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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Los cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filnnAs d des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seui clich6, 11 est film6 A partir de I'angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'imagAs n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. y errata 3d to nt ne pelure, i9on d 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 THE DARK SECRET pS l;3. BY Mrs. may AGNES FJ.EMING i AUTHOR OF "MAGDALEN'S VOW," "THE QUEEN OF THE ISLE," "THE HEIRESS OF CASTLE CLIFF," "THE RIVAL BROTHERS," "THE GYPSY queen's vow," "THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN," ETC. I ;•■ NEW YORK THE FKDBRAI. BOOK COMPANY PUBLISHERS OOFTBIOHT, 187S, BEADLE & ADAMa CONTENTS. OBAPTBR PAOB I. The Mermaid 5 II. The Lone House 20 III. An Escape 31 IV. Fontelle 41 V. Jack De Vere 51 VI. The Secret 60 VII. The Midnight Music 70 VIII. The Vendetta 80 IX. Jacinto 90 X. A Mystery 105 XI. Captain Disbrowe makes a Discovery 119 XII. A Strange Meeting 131 XIII. Unmasked 146 XIV. Pride and Passion 156 XV. A Queen Uncrowned , 175 XVI. The Story in the Lone Inn 191 XVII. The End of the Story * 203 XVIII. A Woman's Nature 215 XIX. Little Orrie 226 XX. A Proud Heart Crushed 231 XXI. '« He Giveth his Beloved Sleep," 243 3 ^ 4 CONTENTS. CHAPTBR rAOS XXII. The Lonely Grave 260 XXIII. Over the Sea 274 XXIV. Norma 284 XXV. OflF with the Old Love 298 XXVI. A Secret Sorrow 306 XXVII. Kesuraram 823 XXVin. The Actress and the Earl 881 XXIX. An Old Foe 342 XXX. "All Things hath an End." 861 THE DARK SECRET- CHAPTER I. THE IIBBMAID. «* Whoe'er has travel'd life's dull round, Where'er his stages may have been, May sigh to think he still has found His warmest welcome at an inn." Shenstone. The time — late in the evening of a raw April day, many a year, most probably, before you were born, my dear sir or madam. The scene a long bleak stripe of coast on the Jersey shore, washed by the bright waters of the flowing Hudson. A low, black, rakish-looking schooner, with a sort of suspicious look about it, strikingly suggestive to nautical individuals skilled in reading the expressive countenances of schooners in general had just come to anchor out in the river, a short distance from the shore ; and a boat, a few minutes after, had p" t off from her, and landed two persons, who sprung lightly out ; while two more, who had rowed them, leaned on their dripping oars, and wait- ed, as if for further directions. « You can go back, now. I don't want you to wait for me. I'll stop at the Mermaid to-night. If I want you, you know the signal ; and tell Sharp Bill to keep an un- common sharp look-out. Come, my little Spanish Jockey o' Norfolk ; put your best leg foremost, hoist all sail, and let's bear down on that full-blown craft. Bob Rowlie, of the Mermaid inn." The speaker gave his companion a blow on the back, at this passage in his discourse, that sent him reeling, as THE DARK SECRET. well it might ; and then, with a coarse laugli, sprung, with more agility than might have been expected from his looks, over the wet, shingly, slippery beach, toward the high-road. lie was a man of some forty-five or fifty years of age, short, brawny and muscular, thougli not stout, with an extremely large head, set on an extremely short neck, which made up in thickness what it wanted in length. A complexion like unvarnished mahogany, with a low, retreating forehead ; a pair of sharp, keen, glittering, hawk-like eyes, gleaming from under thick, scowling brows ; a grim, resolute mouth, expressive of the most unflinching do-or-die determination, made up a face that would hardly be associated, in female minds, with the id;;a of love at first sight. This elegant frontispiece was rendered still further attractive by a i)erfect forest of un- derbrush and red hair generally ; indeed, there was more hair about his countenance than there seemed any real necessity for; and his tarpaulin hat crowned a head adorned with a violent mat of hair of the same striking color. The gentleman was dressed in an easy, off-hand style, that completely set at defiance all established civil- ized modes, with nothing about him, save his sailor's hat, to betoken he was a seaman. Yet such he was, and a captain, too: Captain Nicholas Tempest, commander of tlie Fly-by-Night, at your service, reader. A greater contrast to the gentleman just described than his companion, could hardly have been found, search the wide world over. He was a slender lad, of not more than sixteen or seventeen apparently, with a face that would have been feminine in its exquisite beauty, but for the extreme darkness of the complexion. Every feature was perfect, as faultlessly chiseled as if modeled alter some antique statue. His eyes were large, black and lustrous as diamonds; his short, crisp, curling hair, of jetty blackness ; while his complexion was darker than that of a Creole. His form was slight, graceful and ele- gant ; his dress odd, picturesque, and foreign-looking, and strikingly becoming to the dark, rich style of his beauty. A crimson sash was knotted carelessly round his waist ; and a cap of the same color, with a gold band and tassel, THE MERMAID. I and a single black plume, was set jauntily on his dark curls, and gave him altogether the look of a handsome little brigiuid, just dressed for the sUige. The burly commander of the Fly-by-Night sprung fleetly up the rocks, followed by the boy, until they left the l)each, and struck out on the straggling, unfreciucnted, lonely-looking road, with only one house in sight, as far as the eye could reach, and that one a low, dingy-looking place, with a l)lack, smoky chimney leaning pensively to one side, and two vacant-eyed windows, that stared straight before them with an idiotic^ helpless-looking gape, and a melancholy old door, that creaked and moaned dismally whenever it was touched. Over this door was a flapping sign, with an uncomfortable-looking female painted on it, who held a comb in one hand, and a small pocket mirror in the other, intt which she was grazing with an expression of the most violent astonishment, evi- dently lost in wonder as to how on earth she had ever got there — as she very well might, mdeed ; for it was an un- comfortable, not to say distressing, place for anyl)ody to be, much less a mermaid. A striking trait about this lady was, that after beginning like any other reasonable Christian, she suddenly and impetuously, and without the smallest provocation, saw lit to branch off into a startling tail, which turned up so that the tip stood on a level with her head, and left her precisely in the shape of the letter U. Under this extraordinary female was painted, in glaring, yellow capitals, " The Mermaid " ; and there was a popular legend extant, to the effect that the picture above was a striking likeness of one of those fishy individuals that had been captured by a former proprietor of the inn, while she was combing her sea-green tresses down on the shore. For the truth of the narrative I am not, however, prepared to vouch in this authentic story, as I have only popular tradition for it. Toward this inviting-looking dwelling, our two " soli- tary travelers" were betaking themselves, at a leisurely pace, each seemingly absorbed in his own thoughts. Captain Nicholas Tempest, having insinuated about half a yard of twisted tobacco into his mouth, was discharging right and left, with that benign expression of countenance 8 THE DARK SECRET. men always wear when chewing tlie weed ; and with both hands thrust in his trousers pockets, he marched along with an independent swagger, that said, as plainly as words : " Tin Captain Nick Tempest, sir, and I don't caro a curse for any man ! " Ilis handsome companion kept by his side, stepping carefully to avoid the mud, lest it should sully tlie shining brightness of his Spanish leather boots, and smiling slightly as he caught the contemptuous glances Captain Tempest cast toward him, as he observed the action. And thus, one chewing tobacco and plowing his way straightforwardly along, in free and easy scorn of nnid and dirt, and the other stepping daintily, and springing over holes and puddles, they marched along in silence for a season. Captain Nicholas Tempest, transferring his quid, with an adroit roll of the tongue that bespoke long and ac- complished practice, to the other cheek, and having dis- charged a startling Are of tobacco- juice, gave his pant- aloons a hoist and glancing toward his companion, at length lifted up his voice and spoke. " Well, my little shaver, youVe got to America, at last, you see, all safe in wind and limb ; though, by George, we did come pretty near going to Davy's locker once or twice during the passage. And now what do you think of it, eh ? Hardly equal to the * vine-clad hills of sunny Spain,* you see, my lad. Rather a dreary and desolate prospect, just at present, ain't it ? " « Yes, somewhat so," said the lad, as he measured in- tently with his eye a pool of water in his path, and then leaped lightly over it. His voice was soft and musical in the extreme, and was rendered still more so by his foreign accent, though he spoke in excellent English. " And now that you've got here. Master Jacinto, what do you mean to do with yourself, if it's a fair question ? " "Perfectly fair, Captain Tempest. I mean to take excrllent care of myself," said the lad, carelessly. " Humph ! you do — do you ? Boys have queer notions about taking care of themselves. I suppose your next move will be for New York city." « That depends." «* Depends on what ? " THE MERMAID. " "Wt'U, on a good many things generally, and on ono thing in particular." "And wliiit is that ono thing? Don't be m cursed Hocretive, you little jackanape ! T tell you what, my young cove, you had better keep on the right side of me; for it will be the tallest feather in your cap, if you have the friendship of Captain Nick Tempest. 3Iind that!" " I am nuich ol)liged to Captain Nick Tempest, and would not otfend him for any earthly consideration," said the young Sjjaniard, in a t(»ne of i)rovoking inditl'erenee, as he tightened his sash: "but, at the same time, he must allow me to decline making him my confidant^ more es- l)ecially as it is totally out of his power to aid me in the slightest degree." Captain Nick Tempest came to a sudden halt, and with his hands still in his pockets, faced round in the middle of the road, his swarthy face flushed, and his brows con- tracting with rising anger; but, as his eyes fell on the slight, boyish form of the other, he checked himself, and said, in a tone of withering scorn, as he moved on : " Why, what an independent young gentleman we have here, so self-cimscious and Avise that he declines all help, and is going to begin life in a land he never set foot in before, on the principal of letting every tub stand on its own bottom. If you were a dozen years older, I would twist your neck for you, for your insolence. A Spaniard more or less is no great loss in the world ; and I have set- tled the hash of many a better man than you will ever be for less than that ! " " I have not the slightest doubt of it, sir," said the lad, with so ready an acquiescence as to sound like flattery, while a slight and almost imperceptible smile broke for an instant over his handsome face. " Oh, you hav'n't ! " growled Captain Nick, slightly mollified. " Well then, let me give you a piece of friendly advice : don't attempt to provoke Captain Tempest. You had a passage over in my bark, and we've broken bread together, and been good friends all along, and I don't know but what I kinder liked you : but still I tell you, as a friend, don't provoke me. Master Jacinto." "Really, Captain Tempest, I had no intention of of- W m I V Hi lO THE DARK SECRET. fending yon, and regret exceedingly having done so," said the youth, bowing deprecatingly ; " but the fact is, I could not, if I would, tell you my plans ; for I do not know my- self, having formed none as yet. Most likely I shall do as I have always done — trust to luck, and let to-morrow take care of itself." " A mighty profitable maxim, and a beautiful way of passing through life," said the captain, with a sneer. " Trust to luck, indeed, the slippery jade ! No, sir, I wouldn't trust her the length of my nose, and that's none of the longest either." " Providence, then, if you like that better. Don't you trust in Providence ? " said the boy. " Providence ! " said Captain Nick, jerking out his tobacco, with a look of utter contempt. " Paugh ! don't make me sick. I think I see myself trusting in Provi- dence ! No, sir. Since I was knee-high to a duck, I've put my trust ir something that has never deceived me yet, and never will while one timber of this queer craft of a world hangs together ; and I'd advise you, my little Spanish friend, to do the same." "Indeed! perhaps I may. What is this wonderful sheet-anchor called ? ' "Captain Nick Tempest, sir," said that individual, drawing himself up, and fixing his flashing eyes on his companion's face. " I've trusted in him, sir and I'll back him against luck and Providence, and all the other sheet- anchors in the world. Luck ! ugh ! " said the captain, with a look of disgust, as he let fly a last volley of tobacco- juice. The boy would have smiled, but there was a warning gleam in the fierce eyes of the captain thai iorbade it ; so he said nothing, and again they walked on for a short distance in silence, and sulkiness on the part of the gal- lant commander of the Fly-by- Night. " Is that the inn we are to stop at ? " at length inquired the boy, Jacinto. " Yes." said the captain with a sullen growl, " that's the inn I'm to stop at. I don't know anything about yours ; and what's more, I don't care. You may go where you please.'* THE MERMAID. II Again that slight and seemingly irrepressible smile flickered for a moment round the lad's handsome mouth ; but it was gone directly, and he was standing with his hand in the captain's arm, and his dark, bright eyes fixed on his gruff, surly face, saying, in his soft, musical ac- cents : « Come, Captain Tempest, forget and forgive ; it is hardly worth your while to be angry with me. We have been good friends since the day we left merry England until this ; and as there is no telling how soon we may part now, it will never do to quarrel at the last moment." " Quarrel ! " said Captain Nick, contemptuously. « Quarrel with a little pinch of down like you ! Why, I'd as soon quarrel with a woman I Not much fear of you and I quarreling, my young shaver 1 " "Well, let us be friends then, as we were before. Come, captahi, shake hands on it — if I spoke impertinent- ly that time, I am sorry for it. Will that do ? " He held out his hand — a small, fair, delicate hand, that no lady need have been ashamed of — and looked up, with a pleading face that was quite irresistible, in the gruff cap- tain's face. Captain Nick, with a stifled growl, took the boy's hand in his own huge digit, and gave it a crushing shake. " There 1 don't come it over me with your soft- sawder, Master Jacinto, if you please," he said, as if half-angry with himself for the liking he could not help feeling for the handsome boy. " You've got a sweet tongue of your o^vn : and though it can sting pretty sharply at times, you are always ready to plaster the wound over again with soiiie of that same honeyed-baisarn. You see, you can't take mo in, my lad. You'll have to cut a few more of your eye-teeth before you can manage that. Here we are at the Mermaid, and there she swings herself, the same picture of ugliness she has always been since I first had the pleasure of her acquaintance. Wonder if old Rowlie has thought proper to die of apoplexy yet ! " As he spoke, he passed through the low doorway, and entered the house, closely followed by Jacinto. The dorr opened straight into the bar-room — a low, dirty, smoke- begrimed place, with a strong odor of ardent spirits and 12 THE DARK SECRET. ' i' sawdust per'^^ading it. Numerous casks were ranged round the walls ; and on the shelves behind the counter were arrayed bottles, decanters and glasses, and all the other paraphernalia common in such places. Leaning over the counter, with his back to the door and busily engaged in turning over the greasy leaves of a dirty little account- book, was a fat, round-about little man, with a rosy face, indicative of an unlimited amount of solemn good-nature. " I say, old Bob Kowlie I what cheer, my hearty ? '* called Captain Nick, giving the little man a slap in the back that nearly knocked him into a jelly. " Alive and kicking yet, I see ! What a precious long time the old boy is of claiming his own, to be sure I " " Captain Nick Tempest," said the little man, slowly, as he laid down his pencil and book, and looked solemnly in the face of his boisterous guest, " and so you've come back again, have you ? I might have known it was you, for nobody ever knocks the breath out of my body till you come. Who is this ? " said Mr. Rowlie, looking with his slow, grave gaze toward the young Spaniard, who was leaning carelessly against the door-post. " Oh, a customer I've brought you — a young chap from beyond the seas," said the captain, flinging himself into a chair ; " come in, Jacinto, and make yourself at home. How's the old woman. Bob ? " "Mrs. Rowlie is per-fec'-ly well," slowly articulated Mr. Rowlie, taking a prolonged look at Jacinto, " per-fec'- ly well, thanky. Is the men coming up to-night ? " " Not to-night. I'm going to swing my hammock here myself to-night How's trade these times, old buffer? Many customers at the Mermaid ? " " Ye-es," said Mr, Rowlie, deliberately, " ye-es, some- times there is ; and then, again, sometimes there ain't. Vessels principally bring customers, but they don't stay long, mostly the reverse. Generally, it's quiet here. Uncommon so." " Well, it's likely to be brisk enough while I stay ; my men are the very dickens for spending their money. And now, my fat friend, just let me have something to eat — will you? I feel hungry e'lough to eat yourself, bones f THE MERMAID. n and all, if you were properly stuffed and roasted. Come, hurry up I " By way of complying with this request, Mr. Rowlie waddled leisurely to a door at the other end of the room, and opening it, he called, in a husky falsetto ; « Mrs. Rowlie-e-e ! " « What do you want ? " called a brisk voice from within, as a merry-looking little woman, like her husband, some- what of the dumpling order, came to the door, and peeped out. " Captain Nick Tempest has arrived, and wants some food." " Oh, marcy sake ! Captain, how d'ye do ? " said Mrs. Rowlie, bustling out, and holding out her hand to the burly captain. " How unexpected people keep a-turning up ! I'm railly glad to see you. I railly am, now." " Thankee, Mrs. Rowlie — thankee ! " said the captain, as he sprung up, and gave the bu^om dame a rousing salute on the cheek, while Mr Rowlie looked on in solemn dismay, " and how do you find yourself, old lady ? Bloom- ing like a hollyhock, as usual ? " "Lor' captain, behave yourself, can't ye?" said Mrs. Rowlie, jerking herself iivvay, and wiping the offended cheek mth her check apron : " please goodness, you've no more manners nor a pig. Hey I who's this ? Lor' bless me ! where did this uncommon handsome young gentle- man come from ? " she exclaimed, suddenly, catching sight of Jacinto, who was still leaning carelessly against the door. The boy doffed his cap and bowed with a smile to the old lady, who gazed at him with unconcealed admiration. " From Spain, Dame Quickly, if you ever heard of such a place," said the captain. " But never mind his beauty now, while there is more important matters to attend to. Do you know I've had nothing to eat since early noon, and now it's almost night ? Come, be spry I I hear something fizzling in there, and, if my nasal organ does not deceive me, something good, too. What is it." " Stewed rabbit," said the old lady, whisking the dust off a chair ^.^th her apron, and bringing it over to Jacinto. **Do sit down, sir, and make yourself comfortable. Yes, 14 THE DARK vSKCRET. Captain Nick, yes ; everything will be ready directly. Lor' bless me ! how excessive handsome that young gent is, to be sure ! " said Mrs. Rowlie, sotto voce, as she hurried into the inner room. " Yes, that's womankind, all over," said Captain Tem- pest, bitterly. " Let them see a handsome face, and old loves and old fnendships are alike forgotten. Curse them all ! every mother's daughter of them, I say I Old and young, rich and poor, they are all alike. Even this old fool, now, the moment she sees the handsome face of this young Spaniard, she is ready to forget and neglect me — me who has done more for her than he ever will or can do in his life. And these are the things that men love — that men every day stoop to love, and make fools of themselves for. Talk of cherishing vipers — there never was born a woman yet who would not be a viper if she had it in her power ! " It was evidently some inward feeling, in which good little Mrs. Rowlie had no share, that sent Captain Nick Tempest so excitedly from his seat, and caused him to pace with such an angry, ringing tread up and down the little room, his face full of such furious, repressed passion. Mr. Rowlie gazed at him, for a moment, in stolid sur- prise, and then busied himself in filling a black, stumpy pipe with tobacco ; and Jacinto, sitting toying with a little, gray kitten, cast furtive glances at him from under his long eyelashes. « Smoke ? " said Mr. Rowlie, sententiously, holding out the black, stumpy pipe to Jacinto. " No, thank you ; I never do," said the boy, with a half- laugh, as he declined the civility. Mr. Rowlie said nothing, but immediately clapped it in his own mouth, and was soon puffing away until he could be just faintly observed, looming up dimly through a cloud of smoke. " Come, captain," called the voice of Mrs. Rowlie, at this juncture ; " come, young gentleman — I don't know your name," she said, to him, apologetically, as he followed the captain into the inner room, " or I'd call you it, I'm sure." " I wouldn't advise you to try it, if you have any rd. THE MERMAID. 15 gard for your teeth," said Captain Nick. " Call him Mr. Jacinto, if you like. I forget his second name, now ; but it's a stunner, and would knock you over stiff as a mack- erel if you attempted to say it. Draw in, my young hearty. One word's as good as ten — cut away. Amen. There's a grace ! Now fall to." And, following precept by example. Captain Tempest immediately " fell to," with an appetite six hours old, and sharpened by the sea-breeze to a terrifying extent. Jacinto partook lightly of Mrs. Rowlie's dainties, and looked on between laughter and dismay, as she heaped up his plate for him. " I say, old woman," said Captain Nick, when business in the supper department began to slacken a little, "when did you see that old witch of Hades — Grizzle Howlet?" " Let me see," said Mrs. Rowlie, leaning meditatively on her broom. " She hain't been here, I don't believe, since the night you left. No, she ain't — not since then.'* " Humph I " said the captain, thoughtfully as he re- sumed his knife and fork, but in a far different manner than before. At this moment a sudden bustle in the bar arrested their attention ; a sharp, harsh voice was heard, address- ing some question to Mr. Rowlie — evidently the voice of a woman. Mrs. Rowlie looked at the captain and uttered an ejaculation, and that worthy mariner dropped his knife and fork, pushed back his chair, and half arose. " Marcy sakes I " exclaimed the little woman. " Did you ever? Why, I do declare! if that ain't her own blessed self ! " " Her o^vn blessed self ! " said the captain, in an under- tone, and with a grim smile. " Her own cursed self, you mean — the old hag ! How did she know I was here ? I believe there's something of the vulture in that old bel- dame, and that she scents her prey afar off. By the prick- ing of my thumbs, some one wicked this way comes ! Is here ! " he cried as the door opened, and the object of his eulogium stood bolt upright before them. Jacinto turned, in some curiosity to look at the new- comer, and saw what looked like an old woman, bui 1: 5i -i:. !i. i6 THE DARK SECRET. ought to have been a man, if judged by size. Extremely tall, she towered up in the apartment as straight as a cedar of Lebanon, and fully a head over Captain Nick Tempest. She was dressed in gray — all gray, from head to foot. A coarse gray dress, a gray woolen cloak, with a gray hood tied under her chin, and might have passed for a capuchin friar, or a "Monk of the Order Gray," only no holy monk, or friar, ever wore such a hard, bitter, evil, unpity- ing face, such a stern, remorseless mouth, and such a stony, dead, unfeeliag eye, as that woman wore. Upright in the door she stood, and scanned Captain Tempest, with folded arms, for full live minutes. "Well, Grizzle, my old friend," said that gentleman, with a sneer, " you'll know me the next time , won't you ? Can't I pre\ail on you to come in, and sit down, and make yourself as miserable as possible while you stay. How have you been since I saw you last, my dear ? You can't think how I've been pining for you ever since, my love." The woman took not the slightest notice of his jibing tone ; not a muscle of her iron face moved, as she loomed up like a figure in granite, and looked down upon the contemptuous face of the captain of the Fly-by-Night. " Oh I so my politeness is all thrown away upon you, is it ? " he said, after a pause, " and you won't speak. Very well, my darling ; just as you like, you know, and I'll let you. Mrs. Kowlie, will you have the goodness to step out to the bar and bring me a pipe ? Draw up to the fire, Jacinto ; it's cold comfort this raw evening, and the entrance of that tall blast of north wind yonder has given me the chills. My dearest Grizzle, do come to the fire — there's a duck. You're cold — don't say no — I'm sure you are ! " And stretching out his arm, stage-fashion, and looking toward her. Captain Tempest began declaring, distractedly : " * Content thyself, my dearest love, Thy rest at home shall be In Rowlie's sweet and pleasant inn, For travel fits not thee ? There's the old ballad for you, altered and improved; II THE MERMAID. 17 \ and here's our charming hostess with the pipe. Jacinto, my hearty,, won't you have a draw ? " Jacinto, who was completely puzzled by the captain's eccentric manner, declined ; and glancing toward the tall woman, was slightly disconcerted to find her needle-like eyes fixed on his face with a gaze of piercing scrutiny. « Who is this boy you have with you, Nick Tempest ? " she exclaimed, in a harsh, discordant voice as she came up, and bending down, seemed piercing the boy through and through with her gleaming eyes. « Oh I so you have found your tongue, my sweet pet? " said Captain Tempest. " I was afraid you had lost it al- together, which would be an urspeakable pity, you know; for, as the Irish song says, ' you've got an illigant tongue, and easily set a-going.' As to who he is, his name is Jacinto Mandetti, or something about the size of that, and he comes from old Seville — place where they raise sweet oranges ; and he is a good-looking youth, as you perceive, though somewhat of the tawniest. And so, no more at present." Even through his brown skm, the flush that covered the boy's face, under her pitile .-is gaze, could be seen, as, with a sudden, sharp flash of his black eyes, he rose in- dignantly, and turned away. " Well, I'm glad you've got through looking at him and admiring his beauty, my dear," continued the captain, in the same mocking strain. " I was beginning to feel a little jealous, you know, seeing the hearts of young and tender females are so easily captivated. Come, sit down here beside me, and tell me how the world has been using you for the last ten months." "What devil's deed brings you back now, Captain Tempest ? " said the woman, spurning the seat he placed for her away with her foot, and leaning against the man- tel. " Really, my dear Grizzle, your manner of address can hardly be called strictly polite ; but plainness was always a failing of yours." And he glanced slightly at her for- bidding countenance. "I came here to see my friends generally, and to see Mrs. Grizzle Howlet particularly — though that lady's welcome has been indifferent, not to i 1 I8 THE DARK SECRET. I } I' ^ say cool. What malicious fiend, my dearest, has been poisoning your eart -xgainst me during my pb^once?" " Pshaw, man ! don't be a fool ! " said tlie woman, im- patiently. "Do you know why I have come here to- night ? " " How should I know ? " replied the captain. " Then it was to warn you^ Captain Tempest ; for there is danger at hand. Forewarned ^s forearmed, they say ; so, beware ! " "Don't plagiarize, my dear woman. That tragical ' beware I ' I have heard once or twice before, if my mem- ory serves me right, when you and I used to tread the boards of Old Drury every night, and do the heavy tragedy. Do you remember those happy days, my charm- er, when you were Lady Macbeth and I was the murdered Duncan ? " " Take care the old tragedy is not renewed in real life I " said the woman, with a sharp flash of her eyes. " I can act Lady Macbeth as well to-day as I could then ; and,'* she added, bringing down her clenched hand fiercely on the mantel, " I feel quite as ready to do it I " " No doubt of it, my love ; no doubt of it. But about this danger with which I am threatened, and which your tender solicitude for my sake has made you take this long and lonesome journey to avert — a journey so full of danger, in these troublous times, to a young and lovely female like yourself. Now don't get into a passion, my dear. Where's the use ? " What wicked person or per- sons has designs on Captain Nick Tempest now ? " With her gloomy eyes fixed on the blazing fire, and her heavy brows knotted together, the woman stood silent for a while, as if she had not heard the question. Cap- tain Nick Tempest looked at her with a queer smile, and then went on smoking, casting a sidelong glance, as he did so, toward Jacinto. The young Spaniard stood with his back to them, gazing out into the deepening gloom of the raw, chilly evening; but the captain felt sure that not one word of the conversation was lost on him. " Nick Tempest," said the woman, looking up at length, " do you remember the predictions of that old woman in Worcestershire, who was hunted to death for a witch THE MERMAID. 19 i-;'ii that night that you entered the vaults of Saint Faith's church and stole the diamond-ring off the finger of — *' " Hush I " exclaimed the captain, fiercely, and half- springing from his seat, as he cast a quick, apprehensive glance toward the boy. 15ut still the lad stood motionless as a figure in marble ; and, as if reassured, he sunk back and said, in his former tone of careless mockery : " To be sure I remember it, dear Grizzle. I have had an excellent memory through life, and it is not likely I would forget that night ; more especially as you, my charmer, accompanied me in the expedition. Let's see, didn't the prophecy run something like this : " When tliou 'rt two score and ten, >^ Thy fortune turns then. There is some one that night thou wilt see, The deadliest foe Tliat thou ever wilt know — For a life will be lost betwixt ye ? " " Yes," said the woman ; " and what night is this ? " " This ? Why, this is the tenth, of April — my birthday, as I'm a sinner ! CapUiin Nicholas Lazarus Tempest is fifty years old — just two-score and ten — this minute, as I'm a sinner. Whew I then this is the very night I " As he spoke, the sharp clatter of horses' hoofs rung on the stony street without, and a high, clear voice was heard calling: " Hallo ! within there 1 " " And here is the man himself ! " cried the woman, starting up, her eyes filling with a dusky fire. " Captain Tempest, you have been warned. Look to yourself." " I intend to do so, my dear," said the captain, with a sneer, as he, too, arose. " What a loss you are to the stage! Kemble could not have spoken that sentence more tragically. What, are you going ? " Wrapping the coarse cloak closer about her, and draw- ing her gray hood down over her face till nothing was visible but a pair of fiery eyes, the woman waved her arm with a gesture, half- warning, half-menacing, as she cast a last look at the captain. I?, elis y H V I' I 20 THE DARK SECRET. That gallant mariner responded by a bow as profound as that of an old lady in a minuet, and kissed his hand to her as she disappeared. " Good riddance to bad rubbish, eh, Jacinto ? " he said, when she was gone, with a quick, shaip glance toward the boy. " Ugly as original sin, and with the devil's own temper. I la I the Mysterious Unknown is calling again ! As I am likely to have an interest in the gentle- man, I think I will just step out and see him. What do you say to coming with me, m^ lad? '' Nearly a minute passed before the boy either answered or turned round ; and when he did so at last, Captain Tempest saw a face from which every trace of color had fled — white even to the very lips ; and with a look so strange and inexplicable in the depths of the dark, lus- trous eyes, that it fairly staggered that worthy mariner. " Hallo ' what's the matter with you, my boy ? " he ex- claimed, in amazement. " Nothing ! " said the boy ; but even his voice was changed so that the captain hardly knew it. Captain Tempest gave him a piercing look, but he could not fathom the sudden emotion that had blanched the cheek and changed the voice of the Spanish boy ; and at length he turned away, with a long, wailing whistle that told how completely he was baffled, and, followed by Jacinto, passed out of the room to behold his unknown foe. CHAPTER II. THE LONE HOUSE. " Away then hied the heir of Linne, J * O'er hill, and holt, and moor, and fen, ; Until he came to a lonesome lodge , . v ^ ' That stood so low in lonely glen." —Percy Reliques. Both Mr. and Mrs. Rowlie had deserted the bar-room, and stood in the doorway talking to the stranger, who was on horseback, and could be clearly discovered in the last rays of the fading daylight. Captain Tempest drew back a little behind the ample THE LONE HOUSE. 31 person of the worthy host of the Mermaid, and scrutinized the new-comer with more interest than one usually ex- amines complete stmngers. And very well worth look- ing at the stranger was, as he sat on his superb horse like a prince of the blood : and the captiiin could not help inwardly acknowledging that seldom had his eyes fallen on a more gallant figure. lie was a young man, of not more than four or live-and-twenty, tiill and finely formed, with a certain bold, dashing look that well became him, and a sort of indefinable grace about him at once careless and high-])red. llis dark curling hair, his clear, bold blue eyes, his handsome mouth shadowed by a thick, dark mustache, with his handsome figure, made up what all must have admitted to be a remarkably handsome young gentleman — for a gentleman he evidently was. His dress was travel-stained, his heavy top-boots splashed Avith nuid, and his horse looked as if he had been ridden long and hard. Holding the reins in one hand, the young man was pointing with his whip toward the north. " So that's the way to Fon telle, is it ? " he was saying, half-musingly. " I thought it lay in the opposite direc- tion. Can I reach it to-night do you think ? " he said turning to Mr. Rowlie. "Well, yes, sir; you might, and then again you mightn't," responded that worthy, scratching his bald pate in i)erplexity. « How many miles is it from here ? " asked the stranger, adjusting his horse's girths. " Well, sometimes it's more, and then again sometimes it's less," replied Mr. Rowlie, sententiously. The handsome stranger looked up and favored mine host with a stare of so much surprise at this announce- ment, that Mrs. Rowlie felt called upon to strike in. " He means, if you please, sir," said that little woman, dropping a smiling little courtesy, " that it's according to the way you go. If you take the turnpike, it's nigh onto forty mile ; but if you go over the mountain, it's ten miles less, sir, if you please." " Oh," said the stranger, enlightened, and touching his hat gallantly to the old lady in acknowledgment, "I see; ill i^ 32 THE DARK SECRET. but as I am a complete stranger here, I do not know the way over tlie mountains ; and it would \)e rather incon- venient, not to say unpleasant, to break my neck just at present. So, on the wliole, I'll take the road for it; my horse will do it in five hours, I think. Is it going to rain luil'ore midnight, think you?" said the stranger, glancing at ISIr. Uowlit;. " Well, now, there ain't never no saying about the weath(»r liereabouts, 'cause it generally does what it ain't expected to do. It might rain, you know, and then again it mightn't," said Mr. Uowlie, evidently determined not to connnit himself. The strang(;r laughed. "Oh I thank you; quite enlightened. What an acqui- sition you would be to an almanac-maker, my good friend. Well, I think I will try your road for it — and an infernal road it is; my horse is lamed already. Good-by, my frii^nd ; good-by, madam," said the young man, gathering up the reins, preparatory to starting. All tliis time Captain Nick had been watching him, and listening intently ; and low muttering, " Not so fast, my fine fellow. I'll find out what you're made of first," he came out, and stood directly in his way. " l>eg pardon, sir — going to Fontelle, eh? " " Yes, sir ; have you any objection ? " said the young man, soothing his horse, startled by the captain's sudden appcarjuice. "Not in the least, my young friend. May I ask your business there ? " The young man raised his handsome eyes, and fixed them full on the captain for a moment, and said, quietly : " Yes — you may ask ; but whether I'll answer or not, is another question." " You'd like a guide over the mountains, wouldn't you ? " continued the unabashed captain. " What would you think of me, now ? " " Well," said the young man, carelessly, after mature deliberation on the subject, " I should say, if I wanted an impertinent scoundrel for a guide, I should take you. Your face is anything but a letter of recommendation, my good friend." THE LONE HOUSE. 23 "Then, by TTcaveii ! " said the captaiit, liis faco grow- ing criiMHoii witlj rage, "• my (\vv(\h sliall not belie my faeo 1 Out of this you sliall not stir until you liave an- 8>vpre— i ■ i it i ■ I ■ 26 THE DARK SECRET. I i -911 i i 1 roari()Us knock, aeeom})anied by a shout that could be even heard in that upper room : "Hallo! within there! Openthedoor — will you? — and dcm't keep a fellow here in the storm all night I " "Oh, it's Frank T)e Vere— it's Frank J)e Vere ! " said Orrie, springing forward with a joyful cry. "That's him, I know. Nobody else ever makes such a noise as he does. Oh, you're all safe now — just as safe as can be I They won't touch you while Frank De Vere stays!" "Well, it's ]>lcasant to know even that. But who is Frank J)e Vere ? Not one of the De Veres of Fontelle ? " " Yes ; he comes from Fontelle — a beautiful place. Oh, I'm so glad ! " exclaimed Orrie. " Tpon my life, I have had a night of it ! " said the young man, flinging himself into a chair, and pushing back carelessly his fair, brown hair. " First horsewhipping an insolent Yankee, and encountering a real fairy prince for beauty, and then falling into tlie hands of the Phil- istines ; and first meeting a witch, and then this little kelpie ; and, when about to be assassinated in cold blood, Mv. Frank De Vere thinks proper to come along at the eleventh hour and save my life. 'Pon my honor, it's exactly like a scene in a play, where everybody is saved in the most unexpected way, just when the knife is at their throat, by everybody else. Well, luck'.< every thing — no mistake about it, as I have abundantly proved by all my narrow escapes by flood and field for the last four-and-twenty years. What, Flibbertigibbet ! off, are you ? Where away now ? " " I'm going down to see Frank," said Oriole. " I like him." " Oh, you do — do you ? What a beautiful virtue frank- ness is to be sure, and how nicely girls get over it, once 'I i'^ : I ^il. 38 THE DARK SECRET. they are emancipated from pantalettes. 1 don't know but what it would be right for me to go and see Frank, too. Solitude's a very fine thing in its way ; but there is such a possibility as liaving too much of a good thing ; and this is not v^xactly the place where one would fancy their own thoughts for companions either, right over the grave of a murdered man. VVlio knows but I may discover in Frank a cousin of mine, too ? It's worth going to see about at all events. So here goes ! " He rose, as he spoke, and passed from the room — Orrie having already gone. As he descended the stairs, he heard somebody bluster- ing in like the god of the wind ; and then a cheery, boyish voice exclaiming, as its owner stamped and shook the rain off himself : " Blow ye winds, and crack your cheeks ! Poor Frank's a- cold! I say. Mother Grizzle, why didn't you let me in when I knocked first, and not keep me here in the rain till I'm a sight to see, not to hear of ? What with mud and rain, I'm a picture to look at — ain't I? Talk about drowned rats ! If you want to see one, just cast your eyes on me, my friends I Hallo, little black-eyes ! How d'ye do ? No ; don't come near me I I'm a living cataract — worse than Undine's uncle, and he was a cross between a man and a river ! But I forgot you don't know German ; so it's not likely you ever heard of the gent. Get us some- thing to eat. Grizzle. Haven't had a blessed mouthful since early morning, as I'm a smner I Where's Kit, and Blaize, and Old Till these times?" " They ain't home," said the voice of the woman, Grizzle, in surly tones, as she stiffly moved through the room. " Orrie, get out of that, and go to bed. You ought to have been there long ago." " I'd rather sit up," said Orrie, sharply. *' Oh, let little bright-eyes stay," said the new-comer. "I i'ke to look at her. Many customers stopped here lately, Grizzle ? " " No," said Grizzle, curtly. " Who'd stop here when they could go on ? " " Ah, that's true enough ! " said the boy ; " it's not the most enchanting-looking bower of repose I ever saw, and AN ESCAPE. 39 the public generally are not likely to be captivated by it. But a storm-stayed ti-aveler might drop in now and then — on the principle of half a loaf being better than no bread." " How did you come to be caught in the storm at this hour of the night, ^faster Frank ? " said the woman, rat- tling dishes on the table. " Well, I am on my way home from New York ; and, as I was in a hurry, I thought the storm wouldn't amount to much, and that I could ride tlirough it, until Igot to Fon- telle ; but I found my mistake before long, and would have stopped at the Mermaid all night, only I knew it would l)e impossible to awake old Bob Rowlie ; so I just rode on till I came here. And here I am — what's left of me, I mean ; for I got more than half- washed away by the rain ! " " What took you to New York now ? " said the woman. " There, sit down, and take your supper, if you want it.'* " Oh, Jack sent me of course. I'm ordered about, up there, as if I wasn't of the slightest consequence to any- body. Deuce take Jack, I say ! " exclaimed Master Frank, with his mouth full. " Amen I " said a voice, that made the woman start and the youth jump up from his chair. And the next moment the young stranger pushed open the door at the foot of the stairs, and coolly walked in. The keen, piercing, hawk-like eye of the woman was bent upon him for an instant ; but his face expressed noth- ing but its usual careless sang froid as he met her gaze, and then glanced, with easy indifference, at Master Frank — a bright-eyed, fair-haired, fresh-faced lad of sixteen or eighteen. " The noise at the door aroused me," he said, as if in ex- planation, " and not feeling like sleeping, and my fire hav- ing gone out, I thought I would come down here. I hope I have not startled you." " Startled me ! " said the youth, slowdy returning to his foimer occupation, " you've scared me out of a year's growth — shattered my nervous system all to smash ! " " Very sorry to hear it," said the stranger, in his care- less way ; " but your prayer for Jack, whoever he may be, ! h * ^i"-'.i 40 THE DARK SECRET. seemed so heartfelt that, as a pious Christian — which I flatter myself I am — I could not help responding to it. I think I heard you mention Fon telle as I came down- stairs. Do you know the family there ? " " Well, I should think I did — rather ! " said Frank, with emphasis ; " more especially as I generally pitch my tent there myself when I'm at home." " What, are you a De Vere ? " "Well, I'm commonly called that, for want of a better name I suppose. But, what do you know about the De Veres ? " continued Master Frank. " Well, I believe I claim kindred with the family," said the careless stranger. " My name is Disbrowe, the Hon- orable Alfred Disbrowe, more commonly known as Cap- tain Disbrowe, of His Most Gracious Majesty's Horse Guards." . " Hey ! " said Master Frank, dropping his knife and fork, and staring at the young and handsome gentleman, " it ain't possible, is it ? " The stranger smiled, and bowed slightly. " And you're the Honorable Alfred Disbrowe, brother of Lord Earnecliffe ! " exclaimed the boy. " And nephew of Robert De Vere, Esq., of Fontelle ? Yes, I have that honor," said the stranger. Fp sprung Frank from his seat ; and darting over, he caught the young Englishman's hand and shook it heartily, saying, with a delighted shout : " Hooray ! if this ain't an uncommon streak of good luck, my name's not Frank ! Good gracious ! just to think of it ! Why, it's the most unexpected and knock-down rencontre that ever anybody heard of since they were born I " said Frank, shaking the Honorable Alfred's hand, as if it had been a pump-handle, in his surprise and delight. • —fc- t>.ii m ^, ' f ^m ■ FONTEI.I.K. 41 CHAPTER IV. m FOXTELLE. , " It was a sandy level wherein stood This old and lonesome house. Far as the eye Could measure, on the green back of the wood The smoke lay always low and lazily. ** But from the rock, rough-grained and icy-crowned, Some little flowers from out some cleft will rise, And in this quiet land my love I found, With all their soft light sleeping in her eyes." —Alice Gary. The young Englishman glanced toward his slightly un- courteous hostess, to see what effect this announcement had on her ; and saw her standing, looking steadily into the fire, mth the strangest expression of mingled triumph, delight and exultation, added to another inexplicable look — as if a demoniacal prospect of some sort had suddenly been opened before her. Pier evil face had so strange a fascination for Lim at that moment, that, unheeding Frank De Vere's boisterous greeting, ho kept his eyes on her, and asked : " What picture do you see in the fire, my worthy hos- tess, that seems so strongly to rivet your attention ? " She looked up, and met his gaze with a dark and most sinister smile. " One that you will see, I hope — I believe — some day, in real life, young sir," she replied, transfixing him ^vith her basilisk eyes. " Indeed ! and what may it be, pray ? " " I saw," said the woman, pointing to the glowing coals, " a pit there, so black, so bottomless, that, if it opened visibly before you now, you would shrink and recoil from it in horror. " Possible ! " said the young man, in his careless tone. ** Well, and what of it ? Did you see nothing else ? " m ! I 42 THE DARK SECRET. " You — you were at the bottom of it ! " " Oh, was I ? And you hope that it may come true some day — do you ? Of course I am mightily obliged to you; but, at the same time, I'd rather be excused." " But you were not alone," persisted the woman, as if he had not spoken. " Indeed ? Well, it is pleasant to know even that. Who had the atrocious taste to accompany me there, my dear madam ? " " I saw," said the old woman, folding her arms, and looking full in his careless, handsome face with her sinister smile, " I saw some one falling do^vn, and down, and down into that dark and loathsome gulf ; and lie, fallen and degraded in their scornful pride, in the very slime at your feet, spurned alike by God and man, and that one was — " " Well," said the young man, startled a little from his nonchalant manner by the suppressed passion that throbbed like a rising tide in her face and voice. " Jack De Yere ! " she said, raising her voice almost to a shriek, as, with a last malignant glance, she turned to leave the room. " Don't mind her. Captain Disbrowe ! " exclaimed Frank, indignantly ; " she's crazy one-half her time, and not very sensible the rest. Nobody minds what old Grizzle Howlet says." " Who is this Jack De Yere, on whose destiny I am to have so dismal an effect ? " inquired the soldier, resuming his indifferent manner. «* Oh, a cousin of ours, of course ; one of the De Yeres of Fontelle." - . " Is he at Fontelle now ? " Frank nodded and laughed, and the laugh was shrilly echoed by the elfish sprite, Orrie, who still crouched in the chimney corner. "Then I shall see him to-morrow?" " Yes ; you'll see him to-morrow," said Frank, still laughing, and seeming immensely tickled by some in- ward feeling. « What are you laughing at ? " said Captain Disbrowe, with a puzzled look. FONTELLE. 43 Frank opened his mouth to protest he never was more serious in his iiie, but in the effort another roar escaped him. " Well, this is rather droll," said the young Englishman, "laughing over such a solemn matter as the extinguishing of Mv. Jack I)e Vere and Captain Alfred Disbrowe, •\vhen — " " Orrie ! " called the harsh voice of Mother Grizzle at this moment, " get up and go to l)ed." " I don't feel sleepy, and don't want to go," said Orrie, settling herself closer i' to the corner. With the ringing tre;id of a dragoon, the old woman marched in and approached her ; but, seeing her intention. Miss Oriole thought discretion the better part of valor, and springing up, darted away, and was up the stairs in a twinkling. " I should like to know if you two mean to go to bed to- night ? " said the Vv'oman, snappishly. " I can't sit up here till morning, waiting till you get done talking." *« Well, go to bed, then ! " said Frank. " Nobody asked you to sit up." iVlerely regarding Frank with a contemptuous glance, the woman turned, sternly, to Captain Disbrowe : " Are you going to your room, sir, or are you going to stay here ? " " That's a question I can't take it upon myself to an- swer on so short a notice, madam," said the young man, running his fingers through his glossy dark locks ; " but don't put yourself out on my account, I beg. Allow me to insinuate that you had better retire to rest yourself, as it is considerably late, and time all honest folks were in bed." " Oh, well, she needn't hurry for that, as it cion't apply to her case in the least," said Frank, flippantly. A darker scowl even than usual settled on the lowering brow of old Grizzle ; but, without a word, she walked silently and sulkily from the room. " She's a pleasant hostess, she is," remarked Frank, look- ing after her, " and the sort of a woman a man would like to marry, I don't think. I hope you won't judge all our American ladies by the two specimens you have just seen. m i ''I •» 1^ 1' i lis. r • f ' 1 1 ' I i ij i I 1 I \ ^4 THE DARK SECRET. We have some tolerable good-looking females among them, as I will show you wlion we reach Fontelle." " That child, Orrie, might grow up a handsome girl yet,'* said Captain Disbrowe. " Slie mif/ht. The moon might be made of green cheese, for all we know." " She has handsome eyes.'' " Yes ; so has a toad." " Come, now, my cynical young friend," said the young Englishman, laughing, " if she were properly cared for, she might grow up a fine-looking girl." " If — if ! " said Frank, contemptuously. " If the sky falls we may catch larks. She'll have to be born again before you can make anything of that little tawny kel- pie, but a weird, witch-like, old-fashioned little goblin. I believe in my soul there is something uncanny about that same little hornet ; and I n<3ver see her black eyes shining on me in the dark, without feeling inclined to take to my heels and run as if Old Nick was after me." « What is she to that pleasant-spoken old lady, our hostess ? Her grandchild ? " " Her grandchild ? No ; old Grizzle only has two sons — Kit and Blaize — a precious pair of hang-dog scoundrels, both of 'em ! and neither of them are married nor likely to be. I don't know what Orrie is to her ; but she has always lived with old Mother Ghastly as long as I can re- member, and always was the same queer little wasp she is to this day. I expect she found her under a toadstool, or riding on a rush-blade over from Scotland, or dancing in a fairy ring some bright Hallow Eve night, and cap- tured her." " Shouldn't wonder. I should like to know something more of her, though." « Why, you haven't fallen in love with her, have you ? " said Frank. • • " Not exactly," said Captain Disbrowe, with a slight laugh. ** I feel an interest in the child, though, on ac- count o^ a little service she did me this evening, and be- cause I think something might be made of her, yet. Well, let her go. And now, about Fontelle. I suppose they received Earnecliffe's letter ? " FONTEI.LE. 45 « Saying you were coming to pay us a visit — yes," said the boy. " I heard Jack and Gus talking about it, and wondering what sort of an individual you would turn out to be." « Gus ? " • ■ ' « Why, yes — Oh, I forgot you didn't know. I mean cousin Augusta — Lady Augusta De Vere, if you please." '''-Lady Augusta? I thought you had no titles over here." " Haven't we ? That's all you know about it, then. Why, every second man you meet is a colonel, and a general, and a squire, and lots of other things. Uncle Iiob\s a squire — Squire De Vere, you know. But they used to call her Lady Augusta when she was a little girl — she was such a proud, haughty little duchess ; and so the name stuck to her ever since." " She wouldn't be a De Vere if she was not proud,' said Disbrowe, quietly. " Oh, wouldn't she ? Well, they call me a De Vere, and anybody that says I'm proud — why, I say they're mis- taken, to draw it mild. To be sure, it's not my name ; but that's neither here nor there, nor anywhere else, for that matter." " Not your name ? " said Disbrowe, with a stare. "No, sir!" said Master Frank, emphatically. "My name's Stubbs — but tell it not in Gath. You see, the way of it was, my mother and Squire De Vere's Avife were sis- ters ; and when father and mother died, and I went to live at Fontelle, everybody took to calling me De Vere. I was a little shaver, then ; and the name's stuck to me ever since, until, sometimes, I don't feel quite sure but what I am a De Vere. after all. It's an awful falling cif to come down from that pinnacle of high-and-mightydom to plain unromantic, unvarnished Stubbs ; but it's the hard, substantial truth, and there's no dodging it." Captain Disbrowe stroked his mustache, and laughed at Frank's rueful face. . " ' What's in a name ? ' as Juliet says. ' A rose,* you know, ' by any other name would smell as sweet.' " " I don't believe it. Call it a cabbage, for in: tance, and how would it sound ? If you read in a novel, now, that 5 I I ; I %^ \ f i 11- ! 46 THE DARK SECRET. a chap presented his lady-love with a cabbage, as an emblem of his affection, what would you say ? Why, that he was a cabbage-head himself. Juliet be hanged ! " said Frank, in a tone of disgust. " She was in love, and couldn't be expected to be in her proper senses. There's a great deal in a name. Her lover was Romeo Montague. If he had l)een Romeo Stubbs, I wonder how she would have liked it?" " Well, as I never had the honor of the young lady's acquainttince, I cannot take it upon myself to answer that question. And so Lady Augusta, and uncle Rob, and cousin Jack, cons' itute tlie family at Fon telle Hall? " "Yes," said Frank, slowly, and looking in the fire: "they do, rather, when I'm not there ; and I'm a host in myself. I hope you intend making us a long visit, Cap- tain Disln'owe ? " " Perhaps — if you don't tire of me and turn me out." " I'll risk that ! Jack will like you, I know, and Jack's word is law at Fontelle. By the way, though, cousin Alfred — I suppose I may call you that — what first put it into your head to honor us with a visi\ anyway ? " " 'Pon my honor, that's a puzzle, my young friend. I don't even know how I ever discovered there was such a place as Americain existence. Oh, come to think of it, Ned Howard, of the Guards, told me. He did a little fighting here, once upon a time ; and as I got tired of lounging about the Serpentine, and making love to Lady Janes and Lady Marys, I thought I would try the Hudson, by way of a change. And so Earnecliffe informed me I had a half- uncle, or something, here, and wrote to him to let him know what a nice youth I was, and to warn him to treat me tenderly ; and I obtained unlimited leave of absence, and came, and saw, and — no — yes, I did, though ! — I conquered an insolent fellow I met at the Mermaid Inn." "How was that? Who was he?" " Not acquainted with the gentleman. He was a short, stout, red-haired, red-wliiskered individual, with an un- pleasant, not to say ferocious, expression of countenance, and an air generally that looked like a cross between a sailor and a hangman." " Why, it must have been Old Nick. Oh, land of hope \ Are : j» FONTELLE. 47 and blessed promise ! if it was him, you had b'dtter look out for squalls." « Ah 1 lie was ugly enough to be Old Nick, or any- thing else you like ; but I wasn't aware his Satanic Majesty took visible shape and sported a tarpaulin hat here in tiiese United States." " Oh, I mean old Nick Tempest. What did you do to him V " " Gave him a cut of my horsewhip in the face, by way of a slight hint to be moro polite to strangers in future." " Whew I " said Frank thrusting his hands in his pockets, and indulging in a long, wailing whistle. " Well, then, let mo tell you, you h made an inveter- ate and deadly enemy for life. TI...1. fellow's worse than a Corsican — he never forgives an injury." " Well, there's not much love lost, that's one comfort. Who is he, anyway ? " " Oh 1 the captain of a schooner, and, they say, a buc- caneer," said the boy, lowering his voice. " lie has been seen cruising round the coast, and it is more than sus- pected that his deeds are evil. But it won't do to speak of that subject here." "And why not?" " Oh, well, he's thick with old Grizzle, and hand-and- glove with her two precious sons. * Birds of a feather,' you know, and so on. A sweet set, the whole of ' em ! " " I wonder the authorities don't look after him ? " " The authorities ! " said Frank, contemptuously. " With his fast sailing clipper, he can snap his fingers in the faces of every mother's son of them, and ho's wide awake, I tell you. Catch a weazel asleep ; indeed I But I feel sleepy, and will seek a little virtuous repose in the arms of Morpheus, if you have no objection." " Not in the least, and I'll copy the example of the * ^vise virgins ' in the parable, and watch." " Why don't you take a snooze yourself ? " said Frank, settling himself in his chair, thrusting both hands in his coat-pockets, and putting on a resolute expression that bespoke his unflinching determination to go asleep, in spite of all obstacles. " For certain good reasons, that I will tell you to-mor- 4 i ii'. K- m 48 THE DARK SECRET. I I row, which, if I don't mistake, is already growing gray in the east. Asleep so soon ? " said the young man, glancing at Frank, who had dropped off almost insttintly. " I won- der if he knew as much as I do about this house, whether he would sleep so easily ? Where has the old Jezebel spirited off the men to, I should like to know ? " Drawing closer to the fire, Captain Disbrowe set himself to watch until morning ; but, insensibly overcome by drowsiness and fatigue, he dropped fast asleep in ten minutes, and slept soundly — so soundly that he did not, two hours later, hear the door opened, nor the noiseless entrance of old Grizzle Ilowlet. Softly she crossed the room on tip-toe, and bent over him, and gazed intently as he lay with his head resting easily on his arm, and his handsome face plainly revealed in the gray morning light. Liglitly she lifted the clustering waves of his bright bro^vn hair from his forehead, and peered closer and closer in his face — the old sinister smile gradually breaking over her lips. Did she read in that fine and aristocratic-look- ing countenance a tale of haughty pride, but, slightly vailed under the careless levity of his waking manner ? — a tale of dauntless daring and high ambition, that would spurn every obstacle as so many worms in his path, un- til the goal of his hopes were won ? Something of that she must have read, if she were skilled in reading the " human face divine " — for all were legible in that hand- some face in its repose. Suddenly he moved restlessly, and murmured some- thing in his sleep. The woman bent down to hear, but she could only catch the words ; " When I come back. Norma." "When you come back. Norma 1 " said Grizzle, rising, with her evil smile, and looking down upon the sleeper. " Will you ever come back to Norma, whoever she may be ? Oh, Jack De Vere ! God grant the day may soon come — when I can see your high pride laid low, and your haughty head under the heel of this gay, proud English- man, with his fair, young face and scornful heart 1 — and may Heaven send the day soon when I can repay you a thousandfold for all your taunts, and gibes, and mockery ! " She struck her clenched hand on her breast, as if she ^4 FONTELLE. 49 »> could have beaten down a lion, and her face was livid with the raging passion throbbing in it, yet forcibly held back. " Hallo ! old Mother Hubbard ! what are you up to now?" said the voice of Frank, as he got up suddenly, with a yawn, and shook himself. " Hurry up breakfast — will you? I shall have to make tracks for Fon telle in double-quick time this morning, or Jack will be in my wool. Let's have alcK)k at the weather," said he, going to the window and looking out, while old Grizzle silently busied herself in kindling a fire. " Well, what is your opinion of the weather, my good cousin?" said Captain Disbrowe, awakened by his voice. " Is it snow, rain, hail, or lightning, or a mixture of all ? " Xone of ' em," said Frank ; " going to be a splendid day, after the storm. The weather here in New Jersey, you see," continued Frank, with a touch of philosophy, " is uncommonly like the female sex ; mostly always con- trary, and doing what nobody expects it to — all smiles one minute, and all sulks the next. That's the way with you lovely women, ain't it. Grizzle ? " said IVfaster Frank, winking at Dislu'owe, to intimate that the latter part of his speech might be considered playfully ironical. Grizzle favored him with a glance of withering con- tempt, and went steadily and silently on, preparing break- fast, which was soon ready, and sooner dii^patched. Then little Orrie brought round their horses, while the young Englishman settled his bill v/itli the hostess. " And now, madam," he said, fixing his eyes keenly and significantly on her face, " before I bid you good- morning, allow me to thank you for your and your three friends '* kind mtentions towards me last night ; and to advise you, when you next hold a secret conference round the fire, to be sure the door at the foot of .he stairs is shut. Good- morning, madame." And with a slight and peculiarly graceful bow and smile, he passed from the house. No*: a muscle of the woman's lace moved, not the slightest start or sign of guilt did she betray, but with a muttered " Humph ! " she folded her arms and looked after them until they were out of sight. " What did you mean by that ? " said Frank, as they rode rapidly along. H-] ' S } ■ k' :i: i I l^' 50 THE DARK SKCRET. " Never mind, now," said Dishrowe ; " I shall tell you all iil)out it some other time, for talking at this sharp pace I don't admire." A rapid ride of nearly five hours, through forest paths and muddy roads — eonsiderably dift'enmt from wiiat the same route is to-day — brought them, at last, to their journey's end. " Why didn't you take the shorter way, over the moun tains?" Disbro we asked. "Oh 1 well, for vnrious reasons — the first and chief of which is, that I would rather not l)reak my neck just yet, if the public generally don't object. Mountain gorges, and chasms, and torrents, and steep, slippery paths, where a single false step would pitch you to Kingdom Come in a twinkling, are all very pleasant to read about, but in real life I'd just as soon steer clear of them. Jack always takes the mountains, but I haven't enough of the dare- devil in me to try it, I must confess ; and, what's more, I ain't at all ambitious to have, either." " This Jack appears to be quite a hero, m his way, and I feel quite anxious to know him," said Disbrowe. Again Frank laughed — a peculiar, meaning laugh. " Oh, I rather guess you and Jack will pull pretty well together, if you are only moderately careful and mind your eye ! But there's Fontelle — is it anything like your English home?" Disbrowe looked and saw a large, irregular, cumbrous- looking old mansion of gray stone, that seemed to have been built at different periods, with two wings — the one at the north heavy and gloomy, and fashioned after some antique style ; while the southern one seemed of more modern date and construction, lighter, airier, and more elegant. Extensive p.nd handsome grounds surrounded it, and a long, winding avenue of tall maples led up to the front door. It was a fine old mansion, strongly resem- bling the old manors so common in England. " As he mimed it after Fontelle Park, in England," said Frank, " he had it built, you see, to resemble it as much as possible. Does it really look like the old English house of the De Veres ? " "Very much," said Captain Disbrowe, in evi JACK DE VERE. 51 pleasure ; " very much, indeed. It only wants the broad lawns, and glades, and the great park, and the deer, and the 'silver sUir ' above the gate, and the gate-keeper's lodge. Do you know the ' silver star,' Master Frank V* " Don't I ?" said Frank. " la there a day of my life I don't hear of tlie 'silver star' of the De Veres? Hasn't uncle Rob tlie family arms emblazoned in the drawing- room?— and doesn't the 'silver stiir' shine there from year's end to year's end, and never set? Rut, look here I if tiiat isn't the very Jack you want to see ! Jack I Jack I I say ! " he called, raising his voice. Tie galloped on, followed by Disbrowe, until, suddenly reining, he exclaimed, in a voice full of quiet malice and delight: " Jack, this is our English cousin. Captain Disbrowe, allow me to make you acquainted with Jack De Vere." Captain Disbrowe looked up, and sat for a moment stock-still with surprise. AVell he might ! he was not the first who had been electi illed by Jack De Vere I CHAPTER V. JACK DE VERE. -\ "A thing all liglitness, life and glee — One of the shapes we seem To see in visions of the night, And should they greet our waking sight Imagine that we dream." — Hill. Captain Alfred Disbrowe had raised his handsome eyes, expecting to see a tall, dashing, whiskered., devil-may- care six-footer ; but looking up he saw nothing ! until he lowered his eyes, and lowered them again, and at last they alighted on a coquettish little riding-hat, perched jauntily on one side of a little head, some four feet or so from the ground. Captain Disbrowe started and stared ; and his stare was returned by the brightest and clearest pair of eyes that ever were set in a human head — returned with compound interest, too. Jack De Vere was a girl — a small, slight, delicate-looking girl, of seemingly not more than sixteen, • 1 . < i I! f ■ % rri I -I 'H 1' ! Plllll! : 1 I > 52 THE DARK SECRET. and most elegantly and becomingly dressed, who, after her first brief scrutiny, bowed and smiied, and held out her hand, and gracefully welcomed her English cousin to Fontelle Hall. It was seldom the self-possessed, courteous Captain Dis- browe was at a loss ; but for a moment he was rea>ly so now, and as he mechanically took the hand she offered, he gazed first at her and then at Frank, so evidently non- plused, that Frank, who happened to be blessed with a lively sense of the ludicrous, laughed uproariously. " Jack De Yere," he repeated, like one in a dream. The young lady withdrew her hand and smiled. " This is some of your work. Master Frank, with your Jack De Yere ! My name is Jacquetta," said she, turning to Disbrowe, " which they have the barbarous taste to transform into Jack — thinking I suppose, a boy's name suits me best. Whether they are right or not, I must leave it to time and your good sense to decide." " Oh ! beg pardon ! I see it all now," said Disbrowe ; and the next instant he had sprung from his horse, and stood with his hat off before her. " I fear I have appeared rather rude ; but I was so surprised I Allow me to re- deem my error, and salute my fair cousin." And taking her hand, he would have suited the action to the word ; but Miss Jack drew back, and interposed the other hand as a shield. " Palm to palm is holy palmer's kiss," she said, coolly. *' And I, as a staunch Yankee girl and patriot, have, * vowed a vow,' ever since the war, of eternal enmit3^ against all Englishmen. So, my very dear cousin, you will have to admire me at a distance, until better acquainted." " Then permit me." And he raised her hand gallantly to his lips. " I shall try to induce you to break that cruel vow before we part. The sins of a whole nation should not be visited on one individual head." Though he had bent over the hand he held while speak- ing he had been looking intently in her face, and trying to decide, strange as it may seem, whether she were pretty or plain. It was a question that had puzzled others before him, and countless were the different decisions that had been pi 'I JACK DE VERE. 55 pronounced on the matter. He saw a small, bright, ani- mated face, full of energy, daring and determination, yet fair and delicate as a tinted rose-leaf in complexion. Her eyes were large and intensely bright, and of the deepest, darkest gray, sparkling and flashing when she was excited, until they seemed of midnight blackness. Her round, white polished forehead, and small erect head, were beau- tifully shaped, and bespoke a strong, energetic, far-seeing brain within. Her small, rosy mouth would have been perfect, but for the half-mocking, half-sarcastic curl of the short upper lip, whose haughty curve bespoke a pride as high and strong as his own — in a different way. But the look of half-mockery seemed the prevailing expression of the piquant, sparkling little face, whose irregular features owed their chief beauty to their constant animation. Her look of mingled seriousness and mockery it was that so puzzled and half annoyed Disbrowe, and left him, as it did every one else, at a loss to tell whether she was in jest or in earnest. Her hair was soft, silky and beautiful, and hung in clustering, dancing curls around her bewitching little fnce ; but — it was red, uncompromising, defiant red, and no fiction of friends or lovers could make it auburn. And now it flashed and scintillated like wings of flame in the radiant sunshine. There was something else about Jack De Vere that puz- zled and perplexed Disbrowe not a little ; and that was, her strong and undefinable resemblance to some one he had met before — who, at that moment, he could not re- member. There she stood before him, cool, bright, breezy, airy, and unmistakably fair, reminding him of a saucy boy — a very saucy boy — yet with the air and grace of a lady withal. From all he had heard of her. Captain Disbrowe judged she must be an Amazon, a romp, a hoyden — the horror and abomination of the refined, fastidious Englishman. Accustomed to the cold hauteur and high-bred elegance of the ladies and peeresses of his native lantl, he shrunk in horror from anything like hoydenism ; and an Amazon would have been looked upon by him in about the same way as he would have looked upon a grizzly bear or the great sea-serpent — as something to gaze and shudder at^ I'l U\ (■,♦ I m II ■■' li^ !| 54 THE DARK SECRET. ! i 11 ! ! I i i Ul at a distance. Tlie light, fragile figure, and fair, delicate face of this young girl seemed, though, to contradict the idea that she could be one of these monsters ; but from all he had heard of her from Frank, it left him to infer that she was, and that he must not judge by appearances. Then, too, she had red hair, which he detested as be- tokening vulgarity and a fiery temper — two revolting things, according to his high and spirituelle notions of the adorable sex ; and she bore a boy's name, which was an- other shock to his particular and fastidious taste. And so altogeiiiov, in the very few minutes that he stood watching her, he made up his mind, quite to his own satisfaction, to dislike Jack De Vere, ahid only think of her as something to smile at and pity. But if he thought to mortify the young girl before him by such a course, never was self-complacent man more wofully doomed to disappointment. Cool as a Lapland icicle, self-possessed and self-conscious as a crowned queen on her throne, indifferent and careless as the breeze that toyed with her fair, clustering hair, she stood before him, with a pride and ease of manner that in its very depth of quietude, arose and overtopped his own, and gave the Honorable Alfred Disbrowe, brother of an earl and a peer in prospective, to understand that, if he intended to despise her he must do it at a remarkably safe distance. And he, the flattered, courted, and caressed in all the gilded salons of brilliant London, who hf>d danced with princesses, flirted with regal duchesses, and made love to Lady Geor- gianas without number — at whose coming cheeks had flushed, and bright eyes had fallen, and hearts had beat faster — under the cool gaze of whose handsome eyes many a pulse under a diamond bracelet had bounded, found him- self now calmly waved back, and told to keep his place, and by the bright, clear glance of those gray eyes made to un- derstand he must remember it, too, until she chose to de- scend from her pinnacle. For once in his life, the dashing guardsman was made to understand that a handsome face, and fine figure, and gallant bearing, and aristocratic name, were not perfectly irresistible. "Well, sir," said a quick, imperative voice, in tones of mingled amusement and sarcasm, " what is the decision? V tl JACK DK VERB. 55 I see you have come to one. I have undergone a keen scrutiny for the last two or three minutes ; and now for your verdict, my lord judge ! " She had faced round so suddenly and unexpectedly, and looked up in his face so keenly, with her peculiar mock- ing smile, that a slight flush tinged, for an instant, the fine face of Disbrowe in his conscious guilt. " Ah, you needn't speak. I can read my sentence, in that guilty look ; and you have pronounced me a second edition of the bottle-imp — a natural curiosity like the ourang-outang, or any other outlandish animal, and you are just thinking what a fortune some enterprising show- man might make by putting me in a cage, and taking me over to London, and exhibiting me as a real, live specimen of that terrific creature — the American female. Come, confess — isn't that so ? " " Is it possible you can wrong me T)y such a thought, my dear cousin ? " he said, recovering himself. " What can I think of yon but that you are the most charming little fairy in existence, and the most enchanting of cousins." " Do you, really ? " said the young lady, casting a critical eye to where one of the servants were about to lead off the horses. " I say, William, mind what you're at there I Would you take those horses, reeking hot, into the stables ? Walk them gently up and down for a while, can't you ? And so that's your opinion, is it ? hum ! " she said, with her provoking smile. " Well, what else do you think about me ? It didn't take you all that time to conclude I was charming, and what else was it ? — oh, enchanting I — did it ? " " By no means, how could I help thinking you were very beautiful?" " Dazzlingly beautiful is the term my admirers general- ly use ; and I like it better," amended the young lady. " Dazzlingly beautiful, then, be it ; the term is most ap- propriate, and shows the good taste of yoar admirers, Miss De Vere." A sudden, hot flush, like a rising flame, leaped into the cheeks of the young girl at the words. ** Miss De Vere," she said, vehemently, « don't call me y . ■'i::l i the ceiling, reflected back the room ; and on a large oak table beside it lay books and draAvings, and numerous elegant toilet trifles. But none of these objects attracted the eye of Disbrowe — something else had caught his at- tention the moment he entered, and held it chained still. Over the bronze mantel hung a picture in an oval frame, heavily carved ; a portrait of a small, mocking, tantalizing. Ml fMl lit ii 1 ■^n it i 9 60 THE DARK SECRET. i I ( I ( \ 11'^ ! ,!i I bewitching face, with short, waving curls, and sparkling, flashing, gray eyes, scintillating with mirth and mischief, and hidden power. It was a portrait of Jacquetta De Vere ; and the red lips seemed wreathed into a mocking smile, and the flashing eyes seemed to deride him as they met his own. The head was half turned, as if she were looking back — just as he had seen her when she left the room a moment before, with the same wicked, half-defiant, half-laughing grace. Leaning his arm on the mantel, and quite forgetful of the flight of time, he stood there and looked at it. What thoughts were thronging through his mind at that mo- ment ? Did he think of the prediction of the weird ^vitch of the lone inn — of the dark, loathsome pit, at the bottom of which, her high pride laid low, she was to lie at his feet? Did he tliink of it afterward, in the dark days that were to come, when he knew a doom worse tnan death was hers — that fair, high- spiritual young girl, whose bright face smiled on him from the wall now ? CHAPTER VI. THE SECRET. ** She said, and raised her skinny hand. As in defiance, to high heaven. And stretched her long, lean finger forth, And spoke aloud the words of power." — Thalaba. The dinner-bell had rung, and a long interval had suc- ceeded, but still the Honorable Alfred Disbrowe stirred not — still he stood gazing on \>hat picture, charmed, fas- cinated, as a bird is charmed and fascinated by a serpent. Kot that the knowing, dashing young guardsman, the gay man of fashion, had much of the innocence and simplicity of a bird about him, and neither would I insinuate that Miss Jacquetta De Vere had anything of the dark and dreadful subtlety of a serpent ; but certainly it was some sensation akin to snake- charming that invited his eyes to that piquant, entrancing, yet anything but beautiful face. It was not love — on the contrary, it was more like positive ii THE SECRET. 6x dislike ; but still he stood and gazed, quite forgetful that he was to arrange his dress, and tliat the bell had rung ten minutes before, and that, in ail probability, the origi- nal was waiting do>vn-stairs, and in no very sweet humor at that same waiting. A sharp knock at the door startled him at last from his reverie, and, in answer to his " Come in I " the door opened, and Frank entered. " What I not ready yet, and the dinner waiting for the last ten minutes, and Uncle Rob the most particular old gentleman that ever wore a wig ! Whew ! " said Master Shrank, thrusting his hands into his pockets, and beginning to wliistle. " Is it possible ? " said Disbrowe, starting up, shocked at his want of thought. " I deserve the bastinado for my neglect. I can't tell what I was thinking of, to forget my- self so," he said, as he hurriedly began to arrange his toilet. " Well, liurry up, and I'll wait for you," said Frank, seating liimself. " Jack advised uncle to send up one of the kitchen-maids to help you to make yourself fascina- ting — it took you so long. So they've put you in the Star Chamber, have they ? There's Jack's picture. I remem- ber the day she hung it there, and called it the brightest star of the lot. Do you think her good-looking ? " " Certainly — you know there is no such thing as a bad- looking woman," said Disbrowe, politely. " Oh, isn't there ? What a blessed beauty Mother Grizzle is, for instance! Gusty 's good-looking, though, ain't she?" " Very beautiful," said Disbrowe, in all sincerity this time. " She is a true De Vere." " Which would you take to be the oldest, now — Jack or Gus ? " said Frank. " IVIiss Augustu, of course," said Disbrowe, surprised at such a question. " I knew it," said Frank, with a chuckle ; " but she ain't, though. Jack's two or three years older." " Is it possible ? " exclaimed Disbrowe, in astonishment. " I can scarcely credit it ! " " Well, you may, then. Gusty's only eighteeiij and Jack's ~> ''I i, 1 i 1'' jr 1 1?' ' 63 THE DARK SECRET. twenty, and more, for all I know. She looks younger, don't she ? Hut that's because she's so small and fair— fair people always look younger than they really are, you know." " Younger ! I hardly took her to be sixteen," said Dis- browe. " She certainly does not look that." " She is, then, and she makes no bones of telling it, either ; and tl on it makes lier look like a little girl, wear- ing her liair flying about her face in curls, instead of braid- ing it, and fixing it up as Gusty does. Do you like red hair," "No — but then Miss Jacquetta's is auburn, is it not?" said Disbrowe, with another polite fiction. " Auburn ! " said Frank, contemptuously. " It won't be well for you t'O tell Jack that, any way ! She's proud of her leonine lo^.ks, I can tell you, and calls it her crowning glory, and wouldn't change it, she says, for any other color under the sun. I remember Will Redfern called her a young lioness once, with her red mane, after she horse- whipped him one day, in the street." Disbrowe shuddered. " Horse- whipped him ! Good heavens I what did she do that for ? It can't be possible, surely." " Yes, it iS possible, and served him just right, I say ; and, what's more, she wouldn't mind doing it over again. He insulted a girl, and she told Jacq letta ; and as the girl had no father or brother to take her part. Jack gave him particular fits with her horse- whip the next time she met him. Oh ! she'r, spunky, I promise you ! Take care you don't anger her some day," said Frank, laughing, " or she'll be after you with a sharp stick." " Heaven forbid ! " exclaimed Disbrowe, in horror. " What an Amazon she is ! Who would ever think a De '^ere could do such an atrocious thing ! " " I know another De Vere who did such an atrocious thing, and it wa.sn't to avenge distressed innocence, either," said Frank, maliciously. " You mean me, I suppose," ^aid Disbrowe, laughing, " but I'm not a girl. Perhaps, though, it's the fashion for young girls to act so here in America." " Oh, every one's independent here — do just as they THE SKCRET. ^3 like, and don't care a snap for their neighbor ; nnd our Jack's the pUickiest one of the lot. * Altliough slug's but little, she's made of good mettle,' as the old song says." " Do you know," said Dis])rowe, brushing his tangled locks, " she reminds me so much of some one else I have seen — I can't think who j a shado^vy resemblance in every motion." " I thhik she look like little Orrie ITowlet, at the inn, if that's wliat you mean," said Frank; "although Orris's a regular little scjuaw for darkness, and Jack's fair as sho well can be. I know they always remind me of one an- other — and others say so, too." "Yes, now I think of it, she does," said Disbro we, medi- tatively ; " but somehow she's not the one I mean. By Jove ! I have it. now," he cried, Avith a stavi; ; " she looks like the fellow t horse- whipped — a pocket edition of thaw same old coon, revised and improved, with tlie very same inso — the very snme look in her eyes that he has." "Good gracious!" said Frank, laughing, "here's a dis- covery ! Our Jack like old Nick Tempest ! What would Jack say if she heard that ? Not but what T believe she would take it as a compliment ; for she fairly dotes on dare-devils, like him, ana >vould make a tip-top wife for a sa^^ sea rover or an Italian brigand." " ►speaking of brigands," said Disbrowe, " reminds me that I saw with old Nick Tempest, as you call him, a most enchanting little specimen of that article in a real brigandish rig. Now, then," he added, giving a few fin- ishing touches, " I am at your service." Both descended to the dining-room, where they-found Mr. De Vere and his daughters awaiting them. Dis- browe's apology for detaining them, was smilingly accept- ed, and all were soon seated round the ample board of the master of Fontelle Hall. During the meal Disbrowe made some inquiries about the society of the neighborhood and the gentry. " Gentry," said lady Augusta, with her languid smile, " we have no such thing here, captain. * All men are born free and equal,' isn't that what the Declaration of Inde- pendence says, papa ? f 1 ' \i4 I I f i.'i >» i 64 THE DARK SECRET. 1 ' r '• " I low do you, Miss Do Vere, believe in such humbug as tluit y " said Disbrowe, with a curling lip. " r think," said the young lady, steadily and with a rising tiusli tinging, for a moment, her pale cheek, " that pride of ])irth is carried to an absurd excess in England. Will it nnleem a mean or dishonorable character that he can boast his forefatliers entered with the (-onciuest, and can display a coat-ot'-arms that readies back for a score of generations. I think," slie said, with increasing warmth, and an unusual light in her dark eyes, and an unusual flush on her pale cheek, " that a man of the people, who rises by his own unaided efforts in the battle of life, to power and distinction, deserves a thousandfold more es- teem and respect, and should be a prouder man, than he who can trace his descent back to the days of William the Conqueror, and can boast of nothing else. The great Earl of Oxford, from whom we l)e Veres boast we have descended, was a great man doubtless, in his day, and would have spurned the people as the dust under his feet ; but whether will he or Washington, the ]Man of the Peo- ple, be longest remembered ? Which is the greater, let posterity decide. One was forgotten many and many a year ago ; but while the world lasts will the other evei* cease to be remember and revered ? " " Bravo ! encore ! I say," shouted Frank, delighted. "Really, Augusta," said her father laying down hia knife and fork, and looking at her, " a change has come o'er the si)irit of your dream lately. Two years ago, my dear Alfred, there never was a greater aristocrat than the young lady who has just made that republican speech; she would have trodden on the necks of the people as re- morselessly as your haughty brother, Earnecliffe, himself, and thought them honored by the condescension, when, lo and behold ! she suddenly faces about, and becomes a red hot rebel and republican — stands up for the people, and advocates equal rights, and liberty, fraternity and equality, and all the rest of it, as furiously as if she were one of a French mob. What has changed her tactics, I don't know ; but changed they are, with a vengeance, and I ex- pect her to crown it all by marrying a Smith, Jones, or THE SECRKT. wlio 65 JlobiiiHon, one day shortly 1 I sluin't be at all surprised, if the does." He laughed as he spoke ; but, at the last words a dead- ly i);ileiiess swept over the beautiful face of his daughter, l''aviiig her even to her lips, eold and white as marble. J)isl)ro\ve lifted his eyes, and looked at her, as if a sudden light liad dawned ui)()n him, and slightly smiled. " Miss Augusta is too staneh a De Vere ever to marry beneatli her," he said, signitic^antly. " Bt; assured of that, sir!" she said, haughtily. '* I never shall ! " ' "Ti Kit's my proud Lady Augusta !" said her father, Imghing. " Hut what's got into my little Jaek-o'-lantern here that she sits so still ? " " It's so seldom I hear sensible people talk, papa," said Jacquetta, demiu'ely, " that I like to listen in sileut awe — when tliey do — that's all." " I am afraid Miss Jaccpietta is inelined to be sarcastic," raid Dishrowe, coloring slightly at her covert smile. " M(> ! " said Jae([uetta, raising her eye])rows in innocent ^;urprise. " Oli, no ! I hope you don't suspect me of any- thing so shocking ! " " Tell him about our gentry, puss," said 31r. De Vere, "»vith a sly chuckle. " You know every one within forty miles round." " Yes ; and further, too," said Jacquetta. " And I shall be only too hai)py to take cousin Alfred around and in- troduce him. First, there's the Brontes — their real name :*s Brown, but that's no matter — and there are six girls, the oldest of whom has been eighteen for the last five years, and intends to be for five more ; and the rest of whom, likewise, have come to a stand-still, and are firmly resolved to set time at defiance, and not grow a day older until Seraphina Clementina is married. Their father will give them five hundred dollars apiece fortune, and their Imsbands a share in the pork and tallow business ; and it would be an excellent thing for cousin Alfred if he was to get one of them. Then there's Miss Arethusa Desmond, a limp young lady, on the beanpole pattern, with white hair and eyes, who never pronounces the letter * r,' and who informed me the other day she had ' just wead King 1 I j; . ' '; I I IV }.-:t II I' It- •; It* ^ • li 66 THE DARK SECRET. Leah, a play by one Mistah Shakspeah, and she liked it so vewy much that she intended making her pa buy her the very next he wrote.' Then there's Mrs. Flartie, a ^ furriner,' whose name in the original Greek is O'Flaherty, and who snubs her husband — worthy little soul — till he daren't sneeze in her presence, without asking permission first, and who is mad 'y jealous of me because I get the honor of being an innocent little creature, and who calls me an * impident little red-headed rip ' when I'm not listen- ing. Then there is Miss Betsy Boggs and her two sisters, all of whom will make a dead set at our handsome cousin" — and Jucquetta bowed, and sr.iiled across the table, in the old malicious way — " and capture him or die in the attempt. Think how it \v'ould look when Lord Earnecliffe would read it in the papers : Married — By the Reverend Jedediah Spinitout, Captain Alfred De Vere, late of Her Majesty's Guards, to Miss Betsy Boggs, eldest daughter of Simon Peter Boggs, of Boggs' Hols, Jersey." Here a roar of laughter from Frank interrupted Jac- quetta. " What a malicious little imp ! " thought Disbrowe, in- wardly w ishing the wicked fairy ten feet deep in Thames* mud at tliat minute. " That's all, I think," said Jacquetta, reflectively. " Oh, no ! there's r>[rs. Grizzle Howlet, an estimable lady, and mighty pretty to look at, who lives over there among the frogs in the swamps somewhere. It's not likely you -^vould fall in love with her, though, as she's a widow, and you might object to a second-band wife." " Oh, I am not particular ! " said Disbrowe, carelessly ; " but I have seen the lady in question, and I rather think, if I did, she would soon be a widow again. As it is, she came pretty near bringing my earthly career to an end ; and only for the providential interposition of my young friend, Frank there, you would hardly have seen me at Fontelle to-day, I fancy." All looked at him in curiosity, and the young guards- man promptly related his nocturnal adventure at the old house. Mr. Do Vere and Augusta listened in silent hor- ror, Frank uttered an exclamation of dismay, and Jacquet- ta puckered up her rosy mouth and — whistled I THE SECRET. 67 "The atrocious old hag!" exclaimed Mr. De Vere. *f Good heavens ! that such a den should so long have ex- isted in a peaceable community ! I remember, now, that about eight months ago there Wiis a rumor of a missing Frenchman — a stranger here — and of whom no tidings could ever be discovered. He must have been the one the little girl spoke to you of. I shall have the old witch and her two rascally sons arrested before another sun sets." " I often did hear," said Jacquetta, " that any one born to be hanged ^vill never be drowned ; and now I shall think it apphes to other cases besides drowning." " Which implies, you think, an elevated destiny for me," said Disbrowe. " What do you say to riding over with me to-morrow, Alired ? " said Mr. De Vere. " We will go to Green Creek, a town about a quarter of a mile from this, and get three or four men to accompany us. The accursed crew ! they ought to be lynched ! " "lam quite at your service, my dear sir," said T)is- browe. "It will be a good deed to nd the world of such a gang." " To-morrow, then, we'll see the secrets of that old sink of iniquity brought !» light, and Grizzle Howlet and her sons and worthy brother in chains," said Mr. De Vere. " Not quite so fast, my good sir ; I will have to be con- sulted about that I " said a loud, harsh voice, as the door was flung violently open, and Grizzle Ilowlet herself stood before them. All sprung to their feet in amazement. A frightened servant came behind her and said, in alarm, to Mr. De Vere : " If you please, sir I couldn't stop her — she would come. I didn't intend to let her in — " " Leave the room ! " interrupted Mr. De Vere, waving his hand. The man vanished, glad to get the door V)etween him and the fierce intruder ; and Grizzle, folding her arms over her breast, regarded them with her dark, evil sneer. " Well, most potent, grave and reverend seignors, and ladies, too," she said ; " so you had it all settled to arrest old Grizzle Howlet and her sons, and clap them into pris- on, and then hang them for robbery and murder ? What 68 THE DARK SECRET. ! ! I i i! a pity so elaborate a scheme should end in smoke, as so many other schemes have done before ! " " Is the woman mad ? " said Mr. De Vere, astounded, " to come here like this, knowing her guilt ; for such an act is certainly the very climax of madness ! " " ' No ; I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of sober reason,' as you shall soon find to your cost. What would you say to me, if I were to tell you that you will not only let me go forth free, but safe from your in- terference from henceforth?" " You will soon have my answer," said Mr. De Yere, seizing the bell-rope and ringing a violent peal. " Call your servants as fast as you like I " said the wo- man, with a look of contempt ; " but before they, or you, lay a finger on me, I must and will have a word with that young lady there ! " And she pointed to Augusta, who stood regarding her with mingled horror and loathing. " We will see about that," said Mr. De Vere, calmly. " I tell you," said the woman, raising her arm and speak- ing with a sort of passionate earnestness, " it will be better for you if you do — until the very day of your death, you, and all who bear your proud name, will rue it if you do not ! Listen to me, lady — you who stand there so queenly in your haughty pride and scorn — it will be better for you to hear what I have to say ; for I have your secret and another besides, that you ought to have known long be- fore this." A frightful paleness overspread the haughty face of Augusta, and, with a faint cry, she caught and steadied herself by a chair. As she did so, the door opened and a servant appeared. " Papa, let me hear her I Send the man away ! I must hear her, papa ! " she said, wildly, taking a step toward her. " Nonsense, Augusta ! " said her father, sharply. "Hear her, indeed I the old impostor ! Reynolds, go and bring William and James here ! " The servant disappeared, and old Grizzle, folding her cloak closer about her, sat down, with her evil sneering smile. " Very well — be it so, then. I will go to prison ; and \ 'I' ;i THK SECRET. 69 H the very day I do, your secret, August De Vere, shall be blown by the four winds of heaven over all the land — and what's more, another secret that I came here to-day to tell you — one that you would give the broad lands of Fontelle to hear. Remember that ! " " Oh, I must hear her ! I must, papa ! " cried Augusta gasping for breath, and looking ready to faint. It was strange to see the calm, the stately, the haughty Augusta De Vere moved like this. In all his life her fatlier had never seen anything like it before ; and now he gazed upon her, thunderstruck. "In Heaven's name, what is the meaning of this, Augusta ? What secret is this wretched old woman talk- ing about." " Oh, I cannot tell you ! I dare not tell you ! but I must hear her ! " exclaimed Augusta, distractedly, as she went over and stood close beside the woman. "I must tell you in private," said Grizzle, looking around. " You must not leave the room I " said Mr. De Vere, sternly. " Jacquetta, tell the servants to wait, and turn the key of the door and let this farce end! " "; Jacquetta, looking astonished and bewildered, obeyed. " Don't listen, then ! Stand off ! " said Grizzle, with an angry wave of her hand. " A De Vere should not be an eavesdropper. Come over here, young lady," she said, tak- ing Augusta by the arm, and leading her to the remotest corner. Captain Disbrowe walked to the window and looked out. Jacquetta bent over the table, with her back toward them ; and Mr. De Vere, looking angry, astonish- ed, and half-alarmed, stood, with a frowning brow, regard- ing them. So nearly ten minutes passed — during which Grizzle talked in a fierce, rapid, hissing whisper, without once stopping, and grasping Lady Augusta's arm in a vise- like grip. As she went on, a frightful change passed over the young girl. One arm was half raised, her blanched lips sprung, quivering, apart, her eyes strained and staring, an awful darkness, as if she were strangling, settling on her face, and with it a look of horror — of wildest, most unspeakable horror — fell. I ¥' ni I i. 1 1 I, ^o THE DARK SECRET. Suddenly there was the sound of a heavy fall, followed by a cry from Grizzle — a sharp, quick cry of alarm echoed by one longer and more passionate from Mr. De Vere. Disbrowe and Jacquetta faced round in terror to behold Augusta lying on the floor, with her father and Grizzle bending over her, and a dark stream of blood slowly ooz- ing from her mouth. CHAPTER YII. THE ]\nDNIGHT MUSIC. '' The midnight hour will soon be here — That awful hour ! When graves yawn wide and the dead occupants Mingle with earthly life." " Lift her up," said the loud, harsh voice of Grizzle ; *' she has ruptured an artery — that is all." She attempted to lift her herself, as she spoke, but she was furiously hu^-led back by Mr. De Vere. " Woman, begone ! touch her not ! " he cried, in a voice of mingled rage and anguish. " You have slain my child ! " " She is not dead, I tell you," said Grizzle, coolly. *' Rupturing an artery is a small affair." " Peace, you old hag ! " said Disbrowe, fiercely. " You have done mischief enough, now ! How dare you speak, after what you have done ? " « Dare ! " said Grizzle, with a short laugh ; " I would dare as much as any De Yere among you ; and verily, you come of a daring race. If haughty ladies," she said pointing to the still insensible Augusta, " will commit crimes -yes, crimes ! I repeat it ; so never start, and look fierce, my young soldier — crimes that even I, murderess and all as I am, shudder to think of, they must suffer the consequences." "You shall suffer the consequences, you old mur- deress 1 " shouted Mr. De Yere, furiously, as he laid Augusta on the sofa, and turned toward the door. " By the heavens above us I you shall never go free another hour, for this ! " THE MIDNIGHT MUSIC. 71 But the tall form of Grizzle interposed between him and the door, and her long, commanding arm waved him back. « No," she said, resolutely, fixing her eyes sternly on his face ; " you shall not go — for your own sake, you shall not go. It is not that I bear any regard for you — it is not that I bear any lovo for one of your proud name — it is not that I do not hate, from the very depths of my soul, one who I ears it " — and her fierce eyes seemed, for an instant, to blaze with a red, lurid fire, as they fixed themselves on Jacquetta, who knelt beside her sister — " but for a reason of my own, you shall not brmg disgrace on yourself, disgrace on your house, disgrace on all the name of De Vere, as yet. For I tell you, Robert De Vere, uncle of an English peer, as you are — the haughti- est among England's haughty sons — if this were known, the whole world would spurn your daughter — spurn her in loathing and horror ; the very children in the street would shrink in terror and affright from her wherever she would appear. Recoil as you will, grow white as you listen, yet I tell you, man, as God hears me, I speak the truth." There was an almost passionate solemnity in her tones ; and there was something awe-inspiring and terrific in the weird gesture with which she raised her arm and pointed upward, as if calling II im she had named to witness the truth of her words. ^Mr. De. Vere reeled, as if he had been struck a blow for an instant ; then, as his eye fell on the high noble face of his proud daughter — on the pure, stainless, marble-like brow, and sweet, beautiful lips, the conviction that she was merely playing ujxjn his fears returned ; for the idea of any crime in connection with *iiat noble-minded, stainless girl, was an utter and most revolting impossibility. "It is false, you miserable hag! — you second Jezebel I" he said, furiously. "Dare to mention my daughter's name in association with any crime again, and by all the saints ! I will he tempted to forget you are a woman, and strangle you on the spot ! " " That is easier said than done," said Grizzle, folding her arms, with a short laugh. " Two could play at that i 1 I S! 4 I. i i\ I '[- IN 72 THE DARK SECRET. game and, as a friend, I wouldn't advise you to try it with me." " My dear sir," interposed Disbrowe, laying his hand Oil liis arm, as he saw the storm of passion rising in his uncle's face, "be calm. Do no^. heed her words. Let nothing be done until Augusta recovers, and then let us learn from her what mysterious power this woman has over her, ^nd act accordingly." « Ila ! ha ! " said Grizzle, mockingly. " You think she will tell you — don't you ? Dout you hope she may ? Yes, I will wait till she recovers. I have no other inten- tion, my handsome young friend, and you will *act ac- cordingly.' Oh, no doubt of it ! " And she sat down, with a short laugh. " Shan't I go for a doctor, uncle ? " said Frank, looking daggers at Grizzle. " And I can bring a constable up from Green Creek at the same time, and fix this old witch's flint for her." " No, wait, Frank ; don't go," said the voice of Jac- quetta. "Don't go yet. Augusta is recovering. We must hear what she says before you go for any one." Her words banished everything from the minds of all but anxiety for Augusta. All gathered round her sofa as she slowly opened her heavy, dark eyes, and looked dimly around. " Augusta, darling — my precious child I are you bet- ter ? " said her father, in a choking voice, as he knelt down beside her and took her hand. She passed her hand in a vague, lost sort of way across her forehead, as if trying to recall something that had es- caped her memory. "I thought — I thought — something happened, papa, didn't it ? " she said, confusedly. " Do not talk — lie still. You have hurt yourself, dear- est. Shall we send for a doctor ? " said Jacquetta, softly kissing the pale lips. The wandering eyes still roved confusedly around, and the pale fingers still passed wistfully over the pale brow. Grizzle Howlet arose noiselessly from her seat, and her tall form towering upward like a grim, gray stone statue, at last arrested the lost, vacant gaze. THE MIDNIGHT MUSIC. 73 Slowly over the beautiful face again settled that look of utter, voiceless, awful horror. The small hands closed and clenched until the nails pierced the delicate palms, the slight form grew rigid and death-like, and a grayness like that of approaching dissolution, crept over every feature. Once or twice she essayed to speak, but only a choking, dying soun*^! came forth from her blanched lips ; and in the glazing eyes and colorless face, over every other feeling, still came that dreadful look of unutterable horror. " Augusta, dearest ! Oh heavens ! Augusta, what is tlie meaning of this ? " gasped Jacquetta, in terror. " Oh, my God ! what have I done I " came in a low, wailing, passionate cry of utter despair, from the white lips of Lady Augusta. " Oh, my sister ! my darling sister ! " cried Jacquetta, wringing her pale fingers, while the others seemed un- able to speak, " what is this ? Oh, Augusta, what does this mean ? " " What it would strike you dead with horror to hear ! What T would sooner be bound at the stake than reveal I What will blight my life, lose my soul, consume my heart, make every moment of my life a torture such as you cannot even conceive of ! May God grant me a speedy death ! " she cried, passionately ; and then, dropping her upraised arm, she sunk back, deathlike, and collapsed. " Oh, Heaven help us I s';e has gone crazy ! " said Jacquetta, still wringing her pale fingers in the first paroxysm of her terror and alarm : while her father knelt, Avith his face hidden in his hands, in speechless grief ; and Disbrowe and Frank looked on in consterna- tion. "She is not crazy," interrupted the harsh, impatient voice of Grizzle ; " she is as sane as you, and speaks the truth. Peace ! " she said, impetuously, as they would have interrupted her. " I will speak to her, and end this scene. Miss Augusta De Vere, listen to me ! Ah ! I see you are doing it," she said with her customary sneer, as she beheld the wild, dark eyes riveted, with a strange, stony glare, to her face. " Your father wants to im- prison me on suspicion of robbery and murder, and if he T II i\ ■r I J .» !:• \ D tit -A 74 THE DARK SECRET. inu does, you know the alternative/ One word from you will effect ray release — and — I await that word 1 '* She folded her mantle closer around her tall, gaunt form, and stood stiff and statue-like in her usual bolt upright fashion, waiting as calmly as though it were the simplest matter in the world. " Papa ! papa ! let her go ! let her go at once ! My eyes loathe the sight of hvv ! " cried Augusta, clasping her hands over her cv *^^ w" a shudder that shook her whole frame. "Let her go? Nevei th-^ accursed hag ! " cried her father, starting up. " Sht, shal' -^wing for what she has done, as sure as there is law or justice in the land ! " " Papa ! " almost shrieked Augusta, half-springing to her feet, " you do not know what you are saying ! Papa I would you kill me ? Oh ! let her go at once — for my sake — for your own sake — for God's sake ! let her go ! " she cried, falling from her seat prostrate on the floor at his feet. " Augusta yoic do not know what you are saying," said her father, almost sternly, as he raised her up. " This woman is a murderess ! " "And your daughter is icorsef'' she passionately cried, flinging herself on the sofa, and then starting up agaui, as if deranged by some inward, gnawing, unutterable pain. " Oh, saints in heaven ! what will become of me ? Papa ! papa ! let her go, if you would not see me dead at your feet ! " She was terrific to look at, as she beat her clenched hand on her breast, and tore at it as if she would have plucked out the n nondurable agony gnawing there ; her eyes starting from their very sockets ; her face as awfully white as that of a galvanized corpse. Even Jacquetta shrunk a step or two from her, in momentary horror. " Mr. De Vere, and you all,*' cried Grizzle, with one of her slow, majestic waves of the arm and in the measured commanding tones she had formerly used on the stage, "listen to me. You see the power I have over this haughty girl — a real power ; for, mark you, it is no im- aginary crime she accuses herself of, but one that would curdle vour heart's blood with horror to hear — one so aw- THE MIDNIGHT MUSIC. 75 ful that it is nameless ! Yes ; so seldom is it heard of, that no name has ever been given to it. And now, Robert De Vere, proud son of a proud sire, as sure as heaven is above us, if you dc* not let me go forth free, this secret sin shall be blown over the length and breadth of the land, to your everlasting disgrace, and that of all who bear your name. Refuse, and your daughter will either go mad or die at youi* feet ! Look at her, and see if she is not on the verge of madness now ! Consent, and I will give you my word — and, what is more, will keep it, too — never to molest any traveler or wayfarer who may stop at my house again — never! I confess there was one — but only one — we robbed and silenced ; and It is true that this nephew of yours might have share < v e same fate, but for something like a providential ^rter - sition — if one believed in such things. But let 1..3 go free, and I faithfully promise to keep your cii^u 'b ;er's secret and never to molest any one again. Refuse me, and it will be at your peril I " Let her go, for Heaven's sake I " exclaimed L>isbrowe, " before you drive your daughter insane. What is her life, or that of a dozen miserable wretches like her com- pared to that of my cousin *? " Grizzle turned her eyes on him with her sneering smile, and seemed about to reply ; but whether intimi- dated by the bright, fierce light in the young soldier's eye, or unwilling to irritate them further, she prudently thought better of it, and discreetly held her tongue. " Go, then," said Mr. De Vere, trembling ^vith rage and anguish ; " and may Heaven's worst curses go with you ! " Grizzle smiled slightly and bowed, and met Jacquetta's flashing eye with a look of exultant triumph. Returning it with one of mingled defiance and disgust, the young girl made her a stern motion to go, and, unlocking the door, held it open for her to pass. " You wear yotir chains so gracefully, my pretty little dear," said Grizzle, as she went out, " that I don't know any one better qualified to teac^^ your sister the virtue of resignation. Whoever wot imagine you to be — what you are? " i I 76 THE DARK SECRET. "Bogone!" exclaimed Jaoquetta, stamping her foot passionately. With one of her short, scornful laughs, so galling to listen to, the woman passed out ; and Jacquetta, turning suddenly round, met the eyes of Disbrowe fixed full upon her as if in wonder at the last words. To his surprise, her bold, bright glance fell, and her face, a moment be- fore deadly pa^e, grew deepest crimson — crimson to the very edges of her hair, — as she turned away and averted her head. Augusta had thrown herself on her face on the sofa, as the wonum went out ; and now lay as still as if the speedy death she had prayed for had already mercifully settled her agonized heart-throbs. Tenderly Jacquetta bent over her, and essayed to raise her up. " Augusta, dearest, what is it ? Oh, tell me — tell your fatlier ! Do not look so dreadfully 1 " she said, imploringly. " Oh, let me go to my room I Do not speak to me, or I shall die ! " she cried out, rising up, and holding out her hands before her, like one blind. " Come, then ; let me help you," said Jacquetta, pass- ing her arm round her waist. As she turned to obey, her eye fell on her father, sit- ting bowed down in a chair, his face hidden in his hands. The next instant, she was kneeling at his feet, clasping his kiiees. • « Papa, dearest papa, speak to me, your own Augusta ! Oh, papa, do not say you curse me for what I have done ! " " Curse you, my darling child ? " he said, looking sorrowfully up. " Oh, Augusta, what have you done ? What is this you have done ? " " Oh, i^apa, do not ask me ! " she exclaimed, in a dying, despairing voice. " It would kill you to know I Only say that, if ever you do hear, if ever it is known, you will not curse the memory of your miserable child, who will not live long to grieve you now." « Oh, Augusta, liush ! What are you saying ? " whis- pered Jacquetta, raising her up. " Come with me — come to your room." THE MIDNIGHT MUSIC. 77 " Only say that, papa I dearest, kindest pap.t I only say that you will never curse the memory of your wretched daughter ! " pleaded Augusta sinking lower and lower at his feet. « My dear child, I never will. God bless you ! Go," he said, putting one trembling hand up before his face. She arose, slowly and heavily, and suffered Jacquetta to lead her from the room. And Mr. De Vere, with his face averted and hidden by his hand, sat perfectly still, his drooping head and the heaving of his strong chest alone betokening his emotion. Disbrowe, lost in wonder, stood looking out of the win- dow on the deepening night ; and Frank, though he would have been inclined to knock any oiie down wlio would have ventured to insinuate sucii a thing, stood winking both eyes at once, very hard, and the trees Ixv fore the window looked crooked as if seen through tears. Presently Jacquetta returned, and coming over to Dis- browe, touched him lightly on the arm. He looked down hi lier pale, grave face — so different from the sparkling, animated countenance of the morning — and waited to hear what she had to say. " You will pardon me, I am sure, Captain Disbrowe," she said, hurriedly, " after what you have seen and heard, if I suggest the propriety of your retiring at once. You will not find any of us, I am afraid, very entertain- ing companions to-night ; and besides, you nmst be tired after your journey." "Most certainly," said Disbrowe, cordially. "I was about to ask permission to retire as a favor. I hope j\f iss Augusta will be better to-morrow. No ; don't ring. I can find my room myself. Good night." And he was gone. Very cheerful did his pleasant room, with its bright fire, look that evening, chill with the raw, wintry l)lasts of early April. The dark, oaken wainscotting sparkled and shone in the ruddy light of the fire and the stars on the walls and ceiling were fairly blinding in their glan- cing brightness. But brightest of all still, was the pic- tured face that smiled down on him from over the man- % U I '4 fl SI" I'i. 41 J f i ' i. 78 THR DARK vSECRET. tel — that bright, pic|uant, coquettish litlU^ face, so differ- ent from -the dark, gi-ave one he had seen it a moment before. lie drew an arm-chair close up to the fire, and sat down ; and, with his l)Oots elevated on the fender, a cigar between his lips, his handsome head leaning agjiinst the cushion^; and his bright, bold, dark eyes fixed in- tently upon it, he liiy and watched. Fitfully that witcth- ing little face smiled upon him from iMjtween the l)luo curling wreaths of scented vapor, and, as he watched it, a curious smile broke over his face, as if in answer. A curious, nuising smile, that seemed to say: "I wonder if I could make tlie original smile on me like that, if 1 were to try." Tie glanced with that same inexplicable look in the full-length mirror, and the tjill, graceful figure, tlie bold, handsome face, with its clustering locks of rich brown hair, and dark, bright, handsome eyes, were cer- tainly not likely to contradict the idea. There was nothing of the fop in that look, however ; and the next moment the smile was gone, the cigar in the fire, and with his hands in his x)ockets, lie was pacing up and down the room, and whistling. "Hear me, Norma." '^riien he thought of this other proud, stately cousin of his, this haughty Lady Augusta, this " true De Vere,'* and every other feeling was merged and lost in wonder ; and the Honorable Alfred Disbrowe began to cogitate whether he had not got among a lot of escaped lunatics by some mistake or other. Then he thought of old Grizzle Ilowlet, and her strange power; and of this mysterious secret and hidden crime ; and became shocked, and revolted, and unbelieving at the thought of crime with this proud, noble-looking girl. Then he thought of the singularly beautiful Spanish boy he had seen, the "little brigand," as he inwardly termed him, and became puzzled once more -for something about him was stitingely yet unaccouni ibly familiar. Then he thought of Captain Nick Tempest, and of his singular and undefinable resemblance to Jacquetta ; and that brought his thoughts back to where they had started from. And resuming his seat and his former position, he lit another cigar, leaned back, and, for over an hour, sat 1 1 THE MIDNIGHT MUSIC. 79 there unci wutclied tlmt portrait witliout once removing his eyes. At lust he awoke to the consciousness that it was be- ginning to grow late, and tliut he was l)oth tired and sleepy ; and rising with a yawn, ht; bade a sort of nien- tid ^()od-nig)it to his silent companion, prepared f(»r bed, proU'stt'd in confidence to himself that the sjiid ])ed was lil^e some old tomb, threw himself upon :t, and in ten minutes was sound a.rleep. Hours passed ; the niglit wore on ; the lire flickered and smoldered fitfully ; and still he slept. All was silent as the grave through the vast mansion, when suddenly, with a strange start and a shock, nd a feeling as if a strong hand was on his throat, he sprung up in bed — awak(; ! There was a sound in the air; the sound of music, soft, sweet, and far olf. lie awoke l)ewildered, and looked around, at a loss to know where he was. The tire sent out a sudden jet of red-flame, and it fell bright and livid on the pictured face ; and it seemed to him, as he looked up, that the eyes were alive and glared flercely and redly down upon him, with a weird, unearthly look. The sight restored memory ; l)ut still — was he walking or dreaming ? — the air was full of music yet. lie sat up and listened breathlessly. Such music as it was, in the dead silence of the lonesome midnight ! Soft, low and unexpressibly sweet ; now dying away in a faint, wailing cry, like a voire in pain ; now rising softly and sweetly as an angel voice ; and anon swelling out high, grand and sultlime, like the notes of a triumphal march, till the listener's heart bounded in time, and every pulse leaped as if he had been a Frenchman, listening to the ^larseillaise. Still he heard it, now high, now low, now wild and agonized ; now soft, j)laintive and sweet ; now swelling high and grand, with one vast, thundering crash, and again dying away in a low, sobbing sound — as of a strong heart in strong agony. Oh, never was earthly music like that ! Entranced, enraptured, he sat and listened, dimly Avondering if the heavens had opened, and those were angel voices he heard, chanting once again the old, sublime strains : " Peace on earth, and good will to men." 1 < it i'-' '! I i> 1 '1 V \F. 8o THE DARK SECRET. ' It dJed away at last — died away in a long, shuddering echo — its faint burden shivering with pain ; and then the silence of the grave reigned. For hours he sat listening, straining his hearing to catch the faintest sound: but nothing met the ear but the melancholy sighing of the night- wind around the old house, with a sound inexpres- sibly dreary. Where had that strange music come from ? Not from the inhabited part of the house, for that was to his right. And when the excitement had died away, and he could calmly reflect upon it, he felt positive this had issued from the left wing — the old, half- ruined, deserted, northern part of the building. Of all the strange and unaccount- able things that had puzzled him within the last four- and-twenty hours, this seemed the strangest and most unaccountable of all. Again a red, lambent flame shot out from the dying fire, and hovered like a glory around the pictured face on the v/all ; and it seemed, to his ex- cited fancy, that there was exultation in the eye, and derision in the smile, as though she held the secret and scotfed at his ignorance. Tired out at last with watch- ing, he again lay down and dreamed, undisturbed, of music, and Jacquetta .and handsome Spanish boys, and little selfish girls, and old witches twenty feet higli, until the first morning sunbeam peeped through the star-cur- tained oriole mndow, and fell lovingly and warmly as a mother's kiss on the closed lids of the young English- man's dark eyes. CHAPTER VIH. TUE VENDETTA. " ' Tlien surely,' said the lady's knight, On eaitli I may not be, Since never was there mortal wight Heard such sweet melody.'" —Old Ballad. The sun was high in the heavens ere Captain Dis- browe awoke, and, sprniging up, he leisurely began to dress, ruminating still on the unaccountable incidents of the preceding night. But all his ruminations ended by THE VENDETTA. 8i 1 i leaving him more perplexed than ever; and the face on the wall, at which he glanced at intervals, smiled serenely, and suggested nothing to help him out of his difficulty. " Upon my soul, I believe have got into an enchanted castle ! " he muttered, tying liis cravat, critically. " The Castle of Otronto couldn't hold a candle to it, and it beats the ' Mysteries of Udolpho ' all to sticks I How remarkably fond of music any one must be Avho will get out of their comfortable bed in the *dead waste and middle of the night ' to serenade the bats and owls in that old tower, or whatever they call it ! Well, every one to their taste ; and that reminds me that I should feel obliged to any one who would inform me whether that face is pretty or not— for, upon my word and honor, I can't decide." So saying, the honorable Alfred left his room ; and humming the fag-end of a tune, ran down-stairs, passed through the hall, and out of the front door which lay open to admit the breezy morning air and bright sun- shine. It was a pleasant prospect which met his eye that jocund spring morning. Away out before him spread the broad, winding avenue of shadowy maples just begin- ning to don their bright spring dress ; and, further still lay the road, with a dense, primeval pine forest bound- ing the view. On either side lay the broad fields and smooth meadows of Fon telle, and away behind stretched out the faint outline of blue, shadowy hills, dying out in the bluer sky. The air was balmy with the faint odor from the pine forest, and rung and resounded with the blithe voices of numi)erless birds, up and hard at work for the day. While the young guardsman stood leaning negligently against the vast stuccoed pillars that supported the mas- sive doorway, he heard a footstep l)ehind him, and the next moment Frank appeared, l)right and cheery. " Hallo 1 Up already ? " was his salutation. " Nice morning, ain't it ? " Captain Disbrowe glanced at the bright sky and brighter sun, and not being able, consistently with truth. o «> <•: t: ■ i- t ' f r ;y I I c 1 ^. Sz THE DARK SECRET. to deny the fact, admitted that it Avas rather a nice morning. " Beats your English climate slightly — don't it ! " said Frank. " Raiu, and drizzle, and mud ; and then, nuid, and drizzle, and rain, by way of a change. Ugh! I wouldn't be paid to live in such a i^lace at any price ! " " Which is England's loss, if she only knew it," said Disbrowe, lazily ; " but we have a glimpse of sunshine there occasionally, my young friend — on the king's birth- day, and the festival of 8t. George and the Dragon, and other national feasts ; so it's not altogether so overwhelm- ing and knock-down a sight to see the sun as you might suppose. Where are the rest? Everything was so still I thoaght none of you were up." " Up ! " Siiid Frank, like an echo, " Doesn't Jack always beat the sun, and be up and doing an hour before he has the faintest idea of rousing himself for his day's labor ? I guess so ! And now she's off over the hills on horse- back, and has most likely cleared some dozen miles be- fore this. As for judging by the stillness, this house always goes considerably ah(^ad of the Palace of Silence, or the Dead Sea, or any other mute and solemn old tomb, I flatter myself, in that article." « Indeed ! By the way," said Disbrowe, carelessly, <' is all the building inhabited — I mean, do the family occupy the whole of it ? " " Oh, no — not near. That old north wing over there — isn't it dismal-looking? — hasn't been occupied for the last twenty years or more. You see, it was built as near like Fontelle Park as possible, but it wasn't con- venient in the old style ; and though it suited England well enough, it didn't pay in America. The swallows built their nests in the chinnieys, and they smoked like fury, and the roof leaked in wet weather, and the a\ indows were small and dark, and the rooms were large and gloomy, with oak wainscottings ; and, altogether, it was a dismal old barn as ever was. So I'ncle Rob had the southern wing built ; and that, with the right half of this middle part, is all we occupy." " Ah ! " said Disbrowe, thoughtfully, " and you are quite sure — " THE VENDETTA. 83 « I'm quite sure that's Jixck," cut in Frank, suddenly. ''There she goes! Ain't she a tip- top rider? Look at that ! — now watch her clear that fence ! " A high fence, with a sliarp, spiked top, was right in tlie way of the rider, as she came sweeping down, mounted on a splendid black Arabian — a fence that would have made even the fuiished rider. Captain Disbro we, mounted on his superb 8aladin, piiuse ; but it stoppetl not the course of the spirited little equestrian, who came dashing along. Backing her horse for the leap over it, she dashed in splendid style ; and then, relaxing into a trot, she ambled up, and, lifting her eyes, saw the two si>ectators. " Good-morning, Captain Disbrowe," she said touching her plumed riding-hat gallantly. " Why didn't you get up and take a gallop mth me over the hills this bright morning, for the benefit of your health and appetite, in- stead of lying lazily in bed? Oh, I forgot," she added, with a saucy glance and a light, breezy laugh, iis she sprung off, " you're a true-born Englishman, and fond of creature comforts, and taking your ease. Here, William, take my horse." " Not so fond of either. Miss Jacquetta," he said piqued at her look and tone, "l)ut that I would gladly have given both up for a ride with my charming little cousin, if I had known it in time." " Well, mind for the future ; for I don't intend to take compliments, or any small corns of that sort, in return, for il want of gallantry. T hope you're a pretty good rider, Cousin Alfred, and won't mind risking your neck now and then over the moimtains — or else it will never do for you to ride with me." "Who would not risk his neck, my fairy sprite, for the sake of attending you ? Who could wish for a fairer death than meeting it ni the service of so bewitching a mountain queen? Ah ! wouldn't I risk my neck joyfully, if I thought it w ould draw one tear from you," said Dis- browe, in a mock-heroic strain. " Upon my word, then, I don't think it would," said Jacquettii, composedly. "I'm not given to crying much myself, as a general thing, and wlt'ii I do, it's only for sensible people ; and I consider tliat any one who would I ' 1 n 84 THE DARK SECRET. * risk his neck joyfully,' just to make one drop a tear, would be, to draw it mild, an unmitigated donkey ! Now, there I " She sprung up beside him as she spoke ; and snatch- ing off her hat, began s\vinging it by the strings. Dis- browe met her bright, saucy, defiant glance, and at last decided that she was pretty. Yes, Jacquetta De Vere was, undeniably, pretty, and looked her very best at that moment. The small, straight, lithe figure was set off to perfection l)y the close-fitting, dark-blue riding habit ; the gray eyes were flashing and sparkling like twin stars ; the short, red, silky curls danced and glittered in spiral rings around the white, polished, boyish forehead ; the cheeks were like spring roses, and the mirthful glance and mocking smile were the living reality of the picture. Breezy and bright she stood there, every saucy, piquant feature of her piquant little face sparkling with youth, life, beauty and an exultant sense of freedom, reminding him of some half-tamed thing — some shy, wild, fierce young eaglet, dangerous to touch too closely ; the least dignified De Vere he had ever seen, perhaps ; but cer- tainly the most bewitching. Not a trace of last night's grave trouble remained ; and Disbrowe scarcely knew whether the whole thing was not part of a dream. " By the way," said Jacquetta slapping her gaiter with her riding- whip, and giving him a mer:. y Tjlance. " 1 made a conquest this morning." " Well, that is nothing wonderful — i^ it : '• said Dis- browe, ' for you, who have only to see to conquer ? " " Ah to be sure ! I never thouglit of that. See what it is to have a long head. But this was something un- usual — something to be proud of. Oh ! gracious ! wasn't he a darling '? " " What was it ? " said Disbrowe. " A grizzly bear, or a catamount, or a m.an-monkey ? I don't see Avhat else you could very well meet in these savage regions." "No, cT," Raid Jacquetta, indignantly, "It was the most splendiiMookiiig little foreigner — oh, my ! Oh, such eyes, such fe«,tiirf^s, such a superb little form, sucli dainty hands and iVci, ^idi hair!" — /md Jacquetta shook her own curb 1 ,ul Idi its red ringlets glanced again — "and THE VENDETTA. 85 such a dress! Good gracious! And then the "way he doffed his plumed cap and made me such a courtly how, was a sight to see, not to hear of. Oh, the little dar- ling ! " said Jacquetta, going off into a small rapture. " Why, it must have been the brigandish foreigner I met at the Mermaid Inn," said Disbrowe. " Where did you see him ? " " Taking a stroll over the hills, and I have not the faint- est symptom of a heart left ever since," said Jacquetta. " TIow I wish I w6re him ! " said Disbrowe, sighing. "Well, you're not him, you see ! Oh ! I forgot to ask you how did you rest last night — pretty hostess, ain't IV" " Very," said Disbrowe, emphatically, and looking un- utteral)le things ; but Jaccjuetta only laughed : " and I rested very well, thank you ; l)ut there was rather a sin- gular thing happened about uiidnight." " Indeed ! what was it ? " said Jacquetta, with a stai t, and fixing her bright eyes full upon him. " A very pleasant incident, but rather unaccountable — the sound of music, the strangest, sweetest, wildest strains I ever heard, and seemingly issuing from yonder deserted part of the building. What ! good-heavens ! have I frightened you, my dear cousin ? You are fainting." " No, I am not ; it is nothing," she gasped ; but, as if by magic, the light had been stricken from her eye, the rose from her cheek, the brightness from her face, and a look, so white, so haggard, so shuddering, came over her, that faint and sick she grasped the pillar for supyn-t, and pressed her hand hard on her heart, whose tui Ituous throbbing ccnild almost be heard. So appalling, so terrifying, so instantaneous was the change, that Disbrowe was thunderstruck. Tl 11, as she still stood holding on to the pillar, deathly white, and shivering through all her frame, he caught hei . his arms, fearing slie would faint and fall. The action seemed to galvanize her into spasmodic life. With a wild jarring cry, that awoke the echoes, she sprung from his retaining arms, and held out her own blindly, as if to keep him ofl\ " Off, off ! " she cried, passionately. " Touch -..le not I *' " Why, Jack ! Good gracious, Jack ! what stt you off I If f < fi ^ Hi m .! 1^ ¥¥ 86 THE DARK SECRET. in this gale ?" sjiid Frank, in astouishnient, as he re- turned after a moment's absence. * " Nothing ! Hush ! " She grasped Disbrowe's arm with a convulsive pressure, and made a motion for liim not to speak. At tiiat iiustant he s^iw lier face white and ter- rified ; the next, as she turned it to Frank, it was, tliough pale, perfectly calm and composed. " I wish you would go to the stable, Frank, and see that William attends properly to Liglitnmg. He Iws had a hard ride this morning, and needs looking after. That's a good boy." Frank darted off, and Jacquetta's face was averted for a moment, as she gazed after him. When she turned it £^in to Disbix)we, it was, though slightly pale, cool and composed as ever and as she met his astonished glance she laughed in his face. " I rather think the ca.se is reversed, and I have fright- ened yod, my good cousin. Why, Captain Disbrowe, I would n':it have Frank hear the story of that ghostly music for any earthly consideration. It would l)e all over the coiuitry in a jiffy, that the house is haunted. Are you quite sure y<>u wei'e not dreaming, cous'n Alf ? " "Quite," said Disbrcn^e, bruscpiely. "Ah! Well, it maj'^ have been an ^Eolian harp, or aoiT?ething — most likely it was. Ajid then the wind blew pretty hard List night. Or it may have been cats — our Thomas is musically given, and entertains a select party of friends every night in tii.^ corridors of the north wing. Are you s'^re it was not the cats, cousin ? " said Jacquetta, cutting the air with her whip, and again laughing. ' Perfectly sure, Miss Jacquetta. Neither my hearing no" my eyesight deceive me often," he replied pointedly. " Oh ] don't they ? You are wider awake, then, than the generality of your countryuien. Perhaps there are ghosts there, then, and you heard the music of the Dance of Death. Ugh ! it's enough to give one the horrors to think of it ! This comes of building houses m the old English style, instead of any decent C'hristian fashion. I always heard that gliosts and rats were particularly fond of old houses ; but I never knew of my owii knowledge be- fore. It's lucky you told me, instead of any weakminded person with a belief in the supernatural. Be sure you THH VENDETTA. don't mention it to any one else — above all, to uncle or Frank ! " The last words were acconi}>cinied hy a brief, bright fliish of Iter eye, that said, as plain as words : " If you do tell, it won't be well for you." Captain Disbrowe under- stood it, and replied by a slifi^ht ))ow and slighter smile ; and llien said, to turn the eonvei'sation, whieh annoyed him somehow, though he could scarcely tell why : '^llow is 3fiss Augusta this morning?" " Better, T believe. I am going to see her now, and an revot'r till br€nikt'ast-time." And humming a Venetian barcarole, and still swinging her jaunty riding-hat by the strings, she tripped liglitly away. Disbrowe stooil and watched the light, small, fairy fig- ure until it disapi^eared, more thoroughly puzzled than he had ever been befoi'e in his life. •' Strange inexplicable girl ! " fie mused ; " who can un- derstand her ? She is an enigma, a riddle, a puzzle, a Gordian knot of tangles and inconsistencies. I wonder if it would be worth the time and troulJe unraveling said knot, or if it would be altogether safe ? " The same curious smile that had dawned on his face the night before, while watching her picture, broke over it again, and once more he begtin whistling the air, of " Hear me, Norma," as on that occasion, with the look of one who would give himself a reminder. To the suri)rise of Disbrowe, Lady Augusta appeared at breakfast ; and save that her face was cold and lifeless as marble, and her eyes had a dead, fixed settled look of hopeless despair, no trace remained of the preceding evening's terrible agitation. Mr. De Vere looked jmle, and grave, and troubled ; but Jaequetta appeared, though a little subdued, in excellent spirits, and kept up an un- flagging flow of words. After breakfast, accompanied by Mr. De Vere, he went over the gi'ounds, admired the scene '-y and the houses, though inwardly chafing at the occupation, when he wo'^ 1 much rather have been in the i>arlor with Jae- quetta. But he was not doomed to see much of that young lady that day ; for, immediately after dinner, Frank informed him that she had ridden off somewhere Ff.* •1 ! n II. I 88 THE DARK SECRET. alone, to visit a sick widow who lived in a cottage among the hills. And he furthermore learned that Miss Jac- quetta had quite a long list of proteges of one kind and another, from ill-used dogs up to (with reverence be it said) sick widows and friendless or])hans. For some cause or another, the Honorable Alfred Dis- browe felt extremely dissatisfied about something. This was a pretty way to entertain him after coming all the way from England, riding off and leaving him alone, as if he was of no more consequence than William, the hostler. Vq felt irritated and chagrined ; and if the truth must be told, his vanity was more than slightly wounded by her high, supreme indifference to the hand- some lady-killer who hitherto had found himself so irresis- tible. Having worked himself into a pretty severe state of misanthropy, he took advantage of a short absence on the part of Frank, and resolved to have a ride over the hills oil his own account. There was a remote possibility — judging from all he had heard — that he might break his neck ; but in his present humor the idea rather pleased him than othermse, as it would leave Jacquetta a victim to remorse and black bombazine all the rest of her days ; so off he rode, half-hoping he might meet with some direful accident that woivkl awaken that flinty-hearted piece of femininity to the error of her ways. Gradually, as he rode on, he fell into deep thought, and suffered his horse to go as he pleased. The events of the last few days gave him enough to think about ; but in all his dreams and cogitations, the image of Jacquetta ever rose upperr^iost, haunting him like a waking night- mare. Sometimes he saw the little face in its clustering red curls ; and the more he thought of her red hair, the more he detested it — mocking, taunting, sparkling, de- fiant ; sometimes he saw it pale, grave and troubled ; and now he beheld it white, shuddering, and wild as when he had told her of the mysterious music. Bat in whatever mood, it was the same face, framed in red hair, and it blotted out everything else. Suddenly he was aroused from his dreams and visions, in a startling way. A hand clutched his bridle-rein, and THE VENDETTA. 89 the cold muzzle of a pistol pointed directly at his head. lie looked up, as well he might, and found himself in a lonely valley, lying between two high hills — a wild deso- late-looking spot, without a single human habitation, save one little hut on the brow of the furthest hill. The man who clutched his bridle-rein was Captain Nick Tempest and his upturned face was the face of a demon. " So we have met again, my young friend," said the captain. "And this time I may show you the way — mayn't I ? And by the Lord Ihu ry ! I will, too, show you the way to the infernal region in double quick time ! " The young Englishman was unarmed, and the full danger of his situation rushed upon him at once. Alone in this lonely place, unarmed and in the power of tliis savage cutthroat, whom he had made his mortal enemy I Yet it only had the effect of doing, what it did once before, making his face set and stern and his nerves like steel. " Do you know what the Corsican vendetta means, my haughty English friend ? " said the captain with a dia- bolical sneer. " If you do, then learn that no Corsican ever vowed a more deadly vendetta than did I when you struck me, or will keep it in a more deadly way. Look at that ! " — he almost shrieked, while his face grew livid and distorted with passion as he pointed to a raw, red, quivering cut across his face — " that is your handiwork, and if I was dying and could win heaven by doing it, I would never forgive you ! Never I by — " And he ut- tered a fearful oath. " I haven't asked you to," said Disbrowe, meeting his ferocious glare steadily. " No ! " he shouted ; " for it would be useless ! Out of this you will never stir alive ! You are here ; beyond all human help, completely in my power, and your doom is sealed I " He raised the pistol as he spoke, but dropped it again at a sound that startled both him and the young English- man, and both turned to behold an unlooked-for appari- tion. If'" '"^ J 1 go THE DARK vSKCRET. CHAPTER IX. JACINTO. " By nipht the lieavy doors are drawn, Tho castle stands alone ; But in the cliamberH, till the dawn, Unquiet spirits move." It was n, wild ory — a woman's shrill shriek, that had startled them ; but looking round, they saw no woman — only the Si)iinisli boy, Jacinto, who came flying toward them, uttering cry after cry, as no boy ever did before. It was an apparition so unlooked-for, so unexpected, that both forgot, for an instant, what was to follow — the one, his imminent danger, and other, his demoniac vengeance ; and before either had recovered, the boy was standing beside Disbrowe, holding out his arms, before him, as if he would have interx)osed that frail barrier to shield his life. " Spare him — spare him I " cried the boy, in piercing ac- cents. " Oh, Captain Tempest ! for the love of Heaven, spare his life I " The young Englishman, taking advantage of the mo- mentary confusion, made an attempt to wrest the pistol from his enemy's grasp ; but the hawk-like eye of Captain Tempest detected the motion, and quick as lightning he sprung back, took deliberate aim, and fired. With a mighty shriek of more than mortal anguish, Jacinto had flung his arms around the young guardsman ; and with the momentary start the cry gave the ruffian, the ball sped from its aim, and the next instant the right arm of the young Spaniard dropped lifeless by his side, and with a groan he sunk senseless on the ground. " Villain ! demon ! " shouted the young man, maddened by the sight. " You have killed him ! " And in an instant he had sprung off his horse, and grasped Captain Nick by the throat ere he could draw a second pistol from his belt. With a fearful oath of mingled rage and disappointment at missing his aim, the captain closed with his adversary, and a deadly struggle ensued. It was a struggle that JACINTO. 9« would not have Listed long, for — though Disbrowe hud the iidvaiitiige of youth and agility — (Jai)taiii 'IVniiK'st was a perfect giant in strength, and he had griisped the young man in an iron grasp with one hand, while with the other he tugged at a liuge, glistening knife, when ho unexpectedly found himself seiztid from l)ehind by some huge monster, that held him as if he was in a vise, and obliged him to n^lax his hold. "ITold him, Lion! hold him, my boyl" exclaimed a spirited voice, at the same moment. " That's a good dog I Now, then — what's all this about 'i " Disbrowe looked uj), and saw, to his astonishment, no other than Miss Jaequetta De Vere sitting on her horse, and looking on the scene as coolly ajid (;omposedly as though it was a little tableau got up for her express amusement. Her horse's hoofs on the soft turf had been noiseless ; so they had not heard her approach. Step- ping back, Disbrowe took off his hat, and shook back his clustering hair off his flushed face, and glanced around before speaking. Saladin stood snorting and pawing the ground with terror, at a little disUmce ; Jacinto lay on his face senseless at his feet, his coat-sleeve saturated with blood ; and Captain Nick Tempest, foaming at the mouth, was struggling furiously in the grasp of a huge, flerce-look- mg dog — who, with one eye on his mistress, was evidently grimly resolved to hold him while he had a tooth in his head. " Well," said Jaequetta, after a pause, during which her eye had followed Disbrowe's, "you've been getting yourself into a scrape, I see, my good consul. You should not have ridden out, you perceive, until I was ready to go along and take care of you. Gussie, easy, my dear sii' " — to Captain Nick Tempest, who was writhing and curs- ing at an awful rate — " don't swear so, and don't struggle in that way ; for if the broadcloth gives way, perhaps you won't find Lion's teeth very comfortable, and per- haps I shan't be able to keep him from cheating the hang- man, and perhaps I won't try, either I What is the matter, cousin Alfred, and who is this lying on the ground ? Why, he's wounded I Good heavens ! has ho been shot ? " « (I |i t! ;r 11 !' I '■•f^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V' (/ ** r.^ A 4^ %° 1.0 1.1 I^|2j8 |25 |iO ^^" ■■■ lU vx |22 :£ |i£ 12.0 111 u& 1.25 III U 1^6 ■< 6" il / v^*' ^ ^-^-7- HiotQgraphic Sciences Corporation ^'4^ 23 WIST MAIN STREIT WIBSTiR.N.Y. 14S80 (71«) •72-4503 92 THE DARK SECRET. She leaped off her horse as she spoke, and bent over Jacinto, as Disbrowe knelt down and raised him in his arms. The beautiful face was cold and still as marble, and the lips were blanched to a deadly whiteness. The wounded arm hung heavy and lifeless by his side, and his head fell over Disbrowe's arm as though he were in reality deiid. " Oh, cousin ! is he dead ? " cried Jacquetta, falling on her knees beside him. "Not dead," said Disbrowe, laying his hand on his heart, which still fluttered faintly ; " not dead, but in a swoon ; and his arm is shattered, I greatly fear." « Oh, poor boy — poor boy ! " said Jacquetta, sorrowful- ly. " Oh, cousin ! who had the heart to do this ? " "That monster there! May Heaven's worst curses light on him I " exclaimed Disbrowe, fiercely. " Where can we bring him, Jacqu^^tta ? Something must be done immediately." " Bring him to Fontelle — there is no other place where he can be brought, and it is not more than two miles from this. Lift him before you on your horse, and ride fast. But, tell me how it happened. Did this man intend mur- dering him ? " " No — no. He intended to murder me ; and this poor boy, in his effort to save my life, received the ball meant for me," said Disbrowe, as he raised the almost lifeless and limber form in his arms. " What a beautiful face ! " exclaimed Jacquetta, m- voluntarily — forgetting, for an instant, everything but the wondrous be.*uty of the lad. As she spoke, the boy opened his eyes, and they fell upon the handsome, troubled face bending over him, and, with a faint exclamation, he attempted to rise ; but at the motion a spasm of intense pain shot across his pale face, and shuddering through all his frame, his head dropped heavily on Disbrowe's breast. " My poor boy I " said Disbrowe, compassionately, " do not attempt to rise. Your arm is broken, I fear ; but I will take you where you will be carefully nursed." " No. Let me go ; put me down — I must go," said the boy, wildly, making another attempt to free himself ; but it ai fo ag Pi tr li] tl H si P^ y< . t€ ri h b I g JACINTO. 93 his voice was faint and sharp with agony, and his face twitched convulsively with the almost unendurable pain^ and once more he sunk back, white and fainting. Disbrowe's only reply was to place him upon his horse, and then leap into the saddle ; while, ^vith a groan that all his efforts could not repress, the poor boy's head dropped heavily on his shoulder. " What is to be done with this scoundrel who assault- ed you ? " said Jacquetta. " Shall I order Lion to keep him here till we can return Avith men to arrest him? Eh?" Captain Tempest's reply to this proposition was an appalling volley of oaths, as his livid face grew a shade more ghostly, and he shook his clenched fist furiously at Jacquetta in impotent passion. " No, let him go ; let Captain Tempest go," said Jacinto, faintly, lifting his head for an instant, and then dropping it again. " Let him go, since the lad desires it," said Disbrowe, after a moment's hesitation. " I shall be on ray guard for the future, and will not be taken at a disadvantage again." " Very well," said Jacquetta, as she fearlessly ap- proached the raving savage ; " but first, rny dear sir, I will trouble you for that pistol. Before Lion lets you off the limits, you must stand and deliver." Captain Nick furiously hurled the pistol at Lcr feet. " Thank you," said Jacquetta, coolly, as she picked up the weapon and examined it. " Loaded, I see — all right I Here, Lion — here, my boy ; let him go ! " With a sullen growl like his angry namesake, that showed how much against his better judgment he com- plied. Lion obeyed, and trotted over to the side of his young mistress, still displaying a formidable array of teeth. " Now, be off at once," shouted Jacquetta, in a high, ringing tone of command, as she raised the pistol and kept her bright eye fixed on the outwitted captain. " Vanish, before I am tempted to give you a dose of cold lead, which I would just as lief do, only I don't want to rob the gallows of its due. Be off I " .n. i . : i\ • ' ,. * f i i' i 1 \ j 1^: : V" 94 THE DARK SECRET. 1 1 Gnasliing his teeth with impotent passion, the captain obeyed — not knowing how soon the dangerous-looking little desperado might be tempted to fire ; and a mocking laugh from Jacquetta came wafted after him on the even- ing breeze, and was the last sound he heard, as he vanished round the brow of the hill. " The youth has fainted again," said Disbrowe, anxious- ly, as Jacquetta, whistling to Lion, stuck the pistol in a belt she wore, and vaulted lightly on her horse. " So much the better," said Jacquetta. " You can ride rapidly now without fear of hurting him — poor fellow! Come, en avant ! " Both spirited horses darted off simultaneously, and in less than fifteen minutes the peaked gables and quaint turrets of Fontelle came in sight. " Don't alarm the house, but bring him up here," said Jacquetta, as she entered the hall, followed by Disbrowe carrying his insensible burden, " into the room next mine — in here." She led the way down the long hall, up a flight of stairs, and through another hall leading to the south wing of the building; and throwing open a door, ushered Disbrowe into a pleasant little room, elegantly furnished in tasteful, modern style. Disbrowe laid J.acinto on a low French bed, hung with white, scarcely whiter now than his death-like face. Again, as he looked at him, that same unaccountable con- viction that he had seen him somewhere before, flashed across his mind. But Jacquetta, with her usual energetic promptitude, left him little time to ruminate, for no sooner had he laid him down, than she said ; « There I go now and hunt up Frank, and send him off to Green Creek for a doctor. Tell him to be quick, for the sooner this arm is set, the better. Go ! " In spite of himself, Disbrowe could not repress a smile at the young lady's prompt, off-hand, decided way of doing business, but without waiting even to reply, he darted off, leaving Jack De Vere alone with her patient. He found Frank yawning dreamily over a novel in the parlor ; and in a few words told him what had happened. JACINTO. 95 and dispatched him for a physician. Frank's astonish- ment was unbounded, but he took pains to repress it, and beyond tlie ejaculation " Wliew ! " jerked out of him by the exigency of the case, lie said nothing, but clapping his hat on his head, disappeared histanter. Just as Disbrovve was about to return to the room where he had left Jacinto and his pretty, spirited little nurse, Mr. De Vere came along the hall, and to the great chagrin of his dutiful nephew, called him otf to see some improvements he was about to make m the grounds. lie made desperate efforts to listen to the questions asked him by his uncle, but answered so much at random, that Mr. De Vere pushed up his spectacles, and looked at him, to see if he had taken leave of his senses. In a few moments the clatter of horses' hcx)fs, coming up the ave- nue in front, warned him that Frank was returning, and Disbrowe, unable to remain longer, abruptly turned and walked off, to the utter amazement of Mr. De Vere. Frank was not alone ; a little paunchy old gentleman, with a l>ald head and a jolly face, accompanied him, whom Frank introduced as Doctor Simonds. " Bad case this broken arm," said the little doctor, rubbing his hands joyfully, " rather unpleasant thing. Go ahead, my son, and show me the way. Have a puich, sir ?" said the little man, taking a huge pinch of snuff himself, and handing the box to Disbrowe. " No, thank you," said Disbrowe, politely. " I'll guide h you, doctor." " How did this mishap occur ?'* said the doctor. '• Fmnk couldn't tell me." " An accident," said Disbrowe, briefly, as he knocked at the door. It was opened by Jacquetta, looking strangely pale and agitated. " Oh, walk in, Doctor Simonds," she said, hurriedly ; " but you must not enter. Captain Disbrowe, at least, not yet." " I may want some one to help me," said the doctor. " Then I will help you," she said, still keeping her hand on Disbrowe's arm, as if to keep him out. ** My dear cousin, oblige me by not coming in just at present.'* • '» >■'■■ i (lib % m id % I', V r^i t-i 96 THE DARK SECRET. Disbrowe bowed, and walked off, scarcely knowing whether to be irri tilted or not at this cavalier mode of treatment. He flung himself into a chair in the front hall, and determined to remain there and waylay the doctor as he came out, and learn from him at least some- thing concerning the patient. Gradually, as he thought of her brusque, independent ways and tones, and cool, de- termined manner, a smile broke over his handsome face ; and he could not help owning that this resolute, careless independence, and the easy grace with which she invested it, became her wonderfully well, as nothing else could have done. " What a queen she would make ! " he thought, as he leaned his head on his Iiand, and fell into thought. " She would be a second Elizabeth, m all but the cruelty. What a girl it is, to be sure ! I wish she were a duchess ; I would then be tempted to fall in love with her 1 If she hadn't red hair — ah, there's the rub ! as Hamlet says. I detest red hair, yet it is not absolutely hideous in her ; it is soft and glossy as floss silk, and would be beautiful only for the confounded color. I wonder what Earnecliffe and Lady Margaret would think of her. By Jove I how she would horrify her ladyship." And Disbrowe laughed at the thought. " A penny for your thoughts, monsieur," said a musical voice at his elbow, and looking up he saw Jacquetta her- self, with her piercing eyes fixed on his face, and the strangest smile on her lips. " Are they worth it ? " " Yes, ma belle^ for they were of — you I " " Oh, then they must have been invaluable ! But I tell you what, cousin Alf," said the young lady adjusting her bracelet, and then holding out her arm to look at the ef- Itjct, " it's Till a waste of ammunition thinking of me, and I wouldn't advise you to continue it. Why don't you ask abou'o our handsome patient ? " " I fancied perhaps his exacting nurse would not allow it," said Disbrowe, in a tone of slight pique. " Oh, I don't mind your inquiring after him, as long as you only do that," said Jacquetta, smiling provokingly ; " so T will relieve your mind at once, by saying his arm is safely set and Doctor Simonds says he will do nicely." 5> JACINTO. 97 « Where is the doctor ? " « I let him out by a side-door, for I knew you wanted to lay violent hands on him, and would drive the worthy little soul to the verge of distraction with all your ques- tions." " How very thoughtful of you 1 Well, can I see your Datient?" " Most certixinly not I I wonder at your asking such a question, cousin Alfred," said Jacquetta, arching her eyebrows, and giving her bracelet another twist. " But I want to thank him for saving my life." " Well, so you can, when he gets better. The doctor commands quiet for him." ^ " When can I see him then ? " " Well, I'll think about it, and it may be soon, and then again, it mightn't, as old Rowlie of the Mermaid says. You must have patience, my dear cousin." " And what will he think of me," said Disbrowe, pacing up and down vehemently, " after saving my life, if I do not even give him the poor reward of thanks. I tell you I must see him ! " " Patience, cousin Alfred I it's a beautiful virtue, and I would recommend it to you while you are young and — innocent !" said Jacquetta, after a pause, drawing down the corners of her rosy mouth. Disbrowe snatched up his hat, in a fit of angry impa- tience, and was about to leave he^ when Jacquetta laugh- ingly caught him, and held him Dack. " There now 1 Don't be vexed. Where's the use of getting cross," she said, in a soothing tone, as if speaking to a spoiled child. " I give you my word of honor, as a lady and a De Vera, that you will see him as soon as it is prudent, and you may then go down on your knees, and thank him till all's blue. Meantime, I'll faithfully report to him the terrific pitch of gratitude you've worked your- self up to. There's my hand on it I And now sit down and behave yourself ! That pleasant- spoken gentleman who tried to send you to a better world is Captain Nick Tempest — is it not ? ' Old Nick,' as they call him ? " " Yes," said Disbrowe, taking a seat beside her. " Well, who do you think he reminded me of ?" i'i :f n1 1 . «1 - f 98 THE DARK SECRET. III! " Can't say — but I know who he reminds me of. He reminds me of — myself ! " ** By Jove ! my idea to a fraction," said Disbrowe, de- lightedly, " not that you look alike, but somehow— " " Yes, but we do look alike, though — I'm certain of it — except that I'm rather better looking, I flatter myself. Haven't we got hair alike, now ?" " Oh ! but his is red," sjiid Disbrowe, hesitatingly, " and yours — " " Is red, too," said Jacquetta. « Indecid I I thought it was auburn — ^beautiful auburn," said Disbrowe, in the lazy tone in which he was accus. tonied to issue little works of fiction. " Oh, you did — did you ? " said Jacquetta ; " but then you're only an Englishman, and can't be expected to see till it's far in the day, and then you're not half wide- awake. AV hy, I wouldn't have my hair any other color, on any account. It's a good, high-minded, spirited color, ^nd shows people have a decided will of their own ; and t.i.en it's nice and showy — none of your dismal blacks, nor "Vidy, sickly yellow, nor neutral browns. No, sir, my hair's red, and I'm proud of it ! " said Jacquetta, shaking her flashing curls from her eyes. " Well, one thing is certain," said Disbrowe, " you are the first De Vere that ever had red hair, within the memory of man." " And that's another reason why I'm proud of it. It's time there was a change in the family — they have been going on in the old way long enough, goodness knows ! The followers of the Silver Star have been keeping up their obsolete notions long enough, and need a little variety." " And a more bewitching variety they could not have than Miss Jacquetta De Vere," said Disbrowe, softly. « Humph! " said Jacquetta, with a peculiar smile. " Let's change the subject. Are you fond of singing, cou- sin Alfred ? I wish you would sing * Hear me, Norma.' It is a pretty song." He half sprung from his seat, and fixed his eyes on her, as if he would read her very heart. She met his gaze un- flinchingly, and again her laughing gray eyes reminded JACINTO. 99 him of the picture, there was such an immeasurable depth of mockery shiuing through, and baffling hnn. " I heard you whistling it yesterday," she said, care- lessly, " and as it is a favorite of mine, I thought perhaps you might favor mc now." " No, I never sing," he said, half-curtly, as he arose again, and began walking up and down. " Well, I must leave you, then, and return to my patient," she said, rising. " I will see you at the tea-table, and report progress." And, with a smiling wave of her hand, she was gone. Disbrowe paced up and down the long hall, in deep thought, until the bell rung for the evening meal. There was a half-puzzled, half-angry look on his face ; yet now and then, as if in spite of him, his features would relax into a smile, and his last words wore, as he turned to join the family : " It's of no use ; I cannot read the riddle." " I have a message for j'^ou, cousin," said Jacquetta, in a low voice, approaching him when the supper was over. " Well — I am all attention," said Disbrowe. " It is from him — you know. He says not to distress yourself over-much with gratitude, as he merely actei as he would have done for any one ; and as for your thanks, they will keep, and, like gooseberry wine, be all the better for keeping. So make yourself easy, cousin mine." " I intend to," said Disbrowe, throwing himself into a chair. " Capital advice, that, and I intend to follow it. Do you know, when I marry I expect to repose on a couch of rose leaves all day long, and make my wife fan me and sing — " " * Hear me, Norma ! ' " broke in Jacquetta, with a wicked laugh ; and Disbrowe colored, and instantly grew silent. That evening he heard Jacquetta sing for the first time, and a superb voice she had. Augusta, too, swept over the keys of the piano with a master hand, at her father's de- sire ; but an automaton would have done it with as much life. If she had been made of marble she could not have sat more white, and cold, and still than she sat be- fore them there. Later that evening, Jacquetta sung an old English i fe . i I" \\\ '.-iU, if \\\i Im !il I W\< lOO THE DARK SECRET. ballad, at the earnest solicitation of Disbrowe — an old song, with a sweet, plaintive air — and, lying lazily back, he watched her with half-closed eyes, and listened to the words : '* And when the Christinas tale goes round, By many a peat fireside, Tlie children list and shrink to hear How Childe of Phymstoke died." »» And then the song goes on to say how the " Old Tor went a hunting, and how he lost his way on the moor, and of his despair : •' For far and wide the highland lay One pathless waste of snow. He paused — the angry heavens above, The faithless bog below. " He paused, and soon through all his veins Life's current feebly ran ; And heavily a mortal sleep " Came o'er the dying man. *• Yet one dear wish, one tender thought Came o'er that hunter brave — " Jacquetta paused, and rose with a laugh. i' « Well, that's very pretty ! Why don't you go on, and let us know what that * tender thought ' was ? " said Disbrowe. " I was just thinking of your getting lost." she replied, " and was afraid you might think the song personal ; be- sides, you have heard enough of old songs, without me singing them to you." " There are no songs like them," said Disbrowe. " I would rather hear one old ballad than all the Italian songs that ever a prima donna trilled and quavered." *' You think too much of old things," said Jacquetta, half-pettishly. " Old names, and families, and old houses, and old songs, all alike. For my part, I believe in modern improvements and new sensations altogether." " And yet I am certain you would rather bear the old name of De Vere than any other under the sun," said Dis- browe. With a gesture that was almost fierce in its passionate JACINTO. lOI Impatience, Jacquettii arose and moved to the other side of the room. " You are a De Vere, my dear boy, if there ever was one," said his uncle, witli a smile, " and will marry a countess, I'll be bound ! " " I don't believe there is a countess living I would marry," said Disbrowe, carelessly. " And why not, pray V A duchess, then," laughed Mr. De Vere. " Nor a duchess — unless I was in love with her, and she would have me." « Two very important considerations," said his uncle. " Then you mean to marry for love V " " I liope so — if I ever do come to that." "It's an old-fashioned notion! Is that the reason?'* said Jacquetta, with a curling li^ . " Partly. If ever I see a woman, my equal in every way, and we happen to love one another in a decent, quiet gentle- manly and lady-like sort of fashion, it is probable we will get married, as well as the rest of the world." " What a fortunate woman she will be ! " said Jacquetta, sarcastically. " Have you ever seen her yet. Captain Dis- browe ? " " Can't say, positively," he said carelessly. « I may, and then again I mayn't, to quote the authority you men- tioned some time ago." " Rather an unsatisfactory answer," said Mr. De Vere. " Now, suppose, my dear Alfred, you fell in love with a givl — handsome, accomplished and lady-like — and the daughter of a peddler, or tailor, and that she loved you — would you marry her ?" " No, sir I" said Disbrowe — and his fine face looked cold and proud in the clear light — " no, sir ; I never would I " " Simply because she was not your equal in birth ? " " Yes — for that reason alone, even if I did not fear the the scoffs and jeers of the world, or the just indignation of Earnecliffe, the proudest peer in England. No, sir," said the young man, resuming his customary careless tone ; " I never would marry any one below me in birth, for any consideration." .,ii I \r 1 Jip 1 - i'l mfl.-. ^jM ■ h n t-,"^ I I02 THE DARK SECRET. " Oh, bother your loftnioss ! " muttered Frjink, in. digimntly. " I wisli you liad heen born in a barn ! " Jiic(iuettii arose, suddenly, and, witli a fierce, flashing fire in lier eyes, lifted up one arm as if to speak, but a cold, white hand was laid beseechingly on it, and the marl>le-like face of l.ady Augusta interposed : " Not now, Jaccjuetta ! Oh, Jacquetta, dearest, not now ! " * Jacquetta stooped and kissed her, with a softening brow ; but the tire was in her eye, and a hot, crimson spot on either check, as, with the tread and step of an em- press, she passed from the roOiii. Disbrowe sat confounded. What had he said ? — what had he done ? A sudden (^ravity had fallen on all. Augusta sat like a figure of ice, Mr. De Vera looked seri- ous and Frank was scowling indignantly at him from under his brows. " My dear uncle," he said, after a pause, " I hope I have not offended Miss De Vere. I most certainly had not the remotest intentions of doing so, and am yet ignorant of my fault ; for assuredly, nothing I said can, in the most distant way, apply to her — my equal in every sense of the word." " You forgot you will be a peer of the realm one of these days, when the present Lord Earnecliffe kicks the bucket," sneered Frank, " and she will only be Jack De Vere, and * our American cousin,' and a poor relation." " Silence, sir ! " said Mr. De Vere, sternly, as Disbrowe 's face flushed indignant scarlet. " Do not mind Frank, my dear boy — he has caught Jacquetta's fashion of saying whatever he pleases, and consequently thinks a little too loud sometimes." " A fashion, it seems, no one else is to have," thought Disbrowe. Then, aloud : " And is it really possible my cousin is so red-hot a republican as to be offended at my thoughtless words ? I imagined she would have sym- pathized with me," " Jacquetta does not believe in true merit being over- looked, because it happened to be born in a hovel ; and she has a quick temper, and takes no pains to conceal her feelings on any subject," said Mr. De Vere. "But, as JACINTO. 103 for her inoinen irriUition, sho will liiiickly get over that, and meet you to-moriovv uh blithely as ever. One tiling, thouj^h, I wisli you would remember," added the HiM3aker, witli a slit^iit smile : " Avoid this mibjeet in her presence. It is like applying a match to u powder- magazine. Augusta, my love, you are not looking well — perhaps you had betU»r retire." Augusta arose in her slow, lifeless way, and, with a slight l)end of the head, U;ft the room, followed by Frank. And the Honorable Alfred Disbrowe, dissatisfied with himself and Jacquetta, stwjn after did the same thing, and felt inclined to wish Miss Jacquettii was like her picture, aiid that the same old smiling look would never change. " It is such a vulgar thing to see a young girl in a passion I Vulgar — revolting — hideous I" he said, testily, " and for nothing, too ! I believe, in my soul, the girl is not a ])e Vere at fill. Got changed in the cradle, or some- thing ; only I'm perfectly sure, as it happens, that neither Uncle Robert, nor my lady cousin Augusta, are the sort of folks who believe in adopting other people's children. To be sure, there is that flippant Fnuik ; but then he is one of the family, and has the De Vere face, slightly modified with that of Stubbs — bless the mark I — but Miss Jacquetta — rightly named Jack — has not a single iota of resemblance to any De Vere I ever siiw. She is an orig- inal — a little flash of lightning in gaiters — a snapdragon — a little flame of fire, remarkably apt to burn the fingers of any one who attempts to handle her. Well, peace to her memory ! I must go to sleep." But Captain Disbrowe did not fall asleep as soon as he thought, but lay awake, tossing restlessly, looking at the picture, thinking of Jacquetta, of his evening's adventure, and of last night's mysterious music. Would it be repeated to-night ? He half-hoped it might, for never did mortal listen to such delicious strains as had then greeted his ear. He slept at last, and, sleeping, he dreamed. Again he was in the lonesome gorge between the hills, and again Captain Nick Tempest and Jacquetta were there. Grad- ually the air became filled with softest, sweetest melody — from what quarter no man could tell ; and, as it rose and fell in ravisliing cadences, he saw, and saw without ^1 t i I i \\ H B^ I. si .1 I04 THE DARK SECRET. )li| ll.'S, surprise, too (he remembered that when he awoke), the fair faco and graceful form of Jacquetta undergo a fright- ful transformation. She dropped on her hands, long, black hair waving around her, and, in a moment, she stood changed into the dog Lion ! And, at the same in- stant. Captain Nick Tempest was transformed into the image of a lovely lady ; and stretching out his arms, with a great cry of " Norma ! " he awoke — awoke to find it not all a dream ! The night was far advanced, and the air was filled, as in his dream, with divine music. Such celestial harmony, that it held him entranced, spellbound, charmed beyond the power of motion, for a time. Then, as it changed and broke into wild, weird quivering strains, like cries of pain from human lips, he sprung out of bed, dressed rapidly, and, with a desperate impulse upon him to find out whence it came, he descended the stairs and crossed the hall. The massive hall door was locked, but the key was in- side ; and turning it, he stood the next instant, alone in the solemn beauty of the silent night. There was a faint young moon that shone in the sky Uke a broken ring of silver, and by its light, and by that of the high, bright, solemn stars, he rapidly took his way toward the deserted north wing of the building. A dark, gloomy, dismal pile it looked, as if it were, in very truth, as poor Hood has since sung : •' Under some prodigious ban Of excommunication." The old English ivy grew thick and rank around the narrow windows, wrapping it, even when the sun shone, in funeral gloom. All was dark and lonely there, but the strains of music were close at hand, and there no longer remained a doubt but that it came from the interior. Suddenly, while he watched, a faint, trembling ray of light passed one of the windows. A sudden suspicion shot through his mind of burglars and housebreakers, and a sort of conviction that Captain Tempest or old Grizzle was in there, flashed upon him. In a twinkling, he had grasped a stout ivy stalk, and holding on to the projecting sill, held himself up and looked in. A MYSTERY. 105 It was a female carrying a lamp ; but was it Grizzle Howlet ? Yes — if she had a small, light, fairy figure ; a fleet, noiseless footstep, a small, delicate face, and waving, curling hair ; if she ever wore a dainty, white wrapper, and had a small, snowy hand, sparkling with rich rings. For one instant, the light of the lamp flashed full on the face of her who bore it, and ne^^er fell mortal eye on a face so white, so rigid, with such wild, glistening eyes, and hurried, terrified look. She passed on — all was darkness again ; but the instant she disappeared, the music ceased. He held on until his hands were tired ; and then he sprung down and paced up and down restlessly, waiting for the reappearance of that light, till the stars died, one by one, out of the sky, and the chill gray dawn came blue and cold over the dis- tant hills ; and still it appeared not. And then he re- entered the house, returned to his bedroom, and threw himself, cold and chilled, in bed — not to sleep, but to wonder what this midnight visit meant. From its place above him, the pictured face smiled upon him still, but with a meaning in its mockery he had never felt before, and with — oh ! such a world of derision in its laughing eyes ! Sleeping or waking, would he ever forget the look that white face wore ? — that look of mingled horror, loath- ing, and repulsion, that made it, despite its young beauty, ghastly to look upon — that look on the face of — Jacquetta De Vere ! CHAPTER X. A MYSTERY. ' - Since then, at an uncertain !iour, This agony returns ; ■ And till my ghastly tale is told, This heart within me burns." Ye Ancient Mariner. All the next day, Jacquetta did not make her appear- ance ; she was in the room with their wounded guest, and had her meals brought up. Mr. De Vere and Augusta had not been told of Disbrowe's adventure with Captaia Tempest, and they simply knew that a young stranger a i ^'S "I .r r €■■:■■! " ,1 I ■ ' -in io6 THE DARK SECRET. had broken his arm, and had been brought to Fontelle by Jacquetta, and that she had constituted herself his nurse. Once, Mr De Vere had paid a visit to the sick-room, and had returned to tell Disbrowe he found him sitting up talking to Jacquetta, and to marvel at his singular and extraordinary beauty, which was the first thing to strike a beholder, always, on seeing Jacinto. Disbrowe's lip curled as his uncle spoke of the tender care and undeny- ing attention of his daughter to the Spanish boy. " I wonder, if this young stranger were humpbacked and pock-marked, if Miss Jacquetta would be so devoted ? I wonder how much his handsome face has to do with all this tender watching and affectionate care ? " he said, in- wardly. "Take care. Miss Jacquetta! Young ladies have fallen in love v/ith young strangers before now, and with less handsome ones than this dark-eyed lad, too, I'll swear ! I wonder if the girl ever was in love ? " he thought, as he took up a book to while away the tedious hours. It was the longest day that he ever remembered in his life. He tried to read, and pitched the book from him in disgust ; he played chess with his uncle, yawned in his face, and lost every game. Augusta played for him, but when she was done he could not, to save his life, have told whether it was " Old Hundred " or an overture from "II Trovatore ; " and the only thing he could find to divert his attention for a moment was a portfolio of draw- ings, by Jacquetta. They were like herself — bold, free, and spirited, and sketched with a dashing hand. Wild scenes they were, too ; dismal mountain-gorges yawning darkly between frowning hills, with a lowering sky above, and fuzzy grass below ; glimpses of a troubled, glassy, heaving sea, the black sky frowning on the blacker waters, and on a single lone rock that reared its v/hite^ ghastly head far out, a wild, ravenous-looking vulture perched, with fierce, flaming eyes, and blood-tinted beak. There was a ship going down, and the blanched faces of drown- ing men flashed above the inky ocean, their wild eyes glaring in the death-agony, their faces frightfully con- vulsed, until Disbrowe turned away and replaced them with a shudder, half-expectin"' to hear their repressed A MYSTERY. 107 Mi dirieks burst from their quivering lips. Storms of light- ning and thunder on the mountains, and purple, livid moon; gibbering ghosts in long winding-sheets, rising from yawning graves — all that was dismal, and weird, and unearthly, was there, and all bearuig tokens of a skilful hand. " Ugh ! " said Disbrowe, replacing them hastily, " it's enough to give me the nightmare for a month to look at those ghastly, weird things. Upon my honor, I believe that girl is uncanny, as the Scotch say ; no reasonable Christian, unless suffering agonies of remorse or dyspepsia, could ever fancy such goblin sights. How well she does it, too ! What doesn't she do well, though ? She rides like an Amazon ; she plays and sings like an Italian prima donna ; she draws like Salvator Rosa ; she nurses like — like herself; and she loves and hates — well, I can't say about that, but I should think she could do both in stun- ning fashion. I shall begin to feel half -afraid of the witch, she is so clever. Ileigho ! this is an awful slow piece of business, loitering about here. I have a good mind to break my arm, and see if she would nurse me like this. Ten to one she would never come near me, but leave me to the tender mercies 01 that frigid iceberg. Lady Augus- ta ; for she's as full of streaks as a tulip." And yawning drearily, he sauntered off. Toward evening, he rode out ^vith Frank for a couple of hours, admired the scenery, took a random shot or two at a bird, and returned to tea, hoping and wishing that he might see Jacquetta. But Jacquetta did not appear ; and, more disappointed than he would have been willing to acknowledge, he retired, at last. He feared he had an- gered her, and he wanted a reconciliation. He wondered how she would meet him next ; whether with her piquant, saucy smile, or with fiery eyes and burnmg cheeks, as he had seen her last. But he could rot answer the question ; for never was an April day half so fickle as she. That night he lay awake listening ana hoping for a rep- etition of the mysterious music; but he listened and hoped in vain. The silence was undisturbed and un- broken all night long. " I wonder if I will see her to-day ? " was his first II v\ m ^ I "*i io8 THE DARK SECRET. thought on awakening ; and then he laughed at himself for the restless anxiety he felt for her return. " Certes, Alfred Disbrowe ! Take care this red-haired damsel does not captivate you, after all ! What is she to you that you should care whether you ever see her again or not ? What can she ever be to you more than she is now ? Take care, my boy, or you may find yourself in a fix before you know it." As he entered the breakfast parlor, he looked eagerly around, but no Jacquetta was to be seen. Mr. De Vera was there, reading some English papers ; and Frank sat pulling the ears of his favorite terrier through his fingers. Augusta entered, pale, and cold, and stately, as ever, a few moments after, and acknowledged their salutations by a slight bend of her haughty head, and silently took her place at the head of the table. " Is Jacquetta not coming down ? said Mr. De Vere, as he took his seat ; and, strange to say, Disbrowe's heart gave a sudden bound at the mention of her name. " No," said Frank, sipping his coffee ; " I don't think she will be down at all, to-day. She and that good-look- ing chap with the broken arm are keeping each other com- pany. She let me in the room yesterday, and I was sur- prised to see how happy they were together." A sickening feeling of disappointment came over Dis- browe. Had he seen Jacquetta every day and every time he chose, it is probably he would had felt perfectly indifferent about it — careless, when she came, and whither she went ; but now she had spirited herself away, totally neglected him, and devoted herself assiduously to this pro- vokingly handsome stranger, Captain Disbrcwe's vanity was wounded ; he felt irritated to hear she could laugh and enjoy herself while he was v/andering about so lonely and ennmed ; and more irritated still that she admitted Frank, and kept him out ; and so, a little angry, and a good deal jealous, he arose in a decidedly ferocious mood, and half resolved to leave his ungrateful little cousin to her own devices and Spanish lovers, and post back fall speed to England again, where young ladies knew how to treat their guests in a Christian fashion. There is many a Dis- browe in the world, quite as inconsistent as he. A MYSTERY. 109 "» fs He thought better of going to England, however, and ordered his horse, instead, for a gallop across the country, to exorcise the demons of ennui and chagrin. This time he did not fail to take his pistols, and keep his eye about him, and felt, in his present fierce moocl, as if it would be rather a relief than otherwise to have a fracas with " Old Nick," to put his stagnating blood in circula- tion, if for nothing else ; and indeed, in his state of mind at that moment, he would have found it rather pleasant than otherwise to shoot somebody. So he rode on, at an exceedingly leisurely pace, looking around him now and then, and trying to make up his mind to hate, detest and abhor this uncivilized cousin of his, and contrasting her in his own mind with the dig- nified, languid, high-bred Lady Gertrudes and Lady Mar- garets of his acquaintance, and drawing conclusions any thing but flattering to her by the contrast, when the thundering sound 01 horses' hoofs dashing down the rocks behind him made him turn round, and, he beheld the ob- ject of his thoughts, mounted on hei* spirited little black Arabian, sweeping on toward him. How bright, how charming, how almost beautiful she looked at that mo- ment, all afire with life, and health, and bounding spirits I It flashed across him in an instant, and every pulse gave an electric throb and leap at the sight, as though she had imparted some of her own exultant, joyous life to his languid self. " A race I a race ! a steeple-chase I Come on, cousin Al- fred ! " she shouted ; and as she swept thundering past she raised her whip and gave his mettled horse a cut that sent him off like an arrow from a bow. With the ringing " Tally-ho ! " of a foxliunter, she urged both horses on, and away they sped at a dizzy pace. Disbrowe's blood rose, his eye kindled with excitement, and pressing his hat down over his brows, he gatliered up the loose reins and forgot everything but the maddening excitement of the race. On and on they flew, passing rocks, and valleys, and marshes, and moors, and level roads, keeping neck for neck, and each urging their horse to the utmost in their effort to conquer. Away and away, as if winged, over mountain gorges, and chasms, and clefts, and \v\ m\ . ::fi i1 ■■*:f %}\ m no THE DARK SECRET. fences, and ditches, taking everything before them ! A look of determined resolution settled on the faces of both, as they sped on, that showed they would never give up while their horses could stand, and with whip and spur, and voice, they dashed madly on, heedless of everything in their furious career. Suddenly Disbrowe checked his horse so quickly and sharply that he almost fell back on his haunches, confident that the mad " steeple-chase " was then and there brought to an end. An immense gorge, an awful precipice yawned before them, full fifty feet deep, and lined \vith sharp, projecting rocks, at tbe bottom of which roared a mad, foaming tor- rent, swollen and resistless by the late spring rains. It Avas a leap — with all his boldness — he would not take, for a single false step would have hurled him to certain death. He had managed to get a few yards in advance of Jacquet- ta, and now he looked round to shout his victory, when to his horror and astonishment, he saw her rein back her horse for the fearful leap, and the next moment, with a high, defiant cry, she had vaulted over the terrible gorge I " Beat ! " she shouted, as she took off her plumed riding- liat and waved it exultingly above her head, " beat ! hur- rah ! " Disbrowe had sat frozen with horror to his seat, at the mad leap and saw with a shudder her horse's hind feet graze the very edge of the frightful chasm ! But at her victorious shout, the danger was forgotten, and the blood rushed in a torrent to his very temples. " Ha ! ha ! A De Vere against a Disbrowe, any day," laughed Jacquetta, on the other side, as she reined up her panting steed. "It's the old story of America against England again, and America is victorious ! Hurrah for the stars and strijjes ! I say, cousin Alfred, how do you find yourself ? " And she leaned back and laughed immoder- ately at his mortified face. " Conquered," said Disbrowe, taking off his hat and bowing with courtly grace, " but I only imitate the ex- ample of all the rest of mankind, in being conquered by you." " That's very pretty, indeed," said Jacquetta ; " but still A MYSTERY. Ill it doesn't cover tlie diKSgiace of being lieaten — and by a girl, too. Oh, cousin Alfred I I thought l)etter things of you than this. It is well for you your lady-love is not here, to witness your defeat." " I wish I could induce you to bear that title, my daunt- less little cousin," sjiid Disbrowe, gallantly. " No, thank you. I had rather be excused. I shouldn't admire being the lady-love of any one I could beat so easily," said Jajquetta. " As you are strong, be merciful," said Disbrowe, riding slowly up to where the chasm narrowed, and leaping across ; " but you don't call that an easy victory, do you ? One inch further, and where would you be now ? " " In heaven, very likely," said Jacquetta, measuring the distance with her eye. " To tell the truth, it's a leap I wouldn't attempt in my cooler moments; but I forgot everything in the excitement of the race, and would have taken it even liad I been sure of being dashed to the bottom. Who wouldn't prefer death to defeat ? " she said, with a flashing eye. " Well, I, for one," said Disbrowe, in his customary careless tone. " I have an uiilimited amount of faith in the old maxim — - V - ' He that fights and runs away, May live to figlit anotlier day.' " " Your countrymen seem to believe unanimously in that," said Jacquetta, with one of her sly, provoking glances ; " they ought to have it inscribed under the lion and unicorn, and on all their banners ; for it was their motto constantly, until they got their walkmg- papers from these American shores." " There was some pretty hard fighting first," said Dis- browe, nettled. "Your American friends didn't have things all their own way, and had a pretty long reckon- mg to pay, in the end. A set of ragamuffins, fresh from the plow — one-half of them — who hardly knew even what they were fighting for." " Didn't they ? " said Jacquetta. " That's all you know about it. They fought for God and their country : yawr friends for — a shilling a day ! " !' •■ ! \%: 112 THE DARK SECRET. tit I An angry reply roso to Disbrowe's lips, and then re- membering he was speaking to a lady, he checked himself, and gave his horse a cut with his whip, that sent him on some yards in advance before he could stop himself. Jac- quetta looked after him, and the old tantalizing, malicious smile he had learned to know so well, now curled her pretty lips. " You'll spoil that fine gray, if you use him like that," she said, as she again joined him ; " what did the poor thing do to merit that ? You ought to have laid it over my shoulders, instead." " I beg your pardon, Miss Jacquetta ; but really, I for- get myself sometimes ; and you are — if you'll excuse my saying it — given to saying things not calculated to soothe sensitive minds, and — " " You're proud, and got a shocking bad temper, and are not used to be talked to in such a fashion," interrupted Jacquetta. "Well, cousin Alf, I've seen people when they had a pain in one place, applying a blister to another, as a counter-irritant ; and so, if you will look upon me as a human blister, sent on earth for your especial use and benefit, you will be apt sooner to obtain the virtue of res- ignation, which, together with patience and modesty, are beautiful things in young men. And now, to change the subject, Avhy don't you ask after our young hero of the wounded arm ? " "Because I had given up all hopes of ever hearing or seeing anything of him again: and knowing he was in good hands, I thought inquiry unnecessary and imperti- nent," said Disdrowe. " Ah, well, then I shan't tell you anything about him. How did you pass the time yesterday ? " " Miss Augusta played for me ; I had a game of chess, and rode out in the afternoon, and passed it altogether pleasantly enough. You enjoyed yourself very much, too, with your handsome patient, Frank says. What a for- tunate fellow he is, to be sure." The meaning tone in which the last words were uttered, made Jacquetta look up, and her face flushed scarlet as she met his knowing eyes. For one instant her eyes flashed fire, and there was a passionate motion of her arm ; A MYSTERY. 1^3 but the next, as if another thought had struck her, she checked herself, and laughed aloud. " What a far-seeing, clear-sighted thing man is ! " she said, scornfully. " Oh, wise young judge I And so you would imply that Jack De Vere has found a patient and lost her heart both together. Ma foi ! what a thing it is to see through a mill-stone 1 " It was Disbrowe's turn to feel embarrassed for a mo- ment; but that young gentleman's sanr/frotd and admir- able nonchalance seldom deserted him for many seconds at a time, so the next he leplied, in his customary tone of easy confidence : " Not exactly, Miss Jacquetta ; for the very serious reason that I very much doubt whether you have a heart at all.'* " Because I am insensible to the manifold attractions and fascinations of the Honoral)le Alfred Disbrowe, and have not fallen down at his feet and worshiped, as so many of my sensible and lovable sex have already done ? Is that the reason ? " she said, with a short laugh. " Not av all," said Disbrowe ; but it was so near the truth that he liad to laugh, too. " You do not suppose I have such an inordinate share of vanity as to imagine I could ever touch your heart ? " " Well, there's no saying. I think it very likely you could stretch your faith even to a pinnacle so absurdly high as that. Men are such a set, composed of vanity and whiskers, every mother's son of 'em 1 " said Jacquetta. "A sweeping assertion, that. And am I set down in that catalogue ? " said Disbrowe. " You ? Oh, well, I don't know. I liaven't taken the trouble to think about it yet," said Jacquetta, in a tone of provoking indifference. " It is probable that if ever I do, such will be my decision. But look there " — and she pointed with her whip — " there is the very Queen of the Kelpies, taking an airing ! " Disbrowe looked, and saw, to his surprise, the little girl Orrie, of the lone house, bounding, flying, leaping, with the agility of a mountain kid, over the rocks — her long, elfish locks unbound, and streaming around her little elf- ish face with its supernaturally large, bright, glittering black eyes. '1 • t i*t^l| i; SKI w PI ; I ■ M^ |v| ff rj 114 THE DARK SECRET. ** Hallo I little Oriole, by all that's stai'tling. Where did that little Witch of Endor start from ? I say, Orrie, Orrie 1 Come here." The little ^irl heard his shout, and turn' ng round, shaded her eyes with her hand from the sun, and peered at him ; then with a glad cry of recognition, she darted over the rocks, and in an instant had seized the stirrup, swung her- self uj) l)efore him on his horse, flung her arms around his neck, and gave the astonished and laughing young Eng- lishman a crushing hug. " Upon my word," said Jacquetta, " an enthusiastic wel- come." Orrie turned round and peered at Jacquetta, and laughed, and nodded, and clung closer to Disbrowe. " And so you are glad to see me, Orrie 'i " said Disbrowe, still laughing. " Where in the world did you drop from on these bare rocks ? Not from the sky ? " " Lor', no 1 " said Orrie, in contempt at the idea. " Old Grizzle whipped me, and I ran off — I always do when she whips me, the ugly old thing, I shan't go back, either, till it's dark." " Well, won't she whip you again, then ? " said Disbrowe. " No — Uncle Till won't let her. He'll be there, and he likes me. I wish you would give me a ride on your horse. Will you?" " Certainly," said Disbrowe, moving on. " Why, Orrie, I thought you had forgotten all about me ere this." " I guess I hain't," said Orrie, soberly, turning round to give him another kiss, and then clapping her hands to make the horse go faster. " I've been thinking about you ever since. Oh I what a nice horse to go this is I " " And you have no kindly greeting for me, Orrie ? " said Jacquetta. " Is he to receive all your attention ? " " Oh," said Orrie, " everybody says you don't care for anybody, and don't want kisses or notliin'." " And so, because I don't care for anybody, no one is to love me ? " said Jacquetta, in something so like a sorrow- ful tone that Disbrowe looked at her, surprised at her heeding the little elf's words. He spoke to her, but she replied briefly ; and for nearly A MYSTERY. "S half an hour she rode heside them in silence, and with a sort of dark gloom shadowing her face. Little Orrie prattled continually, giving Disbrowe oc- casional embraces to fill up the pauses, until Jacquetta al- most coldly suggested their return. "There now, Orrie, will you l>e able to find your way back, do you think ? " siiid I)isbrowe, as she sprung down in a llying leap. " Be sure I ^vill," said Orrie. " Good-by. I'll come to gee you some day." " Tliank you," said the young gentleman, laughing. And the next instant she was bounding and hopping like a blackljird irom rock to rock. The same look of dark gloom still lay on the bright face of Jacquetta, as they turned toward Fontelle ; and until half the way was over, she never spoke, save to briefly answer his (questions. At last he said : " You seem strangely out of spirits, my dear cousin. May I ask what is the matter ? " " T am thinking of that child and her words," said Jac- quetta. " Somehow, the sight of that little girl always affects me strangely ; something in those eerie black eyes of hers almost frightens me. A strange feeling, is it not ? I wish you could tell me what it means." " I wish T could," said Disbrowe. " Perhaps she is your spiritual affinity, whatever that is. Frank says she looks like you." " Who don't I look like '? " said Jacquett% looking up and breaking into a laugh. " I am the image of Captain Nick Tempest and little Orrie Howlet, and, consequently, a cross between a demon and a goblin. I won't think of it, though ; and now, that being gone, I am myself again. I'll race you home. Cousin Alfred, or have you had enough of racing for one while ? " " No — I must have my revenge, and retrieve my wound- ed honor. So lead off." With a laugh and a cheer, Jacquetta started, and both galloped on over " brake, bush, and scar," at a reckless, headlong pace, keeping neck and neck until Fontelle was Yeached. "Unrevenged yet!" exclaimed Disbrowe striking aa * i ;:;: |i 1^ i t ! ,r i 1. : fl'! Ii6 THE DARK SECRET. attitude, as Jacquetta, declining his aid, leaped lightly off her horse, and ran up the steps and entered the house. With a sauey nod of her curly head Jacquetta disap- peared, and passed on until she reached Augusta's room, and there she paused and knocked softly. There was no response, and she knocked again, moro loudly. Still there was no reply, and Jacquetta turned the handle and entered. And there a terrihle sight met her eyes. On the floor lay Augusta, prone on her face, her whole form writhing like one in unendurable agony, her long, wild, black hair streaming, unlx)und, around her, her liands clenched till her delicate veins stood out like whip- cord, every motion quivering with unbearable torture. Startled and alarmed — albeit both to her were unusual — Jacquettii went over, and, catching her arm, exclaimed : " Augusta I " With a fearful shriek and maddened bound, she was on her feet, confronting her — her beautiful face distorted with anguish and remorse — her whole countenance so altered and terrible that Jacquetta in v^oluntarily recoiled a step as she beheld her. " Augusta ! Augusta ! Good heavens ! What is the meaning of this ? " cried Jacquetta. But Augusta, with a wild, moaning cry, sunk down on a seat, and, with a convulsive shudder, hid her face in her hands. " Augusta, my sister ! tell me what has wrought this frightful change in you — once so cold, so calm, so proud, so queenly I " " GiTiLT ! " cried Augusta, dashing away Jacquetta's clinging hands, " guilt so black, so foul, so horrible that the very fiends themselves would shudder at it ; guilt that it would curdle your blood, freeze your heart, blight your soul to hear ; guilt the very name of which if name it have — it would blister and blacken my lips to utter 1 Go — leave me 1 I ask nothing — I want nothing, but to be alone — and die 1 " And with a cry of despair, she sunk down again, shud- dering, and collapsed. Jacquetta stepped back, and calmly regarded her. A MYSTERY. 117 ** You are insane, Augusta, or in tlie dt'liriuni of a brain fever. I shall send for a doctor." " Oh, leave nie I leave me ! leave me I " moaned Augusta, in a dying voice. "Not in this state. T should be as mad as you if I did. I will stay with you until you come to your senses," said Jacquetta, sitting down. Tlie invincil)le determination in her voice seemed to pierce through every other feeling in tlie reeling brain of Augusta. She lifted up her face, and, v/ith a suddenness that was more startling than her former paroxysms of anguish and despair, rose calmly and haughtily to her feet. "Will you leave me, Jacquetta ? I wish to be alone. Go!" " Augusta, let me stay ! Indeed, your mind is wander- ing — let me stay I " Without a word, and with a look of one petiifiod to stone, Augusta swept across the room, and laid her hand on the door. " Nay, then, if you will not remain with me, I will not send you from your room," said Jacquetta, in a troubled voice, as she, too, started up. " Do not go, Augusta. I will leave you. But, oh, my dearest sister, is there noth- ing I can do for you ? " she said, beseechingly, clasping her hands. " Nothing — but leave me ! " With a sigh, Jacquetta left the room, and she heard the key turn behind her in the lock. The proud heart of Augusta De Vere might bleed and break, but it could do both alone. She turned away, and passed on to the room of her patient, where she found that handsome youth fast asleep, and, seeing her presence Avas not required there either, she finally sought her own room. It was rather dull down-stairs that evening, for neither Augusta nor Jacquetta appeared at all. Mr. De Vere and Frank both retired early, and so Captain Dis- browe was left alone, in no very angelic frame of mind, to wander through the lower rooms and amuse himself as best he might, and wish Jacquetta would join him ; but no i I /I • i-j !i ii8 THE DARK SECRET. Jacquetta came. At length, putting on his hat, he set off for a stroll, with his own thoughts for company. It was a clear, starlit night, mild and warm as June ; and, tempted by its quiet beauty, he walked on and on, returning, at last, by the north wing, that, in its gloomy silence, had a strange fascination for him. While he stood leaning against a broken pillar, looking up at it, he be- came conscious of voiv'^es near him ; and a moment after two dark forms appeared from within the shelter of a low, ruined wall, overrun with ivy. One was the tall form of a man, muffled in a cloak, and wearing a slouched hat dra\vn down over his face, completely hiding it from view, and the other was — could he believe his eyes ? — the stately form of his proud cousin, Augusta I Even in his surprise — and it was intense — he saw that they seemed to shrink from each other with a sort of dread, or horror, or fear ; and that both were extremely agitated. Once he saw his cousin stop and make a frantic, passionate gesture, as if- she would have hurled herself madly upon the stones at her feet, and the man put out his arm as if to catch her, and then draw it back and recoil still further from her. Then they turned an angle of the wall and disappeared, and he was alone in the light of the bright, beautiful stars that looked serenely down on that strange meeting ; as they have looked upon many other since the world began. With an irresistible impulse, he turned to follow them, but both were gone — vanished like phantoms of the night ; and he turned to retrace his steps, wondering inwardly where the secrets of this strange old house were to end. \ CAPTAIN DISBROWE MAKES A DISCOVERY. 119 ■^ ili CHAPTER XI. CAPTAIN DISBROWE MAKES A DISCOVERY. " Ah 1 did vv^e take for heaven above But lialf such pains as we Take, day and niglit, for woman's love, What angels we should be." —Moore. " The top of the mornin' to ye. ^^aptain, darlin' ! " said a voice, in a slightly foreign accent. And the next mo- ment, Master Frank, with a whoop that spoke well for the strength of his lungs, sprung up the front steps, and stood l)eside Disbrowe, who was lounging indolently against one of the quaint old pillars supporting the doorway, look- ing at the north wing, and thinking of the little incident of the previous night. " The same to yourself, my sprig of shillaly," said Dis- browe, lifting his eyes, but without moving from his lazy position. " I say, Frank," he added, suddenly, " do you know anything about that mysterious old tower or wing over there ? I think there's something wrong about it." " Why ? " asked Frank, casting an uneasy look, first on the speaker, and then on the place indicated. " Well, from nothing that I know of my own know- ledge, of course," replied Disbrowe ; " but it has a con- foundedly suspicious, ghostly look about it for one thing, and I saw something strange there a few nights ago." " You did 1 " said Frank, with a start, " What was it ? " " A light ! " — said Disbrowe, taking out a cigar, and biting the end off — " a light passing the front window, and shining through the ivy leaves. It was late — about midnight, I think — and, not feeling sleepy, I had turned out to admire the beauties of Nature, and look at the moon, and all that sort of thing, when, to my surprise, I saw a light flashing through the windows, and then dis- appearing." " Oh, pooh ! — a ^vill-o'-the-wisp — an ignis fatuiis — a jack- o'-lantern," said Frank, giving himself an uneasy twist. : . i' fl 1: i .*'" iri 't u ^^_h ;.^i'. ■y.ii $:.-. ■«•■!!-» t,; 1*1^ i-. rF \ I20 THE DARK SECRET. " It was a jack-o'-lantern with a vengeance ! " said Dis- browe, laughing. « Eh ? " said Frank, looking sharply up. " My dear young friend," said Captain Disbrowe, lighting hia cigar, and drawing a few whitf s, " allow me to say that breaking yourself of that nasty habit of speak- ing in abrupt jerks would be a good thing to do. It gives me a sensation akin to a galvanic shock, or a twinge of toothache, to listen to you. I was informing you, I believe, that I saw a light in that old deserted place there, if I don't mistake, which piece of information allow me to repeat now, if you did not clearly comprehend it the first time." " It must have been one of the servants," said Frank, taking out a knife, and commencing to whittle. " Perhaps," said Captain Disbrowe, with a dubious smile, as he mev'itatively watched the wreaths of smoke curling upward. " You don't believe me ? " said Frank, looking at him. " My dear boy," said the young officer, in his cold, care- less way, " you don't suppose I could possible be so im- polite as to doubt your word ? At the same time, my amiable young friend, allow me to ask you if your servants are in the habit of taking nocturnal excursions through those deserted rooms, or what possible reason — since they have been deserted for the last twenty years — they can have at all for going there ? " Frank looked cautiously over his shoulder for a mo- ment to see that no one was listening, and then coming closer to Disbrowe, and sinking his voice to a cautious whisper, he said : " I tell you what, cousin Alfred, there is something queer about that old place. I've always thought so, and I've seen lots of little things, now and then, to confirm the belief. I don't know what it is ; and what's more, they all take precious good care I shan't know either ; but I'll find out one of these days, as sure as my name's Frank De Vere — which it ain't, for that matter. Jack's posted, I know, and I'm sure she has something to do with it. Did you ever hear a strange sort of music there of nights r " CAPTAIN DISBROWK MAKES A DISCOVERY. 121 "Why?" said Disbrowe, evasively, remembering his promise to Jacquetta. « Because I Iiave, and more than once. When I get into bed I flatter myself I can beat any one to death in the sleeping line ; but there have been times when I woke up, and I have heard the queerest, solemnest sort of far- off music at the dead of night, and I am quite sure it came from some place around here. I asked uncle about it the first time I heard it, and I wish you had seen the look he gave me, and the terrific way he thundered; * Begone, sir I and hold your tongue, and ne ver speak of such a thing again at your peril ! ' It beat a stern father in a melodrama all to nothing ; so I bothered him no more after that." " I wonder you never asked Jack." " Well, I don't know ; there a sort of touch-me-not flash in Jack's eyes now and then when you tread on for- bidden ground, and somehow I've always felt that she's more concerned in this affair than any of the rest. Of course, I don't know — I only guess ; and, as it happens, I generally guess pretty accurately. * Tis the evening of life gives me mystical lore.' " " And coming events cast their shadows before," said Disbrowe, pointing to an approaching shadow ; and, even as he spoke, Jacquetta herself flashed up the steps, and stood bright and smiling before them. " Bo7i matin^ messieurs ! Hope I don't intrude ? " " Angels can never be intruders ! " said Disbrowe, fling- ing away his cigar, and touching his hat. " A thousand welcomes, my bright Aurora I " " Now don't ! " said Jacquetta, with a slight grimace. " I can't stand too much of that, you know. It's like burnt brandy — a very little of it goes a long way, and is very filling at the price. What momentous affairs were you discussing so learnedly just now, as I came up ? " " We were discussing Miss Jacquetta De Vere ! " " Well, I don't know as you could have found a better subject, at once edifying and instructive. But what say you to breakfast now', as a change of subject ? " "A most agreeable change," said Disbrowe; ^'«nd though, perhaps, not so delightful as the other, a good !', w M, 1 ■ ^ ii i < .'3 M: ■ I ■nil" I: I"' I - ■§>• 122 THE DARK SECRET. deal more substantial. I move an immediate adjourn- ment." «l second the motion," said Frank, shutting up his knife, and putting it in his pocket. « What is the programme for to-day ? " said Jacquetta, as they moved toward the breakfast-parlor. " Haven't decided yet," said Disbrowe. " Most likely you will devote yourself solely to our handsome patient, in which case, by the time evening comes, you will very probably find my melancholy tl mains suspended from the nearest tree— a victim to the blue-devils and the most hard-hearted of cousins ! " " A consummation devoutly to be wished ! " said Jac- quetta, with a laugh. " But, having some regard for the feelings of the family, allow me to suggest an alternative to so direful a catastrophe. I am going to visit one of my pensioners this afternoon, about a mile from this ; and, if you will promise to be good, and not pay me too many compliments, you may come. I have spoken." " A hundred thousand thanks, most angelic of thy sex I " said Disbrowe, laying his hand on his heart, and bowing after the manner of gentlemen on the stage, who go down head-foremost, until nothing is to be seen but the tails of their coat. " I am ready to swear by * all the vows that ever men have broken,' as my friend Shake- speare has it, to talk to order on any subject, from lovo and murder do^vn to the latest style of ' gents ' superior vests,' for so delectable a privilege. I'm ready to vow the severest obedience to all and every command that may issue from lips so beautiful ; and what's more, as my friend Shakespeare further remarks, am ready to ' seal the bar- gain with a holy kiss.' " « And I'll witness the transaction," said Frank, T\ith a chuckle. " But here comes Gusty." As he spok^ Augusta swept past, with one of her slight, haughty courtesies, and took her place at the table, followed by the others. Disbrowe thought of the myste- rious interview of the night before, and looked at her curiously ; but the cold, pale face was high and immovable, and marble-like in its lofty pride anu repelling hauteur. Not the faintest trace of emotion was visible in that / CAPTAIN DISBROWE MAKES A DISCOVERY. 123 coldly-beautiful face ; the long dark lashes swept the white cheeks, and vailed the dusky, brooding eyes ; the pale lips were comprevssed — scorning, in their curved pride, all help and sympathy ; the shiny, jetty hair was combed down either side of the high, noble, queenly brow — like alabas- ter in its purity — and simply knotted behind the haughty head. Had she been of steel or stone she would have looked as human as she did then ; and yet this was the girl he had seen ready to dash herself on the pitiless rocks the night before, in her intolerable agony of woe and despair. She scarcely spoke or moved or lifted her eyes while she sat with them — there in body, but oh, so im- measural)ly distant in spirit ! But once in answering some question of his, she had for a second or two, looked up, and then he saw the dark, settled night of anguish in those large, melancholy eyes. Jacquetta was, as usual, the life and soul of them all — keeping up a constant war of words, and a steady fire of short, sharp, stinging repartee with the company gen- erally — sometimes provoking Disbrowe to laughter, and sometimes to anger, and appearing most delightfully in- different to both. Then she undertook to give an account of his escapade with Captain Nick Tempest to his uncle, burlesquing the whole affair, and holding him especially up in so ridiculous a light that she had the old gentleman and Frank laughing most heartily, and had Disbrowe so indignant and mortified that he could have shaken her then and there with a right good will. But thinking it beneath his dignity as a man, he joined in the laugh against himself. After breakfast the young lady went off to see Jacinto — as she took the trouble of informing our gallant young officer before starting ; and he, with Frank, sauntered out to a trout- stream the latter knew of, where they could pass the morning. As usual, their theme was Jack ; and an inexhaustible theme they found it, and mighty interest- ing to both. " She spoke of going to see one of her pensioners," said Disbrowe. " How many has she got ? " " Oh, lots. And a precious lot, too. There's one of them, now," said Frank, pointing to a hump-backed, idiot- ft 11 I Li' I Iff" "I- I I I / I r i ' ' a / 124 THE DARK SECRET. looking boy who approached them holding a brace of partridges. *' Hallo, Dickie I Where are you bound for V " " There," said the lad, pointing with a nod and a grin toward Fon telle. " Wlio are the birds for?" said Frank, attempting to look at them. " You let 'em alone 1 " said Dickie, dodging back and assuming a belligerent attitude. " They're for her — Miss Jack ; you let them alone — will you V " " All right," said Frank, laughing. " Go on, Dickie. Give my compliments to the town-pump the next time you see it." " And that's one of her proteges f " said Disbrowe, glan- cing carelessly after him. " An interesting one, upon my word ! If ever I do that sort of a thing, I shall only adopt pretty little girls." "And marry them when they grow up — not a bad notion, that," laughed Frank. "And as pretty little girls are to be had for the asking, you will soon have a houseful. Suppose you begin with little Orrie Howlet ? '* " Faith, I shouldn't mind. She came next door to pro- posing the last time I saw her. But how came Miss Jack to adopt that picture of ugliness ? " " Well, * thereby hangs a tale.' It was one day, about two years ago, Jack was down to Green Creek ; and, pass- ing by a tavern, she saw a lot of rowdies and loafers crowding round poor, silly Dickie, laughing, taunting, jeering, and kicking, and pulling, and hauling the poor lellow until they had him half-maddened. A sight like that Tv^as enough to make Jack's blood blaze ; and in a mo- ment she had darted fiercely through them, and stood de- fending Dick, stamping her foot, and blowing them up right and left as only she can — calling them a set of cowards and rascals, the whole of them. I expect they were rather startled to see such a little fury, for all fell back but one half-tipsy fellow, who seized her by the arm in a threatening manner. With a perfect shriek of pas- sion. Jack sprung back, and dashed her hand in his face with such force that, big as he was, he reeled back, and saw more stars, I reckon, than he ever saw before. Dick had taken to his heels the moment he found himself free; CAPTAIN DISBROWE MAKES A DISCOVERY. 125 so Jacciuetta, having stopped to assure them onco more that they were a set of low, mean, cowardly knaves to so abuse Dickie, took her departure, while the rest f<.;'rcibly held back the drunken scoundrel, who seemed very anx- ious to pommel her." « And has he never attempted to injure her since ? " said Disbrowe. " No," said Frank. " A very remarkable circumstance caused him to change his mind. Shortly after the adven- ture I have just related, news came that Goose Creek was rising, and was likely to carry away the bridge. Jack mounted Lightning and rode down ; and there, sure enough, an immense crowd was gathered on the banks, watching the creek roaring, and foaming, and dashing along ; and there was the bridge all broken — and shaking planks that every second might be carried away. Just as Jack reached the place, there was a great cry that a man had been carried off the bank, and directly they heard his screams for help ; and there he was clinging to a large rock in the middle of the creek, and shrieking out to them for God's sake not to let him drown. A lot of men got a rope, and tried to throw it to him, but it was impossible for him to reach it, unless some one ventured out on the plank and risked their own lives for him. No one would, however, for he was a miserable, drunken wretch ; and in another minute he would have been swept away, if Jac- quetta had not sprung off her horse, seized the rope, and while the crowd stood speechless with horror, darted out on the plank. I tell you, cousin Alfred, as they saw her standing there, that young girl, on that frail plank, cv^er that foaming torrent, so bravely risking her life to save another's, every nicvn, woman and child there dropped on their knees, and the silence of death reigned. 8he reached tlie middle of the plank, she flung him the lope ; but be- fore she could turn, the plank was swept from under her, and she was hurled headlong into the foaming torrent.'* " Heavens ! " gasped Disbrowe, with a paling cheek, as though he saw it before him. " There Avas a cry as of one mighty voice from that crowd," continued Frank, " as they saw her fall ; but clear and high above all arose her rmgmg voice : * Pull, men — If'- 1 ni h. I ; -n y ill ,1' i- , ■ lilif p M 126 THE DARK SECRET. pull ! Don't let me drown 1 " She held on firmly, and the next minute the pair of them stood high — and dry I was going to say, only it wouldn't be true — on dry land. And a hearty cheer from the spectators greeted them." Frank's cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were glisten- ing at the recollection. " And there she stood — God bless her ! — dripping like a water-goddess, and listening to their shouts as coolly and composedly as though they were so many French dolls. I stood there, hugging her, I believe, and crying, and laughing, and shouting all together — to all of which her sole reply was, as she jerked herself away, * Frank, don't squeeze me so ; don't you see my wet clothes are spoiling your new pants ? " This winding up was so characteristic of Jacquetta, that Disbrowe began to laugh. "And the man — what of him?" " Oh, he was the same fellow that she struck for taking hold of her when she interfered in behalf of Dick — and a worthless scamp he was ; but from that day he reformed ; got sober and industrious, and is a first-rate old fellow now ; and would die gladly, I believe in my soul, for Jack. So, there's the history of two of her protegU.'^'* It was strange the effect these and similar stories of Jacquetta's daring and kindness of heart had on Disbrowe. Softened and tender his thoughts of her grew, until his cheek flushed, and his eye fired, and his pulses bounded, and he drew a long, quivering breath, and he wished f roni the very deptlis of his soul she were an heiress, with a rent-roll of twenty thousand a year, that he might dare to love her. As it was, he might as well venture to fall in love with the moon, for all hope he ever could have of marrying her. " That's the worst of it vrith poor devils of younger brothers like me. mthout a rap to bless themselves with ! They can't fall in love like decent Christians, and marry whom they please ; but, whew ! Alfred Disbrowe, my boy, do you know what you are talking about ? What have you to do with falling in love — ^you who are signed sealed and delivered — as good as married already ? I wish I had never seen Jack De Vere ! " he exclaimed, CAPTAIN Di3BR0WE MAKES A DISCOVERY. 127 almost passionately. " That girl can bedevil, with her ■wild, witching ways, whoever she pleases, and I'll be sure to go and make a fool of myself before I have done I Oh, Jack De Vere ! you compound of inconsistencies ! was there ever one like you before in the world ? " Sitting there, he thought of her in all her changing moods, until the momentary gloom that had overspread his fine face passed away, and again he laughed. " What a sensation she would make among the titled dames who crowd Fontelle Park, to be sure — wild Yankee girl ! I thhik I see Lady J'/largaret's look of horror juid consternation, Earnecliffe's haughty dismay, and the won- der and amazement, not to say terror, of the rest. How Tom Vane, and Lord Austrey, and all the rest of the fast bloods, would rave about her ; and how she would be toasted and talked of — the liomie of the day I Ileigho ! wdiat a pity it is a man dare not do as he pleases I If some kind fairy would give me fifty thousiind pounds this moment, I believe, in my soul, I would marry the girl, if she would have me, in spite of fate and- — Xorma Mac- donald ! " In a more thoughtful mood than was customary with the gay, careless, nonchalant young guardsman, he walked back to Fontelle, and watched Jacquetta, during dinner, with a strange mingling of i)ain and pleasure. So gay, so bright, so bewitching she was — this sparkling fay of the moonlight —this bright-winged little bird of Paradise — this daring, dauntless-hearted Joan of Arc — that he would have given worlds, at that moment, could he, for one in- stant, have called her his. With a thrill that tmgled through every vein in his heart. Captain Alfred Di^browe — the brother of an earl — a peer of the realm in prospec- tive — made the discovery that he v/as falling in love, and with this penniless, red-haired " Yankee girl." An hour after diiuier, she came flying in her light, breezy way, down-stairs, equipped for her walk, and look- ing more beautiful, he thought, than he had ever seen her before. Her dark-blue dress and black velvet shawl set oft' the exquisite fairness of her pearly complexion ; her cheeks were flushed ; her gray eyes shone and sparkled like stars ', her smiling mouth looked more like a rose-bud li-l ^11 .«! I. \f r . .; ' 128 THE DARK SECRET. than ever, and her short, ])right, dancing curls flashed around her snow-white, polislied, laughing forehead, with a careless grace of their own, that almost surprised Dis- l:rowe into an inward conviction that there teas a possi- bility of red hair looking i)retty. But, then, the honor- able captain was falling in love with their fairy owner, and could not be expected to be an impartial judge. " Do you know what I was doing this morning ? " said Jacquetta, as they walked along. " Well," said Disbrowe, " I don't pretend to divination ; but I think I can guess. You were, most probably, sitting beside your handsome patient." " Exactly 1 You are as smart at guessing as a Yankee. But T was doing something more. I was reading." " Ah ! were you ? Your prayer-book, I suppose ? " " Dear me ! how sarcastic we are ! No — it was a novel — an old story ; so old and simple that the fastidious, re- fined Captain Disbrawe would pitch it away with a con- temptuous * pshaw 1 ' as unworthy his imperial notice ; yet I liked it." " Captain Disbrowe would have liked anything you did, my dear chLd." " Oh, would he ? Leaping over the Demon's Gorge, for instance. He didn't seem to like that ! " " Most malicious of fairies 1 am I never to hear the last of that ? " ^ " Don't pay compliments, then. But, about this story — I was reading it to Jacinto, and he liked it, too ; and he's a judge of good things, Jacinto is. Knows so much too — is a heap too clever for a foreigner, in fact." " No doubt you think so," said Disbrowe, bitterly ; " he is perfection in your eyes — a young jackanapes 1 " " Come, Captain Disbrowe, be civil. I can't stand this, you know. But, in this old story I was telling you of, when you were so impolite as to put me out, there was a young nobleman who fell in love with a peasant girl — one of his father's tenants — and she fell in love with him." " A peasant girl ! What a precious fool he must have been ! " said Disbrowe, sotto voce. " Well, his father heard it, and raised no end of a row. In vain the lover pleaded ; the old gentleman was inexor- CAPTAIN DISBROWE MAKES A DISCOVERY. 129 able — wouldn't be brought to view matters in their proper light at all, and ended by banishing his son from home ; and, when he got him away, compelling the girl to marry somebody else." " Well, I dare say slie was willing enough," said Dis- browe ; " girls generally are, to get married. What did the fortunate young gentleman do when he heard it? Married some Lady Seraphine Arm, I suppose." "No, sir 1 he died of a broken heart 1 Wliat do you think of thatV" said Jacquetta, triumphantly. Disbrowe laughed. " What a paragon he was I Ought to be labeled and sent to the British Museum, as the eighth, last, and greatest wonder of the world. A man with a broken heart! Ye gods!" And Captain Dis- browe laughed immoderately. " Oh, you may laugh," said Jacquetta ; " but my belief is, that there are some men who have hearts to break, in this flinty world, if one could only fmd them. Now, what would you do, cousin Alt', for a woman you loved ? " " Something better than break my heart, I should hope." " Are you quite sure you have one to break ? W^ould you risk your life for her V " ^ \ " No ; something better." "Die, then?" "Die?— not I! Better still." " What, then? I give it up." " Make her Mm. D." " That Avould be a climax of happiness, certainly ! Oh, the self-conceit of man ! And so that is all the extent to which your gallantry would carry you, is it ? " " Ah, ma belle, what would 1 not risk for you 1 " said Disbrowe, softly, with his handsome eyes fixed on her face. Jacquetta laughed. " Dreadfully obliged, I'm sure I And here goes to test that declaration. Climb up there and bring me those flowers." A huge, steep bowlder, almost perpendicular, reared up near them, and at a dizzy height from the ground a cluster of pretty pink flowers grew in a cleft. Jacquetta pointed to these, and said, imperatively, " Climb ! " Had she told liim to spring into the seething crater of Mount Vesuvius in that tone, he would have obeyed. •I- 1;!' !' I I30 THE DARK SECRET. Before tlie word had well piiased her lips, ho was already on his way \\\) the giddy steep. It was a dangerous place to venture, only suited to cats and sailors, and other wild aniniaLs, accustomed to walk on air; but Captain Dishrowe was young, lithe, and ac- tive, and went up with marvelous sj)eed, clinging to loose pieces of rock, and hardy, projecting plants. Jacqnetta stood Ijelow, watching him with a queer smile on her pretty face. Tie rea(?hed the cleft at last, seized the flowers, and pre- pared to descend ; but — alas for his knight-errantry ! — the treacherous stone on which he stood gave way, and the next instant he lay stunned and motionless on the ground. With a great cry, Jacquetta sprung forward and bent over him. Without sign of life he lay, and kneeling be- side him, she raised his head, crying out in tones of pas- sionate grief : " Oh, Alfi'cd 1 cousin Alfred ! look up — speak to me I — say you are not hurt ! Oh, he is dead ! and I have killed him I " She bent ove:' him as he lay, cold and still, and her lips touched his cheek. Tlie next instant, she recoiled in ter- ror at the hot rush of blood that followed that slight caress. But that was enough. As a slight dent with a boy's foot once overflowed the dam, and changed it ' . a foaming torrent, so everything was swept with resistless force from his mind at the touch of those rosy lips, save the one thrilling, tumultuous thought that he loved her, with all his heart and soul. The next moment she was in his arms, held there almost fiercely, while he stooi)8d over her, with a strange fire burning in his dark ej^es, and a strange flush on his handsome face, crying out fiercely, passion- ately : ' : " Jacquetta ! Jacquetta ! I love you I " With a cry that he never forgot — a cry fiercer, wilder, more passionate than his own — she dashed his retaining arms away, wrenched herself from his grasp, and clasping her hands over her ears, as if to shut out the sound, fled — fled for more than life — away. A STRANGE MEETING. 131 CHAPTER XIT. A STKAN(tK MEETING. " Dare you Hnpjer liero at midnight, Alone whon the wind is about? And tlie bat, and tiie newt, and the viper, And the creeping things coino out. Beware of these ghostly chambers, Search not what my lieart hath been, Lest you tind a phantom sitting Where once there sat a queen." —Owen Meredith. It was in rather a peculiar mood, to use a mild phrase, that the Honorable Alfred Disbrowc walked home. There was a great many conflicting feelings surging through his mind, and chief among them were astonish- ment and mortification. Did ever man in this world make a proposal, and have it answered in such fashion aa this? Did ever any living bemg behold sncli a provok- ing little minx as this fierce, unreadable, little enigma — this savage little wildcat, who unsheathed her claws and scratched, the moment he came too near — this young tor- nado — this small flash of lightning — this little grenade, all jets, and fire, and sparkles ? It would have been a comfort to get hold of her — to shake her — to pull her ears, and then love her a thousand-fold more than ever. Captain Disbrowe was just in the mood to do both. He could have boxed her ears with all his heart, and yet never had that heart thrilled in all his life as it was thrilling at that moment to the sound of her name. How his pulses^ leaped, and his blood bounded at the recollection of her small, involuntary, cousinly caress. Oh, Jacquetta I Jac- quetta ! — you little inflammation of the heart ! — you little thunderclap I how much you had to answer for, for throwing the indolent, nonchalant, careless Captain Alfred Disbrowe into such a state of mind as that ! He reached home, at last — half-hoping, half-dreading, to meet Jacquetta. The drawing-room door lay open. I f 1 ' Ml •f' 1*1' ^n t., i ll' 132 THE DARK SECRET. and a clear, sweet voice he knew only too well, was sing- ing; " Oh, the Laird o' Cockpen, he's proud and he's great, His min^Vs taken up wi' the things o' the state." " There ! there is a hole in the ballad I Where's papa, Frank?" " Up-stairs, in the library," said Frank, sauntering out, encountering Disbrowe in the hall. Disbrowe went in — half afraid to do it, too, for he could not tell how Jacquetta would meet him. She was lying back, half-buried in the downy cushion of a lounge, ca- ressing her huge, savage dog, Lion, who crouched at her feet, licking her hand and watching her with his eyes of flame. As Disbrowe entered, he started up, with a growl like distp.nt thunder. " Now, Lion, be quiet I — have manners, can't you ? It's only your cousin Alfred, you know. Come in, my dear sir ; I'm alone here, and feel awfully blue." And a dreary yawn attested the truth of her words. As Captain Disbrowe, angry and provoked at this un- looked-for sort of greeting, obeyed, and flung himself, half-sullenly, into an arm-chair, her eyes fell on the dearly-bought flowers which, almost unknown to himself, he still carried in his hand. "Oh, what pretty flowers! Hand them here, cousin Alfred. Lion, go after them." Lion dutifully got up and '^rotted over, took the flowers in his mouth and brought them to his mistress. " How sweet they are — how pretty — almost as delicious as the giver ! " And the wicked fairy looked up, and laughed in his face. With a suppressed oath. Captain Disbrowe sprung to his fe 't and began pacing, with passionate strides, up and down. Of all her wilful moods, he had not supposed she would meet him like this : scorn and anger — blushing and avoidance — silence and hauteur, he could have borne and managed; but this — this sublime forgetfulness of the whole thing — this audacious coolness and unconcern 1 Had she been trying for years, she could not have hit on a way so likely to enrage him ; and I am afraid, aa ; >i A STRANGE MEETING. 133 he ground his teeth, more than one naughty word es- caped. Jacquetta arched her eyebrows, and pursed up her lips. " Why, cousin Alfred I Good gracious ! I wonder you ain't ashamed ! Do you know what you said, sir ? " " Jacquetta, you will drive me mad ! " he exclaimed, passionately. "Dear me! you said it again! Now, Lion, behave yourself ! Don't eat all my flowers that way ! " " Jacquetta, will you listen to me ? " he cried, stopping before her in his excited walk. "Well — proceed." " Jacquetta, I love you." " Well, I'm glad to hear it, I'm sure. It shows a good deal of good sense on your part. Now, Lion, will you stop eating my flowers?" " Oh, saints and angels 1 grant me patience ! Jacquetta, you will drive me mad ! " "Well, you told me that before, if I don't mistake. What's the good of repeating it ? Go on." With a fierce imprecation, he was up again, striding up and down as if he really was mad. Jacquetta rose on her elbow, adjusted her pillow, so that she could lie and watch him comfortably. " Cruel ! — heartless ! — unwomanly ! " burst passionately from his lips, as he strode on without heeding her. She looked at him with a strange, mocking smile on her face, and drew the ears of her savage pet through her fingers. "Not tired yet," she said, when he ceased. "Perhaps you are going into training for a pedestrian ? " " Insulting ! — unfeeling coquette ! " he bitterly cried. She arose, haughtily. " You forget yourself, sir ! Another word like that, and I leave the room I " " Oh, Jacquetta ! you are enough to drive a man crazy 1 but forgive me, I hardly knew what I was saying." " So I think, Capain Disbrowe ! Had you not better come to your senses as soon as possible ? " " Jacquetta, are you merciless ? I have asked for bread — shall I get a stone ? " 1 1 t Ml! n I I i I' 1 u if 1-, ' UP h I III '! If; f h *! 134 THE DARK SECRET. " You deserve a viper, sir ! Sit down, I tell you ! " she said, imperiously. He obeyed, with something like a groan. " Now, then. Captain Disbrowe, what do you want ? " " Yottj Jacquetta ! — my love ! — my darling 1 " Oh, the infinite depth of mockery in her eyes and smile I " Indeed ! And what do you want of me, pray ?" " Oh, Jacquetta ! what a question ! " "Is it? I see nothing extraordinary in it. If you came and asked me for Lion, here, I should probably ask you what you wanted of him, as well. And I rather fancy you would find it an easier question to answer than this." ' ■ ■ . - - ■,..'■:■ He was silent, and bit his lip. The look of intense mockery on Jacquetta's face was mingled now with un- utterable scorn. "Oh, the wisdom of these men! Oh, this v/onderful love of theirs ! Oh, this unspeakable depth of refinement and delicacy! Lion, my boy, thank God you love me, and have not a man's heart!" " Jacquetta I " he said, with a haughty flush, " what do you mean?" " Oh, to be sure ! " she said, " you do not know. If I had been one of your Lady Marys, or Lady Janes, would you have dared to talk to me like this ? Because you found me a wild Yankee girl, who rode steeple-chafes, played with dogs instead of Berlin wool and French novels, you thought you were free to msult me, and to talk to me as you would to a coal-heaver's daughter in England. Don't interrupt me, sir, and don't attempt to deny it ; for knowing what we both know, such a declar- ation from you is nothing more nor less than an insult ! '* He faced round, and the light of his dark, bright, hand- some eyes shone full upon her face. « What we both know ? " he said, slowly. " May I ask what you mean by that, Miss Jacquetta ? " Her face flushed to the very temples, and for a second or two, her eyes fell. " I won't tell you ! " she said, defiantly. " But I know rnore than I ever learned from you I " Her tone, hot at first, fell into its customary saucy 'fj } A STRANGE MEETING. 135 cadence, as she went on ; and she broke mto a short laugh, and fell to caressing Lion again as she ceased. " And this is my answer ? " he said, bitterly. " Your answer ? Yes, sir ! I hope it pleases you ! " " And this is Jacquetta ? " " At your service, sir. How do you like her ? " " Have you a woman's heart, Jacquetta, or is there a stone in its place ? " " Perhaps there is." And she laughed wickedly. " If so, you ought to be satisfied, for you said, away back there in your first chapter, that I had given you a stone." " Have you no mercy ? " « None for my foes. The motto of a true De Vere is, * War to the knife!' " " Oh, tiger-heart I " cried Disbrowe. " Am I to get no reply but this?" " Reply to what ? Begin at the beginning of the cate- chism again, and see how I will answer you. Ask away, and never fear but you will get your answer." " I told you I loved you." " Yes — I have a faint recollection of the fact. But you don't call that a question, I hope ? " " Nevertheless, I expected an answer." "Ah! What was it to be?" " That you loved me in return." Jacquetta laughed ; and, springing up, began declaim- ing, stage-fashion: '* ' When in that moment, so it came to pass, Titania awaked, and straightway loved an — ass ! ' You see I can quote Shakespeare as well as you, Cousin Alfred." He ground his teeth with rage. " Oh, heavens above ! And this is what I have loved ? " " Don't get excited, my good Alfred — my dear Alfred 1 Keep cool ; and if you find the air of this room heating, would you mind my insinuating a walk up and down the maple avenue, out there ? The air. this cool spring day, will be a good thing to take." " Heart of flint ! — heart of steel ! A tigress would have more pity than you I " • : I ::' 136 THE DARK SECRET. " Pity I " she said, in a tone that made him start. She had risen to lier feet, with one arm upraised, with her cJieeks afire, and her eyes aflame. " Pity I Yes — I pity myself from the very depths of my soul, that I should ever have fallen low enough to listen to this 1 " She swept across the room like a tragic queen, with the ringing tread of an outraged empress. That light in her eye, that fire in her cheek — all unusual there — what did it forebode? " What have I said — what have I done — that you should dare to utter words like these? I am a wild, wilful, thoughtless girl — too fearless and masculine, it may be, for my sex — but is it my fault that God gave me a man's heart, to do, and dare, and brave ? I was frank and open with you, because I thought you an honorable man — be- cause I tliought you would understand me ; and I could have loved you as a brother. And you have returned it like this ! Oh, Captain Disbrowe ! it is worse than * Et tUy Brute ! ' You know, and I know, now that the scales have fallen from my eyes, how you regard me. Would you marry me ? — would you take me to England ? — would you show me to your friends — me, the mad, uncivilized North American savage — as your honored wife, and the future Lady Earnecliffe, of Disbrowe Park ? No, sir — you never would I You never intended to ! And, even if you would, could you, as a man of honor, have done so ? Ask your own heart — if you havo one — and let it reply." It was her turn to pace up and down now, and she was doing it with a vengeance. He had leaned his elbow on the te.ble and dropped his forehead on it, and his face was white and cold as marble. " The name I bore might have saved me from insult ; but it has not done so. Never, m all my life, have I fallen so low in my own eyes as I have done this day 1 It may be that I have deserved it ; but, coming from you — oh, Cousin Alfred ! what have I done that you should have sharpened this arrow for my heart ? " There was such passionate sorrow in her voice, that it moved him as nothing else had ever done ; and lifting his head, he would have spoken, but she motioned him to silence with a wave of her hand. \ A STRANGE MEETING. 137 t " No — say nothing. It is too late ! If I were the only one injured to-day, you might be forgiven ; but that other — that other, to whom you are bound by vows death alone can ever break. Oh, Alfred Disbrowe ! who shall for- give you for the wrong you have done her ? " Impetuously he started to his feet, and dashed back the clustering locks of his fair, brown hair. " Jacquetta, this is not the first time you have insin- uated something which must be explained — I repeat it, must be ! What do you mean ? " She paused before him, and met his excited gaze, with eyes from which the fierce, angry light had died out ; and a faint, a scarcely perceptible smile flickere'l around her mouth. « Shall I really tell you?" "Yes." " And you mean to say you do not understand me ? ** " I say nothing. I want you to explain." " Then," she said, with a triumphant flash of her eye, " you shall have it ! What of Norma / " " Jacquetta ! " « Alfred I " she said, with a mocking smile. "Who told you — how came you — " " There, that is enough ! Go — leave me ! " And she opened the door and pointed out. « First tell me—" "I will not! — leave me! " she said, with an imperious stamp of her foot. " And take this parting piece of ad- vice with you. Forget what has passed this evening, as I will endeavor, also, to do. Forget there is such a person as the girl, Jacquetta, and think of me only as the boy. Jack De Vere. There — go ! " She held out her arm toward the door, and kept it in thut position until he was gone, angrily and haughtily. And for an hour after that, she passed to and fro, up and down the room, without stopping once, with eyes so full of dark, bitter gloom, that you would hardly have known her for the gay, laughing fairy of Fontelle Hall. She went over, at last, and leaned wearily against the mantel, and looked in the fire burning on the marble hearth. Long and intently she gazed in the glowing coals, as II i-i i ii 1.' I (if. »r', t"' i * \ ■' ff 1 w , i' - - ■, "'I 'I' Xl !> 138 THE DARK SECRET. tliough some dark picture had arisen there before her. AVas that vision anything like that of Old Grizzle Howlet's of the inn ! Did she see the foul gulf and the })rostrat(' form lying in the slime at the bottom — lying at his feet, too ? Something dark it mu jt have been ; for she drew a long, shivering breath, as she turned away, with a weary step and a paling cheek. Tlie sound of pleasant voices and gay laughter greeted the ears of Disbrowe an hour or so later, when he as- cended to the i)arlor for the evening meal, and fell on his angry heart like vinegar upon niter. All the family were assembled there. Mr. De Vere sat in his arm-chair be- side a couch, on which reclined the boy Jacinto, with whom he was gayly chatting. Somewhat paler and thinner than he had seen him last was Jacinto, but as handsome as ever, and looking wonderfully interesting, with his arm in a sling. On the hearth-rag beside him sat Jacquetta, laughing as merrily as though care or anger Avere to her words without meaning. Frank was leaning over the back of the couch, enjoying the fun, and Lady Augusta — the very image of a marble Niobe — sat near, with her pale face bent on her hand. Disbrowe at once advanced to where the boy lay, and hurriedly began some words of thanks for what he termed his " brave conduct " and " generous heroism " in risking his life for a stranger, until the boy's full face flushed with embarrassment, and he shrunk away, as if in avoid- ance of the subject. Jacquetta, saw his natural confusion, and came to his relief. " There, there. Cousin Alfred, that will do ; he'll im- agine the rest, and it will spare your eloquence and your pathos. Here comes Tribula with the ea-urn ; so come, Master Jacinto, and sit here beside me ; and if you are as hungry as I am, you will do justice to those delicious rice waffles and oyster patties I see there." Disbrowe bowed coldly, and took his place. All the evening Jnrqnetta was in the highest possible spirits, and the best possibJ.e looks. There was a streaming brilliancy in her eyes, a Lcverish flush on her cheeks, and her round, white, polished forehead looked pure and marble-like by the contrast. Her short, red curls flashed and shone like I A STRANGE MEETING. 139 rings of flame, and there was a buoyant lightness in her step, a clear, joyous ring in her voice, that angered one there present, until, for the moment, he felt as if he hated her for it. Never had her hands flown so easily or so brilliantly over the polished keys of the piano, entrancing one and all ; and never had her voice rung out so clear and sweet as it did that night. Song after song flowed from her lips, as though she was inspired. And, wilful, wayward, unaccountable girl that she was, she sung, with- out being asked, all the old English songs she knew Dis- browe liked, as he had never heard them sung before. There was a depth of pathos and passionate tenderness in her voice, as she sung, * Come back, to me, Douglas, tender and true,' that made the song a very wail of despair — a cry of anguish from a broken heart, so full of hopeless love, strong as death, and Disbrowe sat with his face averted, still, dark, voiceless and motionless. A sob broke the silence before she ceased, from the Spanish boy, Jacinto. " What ! has that old Scotch song brought tears to your eyes ? " said Jacquetta, with a laugh. " What a thing it is to have a tender heart. No doubt the Scotch lassie forgot her darling Douglas a week after, and took up with the first Sandie that came along I " " What an opinion you have of your sex, Flibertigibbet," said Mr. De Vere. " Wait until you get a ' Douglas ' of your own, and see if you will not be as silly and love-sick as any Scotch lassie that ever trii)ped the heather." " How do you know I have not got one now, papa ? " said Jacquetta, with a careless laugh. " There never yet was a girl who reached the age of twenty without losing her heart a score ^f times." *^ Well, whoever got yours, Jack, I wish him joy of it," said Frank, with a shrug. " So you may ! He'll need all your good wishes, poor fellow. It's a sort of a bottle-imp, dangerous alike to buyer and owner. Why, what on earth is that ? " The sound of an altercation in the hall reached their ears, and then a shrill, childish, imperious voice was heard. I 1 j i !% 1 f! ;r I. -I f'l i I !^t 140 THE DARK SECRET. < " I will go in — I tell you I I'll go in, in spite of you. Let go — will you ? " Jacquetta flung open the door ; and, to the amazement of all, the little elf, Orrie Howlet, ran in — her black hair Btreaniing about her — her black eyes bright with an angry light. She gave a quick glance round the room, until she beheld Disbrowe ; and then, with a cry of delight, she darted over and sprung into his arms. " I knew you were here ; but that horrid old woman didn't want to let me in. Don't you let hor get me." " If you please, 'm," said Tribulation, a hard-visaged, stern-looking, elderly woman, " she would come in, you know." " There ! never mind. It's all right. Tribulation," said Jacquetta, closing the door. " Who, in the name of all the kelpies, is this ? " ex- claimed Mr. De Vere, while Augusta and Jacinto looked the wonder they did not speak. The child, who had clasped Disbrowe round the neck, glanced over her shoulder, and composedly said : " Oh, Orrie Howlet ! you know ! Oi 1 Grizzle's little girl 1 You needn't be scared." Jacquetta and Disbrowe laughed, partly at the little one's imperturbable gravity, and partly at Mr. De Verie's consternation. " What in the world brought you here to-night, Orrie ? " said Disbrowe, who was half -am used and half -affected by the little one's strange love for himself. " Why, to see you I I said I would come, you know I You won't send me away — will you ? " she said, looking up earnestly in his handsome, smiling face. « Not if Mr. De Vere will let you stay. And so you came all the way from the inn to see me — did you, Orrie ? " " Oh, yes I " said Orrie, clinging closer to him. «Does Old Grizzle know? " " No ; I guess she don't," said Orrie, with one of her short, shrill laughs. " Oh ! won't she be mad when she finds out?" " Will she beat you ? " ** Be sure she will I " said Orrie, complacently. " Oh 1 i I A STRANGE MEETING. 141 < 'I \ i won't she, though I But I don't care. I have seen yuu you know, and she can't beat that away I " "My dear child,'' said Disbrowe, touched by her look and tone, "if I had known you cared so much for seeing me, I should have ridden over to the inn. I would not have you get punished for me." " Would you be sorry ? " said the little one, opening her eyes. " Yes, very." " And you like me, too ? " " Very much, my dear little girl. It is something to be loved in this world as you lo^' ^e ! " There was such sorrowful bxtxerness in his tone, that Orrie's black eyes opened wider than ever. A small, white hand fell softly on his, and with it fell a bright drop. " Why, I declare," said Orrie, in the utmost surprise, ** if Miss Jack ain't a-cryin' I " Jacquetta stooped down, and impulsively touched her lips to those that had so lately kissed Disbrowe, with the involuntary cry : " Oh, Orrie ! love me, too ! Dear little Orrie, love me, too I " Orrie gave her one of her impulsive hugs and kisses, scanning her curiously meanwhile, and then she asked : " But you were cryin', weren't you ? What made you cry." " Me ! Nonsense, Orrie ! I wasn't crying ' " said Jac- quetta, with a gay laugh. " Oh, I thought you were," said Orrie, apparently re- lieved. " I hate to see people cry. Oh, there's Frank ! — I must go and see him," said the elf, springing from Dis- browe's arms, and running over to Frank. Looking down at the same moment, Jacquetta caught the dark, bright, handsome eyes of Disbrowe fixed full upon her, and colored to the temples. With an impatient gesture, she turned away, and seated herself on a low ottoman, at Jacinto's feet. Orrie had sprung into Frank's arms, and was clinging to him in her cat-like fashion, while Frank's countenance maintained an expression of haughty dignity. I r ,1;, ill I if (f i\ if i5i 4 1 llf irH 142 THE DARK SECRET. « No, you needn't kiss me, Miss Howlet. And you had better get down off my knee, and go back to that big monster over there. If you like him so much better than me, you ought to stay with him." '^Why, you ain't mad — are you?" said Orrie, giving him a shake. " Yes ; I am mad. Miss Howie t ! and a good deal jealous, too. Before he came bothering along, and cutting me out, I used to come in for all your kissing and loving ; and now I have to play second fiddle, and hardly get no- ticed at that. It's a shame. Miss Ilowlet ; it's a con- founded shame ; yes, an abominable shame. Miss Ilowlet : and I wonder how you can look me in the face. I never expected such treatment from you — and I never could have believed it, so I couldn't ! " And Frank wij^ed away an imaginary tear, with his uncle's handkerchief, of which he had just picked his pocket. " Well, there ! — don't cry ! " said Orrie, giving him a penitent squeeze. " I didn't do it — I mean I didn't go for to do it ; and I do like you ever so much ; but then, you know he's real nice, and I have to like him, too. Don't you like him ? " " No ; I don't ! I hate him — an unfeeling, bloodthirsty monster ! " said Frank, with a ferocious howl. " I'll shoot him. I'll assassinate him. I'll blow his brains out with the first loaded crowbar I can find — so I will I " Instantly Orrie was off his knee ; her black eyes flash- ing, and her small fist clenched. " He ain't a monster, you great big story-teller, you I You're a monster yourself ! And if you shoot him, I'll shoot you — mind if I don't ! " " Hallo ! W hat's all this ? " said Mr. De Vere, looking up. " Quarreling already ? What a little spitfire it is ! " " It ain't me — it's him ! Calling people names as he has no business to ! I wish you would speak to him, and make him stop." "Now, Frank, don't tease the child. Why can't you let her alone ? " " Well, I am letting her alone. I never touched her," said Frank. A STRANGE MEETING. 143 f " Why, Augusta," said Jacquetta, suddenly, " what do you see so wonderful about the child ? You have been looking fat her so intently for tlie lust five minutes." "Don't you see it? " said Augusta, with a look of tran- sient interest in her heavy eyes. "See what?" " The resemblance to — " " I see it ! I noticed it from the first I " said Jacinto, eagerly. " To whom ? " said Mr. De Vere, while a slight paleness overspread the face of Jacquetta. " To Jacquettii," replied both together. " To Jacquetta ? Bless my soul ! " said. Mr. De \'ere. " Come here, little girl, until I see you." Orrie walked over with imperturbable composure, and stood gravely before him. Mr. De Vere put his finger imder her chin, tipped up her face, and looked at her, while the briglit, black eyes met his, unflinchingly. « Pooh ! She doesn't look like Jack ! " said Mr. De Vere, contemptuously. " She has black eyes and black hair." " While I am gray-eyed and red-haired ! " broke in Jacquetta, with a laugh. " And she is as dark as a gypsy ; while Jack is fair. Pooh ! pooh ! Where are your eyes, all of you ? Do you think she looks like you. Jack ? " " I confess I cannot see the resemblance, papa." " The likeness is not so much in feature as in ex- pression," said Augusta. " I did not notice it until Frank angered her, and then the look was exactly the Game." " So it all was," said Frank. " Come to think of it, she did look like Jack that time, in one of her tantrums ! " " I have observed it, too ! " said Disbrowe. " It is one of those accidental likenesses we sometimes see in stran- gers, and that puzzles us so. I have known similar cases several times." " It appears Miss Orrie is not the only one I look like, according to you, Captain Disbrowe ! " laughed Jacquetta, " since I am a miniature edition of Captain Nick Tempest, too. Now I can understand how I look like him ; but I liM '!>: 144 THE DARK SECRET. li confess I am at a loss to trace a resemblance between my- self and tills (lark little fairy here." " Is she going to sUiy here all night ? " said Mr. Do Vere. " Yes ; I 8upi)ose so. Come here, Orrie ; will you sleep with me to-niglit V " said Jacquetta. Orrie nodded assent, and yawned. "That's one go-to-bed," said Frank. " She'll be asleep, presently, if you don't take her off. I rather think I will turn in myself, too," he added, getting up. As it was .'dready late, this was a signal for all to dis- perse ; and Orrie having given Disbrowe a parting em- brace, and informed him he was to see her home the next day, was led off by Jacquetta to her own room. Disbrowe reached his pleasant chamber ; drew up a chair before the fire ; lit his cigar, and with his soul in slippers, prepared to take life easy. Lost in thought, hours passed unheeded, until he was suddenly brought to his feet with a bound, by a sound familiar enougli now. It was tlie strange, far-off, eerie music, rising and falling faintly and sweetly on the midnight air. Instantly a determination to get at the bottom of this mystery entered the head of Cajitain Disbrowe. Curiosity was strong within him ; but that was not the chief im- pulse that sent him off. It was Jacquetta's connection with the singular affair. Anything concerning hei' con- cerned him now ; and determined to discover what hid- den skeleton, what Bluebeard's chamber Fontelle Hall contained, he was down-stairs, through the hall, and standing alone in the clear moonlight almost in an instant. That there was some other entrance to this north wing he was convinced ; and find it he was determined, if he had to search until morning. The night was almost as clear as day ; the moon rose clear and full in the heavens, and cast fantastic shadows around the stately pile. He glanced up, and saw the whole house enveloped in dark- ness, save a light that streamed redly from one window — from Augusta's window he knew. She, then, was up yet. What was she doing ? Could it really be sleepless remorse for some " unacted crime " that preyed on her >w 1 1 A STRANGE MEETING. 145 mind, wearing her to a skeleton, and making her the living petrifaction she was? She herself had acknowl- edged that it was ; but that very acknowledgment, if nothing else, would have made Disbrowe doubt it. There were several massive doors in this north wing, and little difticulty in discovering them ; but the thing was to opin them. Stift' with rain and storm, and long neglect, th( y were almost as solid as the wall itself, and he soon gave up all hope of eifecting an entrance ])y mcjins of them. He fancied that down amid the ivy there might be some aperture in the ruined walls, large enougli to per- mit his entrance. And in this hope he was not disap- pointed. Hidden among the clustering vines was what had once been an outer entrance into a sort of cellar, the door of which was now completely oroken oft'. Wrench- ing away the ivy, Disbrowe passed in, and discovered a flight of stone steps at one end, leading evidently to the upper room. He asc' ided, and found himself in a large, echoing, desolate-looking apartment, with oak wainscot- ting, and niches in the wall that had once held statues, but were hung with cobwebs now. Through the high, narrow, diamond-framed windows, with their leaden casements, the pale moonlight shone brightly, casting a sort of ghostly glare around the dark, desolate room. And still the music rose and fell, and swelled and died away in fit- ful gusts, seemingly near at hand. Following the sound, he was about to pass through the room into the next, when an unexpected sound struck his ear, and caused him to fall back with a guilty start, as if he had been caught in some unworthy act. It was a sound of voices in the room he was about to enter — familiar voices, too, speaking in suppressed but passionate tones. Both voices were recognized in an in- stant as those of Jacquetta and old Grizzle Howlet. It was rather a startling interruption to his nocturnal search. Hitherto he had scarcely thought of it ; but now it struck him as a base return of his uncle's hospitality, this attempting to pry into the secrets of his household. He turned hastily to descend the stairs and escape ; but before he could reach them, the sound of their rapidly- advancing footsteps made him turn round and seek some I I'l ,1 •! (f; I'! *, •f*f I j IM- iitii.; [•, 1*1 III' ) !, 146 THE DARK SECRET. nearer place of concealment. The doer of a small closet stood ajar ; and darting in here, he softly closed it, just as Jacquetta and old Grizzle entered the room. CHAPTER XIII. J 11 II r I \\. 1 IV 1 UNMASKED. " Break, break, break ! At the foot of thy crags, oh sea ; But the tender grace of a day that is dead Will never come back to me." —Tennyson. One moment later, and the Honorable Captain Dis- browe would have been discovered, and the very thought made his heart throb and a sudden heat flush into his face in the shelter of his retreat. He could fancy the mingled scorn and angry surprise in the clear, bright eyes of Jacquetta, at beholding him there ; and he would sooner have encountered a legion of ghosts, singlehand- ed, at that moment, than the little gray-eyed girl he could lift with one hand. Even now he was hardly safe — for the door stood ajar, and he dared not touch it lest it should creak ; he scarcely ventured to breathe, as he stood there, waiting for them to pass on. But pass on they did not. To his dismay and con- sternation, Jacquetta came over and stood beside the window, looking out. The window was within a yard of his hiding-place, and her face was turned directly toward him — that face, so changed again, that he hardly knew it. Scorn, hatred, passion and loathing struggled for mastery there, and her eyes looked fierce and glittering in the serene moonlight. One small hand was tightly clenched, and her lips were compressed with a look of hard, bitter endurance. Old Grizzle was speaking, as they entered, in a tone of jibing mockery. " So you come here often, do you, Jacquetta ? " she was saying. " It nmst be very pleasant for you all to be ser- enaded night after night in this way. Listen ! a sweet strain that — was it not, Jacquetta ? " WIS it UNMASKED. 147 « May it deafen you forever, as you hear it 1 " said Jac- quetta, fiercely. " Nay, Jacquetta — that is hardly courteous. Let me see — how long since you and I stood here before, listening to this same weird music, in this same goblin room ? " Jacquetta made a passionate gesture, as if to silence her, but spoke not. " You have not forgotten, my little dear, have you ? " sneered Grizzle. " Forgotten ! " exclaimed Jacquetta, with passionate solemnity. " Oh, my God 1 is there a moment, sleeping or waking, night or day, that I can forget ? Oh, for the waters of Lethe to wash from my memory the crimson stain of that day in my lost, darkened, ruined childhood. Oh, my blighted life I my seared heart ! my crazed brain ! Forgotten ! " She struck her clenched hand on her breast, and the dark, passionate solemnity of her face was awe-striking in the cold, pale moon-rays. " Have I not striven to forget ? Have I not tried night and day ? Have I not resolutely steeled my heart, closed my brain, to everything that could recall the terrible WTong done me in my childhood ? Childhood! Why do I speak of it ? I, who know not the meaning of the word — who never was a child — who, at the age of fourteen, when other children are thinking of their dolls and picture-books, was — " " What f " said Grizzle, with a bitter sneer. " Why do you pause ? " " Before I knew the meaning of the word Memory," continued Jacquetta, her face white even to the lips, " I was happy. You know the sort of child I was — the happiest, merriest, giddiest fairy that ever danced in the moonlight. Oh, Grizzle Howlet ! oh, woman with a fiend's heart I what had I done to you that this living death was to be mine ? " " Come, come, Jacquetta ! this is going too far. In- deed, I think you ought to be grateful to me and your — " " Name her not ! " cried Jacquetta, fiercely, " if you do not want to arouse the demon that is within me — that you have seen aroused before now I Since I have learned J 'I', ,' I iij".- 148 THE DARK SECRET. i' what it is to remember, my whole life has been one con- tinued effort to forget! I am not made of steel or stone, and I tell you to take care I for, as sure as Heaven hears us this night, a day of retribution will come, and I will be avenged ! " " Let it come ! " said Grizzle, scornfully. " It is not such as you. Jack De Vere, will ever make me blanch." " You know," said Jacquetta, with passionate vehe- mence, " the living lie I am ! You know the mark I have to wear that others forged for me, and that I must wear till death releases me I Am I to be held accountable for the sins of others — for your crime and hers^ whose name, if I mentioned, T should be tempted to curse ? Will God judge me for what others have done ? Woman, I tell you — No I At the great day, when He will come to judge the quick and dead, I will stand before his throne to accuse you ! " " And your — " _ ..- " Dare to name her ! " almost screamed Jacquetta, with a fierce stamp of her foot, " and I will hunt the very dogs of Fontelle on you, to tear you limb from limb ! " " Come, my young madam ! " said Grizzle, nowise in- timidated, " enough of this ranting ! I came for my little girl, and I must have her. You refused to give her to me out there, and I followed you here. Refuse to give her to me here, and I will follow you to your room, and take her by force I " " Your little girl ? " said Jacquetta, scornfully ; " as well might a dove call a wolf mother. That child is nothing to you I " " Isn't she ? " said Grizzle, with a peculiar laugh. " Who do you suppose she is, then ? I should hope she is as much to me as to you." " I do not know who she is ; if I did, she would not remain long with you. But I will discover, and free her from your fangs." " Try, if you dare ! " said Grizzle, defiantly. " Try it at your peril ! It will be the darkest day that will ever dawn for you, Jacquetta De Vere, the day you discover who that child is ! " UNMASKED. 149 yjl <* For me ? " said Jacquetta, bitterly. " Does a day ever rise for me that is not dark ? Don't think I am afraid of you, Grizzle — that day has gone by. You have done your worst ! " " Have I ? " said Grizzle. " That remains to be seen. I have not forgiven you for your jibes and taunts yet, nor for the scornful contempt with which you treated my son Christopher, when he did you the honor, and made a fool of himself, by loving you. Don't think I either for- give or forget so easily, my little lady. Did I not tell you once, a day would come when your own flinty heart would melt to quivering flesh ? Have you ever read, in a certain nameless book, what it is to * seethe a kid in its moth- er's milk' ? Well, my fierce little eaglet, such a fate is in reserve for you." " What a pity you ever left the stage. Grizzle ! " said Jacquetta, with a smile of withering contempt. " You would be an honor to the profession yet. A speech like that would make your fortune I " " I am on as tragic a stage just now, in real life, as ever I was in mimic one I " said Grizzle ; " and as dark a tragedy is enacting. Do you think I am blind, dumb and besotted ? Do you suppose I do not know what young girls are ? I say, Jacquetta," she said, with a short, harsh laugh, " what a pleasant thing it is to have a handsome, dashing young officer in lonesome old Fontelle ! " A streak of dark red flashed across the face of Jac- quetta, and then faded out, leaving her, even to the lips, of a more ashy paleness than before. " Oh, the vanity of these puppets, who think they can outwit me ! " said Grizzle. " I, who can read human hearts like open books. I tell you. Jack De Vere, I thanked God, for the first time in a score of years, when I heard who this young officer was, and where he was going. I left you to him from that moment ; I left his hand to send the bolt that was to pierce your haughty heart ! And that bolt has been sped ; and you, in whom it is a crime to love, love him — the man who despises you I For — I tell you again — that proud young Englishman would not marry you to-morrow, if you would consent and he were free — which he is not. You know it ; and now let t I VJ I ^> »ftt. , IfT ! j i) ■ ii ! J ■y 'I 350 THE DARK SECRET. you learn in darkest despair, the lesson you taught ray son — what it is to love in vain 1 " " Your son ? " said Jacquetta, with passionate scorn. " You do well to mention his name and love in the same breath. A great, stupid boor — a savage, remorseless cut- throat, a fit companion for the pirate, and slaver, and out- law. Captain Nick Tempest. Oh, yes I wonderful love was his ! " " Take care how you talk of Captain Tempest, my dear," said Grizzle, with a sneer. " Don't say anything against him until you know who he is. Did you ever hear any one say you looked like him, my red-haired beauty ? " " We did not come here to talk of Captain Tempest, did we ? " said Jacquetta, with a gesture of angry impa- tience. " What do I care for him or you either ? " " Well, the day is at hand when you will care for both of us. That is one consolation. The day when this dash- ing soldier — this haughtiest of haughty De Veres — will learn who it is he has stooped to love — what it is who bears his proud name. His cousin, forsooth ! " And she laughed mockingly. The white face of Jacquetta grew a shade whiter, and she drew a long, hard, quivering breath. " Ah ! you can feel — ^you can suffer ! Good ! Do you not fear I will tell this scornful lovjr of yours ? For ho does love you, Jacquetta, with all his heart and soul, and, what is more, believes in you — this man whom you are night and day deceiving ! " She did not speak. She clasped both hands over her heart as thought it were breaking. " Think how he would despise you — think how he would scorn you — think how he would loathe you, if he knew all ! Oh, this glorious revenge of mine ! Did I not do well to wait, Jacquetta ? And my waiting will soon be over, and the day will soon be here now." Jacquetta turned from the window with a hard, mock- ing laugh. " What if I forestall your communication, Grizzle ? What if I tell him myself ? " «« You would not dare to." UNMASKED. 151 see " Would I not ? Wait till to-morrow, and you will (( as you )u would not dare to. I repeat it I Be are, you have not courage for that ! " " Courage I You are the first who ever accused me of n, lack of that article. I have courage enough to face a hungry lion just now, or a more ferocious animal still, Grizzle Howlet ! " " Oh ! I don't call you a coward ! You would not be your father's daughter if you were that. And mind, I am not speaking of Mr. Robert De Vere now. But the courage that would make you face a raging lion is not strong enough to make you debase yourself in the eyes of the man you love 1 " " You jump at conclusions too fast. Grizzle. In the first place, you have only your own surmise that I have been idiot enough to fall in love — and with him ; and, secondly, it would not debase me in his eyes if he knew all this instant. There is no crime or disgrace connected with — none, at least, for me. The sin rests on your shoulders. I am only the sufferer." " Why, then, is it so closely concealed ? Why is it so completely hidden from him ? Does not that very se- crecy betoken guilt ? Doubtless he has heard this same music that at present is charming us, and wondered at it. Perhaps he has even inquired what it meant." "He has." " And what did you tell him ? " " What do you think I told him ? What was there for me to tell ? I laughed at the notion I " ** And left the secret for me. Thank you, Jacquetta, Oh ! for the day when all shall be revealed, and he will know tho thing he has been loving 1 " " Let it come ! " said Jacquetta, striking her clenched hand on the window-sill. " WTiat do I care ? One thing is, you had better look to yourself if you do, lest Mr. De Vere should suddenly remember he is a magis- trate, and you are a murderess I " " T don't fear liim, thanks to his haughty daughter, Augusta. I have her head under my heel, and can crush it when I please." * it I y (1 ij 1, 111' i^ i ( I. I ( )' H 'I' 3 I; ?;■' \ f .1! 152 THE DARK SECRET. " You hold her by some imaginary power. Augusta De Vere would not stoop to commit a crime to save her life." " That's as may be. My power over her is strong enough to keep me from all fears on that score ; and how- ever imaginary it may be, it is a terrible reality in your n case " How do you know I will not turn informer ? There are cells and chains enough in Green Creek to bind Grizzle Howlet, and rope enough to silence her poisonous tongue." " I defy you ! Before the rope could silence me, Augusta De Vere would be a corpse. Mind ! I make no idle threat ; but her secret once breathed, and she would not survive an hour." " Better a speedy release from your tyranny than this slow eating away of life, you hideous vampire ! She is fading away now like the waning moon ; and before an- other year will be in her grave, and you will have a second murder to answer for ! " " That is my own look-out. It is nothing to you I And, in spite of all your vaunting, you have no more intention of doing it, than I have of strangling you this instant where you stand ! " " Better for me you would — oh, better, better for me you would ! " cried Jacquetta, wringing her hands. " I know that ; but I am not idiot enough to forego my revenge in such fashion ! When the time comes, you will fall from your shaking pedestal — be hurled back to the slime whence you emerged — a mark for the finger of scorn to point at. What will high-spirited, bold-hearted Jack De Vere do then ? " said Grizzle, with a sardonic sneer. " She can, like Caesar, cover her face, and die with dignity, if need be. You may alienate one — him of whom you speak ; but I will still have an honored home in Fon- telle Hall." " Will you ? That remains to be seen I What would you say if I should tell you you would be cast out into scorn and contumely from th ir gates, despised and ab- horred by all, from the master of Fontelle to the lowest menial in the kitchen ? " UNMASKED. 153 " I should call it what it is— lie ! " " It is the truth, as you will find when the day comes. Oh, for that day ! I will never see the sun rise till it dawns — that blessed day that will find you a beggared, disgraced, homeless outcast 1 '* " Do your worst. I defy you I " " You will change your tune before long. Oh ! you don't know Grizzle Howlet yet, I see, or the doom that is gathering over your head. Wait I " " I intend to, and will brave you to your face when it comes I " said Jacquetta, with a short, mocking laugh. " Yes, you may laugh now ; but, in the end, let those laugh who win. You thmk now you could bear the disgrace ; and perhaps, if Mr. De Vere and Augusta alone were concerned, you might : but this fine young stranger (ah, mention /«'m, and you wince), how will you bear his scorn, and contempt, and hatred ? — no, not hatred ; for he will loathe you too much to stoop to hate 1 '* " Let him ! He is nothing to me ! " " Very true — he is another's ; yet you have given him your whole heart. And what has he given you in return ? " " His love ! " said Jacquetta, with a bright, fierce flash of her eyes. " Ah ! he has told you so, and you believe him. Per- haps he believes it himself now ; • and if so, it is all the better, for it will make him loathe you all the more by- and-by." *• Speak no more of him. I will not listen," said Jac- quetta, clasping both hands, with the same involuntary motion, over her heart. " Oblige me by doing so a moment longer. What will Mr. De Vere say when he finds his pretty daughter, Jac- quetta, has listened to this illicit love, and returned it ; she, the—" " Peace I " shrieked Jacquetta, with a frenzied stamp of her foot. " Do you want to drive me mad ? " " By no means I I should be very sorry for such a cata- strophe, as it would defeat all my plans. And now, as you wish it, to change the subject. What do you think of this handsome Spanish boy, brought over by Captain Nick Tempest?" t ' «•* It ^ I'; ■' Vi 1 it ' ■ I : 1' \V t^il »54 THE DARK SECRET. « What I please." " And what do you please to think, my dear young lady ? Do be a little more communicative I Extremely handsome — is he not, /or a hoyf^"* " So you say." / " But I want your opinion." " You will want it, then." " There is no danger of your falling in love with him, I trust," sneered (irizzle. " I shall, if I choose." " Not much danger of your choosing to do so, I fancy," said Grizzle, with a contemptuous laugh. " What does our handsome English cousin think of him ? " « Ask him." " Perhaps I shall. I want to consult him also about Norma. Ilave you ever heard the name before, Jac- quetta?" " What would you give to know ? " " And be nothing the wiser," added Grizzle, with another low, sardonic laugh. " Short and sweet 1 I thought, perhaps. Captain Disbrowe might have men- tioned the name in his declaration of love. It is rather an unusual one." «Isit?" " Ask Master Jacinto what he thinks of it." " I shall leave that for you to do along with the rest." "Very well. I am equal to a Spanish boy, or any other emergency. Singular, is it not, that he should risk his life for a complete stranger he never saw before ? " " You say so." " And more singular still, that the Honorable Alfred Disbrowe should be stone-blind. What says the old song, Jacquetta ? ' What will not woman when she loves ! ' Take care Captain Disbrowe is not jealous." " Did you follow me here to moralize on love ? How jnuch longer am I to be kept here listening to this trash ? Are you near done ? " " I am done for the present. I will go when you give me the child." ** Can you not wait until to-morrow ? Is she to be taken ^ UNMASKED. 155 from her bed at this hour of the night to start on such a cold, weary journey ? " " Yes. It will teach her a lesson, the young imp. I will learn her what it is to run away from home when I get hold of her ! " " Dare to touch her — lay but one finger roughly on her, and, as Heaven hears me, I will go to (ireen Creek that very hour and tell the world what you arc, even if I should swing beside you I " There was something so appallingly fierce in the young girl's tone, in her bright, glittering eyes, and colorless face, that it cowed for the first time tLe she-fiend before her ; and muttering an inaudible something, she was silent. " You know what I came here for — you know the er- rand I have so often to perform — that I must perform be- fore I can return with you. Will you stay here, or do you choose to accompany me and look on your work ? " " No," said the woman, in a hoarse whisper. " Not in there — I cannot go ! I will stay here till you come back ; but be quick." With a look of scornful contempt, Jacquetta turned and left the room — passing in the direction whence the weird music still came. An instant after it ceased — not a sound was to be heard ; the silence of the grave reigned through the lonely room. Old Grizzle came over to- the window where Jacquetta h id stood and looked out, glancing now and then in some- thing like fear in the direction the other had gone, and then shrinking closer toward the light. Before ten minutes had elapsed, Jacquettci's light, quick, footstep was heard, and her voice broke the deep stillness, saying coldly : " I am ready — come now." Grizzle followed her across the room. There was the sound of a key turning in a rusty lock, then the door was closed and locked again, and the next instant Captain Alfred Disbrowe was alone in the desolate room. Hi m I' .;(.. } . , I ■■■{ ^l \ ' i ■ "^ i tl :,,.' \ 1 ^-- u ii ■ ■ ^:/^ml ■ 156 THE DARK SECRKT. CHAPTEU XIV. PRIDE AND PASSION. " I know not — I ask not "^ If guilt's in thy heart ; I but know that I love thee, Whatever thou art." —Moore. What Captain Disbrowe's feelings \^'ere while listening to the singular conversation hi his hiding-place, may be, to use the handy old phrase, " easier imagined than de- scribed." As he stepped out from his retreat, his face might have rivaled Jacquetta's own in its extreme pallor. And cer- tainly he had heard enough to make him even as cold and marble- like as he was now. To love Jack De Vere was bad enough, to love her while engaged to another was worse ; to love her know- ing her enveloped in some dark mystery of guilt or dis- grace, worst of all. And yet, strange perversity of passion, never had he loved her as he did at that moment. Standing there alone, his arms folded over his chest, motionless as a statue, her image rose before him " a «iancing shape, an image gay," radiant with youth and health, and happiness, and beauty ; bewildering, entrancing, intoxicating. There are some who never appear in full beauty until some strong passion of lov3, or hatred or anger rouses them to new life, and Jacquetta was one of them. He had seen her in a new phase to-night, as she stood there with blaz- ing eyes and scornful lips, her small, delicate figure drawn un to its full height, a little living flame of fire, and never had she looked so really beautiful. He had seen her often, ill her gay, sparkling moods and in her grave and angry ones, too ; but this — this was something new. So, nearly an hour he stood there so lost m thought, that he heeded not the flight of time. Jacquetta I Jac- quetta ! Jacquetta I was the cry of his heart still ; and in that moment he felt as if he could have taken her ia PRIDE AND PASSION. 157 his arms and shielded her aguinst all the world. Oiih truth was thrilling through his whole being in fierce shocks of joy. He loved Jacquetta — Jacquettii loved him ! From his trance — a trance every unfortunate lover has fallen into more than once — he awoke, at last, to the hard reality of being very cold ; and an unromantic vision of fevers, and agues, and rheumatic chills rising suddenly and unpleasantly before him, he turned to leave the un- comfortable old room. He paused a second to contem- plate, with intense feelings of interest and curiosity, the doors, one at either end of the room — that toward the left being the one into which Jacquetta had i)assed to still the weird music ; the other to the right being that which they had both entered last, and which he conjec- tured led to che inhabited parts of the nouse. Even had he desired to enter, he knew he could not, for Jacquetta had securely locked both ; so, giving them a parting glance, he ran down the stone stairs and passed out of the aperture by which he had entered. The hall-door remained as he had left it — proof posi- tive that neither Jacquetta nor her companion had entered the house by its roins. He softly locked it after him and then ascending the stairs, sought his room — not to sleep, but to pace up and down until morning should dawn. Another sensation of wonder besides that relating to Jacquetta filled his mind. He had heard them mention Norma — what knew they of her ? That both knew she had been his liege-lady while in England was evident ; and that he felt convinced was the reason why Jacquetta had so scornfully and indignantly rejected him. What if he should give up this high-born Jia?icee of his ? — what if he should offer to surrender wealth and rank, to brave the haughty anger of his relatives, and the scoffs and sneers of his aristocratic friends, all for her and love ? Surely such a proof of devotion must awaken some return in her flinty breast; surely, then, he could conquer the con- queress, make the fierce young lioness crouch, cowed and tame at his feet. But had he courage for such a sacrifice — was she worth it? Some day, and most probably soon. m t 1 '■ I- ■I 158 THE DARK SECRET. he would be Earl of Eaniecliffe and Baron of Guilford ; and did he not owe something to the world and his high position ? And more, did he not owe a great deal to this lady betrothed of his at home ? True, he remembered the engagement had been none of his making, but that of Earneclitt'e's and the lady's father, who wished to see the family united ; the former, because the lady was unex- ceptionable in beauty and family, and would have an im- mense dowry ; and the latter, because he wished his daughter, who, with all her wealth, was simply Miss Macdonald, to have a title and be a countess. But he himself had given a tacit consent. He had acquiesced nonchalantly enough when his brother informed him of it, and proceeded to woo the young lady, then a romantic school-girl, in true orthodox, gentlemanly fashion. He was, as he said himself, a poor devil of a younger brother, with expensive tastes and habits, and slightly extrava- gant, if the truth must be told ; and the income he de- rived from the earl was far inadequate to his expenses. True, he would be an earl himself some day, and one of the wealthiest peers of the realm ; but as he could not live on that hope, and as Earnecliffe, though suffering from a disease liable to carry him off at any moment, might still see fit to live a dozen years, he must have something to live on in the meantime. And Norma Macdonald's fortune was just the thing — her ten thousand a year would supply him with spending- money comfort- ably, pay his debts, keep him in pale ale and kid gloves, buy him a yacht at Cowes, let him own a horse at the Derby, and keep a dashing four-in-hand in town. It was just the thing for him — couldn't do better if he was to try ; which he was a great deal too indolent to do. So he closed with the offer and the lady at once. It was rather a bore to be obliged to mjike love to her, to be sure — to fan her, and attend her to the opera and turn over her music when she played ; but these were ne- cessary evils that every man had to suffer through, some time or other in his life, and he supposed he might as well make up his mind to be resigned, and begin at once. So he yawned, made himself fascinating, and set off to captivate Miss Norma Macdonald. And he succeeded to PRIDE AND PASSION. 159 perfection. MisH Nornui fell violently in love with him, then and there — as he came pretty near doing the same with her, too. Surpassingly lH«autiful she was — the most suiKjrb specimen of the superb sex lie had ever seen, even then, although she was not more than fifti»en years of age. Her beauty was of a rare and singular sort, with large, dark, lustrous eyes and golden hair, a snowy complexion, and the most perfect of hands and feet. Romantic an(l impulsive she was in the extreme, had read no end of novels, and was quite ready to love the tirst tolerably handsome young man who came in her way, from a dul.e to Jeames the footman. And Captain Dislnowe, tlio dashing, handsome, gallant young guardsman, was just the one to captivate a susceptible heart of fift(^en. She had heard stories of his iirhicely extravagance, of his wihl deeds, and the thousand and one scrapes he was con- stantly getting into; l)ut few young ladies are disposed to like a man the less for such a reputation. Norma Macdonald certainly was not. And never was a scape- grace better loved than was the handsome young ofticer by her. Ilis feelings toward her were an odd mixture. He was proud of her, that was certain: he knew she would one day be a star of the fi/st magnitude in the world of beauty and fashion ; that he would l)e envied by every man of his acquaintance Avhen she would enter society ; that she would make a sensation when presented at court; and would be an unrivaled Lady Earneclitt'e, and do the honors of Disbrowe Park entrancingly. And was not that enough ? He liked her well enough ; he must marry somebody, and she was just the thing, in every respect. She loved him, too, which was another consideration, although he knew very well she would have loved Tom Vane or Lord Austrey, his fast friends, just the same, if they had entered the list first. As it was, she loved him with her whole heart, and him only ; and being a little grateful, and a good deal proud, he felt, on the whole, perfectly satisfied with the arrangement. He did not love her, to be sure ; but though he had flirted from the age of eighteen, when he had taken moonlight rambles through old Fontelle with the daughter of his father's steward, he had never entertained a grande passion ^i % ' < h V i6o THE DARK SECRET. for anybody, and did not believe he was capable of it — did not desire any such thing, in fact ; it would be such a bore to be violently in love ! And so things were in this satis- factory state, and the course of true love was running as smooth as a mill-dam, when the young guardsman got a commission in a regiment ordered to Ireland, and led a gay life of it, for two rtr three years, alternately in that "beautiful city called Cork," and the capital of the Emerald Isle, while Miss Norma was inspiring her mind and kissing the miniature of her dashing lover within the consecrated walls of a fashionaMe boarding-school. Then he returned to England, to a v^oid the consequences of some tremendous scrape he had got into in Dublin, saw his chere amie, \/ho had grown a thousand times more beautiful than ever, and twice as much in love, from con- stantly thinking of her absent truant. Miss Korma's papa, and the Honorable Alfred's brother wished the marriage to take place on the young lady's nineteenth birthday ; and the young lady and gentleman being will- ing enough, settlements were made, and everything got ready for the important occasion. And meantime, by way of a change. Captain Disbrowe took it into his erratic head that a good way to kill time would be to visit America, and hunt up his mother's relatives, the De Veres — which he did to his cost, as the reader already knows. All these things were passing in review through his mind, now. He had come, he had seen, and intended to conquer, and had been conquered instead, and by a little, gray-ej^ed, red-haired girl, ten degrees less beautiful than Norma Macdonald, who loved him, and whom he did not love — though that alone might account for it. He had been so long accustomed to easy conquests, that this defiant, free-and-easy Jersey witch provoked, piqued and interested him. Between being interested in a young lady and falling in love with her, there is but a step ; and before the Honorable Alfred knew he had begun, he was already past praying for. That he could Gnt^viom a grande passion he found to his cost — that life without Jack De Vere would be a miserable affair, not worth having, he found, too. But whether she took the same view of the case with regard to him, he was at a loss to know. He PRIDE AND PASSION. i6i 1 ti 1 would have given worlds to know how she discovered the secret of his engagement to Norma ; for he was positive Earnecliffe had never told them, and he was equally posi- tive that both she and old Grizzle Howlet knew of it. There was no accounting for it, except by the fact that one or both was a witch ; and looking up at the smiling, mock- ing face on the wall, he felt half inclined to believe that Jacquetta was one. What between pacing up and down his room for three mortal hours, and thinking with all liis might. Captain Disbrowe succeeded in working himself up to a pretty high state of excitement at last. lie vv^as between the horns of a dilemma ; he could not tell what to do. One moment, he resolved to cast wealth, and rank, and the world's opinion to the winds, and give up all for Jac(iuetta. The next, the terrible thought of " what will ]\Irs. Grundy say " staggered him ; for though, in all probability. Cap- tain Disbrowe had never heard of the lady, he dreaded her quite as much as you do, my dearest reader. How could he brave the anger of i.ord Earnecliffe, and the haughty amaze and disdain of his wife. Lady Margaret, one of the proudest women he had ever known ? If she were really a De Yere, which her looks and the strange conver- sation he had overheard seemed to contradict, she was his equal, at least, in birth ; but how dare he — one of those mistakes of Nature, a younger brother — poor as a church- mouse, think for a moment of indulging in the luxury of marrying a penniless girl, simply because he was absurd enough to love her ? Why, all London would laugh at him ; and there is nothing a true-born Briton cannot stand, except being laughed at. And Norma — how was he to face her, when there was even a remote possibility of her dy- ing of a broken heart, and a still greater possibility of her father, a regular Scotch fire-eater, following him over the world, from the Pyramids of Egypt to the wilds of New Jersey, to blow his brains out ? And at that moment he half- wished some kind friend — Captain Tempest, for in- stance — would perform that act of mercy, if only to keep him from going distracted in his dilemma ! There was another annoying little thought that would persist in in- truding itself, too ; if Jacquetta was not a De Vere, who ^<, i i t 1^ < k ; I' ,1 , i'l'jf i! 1 62 THE DARK SECRET. M was she ? what was she ? Like all the rest, it was a question easier asked than answered, and like the rest, in- tensely disagreeable ; but in the face of everything, one conviction was ever uppermost — that he loved Jacquetta as he never had loved before — never could love again. " If I were Ned Brown, of the Guards, with his eight thousand a year, I would marry her to-morrow," was his concluding exclamation. " What a deuce of a thing it is for a man to be tied up hand and foot, as I am, and not able to budge an inch to the right or left ! Confound all aristocratic high and mighty relations, I say ! and may the demon fly away with all match-making friends, for- evermore 1 Amen. Oh, Jacquetta ! I wish to Heaven I had tied a mill-stone to my neck and jumped into the Serpentine, the day I first took a notion to come to Amer- ica. And I wish Miss Norma Macdonald and the noble earl of Earnecliffe were in — Coventry ! I do ! " With this charitable apostrophe, Captain Disbrowe, becoming suddenly aware that the breakfast-bell had rung, went down-stairs, and encountered the object of all his thoughts and perplexity crossing the hall, laughing merrily with Jacinto, and looking bright, saucy and piquant as ever. Gayly saluting him, she fixed her eyes on his face, and exclaimed : " Why, cousin Alf, what's the matter ? You look as if you had seen a ghost last night, or had an attack of the nightmare ! Just look at him, Jacinto I What has hap- pened, my dear cousin?" " Nothing much. I have had bad dreams." " And bad dreams have been powerful enough to give that look to the face of the most high, puissant, and illustrious Captain Disbrowe ? Whew ? What were they about, cousin Alfred ? I am a regular female edition of Joseph for interpreting dreams." " Well, they were of — you." « Indeed ! Dear me, how flattered I feel I And what did you dream of me, coz ? " " That you and somebody else were plotting to be the death of me." « Possible ? I shouldn't wonder if it came true, too I Who was the other?" PRIDE AND PASSION. 163 He fixed his eyes keenly on her face. " Old Grizzle Howlet ! " She started with a shock, and looked at him. He had expected she would, and met her gaze carelessly. "Indeed I indeed!^'' she said, sharply. "Perhaps you also dreamed where this meeting took place ? " " Certainly. When I do dream, I always pay attention to it, and omit no detail. It was somewhere in an old, deserted room, I believe." " Ah I " she said, with a paling cheek, and a rising fire in her eye. " Perhaps you can also tell me what we said?" There was something so sharp, suspicious, and angry, in her tone, that Jacinto looked at her in extreme sur- prise. " Why, Jacquetta I " he exclaimed. v Disbrowe's face flushed, and his eye flashed with a jealous fire. To hear this handsome boy call her Jac- quetta so fcimiliarly, to watch her as she leaned on his arm, as she had never consented to do on his, was galling in the extreme. " What did we say ? " repeated Jacquetta, imperiously. " Really, Miss Jacquetta," he said, half- coldly, " one would think I was describing a reality instead of a dream. How can I tell what you said ? Who can remember what is said in a dream ?" " Such a remarkable dream ! you surely can," she said — two red spots, that only anger or deep excitement could ever call there, burning in either cheek. " No ; I cannot. And I do not see anything remark- able in your meeting the old lady," he said, in an indif- ferent tone. " Nor in our plotting to murder you — stranger things have happened. Are you sure you locked your chamber- door last night on retiring. Captain Disbrowe ? " " A singular question ; but, yes, I rather think I did." " And you are not given to walking in your sleep, occa- sionally ? " "In my sleep? No, never." And he looked at her with a peculiar smile. Jacinto laughed. ^i^ i ^1 i«sJ'»';| ' 1 i-\ \V ife '< 164 THE DARK SECRET. " Really, Jacquetta, one would think you were cross- examining him as if he were on trial for shoplifting. I shall be careful how I tell you what I dream." Jacquetta, with her eyes fixed on Disbrowe's face, and a strange glitter in their lustrous depths, drew a long, hard breath, and said nothing. His eyes were fixed curiously on Jacinto — that laugh ! surely it was not the first time he had heard it. Jacinto noticed his look, and colored slightly through his brown skin. "Well," he said, half -annoyed, half-laughing, "is it my turn next ? " " Do you know," said Disbrowe, " I have the strangest idea that I have seen you somewhere before. But for your foreign accent, and your dark hair and complexioUj I could swear you were — " " Who ? " said Jacinto, as he paused. " You will laugh, but a lady I knew in England. You reminded me of her from the first, in some odd, unaccount- able way, and your laugh — if I had not looked at you that time I could swear it was — " " Norma I " laughed Jacquetta. " By Jove ! you've hit it ! But what do you know of Norma?" « "I had a dream," said Jacquetta, with a malicious twinkle of her eye. " I dreamed Captain Disbrowe was to be married to a certain Miss Norma Macdonald when she would attain her nineteenth birthday, and that he only came to America to kill time during the tedious interval. Ahem I You see others can dream besides you, my good cousin." Disbrowe stood fairly dumb with amazement, and his color came and went. Jacquetta's wicked eyes sparkled with triumph. "I say I" called Frank, at this interesting juncture, thrusting out his head, through the parlor door, " do you mean to come to breakfast to-day, or are we all to starve in here, while you three talk scandal out there ? " " We weren't talking scandal, Frank, dear," said Jac- quetta. " Captain Disbrowe and I were merely relating two singular dreams we had last night." "Oh I you were — were you?" growled Frank. "A PRIDE AND PASSION. 165 u pretty way that to spend the morning, and keep respect- able Christians that don't believe in such heathenish things as dreams fasting in here, till they feel ravenous enough to eat a Quaker's grandmother. I'm surprised at you, Captain Disbrowe ! " said Frank, thrusting his hands in his pockets, and sper^king in a tone of grave rebuke, "a young person that's had your broughten up, to believe in such superstition, which corrupts the mind, debases the constitution, undermines the morals, defiles the heart — there ! come to breakfast ! " " Defiles the heart — come to breakfast ! A pretty brace of subjects to string together," said Jacquetta. " Come, cousin Alf, it won't do, j^ou pc^rceive, to keep this hungry cousin of ours waiting any longer." She passed her arm through Jacinto's, and went in, fol- lowed by Captain Disbrowe. If ever man was " taken aback," whatever that means, the Honorable Alfred was that man, at that moment ; and if ever a man was in a fair way to be madly jealous, it was he likewise. It would have been a comfort to have taken this provokingly handsome, dark-eyed young foreigner, and pitched him neck and crop out of the front door ; but even that small consolfition was denied him. And in a frame of mind the reverse of seraphic, he took his place at the breakfast- table. « Why, Jack ! — I say Jack ! where's little Orrie How- let?" inquired Frank, in surprise. " Gone," said Jacquetta, curtly. " Gone 1 " echoed the young gentleman. " Where ? " '' Home — to the inn ! " " Home ! Go away ! she couldn't go so early I " " Has she really gone. Jack ? " said Mr. De Vere, in surprise. "Yes, sir." " Why, when did she go ? " Late last night — just before I retired. Old Grizzle came after her. Was that part of your dream, Cousin ? " Disbrowe smiled, and bowed slightly. '* Oh, she did— did she ? " said Frank. « How did O e like that ? " " She didn't like it at all. She would have preferred VI ! I ! . \. '. m ■t4t r 1 66 THE DARK SECPET. remaining until morning, and being escorted home by Captain Disbrowe, for whom n\ie las evidently conceived a rash and inordinate attachment." " Which I hope you return, Alfred," said Mr. De Vere, smiling. " Certainly, sir. You don't think I could be ungallant enough to refuse so slight a favor to a yoang lady." "And so you make a point of loving every girl who chooses to take a fancy to you." "Undoubtedly!" " Really, now ! how excessively kind of you ! " exclaimed Jacquetta. " And how many girls have the good taste to love you annually. Captain Disbrowe ? " " I regret I cannot tell you — I never was a proficient in complex arithmetic." " Poor little Orrie ! " said Frank. " It was a shame to take her off. I wonder she went at all." '< Unfortunately she had no choice in the matter. But don't distress yourself, Francis, my son, she wasn't at all anxious about you ; but was in the deepest distress at be- ing forced away without seeing our lady-killing cousin here. In fact, we had some difficulty in persuading her to go without paying a visit to his room, to give him a parting embrace ; but our combined eloquence prevailed on her at last." " Why did you not allow her ? I should have been glad to see my little friend before she left," said Captain Dis- browe. " You were dreaming about that time," said Jacquetta, dryly. " And I rather fancy if she had entered, she would have found an empty cage. Had you not better ride over to-day and return her visit ? " " Very likely I shall — if I can prevail on you to be my body-guard on that occasion. Remember you told me once, how dangerous it was for me to ride out unprotect- ed in these savage regions." « Poor child 1 so it is ! Why, there is no telling but some tremendous New Jersey female might spring out from behind a tree, and unable, like all the rest of her sex, to resist the irresistible Captain Disbrowe, bear him off in his helpless innocence to— Oh 1 I tremble for you, PRIDE AND PASSION. 167 •J cousin ! Think what your anxious brother would say when he heard of it ? " " Tiien to prevent such a terrific climax, will you con- sent to accompany and take care of me ? " " Well, there it is. I am sorry to disappoint you, but I should be a great deal more sorry to disappoint myself. Should be released to oblige you, cousin Alf, but you per- ceive I can't." « Why not ? " " Well, I've got a previous and more pleasant engage- ment." " Can you not break it ? Make an act of self-denial, and come with me ! " " Oh, I couldn't think of such a thing — could I, Jacinto ? " Jacinto smiled, and was silent. " Oh, if your engagement is with him — " began Dis- browe, coldly. " That's it, you see it would be impossible to break one made with him. And he has promised to teach me Spanish ; and we have got already as far as the verb to love!'' " With such a teacher it cannot have taken you long to reach that most interesting of all verbs," laughed Mr. De Yere. Disbrowe's face had assumed a look of cold hauteur, and Jacquetta's eyes sparkled maliciously. A wicked reply was on her lips ; b'^.t before she could speak, a sudden and most unexpected sound froze the words she would have uttered. A low, soft strain of music, subdued and distant, yet perfectly clear and sweet, fell on the ears of all — that music Disbrowe so well knew. In an instiint Jacquetta was on her feet, deathly white, and with her hands clasped convulsively over her heart. Mr. De Vere, too, arose in consternation ; and even Au- gusta, who had hitherto sat silent and stony, stood up, in evident agitation. Had a grenade suddenly exploded at their feet, it could not have produced a more instantane- ous cliange than that low, sweet, plaintive strain. And Disbrowe saw — himself agitfited, though he could scarce- ly tell why — that the eyes of her father and sister turned I) i \ I,* '. nil. V .-1 I ir' 1V I. »1 • II i68 THE DARK SECRET. i on Jacquetta, in mingled terror and pity, as if she were the one most concerned. There was an instant's silence, and then it arose again in a long, wailing sort of cry, dying out faint and sad. Without a word, Jacquetta started to leave the room. " Jacquetta, my dear girl, do you think had I not bet- ter accompany you ? " said Mr. I)e Vere, turning his agi- tated face toward her. " No, no — I will go myself — remain where you are," she said, in a voice s^ like ^ lat of last night, that her im- a,'j:8 rose again before i >j owe, as he had seen her then standing, white and osiiji, like a devouring flame, in the cold moonlight. She was gone in an instant, and Mr. De Yere and Au- gusta resumed their seats, still so strangely and strongly agitattKl, and listening intently to catch every sound. Disbrowe looked resolutely in his plate to avoid meeting the eye of Frank ; and the young Spaniard looked the intense wonder he did not venture to speak. A long and embarrassing pause ensued — broken at last by Mr. De Vere, who asked, with an apparent effort, some trivial question of Disbrowe. The young guards- man responded ; and seeing the evident distress of his uncle, strove to sustain the conversation, in which he was joined, for the first time, by Augusta, who seemed roused from her petrified state by the singular sound. It was a relief to all when the meal was over. Mr. De Vere and his daughter immediately quitted the room, Jacinto sat on a low stool, and began drawing the ears of Jacquetta's fierce dog through his fingers. Frank, with his hands in his pockets, and an uneasy look in his eyes, went whistling up and down the room ; and Disbrowe stood like a tall, dark statue at one of the windows — his arms folded over his breast, and an unusual look of dark gloom on his handsome face. Jacinto and Frank cast fur- tive glances toward him, and at last the latter spoke ; " I say, cousin Alfred." " Well? " was the brief response. " What a singular affair that ! — wasn't it ? " « What ? " " Oh, bother ! You know well enough ! The music I " PRIDE AND PASSION. 169 •e n I. There was no response. " Never knew it to happen before, and I've been here since I was the size of that." And Master Frank held liis hand about three inches from the ground. " \'cry odd ! — ex- cessively so ! " " Where did it come from ? " asked Jacinto. " Oh ! from around somewhere," said Frank, giving himself an uneasy shriig. " It wasn't anything, you know ! " Jacinto smiled slightly, and returned to caressing the dog. Disbrowe turned round, and even the sight of the young Spaniard on such good terms with her favorite dog brought an irritated flush to his ))row. "I think of riding out this morning," he t. id. Frank. ** What do you say to coming with me ? " Frank, who had his own notions of hosp' aitv, hesitated a moment and glanced at Jacinto. Disbruwx '..w the look, and said, haughtily : " I beg your pardon — I forgot. It will i: L j necessary." And he turned to leave. " If Jacinto would come with us, " said Frank, doubtfully. " Oh ! go with him. Don't mind me ; I will do very well," said Jacinto, cordially. "^ " By no means," interposed Disbrowe, hurriedly. " Frank shall not commit such a breach of hospitality on my ac- count. I will go alone." Five minutes later, and he was in the saddle and away. Thinking of Jacquetta, and trying in vain to solve the rid- dle that perplexed him, he rode rapidly on, resolved to see little Orrie before he returned. It was three hours nearly before the inn came in sight : and he remembered, with a strange mingling of feelings, the last night he had spent there. It was a gloomy-look- ing place — almost as foreboding in aspect as its mistress. " I wonder what the dear old lady will think of this morning call from me ? " soliloquized Disbrowe. " I fancy she will be surprised — rather I If anybody had told me, six months ago, when I thought it a bore to trot through Rotten Row of a sunshiny morning, I would take, to-day a gallop of over thirty mi and all to see a little elf from goblin land — ^well, to dra" ^^ mild, I should say it was a D:8 ' I 1 u- » s^t r\ !|i III iii ill! 170 THE DARK SECRET. confounded lie ! It must be something in the air, I think ; or some of the dreadful eh^rgy of the natives of this new land has been, by some mysterious means, instilled into me. T wish Columbus and all his men had been scalped and devoured by the Indians the day he was so officious as to begin discovering continents, anyway 1 " And with this second charitable wish, he sprung from his horse, and had raised his whip to knock at the door, when a scream of delight greeted his ear ; and the next instant a x)air of arms were around his neck, and little Orrie herself was kissing and clinging to him like a hu- man crab. " Oh, I knew you'd come ! T knew you would 1 And I'm so glad ! " she exclaimed, in tones of breathless de- lij^ht. " I've been waiting for you all the morning. Why didn't you come earlier ! " " Well, unless I had started in the middle of the night, I don't see how I could I " " I came in the middle of the night — did you know it ? " "Yes." " Oh, Miss Jack told you. I wanted to see you, but Miss Jack wouldn't let me." "What did she say?" " Why, that you were asleep, and it would not look well to go and awaken you. And then she said she would tell you to come and see me to-day. Were you sorry when she said I was gone ? " » '• Very. Orrie lowered her voice, and pointed to the house. " It wasn't my fault, you know ; she came for me, and T didn't want to go. But then, it's just like her. She's a horrid, ugly old thing, everyway you can fix it 1 " " You little virago ! did she make you walk ? " " Walk ? " said Orrie, breaking into her short, shrill laugh. "I guess not! We rid-a-horseback — on old Dob- bin, you know. Are you going in ? " " No, I think not. I am not particularly anxious to see the dear old soul ! I came to see you." " Did you ? — that's so nice ! And, oh, I do love you better than anybody else in the world ! " cried Orrie, with another of her impulsive hugs and kisses. A !|' PRIDE AND PAvSSION. 171 " Thank you. I'm very much ohhged ; hut, at the same time, I had rather not hv, strangh^d outright with these dreadful Uttle arms of yours. Did she beat you when she got you home ? " "No; Old Nick was hero, and ho wouldn't let her. Only for him, I guess I'd have caught it ! " said Orrie, with a (ihuckle. " Ah I is he there now ? " " No ; he and Kit and 151aize went away this morning. Do you know," said Orrie, lowering her voice again, " they were talking about you when I arrived ? " « Were tliey ? What did they say ? " " Well, you know, I couldn't hear very well — I wasn't in the room, but listening at the door." " Oh ! a very conmiendable practice, which you ought to cultivate while you are young, as I fancy you have a talent that way. And they were taking my name in vain, were tliey ? " " They were talking about you ! " said Orrie, looking a little puzzled, for one-half of the young gentleman's speeches were Greek to her or tliereabouts ; " and Captiiin Nick said he would kill you, if he was to swing for it the next moment. What did he mean Ijy that V " " Never mind I You will find out, probably, by experi- ence, one of these days, if you live much longer with this amiable old lady of yours. What else did they say ? " " Why, old Grizzle laughed at hhn, and said she despised his notions of revenge. That killing was no good — or something like that — and that she knew a way to fix you off a thousand times worse ! " " Dear old soul ! " said Disbrowe, apostrophizing her in a low voice. "What a blessed old lady she is, to be sure ! " " Then I heard old Nick ask her how ; and she said to come to-morrow night — that's to-night, you know," said Orrie — " and she would tell him. And he wanted her to tell him then ; and she got cross, and said she would not. And I heard her tell him another thing, too ! " added the little one, suddenly — " something al)out Miss Jack." " You did, eh ? What was it, magpie ? " " Why, that she was going to kill two birds with one I-.. V i •I •■■: r: f mi ,\ IP » 1 r^ 172 THE DARK SECRET. stone — you and her. So you and Miss Jack had better look out 1 " »* Thank you. What particular virtue is there in look- ing out ? " " Now, don't be funny," said Orrie, impatiently. " I should think you ought to be scared to death. I should, I know." " Well, I am too. What else did you hear ? " "Well — nothing else," said Orrie, reluctantly. "Old Grizzle jerked the door open before I knew it, and caught me there, and boxed my ears and sent me to bed. And that's all." " And enough too, I think. I wish you could twist your- self into some corner and hear what precious revelations they will make to-night." " Eh ? " said Orrie. " Oh, nothing 1 If you hear anything more, will you let me know ? " " Well, it's such a long piece to go to Fontelle," said Orrie, hesitatingly. " And old Grizzle does get so mad — though I don't care for that much — that — " " Oh I I do not wish you to travel to Fontelle, my dear child," said Captain Disbrowe, smiling at her troubled little face. " Perhaps I may ride over again to-morrow and see you." "Will you? Oh, how nice I And ain*t Fontelle a beautiful place with such lovely big rooms, and nice pic- tures, and carpets, and splendid soft beds ? Oh I I wish I lived there 1 " said Orrie, with sparkling eyes. " Upon my honor I wish you did. Firefly 1 Perhaps you may some day. Shall I tell you how ? " " Yes I " said Orrie, eagerly. " Then make Frank fall in love with you, and get mar- ried to him ! " laughed Disbrowe. Orrie put her finger on her lip, perched her head on one side, bird fashion, and lookc I reflective. " Do you think I could ? " she said, searchingly. " Could what ? '* said Disbrowe. "Go to live there if I got married to him?" said Orrie. Disbrowe laughed, and nodded. PRIDE AND PASSION. X73 "Then I will ! " said Orrie, decidedly. " Will marry him ? " Haid Disbrowe, utill laughing. " Yes ! " said Orrie, soberly ; " I shall. I'll ask him about it the next time I see him. Will yju live there, too ? " "No; I am afraid not. I must go home shortly." " Where is your home ? " " Oh I away over the sea — far away." Orrie's countenance fell. "I shan't like it, then. I had rather go with you. Couldn't I marry you, and go there too ? " Disbrowe laughed heartily. " What are you laugaing at ! " said Orrie, shari^ly. " I don't seo any thing to laugh at I Perhaps you are l, ' a lady In the case.'" Disbrowe bowed ; and a faint red tinged liis cheek. " Indeed ! who is she, Alfred ? " "Miss Norma Macdonald. You remomber the Mac- donalds of Castle Hill, Inverness. Her lather is of that ilk." " I knew them — yes. There were two brothers — Angus and Randall. And a wild scapegrace Randall was — in- ordinately fond of 'women and Avine.' Which is her father?" " Randall Macdonald. He is a reformed ' haracter now. His elder brother died, and all the property fell to him. . i f i 'I i8o THE DARK SECRET. He was abroad at the time, and only returned upon the death of his brother — a widower, then, with his only daughter, at the time five years old." " Does he live at Castle Hill? " " No ; he bought a magnificent estate in Derbyshire, and has lived there ever since I can remember. I fancy he found the old manor rather dull and gloomy, and so preferred England." " And so you are engaged to be married to her ? " " Yes, sir, I believe I am," said Disbrowe, carelessly. "Is she handsome?" " More — she is beautiful." " Of course. Was there ever a lover thought other- wise ? Well, she comes of a good family. Xo better- - good old Scotch blood flowing in her veins. Who was her mother ? " " Can't say. A foreign lady, I believe. Indeed, if I am not greatly mistaken, she was an American. Mr. Macdoriald, I know, was in America for some time, and, from several slight things, I more than once susjjected she was a native oi this new country. He never alluded to the subject himself. I never heard 'Am speak of his wife in my life." " Humph I that's odd. Perhaps — but no matter. When are you to be married ? " " When Miss Macdonald att;iins her nineteenth birth- day." " And when Avill that ]>lessed time be ? " " Sometime next November, I believe." " You believe ! You're a pretty lover ! Of course, you are all impatience till the time comes ! " " Of course ! " was the dry answer. Mr. De Yere locked at him with a queer smile. «Is she rich?" " Very — worth ten thousand a year." " Which, with the barony of Guilford, and the earldom of Earnecliffe, will be nearly a hundred thousand. Do you know you will be one of the richest peers in England one of these days, Alfred ? " " 1 need it. I am poor enough now." " I suppose Earneciiffe gives you a liberal allowance." A QUEEN UNCROWNED. i8r " Does he ? Something like two thousand a year ; and "w^hat is thai to me — and with the set I move among, too ? " said Disbrowe, contemptuously. " Many a man could subsist pretty easily on that sum,'* said his uncle, drily. " My yearly income does not exceed it." Disbrowe stared. " My dear uncle, I thought you were rich.'' " Well, I am, too — as rich as I want to be." Captain Disbrowe felt a strong inclination to whistle ; but he didn't. " My dear boy, will you let your old uncle ask you a question, without being offended ? " " Certainly, sir. Ask as many as you please." " Then, was it you or Lord Earnecliffe brought about this engagement?" « Earnecliffe." " Ah ! indeed ! Do you love her, Alfred ? " "No, sir ! " said the young man, coldly. " My dear boy ! " " My dear uncle ! " And Disbrowe positively laughed in his uncle's grave face. " But, really, this is — oh, Alfred ! this marrying with- out love is a wretched piece of business ! I do not ap- prove of it at all." " My dear uncle, who would expect to find you senti- mental ? " " Sentimental ! " said Mr. De Vere, almost angrily. " I am not sentimental. Does she love you ? " An expression almost like remorse crept over the hand- some young face. " I tliink so — T believe so ! It is more than I deserve fro m her ! " w Po girl ! You will be goo(^ to her, Alfred ? " " I will try to be, sir." " I do not like these marriages ae concenance — they are obsolete in this age of improvement. I wonder you should consent tx> such an arrangement, Alfred." " My dear sir, what would you have ? I can't do better. She is everything lean desire. I like her well enough j I,; I I n I82 THE DARK SECRET. m 'i!r i she loves me, with all my faults ; and we will get along very well together." " Did you ever love any one, Alfred ? " " It is late to ask that question. Of course, like every other young man, I have been in love scores of times. It is like the measles and whooping-cough — we must suffer through such attacks." " If you like no other woman better than her, you may do well enough ; but if — do you like any one better, my dear boy ? " Disbrowe was silent ; but his cheek flushed. "'I^'^ence gives consent.' Will you not tell your old uncle, Alfred?" " You had bettt^ not ask that question, sir." " I am your friend, Disbrowe." " I know it, sir ; and for that reason I would not tell you." "Alfred!" The young man sprung from his chair, and began pac- ing violently up and down the room. Mr. De Yere looked at him in something like dismay. " Lord bless me ! It can't be possible you know ! " "What, sir?" " That you have gone and fallen in love with — " " Well ? " said Disbrowe, alm^^st fiercely. " Augusta ! ' exclaimed Mr. De Yere. " No, sir ! " said Disbrowe. " Make your nmid easy on that point. My cousin Augusta is up among the stars — too high above my reach. It happens to be some one nearer the earth." " Oh ! " said Mr. De Yere, looking relieved. " I thought, by your mami'iS', it was some one here ; and, as Augusta is the only one — " " The onli/ one ! You forget you have another daugh- ter ! " " What ! Good Heavens ! " exclaimed his uncle, in per- fect horror. " It is not possible that you love — " " Jacquetta De Yere ! Yes, sir ; I do, with all my heart and soul ! " fiercely, passionately, exclaimed Dis- browe. . Mr. De Yere fell back, perfectly speechless, in his chair. A QUEEN UNCROWNED. 183 " Yes ; I love her so well that I would niarry her to- morrow, if I c(>uld ! " " My dear Alfred, this is — this is — horrible ! " gasped Mr. De Vere. "What! is it such an unheard of thing, that a man being engaged to one, loves another ! " " No ; it is not that. You do not know. Good Heavens I if you only did ! " cried Mr. De Vere, perfectly aghast. " Know what, sir? " " Oil, I can't tell you — I can't tell you ! My dear boy, this is the most unheard of — the most shocking — why, I thought you couldn't endure one another — you were al- ways quarreling." "That could not prevent me from loving her." " Bless my soul ! Did ever anybody hear anything like this ! Why, it's dreadful — it's monstrous — it's — it's — I'm astounded, Captain Disbrowe ! Love Jacquetta ? Why, it's perfectly awful ! " Disbrowe stopped, and looked at him in amazement. " I never heard the like — I never did — in all my life I I couldn't have believed such a thing ! " went on Mr. De Vere, in a perfect ecstasy of dismay. " Uncle, there is some mystery in this. What crime have I committed, in loving my cousin, beyond my breach of faith to Norma ? Would it not have been as bad had I loved Augusta ? " " Loved Augusta ! You're crazy, young man ? Of course, it wouldn't I Why, that would be nothing ! But to love Jack — oh, it's — it's terrific!^'' " Really, uncle," said Disbrowe, coldly, " this is very singular, to say the least. Miss Jacquetta appears to be a sort of human Koh-i-noor — a female mysterious princess, whom it is high treason to look at. /do not see any thing at all terrific about the business." "Oh, you don't know — you don't know. Good gra- cious ! if you did! Does Jacquetta know this?" « Yes, sir." " She does ! My dear boy, what did she say ? " " Say ? She said so much that I would find it difficult to tell you. I know she got into a towering passion, and told me I had insulted her— which was far enough from ' ; II ili I .1 v I i Ji !l ^ ! ■ , ♦. li^ I 51' k ti 1 84 ■ THE DARK SECRET. ilS; 1 i 1 11 my thoughts, Heaven knows I One thing you may set your mind at rest about — she doesn't care two coppers for me." " Heavens be praised for that ! " l)isbr()W(; stopped in his excited walk, and looked at lilni, as well he might. I>[r. De Vere liad recovered from his first paroxysm of horror and astonishment, and was growing calm. " This is a most unfortunate att'air — dreadfully unfor- tunate — the worst thing that could possibly happen I and I am very sorry for you, my dear boy. Yes ; you nmst go — there is no help for it ; but you must return again, sometime — when you are married! " A strange sort of smile flickered around Disbrowe's handsome mouth ; but his only reply was a slight bow. " Does she — Jacquetta I mean — know you are going to- morrow ? " " Xo sir." « Will you tell her ? " " ^fost assuredly, sir ! " said Disbrowe, haughtily. *' You do not suppose I am going to steal off without bid- ding her good-by. I shall see her to-morrow." " My dear Alfred, I am very sorry, and I know you feel this deeply ; but believe me, Jacquetta feels it just as much as you can possibly do." Disbrowe thought of the scene in Jacinto's chamber, and again that bitter, mocking smile came over his face. " You must try to forget her ; you must try to be hi^ppy ; you must love your bride. Will you, Alfred ? " " I will try." " Ood bless you, my dear boy ! I could find it in my heart to keep you here forever, when you look at me with your dead mother's eyes. And so you go to-morrcw ? " " Yes, sir ; I will leave here for New York, and from there, in a day or two, will start for — " " Merrie England ! The dear old land that I long to see again." " I hope to see you at Fontelle Park, sir — old Fontelle," said Disbrowe, with a smile. " Perhaps I may. When you are married, I will bring Augusta, and come over to see you." A QUKEN UNCROWNED. 185 « Do so, my dear uncle ; juid, wliether married or single, you will always be welcomed with a true heart to ilie old home of the De Veres." " I know it. Give my love to Earneclitt'e and Lady Margaret. I sui)pose you will be Imsy for the rest of the evening ; vso I will not detain you." Disbrowe left the library, and sought his o^\^l room, to arrange his affairs l)cfore starting. It oc{'U])ied him mitil the supper-bell rung : and then he descended the stiiirs with a small pain at his heart, as he thought it was the last time, in all probability, he should ever hear it. >^ either Jacinto nor Jacquetta appeared, and he was glad of it. He could not bear the sight of either very well just then ; and yet he would not for worlds have gone away witliout seeing the latter. He loolced forward to that last meeting with something of the same feeling Avherewith a criminal led to execution might look his last at the bright sun, and beautiful sky and smiling earth, knowing he would never look upon them in the world again. Frank was loud in his lamentation, and Augusta looked her regret at losing her cousin ; but Disbrowe sat and listened with a strange, relentless feeling at his heart, for " Ever close and near A lady's voice was in his ear." And all the evening he watched the door with feverish impatience for her coming, starting whenever it opened, and sinking back with a sickening feeling of disappoint- ment when she came not. The clock struck eleven before his uncle and cousin left the drawing-room that evening ; and he found him- self alone with his own thoughts — angry and disap- pointed, in spite of himself, at her absence. AVhat if he should not see her at all before he left? He strove to persuade himself that he did not care — that slie was nothing to him ; he thought of her as he had seen her last ; but all would not do. The thouglit that it was the very last time, perhaps, he should ever see her, softened his feelings. She rose before him bright and radiant, as he had first seen her, standing in the golden. ■i' l| J. 1 ■■1 I I I ■ >l IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 itt Uk 12.2 ^ 1^ 12.0 U& IIIIL25 1.4 ||.6 ^ 6" ► Photographic Sdences Corporation m .§\^ <^ 4 i\ 23 WIST MAIN STRIET WEBSTH.N.Y. MftO (716)«72-4S03 '^ •!' i86 THE DARK SECRET. glory of the bright morning sunshine ; and he could re- member nothing but that he loved her with all his lieart, and was about to lose her forever. With something like a groan, he sat down by the table, and dropped his head on his arm ; and for more than an hour he sat there, as still and motionless as if death had stiJled forever that impulsive heart. Proud he had been called, and proud he was, too ; but he felt humble enough now. Dear reader, you may think him inconsistent; and perliaps he was. Ikit just remember the time you were in love yourself, and had to bid Sarah Jane or Mary Ann good-l)y ; and, although you were madly jealous of her and that ferociously good-looking whiskered jacknapes she had flirted with last, how dreadfully bad you felt about it, and how ready you were to forgive her all, and lay your head in her mousseline ile laine bosom and groan out all your love ai d repentance. And lovers and lunatics are not to be held accountable for what they say and do, as sane people like you and I are ; and so poor Alfred Disbrowe thought, and nobody contradicted him ; but, in spite of his prospective coronet, and hundred thousand a year, he was the most miserable, forlorn young Briton in existence. He took no heed of passing time, as he lay there ; he onl}?^ remembered that it was the last night he was to pass under the same roof with Jacquetta and that thought brought with it the bitterness of death. So he lay, perfectly motionless, and so dead to all outer th.ngs, that he heard not the door softly open, nor saw the light, delicate figure that stood in the doorway. It was Jacquetta, paler, perhaps, than usual, but with a cold, proud look on her face, and the defiant fire still smoldering in her dark eye, ready to blaze up again at one haughty ivord or supercilious tone. There was that in her look, half-shyness, half defiance, such as shines through the wild eyes of half-tamed animals; but it softened as it fell on that prostrate figure and young, grief- bowed head. A pang smote her heart at the sight. There was something so forlorn and sorrowful in his attitude — so touching to see in one so proud. She could i ! A QUEEN UNCROWNED. 187 forget his taunts and bitter words, and remember, with a still, softening heart, that she was the cause, and that on the morrow he was going away never to come back. She came over, and one little white hand fell softly and tenderly among the neglected locks of his rich brown hair. " Dear Alfred ! " she said, gently. He looked up, and the last trace of her anger faded away at the sight of his grieved face and sad, reproachful eyes. " Oh, Jacquetta ! have you come at last ? " "Yes ; to bid you good-by." " You know, then, I am going away ? " « Yes." " And you are glad, no doubt," he said, with some of his old bitterness. " We will not quarrel again, cousin Alfred, if you please. We have had enough of that for one while. Let us part friends." " Friends we never can be, Jacquetta ! " "I am sorry for it," she said, sadly. " Something far more or something far less we must be to one another. As cousins we may part — never as friends." " You will think differently by-and-by ; you are angry now." "Oh, Jacquetta ! I wish to Heaven I had rcver come here ! " he cried, vehemently. " It is useless wishing that now. It might have been better for each of us if you never had ; but what will be will be." " Oh, Jacquetta ! is it too late yet ? I will give up every thing for you ! Perish wealth and rank, when put in com- petition with this dear hand ! " " Enough, cousin Alfred. You are raving again. You say we cannot part friends ; we will go to the other ex- treme and i)art enemies, if you keep on like this. Be- tween you and Jacquetta De Vere lies a gulf as wide as that between Lazarus and Dives, and ^ust as impassable. I will not see you to-morrow ; so I have come to bid you good-by and God-speed to-night." f •••H .11: 'V. I- f '■ ■ JIS 1. '^i-a Ik i88 THE DARK SECRET. She held out her hand with a faint smile. He took it, and dropped his hot forehead on the cool, white palm. " And it all ends here, Jacquetta." "Yes. Is it not a better ending than that Grizzle Howlet prophesied ? " He started^ and his face was crimson. " I have lived in a trance since I came here — the pleasantest one I ever knew, and it is very hard this awaking. Oh, Jacquetta ! I never knew till now how dear you were to me ! " " You will forget me in a month." " Never 1 " he almost fiercely exclaimed. " You will laugh at this in three months, and wonder you could ever have been such a — shall I say it? — simple- ton. See if I am not a true prophet ! " He dashed her hand away, and sprung to his feet. " Jacquetta, you are enough to drive a man mad ! Your heart is as hard as a nether mill-stone ! You have no more feeling than a block of iron ! " She smiled slightly, and looKed at him with her calm, gray eyes. « Don't look at me ! You drive me frantic with your cold, icy eyes 1 Good Heavens ! that, with such a fire in my heart, you can stand before me such an iceberg ! " " Ice extinguishes fire, and one lunatic is enough at a time. When you are done raving, I may begin." " And this — this is what I have loved I This dead heart — this marble statue — this girl of ice — this — " « Perfidious, unfeeling, abandoned female ! There, I have helped you out ! Now stamp up and down, and tear your hair, and swear till all's blue ! That's the way they do it in the plays." " Did you come here to mock me ? Am I an idiot in your eyes ? " he asked, passionately. " Very like it, I must confess, at this present moment. I came here to bid you farewell, as I am going away to- morrow morning, and will not see you again ; so, if you have no objection, I mil sit down till you have ranted yourself back to your sober senses, and then we will part as decent Christians should," She drew an elbow-chair up to the fire, poked it up un- A QUEEN UNCROWNED. 189 » CHAPTER XVI. TllK STORY IN THE LONE INN. " How now, you secret, black and midnight hag, What is't you do ? " Macbeth. That same night, three hours earlier, there " might have been seen," if there had been anybody out to see, which there wasn't, an ancient mariner plodding his way along the lonesome road between the Mermaid Tavern and the lone inn. The night was dark, and the road was bad, but Captain Nick Tempest had a supreme contempt for muddy roads, and the clerk of the weather ; so, witli his hands in his pockets, and a plug of tol^acco in his mouth, his tar- paulin cocked on one side of his head, he plunged manfully along, whistling " Barbara Allen," as he went, by jerks, with long pauses between the bars. Capttiin Tempest was thinking — which was something he was not in the habit of doing as a general thing, being more given to acting. Old Grizzle's manner the night be- fore had implied something serious ; and he felt intensely curious to know what revelations she had to make to-night. That it was something important, he felt convinced — for Grizzle was not a lady to make a mystery of trifles ; and moreover, she had contrived to have her two hopeful sons, Kit and Blaize, and her equally- hopeful brother, old Till, sent out of the way, that she and the commander of the "Fly-by-Night " might hold their nocturnal Ute-vith a very vivid imagination, how- ever, old Nick found the nut too hard to crack ; and so wisely resolved not to strain his teeth trying it, but to wait until time and his fair friend should see tit to extract the kernel. Having, with much pain and labor, come to this philoso- phical conclusion at last. Captain Nick steered contentedly along, with that rolling motion peculiar to marine gentle- men, like a ship on an uneasy swell. Plunging resolutely through the wet level where the old house stood, he reached it at last ; and, giving a tremendous knock, began I! !■■ I II I :\ ■> .1 \ fit] ^ ' J •I '' ■ m 192 THE DARK SECRET. yelping like a whipped cur. Evidently this was a sort of signal, for the sound of bolts withdrawing, followed in- stantly. The door swung open, and the pleasant face of old (irizzle Ilowlet beamed on him by the light of the lantern. " (iood-night, my chick-a-leary ! Punctuality is the soul of time," said the captain, in a hazy recollection of some proverb. "How do you find yourself this morning, my sweet pet ? Blooming and beautiful as the Goddess of Morning, as usual, I see." " Tliere was a time when you thought me blooming enough," said the woman, in a harsh voice, as she secured the door ; " when you would have shot any other man for even looking at me ! " " Ah ! every one is a fool some time in their life," said the captain, flinging himself into a chair before the kitchen fire, and stretching out his legs to tlie genial heat. " Not that I would insinuate I made a fool of myself in that blessed and verdant time of youth : for you are a second Helen, for whom another Troy might be lost. ' Great is .'^ianaof the Ephesians!' but greater still is Grizzle rf New Jersey ! Got any beer?" " Yes ; take it," said the ^voman, ungraciously, pointing to a jug and a pewter pot on the table. " There's a pipe, too, if you want it." " It's just exactly what I do want. Ah ! that's prime stuff ! " said the captain, smacking his lips. " It reminds me of the bottles of 'alf-and-'alf we used to drink in the green-room of Old Drury, between the scenes. Do you remember those blissful times, my beauty ? " "Yes, better than I want to," said Grizzle, almost savagely, as she sat on a low stool, and with her elbow on her knees, and her chin between her hands, looked gloomily in the fire. " I'm not likely to look at you and forget them." • , ' " And here's a han' my trusty frien*, And gie's a ban' o' thine, We'll tak' a right gude-willie waucht , For the days o' auld lang syne," sung the captain, jocosely, as he resumed his seat, and leisurely proceeded to fill his pipe. THE STORY IN THE I.ONE INN. 193 lost on [ed md " That*s so, old friend. ^Vb ! those were the days I " "I am glad you think so well of them. Yoxi gave me cause to remember them after another fashion." A grim smile broke over the face of the captain, as he pushed up his hat, which he considered it a superfluous piece of ceremony to take off ; and, having unbuttoned his coarse pea-jacket and thrown it o]>en, he blew a few whift's of smoke to get his pipe in good going order, and leisurely replied : " I believe 1 dilaying Lady IVhicheih, but nothing more. She was one of those who could l Moustache Whiskerando ^/o And out he is in love with old Nick Tempest's daughter. ' I see,* said the blind man. Tol de rol, de rol, de rol ! " sung the captain, de- lighted. "Preserve your transports, my dear friend," said Grizzle, dryly. " Time enough for them when you stand face to ftice with the future loid of Guilford and Earne- cliffe. Remember, too, that though the old spae-wife of Worcestershire prophesied that ' a life would be lost be- twixt ye,' she did not say which was to lose it. So Cap- tain Nick Tempest ha' n !■ ' \ II r 3XO THE DARK SECRET. of temporary madness, and raved, and foamed, and f!ed, like one possessed l)y a thonsaixl devils, from the house. Slie sliook — the amaze, the horror was Ux) nuieh for her — fearless as she was. When I came hack, I found her Ij'ing senseless on the floor, and hours passed before she awoke from that deatli-likt^ swoon. '^ " Well ? " said the ttiptain, as ( Jrizzle paused. "There was a chihl l)orn that nij^ht, an with him, only out of pity for Auhrey. Hut go she did at last." " And that is how she came to live at P'ontelle? " " That is how. Her presence soothed him at once and, strange to say, she and ISfiss Augusta, then a haughty little lady of ten years, heeame fast friends. She had, a«I told you, winning ways, and cast a spell over every one she met hy a sort of wild fascination al)out her, and very soon siie heeame the idol of the household, and almost as dear to the master of Fontelle as his own dfiughter." " So much the hetter ! They will feel the parting with her the more." " Right ! So thvj will. Mr. De Vere did not care to publish on the hcnise-tops that he had a son a maniac; and as his paroxysms of madness were becoming daily more frequent and violent, one of the rooms in the old deserted north wing was fitted up vnth barred windows and bolted doors, and he was confined there. Old Tribu- lation, a woman of iron heart and nerves, became his nurse , and everything that could make him comfortable was given him. Even his fondness for nmsic was thought of, and his organ was X5lac;ed in his room, and re- mains there to this day ; and before his fiercest attacks, he still favors them with a little unearthly music — most frequently at the dead of night. ** And that accounts for the strange noises," said the captain, musingly. " Yes. As it would have excited curiosity and inquiry to call Jacquetta 3fr8. De Vere, the change to Miss was very easy and convenient ; and, as few visitors c*dled at Fontelle, repelled by the pride of the aristocratic De 1 ) .| I I ■'. ^']i ( ! 'I I i1 V* *1 212 THE DARK SECRET. W nijl I 'I ii ill ii Veres, people believed readily enough she was his young- er daughter for she looks several years younger than Augusta — small fair people always do look younger than they are. And so — and so — she has lived there ever since ; and that's all." " And enough, by Jupiter ! And so I'm a grandpapa — am I ? Good gracious ! I say, Grizzle, where's the child?" She laughed, and continued stirring the fire. " How dumb you are 1 Think a moment." « Eh ? Why— what ? It's not little Orrie— is it ? " She nodded. « Oh, Jehosaphat ! here's a mare's nest I And little black-eyes is a grand- daughter of mine I " " She has that honor." "Whew! What will we hear next? iVnd Jacquetta does not suspect ? " " I don't know. I half think she does, sometimes." . " She would claim her, if she aid." " No. She knows it would be no use. I could keep her in spite of her. She bears a shadowy resemblance to her mother, and has the same fiery temper, and the true De Vere face." " And so she's a De Vere, too." " Yes — and the heiress of Fon telle ? " " Well, this is something new. Do you mean to make this known as well as the rest ? " "Most decidedly." " But what is the end of all this ? It may mortify them to know I am her father ; but they will not cast her off on that account." " Trust n.e for that. I will see Mr. De Vere ; and when I tell him Jacquetta knew everything I have told you all along, and artfully concealed it, you will see what a change it will make. You don't know yet how haughty these De Veres can be. Let him once learn what her mother was, and that Jacquetta hersel 1! knew it all along, although she denied it, and he would order her out in five minutes. He might get over the disgraceful stock from which she sprung, but her own deceit, never." THE END OF THE STORY. 213 "Bravo! And then Madam Jacquetta will have to march ! " " Precisely ! Oh, I'll fix her I Then, as her father, you can claim her, you know." " But what if she won't be claimed ? There's a small spice of the devil in that young lady, and it may tempt her to act ugly and cut up shines." " What can she do ? She can neither work nor starve. And her c^ild will tie her hands. It needs only a word to convince her the child is hers It will humiliate her to death, and Disbrowe's love will go out under the blow, like a candle under an extinguisher." "Good? And then?" " You can treat her as you please." " By Jove ! I'll treat her well, for she's a little brick," cried the captain, enthusiastically. " You forget she conquered you." " I'll forgive her that, once I get her. I've got money enough; and, by the Lord Harry, she and Miss Orrie shall live like a couple of ladies." " You're a fool ! She'll never own you." "Wait till you see. I don't believe little Lelia can have changed so. But, look here, old lady ; you told me De Vere had two sons — where's the other ? " " Oh, Heaven knows ! Dead, I expect ! He was carried off by Indians, when a child, and never heard of more." " Well, it's astonishing how things turn up. And so my precious son-in-law is locked up in the old north tower of Fontelle ? " " Yes, and Tribulation has her hands full to look after him. They can always tell when he is getting violent, by his playing, and then Jacquetta has to go to him. Slie is the only one he will mind at such times. She locks him up and leaves him by himself, until he sees fit to be rea- sonable again ; then he is released. It mostly happens in the dead of night ; and the little lady has an uneasy time of it getting out of bed to see after him. Tribula- tion always clears on such occasions." " And when is this delightful story to electrify your friends at Fontelle ? " " To-morrow morning," ^ I i ' tf i ■ fi; ■» n 4 i\ ^ I. •1! II: : ! f ill us- ''r if I 214 THE DARK SECRET. " Am I to go with you ? " "Most certainly — to claim your daughter." ' " Ha ! ha ! Won't there be a scene V I shan't sleep a wink to-night for thinking of it." " Well, go now ! I am done Avith you." " A curt dismissal ! Look here, Grizzle, I should like to see Orrie before I leave." " Ball ! What do you want to see her for ? " " Well, knowing that she is my grandchild, it strikes me I should like to take a good look at her. Come, old friend, be good-natured, and lead the way." « Stuff ! The child's asleep," " I won't awake her — I won't stay a moment." " Nick Tempest, you're a fool ! " said the woman, harshly, as she arose and took a candle. " Come, then, willful must have his way." " En atmntj i,.a chere! " said the captain, jocosely. " I follow." She led th«3 way up-stairs, and opened the door of a squalid little room, containing no furniture, but a straw- pallet in a little truckle-bed. The child lay stretched out — her black hair strewn about her ; her hands clasped over her head ; her small face, in its repose, bearing strik- ing marks of her paternity. Shading the light with his hand. Captain Mck bent over her, but he started back the next instant ; for the great, black, goblm eyes were wide open, and piercing liim like needles. " You nasty old thing ! What are you doing here ? Gret out! " said Orrie, sitting up in bed and brandishing the pillow, as the only defensive weapon at hand. "Oh, you're awake — are you?" said Captain Nick. " Why, Orrie, don't you know me — Uncle Nick ? " " Uncle Nick ! " said the child, contemptuously. " You ain't! I wouldn't have you for an uncle! Will you go away ? " " She's her mother's daughter ! " said Grizzle, with a grim smile. " Clear out." repeated Orrie, clutching tlie pillow, " or I'll hea\e this at you I " " You little angel," said the captain, apostrophizing A WOMAN'S NATURE. 215 her in a low tone. " What a blessed little seraph she is, Grizzle ! " " Come away," said Grizzle. " I hope you are satisfied with your reception." " Perfectly ! Good-night, Orrie." Orrie's reply to this piece of politeness was an angiy scowl, as she still sat threateningly holding the pillow, until the door closed after them. " She does look like the De Veres," said tl e captain. *' And is blessed with her mother's dove-like temper, and her maternal grandparent's gentleness. Come back early to-morrow morning. Are you ready to go ? " " Yes : if I must go. But as I have to return here to- morrow, could you not accommodate me with a shake- down before the fire for this night ? " "No. I can do no such thing. I don't want you. There, be off ! " « You hospitable old soul ! Well, good-night ! " « Good- night," said the woman, in pretty much the the same tone as if it were a curse she sent after him ; and then the door was bolted, and Grizzle Howlet was in and Nick Tempest was out, tramping back to the Mer- maid, and musing intently on all he had heard that night. CHAPTER XVIII. A woman's xatube. "I am a woman — nay, a woman wronged ! And when our sex from injuries take fire, Our softness turns to fury, and our thoughts Breathe vengeance and destruction." —Savage. The loud ringing of the breakiast-ljell was the first thing that awoke Captain Alfred Disbrowe on the morn- ing of his departure. For hours after his parting with Jacquetta, he had paced up and down his room, too miserable and angry to go to bed ; and it was only when the sky began to grow red in the east that he had flung himself down, dressed and all, and dropped into a feverish slumber. ■I *i \ 4 . u h ii n r, f-: f- II 2l6 THE DARK SECRET. He awoke with a strange feeling of loneliness and heaviness of heart, and it was some minutes before he could call to mind the cause. Then it came back to him with a shock and a thrill, that this was the last morning he would ever spend in Fontelle — the last time he would ever see Jacquetta. There was inexpressible bitterness in the thought, now that the excitement of the previous night had passed away, and he dropped his head on his hand with something like a groan. Her image was before him, bright, piquant, radiant — the slight, fairy form ; the small, tantalizing, bewitching face ; the laugliing, mocking dark-gray eyes ; the saucy, provoking smile ; the round, polished, boyish forehead ; the short, flashing, dancing curls, that shone before his eyes, now, as the most charm- ing curls in existence ; the whole- spirited, daring, spark- ling little countenance of the intoxicating little siren, all arose, as if to madden him in their most bewildering array. He looked up at the smiling eyes and sweet, beautiful lips of the portrait above him, a ad remembered he had lost it all. Again his head dropped, and a cry that would not be repressed broke from his lips : " Oh, Jacquetta ! my love ! my life ! my dream I This — this is what I have Icstl " There was a knock at the door. He lifted his head, brushed back the heavy locks of his falling hair, and said : " Come in." Frank entered. It reminded Disbrowe of the first day of his arrival, when he had paid him a similar visit. How short a time had elapsed since then ! and yet it had trans- formed his whole life. " Why, cousin Alfred, what's the matter ? " said Frank. " You look like a ghost." " I did not sleep well, last night," said Disbrowe, glan- cing languidly in the glass, and starting to see the pale face it reflected. " Was that the breakfast-bell rung just now?" " Yes, and as you are generally down so early in the morning, I thought perhaps you had taken a notion to run off in the night, being so late this morning. You didn't turn in with your clothes on, did you ? They look as if you had been sleeping in them a week." A WOMAN'S NATURE. 217 " I believe I did," said Disbrowe, smiling faintly. " I was up until daybreak. Are my uncle and cousins down- stairs ? " There was a vague hope at his heart that he might see Jacquetta again, in spite of what she had told him ; and he listened eagerly for Frank's answer. " No," said that young gentleman, " Jack's gone. She was off this morning for a ten-mile ride, to visit one of these poor laborers who got both his legs crushed to pieces last evening — poor fellow ! She would have went last night, I believe, only Lightning had lost a shoe." With a sickening feeling of disappointment, Disbrowe arose and proceeded to arrange his disordered dress and brush his disheveled hair. So intense and bitter was the sensation, that it Avas some moments before he could trust himself to speak. " Jack's a regular guardian-angel to one-half these poor people," continued Frank, now, as ever, disposed to sing the praises of his favorite, and quite unconscious that every word of praise was like a dagger to the heart of his cousin. "Let her hear of an accident, even though it should be fifty miles off, and if she thought she could be of the least service, she would be up and off in a twink- ling, in spite of wind and weather. I remember once, when the typhus fever was raging at Green Creek, and carrying off the people in scores, she established herself as nurse-general, and scarcely took time to sleep or eat, but went from cottage to cottage, night and day. Uncle told her she was mad, and tried to prevail on her not to risk her life ; but she wouldn't listen to him a moment. Her duty lay there, she said, and there she must be. For over four months, she never came to Fontelle, for fear of bringing the contagion ; and I do believe she saved the lives of one-half the poor people there. Uncle gave her plenty of money ; and, by George ! if she didn't spend it I " " And did she escape herself ? " " Oh, no ! she took it when almost everybody else was well ; but she recovered again. Her hair all fell out, too, and it has never grown long since." "And this is what I have lost," again thought Dis- browe, in bitterness of spirit. " This is the girl I have l-i* I 1 D ^'r 2l8 THE DARK SECRET. called heartless — this entrancing fairy, with tht heart of a hero and an angel ! Oh, Jacquetta ! what have I done that I should lose you ? " " What is the matter ? " said Frank, curiously. " Some- thing more than a bad night's rest, I'll be bound ! You look as if you had lost your best friend." " So I have ! " said Disbrowe, passionately. " Eh ? what ? Why, cousin Alfred, is Lord Eai*necliffe dead ? " " Not as I know of. I hope not." " Then what the — I thought he Avas, by your saying that." ♦' Never mind, Frank ; you are five years too young to understand what I mean. Heaven grant you never may understand it ! " Frank looked at him an instant with a peculiar smile, and then began to whistle, with piercing emphasis, the grand march in " Norma." Disbrowe paused in his oc- cupation, and looked at him a moment with a singular expression. " You, too, Frank," he said, with a slight smile ; " are you in the secret, too ? " " What secret i " said Frank, with a look of innocent unconsciousness. " Don't understand, Captain Disbrowe. I'm five years too young to know any secrets." Captain Disbrowe returned to his toilet. " I forgot you were a Yankee, and consequently wide- awake. Has Jacquetta" — his face flushed as he uttered her name — " told you anything ? " " No. What would she tell me ? I don't understand you at all, cousin Alfred." Frank's look of resolute simplicity was refreshing to see. Disbrowe made an impatient gesture. " You understand well enough. Out with it ! " " Well, then, I know you're in love with our Jack," blurted out Master Frank, thrusting both hands in his pockets. " All of my own knowledge, too, if I am five years too young to know anything." Evidently youth was a sore spot with Frank, like all boys ambitious to be thought men. DisbroAve's face grew crimson one moment and whiter than ever the next. A WOMAN'S NATURE. 219 He went on dressing v itliout speaking a word, and Frank evidently possessed by some spirit of evil, continued, undauntedly : " And I know she refused you, too — you and your coronet, Captain Disbrowe, as she has many a bet — another man. Oh, our Jack's not to l)e had for a word, I can tell you ! The man that gets her nuist do something more than pay her compliments, or give her tlowers, or say sweet things by moonlight." " What must he do ? Take lance and shield, and ride forth, booted and spurred, like a second Don Quixote, in search of adventures ; conquer a lieiy dragon, or rescue some hapless prince from the enchanted castle of some gigantic ogre V " said Disbrowe, between anger and sar- casm. " Yes, sir-ee ! " exclaimed Frank, defiantly. " If such things were to be done now, the man that would lay claim to her pretty little baud would have to prove his knight- hood before he would kneel at* her footstool. As it is, the man that comes after her will have to mind his P's and Q's before he gets her ; for Jack De Vere is no common milk-and-Avater young lady, but worth half the women in the world — queens and prmcesses included — rolled into one.' " That is all, doubtless, very true," said Disbrowe, with a curling lip ; " but I fancy I know some one who — " lie paused abruptly, and bit his lip. " Oh, you may go on. I know who you mean. You think she's in love with Jacinto — don't you ? " said Frank, sarcastically. " Really, Master Frank, you seem m a catechizing; mood this morning," said Disbrowe, facing round and fixing his dark eyes full upon him. " Supposing we drop this subject. Our friend. Miss Jacquetti\, might not thank either of us for so free a use of her name." Frank blushed at the rebuke, which he could not nelp feeling he deserved, and in a spirit of retaliation began humming : " A frog he would a wooing go," as they left the room. Disbrowe smiled as he heard him ; and, letting his hand fall on his shoulder, said, cordially : il 1; fl !■ iT I r'it 220 THE DARK SECRET: " Come, Master Frank, it is not worth while for you and I to disagree, as this is the last morning I will ever trouble you. We must part friends, my dear boy." " That we shall, cousin Alfred I " exclaimed Frank, shaking earnestly the proffered liand ; " and I do like you first rate ; and I wish you had got Jack. Xow, then I " " Thank you 1 but your wish comes rather too late ; I am not likely to win such a prize in Love's hjtt^ry. Tell her, Frank," he said, with a look of strange earnestness in his dark, handsome eyes, " to forget all I may have said to offend her ; and tell her that my best wishes go with her and whoever may be so fortunate as to win the heart and hand she refused me. Tell her this, Frank, my dear fellow, since I am not destined to see her again." Frank wrung his hand silently ; for his voice at that moment was not altogether under his command. Both entered the breakfast parlor together, where Augusta, Jacinto, and Mr. De Vere sat awaiting them. Augusta sat the same figure of stone that she always was of late ; but the change the past few days had wrought in her never struck Disbrowe so forcibly as it did this morning. She had lost flesh and life, and color ; she was the shadow of her former self. Her tall, stately form was wasted and thin ; her cheeks hollow ; her lofty brow death-like in its blue- veined pallor ; her lips were white ; and her hands so pale and wasted that they looked almost transparent. The old story of the vampire sucking the life-blood drop by drop, seemed realized in her case ; and oh ! the unspeakable depth of desolation and de- spair in those great, heavy midnight eyes. And some- thing worse than desolation and despair was in that hag- gard face, now — Remorse, undying, devouring remorse — the worm that never sleeps, seemed gnawing her heart — had set his white, fearful seal on that corpse-like face. She lifted her eyes slowly, as they entered ; and meeting his gaze, so full of pity and compassion, the old haughty pride of the De Veres, that even her night of anguish could not quench, sent a momentary fire leaping to her eyes, and a lofty look to the white face that repelled and cast off fiercely all commiseration. Mr. De Vere put down the book he was reading. A WOMAN'S NATURE. 221 and came forward to greet him ; and Jacinto, who sat caressing a beautiful little water-spaniel — a pet of Jacquetta's — glanced up and met a look full of angry jealousy from the young Englishman's dark eyes that made him drop his own and flush to the temples. Mr. De Vero apologized in a few words for Jacquetta's absence ; and they all gathered around the breakfast table. The meal passed almost in silence, and sadly enough, too ; for all were thinking it was the last the young guardsman would partake of beneath that roof ; and until that moment they had not known how he had endeared himself to them. There would be a dreary gap when his tall, gal- lant form, and gay, handsome young face was gone, that would not be easily filled in the family circle. Had Jacquetta been tliere, the oppressive silence would soon have been broken ! but she was " over the hills and far away," long before this, and doubtless — as Disbrowe thought — forgetful of his very existence. "Which way do you go ?" inquired Mr. De Vere, at length — making an effort at something like conversa- tion. "T will call at the Mermaid, and take passage from there in some schooner, as I wish to take sketches of the scenery as I go along, which, I understand, is very fine along the Hudson." " Xone better," said Mr. De Vere. " I have climbed the proud Alps, I have sailed down the Rhine, as the song has it, but I have never seen anything to surpass this new country scenery. You ought to see these Amer- ican forests in autumn, decked in their Joseph's coat of many colors. You would never forget it. It goes ahead of Old England completely in that point." " I have always understood it was very fine," said Dis- browe ; " but, unhappily, I Avill not be able to see it. I hope to be shooting in Fontelle woods before that," The door opened as he spoke, and a servant appeared with a startled face. " Well, Reynolds ? " said Mr. De Vere looking up. " She's here again, sir ! " said Reynolds, excitedly, « and she won't go away, all we can do. She says she will see you, in spite of us all ! " \l I *l •' til ill h- ■ I i i) 'I 1 » i:.! 222 THE DARK SECRET. " Who are you talking about ? — who is she f Don't be BO incoherent, Reynolds." "It's old Mother Ilowlet, sir, if you x^lease — and there's a man along with her — and she won't go away." Augusta uttered a faint exclamation, and sunk back in her chair. Mr. T)e Vei*e arose, his face flushed with anger. " Mother Ilowlet ! How dare she come here I Order her away, Reynolds, and say I will mot nee her." " We have, sir, but she won't go. The man along with her has got a pistol, and he says he will shoot the first of us that tries to keep them out." « Who is the fellow ? " " Don't know, sir. He's a short, thick-set, man, with red hair and whiskers, and a savage face." " Captain Nick Tempest," simultaneously exclaimed Jacinto, Disbrowe, and Frank. " The fellow who tried to shoot you that evening Jacin- to was wounded ? " asked Mr. De Vere. « The same." " Really," said Mr. De Vere, angry, " Fon telle seems to be a rendezvous "or desperadoes of late. Come, Reynolds, I will go with you to this worthy pair, and we will see if they cannot be got rid of." " You had better be careful, my dear sir," said Disbrowe, anxiously. " This Captain Tempest is a most sanguinary villain, and capable of any crime, T believe." " Then he will find that Fontelle is not in the habit of sheltering sanguinary villains, nor its master of being bullied into listening to what they have to say." And, preceded by Reynolds, • Mr. De Vere left the room. " What the dickens can bring those two here ? " ex- claimed the astonished Fmnk. " That is a question I cannot take it upon myself to answer," said Disbrowe ; " for no good, you may safely swear. They must have the audacity of the old demon himself to come here. Are you ill, Miss Augusta ? You look alarmed." "Oh, no." She was sitting gazing at the door, with a look so A WOMAN'S NATURE. 223 be (re's in '(ler strained and unnatural that it startled thorn. Jacinto, too, was white, as if with apprehension, and shrunk from the eyes of all. Moment after moment passed — a (luarter of an hour went by, l)ut still Mr. l)t» Vere did not return. " What can detain uncle ! " exclaime f. : 1 < ^1 t -1 I 224 THE DARK SECRET. Lowed politely all around, in bland amiability — even to Captain Disbrowe ; for there is nothing makes us more ami- able for the time being than the consciousness that we are about to have complete revenge. Augusta shook in mortal tc^rror from meeting the eyi; of old (irizzle, and slirunk away in a recess of the window, shaking like one in an ague-tit. A sinister smile parted the thin lips of that lady, as she saw it ; and she exchanged an exultant look with the gallant commander of the " Fly-by-Night." " Frank," said Mr. De Vere, turning to his nephew, "do you know in what particular direction Jacquetta has gone ? " Frank started and stared. There was a sharp ringing tone in his uncle's voice, that was never heard there save when his anger was at its height. It was seldom Mr. De Vere was really angry ; but when he was, he was almost relentless in his stern passion. " No, sir — that is, yes, sir — she has gone to Red Rock. " " Do you know what time she will return V " " No, sir ; perhaps not before night. " ]\[r. De Vere seized the bell, and rung furiously. Rey- nolds again appeared. " Reynolds, go and tell William to saddle Firefly — that is the fastest horse, I believe — and bring him round, instantly, to the front door 1 " Reynolds flew to obey, wondering inwardl\ what was up, and then turning to the astonished Frar k, said, per- emptorily: " JNIount instantly, and be off for Jacquetta ! Tell her she is to return with you immediately — immediately^ mind I Lose not a moment going or coming. Go I " Frank started to his feet, more in dismay than in obedience ; but there was that in his uncle's face that repelled inquiry, and extorted compliance. " Just tell her I want her I You need not say who is here. It is as well to take her unprepared," he said, lowering his voice. " That's so, Mr. De Vere I " exclaimed Captain Tempest, whose keen ears overheard him. " Silence, sir ! " said Mr. De Vere, fiercely. " Learn to hold your tongue when a gentleman speaks ! " Then, A WOMAN'S NATURE. 225 turning to Frank, lio ssiid : " What are yoii waiting for, sir? \>i* off; and mind, don't let the grass grow under your feet ! " Frank, so violently astonislmd that he srarccly knew whether he was waking or dreaming, seized his ca]), and darted out of the room. Captain Tempest arose, his faee red with anger. '*I)o yon mean to say, sir," he l)egan, turning savagely to Mr. De Vere, when a hand seized his arm, and he was forced hack into his ehair. "Why will you he a fool," said Grizzle, angrily in Spanish; "sit down and wait! Your revenge is com- ing ! " A moment's silence fell on all. Captain Tempest scowled, ]Mr. T)e \'ere walked to the window, and stood like a statue, and Dishrowe pulled out his watcli, and looked at the liour. " Time I was olf," he said, starting u]). " ]My dear uncle, can T see you a moment in private, l)ef()re I go? " "Vou must postpone your journey for to-day, Alfred! " said his uncle, imperiously. " There is a (,'ertain family affair to be discussed here, presently, at which I re(iuiro your presence. Your journey can wait, so sit down!" Jacinto started to his fiH^t. " Then I will not intrude," he said ; " I Avill go ! " " You will stay ! " interposed Mr. De Vere, sternly. " Sit down, sir ; perhaps we may find your presence necessary before we have done ! " The boy turned white, even to his lips. " I beg, sir, " he began, falteringly ; but ]Mr. De Vere turned almost fiercely upon him. " Sit down, sir ! You shall do as I tell you. Perhaps we may make you give a better account of yourself before you go ! Sit down 1 " The lad reeled, and fell back into a seat, lilie one faint- ing. All this time Augusta had cowered in her seat, shudder- ing, trembling, collapsed. Now she lifted her white face, and rising to her feet, she turned to Grizzle, and gasped rather than said : " Have you — have you — broken your promise ? Have i m ' 1 M •< til •I i n r i m 226 THE DARK SECRET. you'told — ? " her voice died away, and she shivered, convul- sively. The old^ evil smile came over Grizzle's face, as she fixed her piercir^ eyes on tlie young girPs ghastly face, and quietly replied : " No, Lady Augusta, I have not told! Your secret is safe, at least, for the present ; I do not care to blacken my lips just yet hy telling it, nor scorch your father's ears by the hearing. Fear not for the present ; you are safe." She sunk back, and dropped her white face in her white hands, Mr. De Vere, standing stern and motionless, if he heard, heeded not ; and Jacinto, whose emotion was evidently one of intense terror — rather surprising in one who a short time before had fearlessly risked his life to save another's — cowered down on his seat, and did not dare to look up, while a streak of dark red at intervals flashed across his dark face. Disbrowe, astonished and troubled, yet with a heart thrilling at the thought that he was to see Jacquetta again, looked uneasily from face to face. Old Giizzle, with her gray cloak folded closely around her, sat wi^h a grim, sinister smile glittering in her snake-like eyes, aiad wrinkling her thin lips. And Captain Tempest, loll- ing back in his chair, elevated his legs on another, clapping wedge of the Virginia weed in his mouth, stuck his hands in his coat-pockets, and looked the very picture of noncha- lance and high-bred self-possession. And hours passed I - CHAPTER XIX. LITTLE ORRIE. , ■ *' In truth she was a strange and wayward child, Fond of each gentle and each dreadful scene, « in darkness and in storm, and winter wild." — Beattie. An hour before daybreak, that morning, Jacquetta was in the saddle, and off on her mission of mercy. She, too, had passed a sleepless night ; and the bitterest tears per- haps she had ever shed in her life, had fallen from her eyes. LITTI.E ORRIE. 227 ■ Jacquetta rarely wept like other girls, even in trouble — she seldom could — she mostly sat like a stone, till the pain at her heart wore itself out ; but the look in Dis- browe's eyes, as she left him, had moved her strangely, and her tears had fallen more for him than herself. That he loved her truly, she could not doubt ; and a " still small voice," far down in her heart, whispered that she loved him, too. She shrunk in horror from that voice — she shrunk from herself — she would not hear it ; there was guilt ui listening to it for a moment. She would not have seen him agfiin for worlds ; she would not look in his dark, pleading eyes, lest it should make her traitor- heart betray her ; and she would have torn it out, and hurled it from her, had it been in her power, first. And yet there was inexpressible pain in the thought of his forgetting her altogether ; worse, of believing her in love with another — this small boy ! How she despised her- self that any one should believe her capable of being be-- wildered by the first handsome face she met. It would have been a sweet drmk to Disbrowe to know the restless, miserable night she had passed, and how eagerly she had longed for morning when, on Lightning's back, she might fly over the hills, as she longed to fly from herself. And before that morning came, she was off and away, forgetting, in her rapid, exciting gallop, the rebellious rising and throbbing and aching of her woman's heart. Her way led her within half a mile of the lone inn ; and to her surprise, the first object she beheld, as she nearcd it, was little Orrie, leaping, springing, flying over the rocks like one possessed. " Hallo, Orrie ! " she called, reining in her horse, as the child stopped to look at her. " You here ? What are you doing ? " "Nothing," said Orrie, composedly. " Where are you going ? " "Nowhere." \ " Who's at home ? " "No one." "Where's Grizzle?" . ^ "Don't know." >.|i;i 228 THE DARK SECRET. " Satisfactory answers," said Jacquetta, laughing. " Will you come for a ride, Orrie ? " " Yes.'- " Here, then, mount." Orrie took the hand she extended, and sprung before her into the saddle. And Jacquetta again darted off. " Where are you going ? " asked the child. " Only a little way from here — to Red Rock." " Is that nice young gentleman at Fontelle, yet ? " " Yes," said Jacquetta, flushing violently. " Ain't he nice ? Oh ! I do love him ! Don't you love him, too ? " asked Orrie, looking up in her face. « See how fast Lightning goes ; watch him jump over that gulley ! " said Jacquetta, eagerly. Of course Orrie was all animation. " Are you not afraid when we go so fast ? " " Afraid ! " said Orrie, contemptuously. " No ; I guess I ain't ! I love to go fast ! " "You love a good many things — don't you?" said Jacquetta. " Yes ; I guess I do ! There's Red Rock ! Whose house are you going to ? " « Briggs'." " Oh, yes ; old Jake Briggs got his legs smashed off ! I heard Kit telling Blaize it. Are you going to fix 'em for him ? " " I wish I could," said Jacquetta, as she leaped lightly off, and gave her hand to Orrie to spring. " But I am afraid it is beyond me. Come in." A boy came out and took her horse, as though it was quite a matter of course to see Miss De Vere there. Jac- quetta went in with Orrie to the cottage, where, on a bed, lay the prostrate form of the unfortunate Briggs — life almost extinct. ' A woman was bending over him, crying and wringing her hands ; four or Ave children were crouclied round a smoky fire, in loud lamentations — some for their father, and some for pieces of bread. Jacquetta's presence stilled them all for a moment — even the mother. A doctor had been sent for, and was expected every instant ; so she turned to the children and UTTI^E ORRIE. 229 quieted them by distributing unlimited slices of bread and butter, an unfailing cure generally for the afflictions of childhood. Orrie declined taking any, and sat with her black, elfish eyes riveted, as if fascinated, on the distorted face of the maimed man. Jacquetta strove to console the woman; replenished the smoky fire until it burned brightly ; put the disordered room in rights, and made her- self generally useful, until the arrival of the doctor. He came in about an hour — pronounced the case hopeless; spoke pleasantly to Jacquetta, and called her a good little girl ; hoped she would make her father do something for the family ; chucked Orrie under the chin, and inquired the latest news from the land of the goblins ; and put on his gloves and departed. Noon approached, and Jacquetta was just trying her hand at getting dinner for the children, when the furious clatter of horse's hoofs brought her to the door ; and she saw Frank panting, flushed, breathless, standing before her. " Well, Master Frank, what now ? " she demanded. " Oh, Jack ! you're to come right straight home ! Uncle says so — he sent me after you ! There's the old dickens to pay at Fontelle ! " Jacquetta looked at him in calm astonishment. " Come right straight home ? Why, what's wrong ? " " Don't know, I'm sure — everything is ! Old Grizzle Howlet's there, and old Nick Tempest ; and uncle's in a regular downright state of mind, if ever you saw him in one ! " " What sort of a state of mind ? " " A blamed angry one ! Come, hurry up ! I shouldn't wonder if they were all assassinating one another by this time. Uncle told me not to say old Grizzle and Captain Tempest were there ; but I couldn't hold in." " Not to tell me ? Really ! Is — is Captain Disbrowe there ? " she asked, hesitatingly. " He was, when I left I Come — make haste ! " " I will be back in a moment," said Jacquetta, hurrying in to get her hat, and take her departure. Orrie, hearing Frank's voice, came out, to his great amazement; but a few words explained how she got K 4 I: ^1 : \ 'i 230 THE DARK SBCRKT. there. And the young gentleman swung her up before him, and announced his mtention of carrying her off to Fontelle. " Will you ? " cried Orrie, delighted ; " that's you ! I want to see that nice captain again." " It's the last time youll see him, then, for one while," said Frank, " for he's going away to-day." " Going where ? " " Oh ! ever so far away ! To a place called England — a small little island they have over there." " And when will he come back ? " " Never, I expect," said Frank, sententiously. " So be- gin and tear your hair, and rend your garments as soon as you like." Orrie's face grew so blank at the news, that Frank had to laugh ; but at that moment Jacquetta mounted, and they both dashed off together. ' " What on earth can they ever want with me. Frank ? '* she asked. " How the mischief do I know ? Something a wful's up, I've no doubt ! " " And papa told you not to tell me they were there ? " « Yes ! " " Well, it's strange, I must say ; but time will tell j and so I don't object to a small surprise." And she laughad, and hummed : '• Romance for me, romance for me, And a nice little bit of mystery." " I rather calculate it won't be a very pleasant surprise when you do hear it," said Frank. " Old Grizzle looked as if she meant mischief." " She generally means that." .; " And she and uncle had a long confab together in the nursery-room." "Indeed?" « And when he came in he looked like a thunder-cloud ! like the picture of that old thingymajig in the library, you know — that old Roman brick that killed his daugh- ter!" « Perhaps it was something about Augusta ! " A PROUD HEART CRUSHED. 231 >» '* Don't know — it might ; but then, what can they want of you in such a tremendous hurry ? " " Very true I Well, there is no use troubling ourselves about it till we get there. Orrie, are you not afraid to go to Fontelle, and old Grizzle there ? " " No," said Orrie ; " I must see the captain ; and she may beat me if she likes ; but I will ! " " What a lady-killer he is — eh, Jack ? " said Frank, laughing. " What do you want to see him for ? " said Jacquetta, coloring slightly, and lot noticing Frank's remarks. " Oh ! I want to ask him to take me with him — lie said, perhaps he would." Frank laughed uproariously at the very idea of the thing ; and then, as the rapid pace at which they went precluded conversation, they relapsed into silence and galloped swiftly along. Some time in the afternoon they reached Fontelle. As they entered the hall they met Reynolds. " I say, Reynolds," said Frank, taking him by the button, " are all the good folks in the parlor yet ? " « Yes, Master Frank." . •" Is uncle there ? " ^^ "Yes, sir." " Nursing his wrath to keep it warm ! " laughed Jac- quetta, as she tripped along, and opening the parlor-door entered, followed by Frank and little Orrie. t- M CHAPTER XX. A PROUD HEART CRUSHED. "When I am cold, when my pale sheeted corse Sleeps the dark sleep no venomed tongue can wake, List not to evil thoughts of lier whose lips Have then no voice to plead." *». — Maturin's Bertram. The group in the parlor had scarcely changed their positions since the morning, except that Captain Tempest, overcome by the silence and watching, had fallen asleep, and now snored audibly. Luncheon had been served; ' ii 232 THE DARK SECRET. for, even in his anger, Mr. Dt3 Vere could not forget hospitality ; but no one had touched it save Grizzle and her companion. Mr. Da Vere, with his arms folded across his chest, sat moodily in liis elbow-chair, and Augusta and Jacinto 3till maintained their drooping, dejected position. Jacquetta's keen eyes took it all in at a glance, and then advancing toward Mr. De Vere, she began : " You sent for me, papa — " " One moment, young lady ! " interposed Mr. De Vere, sternly, sitting upright. " Do not si)eak, if you please — at least for the present — only in answer to my questions. Ah ! how came this child here ? " Grizzle uttered an exclamation at the same time, as little Orrie entered with Frank; but that young lady paid not the slightest attention to either. Darting her bright, black eyes hither and thither until they rested on Disbrowe, who was in the act of laying aside the book he had been reading, she darted forward, according to her usual fashion, flung her arms around his neck, and fell to kissing him rapturously. Jacquetta who had first started at her father's address, and fixed her clear, penetrating eyes full on his face, in calm surprise, now recovered herself, and said, quietly : " If that question is addressed to me, I found her play- ing near the old inn, and took her with me to Red Rock, and from thence home, by her own desire." " Home ! " said Mr. De Vere, with a slight sneer. *' How know you this is her home ? " " I did not say it was ! She wished to see Captain Dis- browe, and I brought her here to my home for that pur- pose." " Ah ! You are very fond of the child, doubtless ? " "I like her — yes, sir." " You like her 1 Nothing more ? " " I do not understand you, papa." " We will drop that title, if you please. Until certain matters a^'* cleared up, I am not at all ambitious to hear it from your lips." Two red spots, like twin tongues of flame, leaped to the cheeks of Jacquetta, and she passed her hand over A PROUD HEART CRUSHED. 233 her brow in a bewildered sort of way. Disbrowe's face flushed, and he bit his lips until it was bloodless. Augusta and Jacinto looked up, and fixed their eyes on Mv. De Vere in utter amazement. A smile and signifi- cant glance passed between Grizzle and Captain Nick. Frank's eyes flashed ; and even little Orrie, perching he? head on one side, looked from one to the other, as if try- ing to understand what all this meant. Mr. De Vere's face was growing sterner and darker every moment ; for, as she stood there before him, there was little difficulty in tracing the strong resemblance between her and Nick Tempest. Jacquetta was proud — too proud to let any one there present see how keenly she felt the insult ; so drawing her small, slight figure uj) to its full height, she bowed and said coldly : " As you please, sir." " I might not so much object to hearing it myself," said Mr. De Vere, in the same slightly-sneering tone he had before used — more galling to hear, by far, than an angry one would have been ; " but there is another gentle- man present who has a better claim than I do to that dutiful title ; perhaps he may be jealous of being robbed of his due." " I do not understand you, sir." " Oh, fire aAvay ! Don't mind me," exclaimed Captain Nick with a wave of his hand, " I shan't be jealous I All in good time, you know." " Perhaps you understand 71010, young lady ! " sneered Mr. De Vere. " I do not, sir. May I ask you to explain ? " « Explain what ? " " This singular scone. What have I to do with these people ? " and she pointed to Captain Nick and his lady- friend. " Oh, come now, Jacquetta, my girl — or, Lelia, rather — you may as well leave oft' your airs at once. Old Grizzle's split, and so it's no use carrying things with a high hand any longer," said Captain Tempest, in a loud tone of voice. " No, Jacquetta I It's too late ; the play is played out," said Grizzle. " I have told Mr. De Vere all, and it is of no use for you to add any more falsehoods to the rest." s . ) i ■ ml 234 THE DARK SECRET. " And so you may as well strike your colors and sur- render at once, my little firebrand ! " said Captain Nick. Jacquetta turned her flashing eyes from one to the other, and her small hands clinched as though she could have sprung on them both like a wounded panther, on the spot ; but after a moment's scrutiny, her mood changed, and she turned away ^vith a curling lip, as thougli she thought them unworthy of her notice. " May I ask, sir," she repeated, turning almost imperi- ously to Mr. De Vere, "for an explanatioii of all this? Was I brought here to be publicly disgraced before a mixed crowd like this ? " " Really, madam, you must be careful how you talk ! If by * mixed crowd' you mean those two worthy folks behind you, the term is slightly disrespectful to one of them at least," said Mr. De Vere. " Heavens 1 will no one tell me what this means ? Am I an idiot to be treated like this ? " she demanded, with a passionate stamp of her foot. « Why, I have just told you, my little duck ! " said Captain Nick. " It means the fat's in tho fire ; the cat's out of the bag ; that you've put your foot in it ; that you've got to the end of your tether ; and old Grizzle, thinking you might bolt the ropes, has given you a short pull up. I admire your pluck, upon my soul I do 1 and can see w^th half an eye you're your father's daughter, every inch of you ; so you had better acknowledge the corn, and come to terms at once. I dare say it won't be pleas- ant, at first — most especially in that young gent's pres- ence over there; but he'll know it sooner or later, so you might just as well drop your mask, and sail under 3'^our own flag for the future. You're a tip-top little brick, my little girl, and I swan you ought to be a lady, in spite of the old saying that you can't make a silk jDurse out of a sow's ear. You remind me of a young colt, my dear," said captain, with f. touch of philosophy ; and giv- ing his arm a wave by way of directing attention to the peroration. " As soon as the bridle and curb is first put on, after it has been allowed to run loose round the pas- ture all its life, it kicks up its heels and grows restive, and plunges, and struggles, and raises a devil of a row gen- A PROUD HEART CRUSHED. 235 n- erally (saving your picsenee, ladies and gents, for nam- ing my friend in your company) ; but still it has to sub- mit, and finally settles down into a eajutal })east of bur- den, in the long run. And so, my bright little flash of lightninj^, you will have to tame down to a c(mimon tal- low candle, and burn under a sluide at that ; and you may as well come to terms now as ever." All the time Captain Nick had been tluis elociuently de- livering himself, the cleav, bright, penetrating eyes of Jac- quetta had been fixed on his face — riveted there with such a steady, unwinking gaze, that when that gallant mariner had concluded, and, looking up, ni' ag piercing, l,urning, fixed scrutiny, ho gave an unea.sy start, shiited in his chair, tried to stare back, but failed, and finally burst out again in a bullying tone : " Oh come, Jack De Vere ! none o' that ! I can stand a good deal, but I never was acquainted with Job, and ain't much like him in disposition ; so Fm uncommon apt to flare up when provoked ! It's disrespectful, too, as the old gent over there told you a little while ago and, — " " I beg you will not allude to me," said ^Ir. De Vere, haughtily. " With you, sir, I have nothing to do, and the seldomer you refer to me the better ! " Captain Nick sprung to his feet in rage. " Why you darned old aristocrat ! do you mean to say I'm not as good a man as any De Vere among you that ever had his head struck on a pole over London Bridge as a traitor. I tell you, my old cove ! you'll fin«^ yourself in the wrong box if you attempt to bully me I " " By heaven, sir ! do you dare to speak to my uncle like this ? " fiercely exclaimed Disbrowe starting to his feet. " Yes, my young grandee ; and to you, too. Mind your own business, sir, and speak when you're spoken to. I have a little private account to settle with you, before you go home to see your dear Norma, and tell her you amused yourseli making love to another man's wife all the time you were in America I " Tliere was something in the last words that struck them all dumb. With a low, irrepressible cry, Jacquetta reeled, fell on a sofa, with both hands clasped over her heart. How well Disbrowe knew that gesture now I 236 THE DARK SECRET. " All ! you can feel — you can suffer I That bolt goes home to your proud heart, my lady ! " said Captain Nick, triumphantly. " Oh, my heart ! what docs all this mean ! Oh ! will no one tell me ? " cri(»d Jacquetta, passionately. " What have T said — what have I done to be treated like tliis ? " " Ask that heart you have named. Let it disclose your guilt ! " said ]\[r. De Vcre, between grief and rage. " I should blush to speak it 1 " Up to her feet she sprung, with the fearful bound of the aroused tigress — her eyes flashing fire — her lips and cheeks white as ashes. " Guilt — ashamed I Mr. De Vere, I command you to tell me of what I am accused ! " she said, fiercely. " Wliat an actress was lost in you, Miss Jack ! " said the captain, with a sneer. " Now, Jacquetta, it's of no use," said Grizzle, in a wheedling tone. " You know just as well as he does what it means, and it is only a waste of good tragedy to rant and fire up like this. How often have you told me that you dreaded this day, and implored me on your knees not to tell what I have told ? Calm yourself, and be reasonable. You may as well acknowledge your true father, and drop all this nonsense at once. It imposes on no one now." " That's the chat I " said the captain. She looked from one to the other, like a wounded deer with the hounds at his throat. " Oh, my God ! we are all sinners, and none more un- worthy than I. But what have I done to deserve this ! " There was a passionate solemnity in her tone that thrilled through every heart. Disbrowe rose, as white as herself. " This is base — this is unmanly — this is cruel ! If she were on trial for life, she would be told her crime, and al- lowed to defend herself. Will you not give her the same l)rivilege as a public malefactor?" " She knows well enough it's all sham I " said Grizzle, liarshly. « She can play Persecuted Innocence to perfec- tion I " " Come I I'll ask her a question," said Captain Mck, A PROUD HEART CRUSHI-D. 237 in his bullying tone. " Right about face, ^liss or Mudame Jacquetta. Look at me — look at me well I " " I am looking, sir ! " " Well ; do you know me ? Come, now, the truth, tho whole truth, and nothing but the truth ! " " Yes, sir." " Ah, you do 1 Mar kthat, Mr. De Vere. Who am I, then?" " Captain Nick Tempest — the greatest villain unhung! '* The answer was so unexpected — so completely different from anything he had looked for, that the gallant captain sunk back in his chair, and stared at her, perfectly unable to utter a word. Grizzle Howlet " grinned horribly a ghastly smile " of triumph over her old enemy, and nmttered ; " Her father's daughter, indeed 1 Pluck to the last ! '* And, Frank, who had hitherto stood a silent and wondering spectator, called out, delightedly : " That's you, Jack ; hit him again ! " Mr. De Vere's brow grew, if possible, a shade more stern than it had been before. " Do you know to whom you are speaking, mistress ? Let him be ever so great a villain, it is your duty to be respectful. If you think to raise yourself in my estima- tion by any display like this, you are greatly mistaken in me, young lady ! I cannot cease to forget as easily as you can, that there is a commandment which says, " Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord shall give." " I have not tried to raise myself in your estimation, Mr. De Vere. I never yet sued for the good opinion of any one, and I shall not begin now ! Neither can J see how the command just quoted can apply to the present case in the remotest degree." " Do you mean to say," said ]\[r. De Vere, rising to his feet, and sternly confronting her, " that you do not know that man ?" - She met his angry gaze unflinchingly. *' I mean to say no such thing, sir ! I do know him quite as well as I am anxious to know him, or any one of his class." Il ill t'{ 1 I: * 238 THE DARK SECRET. I " Take care we arc not better acquaintc^d l)cfore lonpf, my pretty little dear! * Any one of his class,' forsooth I To what (hiss do you Ixdonj^, if it comes to that, my high and mighty little princess royal ! " sneered the captain. " You prevaricate, young lady. Will you tell me in what relation he stands to you 'i " " That's it I You have her now, scpiirc ! Drive her into the corner, where she can't dodge ! " cried the captain, delightedly. " Silence, fellow I " angrily exclaimed Mr. De Vere. " I await your answer, madam." *'I do not undersbind you, sir. Do you mean to say that that man is any relation to me? " "That is an Irish way of answering my question, and looks very nmch like shuffling evasion ! Now, I will put the question direct. I suppose you do not need to be told that I am not your father ! " Iler face turned dark-crimson for an instant, and then whiter than before. " I mean not your own father," he observed, hastily. « No, sir." There was a simultaneous exclamation from Jacinto, Disbrowe and Frank ; but, no one noticed them, and Mr. De Vere went on : " Then, as every one has a father, living or dead, per- haps you will be good enough to tell me who yours really is?" ' " It is late to ask that question. You know as much of the matter as I do I " Captain Tempest whistled. *' Then you deny all knowledge of your father ? " " I do, sir. I know of no such person in the world I " " Oh, Jacquetta ! " exclaimed old Grizzle, holding up her hands in holy horror. " What do you mean, you hag — you murderess — you second Jezebel ? " exclaimed Jacquetta, turning furiously upon her. " Do you dare to say I lie ? " And she glared upon her like a young lioness, ready to spring. " Jacquetta De Vere, you know you do I " said Grizzle, boldly. A PROUD HEART CRUSHED. 239 ?♦ " Come, madain, no savage outbursts of passion her sternly interposed Mr. De Vere. " When your k'ave Foii- t<;lle, you may take to tistieutl's as soon as you ph'ase; but, you will be good enough, both of you, to restrain your natural inclinations in my presenee. Once again — and for the last time, Jaec^uetta— do you mean to say that you do not know who your father is?" "I do not. By heaven and all its hosts, I swear it I '* she passionately cried. "Then, behold him here! "exclaimed Mr. De Vcre, pointing to Captain Tempest, who arose to his feet, triumphant. "Oh, falsest of the falsi; ! that you whom I ])elieved the soul of frankness and hoinn', could l)e guilty of such mean deception as this! And, to think, that I should have been so poor a dup(», to be t\joled by a smil- ing face and a smooth tongue ! Oh ! never till now did I realized ' how fair an outside falsehood hath ! ' " There was a cry from dl, and a unanimous rising to their feet. Jacquetta stood like one petrified — turned to stone. Mr. De Vere sternly waved them back, and went on : " Your very countenance convicts you ; for you have your father's face ! And, to think I sliould liave ever cherished the spawn of such a viper ! t<^) think that you could have known this and acted a living lie all these years under my very eyes ! — that you should have held secret meetings with this man, and given him money — my money — pilfered from me, to pay him and this wretched old woman to keep your secret I Had you toUl me he was your father in time, I might even have oveilooked the disgrace of having the child of such a wr(^tch con- nected with my family ; but, now I can never believe, or trust, or forgive you ! The daughter of such a father — of such a mother, bearing my name ! Oh 1 how indeed have I fallen, when I have lived to see such a day ! " He strode up and do^vn the room, like one beside him- self with grief and rage, and humiliation. Still she stood like one turned to stone — mute, voiceless, motionless. She had a vague expectation of something terrible, but nothing like this. She passed her hand over her eyes, like one in a dream. 5 \n ".r I. ij 1 11 240 THE DARK SECRET. " Come, Jacquetta, have done with this," said Captain Nick, roughly. " We have had enough of this fooling. I'm your father, and that's the end of it. And, what's more, you know it, and there is no use trying to back out. Come, be a good girl, and don't be ashamed of tLe old man who is ready to stand by you while there is a shot in the locker, or a timber of this old hunk hangs to- gether." Ilis voice aroused her from her trance, and, looking at him fixedly, she turned to Grizzle, and said, calmly : " You ought to know. Do not deceive me now, but, tell me. Is he my father?" " You know he is. What'ss the good of asking ? " said Grizzle, in an impatient yet somewhat subdued tone ; for there was that in the young girl's very calmness that awed her. " Then it has come to this, at last I I knew this pleas- ant dream could not last forever ! " " But, you thought to keep it off as long as possible, said Mr. De Vere sarcastically. " A few falsehoods," more or less, made little difference to you." " God forgive you, Mr. De Vere ! From you, at least, I have not deserved this." "No — you have deserved much consideration, much kindness, from me ! Oh, false heart ! that I should ever have believed you true ! " " You think me then a liar and an impostor ? " Something in her tone moved him ; and he looked in the little, sorrowful face and beseeching eyes, with their pitiful look, so very sad to see in eyes so proud as hers. But, the memory of all Grizzle had told him, bearing so powerfully the impress of truth, came back to him ; and nerving himself with remembered wrongs, he savage- ly answered ; «Ido!" Her clasped hands drv:)pped. " Once more- -God forgive you, Mr. De Vere ! " " Pray for yourself," he said, haughtily. " You need forgiveness as much as me." "May I go?" she said, wearily, dropping her head. *' I am tired and sick ! I never meant to wrong you ; A PROUD HEART CRUSHED. 241 I and, if you would only believe that, I could forget the rest." "I do not believe it, Jacquetta ! I can never believe you more. You have deceived me too long and too often for that." She leaned heavily against a chair. " May I go ? Will you not spare me ? You are break- ing my heart I " " Let it break ! You will be all the better for it, since it is so deceitful ! No, you shall not go yet. You have not heard all. Your sins have found you out." " Go on ! I am listening ! " " Where is my son's child ? Where is this child of yours, whose existence you have concealed so long? " "Mr. DeVerel" " Oh ! start and look, and coin fresh lies ! I know you of old, madam ! Deny it, as you did your fatlier ! What an unnatural heart you must have, Jacquetta, to deny the existence of your own child, that I might leave all my wealth to you I Answer me : where is my son's child?" " It is dead ! It died the day of its birtli ! '" " It is false ! " said Grizzle, sternly. " It lives ! " " You hear that ! " said Mr. De Vere, triumphantly. " Your very confederates have turned against you ! Add no more falsehoods to the rest. My grandchild lives ! " Again the bewildered look came over her. " I am going crazy, I think I You told me he was dead," she said, turning to Grizzle. " I never did. You paid me for taking care of it, and concealing its existence ! " Her eye turned involuntarily upon Orrie. " Yes, look ! " said Mr! De Vere, bitterly. " How well you know who it is ! Does she not bear her father's face ? " " Is she my child ? " " Paugh ! you sicken me with this acting I As if you needed to be told whose child she was ! Speak — acknowl- edge the truth ! " " It is useless ! You would not believe me." " Speak, I command you ! I have a right to know I Is she not your daughter ? " I* i. i it vn i ■ 1. 242 THE DARK SECRET. « She may be. I do not know. My heart always told me we were more than strangers." " Oh ! it did ? I am glad your heart knew how to tell the truth for once, as it does not seem to be generally in the habit of doing so ! So, Miss Jacquetta De Vere, of Fontelle Hall, has found a father in the outlawed Captain Nick Tempest, and a daughter in old Grizzle Howlet's prote(iee^ all in the same day ? " She dropped her face in her hands with a low, bitter cry, that could not be repressed. Every one present sat mute, waiting lor what was to come next. Mr. De Vere's brow did not relax ; for, like all slow to anger, he was still slower to forgive. His lip curled scornfully as he looked on the little, drooping figure and bowed head, once so high and haughty. " So you can feel shame ? you can feel remorse ? you can feel humiliation ? " " I am not ashamed ! " " I am sorry to hear it ! But I forgot — those who stoop to deception, as you have done, seldom feel shame." She raised her head and hands. " Oh, my God ! " she said, as the words of the dying cardinal came to her mind, " If I had loved thee as I have loved this man, Thou would'st not have cast me off thus!" There was a pause, which no one seemed inclined to break. She arose to her feet, at last.. " Is there anything more ? What else have I done ? " " Ah ! you are anxious to be gone ; but I have not quite done with you yet. Wliy did you never tell mo what sort of a mother you had ? " "I did not think it necessary. It could have done no good." " Oh, so you do not deny that f Well, I am glad you perceive the necessity of speaking the truth, at last ! You did not think it necessary ? No I dare say not I You took good care I should not know it ! " " Must I answer for my mother's sins ? " " Yes ; the sins of the father shall be visited on the children, even to the third and fourth generations, saith the Lord." A PROUD HEART CRUSHED. 243 "You can quote Scripture against me, too. Heaven and earth seems to have forsaken me alike ! Ah, well ! let it be ! What else, Mr. De Vere ? " " The worst of all ! " he said, in a low, passionate voice. " You have been unfaithful to your marriage- vow ! " Her Avhite face turned crimson, and she started like one who had received a spear thrust through the heart. Turning for the first time towards Disbrowe, she gave him a look he never forgot. " Oh, coward and traitor I Is this your revenge ? " " Ha ! Then he knows, too ? " cried Mr. De Vere, eagerly. "I did doubt that; but this confirms it ! Then you are guilty ? " " What has he told you ? " she cried, fiercely. A flush of haughty anger and humiliation tinged the handsome face of Disbrowe, but he said nothing. " It is false I " she cried, forgetting in her passion all respect for her questioner. "lie must have told you. No one else knew — " She checked herself, and again turned scarlet. " Knew what ? " said Mr. De Vere, with a piercing glance. She made a frenzied gesture, like one goaded to despera- tion. " I will not tell ! Suspect what you like ! You have laid this trap to ensnare me ! I can fall no lower in your eyes than I have fallen now. Think me as guilty as you please, the whole of you ! I am ruined and disgraced, and it matters little what becomes of me, now I " " Then you do not deny it ? " he said, significantly. " I deny nothing ! I acknowledge nothing ! You think me lost, body and soul ! Think so still, but let me go ! " "What, without your dear friend? Come hither. Sir Spaniard ! Is it the custom in your country, when a wounded stranger is received into a man's house, to re- turn his kindness as you have returned mine ? " " What has he done ? " demanded Jacquetta, coming over and laying her hand, half-caressingly, half-protect- ingly, half-defiantly, on the boy's shoulder, and looking around like a stag at bay. " Nny, Jacqin'tt'.i, you would not have me answer that 1; i ■ it 'I H i 1r II M 244 THE DARK SECRET. question, I trust? But, Alfred, I must Lave an explana- tion from you I What do you know ? " " Nothing, sir." " Nothing that you choose to teii, you mean. Alfred Disbrowe, I command you to tell ! This — this — person is my son's wife, and I have a right to know ! " " I have nothing to tell, sir," said Disbrowe, so stunned by all he had heard, that he scarcely knew whether he was dreaming or waking. " You have ! " said Jacquetta, in a ringing voice. « Deny it not ! Tell all you know! " " You have accused me of doing that already I " he said, with a haughty bow. " Then you have not told ? " He only replied by a look. He would not answer such a charge. " Ah ! and I have wronged you 1 I am sorry I will you forgive me ? " " I have nothing to forgive." " No ; it is scarcely worth while stooping to forgive so lost a wretch as I. Shall I tell you what he saw, Mr. De Vere, since he will not ? " " As you please. It matters little." " Jacquetta ! " said the boy in a trembling voice. " Hush ! fear not ! Then through the door of this boy's room he saw me kiss him ! " « Ah 1 " " How very indiscreet of you to leave the door open," said Grizzle with a laugh and a shrug. Jacinto started up. « Jacquetta, I will tell ! I will ! " . ' - " Do, at your peril ! Not one word, sir ! " "But—" " Not a word ! I will never forgive you if you do.'* The boy hid his face in his hands with a groan. " If you have anything to say, young sir, out with it I " SLid Mr. De Vere sternly. Again Jacinto started up. " Oh, Jacquetta, I must 1 It was my fault, and I will take the consequences. I will tell I I must tell I I can- not bear to think I was the cause of — " A PROUD HEART CRUSHED. 245 '7(1 " You are the cause of nothing. In my guilt and deg- radation I stand alone ! From all blame you are free I You can say nothing that can free me from the crime of having such a father, such a mother, and such a child ! I am the daughter of an outlaw and a villain, ruined and disgraced ! —it has an ugly sound ; but it is the truth, though I may never have spoken it before. Good-bye my friend ; you, at least, believe me innocent of one crime with whicli I have been charged, and that is something. Mr. De Vere, what next ? I do not wish to trouble you but as short a time as I can. I await your command to go." " It will come presently. Jacquetta De Vere, I am sorry for you." ' " There is no need, sir. What does it matter ? " " What will become of you when you leave here ? " " I am a small girl, sir ; and in the Potter's Field there is room for another vagrant." Some of the old love he had felt for her came back, as he saw that faint, cold smile. " Oh ! Jacquetta, why have you done this ? Why were you so deceitful ? " .« " We will not speak of it, sir, if you please. I do not think I can quite bear it yet. Forget the past, and think of me as you have learned to to-day." " Jacquetta, was it for his home and wealth you mar- ried my unfortunate son ? " " I'd rather not answer that question. You have already answered it to your own satisfaction ; and noth- ing a confirmed liar, such as I am, can say, is to be be- lieved." " You were only a child then — a little child ! was du- plicity bora with you, Jacquetta ? " " Yery likely, sir. You forget my mother." " Ah, true." His brow darkened again. " And so you ■will go with this man ? " *' He is my father, sn\" " Oh ! you acknow ledge it at last — do you ? you unduti- f ul little minx ! " growled the captain. " Is the list of my crimes ended, Mr. De Yere ? Whea may I go ? " i'Q im vi M! 't 246 THE DARK SECRET. I I I " As soon as you please. I wUl ring and give orders to have your things packed up." " No, sir, you will not! Bare and penniless as I came to Fon telle, I will leave it I Good- by, Mr. De Vere ; you were a kind friend to me always, and I shall pray God to forgive you for the wrong you have done me this day. He is more merciful than man, and perhaps He may for- give even so lost a sinner as I am." Her voice trembled a little as she moved one step away. ^ " One thing further. Since this is my child, may she not come with me ? Neither she nor I will ever trouble you again." " No ! " said Mr. De Vere ; " my grandchild stays in Fontfclle Hall ! " " I cannot give her up so 1 " she said, i^assionately — she is all i have left to love ! Orrie, I am your mother, will you not come with me?" -► That pleading smile ; that quivering lip — how pitiful they were to see ! " I am your grandfather, my child. If you will stay with me you shall live here and be a lady. You shall have everything your heart can desire." Orrie looked from one to the other, and then up at Dis- browe, on whose knee she still sat. His face was averted, but he held her closer in his arm. " Will he stay, too?" she asked. . - « Yes," said Mr. De Vere. . " Then so will I ! " said Orrie. " I won't go ! " Something faded out of the face of Jacquetta — it could not be color, for she was deadly white ; it was as if a flickering light had gone out from a lamp. She put one trembling hand up before her face without a word. " The last unkindest cut of all," quoted Captain Tem- pest, touched in spite of himself. " Ring the bell, Frank, and tell Reynolds to serve din- ner instantly," said Mr. De Vere, coldly. Jacquetta lifted her white face, and made a step toward the door. Captain Tempest, Grizzle and Jacinto, rose too. No one else moved. She reached the door ; she paused on the threshold, her A PROUD HEART CRUSHED. 247 face worked convulsively, and sne turned back with a great cry . « I cannot go like this ! Will no one say good-by to me before I leave ? " " Certainly," said Mr. De Vere, " good-by. ^\nd in the future I hope you will learn to be true ! " " And that is all ? And this is what I have loved so well ? Oh ! my heart ! this is hardest of all ! Augusta, Orrio, Disbrowe — silent all ! And you, too, Frank," she uaid, in a voice of sorrowful reproach. " And I trusted to you." There Avas a great sob from I'rank, and the next mo- ment he was over, holding her in his arms, and flashing defiance at all the rest. " It's a shame ! it's a blamed shame ! it'vS a horrid shame ! and I don't believe a word of it ! They have no business to treat you so ! " said Frank, with something like a howl of mingled grief and rage. She smiled sadly. « Then you do love me a little, yet, Frank ? " " Yes, I do ! and I always will, too ! I don't believe a single thing they said about you, and I never will believe it as long as I live — hanged if I do ! " There is something in a boy's grief — it is so honest and hearty, and outspoken, and comes so straight from the heart. It would have brought tears from Jacquetta's eyes if anything could ; but she had none to shed — she felt like a stone, yet with such a dreadful pain at her heart. " Good-by, my dear Frank, my brother 1 and do not quite forget Jacquetta ! " Frank was sobbing away in good earnest. Jacinto had his hand before his eyes, to hide the tears that fell hot and fast. Augusta lay perfectly still — for a deadly sick- ness had seized her, and she had fainted, though they knew it not. Disbrowe sat like a figure of marble, with his face hidden in his hand and the long locks of his fall- ing hair. Mr. De Yere was cold and stern as a Spartan father condemning hip only son to death. •* Farewell to all I " said Jacquetta, gently, " who loved me once ! Farewell to old Fontelle I " 1 I .. ;,, 1 ;■- i ' . r ■|! ■ [■■ |i;. ;, It] u 248 THE DARK SECRET. She turned away. The rest went after her. There was a few moments' death-like pause, and then they heard the hall-door heavily closed, and something in each heart crashed with it. They knew then that Jacquetta — bright, beautiful Jacquetta — the gay, sunny household- fairy, had left Fontelle forever ! CHAPTER XXI. " HE GIVETH HIS BELOVED SLEEP.'* *' Lord Heron he dwells in his castle high, Rosalind sleeps on the moor below, » He loved to live, and she loved to die ; Which loved the truest, the angels know." —Ballad. Mr. De Verb had made a gesture, as ii casting some- thing from him. " It is gone — so is she, and peace go with her ! Frank, is dinner ready ? " " I don't know ; and, what's more, I don't care ! " howled Frank, wiping his eyes and nose furiously, in his grief. " Francis I " exclaimed his uncle, in angry displeasure. " I don't, then — not one bit I You treated Jack shame- fully, and I don't care if you turn me out of doors for say- ing it. I'm blamed if I don't go, anyway ! I'll run off and go to sea — I'll enlist ! You see if I don't ! You had no business to treat Jack so ! " said Frank, with another howl. « Francis ! " " Going and believing that old lying Grizzle Howlet, and ready to swear to everything she said, and snapping up Jack without giving her a chance to say a word for herself ! "I say it's a shame ! a blamed shame ! And if I had known that was what you wanted of her, I shouldn't have gone one foot ; no, not if you were to hang, draw, and quarter me for it ! " " Francis ! " - " I don't believe she ever did one single thing that you said she did — only she was too proud to deny it, when she saw you believed that hateful, old, ugly Mother How- *'HE GIVETH HIS BEI.OVED SLEEP." 249 let faster than her," vociferated Frank, ranting furiously up and down the room. "And that old scoundrel, Nick Tempest, too, going and saying she was his daughter — the old villain ! I should like to know what everybody will say when they hear how you've treated her, and turned her out of doors. I should think you would be Hshamed ever to show your face again, Uncle Rob I " « Francis 1 " " Oh, you may ^ Francis ' as much as you like ; but I don't care 1 I will say just what I think, if you were a dozen uncles ten times over. I suppo.^e people think boys ought to sit with their fingers in their mouths, and never say a word, just because they are boys, as if they could help that ! I tell you. Uncle Rob, if I was you, I would be ashamed ever to show my face again I And you a justice of the peace, too ! A pretty iustice of the peace you are, aiding and abetting robbers and murderesses ! " " Leave the room, sir I " " I'm going to, and the house too, if you like ; and I will say again and again that it was a shame ! " " Will you be silent and leave the room ? " " I am a-going to ; but I say again and again, it was a shame ! It was a shame — there ! It was a shame — there I It was a shame — now then I " Mr. De Vere sprung up in a rage, collared the intrepid Frank and shook him till he was breathless. "Now, will you say it?" he exclaimed between his teeth. " It — wa-a-s a sh-a-a-me, there ! " said Frank, between his chattering teeth. Mr. De Vere seized the bell- cord, and rung a peal that brought up Reynolds. " Here, Reynolds, take this fellow off, and lock him up in his room, and bring me the key." Mr. Reynolds, who would have manifested no surprise, and would probably have obeyed without a word, if his master had told him to behead him, blandly seized Frank, and began dragging him off, while that young gentleman kicked and struggled manfully. But kicks and struggles were of no avail, Reynolds was getting the best of the battle. I: W iri fm iLu.. ' -t.- 4 . ^ I ■? ij'i 2.»;o THE DARK SECRET. II " It was a shame — there I " yelled Frank, as Reynolds pulled him through the door. Orrie, who saw something exquisitely ludicrous in the whole scene, gave vent to a ►'hrill peal of laughter at the youth's discomfiture. " Dinner is served, sir," said another servant, tlirowing open the door. " Very well ! Augusta, will you take my arm ? " said her father, rising. out Augusta spoke not — moved not. . " Augusta ! " he said, in alarm. There was no reply. He went over, lifted her head, and saw the closed eyes, and corpse- like face. " Good heavens ! she has fainted ! " he cried in con- sternation. And once more seizing the bell-rope, he pulled it, as if he would have torn it down. Two or three servants answered the summons. " Bring water, salts, hartshorn, something, anything, everything ! Miss Augusta has fainted ! " They fled to obey. Restoratives were applied, and in a few moments the large, heavy eyes unclosed, and fell on the father's face. " Are you better, my darling ? " he said, bending over her. Her eyes waiidered around in a vague, wild way. " Oh, papa, where is she ? " « Who, my love ? " " Jacquetta ! Oh, papa I it was dreadful ! " " Leave the room ! " said Mr. De Vere, sternly, to the curious servants, v/ho reluctantly obeyed. " Papa, what have you done to her ? " she cried startl- ing up. " She is gone, Augusta ! She will never come back more." "Papa!" ■ " " I regret the necessity as much as you can possibly do, Augusta ; but justice must have its way. She has been weighed in the balance and found wanting." " And you have turned her out of doors ? " He turned crimson. (< HE GIVKTH HIS BiaOVED SLEEP." 251 " I could no longer keep her here with respect to my- self, my daughter ! " " P(K>r little sister!" said Augusta, hittcrly, "this is the return we have made her for all her love ! Poor little Jacquetta ! " " She was guilty, Augusta ! " said her father, sternly, " She carried a false hejirt under that fair face. Let us speak no more of her. Dinner is waiting." " Excuse me, papa, I do not feel well, and would rather go to my room." " Whatever you wish, my dear," he said, calndy. And she passed from the room without a word. He turned to Dishrowe, hut he had never moved. Orrie, too, lay very quiet, with her arms around his neck, and her head on his breast. " Alfred," said Mr. De \''ere, gently, for there was some- thing chilling in this shrinking off of all. The young man lifted his head, and raised his eyes, and his uncle started to see how pale, and cold, and stern he looked. " I am sorry if this unpleasant scene has pained you, but it was unavoidable. Dinner is waiting — ^viU you come down? You have tasted nothing since breakfast." Captain Disbrowe gently placed Orrie on the ground, 1.--J arose. " Of course you will not think of leaving us for a few days, now. It will be so lonely here that we can ill spare you." " Thank you ! I believe I shall carry out my original design, and leave to-day," he said, in a voice of chillhig coldness. " Leave to-day ! My dear Alfred, you do not mean it ! " He bowed slightly. " Will you have the goodness to deliver my luggage to whoever I may send for it, to-morrow ? — and make my adieux to Miss De Vere and Frank ! " " Alfred ! — my dear boy ! — what do you mean ? " He was almost pitiful in his earnestness, and in the gathering sense of his loneliness, and he looked earnestly, wistfully, in his nephew's face. But that proud, fuU, handsome face was as cold and inflexible now, as his own M It; •■ rril •I'll : ■;.! ''■■ I 11 252 THE DARK SECRET. had been a few short moments before, when listening to another pleader. " I am going, sh*. I thank you for all your kindness to me since I came. Good-'oy.'* > " Alfred, you an^ angry '? " " No, sir — not that 1 am aware of." " You are more — you are grieved, hurt, and deeply offended." lie only made a motion with his hand, and turned to leave the room. " No ; you shall not go 1 " said his uncle, flrndy, « until you tell me what this means. Is it because she, Ja — " " Excuse me, sir I — I do not care for hearing that name again." " Is it because she is gone ? " « Not because she is gone," he said, coldly, " but because of the way she went." " She was guilty 1 " « She may be. You ought to kno w best, since you have known her longest." " She has deceived me I " « Well ; so you told herself." " And she did not deny it." "Pardon me — I think she did/" "Well; what matter?" said his uncle, impatiently; " she was guilty, none the less. So I could not act other- wise than I have done." " I do not presume to criticize your conduct." " Yet you are angry. Why is it ? " " I have been deceived — that's all," said Disbrowe quietly. " Deceived ? " "Yes, sir I" "How?" " The person I was led to believe your daughter, my cousin, and a young lady, turns out to be a wife, a mother, and the daughter of one whom she herself justly called the greatest villain unhung I " « Do you love her still ? " " Excuse me answering that question, and allow me to bid you, once more, farewell." *'HE GIVETH HIS BKLOVKD SLEEP." 253 led to « You will go ? " A bow was his answer. " I have acted for the best, and yet you all turn against me. T loved lier myself ; and yet, because I obeyed the command uf justice, I am looked upon as a monster." " Charity is as j>reat a virtue as justice." « Good-by, Alfred." « Farewell, sir." They shook hands, but how cold and quiet one hand was 1 Disbrowe turned to quit the room, and his uncle sunk into a cliair and buried his face in his hands. A child's shrill scr(nim echoed through the house, and little Orrie was clinging to him, wildly. " Oh, don't go 1 — stay with me ! " lie stooped and put liis arm around her. " You must be quiet, Orrie, and let me go — I can't stay." " Well, take me with you, tlien V '' " No, I cannot do that, either. You must stay here. If you cry, now, I shall not like you. Will you be quiet?" " Yes," sobbed Orrie. " Then, good-by ! Now let me go." He kissed her tenderly. " For her mother's sake," he said, gently ; and then he let her go, and quitted the room. He ordered his horse, and in a few moments was in the saddle, and galloping away, as if the arch-fiend himself was after him, toward the Mermaid Inn. He knew he would hardly reach it that night ; but he would almost as soon have passed it in a wolf's den, as under the roof from which Jacquetta had been expelled. How he thought and thought, as he rode along, until thought became agony, and he dashed over the ground like one mad to escape fr im himself. He felt sure that they had taken her to the lone inn, and he was glad that it would be dark long before he reached it, so he would not be obliged to look even on the house that held her. Not for worlds would he have looked on that fair, bright face again — not for ten thousand worlds would he have III t J- 1:1 254 THE DARK v^ECRET. touched that small, white hand it had once been such hap- piness to hold. He tried to shut out the " haunting shape, the image gay," that flashed before him in all its beauty, as if in deriding mockery, until his very brain reeled. He dashed and plunged furiously along through the deepening night, almost mad with impatience to reach the Mermaid. There was a possibility of his meeting Captain Nick Tempest there, and a diabolical determina- tion filled his heart that one or the other should leave it a dead man. The Spanish boy, too — he felt as if it would be a direct mercy from heaven io twist his neck for him ; and, in his present savage mood, he could have done it without remorse. The daylight faded, and faded, behind the western hills, and the holy calm of a soft spring night settled over moor, and forest, and flowing river. Up rose the " young May moon," serene and silvery, smiling down like an angel-face on the young rider dashing along the lonely road at such a frenzied pace. There was something of heaven in the holy hush and drowsy calm of that bright, moonlit night, and something of its peace stole into the passion-tossed heart of the young Englishman. He looked up at the face of the serene sky, where the serene moon sailed, and reverently uncovered his head, awed by the deep, solemn beauty of the pale, bright night. The cool breeze lifted, lightly, the clustering locks of his dark hair, and calmed the feverish brow beneath, until his high heart-beating subsided, and he rode along in a subdued and decidedly more Christian mood. The eastern sky was ablaze with the crimson and gold heralds of the coming morn, when the tired horse and rider halted at the door of the Mermaid Inn. Everything was profoundly still, the shutters closed and the door barred, and its master far in the land of dreams. But our impatient young Briton cared little what brilliant visions of princely custom Old Bob Rowlie was indulging in ; and, with the l:>utt end of his horsewhip, knocked furiously at the door in a way that might have awoke the dead. Ten minutes elavsped — during which Disbrowe kept up a steady cannonade at the door, until there seemed some danger of his beating it down altogether ; and then an "HE GIVETH HIS BEI.OVED SLEEP." 255 upper window was opened, a red woolen night-cap pro- traded, and a startled voice demanded who was there. " A tired traveler. How long do you intend to keep me waiting here ? Come down and open the door, you old villain I " Thus civilly apostrophized, Mr. Rowlie drew in his head, shuffled down-stairs, and blinking very much, held the door open for his early customer to enter. " Where is my horse to go ? See that he is attended to directly ; and let me have a bed as soon as possible. I feel completely used up." Old Bob led the way up-stairs to a small hole in the wall containing a bed and a chair, and informed Disbrowe it was his " best bedroom." " Oh, it will do well enough," said the young man, cast- ing a careless glance around. " See that my horse is well cared for and carefully rubbed down." " Yes sir," said Mr. Rowlie. "And look here, my friend, wli \t do they call you?" said Disbrowe, divesting himself of his coat and boots. " My name's Rowlie, sir," said the host of the Mermaid, in his slow and solemn way. " Mister — Robert — Ed'ard — Rowlie, gineral dealer in lickers and refreshment for man and beasts. " Well, Mr. Robert Edward Rowlie, how many other guests have you at present in the house ? " Mr. Rowlie looked severely at the bed- post nearest him a moment, in deep thought, and then shook his head. " We hain't got any at this jiresent : no — not any. It's quiet here — remarkably so." " So I should say. But there was one — Captain Tem- I)est — is he not here ? " ]\Tr. Rowlie looked with increasing severity at the bed- post again, until he had sufficiently collected his faculties to reply. " No, sir; he ain't here — leastways, just at present; no — he ain't." " Do you expect him soon ? " " Well," said Mr. Rowlie, scratching his head, or more properly speaking, his night-cap, " there ain't no saying about tiiat. He might, and then again he mightn't." Ki;. 'Sf \W ?:' f^ 'in It Mi;'-' 256 THE DARK SECRET. " Well, what do you think ? " said Disbrowe, impatient- ly. " Do you think he will come to-day ? " " Well, now, I really couldn't say," said Mr. Rowlie, with a look of helpless distress. " There ain't never putting any dependence onto him. He might, and then again — " " He mightn't," interrupted Disbrowe. " Perfectly sat- isfactory ! There, you may go now, my intelligent friend ; but, should he come, will you just have the goodness to present him Captain Disbrowe's compliments, and let him know lie hopes to have the pleasure of horsewhipping him within an inch of his life the first time they meet. There — go ; I'm going to sleep." To have seen the expression of Mr. Rowlie's expressive countenance on hearing this sanguinary announcement, with his mouth and eyes opened to their widest extent I A faint smile broke over Disbrowe's face as he waved his hand for him to go ; and the horrified host of the Mermaid took his departure accordingly. Tired and worn out by his journey and the miserable night he had passed, it was high noon before Disbrowe awoke. There was no such thing as a bell in his room ; so, hastily dressing and running his fingers through his hair, he glanced in a facetious little looking-glass, cracked across the middle, which ornamented the wall, and, pos- sessing a strong natural taste for the ridiculous, reflected every feature askew. Having, by the aid of this dissolute mirror, twisted his shirt-collar hind side before, in the belief that he was thereby putting it on straight, he descended the stairs and passing into the bar, where he found Mr. Rowlie in the depths of a leathern arm-chair, solacing himself with his pipe and a mug of frothy home- brewed. " Morning, squire ! " was his sententious greeting, ac- companied by a patronizing nod. " Good-morning, Mr. Rowlie. Have you seen to my horse ? " " Yes," said Rowlie, meditatively — " yes ; I have." " Well, I will go and have a look at him myself ; and meantime, send up some warm water to my room, and let me have breakfast." *'HK GIVETH HIS BELOVED SLEEP." 257 ac- my and and Mr. Rowlie having promised obedience, Disbrowe sauntered out to see after Saladin ; and having found that amiable quadruped i)retty comfortable, returned to finish his toilet and take his breakfast ; for being " crossed in love," as the housemaids call it, seldom interferes with a man's appetite. The meal being served in the kitchen, and being waited on by little Mrs. Rowlie, whom he found to be much more communicative and intelligent than her spouse, he proceeded to cross-examine her on matters and things— rightly concluding he stood a better chance of obtaining an answer from her than her solemn spouse. " And so Captain Tempest left here yesterday morning," he was saying. " Did he tell you where he was going ? " " Oh, Lor ! no, sir ; he never tells nobody his business ; but I expect it was something or other 'long old Grizzle Howlet. They're as thick as pickpockets, both of 'em." " Have you any idea when he will return ? " " Well, now, I couldn't say exactly, but it ain't impos- sible he might come to-day or to-morrow, at furthest. His men are waiting for him out there in Rowlie's Cove." "Where is that?" " Just a small piece below ; and it's always been called after us." " There was a boy with him — a young Spaniard. Do you know anything of him ? " " Oh, that uncommon handsome little furriner ! No : he hasn't been here for a long while now. I asked old Nick once where he was, and he told me he had gone to the — you know who ; but I don't believe a word of it. He was a great deal too good-looking," said Mrs. Rowlie, laughing. " Do you know if there is any chance of my getting a passage shortly in some craft going from here direct to New York ? " " Oh, bless you ! yes, sir. Day after to-morrow Bill Briggs comes down in his wood-boat, and he would take you. You wouldn't mind going in a wood-be^ t — would you?" said Mrs Rowlie, doubtfully. •* Oh, certainly not. It does not matter. Well, I suppose there's nothing for it but to wait. Is there any one here I could send to Fontelle for my luggage ? " :i? i 1 258 THE DARK SECRET. ! " My iievvy will be here in the course of the day ; he could go." " Very well ; send him then. By the way," he said carelessly, as if the thought had struck him for the first time, " can you tell me what this Captain Tempest trades in as he goes cruising around the world ? " - Mrs. Kowlie glanced fearfully over her shoulder, as though she expected to see the burly form of the captain there in person, and answered, rapidly ; " I don't knov/, I'm sure : I hain't the least idee — not the least idee — not the least. He never brings nothing up here — leastways, nothing I ever see — so I really couldn't say," • " Do you know if he was ever married ? " "No, sir. Lor', how should I? It ain't more than three or four years since I seen him first, i»,x together, and he had no wife then that I ever heard on. He might be married a dozen times, though, for me." " How came he and this old Grizzle Ilowlet to be so intimate ? " r " Don't know ; ' cept tliat it is that birds of a feather flock together everywhere." " And this child who lives with that old woman — little Orrie — do you know anything of her ? " " No, sh' — not a thing. I've hearn she was the old woman's gran' darter, but I don't believe that, somehow. My ' pinion is, that that there old Grizzle ain't no better than she ought to be." " You might swear that withcnt fear of perjury, my worthy hostess. Have you anythmg here I can read to kill time this long day '? " " Yes, sir," said ^Irs. Rowlie, departing with alacrity ; and presently leappearmg with the whole library of the Mermaid, placed it on the table beside him. Tliere was the Filgrim's Progress, Watts' Hymns, the Melodies of ]\Iotlier Goose, and Robinson Crusoe, with the beginning and end torn out. Disbrowe smiled slight- ly at the attractive catalogue ; and lighting a cigar, leaned back and tried to beguile time alternately reading Watts' Hymns and Mother Goose. That long day seemed endless in the dull Mermaid. i! ( i. 'HE GIVETH HIS BELOVED SLEEP." 259 ity; the laid. No one came the livelong day except the " newy" of Mrs. Rowlie, who was immediately packed oft' in a horse and gig to Fontelle for tlie young soldier's luggage. Half a dozen times Disbrowe started up in desperation, resolv- ing to mount Saladin anfi ride to the old inn and see Jacquetta once more, m spite of them all, and as often checked himself, and paced up and down tlie little room like cne insane. Night came, and brought with it a calmer mood ; but it was a niglit spent in feverish dreams. And he arose next day more restless and miserable than before. Toward noon this feeling of restlessness grew unsup- portable ; and, unable to remain inactive longer, he ordered out Saladin, sprung into the saddle, and dashed oft' in the dh'cction Avhere his heart had been since he left Fontelle. In less than half an hour, the old inn came in sight, loom- ing up dark, and dismal, and for])idding in the solitary waste. No one was in sights but a horse stood at the door, which he recognized immediately as the one he had often seen Frank ride. Could it be that Fi-ank was there ? As he started forward to see, the door opened, and Frank himself rushed out, like one crazed, bare-headed and frantic, and was in the act of mounting and galloping oft', when Disbrowe's voice arrested him : " Hallo, Frank ! Good heavens ! what is the matter ? " He might well ask ; for in turning round, Frank dis- closed a face so wild and haggard, and eyes so full of passionate grief, that it sent a thrill of nameless terror to his heart. " Oh, Frank ! speak and tell me what has happened I Is sAe there ?" «Who?" " Jacquetta." " Yes," said Frank, in a tone of passionate bitterness, " shv'^ is there. Will you come in and see her ? " " Yes ; come with me." Both were on their feet in an instant aud Disbrowe was white with apprehension. " Come, then," said Frank, " and see the result of their work. You may all be proud of it alike." " Frank ! Frank ! What do you mean ? " n. V { i fl ■r. ^7 I'- HI >. 36o THF DARK SECRET. « You will soon see. Come I '* He led the way into the long, high kitchen, and a stiaDge, nameless horror was thrilling through the heart of Disbrowe. Captain Nick Tempest sat gloomily scowling by him- self, and neither moved nor spoke as they entered. Old Grizzle sa^^ at the other end of the room, dark and sinister as usual, and glanced at them with a malignant smile as they came in, but did not speak. The door of a small room opening off the kitchen lay ajar, and passing into this, Frank made a sign for Disbrowe to follow. There was a bed in the room, and under a white sheet was the dreary outline of something that made Disbrowe reel as if struck by a blow. Without a word, Frank pulled down the sheet, and pointing to what lay stark and white there, said, huskily : " Look I there is Jacquetta ! " He looked. The small, delicate form was stiff and rigid — the bright, sparkling eyes were closed in their last sleep — the short, flashing curls lay in lifeless clusters on the pillow. The sweet, beautiful face would smile on him no more. Jacquetta lay there, and dead I * CHAPTER XXII. THE LONELY GRAVE. •• Thus lived — thus died she : never more on her Shall sorrow light, or shame." Yes, dead — stone-dead I beyond their power at last. More beautiful than she had ever been in life, she lay there before him ; her tameless heart, that neither wrong nor sorrow could conquer, quiet enough now ; the little restless hands folded gently over the marble breast — so strangely calm, so fair and beautiful in her dreamless sleep ! Moments passed while they stood gazing on her, and neither spoke. The face of Disbrowe worked convulsively ; and at last, with a dreadful cry, he flung himself on his knees beside her. THE lyONElvY GRAVE. 26r last. lay rong Ittle -so Lless land his " Oh, Jacquetta ! Jacquetta ! Jacquetta I " " Too late ! " said Frank, bitterly. " The world was not large enough for you and her. It is better as it is." There was no response ; but only that mighty cry : " Oh, Jacquetta ! Jacquetta 1 Jacquetta I " It was the ^.y of a strong heart in strong agony — so full of such quick, living anguish and remorse, that it went to the heart of Frank. He looked down in the young face, once so careless and gay, but so full of mortal de- spair now, and it softened him as nothing else could have done. He laid his hand on his shoulder, and, dropping his face on it, burst into tears. " They broke her heart," he sobbed. " She could never live disgraced ! " There was a step in the chamber ; and the hand of Grizzle touched the young man. " She left this for you," she said in a subdued tone, as if she, too, was a little softened by the sight of his de- spair. " She wrote it an hour before she died." She handed him a small piece of paper, on which some- thing was feebly scratched with a pencil. He opened it^ and read : "For all I have made you suffer, forgive me. Oh, Alfred ! I loved you with all my heart and soul, and this is my atonement for my sin. May God forgive me I for I could not help it. Whcii Jacquetta is dead, and you hear her reviled, try to think tenderly of her ; for oh, Alfred ! no one in this world will ever love you again as you have been loved by her." That was all. He dropped his head, with a groan. " Thou slialt not seethe the kid in its mother's milk," said the deep voice of Grizzle ; "yet it has been done now." " Oh, my God 1 what have I said — what have I done ? " he persistently cried. " This — this is what I have lost ! " Captain Tempest had entered the apartment, and, hear- ing that sad cry, came over, and with a sudden revulsion of feeling, so different from that of a moment before that it was almost like love, laid his hand kindly on the young man's shoulder: " Lost through no fault of yours, Captain Disbrowe. I It'- ll M t ! 262 THE DARK SECRET. am her father ; and here, beside my dead child, who loved you, T will say what! never said before to mortal man, that I am sorry for what I done to you 1 " He held out his hand ; but Captain Disbrowe sternly motioned him back, and answered : "Were you ten times her father it would make no difference. She abhorred you, and so do I ! Never will my hand touch that of her n>urderer I " "Hard words, you 'f r: ," said Captain Nick, his bronzed face slightly ,. '* w.^ " Every man has aright to his own; and she was i -v j:tv fu^ child." "T will believe that v.nen v"> can gather grapes of thorns! But, as I said before, were you ten times her father, I would not care ; for, here in the presence of God and the dead, I declare you to be as much her nmrderer as if you liad held the knife to her throat ! Let her blooc cry for vengjeance upon you till the day of retribution comes ! " " Take care 1 " said Captain Nick, growing whiter still. " One word more, and we are deadly foes for life ! " " So be it. Captiiin Tempest, you are a coward and a liar ! " " Now, by heavens ! " furiously began the captain ; but the strong hand of Grizzle was laid on his shoulder, and she spoke rapidly and imperiously to him, in Spanish. " Respect the dead I " said Disbrowe, pointing to the lifeless form, and speaking in the deep, stern tone he had used throughout. " I quarrel not with you here. Fear not but that a day of reckoning will come soon. Leave me now. I wish to be alone." Even had he not been under the influence of Grizzle, there was something in the eyes and voice of the young man that would have commanded his obedience. Like an angry lion, robbed of its prey, he turned, with a smothered growl, and, accompanied by Grizzle, left the room. There was a long pause in the chamber of death. Like a tall, dark ghost, Disbrowe stood, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes fixed on the small, fair face in its calm sleep, his own face like marble. What seemed the world, his coronet and prospective bride, in that moment, com- pared with what he had lost I THE I.ONEI.Y GRAVE. 263 Well has it been said that we know the value of noth- ing until we forever lose it. How she arose before him in all her entrancing beauty — bright, radii Jit, untamed as he had knoANii her lirst — this matt'hlevss girl who had loved him so well ! lie re- called her in all her willful moods ; the fair sprite who teased and tormented him, yet whose bright smile coiUd dispel his anger as a ray of smishine disi)els gloom. He thought of her in her heroic daring, risking her own life, freely and fearlessly, for tliat of others — the tameless mountain fairy transformed to the ministering household angel, hovering beside the sick and suffering. How tame and insignilicant all other women p i',."^'ed be- side her — this high-souled fay of the moonligliL ! This was the girl who had loved him u. 1 i.uem so well ; and, in return, they had hurled back .. :r 'ove with scorn, and cast her off like a dog from theL" g ce.3. And now she lay there before him, dead ! There was no reproach in those closed ^y-cs — in those sweet, beautiful lips — on that fair, gentle face, or folded hands. She had forgiven them all for the great wrong they had done her ; but, oh I he would have given worlds at that moment for words of pardon from those pale lips — those lips that never would speak more. Frank's deep, suppressed sobs alone broke the silence of the room. Once or twice he had looked up to speak ; but that white, stern face had awed him into silence, and he felt, with a strange thrill of terror and pity, that it was possible for that dark, tearless grief to be deeper than his own. Disbrowe himself was the first to break the silence. And his voice sounded strangely cold and calm : " Does he " — Mr. De Vere he could not call him well then — " know of this ? " " No," said Frank, with a sob. " I was just going to Fontelle when I met you that time, and turned back." " How did you know this — this had happened ? " " I didn't know. I thought it most likely I should find her here; and before day'.: ik this morning I started off, and I found — I found h( — A great sob finished the sentence. 1 5 il ;i i 'I! : M ii 264 THE DARK SECRET. " Dead I " said Disbrowe, drawing a long, hard breath. « When did she die ? " " Last night," said Frank, who was weeping as only a fresh-hearted boy can. " And it all enrs here ! " said Disbrowe, looking steadily at the death-cold face. " Her short and sorrow- ful story I Oh, Jacquetta ! why were you born for such a fate ? " There was an unspeakable depth of bitterness and de- spair in liis tone. Frank checked his sobs, and looked at him fearfully. "There was another — the young Spaniard — where is he?" " I don't know. I haven't seen him." « Will you ask ? — they Avill tell you," he said, pointing out. Frank left the room, and, after a moment's absence, re- appeared. " Grizzle doesn't know, either, she says. He did not come with them after leaving Fontelle, but set off toward Green Creek by himself. Most likely he is there." " Ah 1 " said Disbrowe, " then he is gone before this. Well, perhaps it is better so ; and, after all, he was not so much to blame, perhaps — poor boy ! Frank, you ought to go to Fontelle and let them know. Frank started up. " I will go directly ; but you — where shall I find you when I come back ? " " Here, if I may stay. Ask the old woman to come here." Frank left the room, and the next moment Grizzle sauntered in. " You sent for me ? " she asked in a careless tone. "Yes. I want to know whether you have any ob- jections to my remaining here, while she — she — " He stopped for a moment. " Until she is buried." " No," said Grizzle, indifferently. " I have none. You may stay if you like. This is an inn, you know." " I understand — you shall be paid. Has Frank gone ? " " Yes ; I suppose so. I saw him gallop off." " Very well. Will you leave me now ? I wish to be alone." a T t,H THE LONEI.Y GRAVE. 265 i> )U » )e In tlie same indifferent way the woman walked out, closing the door after her ; and Disbrowe was alone with the dead! Dead! — Iioav strange that word sonnded i!i connection with Jaeciuetta ! lie could not realize that Hhe was dead. 80 calm, and i)lacid, and serene, was her l(H)k, that he almost expected to see her start up, as if from slumber, to inquire what he did there. Captain Nick had resumed his former seat, and sat moodily scowling in the lire. As Grizzle reappeared, he looked up and asked, surlily : « Well ; what did he want ? " " What do you supjiose he wanted ? " replied Grizzle, in a tone quite as amiable as his own. Captain Nick growled out a fierce oath between his teeth. ^' Tell me, you old beldame ! None of your cursed mys- teries with me ! What did he want?" " Really, Captain Tempest," said Grizzle, in a tone of provoking coolness, as she dropped on a stool before the fire, and with her elbows on her knees, and her chin be- tween her hands, looked quietly in the blaze, " grief nuist have turned your brain a little when you attempt to liully me. However, allowance must be made for a father's grief for the loss of an only child, and all that sort of thing, so I am happy to tell you he wanted nothing very sinister ; but, considering what he knows, something pretty rash — in a word, to stay here all night." « Humph ! Alone ? " " Certainly ! Frank has gone to Fontelle, I expect, and will not be back to-night ; and who else is there to share his watch, unless our young Spanish friend comes —eh, Nick?" " And that's not very likely. My private impression is, that there is no particular love between Don Jacinto and the young and handsome guardsman." " Do you really think so ? " And, as if struck by some ludicrous idea, Grizzle laughed outright. "What are you grinning at, now, you old baboon?" demanded the captain, angrily. "Nothing," said Grizzle, smiling grimly at the fire. »' Oh, nothing!" ■ \ ii ■\i 266 THE DARK SECRET. " Then I wouldn't advise you to do it," said her gallant companion. " You are none too pretty the best of times, but you look like an old death's-head-and-erossbones when you laugh. And so he is going to stay here alone all niglit with you and I, Grizzle ? He hanged if he's not a brave fellow ! " " I faney he would risk more than that for Captain Nick TtMupest's daughter." " I tell you what, Grizzle, he's a fine young fellow, and would make a splendid high-sea rover — he would, by tho powiTs ! " exclaimed the captain, enthusiastically. " 13ah ! you forget the way he treated you a while ago ! '* said (Ji'izzle, contemptuously. " r don't care for that ; there's a strong spice of tho devil in him ; and Fd give a bag of ducats for a dozen such hearts of oak among my crew." " Really, now," said Grizzle, with a sneer, " what a pity so much valuable love should be lost ! Perhaps you had better ask him to take a cruise in the Fly-by-Night to the coast of Africa. It would be a change for the future Earl of Earnecliffe and Baron of Guilford — eh, my bold buccaneer ? " " Tush 1 speak lower — confound you ! Upon my word, Grizzle, I did not think he would venture to stay here alone to-night with you and I — I really didn't." " Pooh I he knows there is no danger — that it would be as much as our lives are worth to touch him ; and, besides, he is armed. Or, what is more likely still, he never thought anything about it at all. Lovers, you know, generally get into a state of mind when they lose their lady-love, and forget everything else." " Do they ? You ought to know, if any one does — eh, Grizzle?" said the captain, with a grin. " I wonder what his high and mightiness Duke De Yere will say when he finds his quondam \uighter dead and gone? Do you suppose he will take on ?" " He will feel it, and most probably will suspect we helped her off." " Now, by Jove ! if he dares to breathe such an infernal suspicion, I will brain him where the captain, fiercely. he stands ! " exclaimed m e? lal ed THE LONKLY ORAVK. 267 " y«)U will do no hucU thing, my lM)aHting friend. Will it not be a very niituml Huspicion, Captain Nicik? Neither you nor I, you know, are thought tool nnnaculate to \Hi guilty of that or any other crime." "Does he sup])ose I would slay my own dangliU'r?" "Of course lu; does — wliy should he not? Wnat a blessed innocent you are, Nick!" "You might do such a devil's deed, you old Mother Horrible ! but I would not. No ; bad as Nick Tempest is, lie wouhl not do that." "You saintly cherub! Talk of Satan's turning saint after this. Are you n(,' afraid of making your fatiier Satan Idush for his renegade cliild, if you talk like Ups? They ought to send you as a missionary to the Sealp-'e.i - and-eat-'em Indians. All you want is a bundle of tracts, and the Indians themselves will provide you with a cos- tume, which, I believe, consists in a judicious mixture of red and yellow paint, some ornamenUd tattooing, and a bunch of feathers." " Don't be a fool — will you ? " said the captain, with a frown. " Stoj) your nonsense, and talk common sense. Where is she to be buried V " " Mr. De Vere, most likely, will see to that." " He'll do no such thing. I'll see to it myself." " Pooh ! what difference does it make V The girl's dead, and what odds who has the bother and expense of burying her V It's his duty to do it, too ; for he had most of her while she was living." Captain Nick looked at her in mingled anger and disgust. " You miserable old anatomy ! had you ever a woman's heart ? No ; I tell you, I shall bury her — I myself, as the spellinr -book says ; and IMr. Robert De Vere may mind his o\''n affairs. Ho shall have nothing more to say to my girl, living or dead. To-morrow morning I'll be oft' to Green Creek for a coffin. I suppose I can get none nearer than Green Creek." " No ; unless you make it yourself." "I had rather be excused. I could make a lady 3 bon- net as easily. Poor little thing I The other «h\y^ sho was so full of life and spirits, and now we are talking of burying her." II, I I I i 268 THE DARK SECRET. Vif Jll (' •ill! There was a touch of something like melancholy in the captain's tone, that showed all liis affection for his " little Lelia " had not entirely died out. Grizzle looked at him askance, shrugging her shoulders, and smiled to herself. There was a pause, and then the captain began in a subdued tone : " Grizzle, I wonder what made her die ? " " There's a sensible question ! How do you suppose I know? She might die of fifty things — disease of the heart or congestion of the brain, or a paralytic stroke, or a want of breath, or — " « A broken heart I " Grizzle lifted her head, and laughed aloud. " A broken heart ! Ye saints and sinners ! Captain Nick Tempest, the high-sea rover, talking of broken hearts ! Upon my word, Nick, you are getting to be the most amusing person I ever knew — as good as a country justice or the clown of a circus. A broken heart ! " And the lady laughed again. The gentleman's answer was an oath — " not loud, but deep ; " and a mysterious bint about making her laugh on the wrong side of her mouth, if she did not mind. And then the amiable pair sulkily relapsed into silence, and remained staring in the fire without a word, for the rest of the afternoon. Night fell. Grizzle arose, heaped more wood on the fire, and set about preparing supper. She had fallen into one of her sullen moods ; and to the questions her companion now and then asked her, she either returned short and snappish answers, or did not reply at all. When supper was ready. Captain Nick, without wait- ing to be invited — for which he probably might have waited long enough in vein — laid down his pipe, drew up his chair, and fell to with an appetite no way diminished by the loss of his daughter and heiress. Grizzle went over, and without ceremony opened the chamber-door where lay the dead girl, watched by her living lover. He was sitting near the head of the bed, his arm rest- ing on the pillovv', his forehead dropped upon it, and his dark hair mingling with her bright, short curls, as still THE I^ONElyY GRAVE. 269 the wait- have wup I shed went door still and motionless as the corpse itself. The sight might have touched any other heart j it would have the captain's, hut on Grizzle it produced no effect. Men seldom grow so utterly depraved and lost to every good feeling as a hard- ened and reckless woman will. She went up to him, and touclied him lightly on the shoulder. He looked up, and his face was like marble. " Supper is ready," she said. " Will you come out ? " " No : I do not want any." " I will bring it in, if you like." "No. Leave me." " Shall I fetch you a light? " " ^o," he said, with an imperious wav^e of his hand. " Go ! " His tone was not to be resisted. She left the room and the lovers — the dead and the living were agjiin alone. After supper. Captain Nick threw himself aowi> before the lire, saying : " Have breakfast ready bright and early to-morrow morning, Grizzle ; you know I must be off to Green Creek by day-dawn." Grizzle nodded a brief assent, and in five minutes the captain was sound asleep. Then, having seen to the fire and put the room in order, she sought her own room to sleep the sleep of the guilty until morning and dream of the lonely watcher in the room of death. Next morning, before the lark had begun to chant his matin carol, Captain Nick was in the saddle in a swift canter to Green Creek. Grizzle, curious to see the effects of his night's watching on Disbrowe, had softly opened the door once, and saw him in precisely the same attitude as that of last night— as though he had never stirred since. " I knew he would feel it," said Grizzle to herself ; " but hardly as much as this, I thought. This is revenge ! I wonder where ^Faster Jacinto is by this time ? " The clatter of horses' hoofs at this moment brought her to the window, and she saw Mr. De Vere, Augusta, and their family physician in the act of dismounting. " I knew it," she said, with one of her hard, grim smiles. " They suspect foul play, and have brought the doctor to make sure. Well, they're wrong for once — I 1 1:1 H)J ' )l 1 1 (i 270 THE DARK SECRET. that's one comfort I Oh, you had better beat down the door — hadn't yon ? One would think you were master here, as well as in Fon telle Hall." Thus apostrophizing, tlie lady leisurely shuffled to the door ; and, opening it, saw Mr. De Vere very pale, and dark, and stern, standing on the threshold. The moment his eye fell on Grizzle, he grasped her fiercely by the wrist, and said, in a hoarse whisper : " Woman — fiend ! have you murdered her ? " " You have brought a doctor — go and see ! " said Grizzle, with a sneer. " If you have, by all the hosts of Heaven, you and your vhidictive companion shall hang as high as Haman, in spite of earth and all it contains ! " " You threatened before, Mr. De Vere, and your threats ended in smoke, if you remember." " You will find to your cost, they will not this time. Where is Jacquetta ? " "Not far distant. Ah ! you here, too. Miss Augusta? Your first visit, if T remember right. Really, my poor dwelling is honored this morning." " Here, get along — get along — get along I " interrupted the doctor, impatiently. " We have no time to stand fooling here, old lady. Lead the way — will you ? Take my arm. Miss Augusta." Augusta, worn to a shadow, haggard, and deathlike, and looking more like a galvanized corpse than a living being, took the little doctor's proffered arm, and followed her father and Grizzle into the house. They entered the chamber, and their eyes fell on the bowed and motionless form of Disbrowe, resting beside the dead. " Poor boy ! " said Mr. De Vere, bitterly. " It is a sad blow for him ! " " Oh, Jacquetta ! Oh, my sister ! " exclaimed Augusts, with a great cry, as she sunk on her knees beside the lied. " Dead ! dead ! dead ! alone and friendless — deserted by all ! " Her cry aroused Disbrowe. He looked up ; and seeing them, arose. " ]\Iy poor boy ! my dear Alfred ! " exclaimed his uncle, in a choking voice. THE I.ONEI.Y GRAVE. 271 id He id e. " Look at her, sir," said Disbrowe, sternly, pointing to the lifeless forni. " Ts Justice satisfied at last? What do you think of your handiwork ? " "I am sorry — I am sorry. Oh, Alfred, the heart knoweth its own bitterness." " I am aware of that, sir. She knew it, too, in her dy- ing hour. Who is to answer for this death ? " " God forgive me if I have Av^ronged her ! T meant to act for the best. Have you been here all night ? " " Yes," he said, coldly and briefly. "Still unforgiving," said Mr. De Vere, turning sadly away; "and I thought I was doing right. Poor child! how serene she looks ! A dead saint might look like this. Poor little Jacquett? ! Poor little Jacquetta ! " he said, putting his hand before his eyes to hide the tears that fell hot and fast. Disbrowe stood like a tall, dark statue, with folded arms, gazhig out of the window. Augustii wept con- vulsively, and even the little doctor's eyes were full of tears. " Poor little thing ! she does look like a dead saint, and she deserves to go to heaven, if ever anybody did ; for there never was a better girl. Ah ! she has the prayers of the poor and the weak, anyway, let the rich and the great turn against her as they might. I don't think tJiere has been any foul play here. She has died a natural death, evidently ; of a broken heart, most likely, poor child! You leave the room — will you?" said the little doctor, wiping his eyes, and blowing his nose furiously, and turning ferociously round on Grizzle. That lady gave him a glance of supreme contempt, and obeyed. For nearly two hours, the party remained shut up in the room, and then Mr. De Vere came out and addi'essed Grizzle. ^ " Where is Captain Tempest?" he coldly asked. " Gone to Green Creek for a cofTin." " He may spare himself the trouble. My carriage will be here, presently, with one. I intend to bury her myself." " Just as you like. It makes no difference to me." " You can tell Captain Tempest that she shall be buried 41 H i| t'i 11 II I m 272 THE DARK SECRET. m in the family vault, as if she were really my daughter, and it will prevent the talk and scandal that must necessarily ensue if she were taken to Green Creek Cemetery. It is a better arrangement for all parties." " You can do what you like with her. A dead body is of no great importance to any one." Mr. De Vere turned away with a look of disgust ; but he paused suddenly, as the sound of carriage-wheels met his ear. The next moment, the boisterous voice of Frank was heard, shouting for admittance ; and he and William, the coachman, presently appeared, bearing between them that most dismal of all objects — a coffin. Disbrowe's marble face grew a shade whiter as it fell on the ghastly object. The lid Avas taken off, and the doctor and ]\Ir. De Vere reverently raised the slight, girlish form and placed it in its last resting-place. And then all gathered around to take a, last look at the fair face they were never to see again. How sweet, how placid she looked, like an infant asleep, with her little white hands serenely folded over her still heart, a faint, half-smile still lingering around the death- cold lips ! The loud sobs of Frank and the passionate weeping of Augusta resounded through the room. PTr De Vere, too, shaded his face to hide his fast-falling tea^s ; and the doctor was using his handkerchief ince^s;! ritl^ . Disbrowe alone shed no tear, heaved no sigh, but stood like a dark ghost, voiceless and tearless. And now they were bending down for one last kiss ; and Disbrowe, too, stooped and touched the dead lips he never had touched when living. And then the coffin-lid shut out the sweet, dead face, and small, graceful form ; and it was screwed down ; and the screws seemed driving into their own hearts. And then the sable pall was throw:; over it, and Mr. De Vere and the doctor raised it and cam: d it out to the carriage. They all followed. Grizzle stood by the window, watch- ing tho^'ii wi Jioiit a word, /lugusta entered first, then Mr. De Y^ - : i: id the doctor, Avliile Frank and Disbrowe mounte« ' vhe.'r noises and rode behind. THE I.ONEI.Y GRAVE. 273 the On they drove, faster than ever a funeral ever went before ; and in less than four hours the stately home of the De Veres was in sight. That home she had so often gladdened by her briglit presence she was now borne to — dead. The vaults were entered by the north wing — that mysterious north wing. Tlie way went down a long flight of broad stone stairs, and the air smelt of death and the grave, damp and earthy. No one had ever rested there yet, and the lonely coflfin stood there by itself. The doctor read the burial service. " Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." What i cold chill the mournful words, sublime in their truth, struck to every heart ! It was over at last, and they all turned away. As the great iron key turned in the rusty lock of the door of the vault, the whole dreadful reality broke upon Disbrowe for the first time. He had been like one in a dream, hitherto — he could not realize it ; but now those cold stone walls, that massive door, was between them. He was going out into the great world again, and Jaccpietta lay dead and buried within. With a dreadful groan, he leaned against the wall and covered his face with his hands. What was there left for him in the Avorld worth living for now ? " ^ly dear boy — my dear boy ! " said Mr. De Vere, in a choking voice. The words aroused him, and he remember' he was not alone. lie started up to go. " Oh, Alfred we must not part like this. Sliall we not be friends before you go ? I am an old man, - "^Ifred, and I love you for my sister's sake." It was an appeal there was no resistin . Disbrowe stretched out his hand, and caught that of his uncle's in a friendly clasp. "Good-by, my dear uncle. Let the presence of the dead consecrate our new friendship. Augusta, my cousin, farewell. Frank — doctor — good-by." He waved his hand, and sprung on Saladin. "Then you will go? Oh, Alfred, if you Avould but stay with us a few days longer." li'ii it t T ^1 274 THE DARK SECRET. " I cannot. Farewell." He was gone. Down the maple avenue he rode, and disappeared among the trees. As he reached the gate, he paused to look back — his last look, he thought it. How little did he think with Avhat different feelings he would gaze on it in days to come I Who can tell what to-morrow may bring forth ? He rode on ; Foi^^elle disappeared, was left behind, and wi+li it was loiQ Jacquetta in her lonely grave. CHAPTER XXIH. f 1i 4 II OVER THE SEA. *' And now I'm in the world alone, Upon the wide, wide sea ; And why sliould I for others groan When none will sigh for me ? " — Childe Harold. One wock later, and the bark '* Sea Cull " left New York harbor, bound for " England's Isle." The pas- sengers stood watching the fast receding shores of " Uncle ;>; m," and standing off among them was the tall, gallant form of Captain Alfred Disbrowe, gazing thoughtfully, sadly, on the land he was leaving. Down the river, on to tne wide ocean, swept the stately ship, and slowly and gradually the shores began to recede. " Adieu to the new land I " he said, waving his hand ; " farewell to bright America." ' A long farewell," sighed a familiar voice behind him, and turning suddenly round, he stood face to face with Jacinto ! There was a pause, during which Disbrowe's eyes were fixed steadily on his face. The boy's dark eyes fell, and the blood mounted to his brow. " You here ! " said Disbrowe, slowly ; " this is a most unexpected pleasure." "I did not know you were on board," said Jacinto, timidly. " I — I thought you were going to remain in New York." - V OVER THE SEA. 275 th to, in " And I e7 i so sic vita ! " " Love is an impulse, and despises common sense. The young god is always painted blind." " Which accounts for the desperate mistakes he makes sometimes, But, my lad, there is a subject painful to both of us, but on which I must speak, now or never I I mean the scene I saw that evening going to the library. You know to what I allude ? " His face flushed slightly, as he "^^oke, and as quickly grew pale again. " Yes," said Jacinto, looking straight before him ; " and I have often and often since wished to explain what I saw you misunderstuud." " Well, speak out freely, do not fear that I will flinch from the stroke." " There is no stroke to fall. We loved each other like brother and sister — nothing more." LCh ke OVER THE SEA. 277 " Nothing more ! Are you sure ? " said Disbrowe, turn- ing, and looking searchingly in his face. " No, nothing more," said Jacinto, lifting his dark, reproachful eyes. " Oh, Captain Dishrowe, how could you think so ? " " Such things have occurred before." " And you really thought for a moment that she could love a boy like me, in the way you mean ? " " I thought so for a good many moments, my dear fellow. I wronged her — I wronged you both ; and I am sorry for it now, when it is too late." " Not too late, seiior. I am certain she hears and for- gives you." " And you, my boy ? " " I have nothing to forgive." " Thank you ! was she angry with me that day when Heft?" " No, only grieved and hurt. Your words went to her heart, because — " "Well?" " Because she loved you. Captain Disbrowe." Both paused, and the fine face of Disbrowe was dark with sorrow and remorse. " And I never knew it till it was too late. Oh, Jacinto, why does every good gift come too late in this world ? " There was a dark, passionate dejection in his tone that startled the boy. He softly laid his hand on that of the young man, as if to recall him back to himself. " I wish to heaven I had never set foot in America, Jacinto ; I wish I had been dead and in my grave before I ever thought of coming here. She might still be alive, and I—" He paused, and a hot, bright tear fell on his hand. He glanced first at it, and then at the boy, with a strange look. " What, for me ! don't shed tears for me, my boy. I am not worth them, and never will be, now. Oh, Jacinto ! the world is as empty as a nutshell." Again that sad, reproachful look in those dark, raised eyes. « And is there no one in all this wide world who loves I •III! 278 THE DARK SECRET. I Ml l\M. you still ? Oh, Captain Disbrowe I are all dead with Jacquetta ? " The young man made an impatient gesture. " Of what use is love, when we cannot love in return ? I never loved ])ut her, and now she is gone forever ! Sadly true are the words of the Wise IVfan, * .VU is vanity and vexation of spirit 1 ' You are not ill — are you, Jacinto ? " " Oh, no ! " lie was leaning over the side, his dark eyes fixed on the far-otf horizon ; and something had went out of his face at I)isl)rowc's words, like a light from a vase. " Did she tell you she loved me, Jacinto ? " he asked, after a pause. " There was no need — I saw it." " It was more than I ever saw then — blind idiot that I was ! " " Lookers on, tliey say, see most of the game. And she would not let you see it, because she was high and proud ; and she knew you — she thought you were bound to another." " Ah ! and that was the reason, that — • Memory of a lady In a land beyond the sea.' And because I was bound to one, I lost the other I As if one smile from Jacquetta were not worth a thousand Normas." He spoke more to himself than to his companion ; and he did not observe that the hand that lay in his had grown deadly cold, and was hastily withdrawn. " Did she ever tell you she was married ? " he asked, after another pause. « No." " Did she ever account for the strange nightly mu.sic ? " "No." " And you never asked her ? " "No." Disbrowe looked at him, a little surprised at his laconic answers. " You are ill, my boy ! You are deadly pale — sea-sick, perhaps ? " V. IC OVER THE SEA. 279 A faint smile at the nnromnntin hint broke over the boy's face for a moineut, and then as (jniekly diecl away. "No, I am not soa-siek — I never am — it is nothing. Is she — is she — bui'ird ? " " Yes ! " said Disln'owe, sliading his face for an instant, as the memory of that lonely grave in the cold, dark vault rose before him. "Poor Jacquetta ! " said the lx>y, softly, his eyes again filling with tears. " Do not speak of it more, Jacinto; it is like vinegar upon niter to me. Now for yourself. May I ask what is your destination?" " I am going direct to London." "Ah ! then we will be fellow-travelers — that is my destination, too. Have you friends in London ? " " Yes ; I think so." " Your birtliplaee is Seville, T think I heard them say ? " The l)oy l)owed, with averted face. " You nuist be my guest in London, my dear fellow. T will show you all the sights worth seeing, from the Tower to the Thames, ('ome, what do you say 'i " " That I thank you very much ; but my business is pressing. I can only remain in your great modern IJaby- lon two or three days ; so, you see, much as T should like to accept your kind offer, I must yet decline." " Well, I am sorry ; but, as it cannot be helped, I sup- pose we must be resigned. Two or three days is but a short time to see the wonders of London. I should like to have taken you to old Fon telle and Disbrowe Park — two country seats of ours — and shown you what the * homes of Merrie England ' are like. Lord Earnecliffe would have liked you immensely, and so would her lady- ship." " You are too kind. Indeed, I wish I could accept your invitation ; but at present it is quite impossible. Some day I hope to be more fortunate." " You will always be welcome, my boy — don't forget that. And I will not forget that you once saved my life at the risk of your own. If I seemed to do so for a time, it was when I unjustly accused you ; and I believe grief, and anger, and jealousy, made me half a maniac. All :| 41 i II II I, ■ 'i!i IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 ■4.i I.I 11.25 121 U2A ■tt U^ 12.2 !£ 1^ 12.0 ^ ^ % (? / /A Hwtographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 A * J^,* tie 28o THE DARK SECRET. that is past now, and we will let * bygones be bygones.' Shall we not, Jacinto ? " " With all my heart. You make me very happy by saying so." " Then that is settled. And there goes the last glimpse of the bright land we are leaving. I wonder if we will ever see it again, Jacinto ! " " Heaven knows ! I hope to do so." " I hardly think I ever will ; and yet 1 like America, and those American people. But sunny Spain and merry England are dearer still ; and so we can heave a sigh for the land of Columbus, and in the same breath, chant the old prayer : ' God bless our own land, that lies beyond the sea, for it is like no other.' Say amen to that, Jacinto." " Amen, from the bottom of my heart. It is home, and doubly dear after the land of the stranger." " Yes ; see the shores fade away m the horizon ; and now we are en the * wide, wide sea.' Once more a long, a last farewell to America." And with a smile he turned away, and descended to the cabin. One dark, unpleasant evening, two months later, just as night was falling over London, a hackney-carriage drew up before a large hotel, and two travelers sprung from it. Both were wrapped in cloaks ; for, though the month was August, the evening was raw and chilly, and they wore their hats pulled down over their brows. One was slight and boyish, the other tall and dashing, with a certain soldier-like air and bearing. " And so we part here, Jacinto ? " said the elder of the two. " Yes, Captain Disbrowe ; to meet again some day, I hope." " I hope so. Don't forget you are to come to see me if ever you return to England." « Thank you, I will not forget. Good-by, Captain Dis- browe." " Good-by, my dear boy ; and as the Scotch say, * God be wi' ye.' > »> OVER THE SEA. * 281 They shook hands cordially, and then the younger turned into the hotel, and Captain Disbrowe, wrapping his cloak close around him, hurried rapidly down the street. Two " guardians of the night " were leaning against a lamp-post, talking, and the young man struck violently against one of them in his haste. " Beg pardon," he said, turning round for a moment, and the next he was gone. The watchman rubbed his shoulder, and looked after him with a smothered growl. " A lord, that," said his companion, looking after him also. " T know him like a book." " Well, if he is a lord, that is no reason why he should bring up against a fellow as if he was made of cast-iron. Blessed if I ain't a good mind to give him in charge for *sault and battery. What's his name ? " " Lord Earnecliffe, as used to be Captain Disbrowe of the Guards. An uncommon wild cove he was — used to get into no end of scrapes with thv' rest of the young bloods, and was known to the perlice like a bad penny. lie's been abroad in furrin parts somewhere ; and he's Lord Earnecliffe now since his brother died." " What's that you say ? " said a fashionable-looking young man who was passing, as he stopped suddenly. *' What's that about Lord EarnecliiTe ? Have you seen him ? " The policeman started up and touched his hat. " Yes, my lord, just gone past — the new earl, I mean.'* " Yes, I know ; thank you," said the gentleman, as he walked rapidly away. " Another of 'em," said the watchman, leaning back. " That's Lord Austrey ; he and the other were always very thick." The gentleman called Lord Austrey hurried rapidly along, and came up with Disbrowe near the end of the street. Laying his hand on his shoulder, he ex- claimed : " Alfred, my boy ! is this really yourself, or your ghost ? Turn round until I see! No ; it is you \n propria per- sona. Welcome back to England ! " ** Austrey, my dear, old fellow 1 " exclaimed Disbrowe, .1 .*i m II 1: 4 I \ \: ■I'n, 282 THE DARK SECRET. delightedly, " who in the world would ever expect to see you here? " " When did you arrive ? " " I reached London an hour ago only. How came you to know me ? " " I heard a couple of Charlies up there saying that Lord Earnecliffe had gone past, and so I hurried after." " My brotlier here ! Where is he ? " " Your brother ? My dear fellow ! is it possible you don't know ? " " Know what ? I don't understand." " ]\ry dear Alfred, your brother is dead ! " " Dead ! good heavens I " " Yes — he died three weeks ago at Disbrowe Park, of disease of the heart. I wonder you did not see it in the papers." " I have not looked at a paper for the last two months. Dead ! Oh, Earnecliffe ! and I not there ! " He covered his eyes with his hands, half- stunned by the suddenness of the shock. Lord Austrey hailed a car- riage and drew him into it, gave the driver some direc- tions, and they clattered rapidly away over the stony street. Disbrowe's brain was in a whirl ; and so completely overcome was he by the news, that he could not ask a single question. The cab stopped ; they got out ; and it was not until he found himself in his friend's room that he could speak. " And Lady Margaret — where is she?" « At Disbrowe Park still — waiting for you, I believe. It is most astonishing you have not heard of it." " I never heard a word of it. Have you seen Lady Margaret since ? " " Yes ; she sent to know if I had heard from you. She is extremely anxious for your return." " How does she bear it ? " " Well, calmly enough. You know, it was to be ex- pected, my dear fellow. He was liable to die at any mo- ment these many years. He had just been taking a short walk, and sat down on a seat to rest, and — never rose." ** My poor brother ! Oh, Austrey I he was such a kind OVER THE vSEA. 283 brother to nie — so indulgent to all my faults, and their name was legion. Who is with Lady Margaret V " "No one I believe, except Mr. Macdonald. He hap- pened to be at the Hall at the time, and told me he intended remaining until your return. It would not do to leave Lady Earnecliffe quite alone, you know. A slight red came into Disbrowe's pale cheek. " And his daughter — is she there, too V " "No; Miss Macdonald is abroad — has been for some time — but is expected to return, shortly." " Indeed I Where is she ? " " Can't say, positively. Somewhere among the wilds of Scotland, I think. Of course your marriage must be post- poned now? " " Of course," said Disbrowe, with a promptitude that rather surprised his friend. " There can be no two ways about that. To-morrow morning I will start for Dis- browe Park." " Do so, by all means. Lady Margaret intends spend- ing the winter in Italy, I believe, and cannot leave home until she sees you. I will go down ^vith you, if you choose." " My dear George ! the very thing. I would have asked you to do so, only I feared it would be too much, even for your good nature, to bury yourself alive at Disbrowe Park. How are all my friends in London? " " All quite well, I think — some have gone abroad, and some got married. A j^rojjos of nothing — how did you like your visit to America ? " « Well enough." « What is the place like ? " « A fine country — you should see it." " I don't know. I never care for wandering beyond the precincts of the Serpentine ; the world beyond that is only half-ci dlized. Do you like the Yankees ? " " Very much — never saw people I liked better." " Particularly clever and wide-awake, I have heard — the men all smart, and the women all handsome. Well, I don't know but I shall take a trip over there, some day, just to see for myself. It's such an old story doing the Grand Tour, as they call it — like the journey nurses give chil- i i *^ ^l ■II 2F^ THE DARK SECRET. dren to Banbury Cross, it's slightly monotonous. But you look terribly used-up, my dear fellow ; had you not better retire ? " Disbrowe, or, more properly. Lord Earnecliffe — but the former name is too familiar for you and I to give up, dearest reader — arose, and Lord Austrey rung the bell. A servant appeared, and showed him into an elegantly- furnished apartment, where the greater part of the night was spent, not in sleeping, but in pacing up and down his room, lost in his own thoughts. After an early breakfast, next morning, the two young peers were in their saddles and ready for their journey. " And now for Disbrowe Park ! " exclaimed Lord Aus- trey, as they dashed off together at a rapid pace. CHAPTER XXIV. NORMA. *' It was not thus in other days we met ; Hath time and absence taught thee to forget ? " Never fell the sunlight on a fairer English homestead than the one on which streamed the warm, golden sun- shine on the bright September morning of which I write. A large, irregular old building, not unlike a modernized castle, or a French chateau that had taken a serious turn, peeped through the clumps of trees, and thick, clustering, dark-green ivy. There were great windows of stamed glass, and projecting gables, and odd rookeries, and an old Gothic chapel at one end — very pretty and romantic-look- ing indeed. There Avere broad, sunny glades, with deer frisking about, and long laurel walks, and shady avenues ; even the trees met, and intertwined their long, green arms overhead — delightful walks and mighty suggestive for lovers. There were a couple of fountains, too — three twisted serpents on one side, spouting forth tall jets of water, and bronze lions on the other, with gold and silver fish sporting in the glittering waters. There were the sunniest of smooth meadows, the most velvety of lawns, the brightest of terraces, overrun with ivy, roses, jasmine, and honeysuckles. There was the most fragrant and bril- ou ter :he Lip, p11 rht [lis • US- sad 1 v> in- te. ;ed ' rn, ed )ld >k. )er is; .1.1 o ;or ee of er le is. le, LI- ^ NORMA. 285 liant of pastures, bright with flowers of every hue and size, from the wee, modest English violet, to the gaudy, flaunting tulip, passion flowers, and tall, creamy mag- nolias. There was a mimic lake, lying like a great white pearl in a setting of emeralds, where snowy water-lilies floated, and on whose silvery bosom majestic swans, of dazzling whiteness, serenely swam. Altogether, it was like a little glimpse of fairy-land, a peep into Arcadia ; yet, had you asked the gate-keeper in his pretty little lodge beside the great gate, he would have told you it was only Disbrowe Park. The young lord of the manor, in a rich Turkish dressing- gown, and black velvet smoking-cap, with a gold tassel, lay on the low sofa, at full length, looking very handsome and very lazy. Being left to his own devices — Lady Margaret having gone abroad — he was alternately regaling himself with smoking a meerschaum, reading the morning's letters, yawning, and looking out of the window. None of the epis- tles seemed to have the power of fixing his attention ; for, after glancing lightly over tlicm, he crumpled them up, and threw them into a chiffonnlere — which had, no doubt, been placed there for that purpose — blew a few whiffs of his meerschaum, caressed an exquisitely beautiful little grayhound that lay on the carpet beside him, and leisurely went on with the next, which shared the same fate. At last he lighted upon one that aroused his wandering thoughts ; for he started as he read it, and a look of angry annoyance and chagrin passed over his face. As he finished, he uttered an impatient ejaculation, and, springing to his feet, began pacing rapidly up and down the room, after his custom, when angry and excited. A tap at the door disturbed his irritated soliloquy. " Come in," he called ; and Mr. Norton, his valet de chain- bre, " confidential," etc., made his appearance. " Lord Austrey, my lord, has — " " There ! Lord Austrey can announce himself," said that individual, springing up the stairs, two or three st3ps at a time. " That will do, my friend ; make yourself thin as air as soon as possible." Mr. Norton bowed, and went off ; and Lord Austrey flung himself on a lounge opposite Disbrowe. 1 1 i m \ 1 1'> 286 THE DARK SECRET. « Now, then ! I don't see why tiiking things easy shouldn't pay in my case as well as in other people's. Earnecilitt'e, my dear fellow, what's up ? You look as if you had lost your best friend." "What's up? Read that!" said Disbrowe, angrily, throwing him the crumpled letter. *• No need to ask." Lord Austrey leisurely smoothed it out, and glanced at the superscri[)tion. « * To the lUffht Ilonorahle, the Earl of EarnecUffe: " Humph 1 that's all right enough. Now for the inside : " *iVlY DEAR Alfred : — You will be pleased to hear that Norma arrived in town two days ago, and is at present visiting her cousin, Mrs. Tremain, at her residence, in Berkely Square, where, no doubt, she will be delighted to see you at the earliest possible moment. * Yours truly, *Raxdall Macdonald.' "That's all. It's on the short, sharp and decisive principle. And now, my dear Earnecliffe, let me con- gratulate you ! " " Congratulate me ! " said Disbrowe, looking at him« " For what, pray ? " " There's a question I '* exclaimed Lord Austrey, appeal- ing to society at large. " The man asks what he's to be congratulated for, when his lady-love, who has been away for — how long is it, Earnecliffe ? — comes suddenly back, and * will be delighted to see you at the earliest pos- sible moment, — in fact, hangs like a ripe plum, ready to drop into your mouth at any instant." « I do not believe in ripe plums ready to drop into one's mouth ! " said Disbrowe, dryly. " I had rather have the trouble of climbing, and plucking one for myself." " Unreasonable mortal I you might get a severe scratch- ing in the attempt." "I would risk it. The greater the trial, the greater the triumpli, you know. The consciousness of gaining a victory would more than repay me for the trouble." " You remind me of the old adage : ' Fly love, and love will follow thee : * Follow love, and love will flee.' NORMA. 287 Now where, oh most fastidious youth, can you find one more beautiful, more accomplished, more wealthy, more fitted in every way to become Countess of Earned itfe, than this same Miss Norma Macdonald '^ " « Nowhere, perhaps. But, supposing I am not inclined for having a Countess of Earneclifte, at all, what then?" " Wiiy, you never mean to say you are going to per- petuate single- blessedness all your life ? " " Upon my word, I don't know Init what I shall ; if I can get my head out of this noose, I mean." " Why, the man's crazy I (xone stark, staring mad, as sure as shooting ! Do you feel any violent symptoms coming on, my dear fellow? or do you feel like th^ country Bwain in the play, ' Hot and diy like, with a pain in yc ur side like? Hadn't I better ring for Norton and the smell- ing-bottle ? I'm afraid you've had a rush of insanity to the brain lately, and that reminds me — this is the full of the moon, isn't it ? Where's the almanac ? " And Lord Austrey started to his feet, the very picture of constc^.- nation. " Pshaw I Austrey, don't be a — I mean, don't talk nonsense. " "Nonsense, man! I never was so serious before in my life. I should hope I had cause. When a man goes and sets his what's-their-names ? — heart's best affections, and all that sort of thing, on his friend, and then sees him a fit subject for Bedlam, it is time to be serious, I think. Give up Norma ! What the unm(mtionable-to-ears-polite has inspired you with that notion, most unhappy youth ? " " Austrey, I wish you would be serious for live minutes," said Disbrowe, springing up and pacing up and down. " I really and truly do want to get out of this business, if I pos- sibly can. You are the only friend I can decently consult on the subject ; and as you happen to be a relative of mine, I don't mind speaking to you about it." " A fifty-fourth cousin, or something of that sort — ain't I ? The first tremendous shock is over, and I have steeled my heart, and nothing can move me more. Hand me that bottle of sal volatile. Now I'm prepared for the worst ; so make ready — present — fire ! " "Austrey, loill you stop your nonsense, and listen to : ') -i ,1 ra f \ ■• 288 THE DARK SECRET. I'll; me ? " excljiimed Disbrowe, in a rage. " Can't you be sen- sible for once in your life ? " " Well, there — I'm done I " said Austrey, adjusting the pillow more comfortably under his head. " I'll promise to be as sensible as is consistent with the intellectual faculties nature has gifted me with. Now, state the case. You want to get clear of this contract of yours — do you? '* « Yes." "Hut why — what's the reason?" *' Well, I'm in no hurry for marrying for half a dozen years yet, for one thing ; and Miss Norma Macdonald does not suit me, for another." " You're engaged to her — are you not ? " " Yes ; but it was an engagement of her father and Earnecliffe's making." "So! and the Honorable Alfred Disbrowe and Miss Norma had no voice in tlie matter ? " " Well, to tell the truth, I made no objection. There is a wide difference between a portionless younger brother and a titled earl, you know; and — " "And the heiress that would have suited Alfred Dis- browe to a T, doesn't exactly come up to the mark for the Earl of Earnecliffe, I see ! " Disbrowe colored slightly. "It looks rather villainous — doesn't it ? But the fact is, I never loved Norma as a man should love the woman he intends to spend his life with ; but you know the proverb, more expressive than elegant : * Needs must when the devil drives ! " And I was confoundedly hard up, over head and ears in debt to the children of Israel ; and, in fact, there was no help for it, then. Now, however, I have money enough ; and upon my soul, Austrey, I cannot tell you how repugnant the idea of this marriage is to ?» me. There was an almost passionate vehemence in his tone. Lord Austrey looked at him, and slightly smiled. " I say, Earnecliffe, you didn't leave your heart behind you in America, I hope ? " Disbrowe turned white for a moment, even to his lips. His friend saw his mistake, and instantly regretted what he had said. NORMA. 289 ** My dear fellow, I beg your pardon ! T only spoke in jest; I had no idea — " " Enougli," said Disbrowe, waving bis band. " Say no more about it. Hut now tbat you bavo beard tbe case, as you call it, wbatam I to do? I want to get rid of tbisen- gjigenient witbout luirting tbe young lady's feelings." " I wonder if sbe eares for you ? " " Sbe used to, I tbink. Time, tbougb, may bave cbanged her in that particular." " If it hasn't I'll be banged if I see bow you are to get rid of your fetters. You can't go and tell tbe poor girl you don't care about her, and ask her to cancel tbe bond. Women are privileged to do such things, but men, unhap- pily, are not. You would have tbat old lire-eater, her father, shooting you first, and suing you for a breach of promise aft r." " It would be a terrific pitch of fatherly vengeance to shoot me, and make me pay damages, too," said Disbrowe, with a slight laugh. " Ileigbo ! there is nothing for it, then, but yielding to Fate and Miss Norma Macdonald." " Yes, supposing sbe is in love with you still ; but if, in the meantime, she has went and splashed her affec- tions on somebody else — eh ? " " Ob, in that case, all would be as right as a trivet. I couldn't tbink of forcing a young lady, you know, against her will." " Decidedly not. The man who would do such a thing would deserve to be, for the rest of his mortal life, a mark for tbe finger of scorn to poke fun at. Well, now, suppose I go in and win there, fascinate the young woman, get a rich wife, and clear you, thus obliging myself and my friend at the same time. Q. E. D., that's demon- strated, as that old fool, Numbskull, used to say at Ox- ford." " My dear Austrey — you ?" " My dear Earnecliffe. me — decidedly me ; nobody else. I flatter myself I'm equal to the task," said the young man, glancing complacently at his handsome face and figure in the glass. " And you really intend to try to captivate her ? " "I most really and emphatically do.'* ii I ill i" J 290 THE DARK SECRET. " Et puis f ■' Haid Disbrowe, l.iughing. " And tlicn I will niiikc her Liuly Au.strey ; her father wants to get lier a title, and I don't see why Austrey is not as good as Earneclift'e. To be sure, you are worth a score of thousands a year, and I a))Gut enougli to buy kid gloves and pale ale; but he has the gilt, and he might as well let nie spend it as anybody else." " A very delightful scheme, my gcxKl friend ; and therefore, of course, quite impracticable. Old Macdonald has set his heart on marrying me to his daughter; and erly, Earnecliffts T don't see why this plan should not work.'* " We can try it, hut I (confess I am skeptical. Will you come with me to town ? " "Certtiinly 1 when do you go?" " We may as well start now, I suppose. It will help to kill time, and that, itself, is no trifling consideration. For though the dolcefar iiicnte is pleasant enough for once in a way, yet there is such a possihility as having too much of a good thing. So I will order horses at once." He rung the hell as he spoke, and gave the necessary commands, and tlien arose to divest himself of his dress- ing gown, and don the coat and pants of out-door life, while Lord (George Austrey went oh* whistling " TTear me, Norma," to make a few alterations in his outer lord also, (if the expression he allowable). How the sad, plaintive air recalled Fontelle and Jacquetta to Disl)rowe ! Next morning, at the earliest possible hour that fash- ion would permit, our two young " peers of the realm," in faultless morning costume, " got up," as Lord Austrey complacently remarked, " regardless of expense," placed their patent-leather boots on the aristocratic doorstep of the Tremain mansion. A porter, quite as aristocratic as the doorstep, admitte^^ them to a sumptuous drawing- room, and left them to themselves-. " I dreamt that I dwelt in marble halls," hummed Lord Austrey ; " silence and solitude this. I wonder how long Miss Norma will keep us waiting." Scarcely had he spoken when the door opened, and a short, roll-about little woman, all smiles and dimples, came in. " My dear Lord Earnecliffe, welcome home ! we were all very sorry, indeed, to hear of your loss, but such I I? ; \\ ij 292 THE DARK SECRET. |1;. thiniDfs must be expected in this life. Good-morning, Lora George ; it is quite an age since I have seen you. What have you been doing with yourself lately?" " Rusticating at Disbrowe Park, Mrs. Tremain, admir- ing the beauties of Nature, and all the rest of it, you know," answered that young gentleman. " And leaving all the young ladies to wear the willow, you naughty boy," said Mrs. Tremain, who was a dis- tant relative of Lord George's, and privileged to talk to him as she pleased. " Positively at Mrs. Desmond's card- party the other night, they were every one asking for you, and went feebly about, like so many drooping lilies, when they Ik ard you had left town. It was quite heart- rending, I assure you I " " Really now ! I wasn't aware I was such a lady-killer. I must endeavor to counteract my many fascinations for the future, I see, in mercy to the tender sex." " You are hardly looking so well as when I saw you last, my lord," said Mrs. Tremain, turning to Di&browe. " You are quite pale and thin. Do you not think so, George?" " All the more interesting, Mrs. Tremain. Young ladies admire that sort of thing, I have heard. Let him keep on a low diet for a fortnight or so, and read the ' Sorrows of Werter ' for an hour every day, together with a small dose of * Paradise Lost,' and I'll bet my diamond ring against a ducat, that by the end of that time he'll be able to play the ' Starved Apothecary,' and have every female woman in Berkely and Grosvenor squares, not to speak of Picca- dilly and the West End, over head and ears in love with him." " Thank you," said Disbrowe. " I had rather be ex- cused. I hope Miss Macdonald is well, Mrs. Tremain ? " "Quite well — she will be here in a moment. How did you enjoy your visit to America, my lord?" " Very much." " IIow is Mr. Do Vere ? I knew him when we were both younger than we are now, and we were great friends. You visited him, of course ? " " Yes, madam ; I spent some weeks with him. He is very well." NORMA. nornmg, een you. 293 » I, admir- f it, you I willow, -s a dis- > talk to d's card- king for ng lilies, te heart- [y-killer. tions for saw you i&browe. hink so, ig ladies keep on rows of lall dose gainst a to play woman f Picca- ve with be ex- plain ? " ow did ve were friends. He is ^ « And you really liked America ? It is not much like England, I suppose. It nmst be a strange country, I think, where all classes are on an equality, negro slaves and all. Dreadfully barbarous, I think. I shouldn't like it at all." Before Disbrowe could reply, the door opened, and Xorma Macdonald, the object of all their schemes and plot- tings, entered — the fair fiancee of Lord Earnecliffe. Slie was tall and slight, and peculiarly graceful in form, with a complexion of snowy whiteness, unrelieved by the faintest tinge of color, save in the full, rounded lips. Iler hair was of a bright golden hue, and was worn in a pretty silk net, something like the present fashion ; but instead of the blue eyes that should have accompanied that pearly face and pale-gold hair, her eyes were large, lustrous, and intensely dark. The fair hair and complexion she had in- herited from her Scotch father ; the dark eyes and ro- mantic nature, from her frail and giddy French mother. A dress of dark blue silk, set off to the best advantage her peculiar style of beauty ; and very lovely and very grace- ful indeed she looked— so much so, that Lord Austrey wondered inwardly at his friend's insensibility, and felt that a prize like this was well worth even his while to try for. Both gentlemen arose upon her entrance, and Dis- browe had to acknowledge that seldom had his eyes rested on one more lovely. He thought of Jacquetta,' wild, spirited, daring, bewitching ; and she seemed like the dark- liued, brilliant passion-flower of her native land, to a shy fragrant violet, this pale, gentle English girl. She drooped her large black eyes, and laid her lily hand for a moment in theirs, murmuring a few words of wel- come to both, and tlien retreated to a sofa. Still and re- served she looked, but perfectly easy and self-possessed ; yet, as she sat down, there was just the faintest percepti- ble tinge of pink in those pearly cheeks, called there by some inward feeling. " I did not know you were in London, my lord," she said, quietly. " I understood you were at Disbrcwe Park." " I was, until yesterday. I heard, then, yo" were in town, and so called." « So, then, I am indebted to Norma for the honor of thia visit," said Mrs. Tremain ; " but, of course, I might have ' ii ! |i„: 294 THE DARK SECRET. known yon wonld never have called to see yonr oLl friend, but for a fairer magnet." Disbrowe aroused the old lady by some gn} compliment, and Lord George began chatting with Norma — " drawing her out," as he afterward uixormed Disbrowe, " to see what she was made of." " And so you have been rambling all summer, too, Miss Macdonald, like our friend here ? While he was doing the savage tribes of North America, you were roving through the land of kilts and poiridge, ' o'er the muir among the heather.' " " Come, my lord, speak respectfully of the land of rivers and mountains. Remember, I am a stanch Scotch lassie." " Oh, your nationality is not likely to be mistaken, while you are called Miss Macdonald. By the way, is Mr. Mac- donald in town ? " " No — papa has gone over to Boulogne on business for a few weeks." « All right," thought Lord George ; " the coast is clear ^— but faith ! I begin to fear the young lady is no such easy prize as I thought her." " And you have been away, too — have you not ? " asked the young lady. " Oh, only out to Disbrowe Park ! Splendid place for doing the dolcefar niente, as Earnecliffe calls it. What does that mean. Miss Macdonald ? It's a regular Castle of Indolence, where the sun shines from one year's end to the other, and the very dogs are too lazy to bai'k." " Indeed ? I hope you have not caught the infection, my lord! " Before Lord Austrey could indignantly repudit^te any such notion, Mrs. Tremain, who had been earnestly con- versing with Disbrowe, exclaimed : " Oh, I am certain Norma knows ! Norma, is that portfolio of Emily's in your boudoir? As Lord Earne- cliffe has just come from America, I want to show him that American scene you and Emily were trying to finish yesterday." " My dear aunt 1 " exclaimed the lady, rising in evident alarm. i NORMA. 295 tie to nt " Nonsense ! nonsense I My dear lord, she is so bashful about such things, you would never know hov well she can draw, if I did not show you. T will go and find it." For one moment Miss ^facdonald stood as if about to follow after her ; but meeting the strange eye of Dis- browe, she relincjuished her design, and sunk back in evident agitation on the sofa. " How cruel of you, jVIiss Macdonald," said Lord Austrey, " to wish to deprive us of the pleasure of looking at the work of your fair hands ! I am sure both Earnecliffe and T will be delighted to criticise the drawing, and point out its defects." « How very gallant ! I presume you are about as good a critic as T am an artist. But, indeed, I would rather aunt would not show you tliis. Emily was reading an American novel the other day, and attempted to sketcli a scene it described, and I assisted her ; and I am afraid Lord Earned itfe, who has been over there, will laugh at our poor efforts." " How can ycHi suspect me of anything so shocking. Miss Norma ? Ah ! you ought to see those American scenes and draw from life. I am certaii^, if you are a lover of Nature, and liave not nuit« outlived all your old enthusi- asm, you would be delighted with them. If you only could see Fon telle ! " "Fon telle!" exclpimed Lord George. " Is there ii Fontelle there, too V " " Yes — my uncle's residence ; and the very moral, as my old nurse used to say, of Fontelle Pai'k — ntinus the park. Well, my dear Mrs. Tremain, did you find the drawing ? " " Yes, my lord ; here it is." She handed him the drawing, and he uttered an ejaculation of amazement as he looked at it. For it was the " Mermaid," and th^ scenery around it to the very life ! There was the river, the shore, the long, straggling, deserted road, the solitary inn, and the hills and woods in the distance. And there, too, out in the river, was the low, dark schooner of Captain Nick Tempest, as he had seen it the first evening he had ridden that way. " Why, what is the meanmg of this ? " he exclaimed, <■• 1 296 THE DARK SECRET. looking up ; " that is the Mermaid Inn for a ducat ! — that is the Hudson river, and that schooner is the * Fly-by- Night,' as sure as my name's Earnecliffe. Why, Miss Norma, are you a magician ? " She laughed as she met his eyes, but her fair cheeks were crimson. " Not exactly 1 But you are laughing at me. Lord Earnecliffe I Do you mean to say that poor sketch is like anything you have ever seen?" " To the very life I I have looked on that very scene dozens of times." " Something, perhaps, slightly resembling it ? " " No ; that, as it is, to an iota, without a shadow of difference. Some one must have described this to you, Norma ? " " Oh I " said Mrs. Tremain, anxious her own daughter should share the credib, " Emily commenced it from a description she read from a book — probably the scene was laid in that part of America where you were. Norma assisted her to finish it, only." " It is an odd circumstance, any way. I wonder what Mr. Rowlie would say, if he knew two English ladies had been sketching his inn ? " And Disbrowe laughed at the idea. « Who is Mr. Rowlie ? " asked Lord Austrey. " Oh ! a particular friend of mine — keeps that inn you see there — a glorious old fellow he is, with the nicest little wife I Shall I tell you all that picture wants. Miss Macdonald, to make it complete ? " " Oh, yes ! by all means ! What is it ? " " Well — a rider before the door, horsewhipping an elderly individual with the most villainous face you can possibly draw ; while a boy as handsome as an ang^l, and dressed like a stage brigand, interferes to keep the peace. You will have a striking scene from life, then." " Striking ! " exclaimed Lore! George. " Faith ! I should say so — a pretty subject, that, for Miss Macdonald's pencil!" ' - After a few more remarks on the subject of the sketch, both gentlemen arose to go. Lord Austrey and Mrs. Tremain were conversing together in one part of the room. NORMA. 297 while Disbrowe was taking his departure with Norma. She turned to him witli an agitated face, as lie arose to go ; and without looking up, said, hurriedly, and with a heightened color : " Lord Earnecliffe, I have something very important to say to you in private, and as soon as may be. When can I see you again ? " Her evident agitation, her downcast face, and hurried voice amazed him. « At any time you please. I am always at your service, Norma." " Then this evening — are you engaged ? " " No. I have no engagement that I cannot break." " Then Mrs. Tremain and Emily will be out, and I will be alone. Will you call this evening ? " " I shall be only too happy." " It is a strange request, I know," she said, coloring in painful embarrassment ; " but you will understand me this evening. It is absolutely necessary this interview should take place, and immediatehj. I see Lord Austrey is going ; so good-morning, my lord." He bent over the hand she extended, completely puz- zled by her strange manner ; and when Lord Austrey had made his adieu, both went out together. The latter gentleman's cab stood at the door, and they sprang in and drove off. " By Jove ! she's a beauty ! " enthusiastically exclaimed Lord George, as they dashed along. " I am half in love with her already." « Which — the aunt or the niece ? " " Oh, pooh ! I hope my religious education has not been so far neglected that I did not learn the Command- ment : ' Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.' Don't you think la belle Norma has improved since you saw her last?" " Ye-es," said Lord Earnecliffe, slowly. " She has altered, but whether it is an improvement or not, I am not ready to say at this present moment." " Well, for one thing, she is not such a gushing young female as she was." " No ; but she has, unhappily, gone to the other extreme. 't i'i ♦ n f J M (it 298 THE DARK SECRET. Her manner seemed cold, constrained, unnatural, I thought." « Oh, that was caused by meeting her betrothed * afore folks.' If you had been alone, it would have been a different story." • « Well, I am soon likely to know. I am to see her this evening." " Whew ! You're not going there again — are you ? " " Yes. Have you any objection ? " " Yes, I have ; most decided objections — most de-cided objections! Have you forgotten she is to be Lady Austrey, and that you have given up all right, claim, and title to the lady?" " Well, no ; but, to tell the truth, the engagement was of her own making. She told me she would be alone, and asked me to come." Lord Austrey fell back, and indulged in a long, wailing whistle of intensest surprise. " There's Miss Slyboots for you ! Oh, your shy ones are never to be trusted ! What, in Heaven's name, can she want with you this evening ? " " That is something I did not ask her. To give me my coffpe de conge^ I should judge by her look when giving the invitation. She said it was of the utmost importance, and was to be heard by me alone." " Well, I am astonished ! I say, Earnecliffe, you won't make love to her — will you ? Honor bright, you know." Disbrowe laughingly promised. And they were soon driving through the park, too busy answering bows and salutations to talk further of Norma. CHAPTER XXV. OFF WITH THE OLD LOVE. J ** Was ever woman in this humor wooed 1 Was ever woman in this liumor won ? I'll have her ! " Shakspeare. For some cause or other, Disbrowe felt extremely anx- ious for the hour to come when he was to see Norma. Her manner, even more than her words, had implied that OFF WITH THE OI.D LOVE. 299 the interview betolteiied soinetliing serious and unusual. Slie had been coniplutely transfonued since he had seen her last ; changed more than he had thought it possible any one could ])e in so brief a time ; and her manner to him had been something more than reserved — it was rigidly cold. Wliat could be the cause ? Was it possible that during his absence she had contracted another atta;hment, and was anxious to be rid of the old one? " Too good to be true," he thought, with a sigh, as he strove to account for lior agitation and coldness in some other way. The drawing, too, trivial as the matter was, puzzled him not a little. That any one could have sketched the whole scene so accurately from merely reading a random description, he could not believe ; it must have been seen to be so faithfully depicted. Yet who was there to see it? Neither Emily Tremain nor Norma IMacdonald had ever visited xVmerici, he felt certain ; and who was there but himself to describe it to them ? Altogether, he felt more completely mystified and x^izzled than he had ever been about a small j natter in all his life before. At an early hour that evening, he presented himself at the Tremain House, and was shown by the aristocratic porter respectfully mentioned before, through a " marble hall " into the parlor, and left to his own devices, while the yellow- plush gentleman went to have Miss Macdonald apprised of her visitor. He had not long to wait. The door presently opened, and NDrma entered, paler even than she was in the morn- ing, and looking as Avhen he had seen her last, agitated and troubled. She scarcely looked up as he advanced to meet her, and shrunk away visibly when he led her to a sofa, and took a seat beside her. But she need not have been alarmed ; had he been an archbishop, lie could not have behaved with more gravity and decorum. There was very little of the ardent lover about Lord Earnecliffe at that moment. His heart was far over the sea with Jac- quetta in her lonely grave. There was a brief and embarrassed silence, which the lady was the first to break. ^. f #' it: ii it 300 THE DARK SECRET. i^ I "You ware doubtless surprised, my lord," she began in a slightly tremulous voice, " by my somewhat strange request, " and I beg — I beg — you will not be offended at what I am about to say." This was a promising beginning. Disbrowe looked at her, wondering what in the world was to follow this preface. " Nothing you can say. Norma, will offend me," he re- plied, scarcely knowing v hat he was expected to answer to this strange address. " I wish I could think so. Gentlemen all have a large share of native vanity — have they not ? " she said, look- ing up for the first time with a smile. " Really, I can't take it upon myself to say positively." " I have heard so ; and if it is true, what I have to say may wound your vanity — and for that I beg pardon be- forehand." " It is granted. Pray go on, Miss Norma ; what awful death-blow is my vanity destined to receive from your fair hands ? " She dropped her eyes, and a faint color rose to her cheek. " It is a serious matter, my lord. You remember — you cannot have forgotten what is — what was destined to take place next November ? " " Oh ! " he was serious enough now ; " no, I have not forgotten — how could I ? But, Norma, what do you mean by saying * was ' to take place ? " " Because I hardly think it ever will do so now. Lord Earnecliffe, I know you desire to be free, and I release you once and forever from your engagement ! " " Norma P' he half- sprung from his seat at the first shock. Her beautiful face was as white as monumental marble, but she was also as firm and composed. " Sit down, my lord. I am certain this does not take you unawares. I feel sure that after this morning you must have had a presentiment of what was coming ; and further, you will do anything but grieve, now that you have heard it." " Norma I " " It was a bond not of our own making, and it would »» OFF WITH THE OLD LOVE. 301 d gall as both. My father and your brother were the cause of the step you took, and perhaps tliere were ten thousand reasons why you should not at the time decline it." There was a touch of sarcasm in her tone, and the blood flushed scarlet for a moment to his face. " I do not intend to reproach you, my lord, but this I will say — yoit did wrong ! You should not have led me to believe you loved me, when you knew in your heart you never could or would care for me more than you did for any other of your dear five hundred friends. I was a silly, romantic girl, I know, who, perhaps, needed this lesson to bring her to her senses ; but, my lord, I would rather any other hand than yours had struck the blow." Her lip trembled in spite of herself, and she put her hand for a moment before her face. " Norma — Norma ! " he cried out, passionately, " you wrong me ! I did love you once ! " " Ah ! you did^'' she said, turning her pale face toward him, and lifting her clear, dark, penetrating eyes to his face, " then you do so no longer ? I knew it 1 " He averted his face, and was silent. " My lord, answer me," she said, laying her hand ear- nestly on his arm, " it is better for us both. Answer me on your honor as a gentleman — do you love me noio f " " Oh, Norma ! forgive me ! I never was worthy of your love ! " Her hand dropped. She sat as if turning to stone. " Have I wronged you beyond reparation? Will you never forgive me. Norma ? " " I forgive you, my lord ! I cancel the bond, and you are free ! " " Oh, Norma ! fairest and best, you forgive me, but when will I be able to forgive myself ! " " Do not think of it— such things happen c very day. It is only the way of the world." There was an untold depth of bitterness and sorrow in her tone. He did not dare to look at her, but leaned his head on his hand with a groan. " You have acted as most would have done ; and as •wisdom is only bought by experience, I will be wiser for w \ :• It 11 i : 1 ! I : W ' si t i> m\ 302 THE DARK SECRET. il tho future. Do not blame yourself too severely, my lord ; it all does not rest on you. Others — the dead and the living — have alike erred, yet I suppose they thought they were acting for the best. Tut what reason did the damsel give ? " " None at all, except that I did not love her — and, faith ! she hit the right thing in the middle just then. And so the engagement was broken, now and forever. I felt about three inches high at the time, I can tell you ! " " Te Deum ! What a slice of good luck for George of Austrey ! What is papa going to say about it ? " "Oh! she has promised to make it all right there. She will bring him to view matters in tlieir proper light, she says. She goes abroad with the Tremains next month." " Better and better ! I'll be an attache of that em- bassy, or know for why. I never was properly thankful before that my maternal ancestor and Mrs. Tremain were twenty-second cousins, or something; but it just suits me exactly now ! Won't I console our pretty Norma on the way ! * Make hay while the sun shines ' ; tliere's nothing like it," cried Lord George, in a hazy recollection of some proverb. "Well, I hope you'll be successful, of course," said Disbrowe, feeling dreadfully hypocritical ; for he was \ 11 3o6 THE DARK SECRET. amazed, he could scarcely tell why, by his friend's reso- lution of success. " Successful ! Of course I will. There is no time when a girl is more disposed to smile on a new lover than after she has discarded an old one ; and, ahem I a Lord George Austrey is not to be come across every day, I flatter my- self. So, when Norma comes back to England, you may be ready witl) your congratulations, my Lord of Guilford and Earneclitt'e." CHAPTER XXVI. A SECRET SORKOW. "I have a secret sorrow here — A grief, I'll ne'er impart ; It heaves no sigh — it sheds no tear, ^ But it consumes the heart." Three days after, T^ord Earnecliffe went back to Dis- browe Park, leaving his friend in London — a constant visitor at Tremain House. Whatever Miss Macdonald felt, she had enough of the pride of Albion's stately daughters to conceal; and she rode, and walked, and drove, and went to the theater and the opera nightly ; and Lord Aastrey was always of their party. His dis- tant relationship to the Tremains stood him in good stead now, and he took care not to be too particular in hjs at- tentions, but to be quite as devoted to Emily Tremain as to Norma Macdonald. He left it to time to ripen their acquaintance to a warmer feeling. And Lord George acted wisely. A handsome face and figure, and gallant bearing, seldom fail to please ladles ; and Lord George cculd be agreeable, not to say fascinating even, when he chose. Miss Macdonald might have the bad taste to be insensible to his manifold attractions just at present, while the wound her first love had received was still rankling ; but there was a good time coming, and Lord George, being none of your fiery mad-headed lovers, was quite content to wait, and console himself with the maxim : " Mieitx vaut tard que jamais.'''' And at the end of the month, having given himself an A SECRET SORROW. 307 invitation to join their party, which Emily Treniain — wlio called him "Cousin George," and considered him delightful — had warmly seconded, they all set off together for France. Norma, too, was not displeased at this new acquisition to their party ; for Lord George was an un- failing antidote against ennni and depr^ ^>sion of spirits, keeping Emily Tremain especially, who had a strong natural taste for the ludicrous, in fits of laughter con- thiually. Just before starting. Lord George sent an ei)istle, mther of the short and svVcet order, to his friend, to announce his success. " My dear Alf : — We are off — to-morrow will find us en route for Paris. The battle is won ! Norma is mine, as certainly as if she was signed, sealed, and delivered ! What a superb beauty it is — ma belle reine! Ah, Earne- cliffe ! you don't know what you have lost ! But one man's loss is another man's gain ; and so bene clicite / AUSTKEY." Lord Earnecliffe read it, as he lay slippered and dress- ing-gowned in his room, ennui/ee nearly to death, and an expression, half-angry, half-contemptuous, came over his face. How little she must ever have loved him to forget hiiii so soon ! A life of inaction, of stagnation, was little suited to the gay, volatile nature of Alfred Disbrowe ; yet some per- verse spirit seemed to possess him now, and hold him in chains at Disbrowe Park. He scarce ever went to Lon- don. He visited but little among the neighboring gen- try, and seldom ever saw any one at the hall. He rarely rode, or hunted, or quitted home, and, altogether, became a sort of anchorite — a hermit— a Robinson Crusoe, shut up and fortified in his " castle." The young ladies of the neighborhood pouted, and were terribly mortified to find the handsome and wealthy young peer so insensible to all their fascinations, while the sentimental ones looked upon him with romantic in- terest, and fell in love with his dark, melancholy eyes, and sighed to comfort him in his solitude. Having nothing better to do, Disbrowe amused himself if i I -^ ^n !: ■A J - 1 I \ I ' i; II 1 I \^i 3o8 THE DARK SECRET. with looking after his tenantry and improving his estate ; and this, with lying lazily on a sofa, and smoking no end of cigars, constituted his indolent and aimless life. He felt a little ashamed of himself sometimes, and his useless existence. But a spell — a languor of mind and body — was upon him, and he wanted a motive to make him rise, like another Sampson, and burst his bonds. So passed the winter ; and spring and summer found him still loitering at Disbrowe Park. At odd times he received short, spasmodic letters from his friend Austrey, to tell him they were " doing " gon- dolas in Venice, or Saint Peter's at Rome, or risking their necks up the great Saint Bernard, or other cold and un- comfortable places in the Sj)lugen Alps. According to his account, their travels were something in the style of the " Dodd Family Abroad " — a continued series of mis- hapF and misadventures, together with jealous Austrian governments, rampagious Italian beggars, savage and unreasonable couriers, or ferocious, brigandish guides, Avho would persist in not understanding him — Lord George — when he swore at them in English, and screamed out his directions in the same language. He further went on to express the strongest sort of contempt for the whole Continent, vehemently asserted England, with all its fogs, was the only place fit for a rational Christian to live in. As for foreign scenery, he had a poor opinion of it. The Rhine was well enough, but not fit to hold a candle to the Serpentine, and as for Baden, Ramsgate was worth a dozen of it. All this had very little interest for Disbrowe ; but the postscript had, where Lord George wound up by informing him Norma was in excellent health and spirits, and " his affair " was progressing as " well as could be expected." At first, this used to in- variably put Disbrowe in a fume ; but he got used to it pttev a time, and almost as indifferent about Norma as the rest. Her father had joined them, evidently quite reconciled to the broken-off match, and, what was better still, great friends with the volatile young lord. It was quite uncertain when they would come back, but probably not until late the next autumn. Of his American friends, since his arrival in England, A SECRET SORROW. 309 he had heard nothhig. As time cooled and toned down his feelings, he began to regret the hasty manner in which he had left his uncle's roof, who, harshly as he had treated her whom Disbrowe never named now, even in his own mind, had been always kind to him. Therefore, in a fit of patience, during the previous winter, he had written him n long and cordial letter, urging him to come to Englarid, and visit him at Dis- browe Park, and bring Augusta and little Oriole with him. It was strange, how ardently he wished to see the little, wild, elfish girl again ; partly for her o^vn sake, and the strange, strong love she bore him, and partly for her mother's sake — that dead mother, his first, his last, his only love. No answer had come, although the June roses were in blossom, and the letter had been writt(^n in December, until, one morning, the mail brought him a brief note, in the well-known writing of Mr. De Vere. It was dated London, and informed him that he, and Augusta, and Orrie had arrived, and awaited him tliere. Disbrowe took time to digest his surprise and pleasure, and immediately started for London, and went direct to their hotel. And then there was one of tliose pleasant meetings of old friends, that gleam like bright little flashes of unalloyed sunshine through this tangled life of ours, more thar compensating us for the sorrow of parting. Mr. De Vere looked half a dozen years older than when he had seen him last, and had a dreary, lonely look, the cause of whicb Disbrowe well understood. But Augusta was still more changed ; she had wasted away to a shadow, with white, sunken cheeks, and hollow, lustrous eyes look- ing unnaturally dark and large in her thin and haggard face. All her old hauteur and lofty pride seemed to have faded away like a dream, and she stood before him de- jected, spiritless, ghastly — like a spirit from the grave. The deep mourning she wore contrasted glaringly with her pallid face and blue- veined, transparent hands, and Disbrowe was inexpressibly shocked and grieved as he beheld her. And Orrie — he scarcely recognized her in the richly- ; I 1 i 4' 3IO THE DARK SECRET. attired, half-timid little miss, who shrunk back and eyed him askance with a glance half shy, half laughing, that leminded him with a thrill and a shock of Jacquetta. A year — most of it spent in the artificial atmosphere of a fashionable boarding-school — had lobbed little Orrie of most of he? eldritch boldness and brightness ; V»ut still it broke out fitfully at times. She had lost, partly, her wild, elfish, precocious look, too ; and with her shining, coal-black hair smoothly braided, and her pretty dress of rich black silk, she was quite another being from the wild little kelpie in boy's clothes who had once stabled his horse. They all seemed to have changed ; and Disbrowe half siglied as lie took her in his arms and kissed her, and inwardly wondered if he had changed, too. " And Frank," he said, « how is he ? " " Frank is quite well," said Mr. De Yere. " I got him a midshipman's commission, last winter, and he has gone off like a second Jack to seek his fortune. We found Fon- telle terribly dull, and your kind invitation came at a most opportune moment. Change of climate may do something for Augusta, whose health is failing rapidly." " I noticed Miss De Vere was not looking well," said Disbrowe, lov/ering his voice that she might not hear. *' She is greatly changed since I saw her last. What is the matter ? " "That is a question I cannot answer," replied her father, with a sigh. " Slie has no bodily ailment, the doctors say ; but something is evidently preying on her mind, undermining both life and happiness. In fact, she has never beer the same since that visit oi old Grizzle Ilowlet's, whatever she told her. Since that time she has pined and faded away ; and if I believed in the Evil Eye, I should say my poor Augusta was its under influence." "Have you never tried to discover what this strange secret is ? " " Repeatedly ; but in vain. Augusta only wT.'ings her hands, and cries for me to hjave her, until I have no longer the heart to resist. Oh, Alfred, my boy, it goes to my heart to see her suftering like this," said Mr. De Vere, with filling eyes. Disbrowe pressed his band in silent sympathy. A SECRET SORROW. 3" "Do you think she would tell you, Alfred? She liked you, and she might. Do you really think she would ? " he said, eagerly. " I fear not, sir. When she refused to tell you, it is not likely she would make nie her confidant — a compara- tive stranger." " I am sorry ! I am sorry I If slie would only speak and tell, it might save her life — the poor Augusta — my poor, poor girl ! " "Does Grizzle Howlet still reside at the old inn?" asked Disbrowe, after a pause, to divert his mind from the subject. " Yes, tlie old limb of Satan I Oh, Alfred ! that a wretched old hag like that should have caused us all so much misery ! " "Her day of retribution will come ; be assured of th^fc, sir I " said Disbrowe, almost sternly. " And her bonfrh^e^ Captfiin Tempest, what has become of him ? " " Gone off in the * Fly-by-Kight ' on one of his dark, devil's cruises of crime. lie went shortly after you left. By the way, Alfred, can you tell me anything of that young Spanish lad, Jacinto ? We never could hear any- thing about him after that day.'''' "Yes," said Disbrowe, over whose handsome face a dark shadow fell — the memory of that sad day. " Yes, he came with me to London ; and, uncle, he was treated ungenerously. That boy was guiltless of all wrong." " I know it — T know it ? " groaned Mr. De Vere. " Old Grizzle to taunt, to madden me, I believe, came with that villain Tempest to Fontelle, one day, and derisively told me all she had said about Jacquetta was false ; all save in one particular — her being the daughter of this reckless freebooter. Jacquetta knew nothing of her father, nor of her mother, except that she Avas one of the frail and erring of her sex ; and that never in the slightest action had her marriage vows been broken : that she knew nothing or Orrie save her birth, and that, oh, Alfred ! that she refused you, loving you all the while. My poor boy ! it was a sad day for you both when you met." Disbrowe sat with averted head, his eyes shaded by hia hand, and made no reply. i\ , )| .'i! 'I m ' * 1 )\ 312 THE DARK SECRET. " And my poor, poor, wronged Jacquetta ! My high- spirited, broken-hearted girl I Oli, Alfred ! I can never forgive myself for the great wrong I have done her," groaned Mr. De Vere. " She was cruelly wronged, sir ; but you acted from a sense of duty, and were not so much to blame. Let the dead rest ; I had rather not speak of her." " Iler loss, too, has preyed on the mind of Augusta," said Mr. De Vere, recurring to the former subject ; " and, combined with the death of her mother, has increased the depression of her spirits, and left her as you see Ah ! Alfred, I am not very happy in my children ! " " Her brother ? " said Disbrowe, with a si art. " Do you mean — " « My unhappy idiot son ? Yes, he is gone," said Mr. De Yere, in a husky voice. Disbrowe turned away in silence. "Had Jacquetta been alive I " was his thought ; and a pang more bitter than he ever thought he cou^d have felt for her again, pierced his heart. It was arranged that they should spend a week in London before proceeding further, to enable Augusta to recover from the fatigue of her journey. Mr. De Vere was busy enough during that time in receiving and returning the visits of his old friends ; and at the end of the week they all set off for Disbrowe Park. Bright and radiant in the golden glow of a June even- ing, the stately home of Lord Earnecliffe had never looked more beautiful. Mr. De Vere's eyes lit up with pleasure and recognition as he saw it ; Orrie clapped her hands in delight, and cried : " Ch, how pretty ! " and even Augusta's languid eyes sparkled with new and pleased animation. " It is a beautiful place — an Arabia Felix — a garden of delight — a home for a queen I " she said, turning to Dis- browe whose dark eyes were bright with pleasure and, pride. " I am glad you like it ; it was my boyhood's home, and my fathers', for many a generation, and so doubly dear to me." " God bless old England ! " cried Mr. De Vere, his eyes A SECRET SORROW. 313 filling wi^h tears. " It does my old lieart good to look on her sunny homesteads once more." " Oh, what pretty fountains, and flowers, and avenues, and trees I " exclaimed little Orrie, her black eyes spark- ling like glass beads. " And, oh, Gusty ! look at the birds m those pretty little houses ; and see the bees away over there ; and, oh, look at that dear little church, with the splendid red and yellow windows ! Oh, how nice I " cried Orrie, clapping her hands. Disbrowe laughed at her enthusiastic admiration, which reminded him of the Orrie of other days. »' And Miss Orrie sliall have a pony, too," he said, gayly. " Wait until you see the pretty little white Arab I have for you. Can you ride ? " " Oh, yes ! — first rate. Can't I, grandpa ? " " So you say ; but self-praise, you know, is no recom- mendation, my little girl." " Oh, I know ! " said Orrie, shrugging her shoulders. "Miss Smith used to give us that for a copy ; but I can ride, though, ever so well. Frank learned me." "Taught you," amended Mr. De Vere. " Oh ! bother ! I am so glad you have got a pony for me, cousin Alfred ! May I call you cousin Alfred, as Frank used to do ? " " Of course — what else would you call me ? " " And may I ride out to morrow morning ? " " You will be too tired to-morrow morning, after your journey — won't you ? " " Oh, la ! — no," said Orrie, with one of her i^hrill laughs at the idea, of such a thing. "I'm ne\er tired. Oh, what a pretty house it is, any way ! —twice as nice as Fontello I " " And yet you used to think Fon telle a very beautiful piace. Orrie." " Oh I know ! that when was I lived with old Grizzle — the nasty old thing I — and it was a great deal nicer than her house, but not near so nice as this. Oh, I should love to live here forever ! " " Unhappily, people don't live forever in England, ma chere Mle ; but you shall stay as long as I can keep you. You will miss Frank — will you not ? " M, i 1 !, ii I iiSi^A m rvj 314 THE DARK SECRET. *• Yes, some — we used to quarrel so, you know, until grandpa sent me to school in — oh, just the horridest place in the world! I didn't like it at all. I'd a great deal rather grandpa had let me been a sailor, and went to sea with Frank in — oh, such a lovely great big ship, and such a sight of ropes ! And Frank looked so splendid in his nice jacket, with all the bright buttons, and his cap with gold on it. Oh, he looked lovely ! " cried Orrie, enthusias- tically, laying great emphasis on her notes of admiration. " Indeed ! " laughed Disbrowe. " I should have liked to have seen him. And you used to quarrel when you were bothat Fontelle?" " Oh, yes ! Frank used to get so ugly sometimes — it was all his fault, you know — and we used to have such a time ! We made it all up, though, you know, before he left ; and Frank says we will be married as soon as ever he comes back." " Ah ! that will be pleasant — won't it ? When is he to come back ? " " In two or three years. That is a good long time, ain't it — but I don't mind, so long as I've got a pony. Oh, cousin Alfred, how nice you are I " " Uncommonly so ! The admirable Crichton was noth- ing to me ! But here we are at the house ; and now, mademoiselle, we will see whether the inside suits you as well as the outside." The servants, who had been apprised of their lord's approach, were drawn up in the hall to receive him as he entered with Augusta on his arm ; and Orrie looked about her, quite awe- struck by their number and the splendor around her. " Ain't this lovely, grandpa ? " she said, in a whisper, giving him a pull. " Very fine, kitten — a grand old manor." " And such a lot of servants ! Oh, my ! " " Hush I they will hear you. Do you like it better than Fontelle?" " I guess I do ! I wish you would live here all the time, and not go back to Fontelle." " But, it's not my house, monkey, and so I can't. It is Lord Earnecliffe's, you know." m A SECRET SORROW. 315 ** Well — but he would let you Htay, T guess. T uieiin to lusk him, luiyvvay." « But that is not polite. People sitouhl not invito themselves. You must wait until he asks you." Orrie gave a little imi)atient shrug. " It's such a bother being polite, and I don't see any good in it, either. See here, grandpa — cousin Alfred isn't married, is he ? " " Not as I am aware of, my little nettle — why ? " " lie ain't going to l)e, is he ? " « Well, I can't say positively — you had better ask him- self that. Have you any intentions of pro[)osing to him ? " " No ; you know I haven't. Didn't I t(>ll you I was going to wait for Frank ? " said the young lady, Avith dignity. " But I thought he might marry Gusty, and then we could all live here — couldn't we ? " " Frank and all, I suppose," said Mr. De Vere, laughing. " A rare plan, hornet, but I don't know wh.'it cousin Alfred and Gusty would say al)Outit. You had better ask them — hadn't you?" " I'm going to," said Orrie, as she turned to follow a spruce chambermaid to her room to be dressed for dinner. The suggestion of Disbrowe's marriage recalled some- thing Mr. De Vere had partially forgotten — that he was to have been married the previous year. It was a deli- cate subject, but he determined to ask Disbrowc- the reason, and an opportunity occurred when they were left alone to chat over the " walnuts and the wine '' after dinner. " My dear Alfred, I expected to find you a happy Benedick by this time," he said, carelessly. " How comes it that you are suffering single blessedness still ? " " The match was broken off," said Disbrowe, looking intently at the orange he was peeling. *' Ah ? " said Mr. De Yere, inquiringly. " Yes, by the lady's desire. She did not fancy rat- ifying a contract she had no hand in making ; and so slie is Miss Norma Macdonald still." " But I thought you said she loved you ? " « Well, I may have been mistaken — I don't pretend to be infallible ; and, even if she did, young ladies easily get ') il I 1, ; '! * II r 1 ^'-n 3i6 THE DARK SECRET. over such thincfs. Try that sherry, uncle— it ouglit to be jjoud, ii age can make it so." " l^ous vioez en roi / " said Mr. De Vere, with a smih?. " Wliat a Sybarite you are, Alfred, in this luxuiious home of yours ! " " Yes ; as far as tlie good things of this world go, I believe I have got my share ; but is there any one living, my dear uncle, who has not still some wish unfulfilled — some dreary if\ never to be realized ? " " And yours is — " " Where I left my heart — in the tomb of Jacquetta,'* he said, sadly. " Strong love — strong and true I Oh, that Jacquetta had lived to be your wife I " " Too late — it is something I cannot think of calmly, even to this day. IIow little I dreamed, when I first saw Fontelle, that my dream, my hope, my day-star, was to rise within its walls. IIow little I dreamed, when I first met her, of all she was destined to be to me ! " There was a long pause, broken first by Disbrowe, who never would dwell long on that subject, and now turned the conversation on some other topic. And Mr, De Vere noticed that he never again spoke on the subject. For a brief time it seemed as if the change of scene and air had really been of service to Augusta, and that both health and spirits were improving; but it -was only a momentary rallying, that soon passed away, and left her spiritless and drooping as before. Her former dark despair and wild bursts of anguish and remorse, alike seemed to have passed away, and a dead, inane listless- ness — a dull, lifeless stupor — a blank, hopeless calm, ter- rible to see, had taken their place. For hours she would sit with folded hands, white, cold, and voiceless, her large, dark eyes fixed on the floor ; a living automaton, a breathing statue, a moving figure of ice. Mr. De Vere was in despair ; no effort could arouse her from her lethargy ; no amusement could win a smile from her ; no excitement could arouse interest — nothing could awake her from her trance. Disbrowe was puzzled and interested, his curiosity was excited, and that, mingled with a feeling of pity, made A SECRET SORROW. 317 him half determined to ask the reason of this mysterious grief. He felt that this very secreey itself was augment- ing the original souree of her trouhle, whatever it might he ; and that onee she took some one into her eontidence, this morhid sinking, from sheer laek of sympathy, would vanish like morning mists before the sun. As a nettle, which sharply stings if daintily touched, is harmless if boldly grasped, so inward grief, if nursed in silence, festers and rankles, while, dauntlessly confronted, it hides its diminished head, and sinks comi)aratively into nothing. One still, serene moonlight night, leaving >[r. I)e Wuo dozing over the Tunes^ and Orrie anuising herself with her bonne and a book of prhits, Disbrowe strolled idly out, attracted by the gentle hush of the charmed hour. Sauntering down the long, shaded, laurel walk, he sud- denly stoi)ped in astonishment at l)ehol(ling Augusta, half-sitting, half-lying on a bench, her long hair, unbound and soaked with the night-dew, streaming around her ; her face hidden in her hands, her whole attitude so full of woe, so crushed, so heart-broken, that a thrill of terror and pity shot through the young earl's heart. In her passionate ahandon she heard not his approach- ing footsteps, and it was only when he gently tried to remove her hands that she uttered a startled cry and sprung up, so white, so wild, so terrified, such a shadow of her former self, that he had no words to express his deep pity. " Augusta, my dearest cousin, what is this ? Do you not know the danger of sitting out here in the night- dew?" She did not reply. She flung herself back in her seat, and hid her face once more in her hands with a groan. " Augusta, will you not tell me what this means? Can I not help you in any way ? Will you not trust your cousin? " " I dare not ! I dare not tell you ! You would shrink from me in horror if I did. " Not so, Augusta. Are you not my cousin — almost my sister? Dear Augusta, whatever this mysterious secret may be, you may safely trust me. And who knows but it may be in my power to aid you." 1 I 3i8 THE DARK SECRET. " No, no. You cannot — yon cannot ! It is beyond mortal aid ! " she despairingly wailed. "AiigUHta, it i.s killing you — this secrecy. Why not tell your fatlier — surely you can trust him?" " Oh ! not to him ! not to him ! I would socmer tell you a thousand times. Oh, Lord Earnecliffe! if you only knew." " Will you not tell me, Augusta ? Dear Augiista, it is some power this old wretch, who has already wrought so much evil to us all, holds over you — is it not?" " Oh ! yes, yes ! She alone and one other know." "It is some imaginary i)ower, then — some clever scheme she has concocted, and which will prove to he nothing but empty threats and vapor. Courage, Augusta ! speak out and tell what it is, and you will find it nothing but thin air. Do not think, Augusta, that I urge you to tell through impertinent curiosity ; but for your own peace of mind you ought to make a confidant of some one. You do not know how evils shrink and cower when boldly looked in the face, and how they grow into huge mis- shapen monsters when dreaded. Come, Augusta, exorcise this demon that haunts yon, and be yourself once more." His bold, frank tone, his easy confidence, his spirited, fearless voice, acted powerfully upon her. She lifted her eyes to the bold, resolute, handsome young face, and with a sudden impulse she said : " I will tell you ! I will ! Let the result be what it may, you shall know all, and learn if I have not cause enough for misery. Oh, Alfred ! there never, never was guilt equal to mine ! " " That remains to be seen. I have seen more of guilt than you have, I fancy, and will judge presently. Come, Augusta, where is the pride and courage of your De Vere blood now ? Courage I I promise you not to faint." He seated himself beside her, and took both her hands in his, and looked brightly in her face. " Now, Augusta." «0h, Alfred ! how shall I tell you? How shall I tell you my dark, guilty story. Yes, guilt ! Do not start — though Heaven knows it was unintentionally committed. Listen. Perhaps you did not know I had two brothers." M A SECRET vSORROW. 319 "No, T did not know. I ntivcr lit'urd of Imt oiio." " P(>oi' Auljicy! 1k! is at rest. Wi'll, I liad anolhcr brother younger than Auhn^y, and some four or five years older than nie, of whom I remendn'r nothing as a child, for I was ])Uttliree months ohi when he was lost." " Lost ! " "Yes. Oh, Alfred, you do not know how dark a doom lias ever rested on all of our ill-fated family, and on mo and him darkest of all." " lUit how was he lost, Augusta? Did he die?" " No ; he was stolen. There were marauding parties of hostile Indians about at the time, and it was no new thing for them to take children and women prisoners, who were sometimes killed, sometimes ransomed, and sometimes kept by the trilu!." "And which was your brother's fate?" "Neither. They sti'ove in vain to gain any intelligence of him ; they tinally gave him up in despair ;they thought he was dead. Would to God he had been ! " "Augusta I" cried Disbrowe, shocked. She l(K)ked up with a hard, dark, despairing face. " Is there no fate worse than death ? The dead are at rest ; but there is a living death (jf guilt, and anguish, and remorse, that never knows lest. The latter was reserved for his fate and mine." " (to on, Augusta." " You know, very likely, that these Indians were in league with the Tories, and that the whites were very often worse than the red-men. Among those demons in human form was the brother of (Jrizzle Ilowlet. Till, they call him — a morose and bloodthirsty human tiger, who hated papa for some real or fancied wrong he had. once done him. He was at the Indian village when my little l)rother, AVilton, was brought there with other pris- oners, and knew him instantly, llow he exulted wiien he saw him ! It was a prospect of revenge beyond price to liim. Most of the other prisoners were slaughtered in cold blood ; but he ordered them not to hurt a hair of Wilton's head ; and, having some authority among them, he was obeyed. W^ilton was adopted by the chief of the tribe, and brought up in all respects as if he had been his ) I n ' i\ 320 THE DARK SECRET: son ; taught to hunt, and shoot, and live the life of an Indian boy, and treated as the son of an Indian chief. Old TilPs object was to keep him there until he had grown up, and then present the half-savage young Indian to my father as his long-lost son." "Well?" " He did not succeed — would to God he had ! even that would have been better than the fate that awaited him. Wilton, child as he was, when abducted, had a vague remembrance still of the far different life he had left ; and though he lived the life of an Indian, he had not an Indian lieart. The desire of escape was with him night and day, but he was carefully watched and guarded, and for a long time no opportunity occurred. In fact, he was ten years old before he was able to make his escape from the tribe." " He did escape, then ? " " Yes — after perils and hardships innumerable, he reached the nearest to\vn, ignorant of his name, birth- place, and family ; for the Indians had given him a new name, and a child of five soon forgets. His story made him friends, though, and one of them obtained him a sit- uation as cabin-boy on board a man-of-war." " Of course, none of your family knew all this at the time ? " " No, they knew nothing of him — nor does my father till this day ; all this I have learned of late. Well, he grew up a sailor ; rose to the rank of lieutenant in one of the United States ships-of-war, under the name of his first friend, which he had adopted — that of Scott." " Well ? " said Disbrowe, as she made a long pause. " Oh ! how shall I go on with the rest — how shall I speak of myself and my deed of madness. Oh, Alfred ! I cannot tell you ! " she wildly cried. "Go on, Augusta, and fear not ! I think I suspect wliat is to come." " You do ? what do you suspect ? " " That you somehow met this unknown brother of yours, and- « " Well ? " she whispered, hoarsely. " And fell in love with him I " A SECRET SORROW. 321 I I « Oh ! worse — worse — worse I A thousand- fold worse I Oh, cousin Alfred, I — I — " " Augusta I " « Oh, Alfred I I married him / " With a wild, shivering cry, she sunk do\vn, and lay white and shuddering, with her face in her hands. Dis- browe started, and an expression of horror came for a mo- ment to his face ; the next, he raised her up, and said, gently and tenderly : " Augusta, tell me how it was. Augusta, dearest, do not tremble so dreadfully. Look up, and tell me all." She took her white hands from her pallid tortured face, and spoke in a voice scarce above a whisper. " I was visiting a friend, and went with her to a ball on board his ship ; I met him there — we loved each other, and — Oh, my God ! you know the rest ! " " You married him secretly ? " " Yes, I knew my father never would consent, on ac- count of his poverty and low birth, and most of all, for his being a rebel against the king. He loved me passion- ately, and I — I — was mad, delirious, and consented to a private marrage. Oh, Alfred — Alfred ! was there ever guilt like to mine ? " "^ly dear Augusta — my poor Augusta, you are not guilty — you did not know. Go on, let me hear all." " I thought our marriage was unknown ; but it was not ; a son of Grizzle Howlet — oh ! why was all belonging to that Avretched woman destined to be our evil destiny through life ! — was in the church, and saw us and heard our names. The hour of our marriage we parted, he to return to sea, and I to go to Fontelle. Two months after, you came, and but for that I might still be ignorant of my dreadful crime." " But for me I " exclaimed Disbrowe, in amaze, " why, Augusta ? " " Even so. You remember your narrow escape from being murdered, and how to save herself, it brought Griz- zle next day to the hall ?" " Yes — yes » » " To save herself, she told me what I have just told you, that I had wedded my own brother ; and she threat- 1 1 Hf i : if 322 THE DARK SECRET. ill! ened to make my guilt public, if I did not save her from the effects of my father's anger. The shock almost killed me. You have not forgotten that dreadful morn- ing, nor how I pleaded for Grizzle on my recovery, and obtained her freedom. Oh, Alfred, T would sooner have been burned at the stake than that my father should ever know." " But, my dear Augusta, you are insane to believe a tale trumped up for the occasion by such a woman as this villainous old Grizzle Howlet. It is in all probabil- ity false, every word of it." " No — no ! there is no such hope for me ; her brother and the chief of the tribe still live to prove its truth ; and to make assurance doubly sure, she told me to ask him- self, and see if her story was not true." " And did you ? " "Yes, he came a short time after your arrival, and wrote to appoint a meeting one night, and that night I met him for the last time." Her voice choked, and she stopped. Disbrowe thought of the dark, muffled figure he had seen with her that night at the north wing. " I told him all ; and, oh, Alfred, word for word it was true. He had been stolen in his infancy ; he did re- member old Till perfectly, and he had escaped just as Grizzle told me. Oh ! that last dreadful parting I God grant I might ever forget it 1 " " And this, then, is your secret, Augusta ? " " This is my secret — my dark, terrible secret — that is gnawing away my very heart — that in a few brief months will bring me to my grave. May God forgive us both, for we little thought of this ! " " And he — where is he, Augusta ? " "A wanderer over the wide world. We will never meet again." She sunk down once more on her seat, collapsed, pros- trate, despairing. A bright gleam of moonlight broke tlirough the quivering laurel leaves, and fell like the wing of some pitying angel on that despair-bowed young head. RESURGAM. 333 CHAPTER XXVII. RESURGAM. IS Iths )th, Iver ** With wild surprise, As if to marble struck, devoid of sense, A single moment motionless he stood." —Thomson. " Lord Austrey, my lord." It was Mr. Norton — that respectable gentleman's gentle- man — who spoke. Disbrowe, after his usual easy fashion, was lounging in his own room, chatting with Orrie, but on hearing his friend's name announced, he sprung to hia feet with a suddenness quite startling. "Lord Austrey — when? how? where?" " Whither — why — wherefore I " exclaimed the well- known voice of Lord Austrey, himself, as he unceremo- niously entered. " I took the liberty of entering sans ceremonie you see. Earnecliffe, mon ami, how goes it ? " " Austrey, my dear old fellow ! " exclaimed Disbrowe, " welcome back ! When did you come ? " " Two or three days ago. Hallo ! a young lady in the case ! Why, Alf, what have you been about since I left ? " " Oh ! this is a little Yankee friend of mine. Oriole De Vere — oh ! she's gone ! Well, Austrey, hov/ has the world been using you lately ? " " Enchantingly — I'm a made man, Earnecliffe, and the hapi)iest fellow in England I " " Ah, indeed I when am I to offer my congratulations ? " " As soon as you like — the honeymoon's over." " What ! " cried Disbrowe, starting to his feet, " you don't mean to say — " " My dear fellow, don't get excited ! T do say it — noth- ing shorter. Lady Austrey awaits your congratulations in London." « And you are really married ? " "Just so ! Miss Norma, Macdonald no longer exists, and from her grave has risen Lady George Austrey — the hnnd- soinfst peeress in England I Sharp wor^:, my boy, eh V" '''' PuisseZ'Vous etre heureuz ! ^'' said Disbrowe, as he ' I r: . M I. H m m 324 THE DARK SECRET. laughingly shook his friend by the hand. " I wish you joy with all my heart. Where were you married ? " " At Rome, at the embassador's, two months ago." " And you have come home for good and all, now ? " " Yes, if you call Castle Hill, Inverness, home. We are going there as soon as Lelia leaves England." " Lelia — who is she ? " Lord George fairly jumped from his seat. « Why, you old hermit — you anchorite — you St. John of the Desert — you never mean to say you don't know who Lelia is ! " " If you mean the French tragedy queen of that name." " French I She's no more French than I am ; she's English, man alive ! Oh, ye gods ! it takes away my breath only to think of her. Lelia — the queen — the en- chantress — the siren — the Melpomene — the conqueress! Whew ! Earnecliffe, I want a glass of ice- water to cool me down after speaking of her — the little devouring flame of fire ! " "Really," said Disbrowe, dryly, "extraordinary trans- IDorts these for a married man. I have heard — or, rather, read — of this Mademoiselle Lelia ; for the papers are full of her. Is she, then, so pretty ? " " Pretty ? Earnecliffe, if I had a loaded pistol here, upon my soul I would have it in me to blow your brains out for applyirg that word to her. Pretty — faugh ! She's glorious — maddening — divine ! That's what she is ! You might as well say a tornado — a sheet of lightning — a storm at sea — was pretty, as Lelia." " Indeed ! Rather a desperate little article she must be. So she has come to England. I thought she had been fifty times offered a small fortune, and refused." " So she did. She came with us." "With you?" said Disbrowe, with a stare. " Yes, with us ! She made one of our party. She and Norma are like sisters." The strangest smile went wandering round Disbrowe's lips, and shone bright in his eyes, when he fixed them on the face of his friend. " Lelia, the actress, and Lady Austrey ! " " Yes, Lelia, the actress," said Lord George, defiantly. RESURGAM. 325 ** Your cold English pride will have no cause to strain itself trying to stoop to her. She is the equal of any woman, peeress or not, in all broad England. I have seen her dancing with archdukes and royal highnesses without number; she has been an honored guest in the home of a duchess. Her life is above reproach, as she likely is above want. It is not necessity makes her play — she has already acquired for herself a fortune ; but she has a pas- sion for her art. Oh, Earnecliffe ! what a dazzling crea- ture she is ! She has flashed like a meteor through Eu- rope, blinJJng, dazzling, electrifying wherover she went. Nobody knows who or what she is, except — you will wonder when I tell you — Norma ! ' " Norma ! how came she to know ? " " Well, my dear fellow, that is the strangest part of the business. It was at Florence we saw her first — as Cleopatra, I think, and a glorious queen she made, for whom a thousand heroes might die. Every eye was, of course, bent upon her the moment she appeared: and Norma half rose, and then fell back in her seat. I looked at her, and upon my honor, Earnecliffe, I never was so startled in my life; her face was perfectly colorless, her eyes darkening and dilating, and her lips white and trembling. I spoke to her, but she only grasped my arm and motioned for me to keep still, without ever removing her eyes from the stage. I confess I was puzzled, rather ; but I thought it best to bide my time, and let her ladyship have her own way ; and faith, she had it, too — for, before Cleopatra had uttered half a dozen words, she gave a low cry, and fell back fainting — stiff, sir, in a dead swoon ! " " Hum-m-m ! Very strange, indeed I What then ? " « Why, we brought her home, ot course ; but as soon as she recovered, she insisted on going back — no persuasion could induce her to remain ; and she peremptorily ordered me to give a small note she wrote to the manager of the theater to be delivered to Madame Lelia. Well, sir, he did it ; and the next thing was an earnest request from Lelia herself, that Norma would wait in her private dress- ing-room until after the play." "And did she?" " Yes ; and a precious long interview they had of it. ■i . ■■y ,1.. I ■1 4 326 rm DARK SECRET. ! i Like the ' five mimites ' it takes a lady to put on her bon- net, it was over two hours before she made her appear- ance ; and then in such a state of delight ; by George ! if my Jewish money-lender turned Christian and burned his books, I couldn't get up to such a pitch of rapture." " Well, what was the result?" " Why, that Lelia became our traveling companion, or we hers — I don't know which — from that day until we reached Paris. And there, to the great surprise of every one, she accepted an offer from Mr. M , of Theater, to make her debut in London, and astonish the natives, as I flatter myself she will do, slightly." " And Avas our aristocratic friend. Miss Emily Tremain, reconciled to the idea of traveling en famille with an actress?" " Reconciled ? I should think so ; and very proud and important she felt about it — for where archduchesses smile, it is not for insular aristocracy to sneer. And then Lelia fascinates every one she meets. She is irresistible, my boy ; so take care of your heart." "It stands in no danger. I have a counter-charm, strong enough to protect me even against the all-power- ful fascinations of this tragic muse. But this mystery between her and Norma — what does it mean ? " " That is just what I wish you would tell me ; for be hanged if I have the least idea. Norma, only laughs and says : * Wait, the denouement is at hand.' " " Humph I Rather singular ! Is it another act of high treason to ask what this meteor looks lilie ? " " Well, Norma made me promise to tell you nothing until you would see for yourself." « Really—" "Oh, well, after all, what difference does it make, Earnecliffe ? It is only a woman's whim, and your curios- ity will soon be gratified, for Lelia plays to-night, and, of course, you will be there to worship like the rest of London." "Can't, my dear fellow; couldn't think of such a thing." " What ! you're not in earnest ? " cried Lord Austrey, aghast. RESURGAM. 327 " Never was T more so as I remember." " Why, you're crazy — downright mad, you know. What's the reason ? " " Well, I have some friends staying here with me, and I can't leave them." " Bring them with yon." « Humph ! Well, of course, if they would like to go, that might do ; if not — " " If not, you go alone. I have said it. Norma com- manded me, under pain of her eternal displeasure, and half a score of the severest sort of curtain-lectures, to bring you along ; so, will ye, nill ye, come you must. Not a word. I won't take any excuses ; so don't go to the trouble of making them." " Oh, but positively, you know — " " Oh, but positively I know I won't ! Who are those friends of yours ? " " My uncle, Mr. De Vere ; my cousin, Miss De Vere ; and that little girl you saw, from America." " Well, bring them along, of course. They want to see Lelia, too — supposing they are not barbarians, like you. Come, you will just have time to dress and be at Mrs. Tremain's in time for dinner." " Well, there is no resisting you, I see. Make yourself at home, while I go and consult my respected uiicle on the subject." « All right ! only hurry up — there is no time to spare. I wouldn't miss seeing TiClia play * Jeanne D'Arc ' to-night for * The Crown Diamonds ! ' Tell the old gentleman, with my respects, that I won't take * No ' for an answer, at any price." Disbr^vve laughed, and sauntered out, and, after a brief period, returned with his uncle, to whom he presented Lord George, with due decorum. " You have met with better success than you deserve, my Lord Austi'cy," he said ; "for my cousin not only con- sents to go, but is dressing even now ; and my uncle is quite delighted at the prospect of seeing Lelia, whose fame has reached from Dan to Beersheba, yea, even unto the far and facetious regions of New Jersey. I have ordered my « coach and six,' and nothing remains but to make a few I m.. 328 THE DARK SECRET. pvltenitions in my outer man. So, for a few moments, au reiHiir ! " Half an hour after saw them en rouie^ dashing along be- lihul two splendid grays. The whole subject of conversa- tion was " Lelia," as Lord George related anecdote after anecdote of her — her kindness to the poor — her princely donations to churches and charitable institutions — her fierce, indomitable pride, that made her legions of admirers keep a long distance off — her haughty independence, that made the friendship of the higli and titled no act of conde- scensio!!, but a simi)le courtesy to .an equal — her free, frank, impulsi\ c ways — her splendid acting ; in short, Lelia — Lelia was the theme until the carriage drew up in front of the Tremain mansion. Lord George had insisted, on their all coming with him, and Disbrowe had half-reluctantly complied. There was a quick flutter of his pulses at the thought of meeting Norma again, and a hot glow in his face as he recalled their last parting. How would she meet him? How could he congratulate her, ond before so many too ? He half regretted he had come cvt all ; but it was too late to draw back or regret now. Lord George, with Augusta on his arm, was already in the drawing-room, where Nor- ma, Mrs. Tremain, and her daughter sat. There was an introduction, bows and smiles, and friendly words of wel- come from the lady of the house and her daughter ; and Disbrowe found himself holding Norma's hand in his, and wishing her joy, completely himself — his easy, self-pos- sessed self-again. She had met him so frankly and freely, looked in his eyes with a smile so bright and happy, laid her hand in his so promptly, that all his confusion passed away. She started violently as she saw who accompanied him, and turned upon him a look of eager inquiry. « My American relatives," he said, in a low tone, sur- prised by her strange, questioning look. As Lord George introduced her to Mr. De Vere and his daughter, she bowed, while the blood mounted to her temple. Very strange, thought Disbrowe, lost in wonder at this school-girl blush of the calm, graceful, high-bred lady. RESURGAM. 329 s s r Something about Lady Anstrey seemed to strike Mr. Be Vere ; for he fixed his eyes on her fa(*e with a look at once so puzzled, so searching, and so full of a strange recognition, that as she looked up, and caught his in- voluntary stare, she crimsoned again, and half-turned away. " I beg your pardon," said IVIr. De Vere, hastily, be- coming conscious of his rudeness ; " but, really, your ladyship's face struck me as being so familiar. Alfred, does Lady Austrey remind you of any one you ever saw before?" " Yes, sir. I ha^ jften thought she strikingly re- sembled that Spanisii boy, Jacinto." " The very one ! The likeness is most extraordinary, and the expression is the same exactly ! " Norma tried to laugh ; but her face was scarlet. " Who was Jacinto, may I ask ? " said Lord George. " A young Spaniard I met in New Jersey. He might have been Lady Austrey's twin brother — he looked so like her." The dinner-bell here fortunately put an end to a sub- ject evidently anything but welcome to the lady in question, and it was not again renewed. Disbrowe sat be- side her at dinner ; but all his efforts could not make her disclose anything that would throw a light on the subject of her intimacy with Lelia, the actress. " Is she handsome ? " he asked. " Perilously handsome." « And ladylike ? " " Extremely ladylike." " Does she remain long in England ? " " That depends — yes, I think she will. Would you like her to do so ? " " Me ! Why, what possible interest can it have for me!" She looked up with the queerest smile, but said nothing. " Do you suppose I will fall in love with her ? " he could not help asking, provoked by her smile. " Oui^ monsieur." " 1 had rather be excused. Stage-players are not in my \ ■ 'tfl 330 THE DARK SECRET. line. I could not love an actress, if she were a very god- dess for beauty — a Venus herself." " Prenez garde^ monsieur ! do not be too sure. You can do as you please, however. Most certainly neither I nor Lelia will ask you to do so." " Has she many lovers ? " " Legions." « Wealthy and titled ? " " Yes, my lord. She refused the hand of his highness the Duke of B , at Villetre, so I do not believe she would die of ecstasy if my Lord of Earnecliffe offered her his hand, heart, and name to-morrow I " Her sarcastic tone silenced Disbrowe on that subject ; but all he had heard piqued his curiosity to sec this strange actress — this eighth wonder of the world ; and it was in a sort of fever of impatience that he took his seat in the carriage on their way to the theater. It was crowded when they entered — a perfect jam from pit to ceiling. It was a brilliant scene — fans waving, jewels flashing, bright eyes sparkling, smiles wreathing rosy lips, and a dreamy odor of perfume all around. The highest, the noblest of the proud English noblesse were there, and all waiting breathlessly for the curtain to go up. A bell tinkled — the music ceased — a dead hush followed — the curtain slowly rose, furled to the ceiling, and there stood the brave " Maid of Orleans " — the heroic daughter of France, its banner in her hand, at the head of its army — there before them stood " Lelia, the Actress I " A wild cheer arose — an English cheer — swelling, and rising, and thundering, till the very wall shook a regal wel- come truly to the tragic queen. She advanced a step, bowed, and smiled with a queenly grace, and waving her hand for silence, uttered a few brief, graceful words of thanks. Another cheer answered her ; and then the vast crowd sunk back in silence to listen. All but the inmates of one box ! Lord Earnecliffe was on his feet, and so was Mr. De Vere, both deadly pale. Were they dreaming? Were they mad? Jacquetta stood before them ! — dead no longer, but living, smiling, radiant — the same Jacquetta they loved so well. Neither THE ACTRESS AND THE EARI,. 331 could speak ; they stood watching her spellhound, until her voice tlrst broke the silence. That voice ! There never was but one sucii voice in the world I And from the lips of Ijoth, at the same moment, broke a wild cry of " Jacquetta ! " CHAPTER XXV^m. THE ACTRKSS AND THE EAUL. '• Do not spurn me in my prayer, For tliis wand'ring ever longer, evermore, Hath overworn me ; And I know not on what sliore I may rest from my despair." E. H. Browning That cry drew every eye to their box, and an angry murmur of " Shame ! " ran through the house at the in- terruption. But heedless of all — of everything save the actress before them, Mr. De Vere and Lord Earneclift'e stood still, gazing upon her with eyes wild with surprise, not unmixed with a sort of horror at this apparition from the dead. Augusta, too, had seen her, and sunk back with a low cry, while Orrie leaned over the box with the loud exclamation ; "Oh, grandpa I it's Miss Jack ! it's Miss Jack I " For one moment, the clear, bright, penetrating eyes of Leila, the actress, were raised — those dark, clear eyes Dis- browe knew so well ; but there was no recognition in their depths, and, dropping them again, she went on with her role. All eyes were s ill bent on their box in surprise and curiosity, to the great annoyance of Mrs. Tremain and her daughter, who were lost in wonder at this singular scene. Lord George, too, stared with all his eyes, evidently debat- ing within himself whether he had not secured a party of lunatics that day from Disbrowe Park. Norma was the only one of the party who seemed to understand it ; and there was a malicious smile sparkling in her eyes and hovering around her lips, only partially concealed by the fan she held before her face. : { !l^ ! 4 'tm I 332 THE DARK SECRET. " I say, Eiirnecliffe, old fellow, this won't do, you know," said Lord (Tt'orge, in a low voice touching his arm ; " every- body's looking at you. Sit down, won't you?" " By Heaven ! it is her herself," cried Disbrowe, passion- ately. " Living or dead, it is Jac(iuetta ! " " My lord, sit down, I beseech you I 3Ir. De Vere, my dear 8ir,/>/v«y sit down," entreated Mrs. Tremain. Mr. De Vere sunk back with a groan. " Oh, my God ! can the grave give up its dead ? " "Eh? What?" cried Lord George. "What is he talking about ? The old gent's mad. Norma ; mad as a march hare." " You may find there is method in his madness. Lord Earrecliffe, do be seated ; you are disturbing the audi- » ence. Disbrowe passed his hands across his eyes, as if to dis- pel a mist ; and then seizing his hat, turned to go. " My lord, where are you going ? " said Lord George, startled by his wild looks. " To Jacquetta I Living or dead, she is mine, and I claim herl Let me go." He broke from him, mingled with the crowd, and dis- appeared. The face of sublime bewilderment and dismay which Lord George turned to his wife, at any other time would have thrown her into convulsions of laughter ; but now some nervous feeling of anxiety for Disbrowe re- strained all inclination for mirth. "You had better follow him, George. Bo go after him," she cried, anxiously. " Follow him ! Why, where the dev — I beg your par- don, Lady Austrey ; but upon my soul, this is the most extraordinary thing I ever heard of ! Now, what do you suppose has got into that good youth, and this nice old American here, to set them flaring up in this fashion at sight of Lelia ? Where is he gone ? " " To the green-room. Oh, George I do go after him ; you have the entree — have you not ? " " Yes ; but what am I to do when I get there ? " " Oh, anything — nothing — I don't know. I wish you would go, anyway. Do go, George." *' Most decidedly I'll go, my love. I hope I know my THE ACTRESS AND THE EARL. 333 duty as a married man too well to refuse you anything. And as this overwhehning mystery is not to he explained, I presume I nmst trust to my own native genius and in- genuity for finding it out. An rei3ou\ V\\\ off." And openuig the door, lie disappeared among the crowd, leaving Mrs. Tremain and her daughter comple*;ely at their wits' end. Passing hastily through the crowd, Lord (Jooige wended his way to the green-room by a side-door ; and, on enter- ing, saw his friend in violent altercation with the man- ager. Lord Earnecliffe was passionately excited, his face deadly pale, his eyes wild and fierce, and his whole app(;ar- ance so completely changed from the languid, indolent be- ing he had seemed scarce an hour before, that it is no wonder Lord George stood for a moment undecided whether it was his friend or somebody else. " I say, Karnecliffe, what the foul fiend are you raising such a ro^^ for ? ]Mr. JNfaxwell, what's up V " " Your friend, my lord, insists on seeing Lclia ; and it is contrary to her express command to admit any one. I am really very sorry ; but I assure you, it is (luite im- possible," said the manager, bowing deprecatingly. With a fierce exclamation of angry impatience, Dis- browe turned to Lord Austrey. " I tell you, sir, I will see her, in si)ite of all the man- agers from here to the Antipodes. I must see her, or I shall go mad ! " " Faith, I think you are that already ! What, in the name of all that's absurd, has come to you, Earnecliffe ? What do you want to see Lelia for ? " " I know no Lelia I I came to see Jacquetta De Vere ; and see her I will, in spite of earth and Hades ! " " Who the demon is she ? Oh, the man is mad — that's flat ! Maxwell, you know I am a personal friend of LeMa's, and privileged to see her at any time. Will you tell her I wish to see her now ? " . " Certainly, my lord, I have no doubt she will see yoz^," said the manager, hasjbening off. " Now, Earnecliffe, what is the matter ? W hat in the world has come over you all of a sudden ? " " I cannot tell you — I cannot tell whether I am sane f ■ ■ 'i If i i\ {■'' 334 THE DARK SECRET. or mad. Do not ask me, for I cannot talk to you now. A desperate gesture, as he strode up and down, spoke more than words. I^m 336 THE DARK SECRET. I : If t He took her hand and tried to speak, but a suddea faintness came over him, and, deadly pale, he sunk mute and voiceless into a chair. ^* My lord, he is fainting I " she cried, in alarm. He made a faint motion with his hand. " No — it is nothing. A glass of water — quick ! " She caught it from tho manager's hand, and held it to his lips. He drank it off, and catching both her hands in his, looked up in the bright, beautiful, smiling face;, with such a strange, troubled, yearning gaze ! " Well, my lord, you will know me the next time, that is certain. Had you not better let go my hands ? " " Oh, Jacquetta 1 Jacquetta ! is this really you ? " " Well, I am rather inclined to thmk so. Do I not look substantial enough ? " And she lauglied as she released her hands. " Oh, Jacquetta ! I thought you were dead ! " A dark shadow passed over her face, a strong shiver passed through her frame, and she turned away with a passionate gesture. " Oh, that dreadful death-sleep ! that terrible vault I that awful awakening ! God grant I could forget it I " She put her hands over her face for a moment, and then dropped them — calm once more. He started to his feet, a new light dawning upon him. " Then you were not dead — only in a trance ? Jac- quetta ! Jacquetta ! was it so ? " " Even so, my lord." « And then — good heavens ! you were buried alive ? " " Yes," she said, with another strong shudder. " Great Heavens ! And how were you saved from your awful fate, Jacquetta ? " « God lives ! " she said, looking up reverently. " And the same power that once saved Daniel in the lion's den, Jonah from the depths of the sea, saved Jacquetta from her living tomb." " But how — who — Mr. De Vere did not know ? " " No ; but what can it matter to you, lord earl ? " The old look of cold hauteur passed over her face, and she turned away with a small, impatient motion. « Oh, Jacquetta ! " he reproachfully cried. THE ACTRESS AND THE EARI,. 337 I "V^ell, my lord." "Ivly lord! This from you? It was Alfred, once, Jacquetta." " That time has passed, my Lord Earnecliffe ; and you had better forget it ever existed. It is not fraught with such pleasant reminiscences for either of us." "Forget it? Never, while life remains! Oh, Jac- quetta ! you are free now ; may I not hope — " " Lord earl, you forget yourself ! " she imperiously cried. " Hope for nothing from me ! Jack De Vere is Jack De Vere still ! " " Thank heaven for that ! Look on this, Jacquetta, and see if you know it yet." He drew out a locket set with diamonds, and opened it, disclosed a small piece of paper on which a few faint pencil-marks still lingered. She took it ; and up over her neck, face, and brow flushed a hot, crimson tide. " My lord ! my lord ! " she cried, in a choking voice, " I have not deserved this I I was insane when that was written." " Then, let me hope you are insane still. Oh, Jacquetta \ my life 1 my love ! my hope ! do not retract what you once wrote here. Tell me you love me still ! " " Lord Earnecliffe, do you dare to speak thus to me ? Do you forget the secret of that lonely room in old Fon- telle ? " " Then, you do not know ? Oh, Jacquetta ! he is dead ! '* " Dead ! " she cried with a start, turning first red and then ashen white. " Oh, Alfred ! I never heard this." " He has been dead nearly a year now. You are free . — free as air, Jacquetta I My heart, my hand, my for- tune — my very life, lies at your feet. Oh, Jacquetta I speak, and tell me I may live." She looked at him with a strange glance, and her cold look softened a little as she saw his eager, wild, passion- ate gaze. " Then you have not forgotten Jacquetta yet, my lord ? '* " Forget you ! Oh, Jacquetta ! sleeping or waking, night or day, you have never for one instiint been for- gotten." " You are blessed with a good memory. Lord Earn©- l\ m 1 338 THE DARK SECRET. cliffe ; and yet there is one little circumstance you have ceased to remember for a moment. Allow me to remind you ; you are a belted earl, and I am — Lelia, the actress ! " That drawing up of the small delicate figure — that proud lift of the head —that clear, bright flash of the dark eyes — that scornful curl of the shut upper lip — what a world of pride they betrayed ! " Neither you nor I care for that one straw — one whit I Wealth and rank are but a name, and mockery when put in Competition with our love. You are not Lelia, the actress, to me; you are Jacquetta — my Jacquetta — my liege lady — my darling — the one love of my life I Oh, Jacquetta ! " " Softly — softly, my dear lord. What a gale you di get into for a trifle I " (And the provoking smile of other days broke over her pretty face.) " Let us talk this small matter over calmly, sensibly, and leave out all transports for the present. There are more heads to this indictment than one. I am Captain Nick Tempest's daughter I " Disbrowe was provoked by this off-hand way of doing business, and exclaimed imperiously : " What tlie deuce do I care ! I don't want to marry Captain Nick Tempest ! Oh, Jacquetta ! " " There you are at it again I How often have you said thai during the last ten minutes ? So you are willing to forget everything but — ' " But that I love you more than life. Jacquetta — Jac- quetta ! you are torturing me. Speak, and tell me — am I to live or die ? " She looked in his eyes — in his flushed, eager, impas- sioned face, so bright and beautiful in its fervent pleading — and she read there the strong, undying love that was to bless her whole life. A soft, tender smile came to her lips, something like a tear to her eye, and, laying her small, wliite hand in his, she said, brightly : " Live, my lord ! Forever and ever Jacquetta is yours I " Well, good reader, are you on the qui vive for what came after that? If you are, and expect a glowing description of Lord Earnecltffe's transports, I am sorry THE ACTRESS AND THE EARI,. 339 to disappoint you. The fact is, it is very tantalizing either reading or writing of such things — something like being hungry, and looking in a pastry-cook's window when you have no money in your pocket. Just imagine, my dear gentleman friend, how you felt when "your own Mary Aim " said something similar, and multiply that by a thousand-fold, and you will have a pretty good idea of how Lord Earnecliffe felt a! that moment. It was one of those brief, blissful instants of unmitigated sun- shine that shine on us so rarely — more's the pity — in this life ; and two of the wanderers in this vale of tears were, for the time being, perfectly and completely happy. But Lord Austrey! What words can paint the as- tonishment, amazement, not to say horror, of that young Briton at hearing and seeing all this ! The whole English language would have been inadequate to the task of ex- pressing his feelings. So, thrusting his hands into his pockets, he began whistling, with the most piercing emphasis, "God save the King." Jacquetta looked at him and lauglied. " You think us crazy — do you not, my lord ? " " Well, really," said Lord George, politely, " I am not prepared to say exactly that you are ; but my private con- viction is, that some one of us three is an idiot. Which one it is, I am not at liberty to say." " Come, George, my dear old fellow," exclaimed Dis- browe, laying a hand on either shoulder, " wish me joy ! I am the happiest fellow in the whole world ! " " Oh, are you ? Well, of course, you ought to know best ; but I'll be hanged if I can make head or tail of this whole matter ! " " All in good time, my boy ! Jacquetta, will you not come with us to-night ? Augusta, and Orrie, and Mr. De Vere are here." " I know — I saw them. No, not to-night, Alfred. I have given you my address ; come, the whole of you, to- morrow. I am not quite calm enough to see them to- night. Oh, Alfred ! it all seems like a dream to me yet ! " " Thank Heaven, it is a reality ! But, first, Jacquetta, will you not tell me how you were saved ? " 'i^\ r>k:,.a 340 THE DARK SECRET. " SimT^ly enough. My father — Captain Nick Tempest — saved my life." «HeI How?" " It appears he was at Green Creek when I was re- moved ; and upon his return was furious to find what Mr. De Vere had done. At first, he was for going to Fontelle, and making a scene witli Mr. De Vere ; but Grizzle prevailed upon him to take a more prudent course, and substitute cunning for violence. He came to Fontelle that night, saw old Tribulation — poor Aubrey's nurse — and, through her means, obtained the key of the vault, entered, and found me — alive I " " Heavens ! what a situation for you ! " ' " I had scarcely time to realize my situation ; for I had just awakened from my deathlike sleep — my trance, or whatever you may call it ; and Captain Tempest, who can be cool and self-possessed in a crisis, made no to-do about it, but carried me off, got me on board the 'Fly-by- Night,' where, by the aid of his surgeon, before morning Jacquetta was herself again I " " How strange and terrible I I have often heard of «uch deadly sleeps before. Good heavens ! if he had not come, what a fate might have been yours ! " " We will not think of it. Heaven was merciful. Do you know, that all the time I lay there for dead, I heard and understood everything that passed? I knew you watched by my side all that long, sad night — I knew they were going to bury me ; but I could not utter a word, nor make the faintest motion. Life was suspended, seemingly ; yet, oh 1 how vividly it all comes back to me now ! I suffered an age of agony in those few hours." " My poor Jacquetta ! my o^vn darling ! To think there should have been such a strange destiny keeping us apart in this way ! Truly, this world is full of paper walls ! " " We have broken them down at last. Jacquetta and Alfred stand on equal terms now — do they not ? " she said, with a smile. " Heaven be praised — yes ! But, tell me, how came you to seek the stage ? " *' It was my destiny, I suppose. I was made to be an THE ACTRESS AND THE EARL. 341 It actress, and not a countess. Howevjr, I suppose I must submit. Captain Tempest — I cannot call him father, somehow — and I came to understand each other i)retty well before our journey's end. Alfred, they say the demon is not no black as he is painted ; and I found Cap- tain Tempest anything but the ferocious monster he was represented. He saw we could not get on together, and he agreed to let me go through the world my own way. So we parted — he for Cuba, and I for France ; and since then we have never met. I took my own name, and was successful, as you know. I met Lady Austrey abroad, and came with her to England." " And that reminds me ! How in the world came you and Norma ever to know each other ? " She laughed, and her eyes sparkled. " What great stupid things these lords of creation are. So you really cannot suspect ?" "Upon my honor I cannot." " Then I shall not tell you — perhaps Norma may some day. B it tell me, Alfred, how is Augusta ? I saw her in your box, looking like a living skeleton." " Yes ; she is dead in life." the "My poor, poor sister. Have they discovered source of this mysterious sorrow of hers yet ? " " I have ; she told me in confidence, and I believe it has no real foundation whatever ; yet you see it is wearing away her life. What a pity we cannot all be happy in this world — as happy as I am." " I don't know as you have any great cause for happi- ness after all. I am not much of a treasure for any one. But now you positively must go, Alfred ; and listen ; bring Orrie with you when you come to-morrow. I wonder if Mr. De Vere will give her to me now ? " "He shall. The Countess of Earnecliffe shall claim her own child. She knew you the moment she saw you, Jacquetta." " I am glad ! — I am glad ! Oh, Alfred ! how my heart has yearned for that child — almost as much, " she said with a smile, half sad, half gay, " as it has for somebody else. And now, Lord Austrey, good-night ; remember me to her ladyship, and tell her her prophecy has come true,^ $\ 'J t , I. 342 THE DARK SECRET. " What was that ? " said Disbrowe, curiously. " Never mind. I will tell you some day. Good-night, Alfred — good-night, my lord." She turned to go. Disbrowe took a step after her. « Not with this cold parting, surely, Jacquetta ? " " Keep the feast till the feast day," laughed .T.icquetta. And with a wave of her hand and a bright, sauc glance, she was gone. CHAPTER XXIX. AN OLD FOE. *• Who comes from the bridal chamber ? 'Tis Azrael, the angel of death."— Shalaba. It was a happy scene on which the glad sunshine streamed the next morning, as it came in long, slanting beams between the folds of the damask curtains, and irradiated the beammg faces on which it fell. They were in Jacquetta's parlor at the hotel — Mr. De Vere, Augusta, Orrie and Disbrowe. Jacquetta herself bewitching in a morning-dress of blue silk, sat on a low ottoman at Mr. De Vere's side, one hand clasped in his, the other arm encircling little Orrie. It seemed like old times to be all together again, and the sad, lonely years that had intervened since they parted last, v^ere like a dark, vague dream. Jacquetta sat, bright, radiant, en- trancing as a little sunbeam ; her piquant little face flushed, sparkling with her new-found happiness. Mr. De Vert,'s face wore a look of quiet delight, mixed with a sort of chronic remorse for the past ; and little Orrie stood gazing on her new-found mamma, with a mingled expression of pleasure and doubt. Even Augusta's sad, wan face was lit up with a faint glow of pleasure, and her large, melancholy dark eyes lingered long and fondly on the bright face of her long-lost sister. But Disbrowe — who shall paint the state of beatitude he was in — the profound joy, too deep and mtense for . words ? Ah I cynics may scoff ; but, after all, the bi'ight- est moment of our life is when we know we love and are loved again. It brings the most perfect joy this world AN OLD FOE. 343 le )r re d has to give. I don't say it will last ; and you know the pithy Scotch proverb : " A kiss and a drink of water make but a poor breakfast ; " but, after ail, the kiss is very delicious for the time being ; and though one would not live on sweets always, they are very delightful things, indeed, in their way, and much more pleasant at the mo- ment than the hard brown bread of every-day life. So Lord Earnecliffe — poor, faithful fellow — felt repaid a thousand-fold for all he had endured and suffered for her sake ; and as the heart best knoweth its own bitterness, he had suffered, too. To think that she was his at last, his own — this fierce, tameless spirit, half-mortal, half changeling, but wholly bewitching — to think that he was to place a coronet on tliat graceful head — to call he" wife, to — oh ! it was too much bliss ! and it would have re- quired an iceberg applied to either temple to cool the fever in his blood at the thought. " Strange, strange — most strange ! " murmured Mr. De Vere, as he listened to Jacquetta repeating the story Dis- browe had told him the night before. Oh, Jacquetta I what an escape you have had. What an awful fate might have been yours — to be buried alive, the most dreadful of all dooms ! What a debt of gratitude we all owe to Captain Tempest at last 1 " " He was very kind tc> me ; and I owe him more than I can ever repay ; but to live on wealth obtained as his had been, I could not ; and so we parted." Mr. De Vere. " He -that terrible " I wonder he let you go," said seemed bent on obtaining you that day- day. I will never forget." " Do not think of it, sir. No ; strange to say, he made no objection to my resolution. I believe he loved me in a sort of a way — that is, he did not care two pins for „ Jac- quetta De Vere ; but he still fondly cherished the memory of liis lost Lelia. And seeing how desperately in earnest I was, he did not oppose me. And so we parted in Havre : he to go to Cuba, and I to go to Paris, under the name of Madame Lelia, and make my first appearance on the stage." " What a strange life yours has been, Jacquetta ! — a real romance in real life. What a brave, strong heart I- I il 344 THE DARK SECRET. you must have, my dear cliild, to endure so much and make no sign ! And all through me I Oh, Jacquetta, how, how can you ever forgive me ? " " Very easily, sir. You do not think me such a vindic- tive little mons.er, I hope." " But you have been so cruelly "wronged ; so deeply in- jured — deprived of a name, of a home, of friends, of a cliild, of a fatlier, all in one day. Oh, Jacquetta I you ii'.iy forgive me ; but I can never forgive myself." " Dear papa," she said, calling him for the first time by the old familiar name, " why will you rake over tiie ashes of a fire that went out long ago. Let the dead past bury its dead, and remember nothing but that I am the happiest woman in all England to-day." She looked at Disbrowe with a smile ; and her bright eyes were full of love and trust. " After a storm there cometh a calm, and after tears and weeping He poureth in joy fulness ! " murmured Mr. De Vere. " Heaven be praised for that I And now, Jac- quetta, will you ever go back to America ? " She laughed a little, glad laugh. " You forget Jacquetta is not to be her own mistress much longer — more's the pity. You must consult my future lord and master about that, .\s I will have to bow to his superior judgment, I suppose." " Your future lord and master is ready to obey his liege lady's slightest wish. Do what you like, go where you like, and you will please me — even should it be to the re- motest corner of Kamschatka ! " « How charming ! What a model husband you will make, n^y lord ! What do you wager you are not ready to give me a good shaking before a month, now ? " " It would not be the first time I have felt like it, you little torment ! Nevertheless, we will go back to America whenever you please, and buy the whole State of New Jersey for a country seat, if you say so." " Thank you ! How very generous you are ! Dear — dear old Fon telle — how glad I shall be to see it again I Won't you, Orrie ? " "Y-e-s," said Orrie, meditatively. "I guess so, if \-: AN OLD FOE. 345 11 i! if grandpa don't send me back to school. l\\ a great deal rather go with Frank ! " and be a middy." " P(>or — dear Frank laughed Jacquetta, "he was such a stanch friond and admirer of mine always. I wish you had brought him with you to England, papa." " I couldn't, my dear. You will see him, though, when Alfred takes you back. And, <> propotf^ when aie you to be transformed into Lady Earned itt'e. Jack?" Jacquetta blushed, but before she could speak, l)is- browe began beseechingly : " Do intercede for me, sir ! — where is the use of wait- ing? I have been urging her to name some day next week, but she is not to be persuaded. If you will only try your influence, you may prevail on her. Augusta — Orrie — do persuade her to listen to reason ! " " Reason I Now, my lord, I think it is most unreason- able — next month will be quite time enough." Disbrowe's gesture of despair at such an announcement made Mr. De Vere smile ; and, turning to the wilful beauty, he began, coaxingly : '* Nonsense, Jacquetta ! — don't be absurd ! I can't see why you should object to next week, if the settlements can be got ready in that time — eh, Earnecliife ? " " Of course not, sir ! There is no possible reason why she should do so ; and, as for the settlements, I'll pledge you my word they will be all right. Come, Jacquetta, do consent and make me happy at once." " Happy. He calls that happiness I " said Jacquetta, sotto voce. " Why, papa, such haste is perfectly barbarous I — no one ever heard of such a thing ! Why, when a man is going to be hanged they give him three or four weeks to prepare ; and I don't see why you should be less mer- ciful than the grim old judge ! " " Now, Miss Jack — I mean mamma — don't," said Orrie, looking sympathizingly at Disbrowe. " Don't you see you are making him feel bad ? Why can't you do what he wants — I'm sure Z would." " Bravo, Orrie ! " said Mr. De Vere, laughing. " Would yoUj really, Orrie ? " said Jacquetta. " Will you come and live with us if I do ? " 346 THE DARK SECRET. " I guess I will," said Orrie, with sparkling eyes, « if grjiiidpa lets me I May I, gi'andpaV" " Decidedly, ray dear 1 Come, prevail on mamma to name some day next week ! " "Now, mamma, do I — why can't you? Just see how solemn he looks. I'm sure he would do as much for you, if you asked him. Aunt 'Gusty, (joax mamma ? '* " My dear Jacquetta, let me prevail on you to make Alfred happy," said Augusta, with one of her faint cold smiles, " Life is too short to be spent in waiting." « Oh, Jacquetta I be reasonable ! — do, for once in your life ! Let it be next Thursday," i)leaded Disbrowe. Jacquetta laughed and shrugged her shoulders. " Well, be it so — a wilful man must have his way ; but if you repent before the honeymoon is over, don't say it was my fault." " Repent ! Ah, my darling I you know I will never do that ! " " Indeed, I don't I Thiiik of Socrates ! How do you know but I will turn out a second Xantippe on your hands ? I consent, but on one condition." « What is that ? Name it, and it shall be fulfilled, though it were half my kingdom." " Ah ! that sounds very fine ; but I know the proverb : * Grood promisers are bad performers.' However, we will see. Our marriage must be strictly private. I mil have no pomp, or fuss, or parade. If I am to be a countess, I will put off my greatness as long as possible. And, sec- ondly, instead of going to the continent after the cere- mony, you will take me to America. I want to see the land of my birth and the horie of my childhood once more." " It shall be done on the honor of an earl. Have you any further commands for your slave ? " " No — yes ; I want to see N orraa — I mean Lady Aus- trey — this morning. So, though it is yet unfashionably early, I will take the privilege of a friend, and dress im- mediately for the visit." " By the way, Jacquetta," said Disbrowe, as she arose to go, " when am I to learn the mystery of this strange intimacy between you and Norma ? Austrey told me his wife fainted, or something, the moment she saw you." AN OLD FOE. 347 " My dear air, is it such a very uiiUHual thing for a lady to fiiint suddt'iUy, that I am to be brought to tank for it? Lady Aiistiey might faint a thousand times, and Jao- (juetta have nothing to do with it." "True! l>ut wlieii Lady Austrey immediately getH into a stjite of mind, and insists on seeing Jaequetta, surely that lady has sonu^thing to do with it, then." " Ah I you are dying to know, 1 see ; but I shan't tell you — at least till Norma gives me leave. So, for ten mimites, an rccoir.^^ And the bright littlo vision was gone. Half an hour later, the whole party di'ew up l)efore the stiitely portal of Tremain House, and were ushered into the drawing-room, where they found Norma aloue. " My dearest Norma ! '* "My clear — dear Jacquetta!" And the two friends were clasped in each other's arms. " So, my lord, the wanderer is found," said Lady Aus- trey, when the first greetings were over, turning, with a smile, to Disbrowe. " Yes ; and, if I do not mistake greatly, we liave to thank your ladyship for it." She laughed. " How is this, Madame Lelia ? Have you been t^ llmg ? " " Not I — though it was not for want of coaxing, I can assure you." " No; we have been lavishing entreaties on her which, if she hiad not a heart as hard as the nether millstone, she could not resist. Will Lady Austrey be more merci- ful, and explain the mystery r* " She blushed and looked at Jacquetta. « ShaU I tell him ? " "Just as you like. He will die of a rush of curiosity to the brain, if you don't." As she spoke the door opened, and Mrs. Tremain and her daughter entered. Cordial greetings were inter- changed ; and, finding the rest were in the midst of an animated conversation, Norma beckoned to Disbrowe and made room for him beside her. " So you would like to know how Jacquetta and I came to know each other ? " it J It' -,■ -^ 348 THE DARK SECRET. *' Really I must plead guilty, I fear. You knew her before you met in Italy ? " " Yes — let me see — nearly a year before." "Why— how?' " Well, you needn't exclaim in that way, and draw at- tention — it is simple enough when you come to under- stand it." "But, my dear madam, a year before, she was in America ! " « I know it I So was I ! " « What ! " "Why, how thunderstruck you look ! Is my visiting that country as well as other people, such an unheard-of thin V ? » " But really — why, my dear Norma, I never heard you were there," he cried, completely astounded. " Very likely — yet I was there, nevertheless. How is Captain Tempest, and my friend. Grizzle Howlet, and Mr. Rowlie, of the Mermaid Inn ? " She half laughed, yet there was an unusual flush on her pearly face. Disbrowe sat mute with amazement. " Dumb, I see 1 By the way, my lord, have you heard of your Spanish friend, Jacinto, lately ? '- A light broke upon him ! With a half-repressed cry he nearly sprung from his seat. " Good heavens I were you — could you — ? Oh, Norma, was it you I " She was crimson to the temples, yet she met his startled eyes firmly, and said, " Yes ! " " And I never knew it — never suspected it. Norma — Norma ! what an idiot I have been ! " " Hard words, my lord ; but, of course, you know best." "And you were — you followed me there I Did Jac- quetta know it. Norma ? " « Yes ; her keen eyes discovered me at once ; and I told her all. Do you understand, now, the scene in my room ? " " Oh I everything is as clear as day now ! Good Heaven 1 how I should have been so blind ! Does your father know, Norma ? " AN OI^D FOE. 349 " No ; no one knows but you and Jacquetta ; I ought to have told George, I suppose ; but really I felt ashamed to tell him I had made such a fool of myself. ' Where ignorance is bliss,' you know, * 'tis folly to be wise.' Per- haps, also, you understand the mystery of the painting now, too?" " Oh, everything is as clear as noonday ; but this is so strange I can scarcely believe I am not dreaming ! " " Think it a dream, if you like. I wish it was. But, my lord, don't flatter yourself too nuicli. You know how intensely romantic I always was, and much for the sake of the adventure, as Captain Disbrowe, that I went. It had it was quite as for the sake of haunted my im- agination for years, an escapade like tliat ; and when the opportunity offered, I seized it. Papa was abroad on the continent, and would not return until you did ; so it was easy enough feigning a trip to Scotland, and going to America instead. You remember my disguise, my dyed hair, and wain 'it- barked complexion, and how com- pletely it changed me, when you failed to recognize me ? At Southampton, I think it was — I lirst met Captain Tempest ; and finding he was to sail the next day, took passage with him to America. A few days after my ar- rival, we met ; Jacquetta discovered my secret ; I told her my history ; and though she blamed me for my wild freak, yet she consented to keep my secret. And ^o— finis ! " He smiled, and looked at her with a strange glance. She met it with one half-scornful, half-shy. " No, my lord ; have no doubts on the subject. I have completely got over my school-girl penchant for the dash- ing guardsman. I love my husband with my whole heart, and him alone. When am I to congratulate Lady Earne- cliffe, my lord?" "Next week," he answered, his eyes filling with love and pride, as they rested on Jacquetta. " Ah, 1 am glad ! Dear Jacquetta, how happy she will be!" " I hope so — I trust so. If the devotion of a life can make her so, she will be indeed." Some other visitors were announced as he spoke, and our party arose to go. !• ho 'I 350 THE DARK SECRET. Mr. De Vere had promised to take Orrie somewhere. So they set off on foot, while Augusta and Jacquetta en- tered the earl's brougham to be driven home. As they drove on, laughing and chatting gayly, their £ .tention was arrested by a mob that had gathered round a drunken woman in the street. A sudden cheer arose, as they ap- proached ; and the horses, only half- tamed things at best, saw fit to take fright ; and the instant after, were dashing along like mad. Disbrowe strove to check their mad career, but in vain ; and they flew like lightning on in the direction of Westminster Bridge, threatening every moment to dash the carriage to pieces. People cleared the road in terror, and let them dash on to certain de- struction — without making any attempt to stop them. Augusta lay in a dead swoon, and Jacquetta sat white as marble, perfectly still. They were on the bridge ; and the passengers shrunk to either side, in dismay, when, suddenly, a man, whose eagle eye caught sight of the faces within, uttered a wild shout, and springing forward, heedless of danger, seized the nearest horse by the bridle, and in spite of their mad plunging and rearing, held him in a grasp of iron for one moment. The next, a cry of horror broke from the crowd : he was down, trampled under the feet of the furious animals, but a dozen hands now held them fast ; and, the next moment, Disbrowe was out of the carriage, forcing his way through the crowd to where the wounded man lay. Crushed, trampled, bleeding, a fearful spectacle, he lay there, with the pitying crowd bending over him. " Is he dead ? " cried Disbrowe, kneeling beside the bleeding form. "No, my lord," said the man he addressed, touching his cap. " Not dead yet, but soon will be. Skull frac- tured, I think." " He must be removed instantly," said Disbrowe, start- ing up. " Do any of you know him ? " No ; no one did. He was a sailor, they thought, and, very likely, a stranger. ^1 Even as he spoke, the wounded man's eyes opened, and fixed themselves on Disbrowe. '* Lelia — Lelia I Where is Lelia ? " he cried. "ALL THINGS HATH AN END." 351 That voice ! It reached Jacquetta where she sat ; and, the next moment, with a startled cry of grief and horror, she was bending over him. « Oh, Alfred I Oh, Heaven ! it is my father ! " " I'm done for, Lelia ! It's all up with old Nick Tem- pest, at last, ' he said, holding out his hand, Avith some- thing like a smile. Jacquetta wrung her hands. " Oh, Alfred, can nothmg be done ? Must he die here — in this dreadful place ? " " Heaven forbid ! Here, my men, bring a cab instantly — will you ? " As if by magic, one was found, and was beside him immediately. The wounded man was lifted in. Jac- quetta, and a surgeon, Avho providentially happened to be among the crowd, entered after him, and drove off, while Disbrowe re-entered the brougham, where Augusta still lay insensible, and followed. And so the two mortal foes had met again. CHAPTER XXX. - *' All things hath an end.'' — Proverb. ** We are born ; we laugh — we weop — We love— we droop — we die." — Cornwall. " And there is no hope. Doctor ? " " None, my lord ; he must die. No human power can save him now ! " " I knew it myself, and could have told you so," said the wounded man. " When a man's skull is fractured, he is not likely to go cruising round the world much longer. I say. Doctor, how many hours before I'm in port ? " " You may possibly live four or live hours — not longer," said the physician, as he arose to go. " Humph ! short notice to settle one's accounts ; but it must do, I suppose. Lelia ! " " Here, father," she answered, k^^icling beside him. " Shall I send for a clergyman ? " " For a clergyman ! No. What do you suppose Captain Nick Tempest has to do with a clergyman? (Il '•■ 'J .11 '^% 352 THE DARK SECRET. |: Come here, my girl, and tell me ; for the wrong your old father has done you, can you forgive him now ? " " From the bottom of my heart — as freely as I hope to be forgiven," she earnestly answered. " And you, my lord — they say you are a lord now ? We have not been very good friends hitherto ; but will you shake hands with the rough old sailor befora he goes ? " He held out his hand, and Disbrowe took it between both his. " Then we are friends, my lord ? " " We are, with all my heart." " Thank you. It was all my fault. I was a rough cus- tomer, I know ; but the world and I were never on very good terms, and I got reckless, knocking about its sharp corners. It has given me som^ pretty hard raps, my lord, until it has made me what you see me now. But I am not likely to trouble it much longer. Lelia, you have been an actress since ; are you one yet ? " " No, Captain Tempest," interrupted Disbrowe ; " she is Lelia, the actress, no longer. A few days will make her Countess of Earnecliffe I " " Ah ! " said the captain, Avhile his dull eye lit up. " A countess — my daughter — old Nick Tempest's daughter a countess I " Something ludicrous in the notion seemed to strike him ; and he laughed outright. "Do not mind that, father — do not think of it. Re- member how few are the hours you have to live," said Jac(iuetta, gravely. " Long enough for what I have to do. Tell me, Lelia, — or, rather, do you tell me, my lord, were you ever en- gaged to be married to a certain Norma Macdonald ? " " Yes," said Disbrowe, surprised at the question. " Well, wliy did you not marry her ? " " For many reasons. Captain. She refused me, and married another." " Is she now in England ? " "Yes." - " I should like to see her. Send for her, Lelia.* , w Wliy, father, do you know her ? " *'AI.Iv THINGS HATH AN END." 353 le d " No ; but I should like to. Have you ever met her, Lelia ? " " Often, father. She is like a sister to me." Again the captain laughed. Jacquetta turned to Dis- browe, with a look that plainly said she feared his brain was wandering. The captain saw it, and read its mean- ing. " No, I am not insane, Lelia. I know what I am saying. Lelia, Norma Macdonald is your half-sister ! " « Father ! " " It is true. Listen : you know Avhen you were a little child, your mother eloped, througli the machinations of that accursed hag. Grizzle Howlett?" « Yes." " Lelia, it was with Randall Macdonald — her father ! You both had the same mother ! " Jacquetta and Disbrowe were dumb with surprise. " Ask this man — her father — if it is not true ; and let him deny it if he dare. Lelia, you and Norma Macdonald are sisters ! " " I felt it — I knew it. I was sure we were not stran- gers ! " said Jacquetta, in a low, breathless voice. " Thi« is most wonderful ! " exclaimed Disbrowe. " 1 know, now, why Mr. Macdonald would never speak of Norma's mother. But to think that she and Jacquetta should be sisters ! I wonder what Austrey will say ? " " Where is your little daughter, Lelia — where is Orrie ? " asked the captain, after a pause. " Here, in London ; but not in the house at present. Would you like to see her ? " " Yes ; I always liked the little one, somehow. How came she here ? " " Mr. De Vere brought her." " Mr. De Vere, of Fontelle ? Is he here, too ? " " Yes, he and his daughter." " Ha I his daughter ! By the way, that reminds me I have something to say about that daughter. ' Thereby hangs a tale.' She has appeared in trouble lately — has she not ? " " Trouble ! " exclaimed Jacquetta, " she has been like a galvanized corpse for the last two years — dead in life 1 " >i«l 354 THE D.\'«5.K SECRET. " Ah ! just 60 1 Well I know the cause." " You ! " exclaiixifi iJisbrowe. " Yes, me ; and I can minister to a mind diseaFed, too. Bo you know tbp cause, my lord ? " u Yes." ** Then she thinks she has married her brother, does she not?" Jacquetta uttered an exclamation of horror. " Yes." " Well, she may set her mind at rest, then ; she has done nothing of the kind." « What ! " " It is true. I have it from Till — old Till, you know. Grizzle's brother — and he ought to know, if any one does." " Thank Heaven ! Poor, unhappy Augusta ! But are you sure. Captain Tempest ? " " Certain ! Old Till will confirm the story, if you only threaten him with a little hanging ! " " Where is he to be found ? " « At the * Sailor's Rest', St. Giles. You'll have no trouble in finding him. You see, old Grizzle knew about the marriage, and trumped up the whole story to frighten the young lady, and save herself." " Well, but Augusta's husband himself acknowledged its truth." " And he thinks it is true. You see, my lord, there were a number of other little urchins taken prisoner with the little De Vere at the same time — some of whom died, some were sent to another tribe, and some were kept. Young De Vere died a short time after being taken captive ; but he was always a sickly little codger, Till says." " Then she really married one of those captives ? " " Yes ; but no relation of hers. His real name is Du- rand — Mark Durand ; and he escaped just as Grizzle re- lated. The young lady is all right, so far as marrying her brother is concerned. Find out Till, and he will tell you so, if you only frighten him properly." " Heaven be praised for this ! It will be new life to ■i < ''ALI. THINGS HATH AN END." 355 tiere 3ner om ere ing ger, iDu- re- her you Ee to i Augusta. Captiiin Tempest, what a debt of gratitude he will owe to you ! " " To me ? Nonsense ! Give me a drink, Lelia — I am parched." She held a drink to his lips, and he drank eagerly. He had spoken so rapidly that he had exhausted himself, and already be was beginning to sink. "And Augusta was married?" said Jacquetta, in a low voice to Disbrowe. " Yes ; that was her secret. He was poor, and they were married in private. Grizzle told her that morning, you remember, he was her brother, and she believed her." " Poor Augusta ! Where is her — her husband now, I wonder ? " " I do not know. Can you tell us, Captain Tempest, where this jVfark Durand is now ? " "I saw him In Paris three weeks ago; most probably you will find him there yet." " How strangely all these things have come to light 1 How mysterious are the ways of Providence ! Oh, father! if you had only told this long agx:>, how much misery it might have saved ! " " I did not know it long ago myself ; though, if I had," said Captain Nick, in pai'entlieses, " it would have been all the same, most likely. I knew Grizzle had some power over Miss De Vere ; but what it was I didn't know until old Till, who came this voyage with me, bab- bled in his cups, and let the murder out. He'll confirm it, you'll see, for he's as ^*rrant a coward as ever lived. I never had a particular love for the De Veres, and might have kept the secret still, if I had not been hipped to death in this fashion. However, better late than never — eh, Lelia ? And so you are going to be a countess, my girl, though you are old Nick Tempest's daughter ? " " Dear father, do not think of these things, now. Do tiy and compose your mind for the dread hereafter you are hastening to. Remember how short are the hours you have to live." " The last act of the drama — isn't it, Lelia ? As for composing my mind, what good will that do ? You don't I 356 THE DARK SECRET. suppose I expect to go to heaven — do you? No, as I have lived, I will die ; so say no more about it. Have you sent for your sister, Lelia ? " " Yes, father ; she will be here directly." " And you — you will not leave me, Lelia, to the last — will you ? " "No, father." " Ah ! I am glad you can say father ; I like to hear it from you Hps Do you know you look strangely like yourmotlu: (lay, Lelia? There is the same look in your eyes i ■■ ■ if ten seen in hers. My poor lost Lelia I buried in the wddt "•\. Oh, that accursed wretch, Griz- zle Howlet ! " " Do not think of her — do not speak of her. Here, drink this." It contained a narcotic, and gradually hf fell into a troubled, feverish slumber. Still he held Jacquetta's hand, as though, even in sleep, he feared to lose her, and at intervals murmured, brokenly, the name of Lelia. Disbrowe, in obedience to a whisper from Jacquetta, left the room in search of Augusta. He found her in her room, lying on a couch, still weak and faint from the effects of her recent fright. As gently and tenderly as might be, he unfolded the truth ; but before he had finished speaking she lay with- out life or motion on the floor, where she had sunk like a snow-wreath. Shocks of joy seldom kill, however ; and he was too accustomed to see Augusta faint to be much alarmed by it now ; so, bathing her temples and chafing her hands, he waited until she had recovered again. " What is it — what have you told me ? " she cried, clinging wildly to him. "Good news, my dear Augusta; you may be happy once more." " And h^: is not — " " Certa'nly not. You have been imposed upon from first to last by our fair friend, Madame Howlet. Cheer up, Augusta ! Let me see you smile once more." "I have almost forgotten the way. But, oh Cousin Alfred I if there should be some mistake ; if the man — " " This man is dying, Augusta, and in his sober senses ; *'ALIy THINGS HATH AN END." 357 the ith- Ike a and Luch ffing ried, my Jrom Iheer lusin ises; BO there can be none. To make ' assurance doubly sure,' however, I have sent my servant and a IJow-street rvpuer m search of old Grizzle's brother, who knows the ^^ .ole jiffair ; so, in a short time, his testimony will coi mce yon. Your husband is in Paris, and I will telegraph im- mediately to the Minister of Police, whom I know, to find him for us, and send him hero ; so, my dearest cousin, we will soon see our stately * Lady Augusta' smiling and happy once more." lie smiled brightly himself as he spoke ; but Augusta dropped her head on his shoulder, and burst into tears. " I will leave you alone," he saic^ G:ently. " When this man comes, I will send for you." As he passed from the room, h^ n Norma ascending the stairs. " Has anything happened ? i ^' sent for me ? " she said, with a startled look. " Jacquetta — " "Is quite well ; but an imp ?>.o matter has come to light, in which you are closely concerned, Perhaps I had better tell you before you go in. Captain Tempest is dying in the next room, and it was he desired to see you." " Captain Tempest ! Oh, my lord ! does he know — " "No, he does not know your secret. But my dear Norma, what will you say when I tell you that you and Jacquetta are sisters ? " " Sisters ! How ? What do you mean, my lord ? " " That you had the same mother — Captain Tempest's wife. Do you know your mother's name. Norma ? " " It was Lelia. I do not remember her ; but I saw it written in one of her books. But, oh. Lord Earnecliffe ! what have you told me ? Captain Tempest's wife ! " " Your father was never married, Norma ; and now you know why he would never speak of your mother. You and Jacquetta are sisters. A dying man affirms it. Do you doubt it, Norma ? " She covered her face with her hands for a moment ; and when she took them away she was deathly pale. " No, my lord, 'ange as it seems, I yet do not doubt it. And this is v he wanted to see me ? Oh, Alfred 1 I am glad — I an d that I am Jacquetta's sister ! " '1 i'U 358 THE DARK SECRET. " And so am I. Shall we go in now V " They entered together. Captain Niek Btill slept, but even tho slight noise of their entrance aroused him; and as his ey(5s fell on Norma, he uttered a faint exclamation. " Ah ! you have come I Come clos§ and let me look at you. Yes, yes ; you are Lelia's daughter. You look ]nore like your dead mother than she does. Are you willing to acknowledge Nick Tempest's child as your bister, young lady ? " " Willingly, joyfully ! " And the fervent clasp in which she held Jacquetta told liow truly she spoke. " Tell your father — tell Randall Macdonald — I forgave hi in at last. lie was not so nmch to blame as the she- devil who forced them both to it. Will you shake hands, young lady, for your mother's sake ? " She laid both her white, delicate hands in his large, brown palms, and a bright tear fell with them. "For me!" he said, with a look of wonder. "Ho! what noise is that? I ought to know that step." A shuffling sound of feet was heard without. Dis- browe threw open the door, and old Till, in charge of a policeman, stalked doggedly in. " Hallo, old comrade ! " said the captain. " Well met ! You did not expect, when we parted this morning, to find me on the road to Davy's locker so soon. Where's the lady, Lelia ? " Even as she spoke, Disbrowe entered with Augusta hanging, pale and trembling, on his arm. " She is here. Now, my man, what is it you know con- cerning this young lady ? " said Disbrowe. " Y^ou may m well make a clean breast of it Till, for I have told already," said the captain. " Out Avith it 1 " Still Till scowled at them in dogged silence from under his villainous brows. " Tell, and you shall go free and unharmed — I pledge you my word and-honor. Refuse, and the walls of New- gate will hold you before an hour." Old Till was, as Captain Nick said, a very white-livered hero, so he forthwith — rather sullenly, though — began the recital, adding that the father of young Durand was still ''ALL THINGS HATH AN END." 359 I a [■ed the [till alive, one of the wealthiest and nio»t eniuienb lawyera in New York. And having niade a deposition to that effect^ and fnrther informed tueni that he niiglit he known hy a pt^cnliar tattooing in India ink on his arm, done when he was a child, he was allowed to take his departure. Captain Nick was sinking fast. He had exerted him- self to speak and listen while Till was present ; but now he fell baek exhausted on his pillow, a cold perspiration oozing over his face, a dark livid ring encircling his mouth. His eyes wandered slowly over the faces gath- ered round him, and rested at last on that of Jac(iuetta. " Going 1" he said with a fahit smile. "It is getting dark and cold, Lelia. Don't cry so. I will bring you no more squirrels to play with, as I usetl to do long ago — you were a child then, Lelia ; now you are — " " Father, father I " cried Jiiequetta, tluough her fast- falling tears, as the liand she held grew cold, and a dull glaze crept over his eyes. " My little Lelia ! " A stiong shudder passed through his powerful frame, one arm was half-raised, and then dropi^ed heavily by his side. " Gone ! " said Disbrowe, as he bent over him. " Come, Jacquetta, let us go ; all is over now l" And now, reader — my dear reader — draw a long breath of relief, as I do, for our tale is at an end. Perhaps, though, you would like one final peep behind the scene before the curtain descends to rise no more. If so it must be a very birdVeye view, and very swiftly taken. Look, then 1 One year has passed since tlie last act. And now the time is night ; tiae scene, Disbrowe Park. It is more like a glimpse of fairy Ituid than ever, this lovely night ; for the whole stately mansion is one vast sheet of light. The beautiful fountains are sending vast jets of silver sparkling up in the serene moonlight, and the trees are bright with the many -colored lamps, that twinkle like myriads of fire-Hies, and give the whole scene an air of enchantment. The laurel walk is one blaze of illumination, and sweet delicious strains of . kusic rise, and fall, and float on the still night air. Carriage 'I 360 THE DARK SECRET. after carriago rolls up the broad avenue, and throngs of inagnlticently-dressed hulies and stately gentlemen j)ass into the niarhle hall. Lady Earnecliffe has just returned from the " land of the free and the home of the brave ;" has been present(Hl at court ; made a decided sensation ; and to-night gives her first ball. See her there in white velvet, frosted with seed-pearls, sparkling with jewels, and floating in lllmy point-lace — the most bewitching, the most dazzling countess in the peer- age — receiving her guests. And yet she is our own Jac- quetta after all — the same sparkling little fairy as of yore. The short, danciiig curls are of the old obnoxious hue; but a coronet becomes them wonderfully. The wicked gray eyes sparkle still with the old mocking light that was wont to madden a certain Captain Dis- browe, and the little rosebud mouth is wreathed with the same entrancing smile that once drove the dashing guardsman to the verge of despair. And there she stands, as bright and self-possessed, receiving her titled guests in her husband's superb drawing-rooms, as when she stood, cool and defiant, before him, that morning when he met her first at old Fon telle. He is there, too — the Earl of Earnecliffe — handsome, graceful, and elegant as ever, watching her with a curious smile, as he thinks of the past. A happy man is Earl Earnecliffe — as indeed he ought to be, with such a rent- roll and such a wife. There is Lord George and Lady Austrey — the for- mer, languid, nonchalant, and complacent as he strokes his mustache ; the latter, one of the belles of the room, and so proud and so fond of her handsome young hus- band, and a powerful-lunged young scion of the aristoc- racy at home — who, of late, has made his debut into this vale of tears. And Lord George is so proud of that baby, though the feeling is mingled with a sort of deep awe, more particularly ^vhen it cries, which it sees fit to do pretty often ; but no inducement can persuade him to handle it, " not being nsed to that sort of thing," as he informs its nurse. Our dark-eyed friend, Orrie, is at school, and has a strong notion of growing up shortly, and marrying Frank. " ALL THINGS HATH AN END." 36 do to Ihe That young gentleman still writ(\s U. S. N. after hn name, .and is pretty much of the hame notion himself ; «o it is very prohahlc^ Miss Orrie will he Mrs. Francis Do Vere some day, in the " fulness of tiniv'^." It is a long step to New Jersi^y ; l)'it you and I, v ith our seven-league hoots, can take it. At Fontelle still lives Mr. De Vere, happy in the happiness of his daughter and new-found son. And jNIrs. Durand — how strange it seems to call Augusta that ! — is as happy as the day is long; and feels it all the more after the liery crucihlo through which she has passed. Our old and estimahle friend, (irizzle llowlet, having with her two sons, connnitted an atrocicas rohhery, sud- denly found the old iini too hot to hoiil her, and de- camped for the far West with Blaise — the hopeful Kit being caught, and sentenced to prison for life, and since then nothing has ever been heard of her ; and so to both, requiescat hi pace. As for Mr. Rowlie and his cheery little helpmeet, they kept the " Mermaid " for many a day after that ; and that pleasant hotel throve and flourished like a green bay tree. And if ever you visit the remote and facetious region of New Jersey, good friends of mine, just make a pilgrimage to its ruins, which tradition saith are to be seen to this day. And so, reader, farewell. THE END, a