Chapter XI.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5256, 11 May 1895, Page 1

Chapter XI.

A STARTLING DISCOVERT.

In one of bis novels, Balzao makes the perticent ramark that *' It ia impossible for man to understand the heart of woman, seeing that; her Creator Himself does not understand it." These are not the preoise words, bnt the santimenfc ib the same. And who, indeed, can understand a woman's heart ; who can aver that he has a complete comprehension of her character? Yery young men lay claim to such knowledge, bat as they grow older, and the vanity of youth give - way to the modesty begotten by experience, they no longer pretend to such omniscience, and humbly admit thoir inability to solve the riddle of femininity. Had the Sphinx proposed suoh an enigma to CEdipus, he would not Have been able to guesß it, aud eo, meeting the fate of other viotimo, would hava deprived Thebes of a king and Sophocles of a tragedy. Tot, if we bear in mind that women work rather from impulse than from motive, we may arrive at some knowledge of the organ in question. If a woman is impulsive, and moat women are, Bhe acts directly on those impalaes ; and so startles men by paradoxical actions. Ab a rule, the male intellect hns logical reasons, wherefrom it deduces motives npon which to aot. Not so with women. They obey the impulse of the moment, reckless of the consequence to themselves, or to anyone else. Consequently it is impossible to foretell how a woman will act in a given circumstance, bnt it may be asserted that she will obey the lateßt thought in her mind. Even from this point of view, the feminine mind ia etill a riddle ; but one which is more capable of explanation.

For example, Mra Bezel read " The Whim of Fate, and thus after five-and twenty yeara, the Horriaton tragedy waa freahly impressed on her brain.. Seized with remorse, terrified by the memory Of the crime, ehe, acting on the repulse, wrote to Hilliston atating that she intended to Bee Claude Larcher and reveal all. The dismay of tbe lawyer at this mad proposal, and hia steady opposition thereto, turned what was originally a mere whim into a fixed idea. She saw a way of punishing the man fox the withdrawal of hia love ten yeara before, when she lost her beauty, and became paralysed. Delighted at learning that she had still some power to wound him, she persisted in her project, and bo wrote the letter to Larcher, whioh he received the day after his arrival in London.

, To bafßle Hilliston, and provent him from intercepting the letter, she was obliged to use all her wits', and bo hit on the idea of learning the name of the young man's club. How she managed to obtain it ib best known to Miersel£*j-but Hilliston, never dreaming of this pertinacity, waa unable to thwart her schemes, and, beyond writing to Claude, telling him to call, could do nothing. Had he guessed that she would addreaa her invitation to the club, he might have called and obtained it in the character of Larcher'a guardian ; but knowing her helpless condition the thought that it might be there never entered hia mind. So the letter arrived, was duly answered, and Claude waa coming to-day at three o'clock to hear what Mra Bezel had to aay. The visit, though due to her own action, waa a source of considerable anxiety; for Bho was not at all certain, of what Bhe would aay. It waa impossible to tell all without inculpating Hilliston, and this, for reasons of her own, Mra Bezel was unwilling to do. All her talk; of the previous night had bean bo much rodomontade to frighten the man she hated, but ahe waa too well aware of her dependent position to think of doing him an injury. Her impulse had led her into deep water, as ahe knew instinctively.

She waa a woman who had lived every moment of her life, but now stretched on a bed of sickness, she missed her former triumphs and excitements. Thia viait promised a great deal of amusement, and the use of much diplomacy, therefore ahe waa unwilling to abandon her plans. At the same time Bhe was determined to give the young man aB little information as ahe posaibly could. It would not be through her agenoy that the mask would be torn from Hilliaton'e face. She waa resolved on that point. Yet the matter, starting originally from an impulse, had now gone too far for her to draw back. Claude had seen the papers, and therefrom must have guessed that she desired to impart certain information with regard to the crime whioh had cost him a father. Mrs Bezel therefore compromised the matter, and settled in her own mind to tell him half the truth, or at all events, only sufficient to interest him without aiding him. Had ahe been a man, and had taken thia decision all would have gone well, bnt being a woman, she reckoned without her impulse, and it betrayed her.

Moreover, she had a revelation to make, which would effectively tie Larcher'a hands should he learn too much ; but thia ahe did not intend to make unless driven into a corner. She was in that corner, before the interview waa finished, though Bhe little expected to get there. Hilliston, clevpr aa he waa, could not understand her present aotions: she did not understand them herself, else Bhe would not have ventured to receive Claude Larcher.

• He duly arrived at three o'clock and Mra Bezel glanced approvingly at hia stalwart figure and handsome face. Claude had one of thoao sympathetic yet manly natures, to whioh women are instinctively drawn by the law of sex, and Mra Bezel proved no exception to thia rule. She was too thoroughly a woman not to relish masculine society, and, despite her perplexity, waa glad ahe had sent the invitation, if only for the Bake of talking to this splendid looking young man. There was another reason, which she revealed in a moment of impulse. But that was later on.

Meanwhile Claude seated by her couch in the window, was wondering who ahe was, and why she had Bought thia-inter-vs»w. He waa certainly aware that she had .some information to impart concerning the fate of hia parents, but as he had not seen her name in the papers containing an account of the case, he was at a loss to fix her identity. Hia doubts were Boon set at rest. Mra Bezel waa a more prominent actor in the Horriaton tragedy than he had any idea of. " You were donbtlesa astonished to gei; my letter," said Mrs Bezel when the Arab greetings wero over, " especially aa you do not remember your parents, and my name ia oleo unknown to you."

"Were you a friend of my parents, madam P" asked Claude, too anxious for information to reply directly to her remark.

".Yoa; I— l knew them. That is I lived at Horriaton," stammered Mra Bezel, passing a handkerchief across her dry lips. "You livad nt Horriaton ? At the time of the murder?"

. Mra Bezel nodded ; she was net yeb luffioiently self-controlled for speech. "In that oaae," continued Claude,

eagerly, *' you must know all the details of the crime".

" Only those that wero reported in the papers!" - "Still you must be acqnainted with those concerned in the tragedy. With my father, with Jeringham, Denio Bantry— with Mona, bis sister."

"Yob!" said Mra Bezel, calmly. knew them all."

" Have you any idea who committed the crime ? "

"Not the slightest."

*• But you must have some suspicion - ? " "Oh, yea! But they miiy be wrong. I believe that Mr Jeringaam had something to do vrith it."

"Oh!" said Claude, remembering Hillisfcon'a opinion, . "some believe him to be guilty."

" I cannot say for certain." replied Mra Bezel, shaking her head. "The flight 0? Mr Jeringham certainly showed that he had something to conceal." " What kind of a man was Mr Jeringham?"

" Tall and fair. Amiable as a rule, bnt liable to violent passions."

"Was he not in lova with my mother before she married my father ? "

Mrs Bezel turned away her head, and the colour rose to her face. The nervous movement of her hands plucking 1 at her dress showed how profoundly she was moved by this question. "I believe bo. But she— Mrs Larcher loved her husband."

"Then why was my father jealous of Jeringham?" said Claude, who could noli reconcile this statement with the evidence given at the trial. . " How should I know !" cried Mra Bezel, turning on him with sudden pasaioa. "If George Laroher had not been so blinded by jealousy he would have Been that there wac nothing between them. Your mother knew Jeringham all ber life, they wero like brother and Bister. It ia true he wished to marry her, but when he Baw that her heart was given to your father, he bowed to her decision. He came to Horriston aa her friend, not as her lover."

"But he was constantly with her."

"Do you dare to speak thus of your mother, sir ! " " I— l cannot help doing go," ' stammered Claude, startled by the anger in her voice. " God. knows I wish to revere the jnemory of my mother, bub I cannot help**Beeing that she was morally responsible for the tragedy." " She waa not. She was not," eaid Mrs Bezel, vehemently. " Kow dare you speak thus! Your father neglocfced hor, he left her to the companionship of Mark Jeringham, while he indulged in his predilection for literary work. All day long he shut himself up in his study, and lathis wife sit alone, and' miserable. Was it any wonder then that Bhe should turn to her old friend, for consolation. There waa nothing between tbem— nothing to which any Pharisee could have taken exception." " But surely my father was sufficiently sensible to Bee all this ? "

" Ha saw.nothing, or what he did eee, waa distorted by hia jealousy. The police in their. endeavour to fix the crimß on your mother, took the same view of the relations between her and Jeringham. Oh, I know, what you read in those papers shown to you by Mr Hilliston." So surprised was Qlaudo by this unexpected introduction of his guardian's name, that he could not suppress a start. " How do you know that Mr Hilliston. showed me the papers ? " Mra Bezel saw that she had said too much, but unable to go back on her words, rapidly resolved to make that revelation which she had hitherto intended to keep as a last resource.

" Mr Hilliston told me that he had done

BO."

" Do you know him ? "

" Yes," said Mrs Bezel, seizing her opportunity , to lead up to the revelation, " I know him as the beat and kindest of men. I know him aa one who has been a good friend tb you— orphan ar you thought yourself." "Orphan as I thought myself," muttered Claude, turning pale, "is it not true— am I not an orphan ?" "No!"

•• Great heavens ! What ia this you tell me ? My father "

" Your father ia dead. He waß murdered, as you know." "Then my mother!"

Mrs Bezel looked at the agonised face of the young man, nnd covered her own, with a quick indrawn breath. "She lives!"

"My mother ! She lives ! Are you mad ? She died in London shortly after her acquittal." "So it was supported, but it waß not true. Could you expect that unhappy woman to face the scorn, and contempt of tbe world, after having been accused of her husband's murder? She did not die. save to the world. She fled from society and sought refuge here— here where she lies a helpless invalid."

"Mra Bezel!"

"I am not Mra B.ezel. I am your mother." "God! My mother!"