crag Leith, near Durham," and bearing tho Sunderland post-mark, with dates from 1826 to 1827 ; somo unfolded and tied with string, and in what Barbara immediately roeognised ns Mr Halstead's hand-writing-—old lovo letters, clearly. "Strange, strango!" thoy both exclaimed ; " and so long hidden away." "Sco what's in this tin box," said Bryan, blowing tho dust off it, and opening tho lid with Bomo difficulty a. ho handed it to her. She took from it several folds of closelywritten sheets of letter paper, and from between theso two long slips or printed forms with certain names and dates filled in. Pouncing on one of these, as a name caught hor eye, sho exclaimed — " Why, this is a marriage certificate, surely ? What can it mean ?" " Well, what marriigo certificates usually mean, I suppose," broke in Bryan, somewhat impatiently, " read." " Yes, of course ; but thoso names— whoso names can these bo ? Was your aunt married twice ?" " Married twice ? Nonsense ; no What aro you driving at ? Bead, read, do !" said Bryan, more petulantly than beforo. And then she read forth, from tho usual form of such documents, tho simple fact that on the sth February, 1827, woro married by license, at tho parish church of Whitburn, Sunderland, John Bryan Sturry, of that parish, and Margaret Marrell, of tlie parish of Craig Leith, Durham, and that tho ceremony was duly witnossod and attested to by tho parish clork and the sexton. " Sturry ! John Bryan Sturry !" exclaimed tho blind man ; " 1 nover heard tho namo bofore ; and murriod to Margarot Marrell !— thoro could not have boen t*o Margaret Marrolls! I don't understand. Bead it again, Barbara." She did so, and thon cried out, " Liston, listen ; here is a memorandum pinned to it in tho samo man's handwriting as those letters directed to her. Perhaps it explains ;" and sho read thus : — " I forgot to givo you tho enclosed ; take great care of it ; put it in somo placo of safety, lejt, whilst I am at sea, and you alone and unprotected, any doubt should be thrown upon our marriage. Wo do not know what your sister may say in hor anger at what you have dono, and this will be a proof that I am, at least, not tho double-dyed scoundrel she probably thinks me, I send this ashore by the pilot. A thousand timo. God bless you ! In less than throo months I shall be with you again. — J. 8.5." " Written across this in verj faded ink," goes on Barbara, "in what i_ "certainly your aunt's handwriting; aro theso lines i — "Thoso aro tho last words I ever had fwm him;'' we had thon been married not quite a month and I was seventeen yean old \ . OftP.Pot brnv

, to destroy tbem nor it, oven though sts> , discovery should be death- to all my sisters plans." : "God in heaven!" ..ried Bryan; "then Bhe must hava been married twice ; aro you i sure it is in her hand-writing •?" .- ! " Certain," was the answer ; •' but stay/ i hero is a quantity more on some separate shoots; the seem to refer to it ;. let me see, whero do they begin. B - • .-Oh, here, I sup. , pose ?" " Read, read, then,?', broke >in Bryan,, with i impatience ; and she* began :—" Upon -the eve of taking ono mor-e^momentous step, I come upon these relics of the past ; what is to be dono with them ? .Their discovery now would be more than ever fatal ! Yet still I i have not the heart ■to destroy them ! It irvery foolish— weak to >&• degree $• but> - after - all, he had my first lo v. •, therefore the truest; best, man can ever havo from woman )■ no, 1 must keep them, and .1 know a place where I can do so without risk- of their being found during my life, and I shall have the satisfaction of knowing they are in safety ; >but when I die!— well, then I pray God they may fall into hands that may respoct them, keeping my secret and no harm bo done thereby ; and tho secret ? What is it ?.. Let mo plainly . set it down in black and white, and try and read it with tho oyes of ono strange to it all, . and see it* it looks like a heinous crime. • Yes. 1 will. Mr.SEOBEI.-.i. No matter what led to it, hub I mado.a rash and imprudent marriage very much beneath my station when-I.wat. only seventeen ;,. ran away from tho home of an eldest sister with whom I lived. Within six weeks only of our wedding-day my., husband., died— was drowned at sea— fell overboard, for he. was .a captain of a merchant ship plying betweonSunderland and Copenhagen. My., sister, with more forgiveness than could have been expected, then suggosted my returning. ty her. and resuming my old life., This, for a timo, was not possible, seeing that within the year re.pon.i.ili.y of another-rra new,- and young life — would come upon, me. When. we. knew that this would bo so, my sister, - who .was a hard-natured woman , of strong character, , took a very decided step, ahe sent mo abroad to Dinan in Brittany in oharge .of,, a trustworthy old nurso; .sold her .property, which lay in the north of Durham; bought a Bma'l estate in Essex, called Averle.y Bower, within fourteen miles of London, and," about a year after my littlo boy was born,- had m* back to live with hor in her new home, but. upon very strange and cruel, conditions, she vas unmarried and nearly twenty < years older than I, and had inherited our .parent's fortune. " You will come back," she wroto to me; "in your maiden ipam/j,, As far as , may be we will wipa out, obliterate, from tho. knowledge of the world) your unhappy act. Thero is no need for you to. be disgrace^ by, bearing his name ; but as Margaret Marrell you may live honoured and respected in a neighbourhood where, we. aro entirqly ,un-,, known, and where no whisper of your ra.h imprudent marriago will, reach the ears of, any one. Of course you wiU never be able to marry again ; your penalty, yojir Atonement will be, at the age of 20j to renounce, all hopo. of wedded life, to remain.what you will soom,, to bo— a spinster ; but you, will soe no,hardship in this if your : loyo for tha. dead man, was as strong aB you professed. ' You caiiflpt care,' you have often said, 'for,, any other living creature.' Bo it so. You may, live with and bo consoled by hi^ mepiQf-y,,that can disgraco nobody but yourself ; . 'for, your own sake, as M{§3 3-Wgai-t Marrje.ll, you will keep it to yourself. As to your child, in twelve months' timo, when he willj bo two years old, ho shall be brought, to you , — to us ; but remember distinctly that, lie is . ' our nephow, tho son of a sifter whojived.pnd, \ diod abroad. Onr old nurso. will ,keep hin_t \ where ho is, tberoforo, for another year.; but, ; if you accept theso my conditions you .must,. \ return to mo at once • , but upon no otlujr, | terms will I ovor set eyes upon you again. If i you rofuso this we are honoeforth strangers, and I you must shift for yourself ,and child ; . _0r no farther help, in any will, .you have from mo. One othe.r, r 'thing I , would urge upon you in woighing your d-._i_ion.r-it is-to : remember what I ha7o racrifiqedto mako the plan I hay» propose^/easiblo,. I have giron, up my old home, wit^all its strong associations, and havo com. .in the. autumn oft- my lifo to live amongst strangers, and I has. dono this in order^hat you may ba restored to respectability an(J your good namo^' ' What choico had' J but to accept hai^terms-?-I was penniless, a#d entirely dependent upon her. What else opulfl I -,dp ? - And at least I should not bo separated from my, child. I thought of thr,!f bofore all. I returned to, my sister's -nc w. home in. Essex, as MiesMargaret Marrell ; my .little, boy followed mein due course. I {'had had him, christened Bryan, after _vis father, at the. English Protestant clinrchi.at. Dinan, where .ho was born. But we, my sifter Jane and,, 1\ according to her plun, ignorod hjs real surname and substituted thi-. of West for i.,,.&5..0ne that from its familiaiTJty would provo Jip go comment." Greatly agitated, tho blipd man here grasped his .wife's.arm. " Whafe am, Ii listening, to, Barbara ? " ho cried; "arp.ldrcpn^jng?- Arp we both dreaming?" '' Be- calm, dearest,"' said the wife, " and let me finish,; bo patiwt." -hin.sho continued::— " fco, little Bryan West was our nephew, the offspring of ou> dead: sister, and whom we saturally had the. greatest tenderness for. _»h, the lie aniwwed'splendidly \ The plan had beon cunningly thought out; it was ox.equ.ed to a nicety, and its success showed how shrewd and- fail-seeing my sister Jano was. Thus, f.«c< sovoral years wo lived to all I outward ieemsp& very happily. Wo went j very little into, society, but we accepted the j civilities of some of the p#oplo who called on us.. SuddesJJjr my sister diod. We had no relationa; ; sho loft everything to me. I in- . heritcd ai\ she possessed ; but, what was deader than all, I h*.d my freedom. Is it wonder^l, then, that I, an heiress, with , £8000 a year, now bocamo an object of interest in- the county ? and is it wonderful that nt the ago of five.and-twonty I shrank from encountering a life-long loneliness F or that I have at length yielded to tho desire of ono who loves mo well that I should be his wife ? Yet ought I not to declaro the truth ? Of course I ought j but I havo not tho moral courage, at this the olorenth hour, to break down tho sham, the lio, under which I have been living , in apparent maidenhood for so long. What would ba .aid to me ? What would ho think of me ? Besides which, my story would not bo believed ; it is so strange, so unlikely, would involve much trouble to provo, and all for— what ? Iherefore it is that, unwise, illegal, wrong as it may bo, I am going to the altar within a week from this day for the second time as Margaret Marrell! Here is my secret, then ! How will it appear, should it ever be road by othor eyes than mino ? How does it appear to mo ? Criminal without a doubt ! God forgive mo, and may ho look upon my sin at least as vonial!— Juno 6, 1834. Bryan sprang to his feet as his wife finished reading the paper. " Good God ! " ho cried, "if this be ftrue, I, Bryan Sturry (West is no name of mine), and not Richard Halstcad, am tho eldest son, and in tho absence of any will I am tho rightful heir to all tho property. This will turn the tablos indood, Riohard Halstead ! But Barbara, my dear," he wont on oxcitedly, stretching out his hands across the table, " lot me foel these papers, let mo touoh that last one you road ; there, this — is this it? You Bpoko of two — is there one of my birth ? Quick, see, see ! " " Yes, hore," she cried, taking up the seo.nd long printed form, and reading again the simple fact, duly attested, that at tho English Protestant Churoh at Dinan, in Brittany, wns registered, on the 31st of Ootobor, 1827, tho birth of Bryan, son of John Bryan Sturry and Margaretjhis wife. " Put my hand on my name !" exclaimed tho blind man ; "lot ma touch it, let mo touch it." But. for several moments his hand co shook with agitation, and he moved and tossod tho papors about so much, that his wifo wab unable to givo them to him in their propor order or lot him fool them in their distinctness ono from tho other. " Voir, Bry," sho said, " don't oicito yourself like this. Bo oalm ; this is not liko you, not liko your own putiont mannor of taking things." M sfo Barbara, no, vory likely ; but only think what it all moans, and what I must feel I Sho was -my mother— my mother !'* and ho buried hii faoo in his hands. Then his wifo caressed and soothed him, and {or a minuto nothing was said. His heart was vory full, and tho filial instincts so \ong denied their rightful flow welled up ar,d for n time quite unmanned bim. Bartara was the first to . »f eak. .--..:. ' j w Ah! now, dear fry," ih.. W^ " her groat !

-K. vo fr.r yuu is all explained ; norconld yours riave been greater for her than it was had you known what ehe knew." . " Yes, darling,?' he .aid, now turning his f?ico towards lus wife--- "how merciful, too, it is that 1, -that -wor and 'not strangers, found these papers'. ' It J S . M jf , He had de i irerod Her secret to me straighffrom her own lips • es though; •• when-- she- was so strangely impelled to writ* this, her solf-accusation, she had felt thafr it would fall only into lovine hands. ° ■ " Truly,"' - said ! Bdrbtvraj "tvnd does it mean—" 1" It nwnna.V said 'Brjan. interrupting her, with a slight Tenowai'oFhis vehemence nnd excitement -^-" if mean.- ease amd comfort where we hbvo had- anxiety and hard fames.'-' I'' But Bichiird' Hiil_teo_'?" inquired the vyife. 5 "Biohard Halstpad is a ficoundrol wliom I shall have great pleasiwe— bu^.a-h, God help him ! hd is my brother !' What am I wing 9 Tes, my bro. her!' I- can db nollving harsh tbwards him," went' on Bryan more calmly, a,s he sat down to tho table and took up the papers with some - del-b'ci-ation ;: " only I'll hfave my rigfht.,-' as he would .ay." ■; "It is a -marvellous-difeorery ," cried Barbara. « -} "Yes, and all !throuj.h little Jemmy catching sight of> that- shining ring by the light fi-om the bhizmglog," went on Bryan, facing round to the corner-when, the young gentleroan m question^was- disporting himself with tho- moveable pan.l.' "I' suppose it does shine, or else th. child woulfi- never have seen it r ' ;' "1 am not sure,'.' "said ' Barbara-, walking up and examining' the- ring- of the panel, as shedroppealt'into>its^ proper plhco r "oh, yes, -it does a lftt.l*,- .»- TCTJ- little? more thai* "tho teat; I .cc nowl'loofcat it close-; still I never noheßd .t. ,r -..1' N °' . my ldve > V daresay; but it isn't always those wlio havo tbeir eves who see- the *ostr; it 'was- lift- forms to find', of course. It 13 -olways the blind- man who finds what Other people can't; It is the- blind clerk at tjlio Pff&b Of_co->w--o>dfec. phew- aU the ilfegibleaddiresses." .' | c N6nsenFe-," saidlßarbaroj laughing. ' "y_sfaot, I assure you ;.at> lfeasf) he --called Wie '• Blind Clerk ; " now you know tho reason. Heire^ Jimmy, after all l you" ore the- hero ; ond kiss your ffttherihst-ntly.'" "> The boy obeyed' and tumbled on to his fn.her-4ttoe. ) " Hearmio, Barbara, iff you- had ligftted thocaudlet wh'en I told- you- that I Was sure you |ov.ld-not' se*.,- and yoa- -aid it was not yot 1 blind man's- holiday '— fehut. holiday wo have invoked and joked ab_ut aad 1 lbnged for soAft^n— why,'.' and one of hia brightest flashes Of fun and intelligonoe- lighted up Bryan's fate — "why, this- blind man wouJdfnever haTe-had-Biwh a- Holiday, in prospecb as ho hashowv"" I TH'en he • set down- tlie- boy acid rose andl huggedi his< wife,, caught hold) of the boy kgain _ndf tossed' him into the- air, until his. jittlo- head wenb perilbusly, moae than once,, new tbo- low ceiling.. Then^ when his wife j;autionedihim,.he laughed and- said, I "Oh, I won't hui_> him t trust me! shall) I'„ jT^ir-my?' Bub H must db, what I like with, my own. Aaid' now, lot's h&ve-tea and supper hbtii' together,, overy thing al) once, all bheluxuries of tho- season ;• and what a seaion fan us!! What a- Christmas eve! Wo shftJli Jiot forget bhi» present, yaar of gra o in. a flurry." : Thon ho, hugged hia wifo again, tospod up, his- boy again,, and actually capered about 1 the-Ji-eom withihim, in his armsy until bringing- hia jshins in coniaot with fche furnituro, and igetting; his. feet entangb-l in somo of tho (stray, wiokee-work,, ho finally blundered Wk ;to the chair by the- table and sat down fairly Exhausted. i "Dear Bryan,!* the© said his wife,, "he a -little-more- rational. S»ppoie now, atW all, i-lmb we-slioald not bo ablo to prove this ? " I " Not able to pvo-T» it ? " ho interposed ; "why, my dear, if yo-tt eyoshavo not deceived you,, and you have not been rcaiSiag some ' ATabiar. NightY Entertainment' tale all this while,. ti_ere will not ba much more e.ifsotilty in proving it than in my eating imy supper, only ib. mil tako loDgor. No, the registers at Whitburn and— what's tho nam* of the placo where I was born ? "—and he put hii hand out amongst the pipers again — " at DiDii__.»? Ah, that's it!— tho registers will prove it, or elso I was brought up to the law for nothing. I shall put the whole ca.e into th* hands of my old mnstor ; and— and — poNvre it indeed ! '' . "But Bichard Halstead ?" again interposed the wife. " Halstead ? " Bryan repeated, with a return of his graver mooi; "oh, ho'll light it of course ; but ho ha.n't a leg to staud ou, though ho'll give us lots of troublo, and it will take time naturally ; but long before next Chrißtmas, you'll see, I shall be master of Avcrlcy Bower, and I shall have him at my feet." ' " But you won't do anything harsh, Bryan ? " .aid his wife gently, laying her hand on his arm. " Did you ever know me lo do anything very har.h, Barby ? " " No," sho answered. " No ! very well, then," he added, taking her face betweon his hands and kissing her ; " but I will mako him oat humblo pie. And now, perhaps you will let me eat somothing ; I havo not had such an appetite, I don't know when ! Clear the dock«, put all these papers carefully together, as if thoy were the most precious things (as they are) that you ever handled, draw tho curtains, throw a frcsV log on tho lire, and let us havo supprr. And hero, Jemmy, come here agaiu, you young .camp ! come nnd sit on your father's kneo for a minute and havo anothor look at tho "boofcr" fiamo., llames that have lighted you, my littlo son, to fortune." And so, as the loving wife is doing her blind husband's behest, and as ho sits dancing his boy on his lap, I will let the curtain fall, as it rose, on this family picture. You may tako my word for it that it all camo right, and, m Bryau Sturry prophesied, long beforo the next Christmas ho wa. in full possession of his right., as master of Averley Bowor. His first step was to obtain through the proper channels an injunction to stay tlie fortunately non-completed .nio of the property. Very little scrrod to scaro Bic'ard ■ Hal-toad faom his first blustering intention of defying his step-brother's claim and defending tie threatened action. Otherwise,, perhaps,, t»ho facts hero narratod would have como b'pSore tho public iv a very different shape, and tho groat case of " Bturry versus Halstead " would havo occupied the columns, of tho- newspapers for weeks, and have.been hereo£-»r quoted as ono of tho most romantio of the causes celehrts of our day. Bnt, as it was, Bichard Halstoad gavo comparatively no trouolo, and after a little reflection gladly accepted the liboral settlement which, wo may be- suro, in the generosity of his heart, Bryan was ready to make upon him. Nor is it necessary to add that not a breath ever esoaped the blind man's lips to living soul (not oven to his wife) with reference to tho well-founded conviction he had -ci how Bichard Halstead had been occupied amongst hii mother's papers that._sJ.»iorable night in her boudoir. "' An international potato exhibition has boen hold at tho Crystal l'sloco. Tho No roe Vremya stated that tho Bussian Minister of War has under consideration the colonisation of tho Chinese frontier hy Siberian Cossacks.