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The Priest's Secret.
killed them as they slept , and took the knife and turned to lift it to his own throat , and just as he felfrthe cold edge touch his his flesh , the strength that frenzy had given him suddenly left him , and he fell down and kneAV no more . "When he came to himself it Avas bright daylight .
" He had forgotten everything for the moment , all Avas vague and dim , and a great mist was before his eyes , and a great buzzing in his ears . "Gradually he became aAvare that there Avas a noise in the next room . He heard the sound of trampling feet and voices ,
anel presently a couple of men rushed into the room . " ' By they've murdered ' em / cried a man , and instantly a ci'OAvd of men were round the bodies . " No ! ' exclaimed another rough voice , ' they ' re not all dead —the woman and tbe child are , but the man's alive , they didn't finish him . '
" John felt himself gently raised up , and saAV a great ring of faces round him . He recognised somo of them—they were his camp mates .
" ' Don ' t tell him any thing about it yet , poor chap , said one man , kindly ; 'let ' s get him away . Here ; bring him to my place , and see Avhafc Ave can do for him . He'll know Avhat ' s happened soon enough , God help him !'
" They carried John ArkAvright gently aAvay , they attended to his Avound , which Avas only a slight one , and gradually their rough skill brought him back to the point afc which his life Avas sife . And then , before he could tell his story , they told him
theirs . During the night the gang of robbers had been in the camp—they had murdered a poor felloAv about a quarter of a mile away , and robbed the place , and then they had gone on and broken into John ' s place . " John stared iu astonishment ,
"Ah , you didn ' t see ' em , I suppose , ' said his informant ; ' they must have dono their Avork quietly , Avhile you AVUS asleep . They must have been frightened or disturbed before thoy finished you , old chap , bufc God help you , they ' ve killed your Avife and child .
" ' They broke into my place , said John , half in a dream . "Yes , the placo is upside doAvn . Thoy turned over everything to see if you'd got any money . We shot tAvo of the brutes dead this morning in the open , but the rest got clear away . "
"That AAMS all John heard , for he Avas faint and Aveak—the excitement had been too much for him , and he swooned away . AVhen gradually he recovered and his strength sloAvly returned ,
he hesitated to tell these wild , lawless men the truth . They mig ht not even believe him . Hc almost tried to persuade himself that ho had been the victim of a delusion . The circumstantial evidence was all in his favour . Thero was no doubt
these men had ransacked the outer room of his dwelling . "On ono of tho bodies of the men Avho had been pursued and shot had been found property taken from his home—it was of no value , but it AVUS knoAvn to be his—an implement of his trade Avith his name carved on the wooden handle .
"The men must have broken in and searched his placo , and have taken alarm at some sound before they had time to enter the second room aud seo tho tAvo bodies that lay there .
" 'The Avhole settlement belie \ ed that John Arkwrighfc's Avife and child had been brutally murdered by the robbers , and that John owed his escape to their having left him before they had completed their barbarous Avork .
"For months afterwards ho suffered the most terrible mental torture , but his fortunes undenvent a change . A stranger arrived in the settlement for a time—a man Avith a certain amount of capital—ho took a fancy to John and invited him to go Avith him to a big city . John Arkwright was glad to leavo a place haunted by such terrible memories , and accepted the offer .
" The tAvo men became partners in the cvfcy ; their enterprise succeeded , and they made a fortune Avith the rapidity common enough years ago in the United States . " Then they separated , and John speculated on his own account , and at last came back to England 0 ; t the age of 50 , a man of Avealth and position .
"it Avas in London that he met me and our friendship commenced , " said thc curate , after a pause . " He was my benefactor and protector , and you knoAV ho rest . He had me educated for the church since that Avas my aim , aud it Avas just before I took holy OI *( 1 CTS that he told mo under the circumstances 1 have naiTated to you , his ghastly seci * et . "
" Then lie met the lady who is now his second wile , and until this Aveek I have been the only living man Avho knew the story of his past . You have discovered it as his poor Avife has discovered it , listening to the ravings of a delirious man—and now—" The doctor looked up from the brow . i study in Avhich he had fallen .
The Priest's Secret.
" Pell me , he said , " How much does his Avife knoAY ? " AVhat do you mean ? " " She has heard his terrible confession , but she cannot know any details—unless you have told her . " " I have told her nothing . I only know she heard him denounce himself as a murderer . "
" lhen ? ' said the doctor , " my task is easier than I thought . " " Do you mean that—" "I mean that she really does not yet understand thoroughly Avhat her husband has said . She knoAvs that her husband
accuses himself of a terrible crime—a murder . You told me Avhen Ave came aAvay from his bedside enough to convince me that he was speaking the truth , bufc I have all along tried to pei * suade her that it Avas the delirium Avhich suggested the horrible charges he brings against himself . "
" But she agrees that Ave three must Avatch him between us—that no stranger must come near him . " "Naturally , no Avife Avould Avant strangers to go out of her house Avith such Avords as these ringing in her ears . They might believe them . " The curate rose from his seat and paced the room .
" Dr . Hanson , he said , "do you Avish me to be party to a further deception . Do you Avish me to lie to John ArkAvright ' s wife ?"
" No , I Avish you to say ** nothing more . I command you to say nothing . Mrs . ArkAvright's health is in my charge and I warn you tbat you are to do nothing and say nothing , which , ' at such a time of anxiety as this , might have terrible consequences . 13 o you understand ? " " I untArstand . "
" And you will obey . " " Yes—for the present , I will obey . " " Then good-bye . You go home and get soriie rest . I Avill slay iu tho house all night , and relievo Mrs . ArkAvright .
Reuiembei * , until I as the medical man in attendance here , responsible for tho lives of my patients—for the shock of her husband ' s crime lias been a severe ono to Mrs . ArkAvrightgive you leave to speak , you are to remain silent . Now , goodnight . "
They shook hands , and the Rev . John Wannop Avent oufc into tho night . Ho went home but he could not sleep . He sat till the daAvn
by the windoAV of his room looking out at the shadows , and crying oufc that he , a priest of God , Avas shielding the blood . guilty , aud Avhen the dtuvn came he flung himself doAvn ou liia knees aud prayed to Heaven for light and guidance .
Iho next morning after his duties Avore over , the curate Avent up to Studley Court . He met the doctor near the lodge gates . The doctor took him by thc arm . " Old friend , " he said ,
" you will have a sacred mission in that houso presently ; hoAV Avill you perform it ? " " What do you mean ? " said tho curate , uneasily . " I mean that this morning early there AVUS a great change in John ArkAvright . lie will not live till to-night . " " Is—he—is lie conscious . "
" Yes—and you can go to hnn , go to him and comfort him , and Avhen he is gone ifc will be your duty fco sjieak words of hope and comfort to the poor Avoman Avho loved him . You will have to decide ivliat those Avoi'ds shall be . Will you as a priest of
God raise her drooping heart and give her a message of hope ; or Avill you , as a priest of God , tell her that the dead man she loved Avas what the Avorld Avould call a murderer ! That is what you havo to decide . Good-bye till Ave meet again . "
John Wannop Avent sadly through the gates of Studley Court anel up to the great house . The dying man ' s Avife took him gently by the hand , and led him to the bedside of her husband . Then she left them alone . John Arkwright knew that ho Avas dying . The delirium Avas over IIOAV , and he could speak calmly of the end .
Ho put out his Aveak hand and dreAv the priest gently toAvards him . " John , " ho said , " I am going far beyond the punishment or the forgiveness of man . Will you leave ifc to God to punish or forgive me ? Will yon promise me that my secret shall die Avith
mo , that the Avoman AVIIO has given mo her IoA e shall never know from you when I am gone what I Avas ? The young clergyman bent his head . " Why do you ask me that ? " he said .
" Because , John , the doctor has told me that I have been Avandering and talking , that I have said strange things , and that my Avife has heard them . He has told her that they Avere nothing , that they arc the terrible Avords Avhich come some-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Priest's Secret.
killed them as they slept , and took the knife and turned to lift it to his own throat , and just as he felfrthe cold edge touch his his flesh , the strength that frenzy had given him suddenly left him , and he fell down and kneAV no more . "When he came to himself it Avas bright daylight .
" He had forgotten everything for the moment , all Avas vague and dim , and a great mist was before his eyes , and a great buzzing in his ears . "Gradually he became aAvare that there Avas a noise in the next room . He heard the sound of trampling feet and voices ,
anel presently a couple of men rushed into the room . " ' By they've murdered ' em / cried a man , and instantly a ci'OAvd of men were round the bodies . " No ! ' exclaimed another rough voice , ' they ' re not all dead —the woman and tbe child are , but the man's alive , they didn't finish him . '
" John felt himself gently raised up , and saAV a great ring of faces round him . He recognised somo of them—they were his camp mates .
" ' Don ' t tell him any thing about it yet , poor chap , said one man , kindly ; 'let ' s get him away . Here ; bring him to my place , and see Avhafc Ave can do for him . He'll know Avhat ' s happened soon enough , God help him !'
" They carried John ArkAvright gently aAvay , they attended to his Avound , which Avas only a slight one , and gradually their rough skill brought him back to the point afc which his life Avas sife . And then , before he could tell his story , they told him
theirs . During the night the gang of robbers had been in the camp—they had murdered a poor felloAv about a quarter of a mile away , and robbed the place , and then they had gone on and broken into John ' s place . " John stared iu astonishment ,
"Ah , you didn ' t see ' em , I suppose , ' said his informant ; ' they must have dono their Avork quietly , Avhile you AVUS asleep . They must have been frightened or disturbed before thoy finished you , old chap , bufc God help you , they ' ve killed your Avife and child .
" ' They broke into my place , said John , half in a dream . "Yes , the placo is upside doAvn . Thoy turned over everything to see if you'd got any money . We shot tAvo of the brutes dead this morning in the open , but the rest got clear away . "
"That AAMS all John heard , for he Avas faint and Aveak—the excitement had been too much for him , and he swooned away . AVhen gradually he recovered and his strength sloAvly returned ,
he hesitated to tell these wild , lawless men the truth . They mig ht not even believe him . Hc almost tried to persuade himself that ho had been the victim of a delusion . The circumstantial evidence was all in his favour . Thero was no doubt
these men had ransacked the outer room of his dwelling . "On ono of tho bodies of the men Avho had been pursued and shot had been found property taken from his home—it was of no value , but it AVUS knoAvn to be his—an implement of his trade Avith his name carved on the wooden handle .
"The men must have broken in and searched his placo , and have taken alarm at some sound before they had time to enter the second room aud seo tho tAvo bodies that lay there .
" 'The Avhole settlement belie \ ed that John Arkwrighfc's Avife and child had been brutally murdered by the robbers , and that John owed his escape to their having left him before they had completed their barbarous Avork .
"For months afterwards ho suffered the most terrible mental torture , but his fortunes undenvent a change . A stranger arrived in the settlement for a time—a man Avith a certain amount of capital—ho took a fancy to John and invited him to go Avith him to a big city . John Arkwright was glad to leavo a place haunted by such terrible memories , and accepted the offer .
" The tAvo men became partners in the cvfcy ; their enterprise succeeded , and they made a fortune Avith the rapidity common enough years ago in the United States . " Then they separated , and John speculated on his own account , and at last came back to England 0 ; t the age of 50 , a man of Avealth and position .
"it Avas in London that he met me and our friendship commenced , " said thc curate , after a pause . " He was my benefactor and protector , and you knoAV ho rest . He had me educated for the church since that Avas my aim , aud it Avas just before I took holy OI *( 1 CTS that he told mo under the circumstances 1 have naiTated to you , his ghastly seci * et . "
" Then lie met the lady who is now his second wile , and until this Aveek I have been the only living man Avho knew the story of his past . You have discovered it as his poor Avife has discovered it , listening to the ravings of a delirious man—and now—" The doctor looked up from the brow . i study in Avhich he had fallen .
The Priest's Secret.
" Pell me , he said , " How much does his Avife knoAY ? " AVhat do you mean ? " " She has heard his terrible confession , but she cannot know any details—unless you have told her . " " I have told her nothing . I only know she heard him denounce himself as a murderer . "
" lhen ? ' said the doctor , " my task is easier than I thought . " " Do you mean that—" "I mean that she really does not yet understand thoroughly Avhat her husband has said . She knoAvs that her husband
accuses himself of a terrible crime—a murder . You told me Avhen Ave came aAvay from his bedside enough to convince me that he was speaking the truth , bufc I have all along tried to pei * suade her that it Avas the delirium Avhich suggested the horrible charges he brings against himself . "
" But she agrees that Ave three must Avatch him between us—that no stranger must come near him . " "Naturally , no Avife Avould Avant strangers to go out of her house Avith such Avords as these ringing in her ears . They might believe them . " The curate rose from his seat and paced the room .
" Dr . Hanson , he said , "do you Avish me to be party to a further deception . Do you Avish me to lie to John ArkAvright ' s wife ?"
" No , I Avish you to say ** nothing more . I command you to say nothing . Mrs . ArkAvright's health is in my charge and I warn you tbat you are to do nothing and say nothing , which , ' at such a time of anxiety as this , might have terrible consequences . 13 o you understand ? " " I untArstand . "
" And you will obey . " " Yes—for the present , I will obey . " " Then good-bye . You go home and get soriie rest . I Avill slay iu tho house all night , and relievo Mrs . ArkAvright .
Reuiembei * , until I as the medical man in attendance here , responsible for tho lives of my patients—for the shock of her husband ' s crime lias been a severe ono to Mrs . ArkAvrightgive you leave to speak , you are to remain silent . Now , goodnight . "
They shook hands , and the Rev . John Wannop Avent oufc into tho night . Ho went home but he could not sleep . He sat till the daAvn
by the windoAV of his room looking out at the shadows , and crying oufc that he , a priest of God , Avas shielding the blood . guilty , aud Avhen the dtuvn came he flung himself doAvn ou liia knees aud prayed to Heaven for light and guidance .
Iho next morning after his duties Avore over , the curate Avent up to Studley Court . He met the doctor near the lodge gates . The doctor took him by thc arm . " Old friend , " he said ,
" you will have a sacred mission in that houso presently ; hoAV Avill you perform it ? " " What do you mean ? " said tho curate , uneasily . " I mean that this morning early there AVUS a great change in John ArkAvright . lie will not live till to-night . " " Is—he—is lie conscious . "
" Yes—and you can go to hnn , go to him and comfort him , and Avhen he is gone ifc will be your duty fco sjieak words of hope and comfort to the poor Avoman Avho loved him . You will have to decide ivliat those Avoi'ds shall be . Will you as a priest of
God raise her drooping heart and give her a message of hope ; or Avill you , as a priest of God , tell her that the dead man she loved Avas what the Avorld Avould call a murderer ! That is what you havo to decide . Good-bye till Ave meet again . "
John Wannop Avent sadly through the gates of Studley Court anel up to the great house . The dying man ' s Avife took him gently by the hand , and led him to the bedside of her husband . Then she left them alone . John Arkwright knew that ho Avas dying . The delirium Avas over IIOAV , and he could speak calmly of the end .
Ho put out his Aveak hand and dreAv the priest gently toAvards him . " John , " ho said , " I am going far beyond the punishment or the forgiveness of man . Will you leave ifc to God to punish or forgive me ? Will yon promise me that my secret shall die Avith
mo , that the Avoman AVIIO has given mo her IoA e shall never know from you when I am gone what I Avas ? The young clergyman bent his head . " Why do you ask me that ? " he said .
" Because , John , the doctor has told me that I have been Avandering and talking , that I have said strange things , and that my Avife has heard them . He has told her that they Avere nothing , that they arc the terrible Avords Avhich come some-