THE DREAM AND THE AWAKENING.
But Clara was not destined to happiness. From the moment she had
promised herself to her first love's friend, old memories began to
rise up and reproach her. Strange thoughts stirred in the depths of
her soul, and in the silent watches of the night she seemed to hear
Everard's accents, charged with grief and upbraiding. Her uneasiness
increased as her wedding-day drew near. One night, after a pleasant
afternoon spent in being rowed by Tom among the upper reaches of the
Thames, she retired to rest full of vague forebodings. And she dreamt
a terrible dream. The dripping form of Everard stood by her bedside,
staring at her with ghastly eyes. Had he been drowned on the passage
to his land of exile? Frozen with horror, she put the question.
"I have never left England!" the vision answered.
Her tongue clove to the roof of her mouth.
"Never left England?" she repeated, in tones which did not seem to be
hers.
The wraith's stony eyes stared on, but there was silence.
"Where have you been then?" she asked in her dream.
"Very near you," came the answer.
"There has been foul play then!" she shrieked.
The phantom shook its head in doleful assent.
"I knew it!" she shrieked. "Tom Peters--Tom Peters has done away with
you. Is it not he? Speak!"
"Yes, it is he--Tom Peters--whom I loved more than all the world."
Even in the terrible oppression of the dream she could not resist
saying, woman-like:
"Did I not warn you against him?"
The phantom stared on silently and made no reply.
"But what was his motive?" she asked at length.
"Love of gold--and you. And you are giving yourself to him," it said
sternly.
"No, no, Everard! I will not! I will not! I swear it! Forgive me!"
The spirit shook its head sceptically.
"You love him. Women are false--as false as men."
She strove to protest again, but her tongue refused its office.
"If you marry him, I shall always be with you! Beware!"
[Illustration: "IDENTIFIED THE BODY."]
The dripping figure vanished as suddenly as it came, and Clara awoke
in a cold perspiration. Oh, it was horrible! The man she had learnt to
love, the murderer of the man she had learnt to forget! How her
original prejudice had been justified! Distracted, shaken to her
depths, she would not take counsel even of her father, but informed
the police of her suspicions. A raid was made on Tom's rooms, and lo!
the stolen notes were discovered in a huge bundle. It was found that
he had several banking accounts, with a large, recently deposited
amount in each bank. Tom was arrested. Attention was now concentrated
on the corpses washed up by the river. It was not long before the body
of Roxdal came to shore, the face distorted almost beyond recognition
by long immersion, but the clothes patently his, and a pocket-book in
the breast-pocket removing the last doubt. Mrs. Seacon and Polly and
Clara Newell all identified the body. Both juries returned a verdict
of murder against Tom Peters, the recital of Clara's dream producing a
unique impression in the court and throughout the country, especially
in theological and theosophical circles. The theory of the prosecution
was that Roxdal had brought home the money, whether to fly alone or
to divide it, or whether, even for some innocent purpose, as Clara
believed, was immaterial; that Peters determined to have it all, that
he had gone out for a walk with the deceased, and, taking advantage of
the fog, had pushed him into the river, and that he was further
impelled to the crime by love for Clara Newell, as was evident from
his subsequent relations with her. The judge put on the black cap. Tom
Peters was duly hung by the neck till he was dead.
[Illustration: THE CORPSE WASHED UP BY THE RIVER.]