The west shore., January 01, 1885, Page 20, Image 20

20
THE WEST SHORE.
into thoir apartment Her cheeks were flushed, and her
eyes gleamed with more than usual fire.
"Beautiful! beautiful! was it not?" she cried.
" What was bo beautiful, Edna?" said Sir Urban.
"Why! the musio to be sure!" said the little girl,
with animation. " The beautiful music from the organ.
You hoard it of course."
Urban Ash ford shook his head
"You did not hoar.it!" asked Edna, astonished.
" That's very odd! I thought the sound must have gone
through the whole house. As I came through the long
gallory I thought I saw a lady in the dress of the beauti
ful Lady Arothusa, only faintly shining, as if in moon
light, sitting before the organ. But it was very dark, you
know, and I could not distinguish well. The music,
however, was very fine so fine, it made me tremble with
delight. It Boomed to 'sing a Christmas woloome to us
all to you, papa, and to mamma, and me, and all our
guosts a welcome to Ashford Hall!"
" You had better not speak of these things before our
company, dear," said Lady Ashford.
"Why not if they are true?" said her child, doubt
fully. " They may not care to hear them, darling."
" How odd the world must bo," muttered Edna. Then
with sudden animation, urged by that spirit of restless
ness which is the attribute of childhood, she suddenly
cried, " I will go down into the Judgmont Hall and see
that nil looks pretty for the company," and bofore her
parents could intorforo, she darted out of the room and
sped down the winding staircase to the place whore the
Christinas Eve Biipor was to bo spread.
As the child descended the last stain she became
aware that the hall was lightod with a strange phosphoric
glare, through which the illuminnted sconces on the
walls gloamod luridly. As she came further down she
distinctly saw that the supper tublo was already fully
occupied by unexpected visitants. But Edna experi
enced no feeling of surprise, not the remotest spasm of
terror, as she recognized in the assombled party the
forms of tho anoostors of the House of Ashford, bo inti
mutely known to her by tho jMirtraits in the great gallory.
3h had no roason for fear. Were they not her old
familiar frionds? Thore was Sir Eustace, and there Sir
Hubert, and there again Sir Reginald, and all her ac
quaintances down to Sir Ronald with his pretty wife.
The child had almost advanced to greet them ns living
creature,, when her attention was nrrestod by the sight
of ouo figure unknown to her. It stood on the further
side of the table facing hor, and was iu the attire of the
day. Palo, and wan, and haggard, and nglmst stood his
form! Suddenly the thought crossed Edna's mind that,
on this holy ove of Christmas, the race of Ashford, as the
legend had taught her, But to hold iU tribunal in the
Judgment Hall to pronouiu-e tho "doom of shame" on
one who had cast a "stain on proud Ashford's name"
to judge, to condemn, or to acquit
Edna drew back. To intrude on thnt solomn tribunal
wjuld have womed to bo an act of almost blasphemous
irreverence. And yet she thought, was she not an Ash
ford? could her presence be a vile intrusion in the coun
cils of her family? She stood, half-conoealed by the
entrance, and listened with the devotion of a worshipper
on the threshold of a temple. What she heard, or
dreamed she heard, was this:
" Randolph Ashford," said the figure of Sir Eustace,
who, as the eldest of his race, seemed to preside over the
tribunnl, in solemn tones, "what have you to say that the
doom of shame should not be pronounced on you by your
injured and offended race? Your brother Emerio fell
foully slaughtered by your hand? What have you to say?"
" He provoked me with bitter and insulting words,"
said the form of Sir Randolph faintly, with sunken head.
"I struck him; but I did not mean to deal a fatal blow.
I have expiated the deed by the bitterest remorse."
" But you allowed a false accusation to fall upon the
innocent"
" I wrote a full confession of my crime."
" Which you concealed where none could find it"
" I hoped it would be placed in Urban's hands before
my death. Fate willed it otherwise. My confession still
lies yonder."
The form of Sir Randolph raised its' arm toward a
carved oak cabinet, which Btood on one side of the hall.
" Thou hast been cruel, cowardly, unjust," spoke the
figure of Sir Eustace. "Thou hast sealed thine own
doom. Is it not so?" The other figures bowed their
heads. " Go, unworthy Ashford, to thy eternal fate. The
doom of shame is on thee Cain! Cain! Cain!"
The form of Sir Randolph uttered a faint wail of
despair and disappeared.
Edna slowly returned up the winding staircase to the
drawing room, appalled but nothing terrified. The guests
were already assembled, having boon ushered in by the
main staircase from the entrance hall. She heeded them
not She wont straight to Sir Urban.
"Father!" she said, in eager but solemn tones, "the
tribunal of your ancestors has sat in the Judgment Hall;
and you, my good, poor innocent father, have been ac
quitted of all crime. Cornel come! and learn yourself! "
" Hush! hush! my child! we cannot speak of these
things now," said Sir Urban, in much embarrassment;
" there are strangers here."
"Come, father! come!" was all the child would an
swer, taking her father's hand to lead him away.
Sir Urban and Lndy Ashford looked at one another,
troubled and bewildered. The child still clung to her
father and pulled him forward.
" Pardon mo," said Sir Urban to his guests, "my little
child here is somowhat singular; you cannot understand
her ways. Will you permit me to precede you to the
hall, and will you kindly follow me?"
It was vain for the father to moderate the eagerness
of his excited child. Led on by her, he descended the
winding staircase with his wife, to the hall where the
supper mos prepared.
"Do you not see them? They are all there!" said
Edna, pointing to the visions still clear to her eyes.