CLEAR SKIES.
Although England was now to me and to my wife a land very different
from the one we quitted some eight months ago, we were anxious to get
back to Seville, if only to set at rest my mother’s fears. She, poor
woman, as a letter showed, was much exercised as to what manner of
business could have made us leave her in so unceremonious a way. The
moment the glad truth had become known to me, I had telegraphed, saying
that all was well with us, and that we should soon join her. Two things
only detained us.
The first was that we wanted the convict’s confession. Although
Philippa said little on the subject, I knew that until it arrived she
would not be quite happy. There was with her a haunting dread that the
man, in the hopes of mitigating his sentence, had pleaded guilty to a
crime of which he was innocent. Even the accurate account which I gave
her of my interview with the solicitor did not quite satisfy her. So we
waited impatiently for the full explanation, which might or might not
come.
The second thing which kept us in London was this. I determined that
before I left I would have the fact that when I married Philippa
I married Lady Ferrand fully acknowledged. I found my way to the
gentlemen who were winding up the dead man’s affairs, and stated my
case to their incredulous ears. At first they treated me as an impostor.
But not for long. Indeed, my task was half done. They had already,
without any assistance from Mrs. Wilson, ferreted out the date and
particulars of the death of the first Lady Ferrand. They had but to
assure themselves that the marriage-certificate which I laid before
them was no forgery, and surrender at discretion.
It was a poor estate, the administrators told me. Sir Mervyn had died
intestate. He had during his lifetime made away with nearly all he
could alienate. Still, there was some personal property, of which my
wife could claim a share, and a certain amount of real property, on
which she was entitled to dower. But it was a very poor estate.
I cut them very short. I told them that, let the deceased’s wealth
be great or little, not one penny-piece of it should soil my wife’s
fingers. If Sir Mervyn Ferrand’s heir was in want of the money, it
should, provided he was a different stamp of man from his immediate
predecessor, be given to him a free gift. If not, some hospital should
be benefited by it. All I wanted was, that it should be clearly
understood that Sir Mervyn Ferrand left a widow.
The administrators, one of whom was, by the bye, the heir, evidently
looked upon me as a most eccentric personage. Perhaps it was for this
reason, or--as I do not wish to cast unmerited blame--perhaps it was
because the estate wound up to nothing--well, any way, even to this
day we have received no communication, much less remittance, from the
administrators; nor, to tell the truth, have I troubled them again.
Philippa’s marriage admitted, I washed my hands of all the Ferrand
brood.
The confession did not arrive; but I persuaded Philippa to leave
England. Mr. Crisp could send whatever he had to send to Seville just
as well as to London. So once more, and this time in all but perfect
happiness, we took that long journey which was by now quite familiar to
us.
The joy, the wild joy, with which Philippa threw herself into my
mother’s arms checked all the upbraidings and reproach which we
apparently merited. Our return was like the return of a prodigal son
and daughter. Laughter, tears, and happiness!
Although I told my mother nothing as to the object of our mysterious
journey; although she asked me nothing; although no word evidencing her
knowledge of what had passed has ever crossed her lips, I know that
all has been revealed to her; that Philippa has sobbed out the whole
strange tale on her breast. I know it by this, that since the day of
our return my mother’s deep love for my wife has shown itself even
tenderer, sweeter, and deeper. Yes, I was spared the telling of the
tale. My mother’s eyes the next day showed me that Philippa had given
her the history, as I have given it here, from beginning to end.
No, not quite the end. Sit by me once more, as I asked you at the
beginning of my story to sit by me; but this time, not by the side of
a smouldering fire, but out in the fair, gay _patio_ of our Andalusian
home. Philippa and I are side by side. The post has just come in, and
brought me a bulky packet, on which, in a clerkly hand, is written my
name and address. I tear the wrapper open with eagerness. I know what
it contains; Philippa knows. I wish to read it first alone, but the
appealing look in her eyes turns me from my purpose. After all, there
is nothing to fear, there can be nothing which she should not know.
So, with our cheeks all but touching, we read together. Sit by us, lean
over my shoulder, and read with us.
“The confession of William Evans, now lying in Tewnham jail under
sentence of death:
“On the fifth of January, this year, I returned from New Zealand.
I worked my passage home. When I reached London I had but a few
shillings in my pocket. I had no articles of value which I could
sell. All I owned, except my clothes and the little bit of money was
a pistol which a man on board the ship had given me. It was a pistol
of his own invention. He had several with him, and said he wanted to
get the sort known. Why he gave it to me God knows; but he did, and a
couple of cartridges.
“I spent my money--all but a shilling or two. I tried to get work,
but none was to be had. Then I remembered that I once had a friend
who lived near Roding. I went there by train. I had just enough money
to pay my fare. I found that the man I knew had left the place two
years ago. I walked back to the town penniless and desperate.
“The first thing I did was to go to the pawnbroker’s, and try and
sell the pistol. The man wouldn’t buy it at any price. He said his
shop was full of pistols. I went away, and walked to the railway
station to try and earn a few pence somehow. I was in despair--all
but starving.
“About seven o’clock the train from London came in. A tall gentleman
came out of the door of the station. I asked him if he had any
luggage I could carry for him. He told me to be off. Then I asked
him, for pity’s sake, to give me a shilling to buy some food. He
cursed me, and I began to hate him.
“He stood under the gas-lamp and drew out a great gold watch and
looked at the time. Then he asked a man near which road he must take
to get to a village named Cherwell. The man told him. I saw him walk
away, and I knew where he was going.
“I shall be hanged next week; there is no hope for me. But I tell
the truth when I say that, bad fellow as I have been, I had never
committed such a crime as the one which at that moment entered my
head. That tall man had money, jewelry, and good clothing; I had
nothing. I was starving. So I ran on, got before him, went miles
up the road, and sat down in the bitter cold on a heap of stones,
waiting for him to come, and making up my mind to kill and rob him. I
knew I must kill him, because he was so much stronger and bigger than
I was. My pistol was loaded.
“He came. I saw him in the moonlight. I stood up as he came near and,
God forgive me, pulled the trigger, and shot him through the heart.
He fell like a stone, and I knew I was a murderer.
“Oh, if I could I would have undone the deed! I stood for a long time
before I dared to go to the body and steal the things for which I had
committed the crime. Then I nerved myself and went to take the price
for which, unless God is merciful, I had sold my soul.
“I never took a farthing. Just as I was about to begin I heard the
sound of feet. I looked up, and saw a woman or a spirit coming to
me. I dropped the pistol in terror. I felt sure she saw me. I looked
at her under the moon. Her face was white, her lips were moving, her
hair was all flying about. She came straight to where the dead man
lay, then stopped and wrung her hands. I fled away in deadly fear. I
ran across several fields. I dared not stop. I thought that spirit or
ghost was following me.
“I ran on until the snow began. I must have died in that snow-storm
if I had not found a half-roofed cowshed. I crept into this, and lay
all the night and part of the next day. I was the most wretched being
in the world.
“Hunger at last drove me out. I got through the snow somehow, and
reached a house, where the people saved me from dying of starvation.
But nothing could make me go again to the spot where I had done the
murder. My life since then has been one of agony. Even now that I am
going to be hanged I am happier than I have felt for months. May God
forgive my crime!
“I pleaded guilty at the trial because I turned round in the dock,
and saw the woman who I thought was a spirit standing up and ready to
denounce me to the judge. I knew that she saw me that night, and I
was bound to be found guilty.
“I have confessed all. Every word of this is truth. As I hope for
mercy, it is all true!
“WILLIAM EVANS.
“P.S.--I took the above confession down from the prisoner’s
dictation. It should be all you want. The man seems thoroughly
penitent, but I do not trouble you with his expressions of remorse
and regret.
“I remain, dear sir, yours faithfully,
“STEPHEN CRISP.”
We read the last lines; the paper fluttered down from our hands; we
turned to each other. Tears of deep thankfulness were in my wife’s
sweet eyes. Down to the smallest detail, the wretched man’s confession
made everything clear. Nothing was left unexplained, except, perhaps,
the motive which induced Philippa to go that night to meet her would-be
betrayer once more. This we shall never know, but her temporary madness
may amply account for it. We need seek no further, the faintest doubt
as to her own perfect innocence is removed from my wife’s mind. Hand
in hand, heart to heart, lip to lip, we can stand, and feel that our
troubles are at last over.
Our troubles over! Shall those words be the last I write? No, one scene
more--the scene that lies before me even now.
An English home. Outside, green shaven lawns, trim paths, and fine old
trees. Inside, the comfort and the peace which make an English home the
sweetest in the world. For when the need was gone; when sunny Spain
no longer was for us the one safe land, its charms diminished, and we
pined to see once more England’s fair fields and ruddy honest faces. So
back we came, and made ourselves a home, far, far away from every spot
the sight of which might wake sad thoughts. And here we live, and shall
live till that hour when one of us must kiss the other’s clay-cold
brow, and know that death has parted those whom naught but death could
part.
Look out; look through this shaded window. There she sits, my wife; a
tall son at her side, fair daughters near her. Years, many years have
passed, but left no lines upon her brow; brought no white threads to
streak that raven hair. The rich bright beauty of the girl is still her
own. To me, now as of yore, the sweetest, fairest woman in the world!
The children see me as I gaze with thoughtful happy eyes upon that
group beneath the trees. They call and beckon me. My wife looks up; her
eyes meet mine, just raised from these sad pages. Ah! love, sweet love,
in those dear eyes what was it once my fate to read? Shame, sorrow,
dread, despair, and love. All these, save love, have vanished long ago;
and as I turn to pen these lines--the last--that look of calm, assured,
unclouded joy keeps with me, telling me that from her life has passed
even the very memory of those dark, dark days!
THE END.
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Transcriber’s Notes:
Italics are represented with _underscores_, bold text with =equal
signs=.
Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected.
This edition was published as no. 159 in the _Modern Authors’ Library_
series.
Table of contents has been added and placed into the public domain by
the transcriber.
Some inconsistent hyphenation (loophole vs. loop-hole) was retained
from the original.