STELLA IS RESTORED TO HER LOVER.
When love illumines all the day
In which we changeful mortals live--
How swift our rancors pass away--
How doubly easy to forgive.
During the brief moment that the sturdy English driver succeeded in
holding back that span of frightened horses, Sir Frederic Atherton
sprang from the carriage and by almost superhuman strength, drew from
under the threatening hoofs, one of the prostrate women.
A stalwart pedestrian ran to his assistance, but before the rescued
woman could be placed out of harm's way, the other motionless form had
been stamped upon and trodden into the earth by the infuriated brutes.
As soon as they could be controlled, Sir Frederic and the unknown man
raised the slender form, but one glance into her quiet face showed
plainly that her life was ended, and that death, even in so horrible a
manner, had brought her peace and rest.
By this time, Lady Laura Trevor, Sir Frederic's sister, had alighted
from the carriage, and learning the terrible circumstances, assisted her
brother as best she could to place the two apparently lifeless forms
within the carriage.
Not until Sir Frederic had taken the delicate form of Stella into his
arms, did he receive any intimation of her identity. But as he laid her
head carefully upon his shoulder, an indescribable feeling of fear and
trembling passed over his manly form. It seemed as if the pain, the
horror, and even the unconsciousness of the helpless girl was shared, by
him. _Her_ misfortune, for the instant racked _his_ nerves with agony,
and subsiding, dulled his senses almost to complete oblivion, and it was
only with a vague feeling of amazement that he heard his sister's sudden
exclamation.
The light of the carriage lamp had fallen on Stella's face, and
although worn and pale from months of anxiety and imprisonment, it was
readily recognized by Lady Trevor.
Her voice sounded afar off in Sir Frederic's ears, but pulling himself
together with a great effort, he looked eagerly down into the pallid
face. For a moment happiness overcame him and he held her to his heart
in a perfect ecstasy of joy and gratitude, but in another instant, fear
for the result of her injuries, usurped the place of joy and leaning
from the window he ordered his man to drive directly to the home of his
sister, which was near at hand.
The glow from the burning house reddened their way for some distance and
fell with fitful glare upon the still, cold face that rested so heavily
against Lady Trevor's arm.
Never was the sterling sense and philosophy of Mrs. Sinclair's nature
put to severer test than when Sir Frederic led her, some hours later,
into Lady Trevor's magnificent parlors, and she beheld, stretched upon
ready sofas, the lifeless form of Julia Webber, and the apparently
lifeless form of her long lost darling, Stella.
Controlling herself by a mighty will, Mrs. Sinclair watched and waited
for the verdict of the famous physician, which should bring to her
sorrowing heart renewed distress or unspeakable rejoicing. At last it
came. Stella had raised her lustrous eyes to the physician's face, and
then smiling faintly at Mrs. Sinclair, called her name, she nestled her
hand in hers and fell back upon the pillow in a calm, recuperating
sleep.
Meanwhile the dead girl had been laid with tender care in an adjoining
room. In removing her tasteful garments Mrs. Sinclair unfastened the
silver girdle and examined the contents of the leather bag to find, if
possible, some clue to her identity.
The folded paper proved to be a memorandum of little consequence, but a
brief statement of money deposited in a certain bank, gave them their
only grain of information. This clue was acted upon at once, and both
the body and the handwriting authentically identified thereby.
It was further ascertained that in this same bank the sum of one
hundred thousand pounds, had been placed by her, and here also was found
a will, drawn up and signed in perfectly valid form, bequeathing her
entire property, in case of sudden death, to a prominent home for fallen
women in the city.
With reverent hands they laid her in a velvet casket, and both Sir
Frederic and Lady Trevor followed her to the tomb, while Mrs. Sinclair
bent with joyful heart over the bedside of her cherished daughter.
Nothing was known at the bank of the character of Julia Webber's
business.
The money had been deposited, little by little, for ten years, and left
undisturbed until it reached a goodly figure, but during the ten years
of her depositing they had never, in a single instance, cashed her
check, and the eccentricity of their fair depositor, had caused much
comment among the usually silent clerks.
It remained for Stella to reveal the evil of this woman's life and the
source of her illgotten revenue. But woman's fame can never suffer in
the hands of the innocent: only from evil thoughts, come evil speech,
and in Stella's loving heart none but the kindest thoughts were ever
entertained, and the sad death of Julia Webber, erased from her mind the
last dark shadow of suspicion, and kept her memory forever faithful.