walked back to the spot where he had left familiarity of manner. The young girl was Eva. in his power-he knew that. She had thrown herself on Norah's grave, in the abandonment of her grief, and was giving way to a tempest of sobs and tears. How overwhelming was the blow that had fallen upon her, crushing out the joy and happiness of her young life. "What was she now ?" she asked herself wildly," the child of sin and shame! That odious woman her grandmother!" Oh, it was intensely bitter, this degradation. She could not endure the dreadful humiliation-the exposure would kill her. The convulsions of grief that shook her frame, touched with pity even the hard heart of the agent. He had known her from a child, and she had confided the management of her affairs to him with implicit trust, winning thereby his gratitude, for he had consequently been enabled, more than once, to use her money as a capital to enable him to make money. If the estate passed out of her hands he would probably lose the management of it, and the advantages he at present enjoyed. The more he thought upon the subject, the more he was determined to prevent by any means the exposure Miss Barrington dreaded, as much for his own interest as her's. Dinah Blake must not be permitted to make public the shameful disclosure she had that day made. "Rouse yourself from this grief and take comfort," he said, in kind, encouraging accents, "this unpleasant matter shall give you no more annoyance; trust to me." Eva raised her pallid face inquiringly "Do you doubt the woman's story; do you think she is mad ?" she asked, with a wistful look. "No," he replied deliberately. "I do not think that now, I did at first; but her story, though it seemed improbable, is I believe true. However I shall take care she communicates it to no one else! You and I can keep the secret, he added with a significant smile, and with an unusual There was a pause for a few moments; there was a strife of mingled emotions in Eva Barrington's heart, a conflict between pride and principle. Should she yield to the suggestions of the former and retain possession of Barrington Height, at the expense of conscience: she had no right to it now, it was Josephine Dormer's. Mr. Crofton said he could prevent Dinah Blake from revealing her terrible secret. Should she place herself in his power by giving her consent to the concealment of those shameful facts she had that day heard? Principle stood up boldly confronting pride, but only for a little while; the dominant feeling of the girl's heart conquered, the passionate desire to retain the wealth and station that had hitherto been her's could not be denied must be gratified at any cost. That maddening exposure of her shameful birth, the sinful disgraceful story of her dead parents must be hidden from the world. Every better feeling and consideration went down before that proud resolve, and Eva Barrington shut the door on conscience. "What do you propose to do in this dreadful affair ?" she asked at length, turning her pale agitated face towards Mr. Crofton. "How can you secure Dinah Blake's silence? If money is necessary you need not spare it." "Nor shall I," he answered quickly. "Of course money will be needed, but you won't mind the loss of that!" "No, if it were even to the half of my fortune!" she said passionately. "I would rather lose even all I possess, than have this story made public. Good heavens! can it indeed be true?" she added with another wild burst of weeping. "Don't give way so Miss Barrington, control this passionate grief. There is really no need to fret so. This threatening evil can be crushed in the bud. How fortunate that I should have advise and aid you. been here in time to Now let me beg of you to return to your home and try to think no more of it. Trust to me I will manage the affair for you. A word of what has occurred here to-day must not escape your lips. Mind, Lady Trevor and Sir Gerard must know nothing of it. They might be more scrupulous than we are, you know," he added with a hard short laugh. The words and the ring of that laugh thrilled the haughty girl with indignation. Mr. Crofton saw the gleam of anger in her averted eye and it warned him to be more guarded. He must humour her pride, he thought, which he saw would brook no familiarity; the habits of years could not be conquered so soon even in her bitter humiliation. She looked upon herself still as the mistress of Barrington House and demanded all the respectful deference she had hitherto received from him. The time would come when feeling herself entirely in his power she might be a little humbler. Eva now gathered herself up from the grassy mound where she had been sitting and prepared to leave the ruins. Mr. Crofton walking respectfully at her side. The aspect of nature was still bright and joyous, but in her crushed heart was no answering response. A gloom had fallen upon her spirits. How painfully did she realize the truth of that saying, "we know not what a day will bring forth." She left her home that morning gay and happy without a care she returned to it stricken, humbled beneath the terrible discovey she had made, the recollection of which must darken her days even if this fatal secret could be concealed. She pleaded illness to Lady Trevor to account for her pallid gloomy face, and thoughtful depressed manner; for in spite of all her efforts she could not help showing something of the fearful effects her late passionate excitement had caused her. The groom, Maurice, deciared that the halfmad woman Dinah Blake had frightened his young mistress almost to death with her odd ways-an assertion which gave his mother, Nurse Lynch, something to think about, She alone suspected the cause of Miss Barrington's altered looks or guessed the subject of that conversation in the ruins of St. Bride. Very anxiously did Eva await the promised visit from Mr. Crofton the following day. He came ostensibly on business, but secretly by appointment, to let her know the result of his expected interview with Dinah at Elm Lodge. "You have nothing to fear from her!" he said, with an encouraging smile, "the woman is very ill and her death will soon relieve you from all anxiety." A cruel joy flashed across Eva's pale face at the prospect of this woman's death who called herself her grandmother; but then came the recollection that the secret would not die with her, and the sudden gleam of happiness vanished. "Where is she?" she asked eagerly. "In my house. She came to it last night more dead than alive, so anxious was she to keep her appointment and have the matter settled before she died. She made a deposition before me, as a magistrate, and belives that I will see Miss Dormer restored to her rightful inheritance." There was a grim smile playing over Mr. Crofton's hard, deeply-lined face, as he spoke. Eva looked up at him with a wistful gleam in her grey eyes; he understood that questioning, anxious gaze, and answered hastily: "Of course I mean to do nothing of the kind. Your interests are dearer to me than those of a stranger. I think it would be a cruel thing to deprive you of what you have so long possessed, just because you do not happen to have a legitimate right to it. You are the oldest, by a few hours, of Major Barrington's daughters, although that claim would never hold good in a court of law in consequence of your illegitimacy. But no one need know anything of that; your half-sister will not miss what she never asked, after a short silence, as Mr. Crofton possessed." rose to take his leave. "Who has the charge of Dinah Blake? Is there any danger of her talking about this painful affair to any one who might circulate the story?" "Not the least!" was the prompt answer of Mr. Crofton. "Last night when she was too ill to leave my house I committed her to the care of my sister, a sensible, elderly woman who manages my domestic affairs. She will take care that no person has access to her, but herself." "But the secret will be known to her also," was Eva's hasty observation, with a troubled look. "That is unavoidable, but there is no cause for alarm on that account, she can be induced to keep it," said Mr. Crofton, with a significant smile. "I understand her silence must be bought?" said Eva, with some of her usual hauteur. "Exactly so!" the cool rejoinder, "my sister is poor and dependent on me, and would not care to lend herself to an act of villainy without a consideration." "An act of villainy!" How the words, revealing the naked truth, grated in the girl's ears. The deep flush of shame crimsoned her brow, and an angry light flashed from her eyes, but she said not a word. She was completely in the power of this man and his sister, and pride forbade her to free herself from the bondage they were about to impose upon her. Anything was preferable to having the finger of scorn pointed at herto seeing herself dragged down from the high position she had hitherto occupied and humbled in the dust. Any suffering-any unprincipled act-almost any crime before that! Eva Barrington inherited much of her despised grandmother's strength of character. She had also her proud, passionate determined nature. "I am sure of it. She has had a low nervous fever, and is reduced to a very weak state. You have nothing more to fear from her." "She has done me all the injury she could in revealing the shameful secret," said Eva, bitterly; "I wish to Heaven she had died first!" she added, with fierce vehemence. "Remember that it is only known to those who will keep it," remarked Mr. Crofton sympathetically. "But can I rely on their silence?" was her gloomy rejoinder. 66 Undoubtedly! As long as you make it their interest to keep the secret,” he answered, emphatically. "I understand," she said, quietly, but with an angry, disdainful smile. And thus the interview terminated. By degrees Eva recovered something of her former cheerfulness, as the dreaded evil was for the present swept from her path. She waited daily in expectation of the death of Dinah, but the old woman still lingered. Mr. Crofton said, "If she were only out of the way, Eva would feel less anxiety, for she feared that she could not be bribed to silence, like the mercenary agent and his sister. She had told her grand-daughter in that interview in the ruins, that she wanted none of her money; that she only wished to do justice to the girl she had wronged. Unless Dinah Blake died, therefore, the exposé Eva would have done anything to avoid, might still be made, and the threatened storm burst upon her devoted head. It was a fearful trial for the proud girl to bear alone-this secret agony of dread-and to have to maintain an outward composure, so as not to excite remarks. Her life was blighted; never again could she be the gay, light-hearted being she had once been. In her anguish she often wished for death, for when happiness is withdrawn from our life, "Is the woman really near death?" she it does not seem worth possessing. Life, What were the voices the still lakes heard? What were the scenes that the forest saw? The rapid chatter of chipmunk small, Springing ever amongst the leaves; The blue-winged jay with its constant call; And creaking of boughs as they felt the breeze; Woodpeckers tapping with iron beak Dead pine trunks, for the worm they seek. The human cry of the mocking loon Ever rose from the lake's dark wave; Wolf, and fox, and muskrat grey, The forest deer, with russet hide, Hart, and hind, and tender fawn, The green snake slipt through the moss-bound fern, The black snake reared his fearless head, As the wild cat crept to the quiet burn, Or the dark, brown bear with his heavy tread; Whilst on some steep rock's savage crest, The eagle made her cruel nest. The speckled trout, and the white-fish leapt, Where bull-frogs croak, and the wild-ducks fly; The monster sturgeon quiet slept Beneath the glow of a mirrored sky; And the ceaseless hum of mosquitos' wings Rose below all other things. |