Show SERIAL of the LADY ARABELLA by MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL copyright bobba merriu co SYNOPSIS at 14 bears of asre A ral sir peter s nephew fel deeply tn loie at first sight with lady arabella stor aimont who spurned hla attentions the lad an orphan was given a berth aa mid hapman on the ajax by ills uncle allea vernon nephew of sir thomaa vernon became the boi a pal they attended theater where nephew BOW lady arabella CHAPTER II 11 continued no sooner had giles said this than with the determination to bo known as a man of spirit 1 I was as I 1 said but 14 I 1 concluded I 1 would go to lon don too on the day thit giles ver non got his 24 hours leave I 1 also got the same mr buxton looked a little queer when I 1 asked him for it and said something about not allowing the midshipmen to leave portsmouth but I 1 answered readily enough that I 1 wished very much to go on a little expedition with giles vernon which would last overnight As tho other midshipmen had been allowed similar liberty I 1 got my request and next morning as the phoebus coach for london rolled out of the stables into the inner yard I 1 approached giles vernon was also on hand his sur prise was great when he saw me you take a risk my lad be said no more than you do I 1 replied stoutly and I 1 too love a roguish eye and a blushing cheek and mean to go to the playhouse with sou to see mistress trenchard at which giles roared out one of his rich laughs and cried come along then my infant don juan we got inside the coach because it was tar from unlikely that we might meet some of our own officers on the road or even sir peter ebah himself who traveled much between portsmouth and the and had we been caught there is lit tie doubt that we should have been forced to right about face ir aalto ot the leive each cne of us had ia V so we made ourselves ex small in a corner of the coach and only ventured to peep out once when we caught sight of sir peter hawkshawe Hawk shaws traveling chaise going london wards and sir peter himself lying bick in it reading a newspaper after that you may be sure we were aery circumspect I 1 noticed however the same thing tn the coach that I 1 had observed the first hour I 1 set eyes on giles vernon that every woman he met was hla friend there were some trades mens wives a french hairdresser and the usual assortment of women to be found in a public coach and in halt an hour giles vernon had said a pleas ant word to every one of them and basked in their smiles the day was in april and was bright throughout and the relays of horses were so excellent that we reached london at four in the after noon having left portsmouth at nine in the morning we went straight to a chophouse for we were ravenously hungry and now dicky boy said giles to me keep a bright lookout for any of our men and if you see one cut your cable and run tor it and it we are separated meet me at the white horse cellar at 12 tonight to take the midnight coach dy the time we had got our dinner A was time to go to the play we marched off and made our way through the mob ot footmen and got seats for the pit and when we went to and I 1 saw the playhouse lighted up and the boxes filled with beautiful creatures I 1 was near beside myself giles laughed at me but that I 1 did not mind I 1 gaped about ma until suddenly giles gripped my arm and whimpered to me dont look to the left there 13 a box with peter hawkshaw in it and polly and two girls one of them the greatest beauty I 1 ever saw though but i a slip of a girl it peter or poisy seea w lord help I 1 did trot look around immediately but the desaro to have a ot he adorable lady arabella made me teal a glance that way she very beautifully dressed and though but btttle moro than ac such a vision ot loveliness aa fairly to rival reigning beauties of several seasons standing I 1 own that I 1 saw little daphne sitting by lady arabella but I 1 noted her scarcely at all 9 nor could giles keep his eyes oft lady arabella and I 1 noticed that even when the sylvia as he ched her was on tho stage be was not strictly attentive to her but rath er bought that fateful hex whre so much beauty v as enthroned aff fa 1 the divine sylvia MB a delightful actress I 1 nuat admit and in spite of being 40 it she nae a day and though with paint she had something winning in her air and face and I 1 could understand her tremendous pop flarity with the young bloods Isel clr peter nor polly as giles called her showed an signs whatever of having recognized us in the large crowd in the pit and we began to congratulate ourselves bea there was a seat next to us held by a gentleman s servant and present ly ho gave wa to a remarkably hand some oung man of six or seven and twenty A ft w words passed between master and man and then we knew that the handsome gentleman was capt philip overton of the second life guards giles exchanged significant looks with me capt overton seated himself quiet 1 and after a careless glance at the house seemed to retire into his own thoughts quite unmindful of the stage and what was go ng on upon it I 1 wondered why a min who seemed so in hermony with his surround ings should take the trouble to come to the play but it capt overton was JI derent to all about him one person the beauty in lady hawkshawe Hawk shaws box was far from indifferent to him lady arabella saw his entrance and from that moment she was occupied in trying to obtain his attention ahen at last ho recognized her and bowed slightly she flamed all over with color and gave him as good an invitation as any man might want to come to her box dut overton made no sign of any intention to go to her and when she finally seemed to realize this she be came as indifferent to all about her as he was other persons came to the box and went during the play but they got little heed from lady ara balla little daphne al hough but a child not yet in her teens showed a lively interest in all thit passed and behaved in a most young way much to my diversion 1 I was all of two sears older than she As the play progressed I 1 saw that giles was becoming more and more infatuated with the fledgling beauty and he even whispered to me a sug gestson that we present ourselves boldly at the door of the boi this I 1 received with horrar fear ing both sir peter and lady hawk shaw indeed I 1 had not been able to shake off this fear of my great ancie and aunt for a moment one s first night at the play Is usual ly a magic dream but mine was tern with the dread of being caught on the spot of being delayed in our there was nothing for me to do but to walk along beside him return to portsmouth and the torment of seeing the adored of my heart quite absorbed in another man when the play was over we sat still until the hawkshaw party had passed ut and then more for tho sake of bravado I 1 think than inclination giles ran to the stage door where he made one of a mob of gen clemen to see the divine sylvia to her chair and to my alarm as eoon as the lady was within and the curtain drawn he tipped the wink to one of the chairmen who silently gave up his place and giles taking up tbt pole trudged off assisting to carry his port ly mistress there was nothing tor me to do but to walk along beside him amid the rattle and roar ot coaches and shouting of the hackney coach men the pushing and jostling of chairmen and and all the confusion that attends the emptying of a london playhouse mrs trench ard s door was not far away and when she was put down and giles sneaked off I 1 observed the handsome capt overton standing at the turn of the street laughing at him alles who was so timid n bis love atas bold enough in his and stepping up to oberton said coolly sir I 1 permelie per celie you are smiling who Is the harlequin that amuses you may I 1 ask you sir promptly answered over ton you aro too good responded giles and I 1 have before pinked any man in beauty s quarrel and then he slapped overton in the mouth the next thing I 1 knew their two were flashing in the moonlight I 1 stood paralyzed with fear not so a couple of burly watchmen who run nang forward for clutched the offenders and dragged them apart but the two late enemies making common cause against the watchmen fought them off and when the watch men resisted desisted des isted from the fight to spring their rattles for assistance both giles and the officer ran down a dark alley followed follo wod by me as fatt as my abort lega would carry me and soon all three of us were huddled la the porch ot a church some away from tho scene of the africa neatly done remarked ft ath a smile to alle 1 I should haa been in that brawny fellow a clutches now but for tha clip aver the head vou gave him you did lour share sir politely responded giles but atmo presses and our affairs must be settled said overton here Is my card it Is too dark to read it but I 1 am capt philip overton of the second afe buirds and I 1 replied giles am man giles vernon of the ajax ship of the line now at portsmouth dy tha dim light of a lantern in the church porch I 1 saw the expression of upon overton s face then he stammered we are ro yes replied giles smiling and it ou pierce me through with sword or pistol it will be worth one of the finest estates in the kingdom to you provided always that old villain sll thomas vernon does bof marry and have children in spite of us overton reflected halt laughing and halt frowning it only ou had not passed a blow anything else there could be an accommodation tor it was most un fortunate yes as it turns out responded giles but the question is now when and where can we meeta just then the great bell of st pauls tolled out the halt before mid night and I 1 who had been an almost unobserved listener spoke out of tha fullness of my heart giles said I 1 the coach leaves at 12 it we do not get to portsmouth in time we are deserters let capt overton write to you and fight afterward out of the mouths of babes and suc klings comes wisdom replied overton smiling and so in two aln utes it was settled overton agreeing to come to portsmouth to fight II 11 giles could cot get leave to meet him halfway between portsmouth and london vo then bade him good by and ran off as fast as our legs could carry us and barely made the coach we traveled all ight giles sleeping soundly and snoring very loud in one corner I 1 felt great uneasiness about the coming meeting between him and overton although I 1 believed there was no hostile feeling between them hut when men face each other with arms in the r hands there i Is always the possibility of catastrophe the roseate morning broke when we were still some distance from ports mouth the sight of the blooming hedge rows the bird songs and all the fair beauty of the morning made me long to be outside and at the last stage my companion still sleeping I 1 got out and with a shilling to the coachman got the box seat there only two or three persons besides the guard on the coach once up there I 1 could not rest sat without handling the ribbons I 1 had never even driven a donkey in my life but nevertheless I 1 aspired to drive four fresh roadsters the coach man a good natured foolish fellow gave mo the reins down a perfectly smooth lane I 1 seized the whip too and brought it down across the wheel ers backs and the next thing I 1 knew the coach was lying on its side on ibal road and I 1 was on the ground it was over in a wink and it seemed scarcely longer before it bad been righted tor the load was extremely light and no one was hurt except giles he scrambled out of the coach window his arm hanging down not broken but out of joint I 1 pointed to it your sword arm I 1 said there was nothing for it but to make for portsmouth as fast as pos sible giles was in extreme pain bal said nothing but great drops came out upon bis forehead hen we reached the town I 1 at once tit off in search ol 01 a surgeon while giles remained the inn I 1 soon fetched the surgeon who got the arm into place when tha man bad finished giles asked when he could use his arm for pistol shoot ing TO BE CONTINUED |