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Show ' MOTS DF VENGEANCE Revuls I be Operations of i Modern American McnteCristoasHe Matches His Wits Against fi firtio of LCrwhwhiii Itf- SKWty. Sts DCUf I ADIBJA (COPVRIQHT. BY THE ASSO J IMVUffl tWBIim.CIATED NEWSPAPERS. LIMITED ) 4 takable di.nssa. Trvon . srwsrdios turned asd left tbe room without a word. He resented only for an instant this curt rudeness. Tots mad millionaire; million-aire; had phrased hie eooffratulatioQa wildly tbe night before. He had per nape wisely abstained altogether today. ''He's only half human, anyway," he thought. "Ha know that Pom's free, anyhow, aid that loveday not for him " In his own buoyant mood he felt CHAPTER XX Continued. She nodded Impatiently. "That's bow I beard about mot her a bout the reason for sir. Warbourne'a presence. I saw hntr half a dozen times in all. She had developed from the simplest kind of a couatrv girl Into a most amusing person. per-son. She laughed with me about it. Mr. War bourne came back after all the funerals, fune-rals, this woman said, and she used to watt on my father and him. She over-beard over-beard things that they said. O, 1 squeesed her dry. hflk people haven't the slightest Idea that I have ever been L to her. I don't suppose father even rs-' rs-' members her existence. When I spoke to say mother about her letter, mother asked me net to mention It to father. 1 am afraid there was Just a little touch of blackmail there." I O.lackmal)- why ' "Tou know a little of mother already. Mr. Waifs.' aha said ami ling. "Is she l the kind of woman, do you think, who would wish the world to know that my Lady Rests had met her future husband when she was professional nurse to a cottager's child"'' r "O, I understand. " "Mother's a frightful snob," laughed - this dutiful daughter. "If che knew that T knew the truth, shs would he m a frightful wax. " "But how could a cottager hare a nurse' "I rather think. ' asid the air), with a sorry for the rold silent millionaire, and almost forgave him for having been the one who had been the sub-jeet sub-jeet of Loveday a broken dream. He cheeked hie cheerful whistle as he met Lady Dom just entering the drawing room. Memory of LovodAv'a words made him hold out a detaining hand. "Shy, Dom, it's all right, iea't itf Ton 're f orgi v en me, haren t ronf I've jsmt explained to hio fold aad haughty royal highness that bo made a mistake last night." Her eyee flashed aagrilr as she faced him, hwt the hotter worde on her t onjie ware stopped) by the gonad of running feet. Tier turned in time to see Sir Merinn Marmiland-Sraitb, eoatJeee, pan tin jr. rush ps-t them and down the stairs evrying a he went. "Stop htm! Stop him! Who left itf" ''Wsat oa earth 8 f" ejaculated Carwardina, "Haa the rhap sees a (tfaosf or wnatf " He hurried after the doctor. Ladr Dom stood motionless. Memory of Bulstrode Btapley s wsrnmjr flashed. First strong, self reliant 8fr Michael ( arwardioe. now this powerful doctor; this blatant vounjr man did not boast in raie. Hhe had a vagus sense of fear. CHAPTEE XXL "Tour Father's Turn." A dinner in anv great house ta liae a funeral i rt this respect, that it overrides over-rides everything. Faces must be bright, laughter must be gay, chatter must be incessant. It black care ia so rde as to sit uninvited by the side of aay diner, his preeence must be ig-nored. ig-nored. It ia the law of the rlass which dresses for dinner and lifts the meal iato a ceremonial. Table decoratioos were different tonight, to-night, each lady wore a different dress. The guests from the neighborhood were changed, but Lady fteste rattled on in quite the same way, saying almost the same things in the same staccato manner. man-ner. The lord lieutenant of the county, an old aad tottering nobleman, was among tbe guests tonight. Aa he was very deaf, and aa bis hostess from time to time remembered this, her shrill chatter overrode the table. From the shrug, "thst Mr. Carwardlne arranged that. Mrs. Thomas' child had been very 111, and this nurse uame from Gloucester the ds y before. She seems to have slipped away Immediately, and so kept out of the Inquest. I hate mysteries, you know, so after all this Information, so startling to a girl who had rather fancied ' herself about her blue blood. "I made three Journeys at different times to Gloucester. 1 bad a glimpse of infirmary records. I looked at old dl-I dl-I rectories. This Is all between ourselvea. laa't It. Mr. Walfe? I've seen the little i nodes t stone that marks my grandfathers grandfath-ers grave In the cemetery at Gloucester. He was a local grocer, and not very prosperous, pros-perous, 1 am afraid." She paused, her eyes on his face. She could read no change of expression there, and he offered no comment on her worda. "I hare not mentioned It to another human being. ' she murmured. "I don't hslleve a dosen people In the world know It. Tou make me tell the truth, some-bow." some-bow." He bad not at all. Her confession had been deliberate It was her effective way of leveling bar rise. If this man, proud that he was self mads, proud that he owed nothing to ancestors, forced back the Impulse thst would lead him to woo above himself In social status, how almple to puah this obstacle away by owning to the truth. "Tou see.'-eontlnued Lady Dominica, and her voice was pitched so low that It trembled. "T. too, am of the people. T ass proud of It. All the world might ' know as far as 1 cared." "I shall respect vour mother's secret," he ss Id gravely. Tie rose to his feet. Tvs mads too long- s call." hs added, looking at his watch. "It's sftsr i o'Hock. . , an ouiMur hM inignt aavf rxoa tkoogkt to l .khwrinc a voluble oration. " Vc., he ill. I. I .on Hoarwitkr, " she wreamel ai nhe toyed witk the kors d 'oeuvre. ' 1 He gave a war whoop tkat kook the hoiine to its foundations, and sprinted up and down the etaira aad all about tka halls. Oidn't you, Sir Merioaf " Hhe it la ') down the table, then turned to her smilinji listener, who pretended pre-tended that ha understood what it was all about. "It's his idaa of a rest cure.'' she ran on; "that's the way his patients net an appetite for dinner. din-ner. Aa appetite is a vary important thine, don t you think, Lord Hoar withy f I haven't had ona for yean, but 1 remember I liked it aa a girl. What was it all about, sir Merloni Did a wasp stiag you or did you think you hoard the banshee f" Lady ftaeta was making a gallant attempt to appaar high spirited for several reasons. Hhe wished to punith the doctor for uNiettiag the ordered routine of her household. No guest should be allowed with impunity to run amuek through tbe hills just aa dinner was being served. Hhe was also Irving to forget that it wu aa anniversary. anni-versary. Mho might not have remembered remem-bered that if sueh a rloud had not hung all the day over all the men. She was angrv with her husband that he aat preoccupied, almost silent, by the side of Ladr Hoarwithy. Hhe waa annoved with Sir Michael, whose long, wrinkled face looked longer than ever. She waa vesed with Nelson Waife, whom she had intended to motor mo-tor to Raglan, but who had slipped away for the whole afternoon. She thought everybody, in short, most inconsiderate, in-considerate, she waa the only ona doing do-ing her dutv. She eoneeived herself as gallantly- breasting the wavea of despondency. She would set the example ex-ample of gay indifference. As Sir Merion affected aot to hear, she repeated her question in a different form. "What was itf aha cried; "did you see aa admiral from vour window! Sir (erion's hobby." ska added, turning to the lord lirutenaat, "ia butterflies. ' "1 must ask vour pardon." said the doctor, foreed to speak. "Thev brought a aote to av dressing room as T waa -hanging. It hail been left by hand. The note begged me immediately to come to an urgent rase. The writer had forgotten to nut the addreaa on." "How straage. " cried I,ady Dom. "What name was signed f" "I couldn't res. I it." said the doctor. doc-tor. "I ghaared at tke note. It was vary hurriedly written. Tke writer sid he bad heard of mv presence here, that kis wife waa very ill. tkat I was tke nearest doctor, would I conief" "Let me see itf" aaid Lady Dom. Tke doctor shrugged kis skoulders aad protruded kis underjaw. He seemed to be grinaiag a ubastly gria. "That's jvat the trouble," ha said. " I flung It oa the table br the window. When I came back it waa gone. I went outside and searched. I aiked all the servants if thev knew anybody who was ill in the neighborhood. 1 can Had out nothing. I have to sit hre and pretend to eo.ior mv dinner while I appear newleetful of some one who is suffering. ' eruahlnsr the ts she tlli hM betwae clenched flnaers. Oh, don't an yet." The pleading plead-ing words seemed forced from her. "It Is necessary." he said. "I must hurry back. I have some letters to write before dinner." ghe sprang to her feel The red petals of the broken rose falling around liar A flush spread over her cheeks. In her fevered mood. It waa almost as though he bad rejected open advances. "I am i-omlng with you," she exclaimed ex-claimed tartly. "It will only take me a minute to lock up." "You'll have to hurry and we II have to walk taat." Hs heard from within s peal of laughter laugh-ter almost hysterical. His test words had been In his usual blunt Paris manner. man-ner. In the manner of the relationship possible to bar. They actually brought a flicker of hope to the distracted girl. Hhe read him as abaolu'ely dense where women were concerned. She choked back bar outraged pride snd came out of the oottage prepare to beain all over again tka work of transforming a comrade into a lover. ., , A breathless walk tkat; they did aot exchange too worda in tbe two miles. If she could have sweated tkat this man had parried knowing, v all her woman's strokes, aad led kar to vital disclosures, kad read tke motives which had induced her to eaaka tkeas. had fended off what he had feared, aa open proposal, bar pride woald have baea broken forever. Aa tkay want ap the drive she asked kini to come again tomorrow to tha cottage He waa full up, he said, curtly, curt-ly, smiling down on aer. She weat to bar room to drew ia a mood for which kar maid had to pay heavy price. When Nelson Waifa had finished dressing his valet came to him with a message from Trvon t'arwardine. "1 could see him hers." said Waife. Ba was seated at tha table ia the sitting sit-ting room which adjoined his sleeping chamber. He weat oa writing latter after letter, keeping tke per in place with a heavy paperweight on the top. "One moment, Mr. Carwardina," ha aaid aa ha heard a firm, springy step. Ha fiaiehed three letters before ha turned to face a visitor who waa at oara tka soa of one of kit chiefest enemies, ene-mies, aad, it appeared, the successful rival who had taken from him the one brigs hope wkiek kad skoae iato his darkened Hfe. No petty affaetation kept tkis vouag man waiting five minutes. min-utes. Nelson Waife completed esck dotv before ba weat oa to the next Bo knocked oa tke table aa he turned, fgad hit valet instantly appeared aad gathered up tbe letters "Wall. Mr. CktrwardiaeT" He ttudied tka young man witk a new iaterest. Tkis young man was more to him aow tbaa the son of a tainted father who mutt suffer with that father in obedi race to a changeless law whieh had come dowo through all time. He asw a frank, opaa faea, wianing ia its raa-dee. raa-dee. Ha saw embarrassment behind a mask of assumed briskness. "A little uiMinderstanding last night, Mr. Waife," cried t arwardine. "Taw were kiad enough to congratulate as when I hadn't earned eoagratula-tioa. eoagratula-tioa. My people were responsible, of coarse. ' ' There waa aa iastant's pause, then the next worda rang out with aa-eoaesaled aa-eoaesaled elation "It ia Miss Fane who has dear ma tha konor to promise ts marry me. " A psuse disconcerting to tke young asae followed. Nelson Waifa 's eyas ware fixed sa him with a eold scrutiny Net a muscle of the face moved. "I felt bound." continued tha young man. " not ts Issvee Lsdy Dominica la a false position, as I have to tell you ths whale trwth. Mr people dea 't know it ret. aad Mies Fan. and I would like te (ess SWT Utile aerret for a few dsvs. sei how." "I shall, sf esoire. regard this at confidential. " aaid Nelson Waife. rising ris-ing to hit feet. It was an unmis f "But who left itf a.ke 1 Lord Rcstr. feeling compelled to ask a uaee-tioa. uaee-tioa. Ha was sure that all this was ingenious lvine. Re was sure that tea note was of ths hind that Hir Michael had reeeived. hut as host he could aat remain silent. "It wa found in the letter box. the butler tells ess." the doctor answered. "Nobsdr knows when it was pat there It was onlr bv aeeident thev fnnad it at all. I naderataad the bet it verv little uaed." Tv its continued ? |
