The Masked Bridal Read online

  CHAPTER III.

  THE YOUNG LAWYER EXPERIENCES TWO EXTRAORDINARY SURPRISES.

  The next morning, in the matron's room of the Thirtieth streetstation-house, a visitor came to see Edith Allandale. The visitor wasKate O'Brien, who, after announcing the condition of the prisoner'smother, declared her willingness to aid Edith in any way in her power.

  Edith intrusted a letter to her for Mr. Royal Bryant, and early Mondaymorning Kate was at the lawyer's office, and placed the missive in hishands.

  The young man instantly recognized the handwriting of his faircopyist, and flushed to his brow at sight of it.

  "Ah! she is ill and has sent me word that she cannot come to theoffice to-day!" he said to himself.

  "Sit down, madam," he said to his visitor, and he eagerly tore openthe letter and read the following:

  "MR. BRYANT:--Dear Sir:--I am sorry to have to tell you that the five-dollar gold-piece which you gave me on Saturday evening was a counterfeit coin. I passed it at a grocery, near which I reside, in payment for necessaries which I purchased, and, half an hour later, was arrested for the crime of passing spurious money. I could not appeal to you at the time, for I did not know your address; but now I beg that you will come to my aid to-morrow morning, when I shall have to appear in court to answer the charge, for I do not know of any one else upon whom to call in my present extremity. Oh, pray come at once, for my mother is very ill and needs me.

  "Respectfully yours,

  "EDITH M. ALLANDALE."

  Royal Bryant's face was ghastly white when he finished reading thisbrief epistle.

  "Good heavens!" he muttered, "to think of that beautiful girl beingarrested and imprisoned for such an offense! Where is Miss Allandale?"he added, aloud, turning to Mrs. O'Brien, who had been watching himwith a jealous eye ever since entering the room.

  "In the Thirtieth street station-house, sir," she briefly responded.

  "Infamous!" exclaimed the young man, in great excitement. "And has shebeen in that vile place since Saturday evening?"

  "She has, sir; but not with the common lot; the matron has been verygood to her, sir, and gave her a bed in her own room," the womanexplained.

  "Blessed be the matron!" was Royal Bryant's inward comment. Then,turning again to his companion, he inquired.

  "What is your name, if you please, madam?"

  "Kate O'Brien, at your service, sir."

  "Thank you; and do you live near Miss Allandale?"

  "Jist forninst her, sir--on the same floor, across the hall."

  "She writes that her mother is very ill," proceeded the young man,referring again to the letter.

  "Whisht, sir; the poor lady's dyin', sir," said Kate in a tone of awe.

  "Dying!" exclaimed Royal Bryant, aghast.

  "Yes, sir; she has consumption; and just afther the officer--bad luckto 'im!--took the young lady away, she had a bad coughin' spell, andburst a blood-vessel, and she has been failin' ever since," the womanexplained, with trembling lips.

  "Who is with Mrs. Allandale now?" questioned Mr. Bryant, with a lookof deep anxiety.

  "The docthor, sir; he promised to stay wid her till I come back."

  "Well, then, Mrs. O'Brien, if you will be good enough to hurry backand care for Mrs. Allandale, I will go at once to her daughter; and Iam very sure that I can secure her release within a short time. Tellher mother so, and that I will send her home immediately upon herrelease."

  "Bless yer kind heart!" cried the woman, heartily, and she hurriedaway to take the blessed news to Edith's fast-failing mother.

  The moment the door closed after her, Royal Bryant seized his overcoatand began to put it on again, his face aflame with mingled indignationand mortification.

  "In a common city lock-up for the crime of passing counterfeit money!"he muttered, hoarsely. "And to think that I brought such a fate uponher!--I, who would suffer torture to save her a pang. Two nights andan endless day, and her mother dying at home!--how she must havesuffered! I could go down upon my knees to ask her pardon, and yet Icannot understand it. That money came directly from the bank into mypossession."

  He was just fastening the last button of his coat when there came aknock upon his door.

  "Come in," he said, but frowning with impatience at the unwelcomeinterruption and the probable detention which it portended.

  An instant later a rather common-looking man, of perhaps forty years,entered the room.

  "Ah, Mr. Knowles! good-morning, good-morning," said young Bryant, withhis habitual cordiality. "What can I do for you to-day?"

  "I--I have called to pay an installment upon what I owe you, Mr.Bryant," the man responded, flushing slightly beneath the genialglance of the lawyer.

  "Ah, yes; I had forgotten that this was the date for the payment. Ihope, however, that you are not inconveniencing yourself in making itto-day," remarked the young lawyer, as he observed that his client waspaler than usual and wore an anxious, care-worn expression.

  "There is nothing that inconveniences me more than debt," the manevasively replied, but quickly repressing a sigh, as he drew forth awell-worn purse, while his companion saw that his lips trembledslightly as he said it.

  Opening the purse, Mr. Knowles produced a small coin and extended itto the lawyer.

  It was a five-dollar gold-piece.

  Mr. Bryant took it mechanically, and thanked him; but at the sametime, feeling a strange reluctance in so doing, for he was sure theman needed the money for his personal necessities, while his smallclaim against him for advice rendered a few weeks previous could waitwell enough, and he would never miss the amount.

  He experienced a sense of delicacy, however, about giving expressionto the thought, for he knew the gentleman to be both proud andsensitive, and he did not wish to wound him by assuming that he wasunable to make the payment that had become due.

  He stood awkwardly fingering the money and gazing absently down uponit as these thoughts flitted through his mind, and thinking, too, thatit was somewhat singular that Mr. Knowles should have paid him in goldcoin and of the very same denomination as he had given Edith less thanforty-eight hours previous, and which had been the means of causingher such deep trouble.

  Almost unconsciously, he turned the money over, his glance stillriveted upon it.

  As he did so he gave a violent start which caused his companion toregard him curiously.

  "Great Scott!" he exclaimed, in vehement excitement, as he bent toexamine the coin more closely, "this is the strangest thing that everhappened to me in all my experience!"