CHAPTER XXXIII.
IN THE TOILS.
Captain Frazier had seen all that had transpired.
He was just about to spring into the apartment and tear the paper fromJessie Bain's hands, when he saw her fall lifeless by the couch. Quicklyhe flung the _portieres_ aside and sprang into the apartment. It was butthe work of a moment to secure the document, and to thrust it in hisvest-pocket. Then, without an instant's loss of time, he caught up theinsensible form of Jessie, throwing a dark, heavy shawl about her, heshot hurriedly out of the room and down the corridor, making for thedrawing-room, whose long French windows opened on the porch. He hadscarcely crossed the threshold ere he heard the sound of hurryingfootsteps.
"Ha! they heard the sound of her fall," he muttered, dashing open thewindow and springing through it with his burden, landing knee-deep inthe white, soft snow-drift.
It took but a moment more to gain the road, and then he well knew thedark, waving pines would screen him from the sight of any one who mightattempt to pursue him. As he stopped to take breath for a moment, heglanced back at the mansion, and saw lights moving to and fro in theupper windows.
Dashing breathlessly onward, he threaded his way up one deserted streetand down another, dodging into hall-ways if he saw a lone pedestrianquite a distance off, approaching, remaining there until their footstepshad passed and died away. To add to his annoyance Jessie began to showsigns of returning consciousness.
"This will never do at this crisis of affairs," he cried to himself.
He had come well equipped for the emergency, and drawing a small vialfrom an inner pocket, he dashed half of its contents over the shawlwhich enveloped the girl's head. Its pungent odors soon quieted Jessie'sstruggles.
Hailing a passing coupe, he soon deposited his burden therein, jumpingin himself after giving instructions to the driver to make all possiblehaste. They were jostled along the road with lightning-like rapidity,and half an hour afterward had made the distance, and the cab drew up inthe loneliest part of the wharf.
"Here we are, sir," the driver said, springing down from his box andopening the door.
The gentleman within did not respond.
"What is the matter with the man?" he muttered, striking a match andthrusting it into the strange customer's face. He drew back with a greatcry. The man's face was as white as death, and at that instant hebecame aware of the strong odor of chloroform, which filled the vehicleto suffocation.
"Here's a pretty go," muttered the cabman, "and in my coach too.
"The best thing to do would be to dash a cup of water over him andrestore him to consciousness."
The cabman hurried to a watering-trough a few feet distant. Snatching upone of the tin cups which was fastened to it by a chain, he soonwrenched it free. But before he had advanced a single step with itscontents, a great cry of horror broke from his lips; the horses dashedsuddenly forward and were galloping madly down the same street whichthey had so lately traversed.
He reported his loss to the nearest station, not daring to mention theserious condition of the occupants of the cab. But up to noon thefollowing day not even a trace of the vehicle could be discovered.
Old Mrs. Varrick was fairly paralyzed over the disappearance of littleJessie, whom she had learned to love as a daughter. She would notbelieve that she had left the house of her own accord--wandered awayfrom it.
"There has been foul play here," she cried.
And immediately old Stephen, the servant, said to himself:
"It all comes from the stranger who was loitering about the place abouta week ago;" and he made up his mind to do a little detective work onhis own account. "If he is in the city, I will find him," he muttered."I will tramp night and day up and down the streets until I meet him.Then I will openly accuse him of abducting poor pretty Miss Jessie."
He went to his old mistress and asked for leave of absence for a fewdays. Mrs. Varrick shook her head mournfully.
"I should not think you would want to leave me, when you see me in allthis trouble, Stephen," she said. "You should stand by me, though everyone else fails me. Only this morning the butler gave notice that heintended to leave here on the morrow, and he, like yourself, has beenwith me for years."
"I am not surprised to hear that, ma'am," returned Stephen, laconically,"for ever since that fatal night in the library the butler has had avery horror of the place. He's as tender-hearted as a little child,ma'am, the butler is. Why, he takes Master Hubert's trials to heartterribly. He walks the floor night and day, muttering excitedly: 'Heavensave poor Master Hubert!'"
Although every precaution was taken to keep the news of Jessie'sdisappearance from Hubert Varrick, the knowledge soon reached him.
"My God! did I not have enough to bear before," he murmured, "that thisnew weight of woe has fallen upon me?"
In his sorrow he was thankful that at least one person besides hismother seemed to believe so utterly in his innocence--and that was thebutler. He came to see him daily and wept over him, muttering strangelyincoherent words, declaring over and over again that he must be proveninnocent, though the heavens fell.
"As near as I can see, it will end in a prison cell for life or thegallows," said Hubert, gulping down a sob.
"But they mustn't hang--you shan't hang!" cried the butler, excitedly."I will--"
The sentence was never finished. He sat back, trembling in every limb,in his seat, his face ashy white, his features working convulsively.
At last the butler came no more to see him, and Hubert heard that he,too, had suddenly disappeared.
The day of the trial dawned clear and bright, without one cloud in theblue azure sky to mar the perfect day. It was a morn dark enough in thehistory of Hubert Varrick, as he paced up and down the narrow limits ofhis lonely cell, looking through the grating on the gay, bright worldoutside.
It did not matter much to him if he left it, he told himself. Suddenlythere was the sound of a key turning in the lock, and glancing up,Varrick beheld the old butler standing before him.
He greeted the old servant with a wistful smile, and for a momentneither could speak, so great was their emotion.
"I have been a long way off, Master Hubert," he said, huskily; "but Icouldn't stay away when I thought how near it was to--to the time."
"Thank you for your devotion," said Hubert, gratefully. "I am glad youcame to see me; and, whatever betides," he continued, huskily, "I hopeyou will think none the worse of me. Believe that I am innocent; and,dear friend, if the time should ever come when you could clear mystained name from the awful cloud which darkens it, I pray you promiseme that you will do it. I can never rest in my grave until this horriblemystery has been cleared." The old butler trembled like a leaf. "I shallhaunt the scene of that terrible tragedy, and--"
A great shriek burst from the butler's white lips, and he fell to thefloor in a terrible spasm.
The attendant pacing back and forth in the corridor without, hastilyremoved him. They spoke of it with pity, how devoted he was to his youngmaster.
At noon the case was called, and the greatest of excitement prevailedfrom one end of the city to the other, for there were few men as popularthere as Hubert Varrick. The spacious room was crowded to overflowing.There was a great flutter of excitement when the handsome prisoner wasled into the court-room. Those who had known him from childhood weretouched with the deepest pity for him. They could not believe himguilty.
In that hour quite as exciting an event was taking place in another partof the great city.
To explain it we must go back to the thrilling runaway that took place afew days before, when Jessie Bain, powerless to aid herself lay backamong the cushions of the coach, all unconscious that the mad horseswere whirling her on to death and destruction. They careened wildlyaround first one corner and then another, making straight for the river.
At one of the crossings a man stood, his head bent on his breast, andhis eyes looking wistfully toward the dark water beyond.
"If I had the cour
age," he muttered, "I would drown myself. I can notrest night or day with this load on my mind. It almost seems to me thatI am going mad! How terrible to me is the thought that I--whom all theworld has always regarded as an honest man--am an unconfessed murderer!"
The very air seemed to repeat his words--"a murderer!"--and the oldbutler--for it was he--shuddered, as he muttered half aloud:
"I never meant to do it, God knows!"
Suddenly the sound of wheels smote his startled ear.
"A runaway!" he cried.
Without an instant's hesitation he threw himself forward. What matteredit if he lost his life in the attempt? He would save the occupants ofthe carriage, or give his wretched life in the attempt.
Nearer, nearer came the galloping horses, and just as he was about tothrow himself forward to seize them by the bits, they collided with thestreet lamp. In an instant of time the vehicle was smashed into athousand pieces.
One of the occupants, a woman, was hurled headlong to the pavement; hercompanion, half in and half out of the coach, was caught in the jam ofthe door, while his coat was fairly torn from his body, the papers thathad been in his breast packet strewing the street. The butler sprangforward to seize the man and save him, but fate willed it otherwise.
He was too late. And as he stood there paralyzed with horror, the teamplunged from the dock down, down into the dark waves. In an instant onlya few white bubbles remained to mark the spot where horses, vehicle, andthe unfortunate man had gone down.
The butler, who had witnessed all the terrible catastrophe, turned hisimmediate attention to the poor creature whom he believed must be dead,she lay so white and still, face downward, in the snow-drift.
"Great God! It is Jessie Bain!"
He gathered her up quickly in his arms, together with a few papers thatlay under his feet, and carried her to his own lodgings, which were buta few yards distant. He meant to convey her, as soon as it was fairlylight, back to the Varrick Mansion.
In the meantime, he would do his best toward restoring her. Afterpouring a glass of brandy down her throat, he sought to bring backwarmth to the ice-cold hands by rubbing them vigorously; but it seemedall useless, useless. Wrapping her in warm blankets, he drew the settleupon which he had placed her, closer to the coal fire and waited to seeif the warmth would not soon revive her.
Then his eyes fell upon the papers he had picked up. One of them layslightly open, and by chance his eyes lighted upon the contents. Whatwas there about it that caught and held his gaze spell-bound? The secondand third he scanned. Then, clutching it closely, his hands tremblinglike aspen leaves, he read on and on until the last word was reached.
"Great God!" he muttered, half dazed and crazed, "it is the confessionof Hubert Varrick's wife that he did not do the deed of which sheaccused him. No one must ever see this!" he cried. "I will burn thisconfession, and no one will ever know of it."
Cautiously he made his way to the glowing fire. What was that strange,sharp, rustling sound? He glanced fearfully over his shoulder. JessieBain was sitting upon the settle, gazing at him with terror-distendedeyes. For an instant the girl was bewildered at her strangesurroundings, then she recognized the butler who had left the Varrickmansion a few days before. What was she doing here in his presence?
The last thing she remembered was standing over unconscious Gerelda, andguiding her hand to write the words that would save Hubert Varrick'slife. As she looked she saw that same confession in the butler's hands.What was he doing with it? Great Gad! how came he by it? As she gazedshe saw him carefully approach the grate, and hold the paper over theflames.
With one bound Jessie Bain had reached his side and torn it from hisgrasp, just as the flames had caught at it.
"What would you do?" she screamed.
He looked at her with cunning eyes.
"How came you by this?" he cried, in an awful voice, as he struggledwith her desperately to gain the paper.
No word answered him.
"You shall not have it!" he cried, wrenching it from her by main force."You shall not show this up to the world until it is too late to affectHubert Varrick."
A cry of agony burst from Jessie's death-white lips. She saw, in herterror, that the old butler had lost his reason, and yet withal he wasso cunning.
She pleaded with him on her knees, but it was useless. He muttered overand over again that she should not have the paper, that he would keepher there a prisoner until all was over.
Despite her entreaties, to her great horror the man kept his word, andJessie found herself a prisoner in the isolated place. She was too weakto make any effort to escape; there was none to hear her faint cries.
It must be said for the man that he tended her as faithfully as a womanmight have done; but he was deaf to her pitiful and desperate appeal. Hetaunted her from day to day with the knowledge that it wanted but oneday more to Hubert Varrick's trial. At last the terrible time dawned. Itseemed to Jessie that she would go mad with the horror of it.
She tried with all her weak strength to break the firm old locks thatheld her a prisoner there, but it was useless, useless. The sun slowlyclimbed the heavens, and she knew, oh God! she knew what was to happento Hubert Varrick within those hours.
She sunk on her knees, crying out that if she could not aid the man sheloved, that the same sun would set upon her lifeless form--she wouldkill herself.
Hardly had this resolve become a fixed purpose with her, ere she becameconscious of a loud knock at the door.
"I-- I am a prisoner here!" she cried. "I beg you, whoever you are,break the lock of the door!"
This was hastily complied with, and she saw standing before her twoofficers of the law.
"Oh, sir!" she gasped, "take me to Hubert Varrick at once, or it will betoo late to save him!"
"We are here for that very purpose," answered one of them. "We know all.The late butler of the Varrick mansion has just breathed his last, andconfessed all--that it was he who committed the murder, and just how ithappened, begging us to come after you, and to liberate you at once, andtell you that Hubert Varrick is now free. A carriage is in waiting. Comeat once. Mrs. Varrick awaits you there," he adding, noting how stunnedthe girl looked, as though she could hardly believe what she heard.
There was one thing that Jessie never quite fully understood: how shereached the lonely cottage of the old butler. She believed his mind musthave been wandering when he gave such a singular account of a runaway,and a gentleman being with her in the coupe. She firmly insisted thatthe butler must have chloroformed her, abducted her, and brought her tothat place, in the hope that she would then be powerless to aid HubertVarrick.
Who could describe the meeting between Hubert and Jessie and Mrs.Varrick which occurred an hour later at the Varrick mansion.
Hubert would have taken the girl he loved so madly, in his arms on sightand covered her face with kisses, but she held him off at arm's-length,though she longed to rest in his strong arms and weep on the broad bosomthat she knew beat for her alone.
"No, you must not touch me, Hubert," she whispered. "It would not seemright so--so soon after--after poor Gerelda's untimely death."
"Forgive me--pardon me, Jessie," he answered, brokenly. "For the momentI had--_forgotten_, my love for you was so great!"
Here Mrs. Varrick quickly interposed:
"Jessie is quite right, my boy," she said. "You must not mention oneword of love to her for many a day yet. Perhaps your troubles will beover before many months."
"If you both think that, it will not do for me to remain beneath thisroof where Jessie is," he declared, huskily. "I am only human, you know,and we both love each other so!"
Thus it was that it was arranged that it was best for Hubert to go away,travel abroad, and return a year from that day to claim Jessie. But itwas with many misgivings that Hubert tore himself away.
"If anything comes of this enforced separation, always remember that Ipleaded hard against it, but in the end yielded to your wishes." On themorrow Hubert Varri
ck left Boston.
During the months that followed Jessie lived quietly at the Varrickmansion with Hubert's mother.
The year of probation had not yet waned, when, one lovely April morning,while Jessie was walking through the grounds that surrounded themansion, she espied a bearded stranger standing at the gate, leaning onit with folded arms, evidently lost in admiration of the earlyblossoming buds and half-blown roses.
"Permit me to gather you some of the roses you seem to be admiring somuch, sir," she said, courteously.
"Pardon me, would you permit me to enter and gather for myself the one Icare for most?"
The request was an odd one, but she granted it with a smile.
He swung open the heavy gate, and in an instant was by her side, foldingher in his arms, and kissing her with all his soul on his lips.
"Am I changed so that Love can not recognise me?" he cried.
"Hubert--oh, Hubert! is it _you_--_really you_?" sobbed Jessie, laughingand crying all in a breath.
And there Mrs. Varrick found them an hour later, planning for themarriage, which Hubert declared should be solemnized before the sun set.This time he had his own way, and when the stars came out, they shone onsweet little Jessie Bain, a bride; and surely the sweetest and mostadorable one that ever a young husband worshiped.
And there we will leave them, dear reader, for when a girl marries, allthe ills of life should be left behind her, and she should dwell insunshine and love ever after.
Those who knew her as pretty, saucy, sweet Jessie Bain never forgot her.And may I hope that this will be the case with you, my dear reader?
* * * * *
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