CHAPTER XIV.
A STRANGE MEETING.
Mary sat down on the stone near the wall shaded by the thick foliage ofa tree which covered her with its dark branches. Here she poured outher soul in fervent prayer to God. Suddenly she heard a sweet voicecalling her familiarly by her name, "Mary, Mary!"
The late hour of night and the solitude of the graveyard and herloneliness made Mary start with fear. Looking up she saw the beautifulface and figure of a woman, dressed in a long flowing robe. Frightenedand trembling, Mary was about to fly.
"Looking up she saw the beautiful face and figure of awoman."_See page 104._]
"Dear Mary," said the lady, with tenderness in her voice, "do not bealarmed; I am not a spirit, but a human being like yourself. God hasheard your fervent prayers, and I have come to help you. Look at me; isit possible you do not know me?"
The moon was shining brightly upon her face, and with an exclamation ofsurprise, Mary cried out, "Is it you, the Countess Amelia? Oh, how didyou get here--here in so lonely a place at this hour of the night, sofar from your home?"
The Countess raised Mary gently from the ground, pressed her to herheart, and kissed her tenderly.
"Dear Mary," said she, "we have done you great injustice. You have beenill rewarded for the pleasure which you gave me with the basket offlowers, but at last your innocence has been made known. Can you everforgive my parents and me? We are ready to make amends as far as itlies in our power. Forgive us, dear Mary."
Mary was distressed at these words, and begged the Countess not to talkof forgiveness. "Considering the circumstances," she said, "you showedgreat indulgence towards me, and it never entered my mind to nourishthe least resentment towards you. I had grateful thoughts of all yourkindness, and my only sorrow was that you and your dear parents shouldregard me as ungrateful enough to be guilty of stealing your ring. Mygreat desire was that you might one day be convinced of my innocence,and God has granted this desire. May His name be praised!"
The Countess pressed Mary to her heart, and bathed her face in tears.Afterwards she looked at James's grave and, clasping her hands, shecried out passionately, "Oh, noble man, whose body lies here, whom Ilearned to love in my tender youth, whose affectionate counsels I haveoften received, and whose fervent prayers I have so often listened to,why cannot I see your face to ask pardon for all the injustice doneyou? Oh, if we had only taken more precaution, if we had placed moreconfidence in an old servant who had always shown unimpeachable honestyand faithfulness, perhaps thou hadst still been living with us!"
"Believe me, good Countess," said Mary, "my father was far from feelingthe least resentment towards you. He prayed for you daily, as he wasaccustomed to do when he lived at Eichbourg, and at the hour of hisdeath he blessed you all.
"'Mary,' said he to me, a little before he died, 'I feel confident thatthose whom we once served will one day recognise your innocence, andrecall you from exile. When that day comes, assure the Countess andCount and Amelia that my heart was full of respect and love andgratitude towards them till my last breath.' These, my dear Countess,were his last words."
The tears of the good Amelia flowed copiously. "Come, Mary," said she,"and sit down here with me on the stone. We are safe here in thesanctuary of the Lord. Let me tell you of all the strange events thathave happened."