Show w t THE LOVES of the LADY ARABELLA by MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL merriu co SYNOPSIS at 14 cars of ago admiral sir peter hawkshaw s nephew fell deeply lor love at first algat with lady arabella actor foont a ho spurned his attentions the lad an orphan was buon berth as midshipman on the aja by his uncle giles vernon nephew of sir thomas vernon became the boy pal the attended a theater where hawkshawe Hawk nephew saw lady arabella ernon met philip overton next in line for sir thomas vernon s estate they started a duel which was ln vernon overton and chaws nephew foahd themselves attracted by pretty lady arabella CHAPTER 11 continued in a week perhaps possibly not for two weeks and the surgeon lie parted As soon as he was out of the room giles sent for pen and paper and with the most painful effort guiding his right hand by his left managed to the following epistle to capt overton v f inn portsmouth priday dear sir ahls Is to inform you that I 1 met with a taoist axer dent while coming down on the coach my friend and mess mate the infant admiral which you saw with me had read the story of gehu in the bible or diomar I 1 forget which and to drive tour alch lie odd with the result that my right arm was ot place and the rascal y doctor who sett it baya I 1 cannot use it tor some days ants s bosl AS it delays pleasure va anticipated in our meeting rill herstrom here nw as boon n I 1 am recovered the only witch dl me la that if we both go 0 aty jones tw 11 please that old cur sir thomas vernon bad luck to him billbe me belr your much obliged adf itose obedient servant slid on II 11 M galax giles gave me this read and it pointed ont several he bid made la spelling although the of the letter wag gentlemanlike i everything was that giles did atta great vexation and some difficulty he added a postscript P S please excuse aa my arm la ery G V at that moment a marine from alax bounced breathless and in great excitement into the room we are to sail with the tide to jsnr he said the admiral passed the messenger on the road the jib Is loose and the blue peter ly ang and out he ran to notify the other absentees giles seized the paper and added laboriously P 8 no 2 I 1 am just ent ormed that the blue peter la tiling trona the ajax and that my dear sir that we are about to tall our meeting must bo postponed tor god abose when we will eat fresh butter again but you ahall hear from cue 0 V and that night we sailed with the fc tide CHAPTER we were ordered to join sir john jerels fleet in the mediterranean without the loss of a day and when the tide served at ame 0 clock that night sir peter hawkshaw was ready for it the officers who knew sir peters capacity tor picking up his anchors at short notice were general ly prepared and were but little sur at the sudden departure 0 the phlp the men however arc never prepared to go and the ship was be elegad froma the time she blue peter until she set her topsails top sails bv tho usual crowd of bumboat women pal lors wives tai ern keepers shop deal ers and all the people with whom jack trades and who are loath to part with him for reasons 0 love or money al though all of the stores nere on board there were market supplies to get and the midshipmen were in the boa con brantly until the last boat was hoisted in just as the music called the men to the capstan bars it was a brilliant moonlight night a good breeze was blowing and the ajax got under way nath an unusual spread of sail As we passed out the narrow entrance into the roads the wind freshened and the great ship took her majestic way through the fleet a mountain of can vas showing from rail to truck the first few days I 1 was overcome as it bere rere with my new life and its duties two other midshipmen junior to myself had joined BO I 1 was no longer the exclusive butt of the cockpit e spent most of our spare time express ing the greatest longing tor a meeting with the french although for my own part even while I 1 was bragging the most I 1 felt a sickness at the heart when 1 imagined a round shot enter lag my vitals giles vernon waa still the dearest object of my admiration and affections always excepting that divinely beautiful lady arabella but ahta was rather the admiration of a glowworm for a star I 1 had no one else to love except alles and even a must love something I 1 did not much trouble about that meeting so far in the future be tween giles and overton youth has no future as it has no past naturally I 1 did not see much of my great uncle the admiral he was a very strict disciplinarian probably be cause he was used to discipline at home and busied himself more the conduct of the ship than the cap tain liked the other midshipmen al lebed that there was no lovo lost between capt and the admiral and the captain had been heard to say that having an admiral on board was like having a mother in law in the house nevertheless sir peter was a fine seaman and the sunroom joke was that he ikney how to command from having learned how to obey un der lady hawkshawe Hawk shaws birou rule one day the admirals steward brought me a message the admiral s compliments and would I 1 dine in the great cabin at five that day I 1 wag frightened out of a years growth by the invitation but of course I 1 responded that I 1 should be most happy this like m professed anxiety to meet the french was a great lie at five 0 clock I 1 presented myself trembling in every limb the first thing I 1 noted n the cabin was a large portrait of lady hawkshaw as a young woman she must have been very handsome sir peter gave me two fingers and turning to the steward said soup soup was brought we were mostly out of fresh vegetables then and it was pea soup such as we had in the cockpit sir peter grumbled a little at it and it was soon removed and a leg of pork brought on a pig had been killed that day aha sniffed sir peter delighted ly this Is fine nephew you have no pig in the sunroom today to day which waa true and sir peter he ped me liberally and proceeded to do the same by himself the steward however said respectfully excuse me sir peter but in the in I 1 had the honor to have with lady hawkshaw before sailing sir she particularly desired me to request you not to eat pork as it always disagreed with you aih wh what roared sir peter 1 I am repeating lady hawk shaw s message sir humbly responded the man but I 1 thought I 1 saw under all hla humility a sly kind 0 defiance sir peter had no fear ot either round grape or double headed shot and was indifferent to musketry fire ellse it was commonly said of aim in the service that it he were ordered to attack hell itself he would he turned his back every time sir peter filled his glass stand on until his jib caught fire but neither time nor distance weak ened the authority over him of lady hawkshaw sir peter glared at the steward and then at the leg of pork and suddenly jumping up seized the dish and threw it pork and all out of the stern win dow As I 1 had secured my portion I 1 could view this with equanimity the next dish was sparer lbs the steward said nothing but sir peter let it pass with a gioan it seemed to me that everything appetizing in the dinner was passed by sir peter in response to a peculiar of warning glance from the steward athla man I 1 heard afterward bad sailed with him many years and waa understood to be an emissary of lady hawkshaw s we had besides ahe pea soup and roast pork potatoes tur nips anchovy with sauce and a cus tard sir peter however dined off pea soup and potatoes but 1 observed that he was his own roaster as tar as the decanters were concerned and it occurred to me that he had made a trade with the steward by which he was allowed this indulgence as I 1 no alced the man turn his back every time sir peter filled his glass dinner being over the cloth re moved and the steward gone sir izeter appeared to ba in a somewhat better humor his first remark was so you are fond of the play sir I 1 replied that I 1 had been but once the time you w ent with giles ver non it the coach had broken down between london and portsmouth we should have sailed without either one ot you 1 did enot mention that abo coach had upset but merely said that we thought there was no danger of any detention and that giles vemon was in no way responsible for my going to london as he knew nothing about U until ve met the coach door I 1 was revolving jn my mind whether I 1 could venture to ask ot the of the divine arabella and suddenly 4 direct came to me I 1 re marked with blushes and tremors J roust admit how very alko lady arabella asfor i mont must lady hawkshaw have been afe t aft a ay iy nt rf f f at hey age and lady arabella I 1 a iery beautiful young lady sir peter grinned like a rat trap at this awkward compliment and re marked yea yes arabella Is like my lady except not halt so handsome when I 1 married lady had to cut my way literally with my through the body guard ot gen clemen who wanted her and as foi her relations well she defied em all with all the little art 1 possessed to get some information concerning arabella out of sir peter but beyond telling me what I 1 knew before that she was his great niece on the other side of the bouse and first cousin to daphne and that her father now dead was a and a pauper in spite of being an earche told me nothing but even that seemed to show the great gulf between us would she with her beauty and her title con descent to a midshipman somewhat lounger than herself and penniless I 1 doubted it though I 1 was in general of a sanguine nature I 1 found sir peter unbent as the de banters canters grew empty although I 1 would not for a moment imply that be waa excessive in his drinking only the mellow glow which an eng elsh gentleman after a few glasses of good port enveloped him he asked me it I 1 was glad I 1 had joined the service to which I 1 could say yes with great sincerity impressed upon me my good fortune in getting in a ship of the line in the beginning and gave me some admirable advice I 1 left him with a feeling that I 1 had a friend in that excellent seaman honest gentle man and odd fish admiral sir peter hawkshaw when I 1 went below I 1 told my mess mates all that had occurred rather exaggerating sir peters attentions to me as midshipmen will then privately I 1 confided to giles vemon I 1 told what little I 1 had found out concern ing the star of my soul as I 1 called arabella to which giles responded by a long drawn out phew ph ew I 1 implored him it he knew any of fleer in the ship who would be likely to be acquainted with lady arabella to pump him for me this he promised and the very next day as I 1 sat on a locker studying m theorems giles came up dickey said he mr buxton knows the divine arabella she has a fortune of aal so has the dove eyed little all inherited from their granddad a rich bombay merchant it seems that jadv ari bellac mother bought a coronet with her and it turned out a poor bargain however the earl did no live long enough to ruin his father in law and little daphne s parents too died young so the old bombay mar left the girls bla fortune and mide m ide sir peter their guardian and that means ot course that polly hawk shaw Is their guardian mr burtan says he would like to see the fortune hunter who can rob polly of those two damsels for polly says rank and lineage are not everything she her self you know dates back to the saxon though she did marry the son of your desalting de salting great grandfather and she wants those girls to marrye men and what polly says on that score Is to be respected considering that she married into n family to please herself 01 to displease her relations I 1 don t inov which I 1 should say though it yare honest and deserving and m your book and get a good word an fn n the chaplain you will probably c c day bo the husband of little f but not of lady arabella no me shall marry her while I 1 live that may be sure of but when I 1 marry her you may be side boy at my wedding I 1 thought this speech very cruel ot giles vernon and believed that he did not know what true love was else be fould not so trifle with my feelings although there an echo ot earnest ness in his intimation that he would kill any man who aspired to marry lady arabella we were three weeks in the bay of biscay thrashing to windward under topgallant salts and expecting dally and hourly to run across a french man we were hoping for it because we found the ajax to be i very weatherly ship and fast for her class and both capt bullford Gul lford and sir peter who bad sailed in her before knew ex icily how to handle her and we were to have our wish for one even ing toward sundset we sighted a french ship of the line off our beam and by the time we had made her out a light I 1 rench frigate was coming down the wind and in an hour e were at it hammer and tongs with both of them TO BE |