Collins_Woman_in_White.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']
performed the errand entrusted to me, and drew out the necessary
report, on the fourth day from our arrival in . fifth
day arranged to devote to sight-seeing and amusements in 's
company.
hotel had been too full to accommodate us both on the same
floor. room was on the second story, and 's was above me,
on the third. the morning of the fifth day went upstairs to
see if the was ready to go out. before reached
the landing saw his door opened from the inside--a long,
delicate, nervous hand (not my friend's hand certainly) held it
ajar. the same time heard 's voice saying eagerly, in
low tones, and in his own language--" remember the name, but
don't know the man. saw at the he was so changed that
could not recognise him. will forward the report-- can do no
more." " more need be done," answered the second voice.
door opened wide, and the light-haired man with the scar on his
cheek--the man had seen following 's cab a week
before--came out. bowed as drew aside to let him pass--his
face was fearfully pale--and he held fast by the banisters as he
descended the stairs.
pushed open the door and entered 's room. was crouched
up, in the strangest manner, in a corner of the sofa. seemed
to shrink from me when approached him.
" disturbing you?" asked. " did not know you had a friend
with you till saw him come out."
" friend," said eagerly. " see him to-day for the first
time and the last."
" am afraid he has brought you bad news?"
" news, ! us go back to -- don't want to
stop here-- am sorry ever came. misfortunes of my youth
are very hard upon me," he said, turning his face to the wall,
"very hard upon me in my later time. try to forget them--and
they will not forget !"
" can't return, am afraid, before the afternoon," replied.
" you like to come out with me in the meantime?"
", my friend, will wait here. let us go back to-day--pray
let us go back."
left him with the assurance that he should leave that
afternoon. had arranged the evening before to ascend the
of , with 's noble romance for our
guide. was nothing in the capital that was more
anxious to see, and departed by myself for the church.
by the river-side, passed on my way the
terrible dead-house of --the . great crowd clamoured
and heaved round the door. was evidently something inside
which excited the popular curiosity, and fed the popular appetite
for horror.
should have walked on to the church if the conversation of two
men and a woman on the outskirts of the crowd had not caught my
ear. had just come out from seeing the sight in the ,
and the account they were giving of the dead body to their
neighbours described it as the corpse of a man--a man of immense
size, with a strange mark on his left arm.
moment those words reached me stopped and took my place with
the crowd going in. dim foreshadowing of the truth had
crossed my mind when heard 's voice through the open door,
and when saw the stranger's face as he passed me on the stairs
of the hotel. the truth itself was revealed to me--revealed
in the chance words that had just reached my ears.
vengeance than mine had followed that fated man from the theatre
to his own door--from his own door to his refuge in .
vengeance than mine had called him to the day of reckoning, and
had exacted from him the penalty of his life. moment when
had pointed him out to at the theatre in the hearing of that
stranger by our side, who was looking for him too--was the moment
that sealed his doom. remembered the struggle in my own heart,
when he and stood face to face--the struggle before could let
him escape me--and shuddered as recalled it.
, inch by inch, pressed in with the crowd, moving nearer
and nearer to the great glass screen that parts the dead from the
living at the --nearer and nearer, till was close behind
the front row of spectators, and could look in.
he lay, unowned, unknown, exposed to the flippant curiosity
of a mob! was the dreadful end of that long life of
degraded ability and heartless crime! in the sublime repose
of death, the broad, firm, massive face and head fronted us so
grandly that the chattering about me lifted their
hands in admiration, and cried in shrill chorus, ", what a
handsome man!" wound that had killed him had been struck with
a knife or dagger exactly over his heart. other traces of
violence appeared about the body except on the left arm, and
there, exactly in the place where had seen the brand on 's
arm, were two deep cuts in the shape of the letter , which
entirely obliterated the mark of the . clothes,
hung above him, showed that he had been himself conscious of his
danger--they were clothes that had disguised him as a
artisan. a few moments, but not for longer, forced myself
to see these things through the glass screen. can write of them
at no greater length, for saw no more.
few facts in connection with his death which subsequently
ascertained (partly from and partly from other sources), may
be stated here before the subject is dismissed from these pages.
body was taken out of the in the disguise which have
described, nothing being found on him which revealed his name, his
rank, or his place of abode. hand that struck him was never
traced, and the circumstances under which he was killed were never
discovered. leave others to draw their own conclusions in
reference to the secret of the assassination as have drawn mine.
have intimated that the foreigner with the scar was a
member of the (admitted in after 's
departure from his native country), and when have further added
that the two cuts, in the form of a , on the left arm of the dead
man, signified the word "," and showed that
justice had been done by the on a traitor, have
contributed all that know towards elucidating the mystery of
's death.
body was identified the day after had seen it by means of an
anonymous letter addressed to his wife. was buried by
in the cemetery of la . funeral wreaths
continue to this day to be hung on the ornamental bronze railings
round the tomb by the 's own hand. lives in the
strictest retirement at . long since she published
a biography of her deceased husband. work throws no light
whatever on the name that was really his own or on the secret
history of his life--it is almost entirely devoted to the praise
of his domestic virtues, the assertion of his rare abilities, and
the enumeration of the honours conferred on him.
circumstances attending his death are very briefly noticed, and
are summed up on the last page in this sentence--" life was one
long assertion of the rights of the aristocracy and the sacred
principles of , and he died a martyr to his cause."
summer and autumn passed after my return from , and
brought no changes with them which need be noticed here. lived
so simply and quietly that the income which was now steadily
earning sufficed for all our wants.
the of the new year our first child was born--a son.
mother and sister and . were our guests at the little
christening party, and . was present to assist my wife
on the same occasion. was our boy's godmother, and
and . (the latter acting by proxy) were his godfathers.
may add here that when . returned to us a year later
he assisted the design of these pages, at my request, by writing
the which appears early in the story under his name, and
which, though first in order of precedence, was thus, in order of
time, the last that received.
only event in our lives which now remains to be recorded,
occurred when our little was six months old.
that time was sent to to make sketches for certain
forthcoming illustrations in the newspaper to which was
attached. was away for nearly a fortnight, corresponding
regularly with my wife and , except during the last three
days of my absence, when my movements were too uncertain to enable
me to receive letters. performed the latter part of my journey
back at night, and when reached home in the morning, to my utter
astonishment there was no one to receive me. and and
the child had left the house on the day before my return.
note from my wife, which was given to me by the servant, only
increased my surprise, by informing me that they had gone to
. had prohibited any attempt at written
explanations-- was entreated to follow them the moment came
back--complete enlightenment awaited me on my arrival in
--and was forbidden to feel the slightest anxiety in
the meantime. the note ended. was still early enough to
catch the morning train. reached the same
afternoon.
wife and were both upstairs. had established
themselves (by way of completing my amazement) in the little room
which had been once assigned to me for a studio, when was
employed on . 's drawings. the very chair which
used to occupy when was at work was sitting now, with the
child industriously sucking his coral upon her lap--while
was standing by the well-remembered drawing-table which had so
often used, with the little album that had filled for her in
past times open under her hand.
" in the name of heaven has brought you here?" asked. "
. know----?"
suspended the question on my lips by telling me that .
was dead. had been struck by paralysis, and had never
rallied after the shock. . had informed them of his
death, and had advised them to proceed immediately to
.
dim perception of a great change dawned on my mind.
spoke before had quite realised it. stole close to me to
enjoy the surprise which was still expressed in my face.
" darling ," she said, "must we really account for our
boldness in coming here? am afraid, love, can only explain it
by breaking through our rule, and referring to the past."
" is not the least necessity for doing anything of the kind,"
said . " can be just as explicit, and much more
interesting, by referring to the future." rose and held up the
child kicking and crowing in her arms. " you know who this is,
?" she asked, with bright tears of happiness gathering in
her eyes.
" bewilderment has its limits," replied. " think can
still answer for knowing my own child."
"!" she exclaimed, with all her easy gaiety of old times.
" you talk in that familiar manner of one of the landed gentry
of ? you aware, when present this illustrious baby to
your notice, in whose presence you stand? not! me
make two eminent personages known to one another: .
-- ."
she spoke. writing those last words, have written all.
pen falters in my hand. long, happy labour of many months
is over. was the good angel of our lives--let end
our .