United States or Uganda ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
There were tears in Katy's eyes as she read this letter from Bell, and with a mental prayer of thanksgiving that she had been of any use in guiding even one to the Shepherd's fold, she took next the letter whose superscription made her tremble for a moment and turn faint, it brought back so vividly to her mind the daisy-covered grave in Alnwick, whose headstone bore Genevra Lambert's name.
It was a peculiar condition that all of the native servants were men; no women were employed in the great establishment, nor ever had been. Far in the night, Genevra, sleepless and depressed, stole into the hanging garden. Her mind was full of the horrid thing that had happened to Hollingsworth Chase.
Wholly bewildered, Katy made no reply, and Wilford was silent a few moments, in which he seemed partially asleep. Then rousing up, he said: "You wrote me once that Genevra was not dead. Did you mean it, Katy?"
No one who could pay more than a dozen rubies. Women are cheap here, and you would be a woman, not a most beautiful princess." "I would not care to be a princess, perhaps." "You love my Sahib Chase?" demanded Neenah abruptly, eagerly. "Neenah!" gasped Genevra, with a startled look. Neenah looked intently into the unsteady, blue-grey eyes and then bent over to kiss the hand of the Princess.
"Hush-h!" came warningly from the mother as Juno reappeared, the warning indicating that Genevra, whoever she might be, was a personage never mentioned, except by mother and son. As Juno remained the conversation was not resumed, and the next morning Wilford wrote to Katy Lennox the letter which carried to her so much of joy, and to Dr. Grant so much of grief.
Wilford's face was white as ashes, and his voice trembled as he replied: "Yes, mother, I shall tell her all; but, oh! you do not know how hard it has been for me to bring my mind to that, or how sorry I am that we ever kept that secret when Genevra died "
So when he said at last, "You must go back to New York; this is no place for you," she offered no remonstrance; but when he continued, "And you must go to-night; that is, you must take the early morning train, so as to reach the city before any one has had a chance to read the letter," she demurred at once. "She must see mother; she must see Helen; she must tell Helen who Genevra was.
"It was stuck under my door by Bromley, who said that Miss Pelham gave it to her. Miss Pelham referred me to Mr. Britt and Mr. Britt urged me to keep the letter for future reference. I think he said it could be used as Exhibit A. Then he advised me to beat you only in the presence of witnesses." "The whole household must be going mad," cried Genevra with a laugh.
"I have no husband," she replied, her lip curling with scorn, and her eyes just then falling upon Wilford, who stood appalled at the fearful change which had passed over her since he left her three days before. She knew him, and writhing herself away from Morris' arms, she raised up in bed and said to him: "I've been at the bottom of things, and Genevra is not in that grave at St. Mary's.
Wilford spoke of his child now as Genevra, but to Katy it was baby still; and, with choking sobs and passionate tears, she bade good-by to the little mound underneath which it was lying, and then went back to her city home.
Word Of The Day