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Show I SERIAlT 13 STORY CJ THE LOVES ' of the LADY ARABELLA MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL Li J Peter nor Lady Hawkshaw noted these things, but they were strong enough to impel me to ask Sir Peter to look out for a ship for me at the admiralty. ad-miralty. 1 saw Giles Vernon every day, and he continued to come, with unabated assurance, to Berkeley Square. We were not anxious that the fact of the duel should leak out, and Overton was especially desirous to keep it quiet. Of course, he came no more to Berkeley Berke-ley Square, and withdrew more and more from his former associates. He began to consort much with persons of the John Wesley persuasion1, spending spend-ing much of his time, when not on duty, at Oxford, where the Wesleyans were numerous at the time. I noticed that Lady Arabella treated Giles, and me, also, with more civility than she had hitherto shown. I could not think it sincere, but attributed it to a natural natur-al desire to conciliate those who knew so much to her disadvantage. But that she made no effort to overcome her infatuation in-fatuation for Overton, I very soon had proof. Sir Thomas Vernon, soon after this, had the assurance to present himself him-self in Berkeley Square, and rare sport it was. Lady Hawkshaw, Lady Arabella, Ara-bella, Daphne, myself, and one or two other persons were in the Chinese drawing room when he was ushered ush-ered in. Lady Hawkshaw and Sir Thomas were old acquaintances, and had been at feud for more than 30 years, neither neith-er side asking or giving quarter. Sir Thomas had a shrewd wit of his own, and was more nearly a match for Lady Hawkshaw than any one I had yet seen. He opened the ball by remarking re-marking on Lady Hawkshaw's improved im-proved appearance, partly due, he thought, to her triumph in getting the K. C. B. for Sir Peter. This nettled Lady Hawkshaw extremely, and she retaliated by telling Sir Thomas that he looked younger than he did when she first knew him 30 years ago. As Sir Thomas hated any allusion to his age, this shot told. "And allow me to congratulate you, Sir Thomas," added Lady Hawkshaw, "upon your very promising cousin, blue sea. So he sent out for a pot of porter, and he and I, together with the bailiffs, drank to the Belvidera; and I swore, then and there, that go with him I would. For, in the excess of my affection for Giles, I would have taken almost any service to be with him. The frigates, too, were more in the way of activity, as the enemy was wary of meeting our ships of the line, but the frigates could go hunting after him. So, when I returned to Berkeley Square that day I begged Sir Peter to get me a berth in the Belvidera. He was pleased with my spirit, and the very next day he went to the admiralty admiral-ty for me. The complement was full, but, luckily for me, one of the juniors got a billet more to his liking, and Sir Peter, being on the spot, got me the vacancy, and I was ordered to report at once at Plymouth. It took me but a day or two to get my outfit and make ready to start. Lady Hawkshaw showed me great kindness then, and actually allowed me to have a considerable sum of my own money. Lady Arabella treated me with her usual indifference, and, on the day I was to go, bade me a careless adieu. When the post-chaise was at the door and I went to the Chinese drawing draw-ing room to tell Lady Hawkshaw and Sir Peter good-by, Daphne was there with them, and she looked as if she had been weeping. Sir Peter gave me a letter to my new captain, Vere, and some words of encouragement. Lady Hawkshaw delivered a homily to me on my duty, which I received out of. respect for her real excellence of heart, and thanked her in a manner which made Sir Peter my friend for life. Daphne said not a word when I took her hand, but handing me a little lit-tle parcel ran out of the room. I afterward after-ward found it to be a little housewife made by her own hands. I went down to the chaise, puzzled at her conduct, but, looking up for the last time to the windows, I saw her peering from behind a curtain. I raised the parcel to my lips, and, as she saw it, a smile broke over her face. My last glimpse of her was like an April day she was all smiles and tears and it was destined to remain in my memory. Giles Vernon was waiting for me at the corner of the street. We were to make the journey to Plymouth together. to-gether. "Well," he cried, when we found ourselves rolling along to meet the coach, "I have had my cake and eaten it." "How I envy you!" I said, bitterly. "I have not had my cake. Every shil ling of my prize money is in bank, except ex-cept about 200." "Poor chap!" answered Giles, feelingly. feel-ingly. "How much more of life have I seen in London than you! I have seen everything, including that queen of hearts, Lady Arabella Stormont. She has treated me cruelly, the jade! But I will "bring her to my hand at last, that I swear to you." I longed that he might know of that episode with Overton in Sir Peter Hawkshaw's cubby-hole at five o'clock in the morning. (TO BE CONTINUED.) (Copj-rigM, 1600, Bobbs-MerrtllCo.) , SYNOPSIS. At 14 years of age Admiral Sir Peter Hawkshaw's nephew, Richard Glyn, fell deeply in love at tirst sight with Lady Arabella Stormont, who spurned his attentions. at-tentions. The lad, an orphan, was given a berth as midshipman on the Ajax by his uncle. Giles Vernon, nephew of Sir Thomas Vernon, became the boy's pal. They attended a theater where Hawkshaw's Hawk-shaw's nephew saw Lady Arabella. Vernon Ver-non met Philip Overton, next in line for Sir Thomas Vernon's estate. They started start-ed a duel which was interrupted. Vernon. Overton and Hawkshaw's nephew found themselves attracted by pretty Lady Arabella. Ara-bella. The Ajax in battle defeated French warships in the Mediterranean. Richard Glyn got 2,000 prize money. He was called home by Lady Hawkshaw as he was about to "blow in" his earnings with Vernon. At a Hawkshaw party Glyn discovered dis-covered that Lady Arabella was a poor but persistent gambler. He talked much with her cousin Daphne. Lady Arabella again showed love for gaming. Later she held Glyn and Overton prisoners, thus delaying the duel. In the Overton-Vernon duel, neither was hurt. Lady Arabella Ara-bella humiliated Richard by her pranks. CHAPTER VI. Continued. "Sir Peter," said Lady Hawkshaw, in the same awful voice, "I unexpectedly unexpect-edly entered this room a few moments ago, and the sight that met my eyes was Arabella struggling in the arms I of this young ruffian, Richard Glyn, who was kissing her with the greatest fury imaginable." Sir Peter looked at me very hard, and after a moment said: "Have you nothing to say for yourself, your-self, young gentleman?" "Sir," I replied, trying to assume a firm tone, "I will only say that Lady Arabella, meaning to treat me like her lap-dog, kissed me on the nose, as she does that beast of Tiers; and as an officer and a gentleman, I felt called upon pay her back; and for every smack she gave me on my nose, I gave "her two back in the mouth, to show her that an officer in his majesty's sea service is a man, and not a lap-dog." lap-dog." . "Do you hear, Sir Peter?" asked Lady Hawkshaw, with terrible earnestness. earnest-ness. "He does not deny his guilt. What think you of his conduct?" "Think, ma'am!" shouted Sir Peter, "I think if he had aone anything else, it would have been clean against the articles of war, and I myself would have seen that he was kicked out of his majesty's service. I shall send for my solicitor to-morrow morning to put a codicil to my will, giving Richard Glyn 1.000 at my decease." At this the gentlemen roared, and Lady Arabella, seizing the lap-dog, hid her face in his long hair, while even Daphne smiled and blushed. As for Lady Hawkshaw, for once she was disconcerted dis-concerted and walked out, glaring over her shoulder at Sir Peter. There was much laughter, Sir Peter joining in; but after a while the gentlemen gen-tlemen left, and Sir Peter went out, and Daphne, who I saw was disgusted with my conduct, walked haughtily away, iri spite of Lady Arabella's playful play-ful r.'otests that she was afraid to remain re-main alone in the room with nie. One thing had puzzled me extremely, extreme-ly, and that was her calmness, and even gayety when she had no means of knowing how Overton had come off In the meeting, and I said to her: "How did you know, or do you know, whether Philip Overton and Giles Vernon Ver-non are alive at this moment?" "By your face, Dicky," she answered, trying to give me a fillip on the nose, which I successfully resisted. "I was in agony until I saw your face. Then I gave one great breath of joy and relief, re-lief, and my play with my lap-dog. which had been torture to me, became delight. But tell me the particulars.'' "No, madam." said I; "I tell you nothing.'' This angered her, and she said, after aft-er a moment: "I presume you will take an early opportunity of telling Sir Peter and Lady Hawkshaw that I saw Philip Overton alone in this house, at five o'clock yesterday morning?" "I am quite unaware, madam." replied re-plied I, stung by this, "of anything in my character or conduct which could induce you to think such a thing of me." "You made me no promise not to tell." she said. "Certainly not. But some things are considered uuiversally binding among gentlemen, and one is to tell nothing to the disadvantage of a woman. I neither made, nor will make, a promise prom-ise about that affair; but if it is ever known it will be you or Overton who tells it, not I." And I walked out of the room. 1 speedily found, after that, my life in Berkeley Square uncomfortable. I felt constrained before Lady Arabella, and. what seemed strange to me, little Daphne, who had hitherto treated me with greatest kindness, seemed to take a spite at me, and her gibes and cuts were hard to bear. Neither Sir That's a Pity," Said Lafly Hawkshaw. Mr. Giles Vernon. Sir Peter has the highest opinion of him, and he has won the favor of the bong-tong to an extraordinary degree." "He may have won the favor of the bong-tong," replied Sir Thomas, impudently im-pudently mimicking Lady Hawkshaw's French, 'hut he has not yet succeeded in winning my favor." "That's a pity," said Lady Hawkshaw; Hawk-shaw; "but it doesn't signify, I dare say. It will mot keep you alive a day longer. And there is your other cousin Capt. Overton of the Guards. He is what so few of our yoang men are, pious and God-fearing." "And a sniveling, John Wesley Methodist besides," snarled Sir Thomas, Thom-as, much exasperated. "Bless me, Sir Thomas," cried Lady Hawkshaw, "don't ie so hard on these worthy people, the Methodists." I own this surprised me, for if there was anything on earth upon which Lady Hawkshaw was uncompromising, it was church and state; and, excellent excel-lent woman though she was, I believe she would have been rather glad to make one big bonfire of all the dissenters dis-senters in England. Sir Thomas was far from insensible to Lady Arabella's charms, and, after a further exchange of hostilities with Lady Hawkshaw, turned to Arabella. She smiled upon him, and seemed anxious anx-ious to conciliate him; and in a little while I' caught enough of their conversation conver-sation to know that she was telling him of the meeting between Giles and Overton, and representing that it had been forced upon Overton by the insults in-sults of Giles Vernon. Sir Thomas' response to her tale was that he did not give a damn for either of them, and if both had bit the dust he should not have been sorry. When Sir Thomas left, Lady Hawkshaw Hawk-shaw called the tall footman. "Jeames." she said, "when that person calls again, the ladies are not at home. Do you understand?" James understood perfectly, in spite of Lady Arabella's scowls. It is not to be supposed that a young man of Giles Vernon's spirit had net been able to go through with his prize money and run pretty considerably in ; debt in five or six weeks in London, and one morning, some days after this, i when I went to see Giles at his lodg-; lodg-; ings, I found the bailiffs in possession. Giles, however, was as merry as a grig, because that very morning he had got an appointment to the Belvidera Belvi-dera frigate. n It was not much after having served in the Ajax, but it meant leaving that uncertain and trying element, dry land. ; for another element on which Giles Was much more at home, to-wit. the |