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DARK DAYS
BY HUGE CONWAY.
Author of “Called Back.”
CHAPTER V.
A WHITE TOMB.
From the mom nt when the true state of
Phi ippa’s mind flashed upon me, to the mo
me at when I loft her sleeping that heavy
an 1, if possible, her reason. True, through
out the whole of my operations to effect this
«nd, a dim sort of horror pervaded me—a
recollection of the ghastly object which lay
jn the roadside, some three miles irom us;
but it was not until I turned from my pa
tient’s door that the terrible situation in
whieh she was placed present d itself tome
in all its dread entirety. Half broken
hearted, 1 threw myself wearily into my
chair, ’ and covered my face with my J hands,
What was to be den '? What was to be
lone? To-morrow morning the body wou d
an d i r c-n°foot' 0m Shj° r knew, moreover, tfuTtSir
Morvyn Ferrand was her hn ban 1; that he
had ill-Used her. She v ould most certainly
know to wdiom Philip] ift had fied. It did
not follow that lv cans s I was ignorant as to
who were my neighbors they knew nothing
about m\ At any fate, William, my man,
vvould know the truth. Ho far es I could
see, to-morrow, or by the latest, the next
day Philippa would be arrested for the
crime. Most probably I should also be in
e.uded in the arrest. For that I seemed to
rare nothing; except that it might hinder
,e from helping my poor girl.
Any hope ef removing Philippa—there,
put it in plain words—any hope of flight,
for days, even weeks, was vain. Let every
thing go well as can bo in such cases, th<
girl must be kept in seclusion and quiet for
at least u fo: tnight or three weeks. 1 groaned
as I thought of what would happui if Phil¬
ippi was arrested and carried before the
magistrates, accused of the awful criin*.
F**om that moment until the day of her
d *aih she would be insane.
Yet, what help was ther» for il i The mo
merit the dood is known—tho moment Mrs.
Wilson learns that Sir Mervyn Ferrau l has
been found shot through the h jart, she w ill
let it be known that Lady Ferrand H at
haul; anl L:idy Ferrau 1, who has been
passing under the nam * of Mrs. Farmer, will
be sought and found. And then—an l then l
Even if she nil not die at once—even if
«lie recovered—oil, the shame of ths triai 1
No j lry eoul 1 or would convict v, e •; but for
Phi i; pa, my queen, to stand in tha dock,
to plead for her life. To know iha^,
whether convicted or acquitted, the uenl
was done by her. To fciK-w that all Eng¬
land is talk ngof her wrongs and her venge
V. UC 3. Horrlble! Horrible l It shall never
Ih). Rather will I give her a draught of
opium heavy enough to clos-i her ej r es for
ever. Thero will be plent, * more of the
drug left for me!
Fool that I was! Why lid I do things
by halves! Why, for her sake, did I
not hid i the d'ad man whore non 3 would
fin l him? \\ by di i I not rifle his pockets,
so at suspicion sh mid have pointed to p
vulgar murderer—some one who had killed
him for mere plunder? M hy did l not, at
least, destroy any letters or papers which
wore about him? Identification might then
have been rendered difficult, ond'"perhaps
been delayed for weeks. In that time 1
mi (T ht have saved he 1 *
Why do I not d> this now! I started to
my feet; then sank lack into my chair,
No* not even for Phillip*’* sake could l go
go again t j that spot. If I did so, 1 should
return as m id as she is now.
Not bain : able to b-.-in V myself to adopt
the grewsom » alternative, I could do noth
in *• save wait events—nothing, at least, to
avert the coifscqtienc ‘3 of hfr delirious act.
But for her som *t ling must bo don". Tlow
could she, in her frenzied state, be left hero
William and to d him he must go to London
by the first train in the morning.
William would have received my instruc
lions to go to the Antipodes expressed with importin'
bal i i y. He merely a doubt as
1o wheth r any o io would be able to got to
London to morrow on account of the mow.
1 walked to the win low and looked out.
The m jht was still one mad whirl of snow
flakes. The window-panes were half covere l
by such as managed to find ft resting place
ther \ As I watched what 1 coull see of
the will white dance, 1 found myself think
‘They are sure to keep the lino to town
open,*’I vaid. “If you can get to Rodiuj,
you can get to Lon Ion,”
“Oh. lean get to lb ding right enoughl
said William.
Then l told him what lie was to do. He was
to take a letter to one of the Nursing lusfcitu
tions, an l bring back two nurses with luiu.
No matter what the weather was when they
reached Roiling, they were t<> come to my
houss at once, oven if they ha 1 to hire twenty
hors s to drag them there. He was also to
get me a few drugs that 1 might want
William said no more. He nodded, to
show that he understood me; an 1 1 knew if
it were possible to do niv bidding it would
bo don \
Of his own accord he then brought me
fool. I ate, for I knew that I should want
ail my strength to support the mix.ety of the
next day or two.
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The poor cieature, to whose suit I crept
e iv rtf "halfhour—
j nigli s |.,,y H \ n , 1 whole night Oh, that aw
fnl ! shall lever forget it? The soli
lat j i —he raging snow storm outside—the
c*reature, to w hose side I crept noise
j , ss - v eV erv half an hour. She there
wit’k a face like marble, calm anil boautifuL
The Iong, dark lashes swept her pale cheek,
The only movement was the regular rise and
fall of Iho bosom. Oh, hftpp} obiii ion. O!.,
dreaded wakening 1 As I looked at her, in
spite of the love I bore her, 1 believe that, had
1 thought such a prayer would be answered,
1 should for her sake have prayed that those
lashes might never nga.u l»e lifted,
Morning at last broke on my dreary vigil,
Philippa slid slept. 1 returned to the sitting
room and drew baric ti e cut tains from the
window. Ye>; it was morning—such a
leaden, . skies ,. .
morning ns w m.ry can g vo.
It was still snowing as heavily if not more
in tei mission,
There wa* lutU) wind now; it had dropped,
1 knew, about an noiu ago- l 0 .".*! 1 * ’
far as 1 could see, was clad in wlu.o: but the
snow lay unevenly, Hie wm hat down it
into drifts. On my gurden jnth its < ep h
nughtbecountodb}Muo.ies;ag;tmstmygni
<1 n w;d by a ^
\\ illu.ni now made his appearance. H«
prepared some Li eakft.su. Du him-elt, and
then, ia\mg < «»ne ji.r. ue ° 1 • s m * 1
lloilmg. It occurred to me that he might
be the first to find the object which lay on
jpp :ewes
^viiabb*. Home one must make the dis
covery. However, <:s 1 wanted the nurses, I
said to him:
“Remember this is life and.death. Noth¬
ing must stop you.” He touched his hat in a
rca suring manner, and tramped off through
the snow.
1 returned to my patient’s bedside and sat
watching her, and writ ug tor her to a nuke.
.She 1 ad now slept for nearly eleven hours,
and I knew that return to life might take
place at any moment. I longed for. and yet
I dreaded, her a wakening. When the effects
of the opiate wop* gon , how should 1 find
held Alasl I knew that the chances were a
thousau. l to one that her brain would still
be full of sir. nge debiSi'.UR; that she would
turn from me, as she turned last night, with
loathing and anger. But my greatest tear
was that she would, upon coming to herself,
or rather to her poor meseli, 1 eoonscious
of U'?! act si t hatl acco; qilished. Itwo» tba
fear of this \\ Inch riads me w ish that tin
opium would hc;J her in its drowsy gras*
for hours longer.
This wish was gran'e t. Hour aft *r hour
I sat by her motionless form. Now and
again 1 glanced from the beautiful, sense¬
less face, an 1 looking out of the window
8aw the snow s'iil falling. Would my mes
B.*ngor ever be able to reach town: if he did
so, would lu be able to return? I was bound
to have a woman’* aid. The pirsseuce of fch
roughest da ighter of thi plow would hi
welcome to me when Pailippi a wok *. And
it was now tiin > sh i <lid m.
Although l felt icr pulse almost every
other minute, an l ooubl fin l no reason for
ai&nn, 1 am bound to «iy that her Ion;:
sleep, protracts! fir be yon l any 1 had in
myeXparienoi sj3ii pro lu nil by the exhibi¬
tion of narcotics, ren lore 1 m * very u:i easy.
I shall. 1 am sure, sen^rdy lx» civd to 1 when
I say that Foil ippa’s imeonsciomn *ss listel
for Iff hours—nni D.ib) at nig it to i.itO o.i
the following afternoon. 1 began th *n fc
think the «luratioi abn v rinah mil deter,
mined to take soma step3 I »wards arousing
h >r.
But I was spared th > r *s ion dbillfy, Fill#
stirred on the couch. Her turned languidly
on the pillow. Her delk eyes opened,
closed, on I opened again She looked ni
me in a daz> 1 mann t, not at fir^t soomin;