EPILOGUE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume V, Issue 46, 15 November 1890, Page 7

EPILOGUE.

IT is two after the marder af Lord Harry the last ever.: co«ae*rte»i wfth. this hsstoey. Iri?, when. *h.e ieeepcei Hngh Moontj*>y > »?ner of iii* Se&teh viihu wens taere resohred n> rude Lerseii from the wo<-i<i_ T*» many people, she fezsew her hfc*t#‘Mry, azbi wnao she hA»i Ic was tiKelw the IMreetor* -*>: the »_'<»mpany wtMnd aul u«>i*± their wagites &i»si a nT-AzuiAa s<> very ooa«w*I. fc.<ea if *ney •lit sot eairge her with, comp-tie-iuy —they ojqM—cney wnxiM eertairdy teli tae story —ail tae ru*M-e reasily since Loro. Harry’s manier—»>c uiie e»>a<pimry and its -neves’, eooln never agAin, s'b.e told hermit, ue seen in tne wuxidShe was A*reoCEipraied »y her inecxi A£i«i —the wvmazx whsoee dneliuy to ner had. Leer, so 1 prowei—antf by slrs V imp&ziy who acted as htMiaekeeper. After a decent interval- Hngn Mofinrfoy joined her. She was aow a widow. Sae sn»ier*c«j«>i very well what he wished to say. and -she antieipateoi him. >ee informe»i him that nothing would ever inn ace her to become the w-rfe of -any ocher m=AH after her Hugh receive*! this intiniaziLe& wiE&Mtt a remar-sl. He Lemainett m the ueigti-L*:«ir-h»»i- however, calling up».>n. her anu offering no worn, of lowe. But ne necessary io her. The fret]_uerLt visits became ■ iaii v : the afternoon visits- were paid in tne morning : the visitor stayei aU nay. VV nen cne n?me came for Iris to -mu he lerc the Sjuse no more, there seemed to be no change. But still they (.wma-.d their retired life, and now 1 uo net think they will ever change it . againfheir villa was situate*! on the north shore of the S-dwav Firth, dose to the ou trail of the Annan Ki ver. but on the west oank, oppeeite to the Little town, of Annan. Ac cue back was a large garden - the front Lo»jke*i out upon the streceh of sand at Low nue an»i the water at uign tide. 'I he house was provided with, a good library. Itl- attended co her garden, walied on the sands. ieau or wt>rke»i- They were a •jaiec hoGsehofid. Hashand and wife talked Utile. They walked az»ar in the garden, bis arm arounu her w?nsc. -or hand in hand. The past, if not was ceasing co trouble them : ic seemed a dreauifui. terrible ureaim ic Left its mark in a gentle melancholy which mi.- never belonged to Iris in the old days. Anu then happened the last event which cue chronicler of this history to relate. It began in the morning with a letter. Mis V mi pan y received m She knew the han, i w-n ci n g r started, anu hid it in her boeonx. As soon as sue e*>*ild get away to her own room she opened and ream it. •.n»Q xxz« TSzvdcr. I*B£lTV&£.-1 ascertained a good while ig»>. cmnain^"hau tts.OihOty i mignt have to maA-* •:< ,i-._ im.an.ee. Eoyom yo«i were ivng and witn lt wks not um-.-mc i £ -?my mui co -.-onoieec you. with >ir tt’nrn Mountjoy ami co mi<i »?ac wnere he Lived. I .•ongzacuate ?•:>•; -.a oemsr -o wen. alste to cake care of yo<izsei±. Y ■?u are ir-jcubi." sfCLcti L-ac mie m a tfixmortaixe nome. 1 reel as nappy ahoor i: ktt 1 mui myseii oiucnoace*! co mis resa*i/ 1 have no rntesmoc. or mysem more disagreeable chan. £ m obligee, co do. >eeessisy. however, knows n*>-a*. Vou. *i_ •mderscaad me when. 1 cei_ you. chac i nave spec.: my money. £ do hog rerrsc the manner m «ncn. the money has oeea -oenb. bun cue i.u.-L coat it nas ai gone, this it is wnlca -it’ me tb cae heart- _ I nave also discovered that the late lamented Lecd Harry, deacn I mysetr nave me xreasesc reaseths to deplete, played me a seurvy trick, m re-rari to certain, sums -.•: mcc.ey*. ine'am«.-mc ».-:r which, he was insured was hog faess man xlnAc. I he arusiwax ahe stated ic co me was only £!jX€. Ln return tor cema..-?. servt«ies rendered at a tartb- nar Hiarrore- E was to receive the '-k - _c cne ms;iranoe money. L only received S2.JX. censenuettCxy there is -CLii due co me tne sum of £hAX. kh_- is a .ump of money. But Mr Moantjcy is. I believe, a man. He *•-■__ .i-m-jCjeb-see cue neoeseity -?£ paying this memey co me wt.-o.ouc tmrtner ■iuesdoc. or detay. You w_ cn.eref'jre. seek his presence—he is new. I hear, ac home. You may read co him any part of tins _etter nnaz you ptiease. and yo<i w-_ -ec him mo* mat 1 am. m earnest. .< man with empty pockets easaoc •.■heese bat be in earnest. He may very possibly obje*rc. * ery *ocd_ Ln that •.-ase you will ted h - m chat a fraud ha- been committed in eottßeetiua w-_ch which. 1 tm ■. re cared to ma-w.* i o-..-••Learesisivc- 1 t-rtuxsei? ted. on the death, -.c my puzienr.- ano, it the earnest entreaty ijortl Hirry > namn to represent toe dead man as his .orri’dip. 1 then went away, resetvmg co have n«> more co do with the t irtncr -many wm--n £ Geneve was eaumeft on co rhe coca;n ; of cue whoie am»?rmz tor wn> h ue waI be m/irder of Lord Harry immetiiaceij afterwards «wixse*i the Com-.any to drop taeir mcenaeu. pr»j*s«*.ation. £ -.5.1, re - ea. c»> them tne present resbiem e cc n_- wuiu a . anu da,. - ua e ny evidence as taeir •UsposiEioa. Whatever taepens £ 'Oau. make the facts of the rase puotic. Ibis done, nocking can hurt me . while, wftecner me rwoue t'rweeen.tar intervenes or noc. neither Mr H nm M sintjcy nor i> wde-.-aa ewer -now cate to the worui ucim. led Mr Moantjoy. ! «ay. whatever jo*i pteAse. ex that I Ye*i aansc n«>c Beil mm that. I -ran ‘.xi— to-nicrro ’» momm<. an»i -mu. espect co uUii tne a- x’s.u a- -1 on--. A.V. Mrs VimpaßV dropped the letter in dtsniAv. Her husband aai vamsrLeU oat «x aer hie for more than iwv vear*. She

i«>peu taaz <Le wa- etfartaally h*i«iea ; ’ue i.«>pe*i that ae Aad g»>ee away v> saxne iar-W euantry where he wooM never m*>re return. .Kias This wurW »x ours 2,a» n»> tar- • 4f’Tvxuxtry ’eft. and, even if the wieked man turaeta a»av from his wiekedaena vo far at k>*nu> the Baefcy M-juniams. an express train and a -wifi -*>a£ will hems aim. ba *. i« a> wickedness whenever be «lenre» a liule its-re ea yment and the weiety or his oM friend's. Mr \ irupany was taek Wbat dtooki -ce i- • 3A3-wr«u*»i !n»4»? What w.MiLd Mr Meant > v .i. >be real the letter again, Tw«» wete *x>* > <idrsc. that he uad n*> doe of the rewiimtkx* : and. next, roaz ne nad n«> luea c the evidence urdasG aim f*>r the murder «M me Lhkne. She resolved to ••ofnaiixni.eare the latter fact only. >he was raver now than she nau een f«Mmer{y. She '■aw 32»<e clearly chat the way of the wicked manl’ not always -•? easy foe him. If he knew that his crime could be noxi-zht m>«e to him : that ue wocilu ’•ertarniv fe charged with murder if he >iared t. >Lew ..inj.-etf. >?c if ne asked for m. -nev. ae woaM desist. Before -aeh a the m-et hardenei villain woold siirink. _She als»> vßder’toed tuat it wa» iesirabie to hide fnim bun the nature »»f the evidence aad the name rf tiie oniv wiineso against hioi. She woabi calmly tell him what would happen, and id him begone, or" cake the .•*?ese4’ience*. \ec even if he were driven, off he woul-i return, siewould live henceforth in cvncinaaL pcehensi*?Q *m hi? return. Her tran«; utility was -"naes. Heavens - . That a -nan should, have such p»>wer over the Eves of others : She ytks-eii rhe ai«.ec wretched day of he.- wh»de Life, ''he *itw in antieipasiou. she happiness of shat h«>useho<u i>r»>ken up. She pictured his omul ng. bus could nor picture his •leparuure. l'-»r she had never seen bailed er •iefeate*i. He wocxld come in. big, burly, with his farmer-like manner. e»xihideni. builymg. masterful. He w»?u.id a-k her wnas she had *ioixe: he would swear ar her when he tiiac she had. done noshing : he wool-i siirow himself into she ttiOtss comfortable chair, stretch • ■at his letss. ana *>r»ier her to go and fetch Mr Moans joy. WoaLl she re sabdued by him as of old * YV owld she hud the e* to stan»i ap to him .’ For the sake of Iris—yes. For the sake of the man wh*. aad been kind to her—ves. in the evening, the cw»> women—Mrs VimpAt-y > Fanny-—were seated in the housekeeper’s room.- Both '.-im work in their laps: neither wa?- «i»>in-j arv The auturnna« day ha*x been u»dster’."ss : t&e wir«. ••.-. K’ uiguer. ’ y®<s-<hinking of?’ asked Fanny. E was th inking or my u.os '>an>i. If he were to come r>ac<s Fanny—if he were to tnreacen ’ * \oa woulti fooee my tc-mme —you w.xiid let me speak ‘\es : for her sake. I wosHd have shiehie*! him. ‘.-nee —if I ctMild. But not now I km?w. at last, that there is u«? single gee*i thing Left in him ' “ Y ‘.mi have heari from him, I -aw she Lecter this m».•ruing in tne box. I knew the u.-tnawriting, i have zeen waiting ror y*>n to -reas ’ "Husn ‘ Yes, Fanny: I have neard fr’-ri him. He wants money. He will e*>me here so-niocrow morning, and will uiireaten Mr Monnijioy. Keep y *a.r mistress m her own room. Persuade her to Lie in r>e*i—anything,/ /He does n»>t know what £ have seer- » narg** him with, with, the murter the Dane. Tell him.’ sai’i Fanny, her lips ■ that if he dares to come ~—if he >ioes m:»t go away—he ’uaLi be arreste*f f-?c mur-ier. I wiil keei silence no Longer : * I will—l am resolved : Uh who will rid as *.>f ~hi~monster ?’ ♦_hitsi<ie, the gale rose higher—higher ’till- They heard it howirmr. griffi-img tosrethc-r : they neard Ere njanng an<_ tue ru’img the water'- "tie el.’: ~. gme was driven over the shallow san«is. like a m«.*au:ain reservoir at l«'»se among the valiejs below. In the miist *>f the tempest there came a sudden lull. YVmd and water alike seem*=*t hus&«*i_ And oat ■?f the Lail, as if in am-wer to the woman s question—there '.aue a food cry —the shriek of a man in ueaaly perii. fhe two women »caaght eaen*other by the hand and rushed to the window. They threw it c»pen : the ten?rest began again : a tresh gust drove them oaek : the waters roars*! : me wind howie*! : they neani the voice no m-. re. They dosed the window and put up the shutters. Ic wa.’ foeg past midnight when, they »iare*i to go t< bed. Une of them Lav awake tne whole mgut In the roaring tempest sue had -een an omen vt cue wrath •?£ He*».v en ab*j«ii Cm fall once snore upon her mt’cress. was wrong. The wiath of Heaven fell upon ••ne far In me morning with the ebbing tide, a dea«i -*jdy waround isxshei to cue posts of ■.• tie ot the -san*ting nets m. the lc was recognised by H;jgti, who went <-?»i~ to look iu it. and round it was the h»:<yl?r Y’impany. YVhether he was v«l his way back" to Annin, .’.r whether he intended to call at she viuA that — r.in j Lu.’tea<l of next Hitxning. no one -can ceLL Hi- wife *ne*i -ears, out they were tears or relief. The man was bune*i &s a Hugh kept his evxxnseL Mrs \ imgany mt the Lecter in ere hre. Neither of them tkoeght ic wtee co ■iiscurt> the mm»i of Iris by any mention of the mam S.me 'lay- Later, however, Y impany came downstairs in a widow s cap. To Iris’s toot -m interrogation, ’he replied calmly. ’ I hear’i the other *iay. He is dea»L £- - G better—even fr,»r nim. perhaps—that he sn*?ul«i be dead ? He can do no more w;cke*iuess : he can bring miserv into no more households He is dead.' Iris made no reply. Elec ter —better far—that he wa* dead. But how -dbe had bees del.vere*! fr»>m the man to wsac new danger* she had been expose!, she ivaew n -t. ana will never know. She has oee secret —and '>niy one—which she keeps froeti her mxsoand. In her desk see preserves a Loea •>! Lord Harry's hair. Yt hy ? 1 know not. Bund Love d co. never THE Es!a Theodore H»x>k wa*ac a musical party az which a certain v'’ '-’mg Eady attemp<e»i to dag a veiy itflidili ’♦•ng. which -rave with, exaggerate*! feeling an>t a great many blunders, • Ifoe’t y>u Ai xe her singing ?’ asked a gashiag nd Lady, who sac nexi him ; * it's ’*? full ot -*.»aL * YVell, tnauti. foe my part.' answered the wit, * there seents more •d the than the isde abonc ic.'