Show A PERILOUS WOOING at one time of my lily life I 1 was govern es cs in the family of I 1 sir fr william bior mordaunt my only pupil was his little daughter may lay and ami both sir william abd lady mordaunt moi daunt were the kindest and most generous ot of employers my pupil was a sweet docile child of about 7 years old at the time the event I 1 am about to relate took place then the inevitable lie he appeared upon tile the scene in the person of frank 1 dudley a young brother of lady mor for bearint frank was vas in the army ind and had liten in india for some time with his but was vas invalided Invalid ed home for six bis months before that six months was vas concluded frank had fallen desperately pera tely in love with the pretty gov cruess I 1 ant am a staid old married woman now dow so tills this is not conceit but when it came to the crucial point I 1 could not lot find it in my illy heart to say the little word that would make him 11 happy a appy for one reason though I 1 liked him and was pleased with lilt his attention I 1 was nt dot sure enough of my own heart to marry him and for another kind as sir william and lady mordaunt wore were I 1 lid did not feel by any means certain that the marriage of their young brother to a penniless governess would be alto gother gither to their mind and I 1 was too aroud aroud to enter any family where I 1 hould only be received on Buff suf france rance me je went up to london for a few weeks nod and thence to go to ireland with the regiment legi ment into which he had exchanged when frank had biad left of course after tile the fashion of my sex I 1 wished him bick again life seemed very flat without his sunny smile and kindly ivans ways hut but it was too late then so I 1 tried hard bard to persuade myself that it arvas vas nil all for the best and devoted myself with will exemplary assiduity to the interests of my pupil our next visitor was jasper mor daunt blaunt a brother of sir william mr jasper hall had been ill suffering from severe mental strain and nervous depression ile he was not happy in his married life and it was thought the complete rest and change in the bracing air and lovely scenery of our welsh home borne would lie be beneficial in restoring bam ti m to health sir william Willi arn and lady mordaunt went to town but the former only returned with his brother lady mordaunt having gone to brighton for a week or two with mrs jasper it was late in the evening when sir william and his brother arrived but I 1 own I 1 felt somewhat scared cared as I 1 c caught aught a passing glimpse of our new visitors sallow cadaverous face and wild dark ires eyes ills appearance the next morning did not tend to reassure me more especially as he be immediately singled me out cs as the object of his especial attention and kept fixing ills eyes upon me as I 1 rat bat at the head of the table dispensing I 1 the ten tea and coffee in a manner which was to say the least slightly embarrassing Fas ras sing ile he addressed nearly all his remarks to me and kept paying me such broad and unnecessary compliments that I 1 felt myself getting crimson partly with vexation and partly with amusement sir william looked on laughingly and at last said come conic come jasper this wont do it if you say so many pretty things to miss monroe I 1 shall have to send for susan busan mrs jasper to keep you lu in order aud arid by the way you have not told me how bow you slept last night I 1 hope you were comfortable 11 that set him off slept he be cried excitedly why I 1 never slept a wink all night dight not ilot one wink miss monroe 11 I 1 expressed my regret and sir william inquired the cause of mr jaspers insomnia well ill tell you all about it ile he tad ead but first of all do you believe la in the transmigration of souls certainly not replied sir willi william im with conviction it la Is an exploded superstition oh Is it thearl then answered mr jasper well I 1 can tell you it Is nothing of 0 the sort but a real certain fact and ill prove it to you and tell you why I 1 could not sleep last night some jeara ago I 1 knew a lawyer he lived next door to me and was reckoned a very respectable member of the profession now this his man was waa an awful aco scoundrel undrel and swindler used to get people to him with their money 0 TO o invest and then make away with it why I 1 knew three sisters for a nhom horn he cie was trustee and whom ile be completely ruined well at last this man failed for I 1 dont know how bow many thousands end numbers were involved in his ruin imong among others the three sisters I 1 have told you of then thea the man shot him I 1 I 1 1 self now that ann had not the soul of a man nt ill all ho he hall had the soul of it a rat ill it miserable sneaking vermin of a rat iud when lie he died his soul went into a rats body it was late one evening i lien I 1 saw a big black rat run through uy my room which was on oil tho the other side of the wall to this it was nn enormous rit quite black with long white wills tiers and very bright eyes and it ran squeaking arid and shrieking through my lily and then disappeared I 1 could not see whore where it went to the next morning I 1 heard the man mail had shot himself then I 1 knew it was vas the mans soul which had bad gone into the hotly body of tills black rat of course they had an ail inquest arid ami brought in the verlet let temporary insanity and they biad a bi big funeral and all ills his relations cain caiar I 1 they aey invited mo me and I 1 cut out of politeness you know but when they camo came to that hint bit of the service about the hie soul of our dear clear bri brother ibber resting lit in peace why I 1 could hae in their faces for I 1 knew it wits was not resting in peace at nil all but careering away somewhere in t alie lie body of that black rat nit sir william who hall had been looking ory iery grave during this tirade here broke boke into a smile and observed well old od fellow I 1 dare say you are not fur far out it would be the fittest punishment such a scoundrel as you describe but did you never see the rat again yes many times but the last time of all wits was here in this acry house tried ried jasper excitedly indeed said sir william why then you must have brought it with 3 ou oil no such thing retorted jasper scornfully A rat like that does not want vant to be brought anywhere but he continued 1 I am confident it Is also Ident identical loal with a little lark dark man who ho hsia bita taken the lawyers house and goes to business every day carrying a black allany bag I 1 watch him every day as li lie passes and I 1 always say goo good 1 I morning sir rat under tinder my breath you mark tny my words though and look out tor for that rat I 1 got lip and chased chase it all around the room and out into th passage and I 1 am confident it reared r cared in the drains you have not seen the last of it yet before jasper had been very ion long in n zhe the house it became evident that bli hi mental derangement was of a more serous character than had been imagined at times lie was quiet and luell lucid enough and then would suddenly break out into some incoherent rodomontade mon Lilon tade ills his inconvenient penchant for or me still continued and he would haunt the schoolroom with gifts of loners flowers arid and fruits or sweets ind and music or anything for which he be heard beard me express a liking one morning soon after breakfast I 1 wits was one the lawn with may snipping dead roses off the bushes and gathering a fresh supply for the tables here comes uncle jasper lets hide said may I 1 turned and beheld mr jasper advancing in his peculiar ambling fashion plight flight was limpl impossible I 1 sible so I 1 held mays hand and waited until lie he came cam up with us lie ile held an enormous full blown crimson in his hand anil and parne eagerly up to me all ali my princess I 1 have found you T have lave been looking every v hero fur for you tull to lo give you this pressing the gaudy blob blossoms into my ba hand n d dont you yog remember the old rhyme miss monroe the rose Is red the violets blue carnations sweet and so are you you you lie he cried you are my rose and my carnation and my morning alg star all rolled into one I 1 where this outburst of poetic eloquence would h ended I 1 know not for this simpson the butler came up to lo jasper mr jasper he said will you please tome come and speak to sir william in the study ile he wants to see you on business very particular now why do you come and talk to 10 no me about business when you see me conversing on with miss Mon monroe roo demanded jasker testily go away I 1 cannot attend to you or to business 11 naw w on my representing presenting re to mr jasper however that I 1 must attend to mine and like may to do her lessons he be consented to accompany simpson to the ille study baying as lie walked away well I 1 will go now but I 1 shall come again I 1 have something very ar to say to you about a nock after this sir william and lady mordaunt warned by the doctor that though mr jasper was not violent at present ne might at any time become so went up io 0 o town to see mrs jasper and arranged with her about having her husband under proper control even it if only for a short time simpson has hall had experience in mental cases and will take charge of jasper so you need not feel nervous said lady mordaunt to me as she went away I 1 resolved that I 1 would spend the day in n the schoolroom and give my eccentric lever a wide berth in the afternoon however may complained of a headache and I 1 sent her to her nurse to lie down clown then tempted by the beauty of the day I 1 took my book and wont went out nt ending to spend the afternoon on the djs I 1 walked through the crowley woods now dow lovely lu in their autumnal tints ants out on to the rabbit warren and over that to the cliffs I 1 made my illy way to one much higher and steeper than tte the rest known as the great tor and climbed to its summit a moss covered bit of tableland jutting out over th the 0 beach and commanding a grand view of the surrounding country it was a dau porous spot and one to which I 1 never ventured when I 1 had my restless little pupil with me I 1 established myself as close to the edge as I 1 dared venture and sat for some minutes lazily enjoying tile the quiet beauty of the scene before me la lay y cliffs buy bay with tile the silver shani of tile water shining through the arch n ch of the first cist tall cliff while on oil tho the other hand was point ShI sloping lug clown in it 11 grand richly wooded curve I 1 ip K the waters edge with tile the quaint I 1 11 I 1 atle square towered lowered church nestling I 1 at its foot and looking as though it row rosf out of the sea the waves 1 I 1 bpark sparkled led and rippled tippled lit in the bright blight sun still faine as they gently kissed the lung long dietch tre ti etch teli of golden sand lying between oxwich aind ant penoid for a few minutes I 1 gave myself up to the luxury of enjoying the beauty of tills fair scene to the dreamy influences of the surroundings nor thought of dang ind and peril so close nt at hall hand then I 1 opened ray my book and vt as soon absorb ld jd j in its contents for foi a little while I 1 read lead on oil undisturbed then a sudden shadow across lily book made tile me look up lip and thor with a wild glare in ills his eyes ces arid and a look of savage frenzy on ills his fico face stood mr jasper I 1 started to my feet with a cry of horror there was no mistaking the deadly light of insanity lit in ins ills eyes eves I 1 was on the edge of a dangerous cliff vt ith a madman my gem my lily princess my star lia r cd 1 I have found you ou at last they have been trying tiling to keep us ua apart all day but now we have found each other othar ard and will never part tiny more moie ills his gem princess and star though I 1 imagined I 1 must have resembled 1 t frightened thunder cloud more moie than any of the above sli similes niles turned on him indignantly and did the mo most st foolish tiling thing under the circumstances that I 1 could do I 1 forgot that I 1 wits was dealing aith a lunatic arid and spoke to linn him as ah lie he were v eie sane bane please go away at once mr jasper I 1 came here heie to be alone and do nut not wish for company oh now you are going to le cross cros just like my wife she is always scold ilg jle and nagging never gives me a 1 minutes peace but I 1 love my wife w ife I 1 do hadded reflectively as it if by way ot of thought 1 I love my wife do yoi believe me this under the circumstances ws it 1 satisfactory assertion on mr jaspers Ja part aart and I 1 hastened to assure him of illy perfect confidence in his hib conjugal tl fidelity adding but she boull not liot lik liar 10 see you behaving in this way ivay loose ny my hands please mr jasper and go abay a aay for answer I 1 be P drew me closer to him 1 could feel ills his hot hoi breath on my illy face bild my terror was increasing every moment 1 I love my wife reiterated mr jasper but I 1 love the morning star and you you von are the morning star come and lot let us jump over ill this precipice ice into the glorious space and we will circle around the moon together and be happy evermore ver more then to my horror mr jasper placed his arms around me and forcibly lifted me to my feet in another lit in stant slant we should have started on that aerial journey mr jasper wished to take to struggle in that viselike grasp was unavailing there was not n 0 t a bu human U ia 11 boing being within r reach each to come to my assistance si hi one more stop step and we should ti over the cliff and must inevitably be dashed to pieces on the rocks below I 1 no longer control my lily terror I 1 uttered itt ered one long iong piercing scream then a loud clear voice rang in ill my lily ear eai jasper jasper vi what hat are you about for heavens sake loose tills this oung lady do you ou want to kill both yo conr belf ind and her then hen I 1 felt myself w wrenched from the grasp of the he madman and almost flun to a safe distance on the griss frank I rank frank I 1 cried oi oil how thankful I 1 am you have come for frank dudley indeed it was though how he whom I 1 supposed to lie ile far away lit in ireland should suddenly appear in cower in in time to rescue mu me front a terrible fate I 1 lid did not trouble myself to inquire it was enough for me that he be was there and that I 1 was safe good heavens ejaculated frank 1 I was only just in time another second find you both would have been over the cliff lias he be hurt you no I 1 al am not lot hurt only terribly frightened and indeed I 1 was bling in every limb and struggling haid to repress an luellua inclination tion to go off jut into it u violent fit of hysterical crying prank flank biad barely time to place me on a low piece of rock an and 1 tile alion n turn 11 his is attention alli to jasper who now came caille forward forba d with very threatening gestures evidently bent on battling it out with the nan who had conic come between himself and ills his morning star fortunately bli bimpson also albo appeared at this june tuie otherwise strong ua as frank was wa lie he would have been no matell match for the madman mad mall simpson had but left his charge for a short time and on oil rals sing him after it fruitless search else elsewhere where hid had traced him to tile the warren between them they overpowered jasper and took him back to the house I 1 followed feeling still very shaky but resolved to hold up ul to tile the cut end when we reached the house of course couise I 1 col abbed lapsed and was glad to take shelter in my own room alere under the care or of one of the maids and with the aid of a glass of sir willams wiliams good port I 1 gradually recovered later in tile the evening I 1 was sitting lit in the small drawing draw ing room loom pale but quite recovered when frank dudley |